Review: The Unspoken Name

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

MY GOD THIS WAS GOOD.

I haven't read a new fantasy this exciting in a long time. Mostly, I think I fell in love because it was so different. I had no fkn clue what was going to happen.

Blurb keywords:
Death cult. Old magic. Sacrifice. Powerful mage. Spy. Assassin. Reclaim. All debts become due.

Honestly, how could you not be sold after that???

Csorwe is our protagonist and she's a total badass. She's also loyal AF to Sethennai, the mage who saved her life. (And if the names are scaring you, don't stress - there's a handy pronunciation guide in the front.) She's tough as nails and easy to root for and I really admired her loyalty. Her journey throughout the novel was fascinating.

Rather than one epic tale, this is more like a series of episodes, with goals constantly changing. It made the whole novel unpredictable which was fantastic and highly addictive. I enjoyed the fortress arc the best, but I do have a soft spot for snakes (so yes, the series name gets me a bit excited for what's to come). The landscape was constantly changing, and new characters being regularly introduced. But it was never overwhelming, and everything slotted into the story so nicely.

The writing style was an interesting mix of sparse and lyrical - it creates atmosphere so well, but then at times I found myself re-reading passages because it seemed actions had been skipped over. However it still manages to draw you in and it's easy to be absorbed.

The characters are often questionable and not so easy to love but they are coloured thoroughly which makes them rather interesting to observe. Sethennai absolutely fascinated me because he's not like any wizard/mage/magician character I've come across before. I really wanted to understand him more.

This was such an original, dark, addictive fantasy adventure and I never stopped being amazed by how good it was. I'll be recommending this one to a lot of fantasy lovers this year, and definitely keen for the sequel!

With thanks to Macmillan for an ARC

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