“Will thrill and delight any fantasy fan.”―Tasha Suri, author of The Jasmine Throne In this fresh epic fantasy bursting with intrigue and ambition, questioned loyalties, and broken magic, one woman will either save an entire continent or bring about its downfall. “Guard the tower, ward the stone. Find your answers writ in bone. Keep your trust through wits or war–nothing must unseal the … your trust through wits or war–nothing must unseal the door.”
Deep within Gloamingard Castle lies a black tower. Sealed by magic, it guards a dangerous secret that has been contained for thousands of years.
As Warden, Ryxander knows the warning passed down through generations: nothing must unseal the Door. But one impetuous decision will leave her with blood on her hands–and unleash a threat that could doom the world to fall to darkness.
Praise for The Obsidian Tower:
“Block out time to binge this can’t-stop story filled with danger and unexpected disaster. From the fresh take on time-honored tropes to a crunchy, intrigue-filled story, The Obsidian Tower is a must-read for lovers of high fantasy.”―C. L. Polk, World Fantasy award-winning author of The Midnight Bargain
“Deftly balances two of my favorite things: razor-sharp politics and characters investigating weird, dark magic. A must-read.”―Emily A. Duncan, author of New York Times bestseller Wicked Saints
Rooks and Ruin
The Obsidian Tower
The Quicksilver Court
For more from Melissa Caruso, check out:
Swords and Fire
The Tethered Mage
The Defiant Heir
The Unbound Empire
more
Great character building and a fast paced, compelling
Where do I even begin? This was an exceptionally well-written, exciting, dramatic and heart-wrenching tour de force. The characters are rich in depth, even the nasty ones. I’ve never felt so bad about a character I hated getting killed! With just enough sarcasm and razor-sharp wit to keep you smirking (and downright chuckling at times…thank you Ashe), this book will leave you breathless and starving for the sequel.
First in a fantasy series and did exactly what the first book in a fantasy series should: draw me in, introduce me to a raft of fascinating characters, set up and pay off some plot lines while constructing others for longer-term rewards, and most importantly, make me desperately hungry to read the next book. Not your grandfather’s dusty old chosen-man-on-a-quest stuff; a beautiful example of what modern, inclusive, smart fantasy can be. Loved it.
The Obsidian Tower by Melissa Caruso is an epic high fantasy that takes place in the same world as her Swords and Fire series. Nevertheless, this is not a series that requires the reader to be familiar with her previous series.
Excellent World-Building
Caruso is excellent with her world-building. There is just enough history and detail to give the reader an idea of this world without distracting from the plot. The reader understands the tenuous relationships between these characters and their kingdoms.
The history of this novel to include the Dark Days and the Nine Demons, was also something interesting. Demons are not unusual to fantasy novels, but the idea that there are precisely 9 is noteworthy. The way they exist; this idea of them being tied to magic is engaging, it offers the reader something interesting and creates a whole lot of interesting tension within the novel, guiding the plot along.
And the hierarchy of Witch Lords, those in possession of magic, in appealing. While the idea of holding those with magic as the aristocracy is not unique, the idea within this novel sets up excellent tension. Ryx has magic but it is broken and keeps her from being accepted among her kind. However, her magic is something else entirely, something powerful, that slowly develops throughout the novel.
A Shining Relatable Protagonist
While her magic is broken, different, it allows Ryx to be vibrant.
Ryx is such a compelling protagonist. Ryx has always felt alone with her power, keeping up this barrier between her and others, keeping her from living. There is so much inner turmoil she has to overcome while she also deals with political and magical upheaval. While that is all great, what makes Ryx shine is her personality. She is a fierce character and Caruso brings her to life so well that the reader can perfectly imagine every sigh, eye-roll, and face-palm event that makes her want to pull her hair out. That kind of writing entrances the reader and makes Ryx believable and relatable.
Final Thoughts
Overall, The Obsidian Tower is a great introduction to a new series. There is a great diverse cast of characters, all of whom are unpredictable that, alongside the plot, keep the reader engaged until the very end.
First time reading this Author and I must say I will be reading her again. I really enjoyed this fantasy novel. Ryx is an interesting heroine. She’s smart, brave and I would say rather lonely. No one can touch her or there will be unexpected consequences. All this starts when the obsidian tower is opened and and all hell breaks loose from there. I thought this was a wonderful read. I highly recommend it!
A magnificent dark delight! Sharp edges, tenebrous magic, a heroine wrangling fractious politics AND her own deadly powers. Ryx’s struggles are compelling, and you can really feel the tension as she’s trying to hold the line between so many competing forces. I’m so glad Caruso is spending another trilogy in this fascinating world, and I appreciate getting the view from Vaskandar this time around. Highly recommend for readers looking for fantasy with complex politics, fascinating magical systems, queer casts, and thrilling action.
THE OBSIDIAN TOWER is about a girl with broken magic whose family has kept a secret locked away in a tower for thousands of years. When her magic accidentally unlocks that secret, her world starts to unravel. She fights to keep it all together through pain, loss, and heartache. Every chapter of this book kept me guessing, and I never knew what would come next. It’s an excellent page-turner and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Ms. Caruso has a deft way of mixing magic, political intrigue, and betrayal that constantly keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. She crafts detailed characters I fall in love with in books filled with tension, hope, heart-break, and longing. It’s a world filled with complex history, lore, secret societies, and competing factions, which all makes for wonderful conflict.
She mixes swords and sorcery in a new way, in this book in particular. One character laments that not all things “can be fixed with stabbing,” while steampunk-like spectacles “let you perceive certain flows of magical power.”
My favorite aspect, though, is the way she weaves romantic tension throughout the book. Lines like “The memory of his hand on my back set a flush in my face that had no business being there” were perfectly placed to add a little heat here and there. A touch, a look, an almost caress… it’s all so well-written and keeps the reader hoping something more will happen. It’s delightfully tortuous.
As the first book in a new series, THE OBSIDIAN TOWER does not disappoint. You do not need to have read her previous series set in the same world, though I highly recommend her Swords and Fire Series. Same world, same skillful writing, different characters and types of magic and politics.
The Obsidian Tower is the first book in Melissa Caruso’s Rooks and Ruin series. The story is set in the same universe as Caruso’s Sword and Fire series. However, you don’t need to read that series to become fully immersed in this series.
The story focuses on Ryx, a royal-born with magical powers. Unfortunately for her, her magic doesn’t work in the effective, life-giving way that the rest of her family’s does. Her magic and her touch harms. Because of this, she is a pariah in her own kingdom, feared and avoided by all but a small group of people. She, too, is afraid. She fears hurting people and hates the magic that she’s been cursed with.
However, as the story progresses, Ryx learns to use and control her power. As like most coming-of-age fantasies, as Ryx matures she learns more about herself, becomes more in control of herself, and develops more confidence and sense of self. It helps that her power might just save the kingdom. Ryx gains purpose which adds to her maturation and growth.
Much of the story is a struggle for power. As delegations from other kingdoms come to engage in peace talks, Ryx finds a spy in their midst. Courtly intrigue ensues, as Ryx also realizes that some of their “allies” are a little too interested in the tower that her family guards.
Ryx knows that guarding the tower is of supreme importance. After all, this has been ingrained in her since childhood. When the tower is breached early in the story, Ryx and others have to deal with the ramifications of letting something evil into their midst.
Ryx is an amazingly well-developed character. Smart, caring, and determined, she is just what the kingdom needs. She has a strong and interesting group of friends and allies that support and complement each other.
I also loved her complex relationship with her enigmatic and powerful grandmother. From humorous banter to manipulative and mysterious conversation, their interactions captivated me from the start. I don’t want to give away too much here, but I’m curious to see what happens between Ryx and her grandmother in future books.
Finally, I love the messages presented in the novel. At the forefront are themes of self-worth, believing in yourself, and how corrosive power can be when selfishly gained.
Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.
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Review It’s a story about Ryx, a Warden, with magic that is broken, twisted, and just not quite right when compared to the magic of the rest of her family. Despite this, she is determined to protect her family and people. Above all that means to preventing anything from opening the Door. When her grandmother goes missing and someone opens the Door, Ryx must somehow manage the fallout and protect her people while dealing with the consequences.
I picked it up, started reading it, and was quickly bogged down – trying to process the information overload that was the world-building or in this case world-understanding of the character Ryx. Her inner monologue of her place and how she fit in it was basically all the background I got. Everywhere the reader went with Ryx, that was how the world was built and processed around us. It was a very difficult thing to that in as a reader to be forced-fed the world around you through the first person setting like that. It left everything every flat for me.
The author clearly has talented, as the story is unique and does has quality about it that made me want to continuing reading. I did feel, however, that if it was a different POV she the plot wouldn’t have been bogged down as much and the world-building would have flowed. I think the characters suffered and remained unchanging because they had to be used as mouth-pieces. Overall, it’s a good book that could be great.
** I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review. **