I’ve been reading more indie books lately, mostly through watching a lot of authors talking about their books on BookTok, but I wasn’t even aware Elise Kova was an indie author at first. I first read her novel, A Deal With The Elf King, which I thoroughly enjoyed and will probably review on here at some point, but something about the name she publishes through made me think she dealt with a publisher or small press. Now that I know more about her and I’ve seen her website in more detail, I know she has a mixture of both for her writing. But this is beside the point. I have a few books on my shelf that I’m yet to read, which are written by indie authors, and I’m excited to get into them.
A Trial Of Sorcerers focuses on the story of eighteen year old Eira Landan, a waterrunner who has always lived in the shadow of her older brother, of her magic’s whispers, and of the person she accidentally killed. She has always been isolated from the rest of her academy, with many of them fearing her and thinking she’s dangerous, until she has the opportunity to fight against some of the best sorcerers in the Empire, to become one of four champions. This leads her to the royal court where she works alongside the “Prince of the Tower”, and begins meeting with an elfin ambassador.
I recently reviewed my editor’s book on here, The Marionettes by Katie Wismer, and while reading it I was reminded of Eira’s challenges in this book. Valerie is forced to go through a series of trials to get into a prestigious organisation of witches who work for the vampires of her world, and many of these include magic and sorcery, which reminded me a lot of Eira’s academy and the magic she’s forced to use.
This book was really funny at times, but her friendships were also relatable and there were some touching moments as well. I also thought the challenges themselves were quite inventive.
Overall, a great read with some good romance and some relatable friendships!
April Grace 