Sylvia Kelso

I wanna scream and hit things to be honest. The last time that happened was when I read [b:The Road|6288|The Road|Cormac McCarthy|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1435861842s/6288.jpg|3355573], I think. I'm still not totally sure what I just read. I kind of got it at the end, the point and the stuff that happened in the last few pages (and by that I mean like the last ten pages) were good. The book was interesting, if not confusing as hell, for the first half but then the war started and I think I skimmed more than read because it was honestly so boring and drawn out. There was some nice equality stuff going on which was nice though then the war made them unnecessarily painful. But I was happy that in the end the qherrique got the suicide it wanted in the end.

The writing is really strange and not in a good way. In the [b:The Road|6288|The Road|Cormac McCarthy|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1435861842s/6288.jpg|3355573] way that makes me want to rip out pages or something. It's not as upsetting as that but it's still so . . .

Man. I don't even know who I would recommend this too. I usually have an idea of the type of person who would like something but this one is just a bit ridiculous.… (meer)

Review by Lachlan Huddy

This book is a wonder. No qualifiers. In this story of a hot-tempered princess and a withdrawn young wizard battling to defend a savagely beautiful desert from colonisation, Queenslander Sylvia Kelso has wrought a tale that is masterly in every sense of the word. From page one it’s clear: readers are in the presence of Someone Who Knows How to Write. Her prose dazzles, brimful of evocative turns of phrase and sparkling dialogue, and where lesser scribes might let the epic scope overwhelm the pace, Kelso’s tight plotting and even tighter pen lend the perfect balance of depth and concision. It’s a superb fit for this kind of story, an elegant exploration of the ethics of power, of the clash between opposing worlds, and of lofty principles laid low by brutal reality, which offers no easy answers but certainly two central characters you can—will—laugh, cry, rage, and fall in love with. Princess Sellithar is all prickle and peculiarly endearing arrogance, devastatingly intelligent and given to compassion as much as to fury, while aedr (wizard) Zam is her perfect foil: lovably shy, fiercely principled, enigmatic and strong. Read this now.… (meer)

Review by Carissa Thorp

Amberlight is the first in a series of novels by Kelso under Juno Books "fantasy with a focus on the female" imprint. In Kelso's world, qherrique is all sorts of power; social, political, security, energy, and the city of Amberlight has the monopoly over it, by virtue of a hereditary and gender specific ability to mine the valuable stone. It has brought into being a matriarchal society, surrounded by patriarchal societies, all of whom want a piece of qherrique. The heroine, Tellurith, is the Head of a ruling House who rescues an amnesiac stranger found in a dangerous part of town, and though she suspects he could a spy, they fall in love. As a consequence, her House and City are put at risk.

Amberlight isn't an easy book to read, not because of its subject matter, but the prose. Because of its nature, I found myself reading it in a particular way; in two long sittings, so I didn't lose the "knack" of reading it. That said, it was worth the effort. The prose might be challenging, but it's beautiful and interesting of its own self.

Also, the story is gripping, and though I anticipated some cliche elements, Kelso carried it off. Her protagonist is a vivid character, and the city of Amberlight unique.… (meer)