https://lynns-books.com/2020/06/15/th...
4 of 5 stars
My TL:DR Five Word Review : Dark Tower Keeps Darker Secret

The Obsidian Tower is a book that really surprised me. To begin with, I cannot deny, that this wasn’t working it’s magic and I had to stop reading about 25% in – to be honest though I think my own personal mood at the time was having an effect on my reading and making it difficult to concentrate. I left this to one side for a couple of weeks and then gave it another shot and I’m so pleased I decided to take that little book holiday because I ended up loving the Obsidian Tower.

Meet Ryx (Exalted Ryxander) Guardian of Gloaminguard Castle, Vivomancer, granddaughter of The Lady of Owls and quite possibly one of the loneliest people in the world of Eruvia. Ryx’s magical abilities were twisted beyond recognition following a childhood illness and left her with a unique magical talent that is little more than a curse. Ryx inadvertently kills everything she touches, well, there are a few exceptions, such as her grandmother, whose own power as a Witch Lord enables her to touch Ryx without death following on fleet feet. This is the foremost reason why Ryx was in fact moved to Gloaminguard to be raised by the Lady of Owls and to eventually become a guardian and advocate of peace between Vaskandar and the Raverran Serene Empire. In fact, as the story begins Ryx is about to host an envoy of diplomats in a bid to sign a peace agreement. Unfortunately, things don’t go quite according to plan and Ryx manages to kill one of her visitors and unlock the power of an ancient artefact that has long fallen under the protection of the Obsidian Tower. As you may imagine things spiral fairly quickly after that with the arrival of more guests, a murder, a shocking revelation and war threatening to break out at any moment.

What really worked well for me:

Firstly, I really liked a lot of the characters. Ryx is a young woman who has come to terms with her own strange life style. She has little, to no, human contact and constantly lives in fear of accidentally causing death or destruction. She has a ‘Midas’ touch of sorts but instead of turning those things she touches into gold, everything she comes into contact with dies, people, plants, animals. If she so much as brushes against a leaf it withers, she has never ridden a horse or shared a dance with someone. She lives in fear of causing death and the people around her are scared, they make the sign to ward off evil when she passes by and consequently friends are in short supply. Ryx is undoubtedly someone that you can enjoy reading about and more than that observing the way her character grows during the course of the book.

Ryx’s grandmother is a great character. She doesn’t play a huge role here, in fact she’s absent for a good portion of the story but you can still feel her influence and she’s really very intriguing, not to mention she really brings every scene that she enters to life – as does Whisper. Whisper is difficult to pin down. A creature of shadow who can move easily between places. Whisper knows things and keeps secrets. The Rookery is an organisation that investigate all sorts of things and provide answers and solutions. They’re neutral and their involvement helps to keep things a little more amicable. They’re a fun group of people, nerdy, fiercely loyal and with bags of tricks sitting in reserve which makes them surprisingly effective against the most difficult of odds. The Rookery definitely bring a ‘lighter’ element to the read which is very much welcome.

Now add in some of the darker characters of the story. Severin is brother to the Lord of Alevar whose fiance was killed at the start of the story when attempting to unlock the secrets of Gloaminguard and he is now hell bent on revenge. Severin is visiting the Castle as his brother’s agent to discover who the murderer is. I will add in a possible spoiler here so be aware – Severin and Ryx share some chemistry and I’m going to surprise you (and myself) by admitting that I really enjoyed this aspect of the story and would definitely like more. Yes, that’s right, I’m asking for more romance – yes indeedy. Severin and his brother have a difficult relationship and, lets just be honest, Severin is scared of the Wolf Lord, with good reason so it will be interesting to see how he develops.

On top of becoming invested in the characters I really enjoyed the world building. Gloaminguard is a fascinating castle full of twisted passages and dark mystery. The surrounding woods themselves answer to the magic of the Lady of Owls and lend her a lot of power, as do the surroundings that fall within the domain of the other Lords. There are politics at play here and the need to tread carefully in order to avoid an incident or, more to the point, a war.

Then finally, there’s the pacing, the ever increasing tension and the sensation of being flung from one crisis to the next whilst trying to undertake an investigation and make everywhere safe.

In terms of criticisms, I think one of my main issues when I started reading was that there was a certain degree of ‘telling’ not ‘showing’ particularly where Ryx was concerned. I also think I found myself angry on her behalf – she was blaming herself for a death that wasn’t really her fault. She had an awful childhood and very little family support and it turns out that the magic that kept everyone at bay could have been countered by wearing a Jess – a magic bracelet that holds the wearer’s own magic in check. As Ryx’s magic was not of any use to her family and she was foisted off on her grandmother as a last resort – then why not use the Jess? I don’t understand that aspect if I’m being totally honest. But, these things weren’t deal breakers for me and certainly didn’t spoilt the read and there might be more answers in the next book in the series.

A murder, an investigation, a secret and dangerous magical artefact. There is much here to love and on top of this a bunch of diverse characters that you can really develop feelings for. There’s a lot here to enjoy and it makes me very keen to see where the next instalment takes us.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

DNF @52%

At first glance, «The Obsidian Tower» has so many elements that I love in fantasy books, that’s why I was so surprised to find out that I didn’t like it. I was even more surprised when I couldn’t pinpoint what exactly was wrong or what exactly I didn’t like.

A vast, well fleshed out world that took a while to get accustomed to. There is also a handy map right at the beginning of the book to help you get yourself situated in this huge political conflict that is happening between different kingdoms and empires.

Just by reading the first couple of chapters, you could see how much work went into creating this whole new world from scratch. I couldn’t detect a resemblance to any other fantasy (or real) worlds I’ve read about before, which makes it even more incredible.

The names of places, titles, expressions that are particular to certain nations – all of these made it a very unique experience.

Political intrigue that was exposed to its bone! One of the main plot “movers” was Ryx’s attempt of mediating peace between the two neighboring territories. Ryxander, as the Warden of Morgrain appointed by the Lady of Owls herself [Ryx’s grandmother], made it her goal to look after her people in any way she could. Since her “broken” magic didn’t allow her to perform the usual duties of a Warden, she had to learn how to be useful in other ways.

When Raverran and Alevar, the neighboring territories, were headed towards an open conflict because of a secluded island, she as the Warden of the land that lay between them decided to take this in her own hands and attempt negotiation of peace.

Besides the political intrigue, there was also a “magical” emergency that happened in the worst possible moment. When you’re hosting two representatives from ill-tempered territories, you’d love for everything to go as smoothly and as close to the original plan as possible. So of course, the magical emergency had to happen at the worst possible moment to give our main character even more things to worry about. 😀

This was done very well, and I loved to see how two different plot motivations intertwined and influenced one another.

It’s very difficult to explain what exactly didn’t work for me. There were so many great elements that I loved! So many characters that had great potential! (Ryx, Severin, the Rooks crew). So many unanswered questions that I want to learn answers to!

But apparently none of it was enough to keep me interested and captivating in the story. Reading this book was a chore. While it had many incredible concepts, I feel like the execution just wasn’t there. This time I won’t be blaming it on pandemic and reading slumps, as I really gave «The Obsidian Tower» a fair chance, but if even by 50% it wasn’t able to get me interested enough to continue then I made the right decision to DNF and move on to something else.

I even liked Melissa Caruso’s writing style! But the story felt too far away, the characters underdeveloped and nothing made me connect with them.

I enjoyed The Obsidian Tower, there was quite a bit I didn't like about it but the fact that I stayed up until 02.30 must mean that my issues were largely outweighed by my enjoyment. I liked the world building. I liked the plot. I didn't like the protagonist. Ryxander was the 21 year old granddaughter of the Lady of Owls, the Witch Lord of Morgrain who had flawed magic which meant that she always felt like an outsider. I get that she was starved of human contact and affection because of her magic but she was really immature. It read like she was 16. She went on how it was her duty to protect Gloamingard but half the time her actions contributed to the opposite. She put her personal desires before the interests of her nation. As well as freely giving another nation leverage over her, she was ridiculously trusting of an outside organisation whose objectives she knew were not directly aligned with Morgrain's. I didn't really understand her admiration of Raverra. I've read The Tethered Mage, the first book of Caruso's Swords & Fire trilogy which takes place 150 years prior but the portrayal of Raverra in there makes it definitely seem that she views it with rose-tinted glasses which may be why she was overly trusting. Granted, I haven't gotten around to finishing Swords & Fire but that level of trust definitely seems misplaced. In spite of this, I really did like and empathise with Ryx.

I feel like a lot of the secondary characters lacked depth. The only ones we really got to know beyond a surface level was Ashe and Severin, both of whom I really liked. Other than these two the novel didn't really delve into the backgrounds and motivations of the secondary characters.

The ending was somewhat predictable but even with the issues I've pointed out, I did find the novel very compelling and enjoyable. I look forward to the rest of the trilogy.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the views expressed in this are my own.
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What a wonderful read! This was so difficult to put down.

One of the biggest reasons for that is the constant action in this book. The length could be daunting for some, but the pacing absolutely doesn't make the reader feel as if they're trudging through mud. And this is not something I can say about most fantasy books.

I absolutely adored our protagonist and she happens to be one of the few I have liked from a plethora of female protagonists that populate many books these days. I admire her weaknesses and how she overcomes them occasionally but not without a lot of struggle. I also found her own abilities fascinating to read about.

The world-building, political tensions, magic system and character interactions were impeccably handled and one of the best aspects of Caruso's writing style is the lack of info dumping. It was refreshing to learn so much about the world without having to drag myself through pages upon pages of description and end up losing track of the dialogue or event.

Overall, this is an incredible novel that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a protagonist worth rooting for, an incredible magic system and high-paced events.

Overall rating: 4.5 stars

There are two kinds of magic. Exalted Ryxander “Ryx” Morgrain’s magic is the kind that wrecks you, that shatters you, bitter in your mouth and jagged in your hand, breaking everything you touch. She is a royal aethling, mage-marked and unable to touch without killing. She is also the Warden of Gloamingard, which her immortal grandmother, Witch Lord of Morgrain, the Lady of Owls, draws her power from. And she’s been told since she was a child, that nothing must unseal the Door…

This story was a pleasant surprise. A masterful political narrative that centers around fighting threats of war with words, diplomacy in the face of murder, the right course of action in the face of betrayal and the love, loyalty and servitude that binds family, friends and allies. Then there’s the Door… Ryx is accompanied by magical investigators, the Rookery, and a band of interesting characters like the warm Kessa, fierce Ashe, mysterious, nonbinary Ardith, childhood friend Aurelio, mage-marked Severin and a intriguing chimera named Whispher.

There’s a smattering of f/f romantic tension, and I adored how Ryx’s judgment wasn’t impaired by a pretty face. She’s an empowered envoy, fighting against the ever-present threat of war with tact. The world of Eruvia is complex, its magic system fascinating and well-woven into its lore. There’s enough left open for a second book too, which is exciting because I genuinely enjoyed this diplomatic fantasy, and I’m still considering all the things that were left unspoken...

I was delighted to discover that this book is set in the same world as the Swords and Fire series, as I really loved the clever and original magic system. I also appreciated the tense, political tightrope Ryx is attempting to walk in trying to negotiate a peace between two great political powers, as I thoroughly enjoy that dynamic and Caruso writes it well.

She is a sympathetic protagonist whose life is blighted by not being able to touch anyone, due to her twisted magic draining the life out of any living thing. Her sense of loneliness is poignantly portrayed, without holding up the pace, which is harder to achieve than Caruso makes it look. Her desperate desire to succeed with the peace negotiations is effectively portrayed, for as Warden of the castle, she is supposed to be custodian for all who live within its precincts – a difficult task for someone who cannot even reach out and stroke the palace cat. Her development throughout the story is enjoyable to chart, as is her delight when she realises she has friends, even as her life hangs in the balance.

For my money though, there are a couple of intriguing characters who I desperately want to see more of – Whisper is an enigma wrapped up in a puzzle and The Lady of the Owls, Ryx’s powerful immortal grandmother, one of the feared With Lords. We only see her a handful of times throughout the story, but her presence looms over the narrative. It’s nicely done, as is the mounting tension, punctuated by a couple of dramatic action scenes, all the more shocking for their suddenness, after the build-up.

Caruso deftly brings this story to a satisfying conclusion, but there are huge questions left waving in the wind, so the wait for the next book feels far too long. Highly recommended for fans of well-constructed magical worlds with high stakes and twisting plots. Though my advice would be that if you haven’t yet had the pleasure of the Swords and Fire series, do get hold of it first as there is a lot in here you will better appreciate if you know the backstory. While I obtained an arc of The Obsidian Tower from Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
9/10

I usually like Melissa Caruso books a lot more than I did this, but unfortunately this one was a bit hit and miss for me. It was interesting but sometimes I’d lose interest and couldn’t pinpoint why, but I think it’s just there were times I was bored, it was a bit too Blair witch in the pacing great action high points but then far too long between much happening again ! Overall I did enjoy this, but not anywhere near Melissa’s other stories and just too slow at points to make me enjoy it more. 3.5 stars for me

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This was an intriguing start to a new fantasy series and I'm already very much looking forward to the next one coming out in 2021.

Ryx is a mage warden of one of her family's strongholds. A stronghold that has long had but one edict: nothing must unseal the door. Ryx herself possesses magic which is broken, she's unable to touch any living thing without disrupting it's energy and thus draining it's life. This is an intriguing concept for a main character to have and it really imbues her with a sense of caution that made her in some ways less dynamic as a protagonist, but in other ways far more fascinating. I really love stories where female MCs are able to step into and embrace their power but in this case there are very real consequences to that, which results in a very nuanced character arc. Ryx's relationships with those around her are shaped by her relationship with her power so I really enjoyed how these developed alongside one another.

I don't want to spoil the plot, but suffice to say it was intriguing throughout, with a lot of politics and diplomacy at play, as well as some war-mongering and a good helping of demonic activity. I can't wait to spend some more time with these characters in 2021, to find out what happens next...

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown UK for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

In The Obsidian Tower, Caruso returns to the content of Eruvia some 150 years after the events of her previous Swords and Fire trilogy. The cruel enslavement of mages in Raverra is no more, and the focus of this first book in Rooks and Ruin is on the territory of Morgrain which is part of Vaskandar.

I enjoyed seeing things from the perspective of a region ruled by one of the Witch Lords (actually, the Lady of Owls) and in fact that's not the only perspective shift we see here. What will strike the reader immediately, I think, is the strange, but utterly timely, position of Caruso's main protagonist, Exalted Ryxander ("Ryx" to her friends). Put simply, Rxy has to keep a distance from anyone else, in case they die. An early scene sees her recall meeting a friend, each sat at one end of a bench, clearly maintaining the requisite 2m social distance. Caruso swears that she didn't use a crystal ball, or other means of divination, to pitch her story so squarely at our present circumstances but she's clearly off to something of a head start in reflecting the world of 2020.

The detailed reason for Ryx's behaviour are something I'll leave for now - spoilers! - but it is intimately bound to her position I the magical hierarchy of Vaskander and Caruso imagines it, and the challenges it poses, well, from the frightened pageboy who realises too late that he's close to the faces of the castle servants as they to the real possibility - present throughout this book - that Ryx will be brought to account for a death under the harsh customs of her nation.

As if that threat wasn't enough, the book presents us with an intricate mixture of ancient magics, modern diplomacy, pigheaded will-to-power and the simple desire of a young woman to live a little (not easy, in her particular circumstances). Delegations from hostile powers have assembled at Ryx's home, Gloamingard, to settle a territorial dispute and the fate of the content - war or peace - may turn on the result. Castle Gloamingard has something of the incremental, haphazard construction of a Gormenghast with forgotten corridors, hidden rooms and secrets passageways. It also harbours a four thousand years old secret - a doorway that must not be opened.

Caruso has sone fun with that trope. Of course we know that door's going to open! Of course we know the consequences will be bad! But rather than dwell on what horrors may follows - we do find out, but not for a good while - we are given the politics around the event. Imagine Denethor, Saruman, Gandalf and Sauron's ambassador sitting down too negotiate the fate of the Ring. Yes, Ryx is staging a peace conference, complicated by a series of murders (for one of which she is being blamed) while coping with the absence of a key ally and her own, personal difficulties. Essentially a bad day at the office (for a very special value of "office").

The book succeeds brilliantly, forcing Ryx to play for high stakes against some really, really awkward people. The action mostly takes place within Gloamingard itself, giving the book - as the murders begin - a bit of the air of a country house mystery (for a very special value of "country house"). One difference is that country house mysteries don't generally invoke continent-scale warfare.

Another is that they don't normally have protagonists as absorbing, well drawn and engaging as Ryx. In her, Caruso has given us a truly memorable woman, struggling to live with and overcome disadvantages in a society that's snootily obsessed with skills and talents and which attempts non too subtly to silence and marginalise her. She's having none of that, and fiercely pursues both what she sees as her duty to her people and her desire for some life of her own. Of course, the question of what will happen if - when - those aims collide hangs over this book - but I'd trust Ryx to find a way through in the end.

All in all this is a zinger of a book, suggesting that Rooks and Ruin will be every bit as readable, absorbing and epic as was Swords and Fire. If not more.

Despite coming from a family of powerful Witch Lords, Ryxander's power is broken. Instead of giving life to her domain, she can only drain it. Protected by her grandmother at Gloamingard Castle from a family who would be tempted to cast her out, Ryx has always taken care never to touch and never to abuse her power. Instead she had focused on diplomacy and is poised to host two rival factions - delegates from the Serene Empire to the South and from Alevar to the North. But, after Ryx accidentally kills a visiting dignitary in self defence and activates a mysterious artefact sealed away inside an ancient tower, she must build new friendships, weather rivalries and find a solution to this problem before the rival factions tear her own domain apart in their desire for this new and dangerous power.

I admit I was expecting a little more teenage angst in this but instead I got a book that definitely fits my definition of New Adult - the characters are 'young' - early twenties, but they have carved out lives and professions and roles for themselves. It's about putting the skills that you have to the test, rather than desperately seeking your own validation.

The 'can't touch without killing' power is something I was also worried about. I had absolutely HATED reading Shatter Me and all the unrealistic angst that came with it. Instead, Ryx has learnt to be self-sufficient, and to carve out a place for herself and to hold herself in check. And when she finds a way of subduing her ability to drain life, it's genuinely touching to see her coming to terms with being able to have physical contact (without just launching herself at any sexy piece of man - I'm looking at you Tahereh Mafi).

A huge part of this story is political intrigue - there are a lot of characters, all with different loyalties and motivations that all want a stake in this strange artefact in the middle of Gloamingard. And that means a lot of talking. But somehow those conversations stayed fresh - instead you really sympathised with the inexperienced Ryx who was attempting to hold all of this madness together.

And on top of that was the all the different characters' responses to the most Murphy's Law book I've ever read - if it can go wrong, it will go wrong! Even to the point of Ryx saying:

"... but at this point I expected a new emergency every time I so much as opened a cupboard or heard someone call my name."

There are times when you're reading this book and you think 'what on earth can happen to them now, give them time to think through this problem' but it soon becomes clear why all this is happening ...

Ryx is not the only character worth noting, though. She slowly builds a friendship with the Rookery, who are there to investigate this magical disturbance, and they all have time to show their different skills and qualities, without feeling like side characters.

Likewise with Severin, who is alarmingly attractive, but it's not immediately clear that he and Ryx will have enough in common to pursue this interest. Again it's that slow build of alliance and interest that really works here.

There were a few things that means this didn't quite hit the 5 star mark for me: Ryx's statements were regularly taken as fact, despite her clearly having the most to gain from lying. Instead she seems to be oddly incapable of lying. And many of these diplomats and dignitaries seem to take what she says at face value, without much proof or evidence for what she's saying.

Likewise, in a book with a LOT of talking, the 'villains' spend a lot of time posturing and showboating, rather than getting on with the straight up murders and massacres. It's a little Bond villain, which gives time for our hero to come up with something new. I also thought we were going to get a lot more from the Shrike Lord, but I suspect that will come at another time ...

But the world was fun - I understand this takes place in the same world as The Tethered Mage(Swords and Fire) series. But this didn't take away any of my joy and understanding of a world with set domains, Witch Lords, impressive but still limited powers and a whole lot of in-fighting.

Really this would be a 4.5 star read for me, rather than a 4.
And I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens next.

4.5
After having not much luck with arcs lately I was so relieved that I thoughly enjoyed this. I'm a fan of the author's Swords and Fire trilogy and I was excited to find she had a new book coming out based in the same world and with the Witch Lords, who were my favourite part of the first trilogy. I enjoyed this much more than I did the first book of the other trilogy and I think it was mostly because of the characters.
The main character, Ryx is an interesting character to read the perspective of. She takes her duties very seriously but has a dry humour at times that shows her exasperation at some of the characters around her that amused me. You really feel her sorrow of never being able to touch living things (with a couple exceptions), it means that she doesn't have much experience with human interaction other than her official role as a warden. She is politically savey and with the world she's in she wouldn't last long if she wasn't! I enjoyed the relationship she has with her grandmother and found the rest of her family very annoying with how they just discount her because of her magic. She mentions her parents but you don't get to see much of them so I can't really comment on their relationship with her.
Whisper is a mysterious chimera that seems to have been at the tower for longer than anyone can remember. I enjoyed his character (and not just because he's a fox/cat mix but it definitely helped), he normally helps or gives advice up to a point but he makes it known that he has his own agenda.
The Rookery, they're a mixed bag. My favourites were Bastian and Ashe. Bastian is a sweet cinnamon roll, he's the slightly shy one, he's also very intelligent while also being cheerful and optimistic. He has an interesting backstory that I'd like to find out more about. Ashe is the tough swordswoman with some good one liners but she has a sensitive and protective side and would sacrifice herself for her friends and teammates. Her interactions with the other characters were always amusing. She can even hold her own against a Witch Lord in a fight which says a lot about her skill.
I do like how Foxglove is a bit like the father figure of the group, he always seems to have the safety of his team in mind. Kessa is the heart of the group since she is so kind and accepting. When she first meets Ryx she shows more curiosity of her as a person than fear of her magic.
Two other characters I also enjoyed were Severin and Ardith. Ardith is referred to as they/them and I find them fascinating. I think because they remind me so much of Kathe from Swords and Fire, they have his mischievous cheekiness. You don't know they're true motives but you get the feeling they are not malicious (though we could be wrong!).
Severin is another character with hidden motives and I enjoyed how we and the main character got to know him better as the book went on.
Aurelio, I kind of wrote off as another Marcello (who I found unbearably dull in the other trilogy) though thankfully he gets a bit more interesting.
Now there are three potential love interests for Ryx but unlike another book I've read recently with the same, it didn't annoy me. Two of them are based on friendship that could become more. None of them are falling over themselves to get with her, she is just attracted to them in some way and as the story goes on they are slowly whittled down to one but I won't say which :).
There is good deal of LGBTQ+ rep. Ryx is bisexual, Ardith is non binary and there is also a character who might be on the asexual spectrum and another who is a lesbian (or bi, not sure).
Now with so many characters with hidden motives you can imagine how twisty turney the politics are and the amount of backstabbing that happens. I do love the fact that Ryx can't always be sure who to trust, it makes it so much more interesting to read. The added danger that the artifact in the tower provides means that there is always problems that Ryx has to solve and traps she needs to avoid. This means that there isn't much time to get bored, pretty much everything that could go wrong does so! There was an event however that the book pretty much built tension up the whole time for that ended up being a bit disappointingly brief.
The world building is done in a way that you find out the politics, the Witch Lord's magic and the basic history of the world as you go along. You don't necessarily need to have read the first trilogy but I would recommend that you do so that you have a deeper understanding of the history and politics between the Serene Empire and Witch Lords. I think if I hadn't read it I would have some questions about the world that this book wouldn't have given to me.
Overall I found this a great start to a new trilogy and can't wait for the next book!

The Obsidian Tower is a fantasy centered around Ryx, a mage whose magic kills anybody she touches.

As a whole, I found this book to be a bit of a mixed bag. The plot was really well structured, with a lot of political manoeuvring as well as action and drama. However, there was a lot of telling-not-showing, which made me feel a bit cheated at times.

I didn't really connect with any of the characters either. They were all a little meh - I didn't hate them, but also had no real interest in what was going to happen with any of them.

The book didn't really hold my attention very well. I finished it, but wouldn't rush back into the world.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This review has been posted to Goodreads and will be submitted to Amazon after release.

Another new Author for me, and to be honest it took a little time to get in to this book, once I had the characters though I was wanting to know what was happening next, I can see this book becoming a bit of a saga.
This genre has been mostly done to death, but with good characterization there is still plenty of enjoyment to be had here and there was, as I finished the book I found that I felt a little let down, not by the ending or the plot, but just because I wanted more, and it was nice to have female lead as the 'Hero'.
Well worth a read and I suspect that the second one will be just as well written.

The last book I read written by Melissa Caruso was the Tethered Mage and it was a great story. Her writing style was great, and the story she writes was interesting and magical. Obsidian Tower was set in the same world with the Sword and Fire trilogy, and it brought nostalgic vibe at the start and I got more excited for what the story is in store for us.

Eruvia was a world where mages and magical creatures reside. The setting of the story was astounding. I got a medieval vibe setting for Raverran and Vaskandar. Story-wise, it was astounding. The story focuses on the political machinations and war, and its effects on each kingdom. I liked how it drives the characters towards there reasoning and relationship towards the rulers of each kingdom.

Ryx as a character was appealing and her POV was compelling. I loved her relationship with her grandmother, brother, and her best friend. The war that she didn't see coming affects how she manages and thinks as a head warden of Vaskandar.

I liked that it focuses on the themes of a family. Ryx's motivation and philosophy were to uphold the legacy and image of her family. Knowing that they hold a dangerous artifact that can destroy the whole Eruvia, she manages to put her family first.

Vaskandar holds an ancient artifact that was sealed for a very long time. Unbeknownst to Ryx, this stone holds the Gate to the Nine Hells, when activated, it will release the nine demons (Nightmare, Despair, Carnage, Madness, Disaster, Discord, Corruption, Hunger, and Death). It resembles the 7 deadly sins.

Ryxander was vulnerable because she cannot conjure magic well, in which the kingdom needed her expertise, but the story manages to make her character strong and compelling despite her predicaments.

Plot-wise, it was great. The magic and the haunting secrets beneath Vaskandar led the whole story to its dangerous mission, to seal the Door, and to capture the demons that haunt the family.

So excited to read the next sequel!

All her life in living in Gloamingard castle Ryx has lived by one rule 'Nothing must unseal the door.' So when a visiting dignitary arrives and starts asking questions about things she shouldn't know about Rys gets wary and decides to follow her. When she finds her opening the door that Ryx has been told to protect she does what she can to stop them, but there is a problem, one touch from Ryx will kill the dignitary and Ryx can't let that happen. In her haste to prevent more damage and try and keep the dignitary away she slips and the dignitary ends up dead. Her Grandmother finds her, the Witch King of Morgrain, and tells her to run and find the Rookery a group of people intent on finding and eliminating magical threats. But when she returns her Grandmother has disappeared and everything falls on Ryx's head: trying to keep the peace between warring countries, running the castle and finding out exactly what lies behind that door and how to deal with it. It will take all of Ryx's power, her working with the Rookery and even people she see's as the enemy to close the door and save the world for good.

I was definitely intrigued going into this book, and while I enjoyed it as a whole there were parts of it that fell a little flat for me. I felt that the book took a while to get to the big reveal of what exactly was behind the door and if it hadn't been for the strength of the characters I think it would have taken me a while to get through it.

Ryx is a character that you can't help but feel for. Starved of human touch and emotions, she has lived her life with only a select few mages powerful enough to touch her, shrinking away from people in corridors and never being able to visit certain areas of the castle without the fear of killing them. It is a lonely life and it is also the motivation behind a lot of her decisions throughout the book. The side characters in this book were brilliantly developed and had huge parts to play in the overall plot. My favourites were those involved in the Rookery; Foxglove the leader and almost sounding board for Ryx, Bastien the scientist and a boy with a secret, Kessa the diplomat and Ashe the sword who has to be reminded far more that she should that killing is not always the best option. I'm definitely excited to read more about these and the other chacracters in the next book.

I found the magic system in this book really fun to read and learn about. In Vaskandar, Ryx's country, each 'county' is run by a Witch Lord, a mage of incredible power who is immortal, with lesser mages being in charge of different holdings. Whereas in the Serene Empire Mages were viewed highly and conscripted as fighters in the Army but weren't in positions of power. I enjoyed seeing the differences between the two and how this leads them to treat each other. Though we only leave Gloamingard for a small part of the book we learn an awful lot about the world outside through Ny's interactions with the Rookery and the envoys.

One issue for me was, though this book was advertised as NA, and the characters certainly fit into that age range, the interaction, conversations and decision making of the characters fell a bit more into young YA for me. There were times when I felt Nyx's focus was on the complete wrong thing and there were other characters whose decisions didn't feel like ones made by 'adults'. The author manages to keep the story flowing with a multitude of plot twists and making us as the reader unsure who we can trust.

I did feel parts of this book slightly predictable, the romance and some of the plot twists. However, the author certainly kept me guessing for most of the book and the strength of her characters and world make for an intriguing and fun read, and I am looking forward to picking up the sequel.

This book was a solid fantasy with its world-building and magic system. But the pace was a bit uneven.
The parts with a good pace were really exciting and I was hooked. But, other parts were a bit dull. I wish it was edited a bit better.
Though, I enjoyed my reading time and it was a fun fantasy to escape into.

Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

I recieved a free digital copy of the book from the publisher Little, Brown Book Group UK via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own personal views and given freely.

This book was brilliant, it had high stakes, mystery, magic, corruption, deceit, death, romance and intrigue. The pkot was well done...

When first reading I felt I had been thrown to the deep end with no knowledge of anything including the mc I knew the name Ryxander... And nothing else... It wasn't until much later in the book i figured out Ryx is a girl... It never seems overly important to the storyline if I'm honest.

I really liked Ryx and her character growth is fabulous - one of the reasons I couldn't stop reading the book. I loved her relationship with Whisper who I'd love to know more about.
Odan is one of my favourite character, strong stoic and loyal and so normal compared to all the magic going on throughout the story.
The other characters seemed a little interchangeable... We never really got ro know The Lady of Owls so we can't compare her at the beginning to her at the end. Foxglove, Kessa, Ashe ad Bastian all see.ed a little washy... As a group they worked but as individuals the only one I was invested in was Bastian, I'd love to get to know more about him.
I liked Severin - he seemed to be always on a knife edge as to which way he would swing... I did enjoy his character development but it was all at once and not gradual at least his courage being shown was.

I empathise so much with Rhyx she's had a hard life and never been truly alone because of her grandmother... Ad as much as she's been trained for being the warden shes also navigating plots and blossoming friendships, and possible romance (which could turn one way or another through out the story - at least i think it could have) but it never disteacted from the magic and the bigger plot that was at stake.

I found it odd that I didn't know Ryx was female but other than that i enjoyed the full book. It had a decent ending... Nothing too open to be called a cliff hanger but open enough that its definitely a series of books.

Honestly this book reminded me of Onyx & Ivory... Anyone else think the same? Or is that just me? 🤔

I think Melissa Caruso is definitely on my insta-buy list. I didn't realise her new series was going to be in the same world as Swords & Fire, but it is - just 150 years later! This time, our protagonist is the granddaughter of the Lady of Owls, a Witch Lord in Vaskandar. Ryx has dodgy magic which kills living things at the touch, which a little bit tricky when her grandmother is a Witch Lord.

For me, this book feels very new. Melissa took the world she created in Swords & Fire, built a new protagonist so different to Amalia, gave her new setbacks even more complicated than Amalia's poison, and new responsibilities. Where Amalia was given time to grow into her power, we join Ryx as Warden of Gloamingard, home to the mysterious Black Tower that must not be entered at all costs.

This book was full of the Vaskandar politics I love, with the Witch Lord rivalries still going strong. I loved that it focussed on different domains than Melissa has explored before. I enjoyed the little changes that have taken place in 150 years, including the Rookery. They are magical problems investigators and a little bit of a rag-tag gang. Loved the subtle nod to The Crow Lord and the Cornaro family.

There are hints of romance that I hope will be explored in later books. I enjoyed Severin's character and back story a lot and he was probably my favourite character. I feel like this was definitely a book to expand the world, and that the next books will be even more gripping!