There’s a thrill when I receive a packet of books to review, and an added bonus when I recognize the author on one or more of the books. So when I received The Obsidian Tower, the first of another trilogy by Melissa Caruso, I was practically bouncing off the walls. This review was originally published in the May 1, 2020 issue of Booklist. Part of the thrill was seeing how the world has progressed since the previous trilogy; there are clear impacts from those adventures.
Melissa Caruso’s newest book, The Obsidian Tower, is an action-packed adventure set well after her Swords and Fire Trilogy. The world has changed in some ways: Raverra and Vaskandar cooperate in times of magical crises through a group called the Rookery. Yet Raverra’s political schemes and Vaskandar’s confrontations between Witch Lords make the world seem unchanged. Ryxander (Ryx) should have been a vivomancer like the rest of her family, but her magic was warped by a childhood illness, causing anything she touches to die; even powerful vivomancers can only touch her briefly. She has instead become the Warden of Gloamingard Castle, forging alliances through diplomacy. A diplomatic mission turned into a disaster when the envoy opened the Door to the Black Tower, unleashing an unknown threat into the land. Ryx and her new allies from the Rookery must race escalating threats while averting a diplomatic crisis. Ryx explores her abilities and limitations as she learns the extent of the problems she unleashed in this first book of a new series.