I really enjoyed how this book fed us worldbuilding information as we needed it instead of using any info dumps. I also really appreciated that the book had some darker moments and themes (one example: betrayal) without turning bleak or grim. It kept a generally positive outlook even when things seemed dark for Hitomi. This was a very fun read, and I'm glad I picked it up. I'm really looking forward to seeing where the story goes from here. ( )

I don't know why more people are not talking about this author. She is absolutely wonderful and her writing has a purity that is refreshing.

This book was quite good, but way, way too short. I need it to be one of those 10 pound, over 1000 page tomes of epic fantasy. I look forward to more installments and will preorder every one. I'm off to see what else she's written. I am her newest fan. ( )

Just a short novella really. I really enjoyed the "Thorn" series by IK and have had her other books for a while. But hadn't read them yet. Wanting something short I read this. Well written and with her trademark interesting female protagonist. ( )

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
WHAT'S SUNBOLT ABOUT?
We start with a chase scene through a street market that might as well be scored by Alan Menken (although Jafar or Genie is to be found anywhere in the rest of the book, Hitomi would have no problem with a Jafar). Our protagonist, a thief—and someone of a clearly different ethnicity to everyone around her—is scrappy and nimble, getting away from her pursuers (quasi-official mercenaries) with the help of some of the sellers in the market.

We learn that this brash young woman is named Hitomi and she's allied (somewhat) with a group calling itself the Shadow League, which is trying to stand up to an increasingly corrupt and oppressive government. The government is backed by the Arch Mage Wilhelm Blackflame (who is just about to be running everything through puppets).

Hitomi and some allies head out one night to save a powerful family from arrest and (likely) execution—and almost everything that could go wrong does. Hitomi and some of the family are captured. And then...well, this book about scrappy freedom fighters becomes something very different.

THE WORLD BUILDING
At the beginning of the book, Khanani provides a guide to pronouncing some of the names in the book—I always appreciate that kind of thing (if one was grading, I'd have gotten a low B, incidentally, on my own). In her lead-up to that, she mentions that the fantasy world she's created and the cultures within it "are primarily based on a variety of real-world historical cultures." I wish she'd have listed (at least a partial list) of those cultures just for curiosity's sake. I spent a little too much time wondering what X or Y came from after reading that. (and was very likely wrong 60+% of the time)

But ultimately, it doesn't matter what those sources were, because she's made them into something new and fit for her world. And whatever the backgrounds may be, they work really well for this novel—perhaps better than it do in our own. It's familiar and yet foreign all at once. Khanani doesn't drown us in details or anything like that (thankfully), but you have the impression that everything has been worked out thoroughly (whether or not it has been) and that this a fully-developed world with a fascinating history and a future worth saving.

We only get a hint of the magic system, but has a lot of promise. The variety of magical races (for lack of a better term) is great, and (again) familiar to a fantasy reader, but specific to Khanani's world. You can't help but want to learn more about both the magic system and the races, you get enough to carry you through the novel—but you want more.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT SUNBOLT?
Sunbolt is short. Freakishly short for the genre, really. But that brevity works so well for this story. Like a wizard and punctuality, this book is precisely as long as it needed to be. It tells the story it needs to in a satisfying manner and then is done. Yes, it prepares you for the second book in the series, but not in a cliffhanger way.

I wouldn't have minded if the book was longer if it meant we got to spend more time with the characters—but that's what a sequel is for, right?

There's a moment really early on that made me grimace—Khanani over-explained a moment robbing it of its power. And as I so often do, I murmured a silent plea (pointless since the book had been out for a decade) for her to trust her audience. But that was the only time that the book stopped me with something like that—most of the writing was subtle, nuanced, and smooth. I did have to stop a few times to re-read sentences because I liked them so much.

Hitomi—fierce, independent, determined, and over-her-head—is one of those characters you gravitate to immediately and while you know she's making a blunder here and there, you can't help but root for her. Sadly for her, her blunders tend to work out better than some of her plans—a treat for her readers, however.

I'm going to avoid a deep dive on the rest of the characters, although I think many of them deserve it. I'm not sure I trust everyone in the Shadow League, but they're all intriguing characters—and I'd gladly read a Shadow League novel tomorrow to get to know them better. The villains are some of the worst I've run across this year, and you can't complain about that. Then there's someone who becomes rather important to Hitomi in the closing chapters...I think they could go down as one of my favorites of the year (and easily become someone I despise in a future encounter).

A well-paced story, with strong characters, and a great fantasy world to explore. That's all the makings of a winner in my book. Sunbolt is a quick, fascinating read that will make you want to click on the order button for the sequel as soon as you finish. ( )

Book source ~ BBNYA

Hitomi is an orphan living on the streets of Karolene. She has magic but has to hide the fact she does. She belongs to an underground movement called the Shadow League. They work against the Arch Mage Blackflame who is corrupt. When a mission goes wrong Hitomi finds herself captured and alone. She must use all of her wits to survive and escape. Can she do it?

I read this back in November as a judge for BBNYA2022 and I couldn’t put it down. I really should have written my review then, but things happen. In any case, what I remember is a lot of action, magic, and a badass in Hitomi. There were times I didn’t think she was going to pull off an escape yet she did and others where I thought, oh no. This is it. How could her story end here? But it didn’t! The pacing is quick, the characters great, and the world is so interesting! I look forward to book 2 which is out there waiting for me to pick it up and I’m itching to do so! I just need to find time. That’s such a me problem though. sigh ( )