Starless

Khai of the Fortress of the Winds has learned to fight from birth so as to protect his soul’s twin when they come of age. But Sun-Blessed and Shadow are destined for even more than they imagine when gods rise and darkness spreads. And Khai still has much to learn, both about himself and the greater world, if he and his charge, Princess Zariya, are to survive.

Starless by Jacqueline Carey meets every high fantasy trope and delivers. Khai is an engaging and complicated hero, and Zariya a quick-witted and dynamic partner in crime. Together, these two make for a hugely interesting and provocative story. In this book, Carey creates a wild, vivid world that is utterly strange and yet draws us in and holds us captive. Her world is made so believable by how her characters inhabit it so completely, and the fact that Carey doesn’t feel the need to over-explain to her readers. Her prose is pure storytelling magic. Starless weaves a spell much like Carey’s earlier series, Kushiel’s Legacy. In these stories, gods walk and heroes aren’t always whom one expects.