Daughter of No Worlds
By Carissa Broadbent (2020)
Fantasy Romance
★★★★☆ 4 Star Review
Description
Ripped from a forgotten homeland as a child, Tisaanah, a slave fighting for justice, learned how to survive with nothing but a sharp wit and a touch of magic. But the night she tries to buy her freedom, she barely escapes with her life. Desperate to save the best friend she left behind, Tisaanah journeys to the Orders, the most powerful organizations of magic Wielders in the world. But to join their ranks, she must complete an apprenticeship with Maxantarius Farlione, a handsome and reclusive fire wielder who despises the Orders. The Orders’ intentions are cryptic, and Tisaanah must prove herself under the threat of looming war. But even more dangerous are her growing feelings for Maxantarius. The bloody past he wants to forget may be the key to her future… or the downfall of them both. But Tisaanah will stop at nothing to save those she abandoned. Even if it means gambling in the Orders’ deadly games. Even if it means sacrificing her heart. Even if it means wielding death itself.
Thoughts & Review: Characters and Romance
Tisaanah is a strong and resilient woman, she reminds me of a slightly more altruistic Celaena from Throne of Glass. I really like Tisaanah, she is so determined, driven, and strong, she lets nothing get in her way, and even though she’s been a slave for many years and was mistreated and abused in many ways, she always finds a way to remain focused and to adapt to the situation she is in. She does not let anger blind her and make her lose sight of her goal. When she manages to earn the gold required to buy her freedom, but the discussion with her master ends in blood and murder, she has to flee. She travels to Ara where she joins the Order, an organization of magic wielders. She wants to train to develop the magical power that she has had since she was a little girl, but only ever used for a performance purpose. She also wants to ask the order for help and resources so she can go back to Threll and free all the other slaves that she left behind.
Maxantarius was tasked with training Tisaanah. He is an ex-Order soldier and a wielder with a dark past who wants nothing to do with the Order anymore. He is grumpy, antisocial, and sarcastic, and I love him. My poor heart bled for him when we learned more details about his dark past and I really hope that he can find love and peace in the future. He is kind and sweet under his gruffiness.
Romance
The development of the relationship between Tisaanah and Max and the budding romance is not a surprise at all, but I still enjoyed reading about their interactions SO MUCH. How they slowly figured out that the other also had many mental and physical scars, and that maybe they could help each other to heal, or at least to feel less alone... It was perfectly done. Romance is a very small part of this book, but the impact was tremendous. They bantered and teased each other a lot but somehow it was all tender, sweet and comforting. There was palpable tension and forced proximity between them which just made all the slow burn in the end worth it! This is the slowest slow burn but be prepared to burn with them in the end. The chemistry was SO SO GOOD and they supported each other and helped each other through their trauma in such an amazing way. It was hot but also so so genuine. It was also the PERFECT slowburn- for like half the book we were just getting crumbs and by the time they finally admitted their feelings I was so invested. Not a very steamy book, there is really only one smutty scene that is rather vague, but there is so much more put into other areas of the book that I didn’t miss it at all.
“It was amazing, the mental somersaults minds and hearts could do to justify their actions in the name of love.”
Other characters
Nura works for the orders and is a past lover of Max. For me she is the most difficult character to understand and interpret. Like one minute she was cruel and cold and the other she had been so gentle. She had also helped Max a little before but I still don't like her work tactics and how she is working with Zeryth. Hope we get her redemption arc or something in the next books and to really uncover her motivations. I would say Reshaye counts as a side character as well. And well… What is it? A presence, a monster or something else? We got no answers but I have a feeling it is going to create much bigger problems in the future especially for Max considering its creepy obsession with him. Overall the characters had very compelling interpersonal relationships with muddled history and I can’t wait to see where things go next.
Thoughts & Review: Plot and Writing Style
Absolutely BEAUTIFUL writing
The writing was beautiful & so easy to follow along. There's a certain depth to it that perfectly matches the tone of the story. In particular, the depth of emotion in this book is truly remarkable. I felt a genuine connection to the protagonist as she grappled with her identity and the secrets of her past. Author descriptive prose brought each setting to life, immersing me in a world where nothing is as it seems and alliances are fragile. I don’t think I’ve ever highlighted so many quotes in a book. The writing was just… beautiful.
Themes of loss and resilience
The themes of love, loss, and resilience resonated deeply with me, making this more than just a fantastical adventure. Romance is a very small part of this book but it still was mesmerizingly beautiful. There was also a unique aspect in the language barrier between the FMC and the rest of the characters. It added lots of funny moments among the characters, but I also think it was just one more aspect Tisaanah has to overcome to gain some power – and she took it in stride. It was wonderful to see her language journey, her power wielding journey and everything in Ara and how she thrived in Ara all on her own and also with Max's help.
“I was too young to know the truth then. That victory meant another’s defeat, and sometimes our own defeat. That winning meant sacrifices, and sometimes ones that even our own people were not willing to make. That in war, someone always paid.”
Complex magic wielding
I don’t fully understand how the magic system works in this book, other than that there are generally two types of magic wielders. While it’s not 100% clear how things work, I do really like the idea of “layers” of magic that some people have more/less access to. I also loved how Broadbent described Tisaanah’s mind as a “web”. The descriptions and imagery was very cool and she made it so easy for us to imagine.
1.5/5 Spice Scale Rating
Notes From The Author: Carissa Broadbent
“[Tisaanah] understands better than most that evil isn’t always this cut-and-dry, in-your-face thing. Sometimes evil rocks you back to sleep at night. Sometimes you find kindness in it out of necessity. But those moments of kindness don’t make evil any less evil. It just makes it harder to understand. This is a lesson that people have to grapple with in this series over and over again.”
“I had to do a lot of refining in edits to Tisaanah’s language journey, and I admit I considered scrapping it as a major plot element, but I’m so glad I kept it. Tisaanah is an outsider in so many different ways and the language barrier is a very direct manifestation of that. She just has to work harder to get just as far.”
“My favorite thing to write in this book was Max and Tisaanahs relationship and the way their respective flaws mean so much to each other. Max is a moral absolutist to a fault, and his inability to accept moral grey areas — and his sensitivity — was always something he saw as a flaw in himself. But to Tisaanah, who has always been the disposable person, meeting someone who is totally unwilling to compromise on morality, someone who is unwilling to accept excuses when it comes to the treatment she deserves, really rearranged her whole world.”
“For Max, dying for someone is not the ultimate sacrifice. He’s nearly suicidal when the book begins. For him, the greatest sacrifice, facing his greatest fear, is not death but life and responsibility. This carries through all of the books.”
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