This was unforunately not the book for me. Not every traditionally published YA fantasy book works for me, so in hindsight it might have been a "me" problem. The writing was not bad, but was not my ideal. I would be interested in an adult novel or series from this author.

-- This review is several years past the release date due to the many issues of 2020, but a huge thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early copy of the book.

A girl whose “broken” magic drains the life out of everything she touches suddenly becomes the one everyone turns to for answers when a portal to the nine hells is opened and her grandmother, the Witch Lord, goes missing. Now, for the first time, she has to venture away from her home to find the answers to save the world as she knows it.

Aaahhh!!!! I loved this so much!! The main character having such dark magic and being the outcast yet becoming the heroine is not a new concept by any means, but I especially enjoyed the way it was told in this story. Ryx’s backstory and her issues with her family were complex but I liked the way the author mended some of her familial relationships. The betrayal was a twist I didn’t expect, so that was quite a surprise. I really loved how Ryx grew into herself and became more confident in her abilities. I can’t wait to see what she’s capable of in the next book!

*Thank you NetGalley and Orbit Books for sending this book for review consideration! All opinions are my own.*

This was a really intriguing fantasy! We have a lot of politics, and death magic, and demons. Which I am all for, but then we also have a huge extended family with our MC, and they are super dysfunctional but somehow really awesome. I enjoyed the twists, the mystery, and the set up for what I think is going to be an amazing sequel. I can’t wait to continue this series!

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit books for the ARC of this book.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I think the writing is quite young sounding but I believe the audience is meant to be YA so it fits. The majority of this book is based around court posturing and the double face that happens in politics. A panic happening behind scenes but you must maintain a cool and level attitude in front of everyone. Ryx is a really interesting character. She’s very loyal to her family, friends and realm. I think her love runs deep due to the fact that she can’t touch anyone. I liked the idea that she didn’t really just “kill” anyone who touched her, but rather she sucked the energy out of those around her. There is definitely something with her powers that’s meant for more. Whisper is another character that I really enjoy. I have a feeling that he’s another demon but one who isn’t chaotic.

I gave this book 3 stars as while I liked it, I found the first 80% of the book to be a bit of a slog to get through as there’s not a whole lot that happens that’s active. It’s a lot of quiet things.

I loved this book so much!! I loved the characters, the plot, the friendships. I can’t wait to get a physical copy. I can’t read book two!

Sadly this book wasnt for me. I had to DNF it 50% of the way through. I thought the characters were flat and it just didn't keep my attention

The Obsidian Tower by Melissa Caruso was a good fantasy read. It is nice to see more options marked towards adults, not just YA. As expected in the first of a trilogy, there was a lot of world building in this one. Nonetheless, it is necessary, and I imagine most readers will want to read the sequels.

This book had a lot of potential, and I was excited for a world of magic centering around Ryx’s death magic. I kept waiting for the plot to come together and move forward toward a point where I felt invested in the stakes, but that never happened. The story became too bogged down in its own lore - which was constantly being revealed in more and more exposition - until most of the content was clunky expositional dialogue delivered by underdeveloped characters.

For a story with so many exciting pieces - a magic that kills at the touch, a forbidden tower, the Rookery that investigates magical problems - it capitalized on those elements very little. The characters needed to do something about the dangerous magical tower, understand Ryx’s magic and its potential, and settle a tense political conflict centering around uncontrollable magic, but they seldom did anything but talk about fixing those problems. Perhaps this book suffered from being a series when it should have been a standalone, but it simply did not have enough plot or developed characters to build the foundation of a strong first book.

This was a stunning beginning to a new fantasy trilogy, deeply crafted enough to rival Harry Potter or The Ember in the Ashes series. The Obsidian Tower is the first book in the Rooks and Ruins trilogy, which promises to be a captivating and immersive bildungsroman about political ambition and the drive for personal power. Ryx was a badass main character that tons of girls will be able to look up to, in this excellent new age of sci-fi/fantasy by women, for women--of any age.

If you like a diverse crop of characters in a rich fantasy world 'Obsidian Tower' is a not-to-be-missed epic. Set in the same world as her previous trilogy (but stand alone), Tower is the beginning of a new trilogy.

3.5 stars

The Obsidian Tower by Melissa Caruso is the first in the fantasy/sci-fi Rooks and Ruin Trilogy.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Orbit Books (and in particular Angela Man) and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
It is a time of magical and non-magical people living together. Powerful Mage's can be identified by a colourful ring around their pupil, while other less magical people show no sign at all.

Ryxander, a royal atheling, is the Warden of Gloamingard Castle.  She is responsible for protecting the people within her domain, and building strong allies.  Unlike the other family members, Ryx's magic is broken.  Others keep the land fertile, the crops growing, the flocks healthy. She only brings death to whatever or whoever she touches. Her grandmother is the immortal Witch Lord of Morgrain, the Lady of Owls.  The family's main responsibility throughout the ages is to protect the magical artifact within The Obsidian Tower.

This tower lies deep within the castle, and is sealed by magic.  No one knows what is behind the door, but many are curious, and recently there are attempts to access the unknown.  Ryx tries her best to prevent access, but fails, and as she fails, the mage who attempted access dies.  Just as Ryx has been negotiating peace, this death could be the start of another great war.  If only her grandmother hadn't disappeared.  It will be up to Ryx to fix things.  When a group from the Rookery arrives, they may be able to help, as their sole job is to correct magical mishaps.

Ryx and the members of the Rookery have a touch job ahead of them, as many want access to the magic behind the tower.



My Opinions:   
I admit to putting off reading this one...just wasn't sure I wanted to get into another magical kingdom, and involve myself enough that I would want to read all three books.  However, I found it more enjoyable than I had anticipated.

The author does a lot of world-building in this book, as well as character-building.  Both have been done very well.  But hopefully Book Two will rely more on the story.

I love Ryx, even though she repeatedly lets herself to get walked upon.  As well, the author gave her a rather disturbing weakness in the fact that she cannot touch any living thing (unless they are magical), without killing them.  This became a big part of the story.   Ryx is still learning her strengths.  I love the relationship between Ryx and her grandmother, even after everything that happens.  Then there is Whisper, who is an enigma, and I love him.  However, that is it...the rest of the characters (and there are many), were rather lack-luster.  Again, I hope the next book will add some dimensions to all of them.

The plot was very good (but occasionally wordy).  However,  the main antagonist was a little too easy to spot early on, although there were enough unpleasant characters that you could easily pick more than one.

I look forward to the second book in this series!

As a compulsive fantasy reader, I felt that THE OBSIDIAN TOWER was a good start to a potentially epic series. It has magic and suspense which contribute to the effortless flow of the writing. Caruso crafts a world that is captivating and pulls the reader in.

I didn't know about the Swords and Fire series that is set in the same world as this before I started reading. Doesn't seem like it was necessary to read it before hand but I liked this book so much I'll be heading back and starting that series as well. This one was so fun to read. Political intrigue, assassinations, demons, magic, family drama: it's got it all. Can't wait to read on.

I did enjoy this, for sure. It was refreshing, in a way, because I don't often read high fantasy; as I often struggle to completely comprehend it. This was certainly focused on political struggle, and that is the reason I am not rating it higher; that's just not my cup of tea. A lot of the major, life-threatening issues were resolved with dramatic speeches rather than action, and I found that underwhelming. This was incredibly well-written, although certain phrases were used in excess that could be annoying. I found Ryx an enjoyable main character, with the caveat that she was a bit too admirable, in never straying from her morals to protect and fairness. I am interested in the sequel, and also in reading the author's other series set in the same world. I was happy to be exposed to this genre that I don't read too much of. The story was dense and I never found myself particilarly compelled to pick it up, and also seemed a bit lengthy. Ultimately I would recommend this to others!

Strong women in fantasy novels is one of my absolute favorite things. This is a fantastic book to recommend to my fantasy readers.

I was unable to read this book before publication but I have heard nothing but high praise for the writing and the plot of this story.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The plot of this book was so interesting! I really liked the characters.

Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

I've said it before, I say it again I read novels for the purpose of entertainment. And I was not entertained.

First, let me point out that my rating of this book is based entirely on the fact that I was bored while reading. If a book bores me, that's usually a book that gets a low rating from me. I read a lot of fantasy. I read a lot of long books. Slow-paced books don't necessarily bother me, so long as what's on the page is interesting and engaging. I was neither interested nor engaged. I didn't like the worldbuilding. In fact, I'm still confused about a lot but don't care enough to ask questions. But it's likely because it was hard to concentrate on reading after a while, so I might have unintentionally glossed over some things. Who knows.

Another reason for my rating is the fact that I didn't care for the characters whatsoever. Characters are more important to me than plot, worldbuilding, and writing combined. If I like the character and want to know more about them, I will read through almost anything. Sadly, I found the main character Ryx, to be both dull and annoyingly passive. She does a lot of brooding, and a lot of recalling previous actions from before the start of the novel. What she doesn't 'do' is a lot of actual 'doing'. Ryx gets pushed along by everyone. The plot happens to her and around her while she repeatedly laments that she cannot be touched.

Lastly, let me point out the fact that this is adult fantasy. It has a 21-year-old main character. It's in the adult section of the bookstore. It's clearly marketed to an adult audience. And yet, it all felt extremely YA. If I were going to recommend this, it would be to people who want to transition from reading YA to adult fantasy. The characters are all strangely naive and emotion-driven and generally act like teenagers, despite being in their 20's. I wasn't a fan of that.

Overall, I didn't really enjoy this one. That said, I didn't hate it. Two stars on Goodreads means 'it was ok" and this book was just that. Nothing more than overwhelmingly 'ok'. And entirely underwhelming in every other aspect of its being.

I decided to give this book a try even though I unfortunately didn't really enjoy the first book in her other series, The Tethered Mage. The Obsidian Tower takes place long before the events of the Tethered Mage series, and while I didn't love this book, I enjoyed it more than The Tethered Mage. Ryx is a really interesting main character, and I liked her, but I just wasn't too interested in anything that was happening.

DNF. Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this early copy! I decided to not keep reading this one, it was not for me. Thanks!