Review: The Unspoken Name by A. K. Larkwood
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Title: The Unspoken Name
Author: A. K. Larkwood
Genre: Fantasy, f/f romantic elements
Release Date: 11 Feb 2020
Author's links:
My rating: 4 Stars
Blurb
What if you knew how and when you will die?
Csorwe does — she will climb the mountain, enter the Shrine of the Unspoken, and gain the most honored title: sacrifice.
But on the day of her foretold death, a powerful mage offers her a new fate. Leave with him, and live. Turn away from her destiny and her god to become a thief, a spy, an assassin—the wizard's loyal sword. Topple an empire, and help him reclaim his seat of power.
But Csorwe will soon learn – gods remember, and if you live long enough, all debts come due.
Review
This is a debut diverse fantasy with f/f romantic elements which I mostly enjoyed and had no major issues with it other than the pace being rather slow at the beginning. It's an engaging, complicated story involving death cults and sacrifices, all-powerful gods and magicians.
The story has a slower start, descriptive, understated, very much reflective of who Csowre was at that time. As the story progresses we see her grow up, completely transform herself and through trial and error become her own person. I loved seeing her complicated relationship with her mentor and saviour and master. Csorwe and her friend/enemy Tal also had a turbulent relationship which brought forth major life-altering decisions for both of them.
Csorwe was given a second chance at life but has actually become a tool for Belthandros Sethennai, with no purpose of her own. And then she had to re-evaluate everything in her life for the second time. She went on to forge a life for herself (and the woman she fell in love with). It's a slow, painful discovery of who you are and what matters for you the most.
The story was casually queer - m/m and f/f relationships were just part of the world, actually of all the different worlds we get to visit in the story.
It’s a debut work of this author and I am looking forward to reading more. I feel the story is opened to sequels and I am here for it.
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