The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood

From the publisher: What if you knew how and when you will die? Csorwe does—she will climb the mountain, enter the Shrine of the Unspoken, and gain the most honored title: sacrifice. But on the day of her foretold death, a powerful mage offers her a new fate. Leave with him, and live. Turn away from her destiny and her god to become a thief, a spy, an assassin—the wizard's loyal sword. Topple an empire, and help him reclaim his seat of power. But Csorwe will soon learn—gods remember, and if you live long enough, all debts come due.

Hurray for a straightforward, linear, coming of age fantasy story with an ordinary, likable but flawed heroine, told by an omniscient narrator. I found it thoroughly refreshing not to have to spend the whole book trying to figure out what was going on. A young girl is to be sacrificed to a god, a wizard offers her an alternative, she trains with him, becomes a trusted aid. Time passes, adventures continue. There is plenty of action but there are also slow parts where we see character development.

The world building is good, and there’s a glossary of characters to help keep them straight. Also included is a pronunciation guide, and the use of made up words in the text is not excessive. Also there are maps!

Main character Csorwe is a perfectly ordinary hero. She’s not a Chosen One destined to save the world, she’s not a mage, she’s just a regular person making the best of a second chance at life. There is a blessedly small cast of secondary characters – easy to tell apart, each morally ambiguous (like real people, how about that). Sex and love come into play (as they do, in real life) but the book is not primarily a romance.

There are plot twists – not wholly unpredictable plot twists – and this fantasy novel certainly follows in the footsteps of fantasy works that came before it. But it’s a cracking good story so who cares? I really felt immersed in a world both very different from our own and not that different from our own.

I particularly loved a visit to a dead land that was once inhabited by giant intelligent snakes. A definite recommend for lovers of straightforward fantasy who just want to read a great story.

The Galesburg Public Library owns The Unspoken Name in print and as an ebook and downloadable audio book.