Review: Riven by Mindee Arnett

I received this book via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Riven by Mindee Arnett
Series: Riven #1
Published by Balzer + Bray on 2023-01-10
Length: 447 pages
Reviewing eARC from Netgalley
Rating:
Reading Challenges: #NGEW2023, 2023 New Release Challenge, COYER 2023

From acclaimed fantasy author Mindee Arnett comes an epic, adventurous story of a young mercenary magic-user trying to escape the oppressive island of Riven—and a young noblewoman trying to change it forever.

Mars Darksvane wants out. Out from under the thumb of Una, the crime boss who pulled him off the streets as a child and trained him as an assassin; out from the island country of Riven, where magic, in the form of a dangerous material called Ice, allows the rich to live in luxury and keeps the poor in thrall.

Mars is a secret adept—a person born with the ability to channel the magic that flows beneath Riven—and while his power gives him abilities useful to an assassin, it also makes him a target. And when his last mission ends in tragedy, Mars finally decides it's time to escape to the mainland. No magic, no history, a new life on his own.

But Una has other ideas. If Mars wants his freedom, he's going to have to perform a final job: protecting Fura Torvald—the heiress of the rich and powerful Torvald kith, and the daughter of the last man Mars was sent to kill—and stealing from her a mysterious object known only as the Primer.

Mars has no interest in Fura or whatever the Primer is, nor in Riven's corrupt and oppressive politics; he just wants to do his job and get out. But as Mars comes to know more about Fura, the Primer, and the true nature of the power in Riven, he realizes that he will soon have to take a side in a fight he has avoided his entire life.

Which side, however, he does not yet know.

This is going to be a hard review to write because I’m kind of ambivalent about it. Riven by Mindee Arnett is the first in her new steampunk/epic fantasy series by the same name. It follows Mars, an assassin and spy master, as he goes on what he hopes is his last mission. What he uncovers will shatter all that he has grown to believe and reshape how he sees the world. Riven promised a lot, but the delivery fell flat for me which is why I’m having a hard time nailing down how I feel about the story.

I really enjoyed Mars, Fura, and Katrín. They make a good team, even if their goals don’t align. Mars is our main character, and the story unfolds from his perspective. This is where I struggled the most. For a master spy, he seemed pretty clueless as to what the girls were up to. Despite that, I enjoyed reading as he discovered more about this complex world and where he fit into it.

Fura and Katrín are a packaged deal. Where one goes the other is sure to follow. Raised as sisters by Fura’s late father, the two have a tight bond. Fura is straight-laced and idealistic where Katrín is more like Mars and sees the world for what it is. The two balance each other well.

The world-building is detailed, and at times I found myself lost in those details instead of invested into the story. This is a massive world, and there are moments where a lot of information is given without enough time digest it. At times, this upset the pace of the plot which started out intriguing. Mars being assigned as a glorified babysitter and guard to a girl whose father’s assassination was his last assignment gives the story a bit of danger as you always wonder when/if Fura will discover the truth.

This is quickly lost as Mars becomes involved in Fura’s day-to-day life and the assembly they will be attending where she will be named as the Torvald heir. The first 10-15% of the book is engaging and exciting, then it drolls on for about 60% before finding that sweet spot at the end to keep the plot moving which is why I struggled with this one so much. If not for that first 10-15%, I most likely would have DNFed the book. I’m glad I didn’t though.

Overall, Riven is a sweeping epic fantasy about one girl’s quest to change the world and the assassin who was sent to stop it all. I loved the world-building, even when it slowed the plot down. The intricate magic system, the way it is portrayed is quite similar to steampunk (there are even airships!), which added a little modernity to an otherwise older fantasy trope. If you are a fan of epic fantasies that don’t follow the standard rules, I recommend you give this one a go.

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