The magic is gone…or is it?
Lucian is a jaded flirt and professional bard who knows all the old songs about sorcery. When he meets Corwin, a shy mage who can still use magic despite the Drought, Lucian finds his desire growing with each passing day—not just for answers, but for Corwin himself.–from the blurb about The Eighth Key
Sparks fly as they find themselves passionately entangled in adventure and each other. But learning the true origin of the Drought and the Key to ending it comes at a price that their bond may not survive…
A massive thank you to Laura Weyr and all the awesome people at Journey Press (especially Gideon Marcus!) for providing me with a digital copy for review. You can stay up to date with Laura on Twitter and find out more about Journey Press on their official site or stay up to date with them on Instagram.
By now, I’m sure you know how much I love epic fantasy. Of course, I love other kinds of fantasy, too, but there’s just something special about epic fantasy, in particular. So, when I had the opportunity to read and review The Eighth Key by Laura Weyr, I immediately jumped on it.
And I’m glad I did, because this book did not disappoint. I honestly couldn’t put it down, and I ended up staying up until four in the morning to finish it. But keep reading to find out what, exactly, I liked about this one!
Review
I want to begin by talking about the characters. Honestly, they’re just incredibly likable and they have an amazing dynamic between them. Lucian and Corwin meet for the first time and grow close relatively quickly, but they have such great chemistry that that quickness just makes sense. I got invested in their stories pretty much right away, and I loved seeing their development, both individually and in regard to each other, over the course of the book.
Though Lucian and Corwin were definitely my favorites, the side characters shouldn’t be discounted. Admittedly, they didn’t have much “screen time,” but I still liked them. I especially liked Rina, Corwin’s mother figure, and I wish we got to see more of her.
I enjoyed the plot just as much as the people, though. At first, I didn’t know where the story was going, since there was an element of mystery to certain aspects of the plot. But the reveals ended up being amazing, and they were perfectly timed. As I said before, I couldn’t put the book down, I was just that immersed in the story.
Obviously, I won’t give anything away, but I was happy that the ending created the possibility of a sequel. I really hope I get to return to this world at some point in the future and find out what happens to these characters, next.
Of course, I can’t end this review without mentioning the magic system! It was the crux of the plot in this book, and I really loved Weyr’s take on it. Plus, the background and history of magic were explained with great detail, but without any info-dumping; it just came up naturally in conversations between characters and at important plot points.
TL,DR Recommendation
All things considered, I definitely recommend taking the time to read this one! It has everything you could ask for in an epic fantasy story, from a compelling magic system to great characters with an incredible romance between them. So, if you’re looking for an exciting, new take on this genre, this is definitely the book for you!
If you do decide to read this one, leave a comment below and let me know what you think of it! I’m always down to talk about books, after all. Also, if you enjoyed this review of The Eighth Key, feel free to use the Book Reviews tab up above to access my full library of reviews.
