Sunbolt is an exemplary fantasy story about a gutsy young woman with half-trained magical powers who gets caught while helping a family escape from an overlord. The parents are killed and she and the children end up in the cells of the perpetrator, a clearly evil man. The prognosis looks pretty dire when the evil overlord hands her over to a Fang. She ends up being dragged through a portal to a land far away where she is thrown into a tower as food for a Breather, a creature similar to a Fang, except that they feed on life force, not blood. An unusual alliance is formed and the book ends in a place that sets us up for a terrific series. I look forward to it.
Khanani is a brilliant writer. Her prose is elegant and evocative, and her characters are real, complex people who leap off the page with vibrancy. The action holds you captive. The pace moves smoothly from gut wrenching action to slower character driven scenes with ease, providing a journey of varying pace. The character of Val is particularly fascinating. It’s amazing how Khanani says so much about a character with so few words. There’s more to this story than just a great fantasy though. Hitari must weigh trust against fear, and duty against self-preservation. She has a strength of character that makes inspirational reading.
This writer is someone you must read.
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Hi Tahlia –
Thanks so much for this wonderful review of Sunbolt. I’m thrilled that you enjoyed it! Hitomi has been one of the most fun characters I’ve written.
Best,
Intisar