Format: Kindle, 456 pages
Release Date: February 1st 2021
Publisher: Maria V. Snyder
Source: Amazon
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy
He thinks you are the thief…
Shyla is a researcher who resides in
the underground desert city of Zirdai, which is ruled by the wealthy
Water Prince and brutal Heliacal Priestess. Even though Shyla is
sun-kissed - an outcast, considered cursed by the Sun Goddess - she is
still renowned for uncovering innumerable archaic facts, lost artifacts,
ancient maps, and obscure historical documents. Her quiet life is about
to change when Banqui, an archaeologist, enlists her services to find
The Eyes of Tamburah: legendary gemstones that bestow great magic on
their wielder. These ancient objects can tip the balance of power and
give whoever possesses them complete control of the city.
But
chaos erupts when The Eyes are stolen soon after they're found - and
Shyla is blamed for the theft. Forced to flee, with the Prince's
soldiers and the Priestess' deacons on her trail, Shyla must recover the
jewels and clear her name. A quest that will unearth secrets even more
valuable than The Eyes of Tamburah themselves...
The Eyes of Tamburah is the first installment in author Maria V. Snyder's Archives of the Invisible Sword series. Kohara is a desert kingdom separated into city states that funnel down to water. These city-states are ruled by two forces: the Water Prince and the Helical Priestess, who collect tithes and taxes and strive to win mastery over the other. Just outside of each city-state is a monastery where sun-kissed children are rescued and raised.
Rescued because it is held that all blonde headed children belong to the Sun Goddess and should be returned to her; parents are encouraged to leave them in the desert at birth. For 18 years, Shayla was been trained by the Monks of Parzival to translate the texts on these documents. For the past 2 years, Shyla has worked as researcher. Even though Shyla is sun-kissed - an outcast, considered cursed, she's still renowned for uncovering innumerable archaic facts, lost artifacts, ancient maps, and obscure historical documents.
Her quiet life is about to change when Banqui, an archaeologist and only real friend, enlists her services to find The Eyes of Tamburah. Now the Prince thinks that Shyla has the Eyes of Tamburah but hires her to find the real culprits. Despite not believing the Eyes to have any magical abilities, in order to save her only friend, Shyla agrees to find them under the supervision of the gruff guard, Rendor. The legendary gemstones are rumored to bestow great magic on their wielder and imbue their owner with magical abilities but cause madness in the process.
These ancient objects can tip the balance of power and give whoever possesses them complete control of the city. Shyla must race against the clock to find out who really took the Eyes of Tamburah, clear her name, survive the Heliacal Priestess (who wants to sacrifice her to the Sun) and prevent herself from ending up in one of the Water Princes 'special rooms' (read torture chambers). While on her journey to recover the Eyes, Shyla’s journey is wrought with danger and betrayal, from Heliacal Priestess to secret organizations called the Invisible Sword to even the Water Prince, himself.
Shyla, who has a target on her from all sides plus others, must recover the jewels and clear her name. A quest that will unearth secrets even more valuable than The Eyes of Tamburah themselves, and encounter a secretive group called the Invisible Sword. The story includes plenty of action and danger. Shyla is a strong-willed woman who can hold her own in a confrontation. She soon finds that she can trust no one as she is double crossed many times and her eyes are open to many things happening in the city she was unaware of. With this awareness comes an awakening of a new purpose to her life.
Overall, this book is pretty twisted. Shyla discovers things about herself that she never knew. She finds real friends, not those who will stab her in the back in a moments notice, and she gets a bit of a shock when it comes to knowing who her parents were and why the Monks tried to protect her and weren't happy that she didn't commit her life to the Monks.
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