The obsidian tower

Caruso's latest is an action-packed adventure that begins a new series set in the world of her Swords and Fire trilogy (The Tethered Mage, 2017). The world has changed in some ways: Raverra and Vaskandar cooperate in times of magical crises through a group called the Rookery. Yet some things remain the same, namely Raverra's political schemes and Vaskandar's confrontations with Witch Lords. 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 turns into a disaster when the envoy opens the Door to the Black Tower, releasing 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.

The road to the Nine Hells is paved not with good intentions but with political and personal ambition in this no-holds-barred epic fantasy, the first in Caruso's Rooks and Ruins trilogy set in the same universe as her Swords and Fire series. Ryxander was appointed Warden of Gloamingard Castle by her grandmother, the Lady of Owls, and tasked with keeping its menacing Black Tower sealed. While mediating a conflict between the Serene Empire of Raverra and the neighboring Alevar, Ryx is tricked into using her life-draining magic to open the Black Tower's gate, in the process accidentally killing a meddling Alevar representative and unleashing a demon from the Nine Hells. Surrounded by angry diplomats, inquisitive mages, and a vengeful Shrike Lord, Ryx desperately works to control the Black Tower's magic before the nations of Vaskandar and the Serene Empire go to war to claim its power. The intricate, colorful world is vividly described ("Gloamingard was really several castles caught in the act of devouring each other") and anchored by the raw emotions of the diverse cast. Caruso's new series is off to a promising start. Agent: Naomi Davis, BookEnds Literary. (June)