The Eyes of Tamburah

Archives of the Invisible Sword, Book 1

By: Maria V. Snyder

Narrated by: Gabra Zackman

New York Times best-selling author Maria V. Snyder begins an action-packed new fantasy series: Archives of the Invisible Sword.

2020 PRISM Award winner: 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Sun Goddess - she is still renowned for uncovering innumerable archaic facts, lost artefacts, ancient maps, and obscure historical documents.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.

©2020 Maria V. Snyder (P)2021 Maria V. Snyder

Wow

I was knocked out by this story. Twists and turns like the lowest depths of Zirdai kept me engrossed. The narrator was perfect. I never lost track of who was speaking. I felt Shyla’s need to be seen and her very wise distrust of others.

With fascinating characters like the Water Prince and the Heliacal Priestess, I felt myself being dragged into a story that celebrated observation. The ending was taut! I was on the edge of a knife’s blade myself.

I already downloaded book 2. And I wasn’t even halfway through book 1.

Great world building and characters!

I’ve enjoyed many books (series or stand alone) by this author. She has a wonderful imagination and uses it very effectively to come up with original settings, plot lines, and characters. It is always a delight to read her stories and see where they will take you. If it is in a series, I am sure that you, like I, will be coming back to read all the books in the series. This, coupled with a terrific narrator, make for first rate escapism. Bravo!

Another magical adventure

I loved joining Shyla Sun-Kissed and her friends on this adventure, and am looking forward to starting the next book.

Fun tomb raider-esque fantasy

I got this book because it was fantasy and had high ratings on Goodreads. I got it for a long road trip that would be occurring in a couple days. I accidently listened to the entire thing before my trip. Woops. It is simply an enjoyable read with a likeable main character in a world I can't wait to learn more about.. it's both medieval and futuristic. I'm astonished that it does not have more attention from audible reviewers, but hopefully this review will help! The narrator was great as well. Sometimes accents are distracting but hers was just right.

Good, but a bit hard to start

I love the Study novels and really enjoy her other stories, so I wanted to love this new series—but it’s not an easy listen. She’s crafting a new world and introduces a lot of new vocabulary for that world, which take a bit of getting used to (angles, sun jumps). I found it a little difficult at first, but adjusted to it.
The story itself is very interesting, and I’m looking forward to finding out what happens in the next two novels (which I will buy), but the things that happen to Shyla and all the betrayals and twists and turns are brutal and take up more than 3/4ths of the book. It reminds me very much of Storm Glass and all the misfortunes that befell Opal Cowan. You just keep wondering when things are going to start looking up for poor Shyla.
I do recommend the book, just realize it’s not a happy or easy listen. It’s an intense novel set in an interesting world.