The Burnished City (Davinia Evans)
I feel like this series is so, so underrated! I have to say, it's just shy of being truly great but it is one of the most solid fantasy series I read in the past few years, consistently good. I rated the first two books 8.25/10 each, which is why they didn't appear in my "best of" lists but the series is worth its own separate review!
Also prefacing this by saying my expectations going in were entirely wrong. I somehow thought this was going to be a YA fantasy regency romance (in the same vibe as Half a Soul) but it is not that. At all xD if anything, it's adult high fantasy in a byzantine inspired setting. We follow three protagonists: Siyon, from the lower city, who is desperately trying to claw his way into the ranks of the alchemists, and Zagiri and Anahid, two sisters from the higher class who each find the restraints of high society grating in their own ways.
The most notable feature of the first book, Notorious Sorcerer, was its total lack of desire for hand holding. You're thrown into the story, and you pick the Worldbuilding up as you go, which is something I love and miss in so many fantasy books these days, but might be an obstacle for other readers who expect it to be YA. That being said, the inner workings of alchemy are left rather confusing, though I'm willing to forgive that for the sheer coolness of how the magic feels in this series haha
Without going too deep into the plot, I found each tome to have its own, separate narrative arc, while also making an overarching thread move forward. Each of the book also focuses a bit more on the arc of one of our three protagonists. The story always takes its time to unfold, but I enjoyed the balance of tension and the general atmosphere of the series. The plot managed to surprise me each time, while remaining foreshadowed in hindsight
Finally, the romance aspect of the book is truly understated. Relationships unfold subtly (and to be honest I would have loved a bit more payoff on that front) but the true depth is really in the interpersonal relationships between the protagonists and the rest of the cast, not so much as the romances. With that being said, the world of the Burnished City is queer normative in a way that feels refreshing in high fantasy (which usually tends to deal with the topic very grimly or not at all)
The last installment of the series delivers a solid and satisfying conclusion, and I will definitely keep an eye on the author's future endeavors 👀
Rounding up to 8.5/10 for the series because it is just consistently good!!
