Review: The Unspoken Name

The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

In this dazzling debut, author A. K. Larkwood has created a unique fantasy world with multiple mythologies and a protagonist who finds her path by a series of trials by fire. Csorwe (Ka-sor'-way) is raised to be a sacrifice. On the day she is to go to her honored fate, a powerful wizard, Belthandros Sethennai, offers her a different life, spiriting her away to become his bodyguard, spy, thief, and procurer of a mysterious reliquary that means everything to him. Does Csorwe know what she has agreed to? Has she traded one form of blind faith (Bride of the Unspoken) for another (because serving Sethennai is serving who, exactly?) Along the way, Csorwe meets a young woman in similar circumstances, Shuthmili, a magical Adept waiting for a position in the Quincurate, where she will become tethered to a group of magic users, losing all individuality but gaining long life and stable use of her magical abilities. Are these fates offered young women of talent desirable, or even just? How much should a person be willing to sacrifice?

I thoroughly enjoyed the world Larkwood has created, with its complex and interwoven mythologies and belief systems. I loved both Csorwe and Shuthmili and even got to the point of tolerating Talaserres, Csorwe's brother in arms for Sethennai. My only thoughts are that I wanted a bit more from some of the secondary characters, like Orana and Zhiyouri, who felt a little thin at times in motivation and backstory. The pacing of the novel slows a bit two-thirds of the way through but I was so immersed in the world that I didn't even much mind it. I cannot wait to see where Larkwood takes the reader in the next Serpent Gates novel.

I also listened to the audiobook, with fabulous narration by Avita Jay.

I received a Digital Review Copy of this book along with a paper review copy from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

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