The Obsidian Tower by Melissa Caruso is the first book in the Rooks and Ruin trilogy
Completed: 1/26/2023
Recommendation: Recommended
Recommended By: Nobody in particular, but I think I first saw this on Kobo
Review:
I enjoyed the pace and character development in this novel. The idea that the protagonist can kill someone with a touch isn't so novel, but that someone can be killed simply by touching her is a much more creative angle. The loneliness of being surrounded by people with whom one cannot interact is well defined here and the meaning of family (who can touch by virtue of their own magical power only) is dramatically augmented. This is also a save-the-world book, but it is done cleverly and that cleverness explains why a trilogy is possible. Caruso did a good job of making an alien world come alive and carefully develops concepts so that the reader can reasonably anticipate how things are going to go and be rewarded when the alien environment behaves as expected. A few things did not go as expected, but those are mostly nits and do not necessarily take away from the book. One thing that did not go as expected--SPOILER--is that the protagonist did not solve her problems through marriage (every time I thought Caruso would play that card, she didn't). It was nice, refreshing, and though it was hard to have a main character who suffered so much in so many ways, it was great to enjoy seeing how iron will had to deal with unforgiving reality. Looking forward to the next one!
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