A Trial of Sorcerers Review

We return once again to Solaris in Kova’s newest novel: A Trial of Sorcerers. Taking place after the events of Crystal Caged, Solaris and Meru, previously known as the Crescent Continent, are now allies. We step away from the royal family, however, and the main character is a young woman named Eira. She’s a waterrunner, giving her command over water and ice, but her talents don’t stop there: she hears the voices of people attached to the objects they were near, making her privy to secrets that she was never supposed to know.

Right off the bat, Eira is a likable character. She’s awkward and shy, obsessed with Meru, and unapologetic about her obsession. She always does her best, though she’s constantly held back by her family. She and her best friend, Alyss, have the best friendship, too. They always look out for each other, even if they won’t be happy about it. Eira is a fun character to follow and watch come into herself.

The plot is absolutely thrilling. Conflict is introduced early on when Eira hears a terrifying voice that leads her to a secret room, and the excitement is ramped up even more when a magic tournament is announced, and Eira is determined to be the waterrunner chosen to compete.

Kova’s writing, as usual, is beautiful. It pulls you into Eira’s emotions, and the action scenes are nothing short of thrilling. Everything that happens gives you another hint of what might happen next. My notes are absolutely full of guesses and predictions. I won’t tell you how many are right, but it’s amazing how Kova draws us to the conclusion.

Romance is far from the main focus of this book, and there’s little I can talk about without stepping into spoiler territory, but allow me to say this: it’s very swoony.

Allow me to end this review with my favorite quote:

“Eira closed her eyes, imagining for a second that she was the spirit of winter itself. She was the crisp air. She lived in the snow banks. Her heart was buried deep, deep in the icy blue of the frost-covered peaks of the mountains that surrounded her.” —Elise Kova, A Trial of Sorcerers.

And a big thank you to Elise Kova for giving me an ARC to review!

A Trial of Sorcerers comes out on March 4th, and you can preorder the ebook, hardcover, or paperback on Amazon.

You can find more about Kova and her other books here.

To order signed books from Kova, you can check out her Etsy. The books sell out quickly and are usually dropped in limited release so be sure to follow her Instagram so you know when they're happening!