An Orc maiden, the gods and magic!
The Unspoken Name (The Serpemt Gates #1)
by A.K. Larkwood
Firstly let me say what a fascinating cover! It quite drew me in to this story with Orcs, magicians, portals and strange lands. And let's not forget those gods who always have other plans! A new fantasy saga. What more could I want?
Csorwe is our Orc maiden who knows her future. She is to be the Sacrifice to the Unspoken God. (Ok folks! I had a lot of trouble speaking Csorwe's name. The first part 'Cs', pronounced like the 'ks' in books had me stumped. I never did get the hang of it!)
That aside, when Csorwe choose the path to Life presented to her by the mage Belthandros Sethennai, her world opens up in unexpected ways. I was struck by Sethennai's comment to Csorwe as they left the Unspoken One's Shrine. "The secret of greatness is to know when you should risk the wrath of god.”
It seems this is a path that Sethennai has oft contemplated. Mind you I wouldn't trust Sethennai but then Csorwe has little choice.
Csorwe will train to be Sethennai's sword arm, his right hand Orc person. She has his back. I must admit that Csorwe's unquestioning gratefulness to Sethennai palls a tad. But then what else does she know given her upbringing, her path as the Chosen Bride sacrifice, in the House of Silence priory? She always followed the proscribed path--until now!
Sethennai is determined to return to the city of Tlaanthothe and the powers of his patron, to defeat his enemy Olthaaros. To assist him he seeks a lost reliquary. One with drawback so we are told, “The Reliquary of Pentravesse is said to mark its passage through the world, in the sense that a scythe marks its passage through the grass.” A most uncomforting description!
The beginning chapters had Csorwe finding her feet, as was I, a follower of her journey. I found I wasn't as engaged as I'd hoped. I'd wander off to do something else, like eat whilst muttering 'that name'! It wasn't until later in the book that I found the more compelling elements developing. That's when I became fully engaged. Oh, and I'm still having problems with pronouncing Csorwe's name! It's just not happening!
A Macmillan-Tor/Forge ARC via NetGalley
****
by A.K. Larkwood
Csorwe is our Orc maiden who knows her future. She is to be the Sacrifice to the Unspoken God. (Ok folks! I had a lot of trouble speaking Csorwe's name. The first part 'Cs', pronounced like the 'ks' in books had me stumped. I never did get the hang of it!)
That aside, when Csorwe choose the path to Life presented to her by the mage Belthandros Sethennai, her world opens up in unexpected ways. I was struck by Sethennai's comment to Csorwe as they left the Unspoken One's Shrine. "The secret of greatness is to know when you should risk the wrath of god.”
It seems this is a path that Sethennai has oft contemplated. Mind you I wouldn't trust Sethennai but then Csorwe has little choice.
Csorwe will train to be Sethennai's sword arm, his right hand Orc person. She has his back. I must admit that Csorwe's unquestioning gratefulness to Sethennai palls a tad. But then what else does she know given her upbringing, her path as the Chosen Bride sacrifice, in the House of Silence priory? She always followed the proscribed path--until now!
Sethennai is determined to return to the city of Tlaanthothe and the powers of his patron, to defeat his enemy Olthaaros. To assist him he seeks a lost reliquary. One with drawback so we are told, “The Reliquary of Pentravesse is said to mark its passage through the world, in the sense that a scythe marks its passage through the grass.” A most uncomforting description!
The beginning chapters had Csorwe finding her feet, as was I, a follower of her journey. I found I wasn't as engaged as I'd hoped. I'd wander off to do something else, like eat whilst muttering 'that name'! It wasn't until later in the book that I found the more compelling elements developing. That's when I became fully engaged. Oh, and I'm still having problems with pronouncing Csorwe's name! It's just not happening!
A Macmillan-Tor/Forge ARC via NetGalley
****
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