Obsidian

this was a wonderfully done scifi book, the cover is striking and I really am glad I read this. The characters were great and I enjoyed getting lost in this story. The author has a wonderful writing style and really look forward to more from her.

Amazing. I loved every bit. The characters are flawed and relatable and interesting. The entire story is so well written I swear I was in the room.

OBSIDIAN was a fun read! Shade Nox is the witch we all want to be. Beautiful, gifted with a blade, and the strongest magic wielder in the land. I LOVED the magic system—the four and the hidden, the stone knives, the tattoos, the qaraz. It was a cool blend of elemental and blood magic.

The story is told in past tense, 3rd person multi-POV. The overall plot was well developed and well paced. I didn’t pick up on a lot of sub-plotting. The main characters were fleshed out, with clear motivations, back stories and trauma. Although, I would have liked to have learned more about Shade’s origin story. She was essentially an orphan twice over, and possessed profound magical abilities. I’d hoped for a grand reveal at the end about her birth parents, but no dice. Same went for Imperial Mad—who exactly was his mother? Why do I care so much about their backstories? Because I was invested in the characters! Well played author, well played!

The ending is pretty high tension. I hit the 80% mark on my e-reader and didn’t put down the book until I hit the last page!

If you like creative magic systems, crystals, badass bisexual wizards, and the chosen one trope, then you will love this book!

I received a free e-ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4.5 rounded up to 5

All Shade Nox wants to do is raise a magical veil to protect and save her people living in the Wastes of Malavita, a recently conquered nation of the empire but it isn’t easy. No woman has ever raised a veil and the Brotherhood who controls the veils and would rather watch them collapse than allow Shade raise a new one. If that wasn’t enough, Shade now has to deal with Raiden Mad, an emissary from the empire, sent to help her raise a new veil but now wants to capture her and make answer for her crimes.
I read a free copy of this book for a free unbiased opinion.
The cover for this book is amazing and immediately caught my eye- I wasn’t disappointed!
Obsidian is a fast-paced well-plotted fantasy with a strong trio of point of view characters. The story is told from the points of view of Shade, Dante and Raiden who are all complex and intriguing.
Shade, as a character, is fascinating- a typically feisty heroine who is perhaps the most powerful bloodwizard in Malavita. But what I really loved about Shade is that she isn’t invincible and is accepts help when needed. She is also realistically reluctant to be the hero who must make a sacrifice to help others but will literally get her hands dirty to achieve her goal. She is also refreshing pragmatic about her love life which is so rare in female fantasy heroines.
My favourite character arc has to be Raiden who starts the book as a prim, rigid by-the-books soldier but grows to appreciate the wizards fighting to save the Wastes despite the great risk to themselves. I’m not sure if there are more books in this series but I would like to learn more about why Raiden is obviously special.
The world-building is fresh and interesting especially the magical system of blood magic. The author’s description of Malavita’s physical landscape, history and people were vivid and I could easily see this being played out on TV. I loved the concept of Veils and Quraz, a sort of magical transport system. The book also had me smiling several times.
My only criticism, and it is very small, is there are few female secondary characters in a sea of male characters.
The book doesn’t end on a cliffhanger but there are plot threads that could be followed in a sequel but the book works well as a standalone. I would definitely read more books in this world or by this author.
Content warning- Description of cutting,

This book was a breath of fresh air. I've been reading fantasy for a long time, and this story is so unique, so we'll imagined and nothing like I've ever experienced before. The world building really takes center stage here, and I think the author did a fantastic job introducing us to their world. The plot was intriguing, though sometimes a little overwhelming, which is why I'm giving it a 4 stars out of 5. I had trouble paying attention the first few pages simply because there was so much information.
However, because the plot is so complicated, it's consuming. Readers will find themselves forgetting the real world exists because this story is so fleshed out in beautiful prose- and that's the whole reason we read, isn't it?
The characters were realistic and likeable enough I cared about each of them. I love Shade and Raidan, and a little romance is just the icing on top for me.
I noticed some reviews saying the writing was immature, but I thought the opposite . The style was very sophisticated and the banter was typical for its genre, setting, and location.

I would definitely love to read more from this author and look forward to adding this to my good read list!

"Beware the witch who wields obsidian..."
"Shade ached for him; he had a kind heart. Sometimes, too kind for his own good"
"You were right: I'm not a true wizard ... I'm a witch"
When I first looked at the cover of this book , I felt somehow drowned to it. I felt like it could be the right book to get me out of a slump that was lasting way longer than expected ... and it did!
I'm not going to lie , I needed the first 50 pages to get into it but it was absolutely worth it!
If you've ever read "The Tiger at Midnight" and you liked it, you should definitely check this out!
An enchanting fantasy book that has an amazing magical system as well as characters' description that will bring you along into a world made of layers upon layers of mystery and "Veils" that will protect you as much as damage you ...
A badass main character who knows what she wants and how strong she actually is , "The strongest of the strong", who plays a key role in saving the world from injustice and completely ruin and is torn between seemingly long lost feelings and new ones awakened in the most unexpected of times.
Some really intriguing love interests as well as amazing friends ready to sacrifice their life for her ...
An action well divided and distributed throughout the entire plot and a war made even more amazing thanks to the use of magical stones and gems ...
I really hope this story will develop into something more because I cannot wait to meet these characters again already !
"It's called restrain , my dear ... I was protecting your reputation."
"Stop and I'll break your fingers"
"I said the price was too high. I never said I wouldn't pay it."

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

Spine tinglingly good!

Love fantasy? Love a strong, flawed heroine? Then this is the book for you! The author does a wonderful job of building the world for this book that will keep you engaged. The plot comes with twists and turns that will keep you intrigued and turning the page. The cover is what drew me to this book, and it did not disappoint!

Just what I needed!

Shade Nox is fierce and flawed and I just LOVED her. The characters were all so distinct with backstories that were realistic and interesting at the same time. I enjoyed the plot a lot- it was a unique twist to fantasy and I enjoyed every bit of it. The writing was really good- it was simple and descriptive without being overbearing. Really enjoyed this one. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an e-arc.