Book Review of The Quicksilver Court by Melissa Caruso

Name of Book: The Quicksilver Court

Author: Melissa Caruso

ISBN: 978-0-316-45435-3

Publisher: Orbit

Part of a Series: Rooks and Ruin (The Obsidian Tower is prequel, The Ivory Tomb is sequel) 

Type of book: Fantasy, light vs dark, gray lines, fight, battle, magic, powers, secrets, Versailles type court, diplomacy, war, romance, fright, demons

Year it was published:  2021

Summary:

The Quicksilver Court continues the wildly original epic fantasy series bursting with intrigue and ambition, questioned loyalties, and broken magic that began with The Obsidian Tower.

 

Ryxander, Warden of Gloamingard, has failed. Unsealed by her blood, the Door hidden within the black tower has opened. Now, for the first time since the age of the Graces, demons walk the world.

 

As tensions grow between nations, all eyes-and daggers are set on Morgrain, fallen under the Demon of Discord's control. In an attempt to save her home from destruction, Ryx and the Rookery set out to find a powerful artifact. But powerful enemies are on the hunt and they're closing in fast.

Praise for Rooks and Ruin:

"Block out time to binge this can't-stop story filled with danger and unexpected disaster. From the fresh take on time-honored tropes to a crunchy, intrigue-filled story, The Obsidian Tower is a must-read for lovers of high fantasy."―C. L. Polk, World Fantasy award-winning author of Witchmark

This is a truly excellent fantasy, and an epic beginning for a new trilogy."―Locus

"A classic, breathtaking adventure brimful of dangerous magic and clever politics. This is a book that will thrill and delight any fantasy fan."―Tasha Suri, author of Empire of Sand

Rooks and Ruin

The Obsidian TowerThe Quicksilver Court For more from Melissa Caruso, check out: Swords and FireThe Tethered MageThe Defiant HeirThe Unbroken Empire

Characters:

There are a lot of characters, a lot more than in the THE OBSIDIAN TOWER. First there's Ryx who has disastrous magic that seems to be reversal of what her family has. Ryx is thoughtful, loyal and  often sacrifices herself for her friends. Severin, just like Ryx is from Vaskandar realm and wants everyone to think he is an arrogant troubled man. Ashe is from Rookery who dealt with hunting magical chimeras. While at first she seems to be predictable, she is anything but and is often seen as blunt and humorous, especially with the rules. There is also Kessa who is the diplomat of the group and who is persuasive and can convince people to do what she desires. Foxglove is the leader of the group who is hiding some dark secrets and is a talented artificer while Bastian is the scholar. Other secondary characters include the demons of Hunger, Discord, Disaster, Madness, Nightmare and Death. I definitely liked Madness as well as Discord and am hoping to see more of them in the next book. I also look forward to meeting the last three demons; Despair, Corruption and Carnage. 

Theme:

There is more to us than meets the eye

Plot:

The story is in first person narratige from Ryx's point of view, and its definitely more of action oriented rather than a fantasy that focuses on characters. Of course character growth does happen, at least to Ryx and her friends, but THE QUICKSILVER COURT doesn't make it all about it. Instead there's tension, action and salient tidbits that add a whole lot of unforeseen dimension into the story. While both the characters and the plot were good, I definitely think that the author has a lot of talent in creating action and asking the readers to come along for a wild ride. 

Author Information:
(From goodreads)

Melissa Caruso is the author of THE TETHERED MAGE, first in the Swords and Fire trilogy, out now from Orbit books.

Opinion:

Just like Melissa Caruso's previous books and series that I've read, THE QUICKSILVER COURT is definitely a thrilling and wild ride through the world of Eruvia. Filled in with tantalizing bits and revelations that I couldn't predict, all I thought was, hold on for my dear life. Personally for me the beginning was a bit slow, but when we got to the action then the story really took off. And yes, its highly necessary to read the previous novel before starting this one because the reader might get lost. Also I am pretty much looking forward to the conclusion and meeting more certain characters. I also am hoping for some redemption arcs too. I also should mention that while I see the necessity for the jess in characters, it doesn't mean that I am comfortable or like the idea and I sincerely hope that Ryx will have a lot of self love in the next book because she is amazing. 

This was given for review

4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)