The Eyes of Tamburah was a enjoyable desert inspired treasure hunt that was full of action and plot twists. It keeps you on the edge of your seat and you find yourself addicted to turning the page.

Last year I read Navigating the Stars by Maria V. Snyder and rated it 5 stars - it was unbelievable! So when her next book came up as a Tomb Raider inspired fantasy I thought "yes I have to read this!" And while it didn't live up to my full expectations I did enjoy it and I know many others will too.

As is usual with Maria's writing, she creates a whole new world that is intricately built and wondrous to read about. We find ourselves in a completely barren desert landscape that is dangerous to those who venture outside. The sun rules the safety of the people and water is a very precious resource. Our main character, Shyla, is a researcher who assists treasure hunters to locate tombs and various items of importance.

She is accused of stealing the Eyes of Tamburah, precious jewels with supposed magical abilities, and she has to prove herself innocent to save the life of a friend. The story is well thought out, and is full of action. Every scene of the book had something happening, which kept me reading but also at times overwhelmed me. Overall this book was easy to read and enjoyable, but something kept it from being amazing.

I really enjoyed the characters and the romance was just the right amount. It didn't take away from the main storyline which was great. I love a good adventure inspired by Tomb Raider and Indiana Jones, so this book was right up my alley.

If you like Tomb Raider, Indiana Jones, magic, desert inspired fantasies and books full of action, this book is for you.

The Details:
- YA
-1st book in a new series
- Fantasy
- Addictive Reading

The Eyes of Tamburah, the first book in an addictive new series by New York Times bestselling author, Maria V. Snyder, introduces readers to a world unlike any she's created before - a world where society as a whole lives underground and being outside when the sun reaches its zenith could burn you alive.

This book, is the story of Shyla, a young woman living unobtrusively on the outskirts of society, outcast due to the color of her hair and quietly striving to make a living and career for herself.
When she's accused of stealing an ancient mystical artifact, not only must she find the real perpetrator, but also locate the missing treasure as well, all while trying to stay alive in the process.

Full of action, drama, magic, political intrigue and civil unrest, The Eyes of Tamburah will take readers on a thrilling journey, that to me, was reminiscent of an ancient Egyptian society, only set in an alternate world and encompassing all the action, mystery and pulse-pounding thrills that I adored from movies such as Indiana Jones, Tomb Raider and The Librarian.

This book is yet another addictive, page turning read from an author who always blows my expectations out of the water. I can't wait to see what comes next.

Highly Recommended Reading

Maria V. Snyder has done it again. What an amazing book, I loved the characters and the new setting and world is beautiful. I loved this book and I can't wait for more.

Many thanks to netgalley and Harlequin Australia for the arc!

I was super excited to get my hands on the new Maria V Snyder book. Having always been a fan of Snyder, I definitely would read anything by her. (Granted I still need to read Inside Out and Outside In.)

<b>The Eyes of Tamburah</b> fall right within my expectations. It's easy, fun, adventurous, and a whole different world. At first the world is a bit hard to digest - it's got a lot about angles and jumps and whatnot, and while I'm still trying to figure out what an angle represents (an hour? or a second?) - but it also threw me right into the world.

<i>The world</i> is interesting, with various different sections of society, segmented by their beliefs and politics.

And <i>the characters</i> are interesting.

I gravitate towards the developing relationship more in this book than the Healer trilogy, probably because the love interest isn't as offensive to some of my sensibilities (though the Healer one redeemed himself eventually but still). If anything, he's the complete opposite. Shyla as our main character embodies all the values that make Snyder's female leads iconic. She's strong, she's resourceful, and she has plenty of flaws. But in saying that, her specialness is also clear. And it did take me a while to warm up to Shyla. But once I was sufficiently acquainted with her, the rest of the story became even more interesting.

<i>Supporting characters</i> are interesting and diverse. Rendor is supportive despite the twist of deception. Jayden, I feel, I might feel sorry for him later on in the sequel/s, but he's interesting, also a bit deceptive. Mojag - I actually found his interactions with Shyla humourous.

<i>The writing</i> is also very Snyder. Her plot is marked with Snyderness and it's far from disappointing. If anything, it's a pleasure to read.

<b>Overall,</b> I enjoyed this. Mostly because it's a highlight and testament to her works. It's classic Snyder, that reminds me of Poison Study but of which is also vastly different.

TW: Torture, Death, Injuries
Bechdel: Passes

The Eyes of Tamburah is Maria V. Snyder's first book in her new series, Archives of the Invisible Sword. As a long standing fan of Maria's, I was over the moon when I got the notification that I was approved to review the eARC of this book. The chance to join Maria in a new world, was something that I just couldn't pass up.

We are introduced to Shyla, our protagonist, who is 'sun-kissed'/'sun-cursed' (depending on who you ask). She has been raised by the monks who have given her the tools for survival in a world where she will always be judged for what she looks like. Her tenacity and observational skills serves her well in her day-to-day life of researching and uncovering lost artifacts, treasures and maps - until the day she is blamed for the theft of a legendary, magical item and in order for her (and her friend/employer Banqui) to escape this alive, she is charged with the task to uncover who has actually taken them and recover them for the Water Prince.

Along the way, Shyla is introduced to many characters who will either assist or hinder her along this quest and as a reader it is a joy to discover alongside Shyla who is actually who. I have some theories about where we might be headed in book two and I can't wait to find out if my thoughts are in the correct direction, or if I will be blindsided - either way, I am signing up wholeheartedly to this ride.

DNF at 36%.

Three reasons, one specific to my tastes, and two of which shouldn't apply to the published version (I had an ARC from Netgalley). So YMMV, and probably will.

1. It's dystopian, and that is so very not my jam. I gave up at the point where the second despot had captured the protagonist for the second time and was about to torture her. I really didn't care how the author was going to contrive to get her out of it, or want to go through the protagonist's fear and pain in order to get to that point.

2. The publishers have uploaded it to Netgalley as a PDF, not an epub, and the formatting is borked. This is constantly distracting. (Again, this won't be a problem with the published version.)

3. The copy editing needs a lot of work. Really a lot. Hopefully won't be a problem by the time it's published, but combined with the other two, kept bumping me out of the story, which I didn't care all that much about to start with.

I mean, it had a motivated protagonist in a dynamic situation, which is usually a reliable way of getting and keeping my attention. <spoiler>The attractive guy with green eyes was <i>not</i> the love interest (I peeked at the end),</spoiler> so points for trope subversion. But it felt like a slog through a kind of story I dislike, and the characters didn't have enough depth to overcome the drawbacks.

What a great start to a new series. Well done Maria I loved it and am looking forward to the next book in the series.