This was a brilliant, twisty narrative that had me absolutely hooked – it feels like just the tip of the iceberg of a series that will capture imaginations.
Wicked Onyx by Debbie Cassidy is now available to buy, click below!
Anamaya once came from a powerful bloodline, but her family have been stripped of their magic due to something a family member did years ago. She now exists as the last of the bloodline, fighting critters in the underbelly of the city until she discovers something that suggests she might be able to redeem her family at the dangerous Nightsbridge Academy – a frankly terrifying school where powerful members of the clans are forced to attend to learn to fight the “Horrors” that entered their world years ago.
This one was SO close to hitting my elusive favourites shelf. It was one of those books for me where you don’t want to rush through it because then it’ll be over. I savoured every page! Even though it didn’t hit my favourites shelf, it’s definitely my favourite so far this year and I’d say is what people are terming a “6 star read”. I felt a few Fourth Wing vibes from it, despite it not being a dragon book.
The world we’re quickly immersed into is new and fairly complex. It’s only later in the book that we get a fuller explanation of the history, the magic system and how the different clans all work. I’ll admit that at first I felt a little overwhelmed by all the names and groups; you’ve got everything from vampires and dhampirs to shape-shifting werewolves, ghosts and witches, just to name a few! They’re divided by their clans and the houses (or “towers”) in the school, so it was a little complicated, but once you get to grips with it, it feels like the set up to a broader series arc that I can’t wait to read more from.
It’s very clear that Anamaya is the outsider and the underdog character from the very beginning. She’s the only person who’s ever joined Nightsbridge Academy willingly and her family have been stripped of their connection to the Weave (the source of magic). Of course you’re going to be rooting for this character to best the others, especially with a tragic backstory that sets her up as a hazy enemy type to most of the school, and a direct enemy to at least one.
There is romance in this book, but I feel like it’s only just scratching the surface at this point – it seems like a lot more to come, and it feels like it will be complicated. I haven’t quite put my finger on why, but I can’t see which direction we’re going to end up going.
Read more:
- The Book of Blood and Roses by Annie Summerlee – Romantasy Book Review
- Godstorm by Solitaire Townsend – Fantasy Book Review
- Heir of Illusion by Madeline Taylor – Romantasy Book Review
Finally there’s a gorgeous found family element with a group of other outcasts. Ana goes into this dark school expecting to make connections that will benefit her, but of course, she won’t make friends…until she suddenly does. The only problem is that when such a tight bond is formed in a group like this, you just wonder what’s going to come to tear them apart!
I can’t wait to read more of this series when it comes, I’m so impatient for that now!
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publishers for an ARC of this book.
