Two years ago, Csorwe and Shuthmili defied the wizard Belthandros Sethennai and stole his gauntlets. The gauntlets have made Shuthmili extraordinarily powerful, but they're beginning to take a sinister toll on her. She and Csorwe travel to a distant world to discover how to use the gauntlets safely, but when an old enemy arrives on the scene, Shuthmili finds herself torn between clinging to her humanity and embracing eldritch power.
Meanwhile, Tal Charossa returns to Tlaanthothe to find that Sethennai has gone missing. As well as being a wizard of unimaginable power, Sethennai is Tal's old boss and former lover, and Tal wants nothing to do with him. When a magical catastrophe befalls the city, Tal tries to run rather than face his past, but soon learns that something even worse may lurk in the future. Throughout the worlds of the Echo Maze, fragments of an undead goddess begin to awaken, and not all confrontations can be put off forever...
I love this series, and in THE THOUSAND EYES, Larkwood's gloves are off. It's somehow even better than the first and makes me wish this was a 10-book series. -- Tamsyn Muir, New York Times bestselling author of Gideon the Ninth The Thousand Eyes (The Serpent Gates, #2)
A.K. Larkwood ☆ 1 FREE READ
At the last, all worlds fade
All strength fails, and nothing is to be saved.
Only I am without end, for desolation is my watchword.
Yet nothing is to be forgotten that belongs to me.
All things that are lost come into my keeping.
-from the litany of the Unspoken One
There is pretty much no way to really get into this book without throwing massive spoilers around - so I'll keep it general and brief.
A.K. Larkwood completely stunned me with this follow-up to The Unspoken Name - and yay for duologys, because waiting for a third book might just have done me in. I'm so attached to these characters, and I'm saying that about fewer and fewer books these days - but these are well-rounded, real-feeling people (of various fantasy races). The villains have good bits! The heroes have flaws! And not just for the sake of it, but ones that feel natural. I highlighted so much - especially Zinandour - that it made choosing a quote to start with almost impossible.
As far as the writing - stunning. It's easy to get lost in, straightfoward writing, but with a real ability to evoke a mind's eye picture. There are BOLD moves made with the story, ones that again, stunned me. They work, too, the experience of reading this duology has been just amazing.
This is not the world's most coherent review, what with the gushing and the talking around the spoilers that would really actually spoil things for potential readers. But if you've made it this far, you must be at least thinking about trying this book - and the only thing I need to say is do it! I really cannot wait to see what comes next from this author. Kindle Edition i'm so frustrated when something i SHOULD love doesn't hit right. i respect that larkwood realized halfway through the duology that she's only interested in writing bad adults so she pivoted to basically turn everyone in the last book into bad adults. that's pretty baller. but the awkwardness of moving the characters to that point was, well, awkward, and boring, and i struggled to get into this book. and WHY do you make your whole series about bad adults and then saddle them with a kid.
things DID get pretty interesting though, and shuthmili became this super readable character who i wanted to lose my mind over, but larkwood never fully commits, as if she was afraid for shuthmili to become unlikeable or something.
Clearly you and I were written in the stars.
The stars are insensible fires, said Zinandour. I chose you.
the POTENTIAL that this has. what's better than a bitchy god who lives inside you. what's better than when the bitchy god intended to sublimate you when she took over but can't help making out with your girlfriend. these were the only times i really FELT it for csorwe and shuthmili's romance and larkwood should've leaned into it, hard. the rest of the time, when they would flirt with each other or remember each other or think about each other hornily, it felt awkward and rushed past. as for Csorwe herself, it's hard not to compare this with the rush of blood to the head whenever Gideon surfaces in Harrow. it's an own goal to even attempt to do something similar. god bless.
i really like larkwood's approach to fantasy and godhood but i'll never understand her restraint when it comes to some characters vs others. i should be feral rn but i'm not. Kindle Edition the first was a 3.5 that i rounded up, this is a 3.5 that i'm rounding down, but both could really go either way. the pros: they're insanely readable, BIG SNAKES, great names, cool as hell map in the front, the author has so much fun writing tal, and it features two of my very favorite High Fantasy Sinister Adults (i would do anything for oranna). the cons: the plot is nonstop forgettable dnd macguffins, there's a plucky child in this one (rounding down on that alone, not sorry), and the two central girls are bland apart and together.
that last was my biggest problem with the previous - that the author had functionally reinvented the plot-following fantasy farmboy as a lesbian in csorwe, which, like, ok, fine, but it was boring the first time and does not get less boring as a wlw. this round the bland-girl pov is shuthmili, her repressed mage gf, and the 'ordinary' personality is rendered as 'i have to stay meek and mild or else i will unleash phenomenal cosmic destruction'. this is a little spicier but only like, a single crank of pepper on the porridge - the limits of her mildness/repression are never seriously pushed even when the plot goes full Evil AU. most importantly it highlights that the core romance, which becomes emotionally load-bearing, is comprised of two girls who are IDENTICALLY disposed to be polite in mixed company and unconcerned with their place in the cosmos even when offered high-stakes positions in it because at core neither wants all that much, which... is not an interesting romance. (also annoying and wasteful because larkwood writes fun, interesting gods!)
there is a glimmer of convincing lived-in gay tenderness at literally the very end but it has little to do with the characters themselves - the author can render the sweet mundanity of being in love with her wife irl (lovely!!) but not, like, how to write two convincingly interesting and readable women who then fall in love. and the author has so much fun with everyone else, the replaceability of csorwe & shuthmili stands apart - there is very little to differentiate their voice, they trade off the same plot, and the one moment that has a single zip of heat or emotional charge between them has,, a third party involved.
but none of these are new complaints and i got what i expected. perhaps in the future larkwood will work up to a book about middle-aged fantasy lesbians married from the jump, because i think she might be quite good at that. i hope there are big snakes in that one also. Kindle Edition The Thousand Eyes is the sequel to one of my favourite books of 2020, The Unspoken Name. I cannot express properly the joy I felt reading this book, I loved being back in the world with these characters. The character banter, the spooky worldbuilding, the magical stakes, the twists and turns, the sense of dysfuntional found family and camraderie is all so good and this sequel more than exceeded my expectations, I might even love it more than book 1!!
At the start of the book Csorwe, Shuthmilli and Tal are working odd jobs to try and make a living for themselves when they suddenly get dragged back into old mysteries with old and new enemies. When they accidentally release an ancient soldier who has been sleeping since the fall of her homeland, they are thrown back into a conflict that has lain dormant for thousands of years, with ancient gods on the rise and the threat of all they hold dear being destroyed.
The stakes are high in this book and there are so many plot twists and turns it will truly keep you on the edge of your seat. About a 1/3rd of the way into the book there is a big shift in the direction of the book and quite a big time jump, which I'm sometimes hesitant about but thought it was done so well here and added a lot of nuance to the story and time for tensions to brew.
Tal was one of my favourite things/people in book one, he is the loveable twat type character but with a lot of complexities and heart so I loved that he got more of a focus in this book. His arc throughout the book is excellent and seeing him grow and learn from his mistakes of the past and start to form geniune bonds with others. I also thought it really highlighted the importance of non romantic relationships and how important these can be. That said Tal is totally not over Belthandros and some of their interactions were so funny and the sexual tension is so palpable even though you really don't ship them lol - but I did like seeing Tal heal from what was clearly an abusive relationship and learn to stand up for himself!!
One trope I am an absolute SUCKER for is the grumpy older mentor and feral orphan mentee and this books absolutely delivers on this. It might even be my favourite depiciton of this trope of seen. Tal takes under his wing Tsereg - the latest unspoken bride who is on a mission to kill the god-empress and is an absolute non-binary icon and their dynamic is perfect!! Tsereg is such a fiery little force of personality whilst also being very vunerable and seeing Tal start to care and take on a parental role was so emotional and I loved it so much!! Also Tsereg teasing Tal about his age was so funny.
Csorwe and Tal are such siblings (while not being technically related - but they were brought up together so it counts lol) and I love their banter so much!! They are some of my favourite siblings in fiction and if you like messy sibling bonds with lots of trash talking and winding each other up whilst still deep down loving the other person I would highly reccomend this series!! Although due to certain events in the book we don't see a lot of them together I loved the moments we got!
I also absolutely adore Csorwe and Shuthmili - they are one of my fave fictional sapphic couples and I loved seeing them in an established relationship and all the domestic fluff. We get Shuthmili's POV in this book rather than Csorwe and we truly see how much she cares about her and the lengths she is willing to go to save Csorwe. It is a bit heartbreaking at times but also the angst and yearning are so satisfying to read.
Belthandros is also such an entertaining characater - everytime he is on page he steals the show but also you never know whether to love him or hate him T___T
I love the tone of humour the book has, especially in the interactions between characters - I was grinning so many times while reading. It is also really well paced and the author does a great job of maintaining tension throughout and building to an intense climax that will leave you breathless and a very satisfying ending.
In conclusion an unmissable sequel to a great fantasy series with amazing queer rep, an exciting story with just the right blend of intrigue, drama, romance, action, humour and emotional stakes. I honestly don't have a bad thing to say about it!!! Kindle Edition My yardstick for a good read will always and forever be the strong desire to lay on the floor and make dying whale noises of distressing volume after turning the last page, and we’ll, here I am.
Hot damn.
Larkwood kept the surprises coming with her unconventional approach to story structure, and I didn’t mind the multiple POV shifts as much this time, possibly because I understand now that Larwood’s definition of “main character” seems to be broader than mine.
I adored several of the new characters introduced, and I loved that Tal found love in an unexpected quarter. Found-family trope fans, this is a must for you.
I will say that I wish a larger portion of the book could have had all of our found family together, and like SERIOUSLY I would pay good money for one or three short stories set in the two years between the books. I understand why it had the happen the way it was written, but it did make certain sections between the 60-80% mark a little hard to slog through.
But then that last 20%… I just can’t even. So perfect and poignant and uuuuuhgghhgg *dying whale noises* Kindle Edition
This went all kinds of unexpected places and, like the first book, was a ton of fun.
Also glad the series is done in two books.
WARNING: This review may contain spoilers for the first book of the series.
This book picks up with Csorwe, Shuthmili and Tal doing their own thing after separating from Sethennai. However an expedition to a hidden temple brings all kinds of snake-y trouble and relationships are about to be seriously tested.
I really love this series for how unique and unpredictable it is. The world building is fascinating - even if it crumbled a little for me between books - and there are so many layers to the characters. There are different religions and gods are overwhelmingly present and causing mischief. The story travels such fantastic, unfamiliar paths.
There is a time jump in this book that slowed me down a little, as it was so completely unexpected. But ultimately I appreciated how much more depth came from the intervening time and it did really take the story somewhere I wasn't expecting. Things just started happening and kept on going and before long I couldn't help but be caught up in what was unfurling.
The relationships feel so very real but not so much that you lose a sense of wonder and a desire for them to grow a certain way. For example, I love the way Csorwe and Tal bicker and insult one another, but I still wanted for them to have that unbreakable friendship that is one of my favourite fantasy novel feels. Tal, in particular, was such a brilliant character. He had so many fantastic moments and was a big part in setting the tone of this series.
The writing is succinct and has a wonderful blend of cleverness, poetry and simplicity. The story never gets lost amongst pages of description, but the world still appears vibrant. I never felt like I was wading through pages to 'get to the good stuff'. Will definitely be keeping an eye out for whatever comes next from this author.
A fantastic conclusion to a well-written, unique fantasy series.
With thanks to Macmillan for a copy Kindle Edition “They both deserved much more than they got. And we both got much more than we deserved.”
So What’s It About?
Two years ago, Csorwe and Shuthmili defied the wizard Belthandros Sethennai and stole his gauntlets. The gauntlets have made Shuthmili extraordinarily powerful, but they're beginning to take a sinister toll on her. She and Csorwe travel to a distant world to discover how to use the gauntlets safely, but when an old enemy arrives on the scene, Shuthmili finds herself torn between clinging to her humanity and embracing eldritch power.
Meanwhile, Tal Charossa returns to Tlaanthothe to find that Sethennai has gone missing. As well as being a wizard of unimaginable power, Sethennai is Tal's old boss and former lover, and Tal wants nothing to do with him. When a magical catastrophe befalls the city, Tal tries to run rather than face his past, but soon learns that something even worse may lurk in the future. Throughout the worlds of the Echo Maze, fragments of an undead goddess begin to awaken, and not all confrontations can be put off forever…
What I Thought
Back when I still gave book star ratings on Goodreads, I gave The Unspoken Name three stars, which I now find a little puzzling. My fondness for that book has definitely grown in hindsight, and this delightful conclusion to the duology definitely makes me feel even more affectionate towards what A.K. Larkwood has created here.
Simply put, these books are funny, creative, adventurous romps. Larkwood clearly has an incredible imagination and both books feature awesome elements of magic, fantastic settings and exciting “set pieces,” for lack of a better word. Here I loved the descriptions of the living forest and the Lignite Citadel just as much as I loved the vivid descriptions in the first book. Everything meant to be ancient and alien and esoteric truly feels that way, which I think is admirable.
Tal was also a standout part of reading The Unspoken Name - he’s a bitchy and hilarious mess of a person. Everything that I enjoyed about his character in the first book is expanded upon here, and he goes through some excellent development to overcome his relationship with Sethennai, find love and purpose, and bond with a child who is perhaps his only match in disastrousness and delightfulness. His burgeoning grudging care for Tsereg and eventual happy ending were probably my favorite parts of this book.
I was less fond of Csorwe in the first book, particularly in the context of her relationship with Shuthmili; I found her somewhat too passive and thought the build-up to the drastic choices that Cswore and Shuthmili made didn’t feel convincing enough. I’m wondering if I would feel the same way upon a reread or if some of these dynamics changed in The Thousand Eyes, because I enjoyed Csorwe’s part of the story and her love with Shuthmili much more this time around.
My only real critique is that it feels just a little ridiculous and repetitive that Shuthmili, Csorwe, Tsereg and Sethennai all
All in all, my appreciation for this duology has only grown with time. It’s a unique delight and I can’t wait to see what’s next.
Kindle Edition As much as I loved The Unspoken Name, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this as a sequel. The world-building, filled with power-hungry, eldritch gods is fascinating, the ending is quite a ride, and the author creates some truly surprising twists.
On the other hand, this felt like quite a different book from Unspoken Name and wasn't entirely what I was hoping for. Csorwe and Shuthmili get a lot less page time than Tal and a new perspective character which was okay, but not my preference. And for spoilery reasons Csorwe is basically sidelined for an entire chunk of the book, which is unfortunate because she's definitely my favorite character. Part of the middle starts to drag and then out of nowhere we get this big time jump. And while I thought what the author ended up doing with that time jump, it took me awhile to get on board and I definitely didn't see it coming. Overall, there were some things I loved, and some things that for me were a bit disappointing. Thank you to Tor for sending a copy for review, all opinions are my own. Kindle Edition On my blog.
Rep: lesbian mcs, gay mc, nonbinary character, bi character
Galley provided by publisher
The Thousand Eyes is a book I’ve been waiting years for and it did not disappoint in the slightest. I loved every part of rejoining Csorwe, Shuthmili and Tal as they wreaked havoc across the galaxy (okay, so maybe most of the havoc was done by a certain other character I shall not name, but it’s the thought that counts). It was such a fun, if at times slightly stressful, read.
We pick up the story two years after the end of the first book. Csorwe, Shuthmili and Tal are all in a kind of business together, where they help uncover various lost civilisations. This is how they end up releasing an ancient soldier from her destroyed homeland, and also how the plot as explained by the blurb unfolds. And then, about a third of the way in, it takes a sharp turn and, for the rest of the book, you’re left desperately clinging onto the edge of your seat.
The strengths of Larkwood’s writing are, to me, in the character work and worldbuilding. Each of the characters here is so strong that they leap off the page. Opening this book up, two years or so after reading the first, was honestly like greeting old friends, they felt so familiar and so vibrant. I know, based on the ending of this one, it may well be a duology only, but I would read innumerable books in this series for Csorwe, Tal, Shuthmili and Tsereg.
And then there’s the worldbuilding. These two books are fairly slow moving in terms of pace, in part because so much care and thought is dedicated to building the world the characters inhabit. Just as the characters seem real, so does the world. You almost feel as though you’re stood right there watching it all take place.
Lastly, the plot. What I liked about this book is that, put together with the first, you have a very satisfying arc for the characters. At the end of the first book, they leave Sethennai behind but really, that’s only physical. He’s such a part of their life, and has been for so long, that, even though they try, they can’t truly leave him behind. This is the book that gives them some closure on that, in that respect. And that’s what I loved most about it. It’s a book that’s thought through how it wants the characters to grow and develop, and there’s nothing greater than that.
So, really, if you haven’t picked this series up before now, I’m about to get on my knees and beg. I cannot put into words just how much you’re missing out in not doing so. Kindle Edition 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭💕❤️🥰🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺
The Unspoken Name: fucking Tal (derogatory)
The Thousand Eyes: fucking Tal (affectionate)
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TAL BOOK TAL BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Kindle Edition
