The Obsidian Tower by Melissa Caruso (The Gate of Secrets: Book 1)

Melissa Caruso firmly establishes herself as one of my favourite writers with this book. A masterwork of character-driven fantasy is The Obsidian Tower. This story, which is set in the same world as her Swords and Fire trilogy but during a different time, has everything we’ve come to love about Caruso’s writing. Political manoeuvring and talks are tight. There is humorous dialogue. The magic exists! As well as, of course, a little romance. You have the ingredients for a fantastic fantasy book when you combine all of this with a diverse cast of characters.

Where to start appreciating The Obsidian Tower is a challenge. Vaskandar, a former adversary of the Raverran Empire, serves as the setting for the plot (her Swords and Fire series dealt with a different time period in the world from the Raverran perspective). Caruso’s world-building is getting deeper and deeper. She does, however, convey it subtly. The book never reduces itself to expositional paragraphs or info dumps. The political sphere of the world is one aspect of world creation that has stood out above the rest for a while.

Vaskandar consists of several autonomous countries, each of which is ruled by a Witch Lord. Witch Lords are extremely strong wizards that have a bond with all creatures in their dominion. This means that Ryx, our main character, must navigate not just the hostility between the two sides, but also numerous other groups within her grandmother’s dominion as well as other Witch Lords, while she attempts to broker a solution between one Witch Lord and the Raverran Empire. This in alone would make for an interesting read, but Ryx’s responsibility as Warden of Gloamingard castle, which houses a sealed tower that conceals a deadly secret, further complicates the scenario.

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Each political faction feels significant and as like they are given their due in the plot since Caruso manages to keep the revelations coming throughout the entire book. However, the book never feels overstuffed. The fantastic people, in my opinion, are what really make everything here work. Ryx is broken, but in beautiful ways that she has learned to accept and deal with. Throughout the course of the book, she discovers more about herself. Each and every supporting character is superbly written and convincing. In contrast to how often they can feel like that, secondary characters in Caruso’s book feel like real people with their own tales. The cast is incredibly diverse, especially in terms of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. Each of these people is essential to the plot, which is superbly paced and riveting from the start.

Almost nothing about this book bothered me. I prefer tougher magic systems, but Caruso has created a milder magic system in this universe. To be honest, though, I hardly really noticed because the rest of the story is so well-written. Even those who might typically prefer harder magic systems will find this book to be highly recommended.

I was hooked after reading the first page. From the very beginning of the novel, Caruso’s distinct and engrossing combination of terrific characters you immediately root for, enigmatic and potent magic, and intricate world building was present. The writing in the Obsidian Trilogy is superb. Study it.