Riven
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Average rating3.5
An epic, adventurous story of a young mercenary magic-user trying to escape the oppressive island of Riven—and a young noblewoman trying to change it forever.
Mars Darksvane wants out. Out from under the thumb of Una, the crime boss who pulled him off the streets as a child and trained him as an assassin; out from the island country of Riven, where magic, in the form of a dangerous material called Ice, allows the rich to live in luxury and keeps the poor in thrall. Mars is a secret adept—a person born with the ability to channel the magic that flows beneath Riven—and while his power gives him abilities useful to an assassin, it also makes him a target. And when his last mission ends in tragedy, Mars finally decides it’s time to escape to the mainland. No magic, no history, a new life on his own.
But Una has other ideas. If Mars wants his freedom, he’s going to have to perform a final job: protecting Fura Torvald—the heiress of the rich and powerful Torvald kith, and the daughter of the last man Mars was sent to kill—and stealing from her a mysterious object known only as the Primer.
Mars has no interest in Fura or whatever the Primer is, nor in Riven’s corrupt and oppressive politics; he just wants to do his job and get out. But as Mars comes to know more about Fura, the Primer, and the true nature of the power in Riven, he realizes that he will soon have to take a side in a fight he has avoided his entire life. Which side, however, he does not yet know.
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“Be careful, little princess. I'm a far more experienced player in this game than you.”
This book has so many things that I love: a male point of view, fake dating, an intricate fantasy world, political intrigue, forbidden magic, and noble characters pushing against the toxic norm...I mean, this book should've been my top read of 2023. But for some reason, I had to push myself all the way to the end.
I'm settling on 3.5 / 4 stars on the final rating because I really can't find a fault in the story other than I repeatedly lost interest. I'm a mood reader so there's a high possibility that I just wasn't in the mood for the story, but it took me about 7 months to get through this. I loved Mars and how the book was told exclusively from his point of view (which is sort of rare to have only a male POV these days). It was very fun to spend so much time with him and learn his emotions, motivations, and drive; while also getting to know Fura exclusively from his perspective. He's such a dynamic character, I really wish I had enjoyed the book as a whole more than I did.
“And what do [my facial expressions] tell you, Mr. Karlsvane?” “That you'd rather be doused in honey and chained naked to a hungry bear than dance with the likes of me.”
Content: This book is appropriate for a YA audience but the characters are older. There is some mild cursing sprinkled throughout the book and a few mentions of nakedness (primarily male because it's his POV) but not in a s3xual way. A few kisses sprinkled without much detail.
I received this book from the author via Edelweiss. All comments and opinions are entirely my own and this review is voluntary.
