The winding streets and narrow alleys of Karolene hide many secrets, and Hitomi is one of them. Orphaned at a young age, Hitomi has learned to hide her magical aptitude and who her parents really were. Most of all, she must conceal her role in the Shadow League, an underground movement working to undermine the powerful and corrupt Arch Mage Wilhelm Blackflame.
When the League gets word that … word that Blackflame intends to detain—and execute—a leading political family, Hitomi volunteers to help the family escape. But there are more secrets at play than Hitomi’s, and much worse fates than execution. When Hitomi finds herself captured along with her charges, it will take everything she can summon to escape with her life.
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I loved both books in this series and hope for another. Original characters and magic–fantastic fantasy adventure.
This has the makings of a great start to a series. I always enjoy when magic and supernatural beings are already a part of the mundane world, so we can skip over the *gasp* factor. So much happens, there is good back story & we get to meet so many great characters.
This is the beginning of an adventure. Hitomi is caught up in the political struggles of a nation that won’t claim her–until she gets caught & is forced into her own adventure of self discovery.
This is a quiet tale of kingdom building, and a lot of characters. … I don’t quite know what to expect for book 2…except, I can’t wait to read it.
If you like reading this is a good one. I’ve already ordered the next one.
Love this book. Definetly going to get the next one. Incredible story.
I thought this was a was a beautiful book. A great escape from reality with interesting characters and creatures. Hitomi takes center stage. Maybe bc it’s most of her inner dialogue but I felt like I wanted even more from the supporting characters. There’s still a lot of questions that are left unanswered even after the 2nd book. Can’t wait to continue Hitomi’s journey. Highly recommend if you love a heroine, creatures and action packed adventure of personal growth.
I enjoyed this story. Good characters. Look forward to the next book.
This is another one of those fantastic little books that just seems perfect in every detail. A strong, talented heroine, who’s mouthy without being obnoxious, crazy good worldbuilding, and some really unexpected twists make this a one-sitting read. The sequel is just as good! (And much longer.)
SUNBOLT is an enjoyable adventure from word one all the way to the final page, containing action, intrigue, a rich world, and just about everything else you could ask for in a novel.
The writing is stunningly beautiful, just as myself and many others have come to expect from Khanani. The characters are nothing short of spectacular either. I love the main character, Hitomi, especially. She is, for lack of a better term, so hardcore. I don’t want to give away too muc, as I’m trying to keep this review spoiler free, but just take my word for it. You’ll love Hitomi. The other characters are great too. No character, however minor, comes off as flat.
SUNBOLT’s pace is absolutely perfect, carrying just enough tension when needed and executing it well. Still, it doesn’t flood the reader with constant action. (Being constantly thrown around at a break-neck pace is too exhausting for the reader!)
And once again, diversity! To anyone who read my review of Intisar’s other book, THORN, you’ll know that I’m tired of seeing an all-white cast in fantasy novels. Heck, in most novels. But never fear! The cast of SUNBOLT is rich and diverse, unstereotyped and awesome.
As the first book in a series, the possibilities as to where this could go are endless– and exciting! For its strong cast of characters, masterful writing, perfect pace and tension, SUNBOLT gets a solid five out of five. I’ve recommended it to almost every reader I know.
Thank you, Khanani, for writing such a wonderful book. I look forward to seeing where you take this!
Excellent
Recommend highly
Well crafted story