The Unspoken Name

Starred review from December 1, 2019

DEBUT Csorwe has always known the day she will die. Raised in the House of Silence since she was an infant as a Chosen Bride, the young orc knows that, while her childhood years are spent as the voice for her god, on her 14th birthday she will enter the Shrine of the Unspoken and become his sacrifice. But then wizard Belthandros Sethennai comes to the House and brings Csorwe a choice: follow her fate to her death or craft a new one. Csorwe joins Sethennai on a journey across different worlds, training as a warrior and assassin, to help reclaim his seat of power and assist his search for a potent object that is hunted by a familiar face from their shared past. Csorwe faces lessons on loyalty, truth, and her own feelings, and discovers that she cannot run away from her god, or any others. The characters around Csorwe are delightful and maddening by turns, creating an action-packed and emotionally engaging story. VERDICT Lushly detailed with incredible worldbuilding, Larkwood's debut is a singular take on orcish fantasy, filled with fierce fighting and magic.--Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from December 2, 2019
Larkwood spins an imaginative story of love, sacrifice, and betrayal that traverses worlds in this phenomenal debut. Csorwe, a 14-year-old orc princess, is betrothed to the Unspoken One, her world’s god, and is slated to be sacrificed to him on behalf of her people. Before the ceremony can be completed, a stranger, Belthandros Sethennai, finds her and offers her the chance to avoid her fate by leaving with him and helping him to regain control of his world. To return to power, Sethennai must find a holy relic, the Reliquary of Pentravesse. He trains Csorwe to be his “blunt instrument,” transforming her into an assassin and sending her on quests across alternate worlds to seek out the Reliquary. On one such journey, Csorwe meets a young mage named Shuthmili and falls in love, testing her loyalties once more. Larkwood’s intricately woven plot is jam-packed with intrigue and excitement. Lyrical, immersive prose masterfully conveys complex worldbuilding. Epic fantasy fans are sure to be impressed by this expertly crafted adventure. Agent: Kurestin Armada, P.S. Literary Agency.

December 15, 2019
Larkwood's debut, the first of a fantasy series, begins in familiar fashion as a warrior-maiden adventure and gradually develops into a love story. In this imaginative but never fully convincing universe, places may be reached via magical gates leading through a maze of dead and dying worlds. Magic powers derive from a rare, innate ability combined with power vouchsafed by a patron god. Csorwe is of a hominin race that sports tusks--these are functionless and, unfortunately, impossible to visualize without thinking "piggish." In a narrative rendered in crisp, vivid prose, Csorwe serves the oracular shrine of a god--the Unspoken Name--but is destined soon to sacrifice herself. Then Sethennai, a wizard--his race has Spock ears--requesting a prophesy about the mysterious and powerful Reliquary of Pentravesse, offers her a choice: serve him and live, or marry the god and die. Csorwe chooses life and becomes Sethennai's ninja. The wizard, formerly the ruler of the city Tlaanthothe, needs her to help reclaim his position from a scheming rival. Later, during a quest to secure the Reliquary, she will clash with the Qarsazhi, imperial interworld extortionists, and their powerful young wizard Shuthmili, who's fated to be absorbed by their enforcement arm but, like Csorwe, never conceived other possibilities. Until this point, the story meanders, but finally the author finds a unique voice no longer dependent on boilerplate action, chases, escapes, torture, and fights. And when Csorwe and Shuthmili meet and fumble toward a relationship, we recognize heartfelt emotion, real substance, and an emergent theme: loyalties and the choices we make that engender them. These, along with the strong female leads, are solid foundations upon which to build. A moderately promising entry that should find an audience.

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November 15, 2019
One month before the day of Csorwe's death, a stranger came to the House of Silence. The stranger, a wizard, offers the Chosen Bride of the Unspoken One the chance to escape her foreordained death. Csorwe accepts, betraying her God, and runs away to a new life of adventure, assisting her cryptic benefactor in his search for an ancient reliquary that contains the secrets of the greatest magician who ever lived. To prove her worth, Csorwe learns languages, martial skills, and willingly goes wherever she is sent?visiting cities both vibrantly alive and long dead?all to hunt for the long-hidden treasure. But the artifact's location remains a mystery and Csorwe discovers a priestess from her former life is searching for the same relic. Has the wizard betrayed her and who is he really? And if Csorwe finds herself attracted to a foreign nation's adept priestess, will desire outweigh obligations to her master? The descriptive language and world-building in Larkwood's debut paint a vivid picture of a vibrant fantasy realm overflowing with loyalty, betrayal, murder, vengeful gods, and sacrifice.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)