Scarlet Odyssey by C.T. Rwizi
Publication Date: July 1st, 2020
Rating: 3.5/5
Magic is women’s work; war is men’s. But in the coming battle, none of that will matter.
Men do not become mystics. They become warriors. But eighteen-year-old Salo has never been good at conforming to his tribe’s expectations. For as long as he can remember, he has loved books and magic in a culture where such things are considered unmanly. Despite it being sacrilege, Salo has worked on a magical device in secret that will awaken his latent magical powers. And when his village is attacked by a cruel enchantress, Salo knows that it is time to take action.
Salo’s queen is surprisingly accepting of his desire to be a mystic, but she will not allow him to stay in the tribe. Instead, she sends Salo on a quest. The quest will take him thousands of miles north to the Jungle City, the political heart of the continent. There he must gather information on a growing threat to his tribe.
On the way to the city, he is joined by three fellow outcasts: a shunned female warrior, a mysterious nomad, and a deadly assassin. But they’re being hunted by the same enchantress who attacked Salo’s village. She may hold the key to Salo’s awakening—and his redemption.
I received this ARC from the publisher but this does not affect my review.
So I was really interested in this book because of the synopsis and the mythology aspect. I was SCARED to read this book because it’s like a whopping 600 pages which is pretty intimidating to be honest.
I think the world building of this book was really well done, though a little confusing because it was so unique and different from what I have ever read. I think the integration between science and magic was so cool!
I really loved Salo’s chapters and getting to know his character. The first part of the book where he was introduced and the main conflict was really interesting. However, what had me confused were the other chapters with other POVs. Near the end, one of the POVs made a whole lot more sense and it all started to come together.
The one thing that wasn’t really for me was that there were so many POVs to the point where I didn’t connect with them all. Salo was by far the superior character and I wish that he got more page time and that he was the only POV other than the Maidservant. Personally, it would have been really interesting to see his story more instead of traveling between POVs.
What made this an enjoyable read was that brilliant incorporation of science and magic and how it played into the politics as well as the journey. It was definitely an interesting twist and I loved reading about that.
I think I would definitely recommend this book because the world building was interesting. I enjoyed the magic and unlikely friendships. I think I would pick up the sequel if the book was a bit shorter because it did get to a point where I was left with more questions than answers and I do want to know more about what will happen to the characters and how it will all come together. However, I don’t regret reading this and it definitely introduced me to this new sort of mixed SFF genre.
If you enjoy mixing genres, a new kind of magic, interesting mythology, and self discovery journeys and actual physical journeys you would enjoy this! Check this out if you love characters that must be protected at all costs, intriguing politics and war, and having a story come together near the end just when you think you don’t have an answer!
Star is All Booked Up 
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