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A review by megsbookishtwins
The Obsidian Tower by Melissa Caruso
5.0
disclaimer: I received a copy free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Ryx is the granddaughter of a Witch Lord of Vaskandar. Witch Lords and their magic are tied to the land of their realm and it is their duty to protect the land and its people – it is a magic of life. In Gloamingard, her grandmother's castle in Morgrain, her ancestors have guarded a dark tower for millenniums, its secret and its magic guarded – although they don’t know why. They know one thing, ‘Nothing must unseal the Door’. One day, however, Ryx catches a political envoy attempting to enter and one thing leads to another and the door is opened and its magic is, momentarily, unleashed. This leads to a political and magical disaster which Ryx, and an organisation that deals in magical emergencies, attempts to navigate.
rep: bi m/c, non-binary side character, lesbian side characters, side f/f romance
I requested The Obsidian Tower on a whim and I’m so glad I did. My favourite part, that I loved, was the politics. It isn’t a YA book – our protagonist is 21 – but it definitely has cross-over appeal so don’t let that put you off. The Obsidian Tower had a little rocky start, but it soon dragged me in. It’s a very slow-paced book. It is very much about the unstable political environment on the continent of Eruvia between Vaskandar and The Serene Empire. It is about our main character, Ryx, trying to avert war with diplomacy. Tensions are high and war is brewing. I really felt the urgency of what Ryx was trying to achieve. It is also a book full of high stakes – personal, political, and also magical.
The world-building was fantastic. I loved the idea of Witch Lords and the connection to the land, I also really enjoyed the discussions about the differences in how both Vaskandar and The Serene Empire treated mages and those with magic. The Rookery was also an interesting organisation – an independent group formed to investigate magical artifacts and emergencies. I loved it – all of it.
Ryx, as stated before, is the daughter of the Witch Lord of Morgrain, a domain of Vaskandar. Her grandmother- The Lady of Owls – controls the land in her domain through magic. Ryx, however, doesn’t possess this magic – her magic is full of destruction and death. Everything she touches dies. She is the family outcast. Despite this, she has managed to carve a place in her realm with her political skills, and while she will never be able to protect her people using the land like her grandmother, she can protect them using her skills at diplomacy. And that was what I truly loved about Ryx and her passion to protect her people, I loved her smarts, her drive, and her fortitude. I loved the friendships she gained with the Rookery, and I really adored the super slow-burn m/f enemies to lovers romance.
One of my favourite relationships in The Obsidian Tower was Ryx relationship with her grandmother. I don’t really want to accidentally spoil anything, but it is wonderfully complex and I just really enjoyed it.
Overall, I would highly recommend The Obsidian Tower for fans of fantasy politics, magic, and complicated family dynamics.
Ryx is the granddaughter of a Witch Lord of Vaskandar. Witch Lords and their magic are tied to the land of their realm and it is their duty to protect the land and its people – it is a magic of life. In Gloamingard, her grandmother's castle in Morgrain, her ancestors have guarded a dark tower for millenniums, its secret and its magic guarded – although they don’t know why. They know one thing, ‘Nothing must unseal the Door’. One day, however, Ryx catches a political envoy attempting to enter and one thing leads to another and the door is opened and its magic is, momentarily, unleashed. This leads to a political and magical disaster which Ryx, and an organisation that deals in magical emergencies, attempts to navigate.
rep: bi m/c, non-binary side character, lesbian side characters, side f/f romance
I requested The Obsidian Tower on a whim and I’m so glad I did. My favourite part, that I loved, was the politics. It isn’t a YA book – our protagonist is 21 – but it definitely has cross-over appeal so don’t let that put you off. The Obsidian Tower had a little rocky start, but it soon dragged me in. It’s a very slow-paced book. It is very much about the unstable political environment on the continent of Eruvia between Vaskandar and The Serene Empire. It is about our main character, Ryx, trying to avert war with diplomacy. Tensions are high and war is brewing. I really felt the urgency of what Ryx was trying to achieve. It is also a book full of high stakes – personal, political, and also magical.
The world-building was fantastic. I loved the idea of Witch Lords and the connection to the land, I also really enjoyed the discussions about the differences in how both Vaskandar and The Serene Empire treated mages and those with magic. The Rookery was also an interesting organisation – an independent group formed to investigate magical artifacts and emergencies. I loved it – all of it.
Ryx, as stated before, is the daughter of the Witch Lord of Morgrain, a domain of Vaskandar. Her grandmother- The Lady of Owls – controls the land in her domain through magic. Ryx, however, doesn’t possess this magic – her magic is full of destruction and death. Everything she touches dies. She is the family outcast. Despite this, she has managed to carve a place in her realm with her political skills, and while she will never be able to protect her people using the land like her grandmother, she can protect them using her skills at diplomacy. And that was what I truly loved about Ryx and her passion to protect her people, I loved her smarts, her drive, and her fortitude. I loved the friendships she gained with the Rookery, and I really adored the super slow-burn m/f enemies to lovers romance.
One of my favourite relationships in The Obsidian Tower was Ryx relationship with her grandmother. I don’t really want to accidentally spoil anything, but it is wonderfully complex and I just really enjoyed it.
Overall, I would highly recommend The Obsidian Tower for fans of fantasy politics, magic, and complicated family dynamics.