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Scepter Series #1
House of Scepters
In a magical Persian Empire, an extraordinary thief will steal a ruthless warrior's heart, upend an empire, and form bonds deeper than blood.
What will you do, when the power to rule all is in your hand?
Whoever holds a scepter, rules a gate. Whoever holds the scepter that rules all others, rules the world. A ruthless shadow magi, a cunning thief, a loyal fugitive, and a charming rogue will hunt—and be hunted—for the most powerful object in the land.
But only one hand can hold the scepter—and a legacy of blood follows its grip. Take care in what you desire. Be careful in what you reach for. Beware the House of Scepters.
What will you do, when the power to rule all is in your hand?
Whoever holds a scepter, rules a gate. Whoever holds the scepter that rules all others, rules the world. A ruthless shadow magi, a cunning thief, a loyal fugitive, and a charming rogue will hunt—and be hunted—for the most powerful object in the land.
But only one hand can hold the scepter—and a legacy of blood follows its grip. Take care in what you desire. Be careful in what you reach for. Beware the House of Scepters.
385 pages, Paperback
First published August 28, 2020
21 people are currently reading
2129 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
June 10, 2021
every time a book actually manages to get me intrigued by the politics, it's a plus point for me and house of scepters did that so well! this was a surprisingly good introduction to the world with a group of beloved characters i'm very close to getting attached to (especially kaveh, i adore his pov way too much) so i'm excited to read further into the rest of the trilogy !!
August 30, 2020
no offense but I would die for this book!!! I love all the characters so much—nin, taline, kaveh, and rone all have a special place in my heart now.
but can we just TALK about nin and kaveh!? literally INVENTED being a power couple!!! their dynamic has me shaking in my boots and I wanted to SCREAM at the end!!! so good!!! like... bro... oh my god, kavenin really did THAT. I could pass out from the international implications of what’s going to happen in book 2...
also nin and taline’s friendship gives me so much serotonin, best girls in the world imo!!! would risk it all for them!!!
taline and rone’s hot and cold flirty dynamic? exactly what we deserve. we are blessed. my life has so much meaning.
overall: loved the plot, loved the characters, LOVED the ships, loved the plot twists, and loved the found family. 5/5 would absolutely recommend!
but can we just TALK about nin and kaveh!? literally INVENTED being a power couple!!! their dynamic has me shaking in my boots and I wanted to SCREAM at the end!!! so good!!! like... bro... oh my god, kavenin really did THAT. I could pass out from the international implications of what’s going to happen in book 2...
also nin and taline’s friendship gives me so much serotonin, best girls in the world imo!!! would risk it all for them!!!
taline and rone’s hot and cold flirty dynamic? exactly what we deserve. we are blessed. my life has so much meaning.
overall: loved the plot, loved the characters, LOVED the ships, loved the plot twists, and loved the found family. 5/5 would absolutely recommend!
June 14, 2023
This is actually my second read through and I somehow enjoyed it more than the first. There was a lot to take in this new series even though it takes place in the same 5 layer world as the Ren Crown series. I adore all our main characters. I love Ninli and Taline's friendship. We just don't get enough proper female friendships in fantasy and Zoelle always delivers. Ninli has some of Ren's qualities but with more darkness and I'm totally digging it.
The only downside: I wish they were longer :(
The only downside: I wish they were longer :(
December 12, 2024
4 stars
I wanted to give it 3.5 but the ending gave me EVERYTHING I wanted from it, I ate it up (it's because it took me a bit to get used to the setting and meet the characters). Absolutely in love with Kaveh, I'm in a perfect mood for a character like him, and as the time passed I wanted more and more of him. Not to mention Rone, he's literally a blueprint fav character for me, but he REALLY hit in the last few chapters, I absolutely fell in love with him too. Ninli and Taline are also getting very interesting too, I'm so excited for the next two books, I have really good feeling about it.
P.S. birthday review let's goo
I wanted to give it 3.5 but the ending gave me EVERYTHING I wanted from it, I ate it up (it's because it took me a bit to get used to the setting and meet the characters). Absolutely in love with Kaveh, I'm in a perfect mood for a character like him, and as the time passed I wanted more and more of him. Not to mention Rone, he's literally a blueprint fav character for me, but he REALLY hit in the last few chapters, I absolutely fell in love with him too. Ninli and Taline are also getting very interesting too, I'm so excited for the next two books, I have really good feeling about it.
P.S. birthday review let's goo
September 11, 2020
It's no secret that I will read anything that Ms. Zoelle writes. She has a way about writing characters that you start caring about almost immediately and their relationships are so beautifully fleshed out that you can't help but follow them in their wondrous journey through whatever magical/non-magical world they are a part of.
House of Scepters has a similar world setting like The Awakening of Ren Crown where there are five different layers with increasing magic levels: the first layer being the non-magical one and the fifth layer being the wild, chaotic, pure magical land. The second layer is where the story is setup.
The magic system in this book is fresh and new. We are introduced to a world where the Empire ruled by the Fehls has dethroned the legacy of Carres that had supreme hold on powerful scepters that could remake the world. The Carres took the secrets of the scepters with them and Sher Fehl is now on the hunt of coveting that lost power. The premise revolves around two MCs, Ninli and Taline, living in the vibrant city of Tehrasi with its weather mages and flying carpets, its magical gates and scepter lore, trying to stop its current rulers from finding the Scepter of Darkness. The one scepter that rules them all and gives immense power to its bearer.
From the get go, the pacing is intense. It's amazing how the book spans across maybe a week and so.much.shit.happens! We see how vast and varied the magical abilities of different characters are, learn about decade old betrayals, dabble a little bit in Empire politicking, fall in love with Ninli and Taline's characters and basically just sit on the edge of our seats, turning pages and being enthralled.
There is a lot more to learn about the scepters and the bloodlines and how alliances are maybe going to be changed into something more permanent? A lot is going on, and I'm here for it. On to the next one!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another amazingly written world with an intense plot and memorable characters with action scenes that leave you breathless! Ms. Zoelle never disappoints! Full review to come but in the meantime, add this to your TBR please.
House of Scepters has a similar world setting like The Awakening of Ren Crown where there are five different layers with increasing magic levels: the first layer being the non-magical one and the fifth layer being the wild, chaotic, pure magical land. The second layer is where the story is setup.
The magic system in this book is fresh and new. We are introduced to a world where the Empire ruled by the Fehls has dethroned the legacy of Carres that had supreme hold on powerful scepters that could remake the world. The Carres took the secrets of the scepters with them and Sher Fehl is now on the hunt of coveting that lost power. The premise revolves around two MCs, Ninli and Taline, living in the vibrant city of Tehrasi with its weather mages and flying carpets, its magical gates and scepter lore, trying to stop its current rulers from finding the Scepter of Darkness. The one scepter that rules them all and gives immense power to its bearer.
From the get go, the pacing is intense. It's amazing how the book spans across maybe a week and so.much.shit.happens! We see how vast and varied the magical abilities of different characters are, learn about decade old betrayals, dabble a little bit in Empire politicking, fall in love with Ninli and Taline's characters and basically just sit on the edge of our seats, turning pages and being enthralled.
There is a lot more to learn about the scepters and the bloodlines and how alliances are maybe going to be changed into something more permanent? A lot is going on, and I'm here for it. On to the next one!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another amazingly written world with an intense plot and memorable characters with action scenes that leave you breathless! Ms. Zoelle never disappoints! Full review to come but in the meantime, add this to your TBR please.
August 26, 2022
I loved this so much! The characters full of wit and intellect. Also the plot and the universe!
House of Scepters is set in the Ren Crown Series universe, but where as the latter is set in the modern world, this one was set in the Persian Empire era. It featured four people: a cunning thief, a shadow magi, a loyal fugitive, and a charming rogue; and hungry politicians and whose fates have been intertwined because of a powerful scepter that could rule everything.
I was honestly worried at first with the world building, but surprisingly I was able to take it in stride because the magical system was less detailed hence, it was decidingly easy to understand, and navigate through. Although that's probably because I've already been introduced to this universe. Unlike others who are first time readers of Anne, they haven't been introduced to the magic system so they would end up being confused as to what is happening. Yeah, sure there's a glossary at the end, but it would be more helpful if she will work on writing descriptions of the magic system as simple as possible if it is actually possible, and as they're being used in a chapter like how does the spells work, how do they get woven, how do those spell boxes be made and work, and other elements of the magic system this is especially since the first book has so much action scenes.
The themes shown here were wonderfully written. Anne didn't fail in showing the readers the beautiful bond between Ninli and Taline, which I was certainly able to feel it. It was also great how she was able to write again with a political theme because aside from it being a fun, and an engaging read, this book was able to provoke my thoughts, and gave new understanding or knowledge about how the political world works.
The characters were just: iconic. Every has their own depth, their own story. The anti-heroes were beautifully constructed in my opinion.
Ninli ul Summora was like Ren: compassionate not only to her loved ones, but also to the people of Tehras; she's also a chaotic cinnamon roll. Although, unlike Ren, Ninli was a slight mystery to me . I truly admired her especially when she didn't let her past define her, and stayed positive, and radiant even after everything that she went through.
Taline ul Summora is Ninli's sister in everything except blood. She chose to stay with her, and overtime became very protective of her. She's an opposite to Ninli wherein if the latter is trusting and chaotic, then the former is composed, and less trusting. I do loved their dynamic as it showed how they will be there for each other no matter what the cost will be. I also loved her dynamic with Rone ul Valeran, who's very charming and witty. Their banters were always entertaining, and like Ninli, Rone was also mysterious and I'm looking forward to reading more about him.
With Kaveh ul Fehl, who's also very much an intriguing character, dark and loyal only to the emperor, who's also his father. His character was the one I was most interested in, and I'm super excited to see how his character will develop especially since meeting Ninli was a real game changer for him.
Anne's writing didn't fail to make me think, and react to each chapter. Almost all of my notes in the book are just about that. Every chapter was exhilarating. How the book ended was awesome and I can't wait to read books two and three. Definitely recommending it to people who love historical fantasy.
House of Scepters is set in the Ren Crown Series universe, but where as the latter is set in the modern world, this one was set in the Persian Empire era. It featured four people: a cunning thief, a shadow magi, a loyal fugitive, and a charming rogue; and hungry politicians and whose fates have been intertwined because of a powerful scepter that could rule everything.
I was honestly worried at first with the world building, but surprisingly I was able to take it in stride because the magical system was less detailed hence, it was decidingly easy to understand, and navigate through. Although that's probably because I've already been introduced to this universe. Unlike others who are first time readers of Anne, they haven't been introduced to the magic system so they would end up being confused as to what is happening. Yeah, sure there's a glossary at the end, but it would be more helpful if she will work on writing descriptions of the magic system as simple as possible if it is actually possible, and as they're being used in a chapter like how does the spells work, how do they get woven, how do those spell boxes be made and work, and other elements of the magic system this is especially since the first book has so much action scenes.
“Never put your power in full sight. For you just encourage someone to steal it. To steal your secrets. We must guard our power and secrets close. Never share your knowledge, your skills. For what will you be if everyone holds the same power?”
The themes shown here were wonderfully written. Anne didn't fail in showing the readers the beautiful bond between Ninli and Taline, which I was certainly able to feel it. It was also great how she was able to write again with a political theme because aside from it being a fun, and an engaging read, this book was able to provoke my thoughts, and gave new understanding or knowledge about how the political world works.
The characters were just: iconic. Every has their own depth, their own story. The anti-heroes were beautifully constructed in my opinion.
“If we allow ourselves to be defined by our blood, we will never be free.”
Ninli ul Summora was like Ren: compassionate not only to her loved ones, but also to the people of Tehras; she's also a chaotic cinnamon roll. Although, unlike Ren, Ninli was a slight mystery to me . I truly admired her especially when she didn't let her past define her, and stayed positive, and radiant even after everything that she went through.
“She would protect her sister from the world by grabbing it by the throat, if that’s what she had to do.”
Taline ul Summora is Ninli's sister in everything except blood. She chose to stay with her, and overtime became very protective of her. She's an opposite to Ninli wherein if the latter is trusting and chaotic, then the former is composed, and less trusting. I do loved their dynamic as it showed how they will be there for each other no matter what the cost will be. I also loved her dynamic with Rone ul Valeran, who's very charming and witty. Their banters were always entertaining, and like Ninli, Rone was also mysterious and I'm looking forward to reading more about him.
With Kaveh ul Fehl, who's also very much an intriguing character, dark and loyal only to the emperor, who's also his father. His character was the one I was most interested in, and I'm super excited to see how his character will develop especially since meeting Ninli was a real game changer for him.
Anne's writing didn't fail to make me think, and react to each chapter. Almost all of my notes in the book are just about that. Every chapter was exhilarating. How the book ended was awesome and I can't wait to read books two and three. Definitely recommending it to people who love historical fantasy.
March 16, 2021
OMGGGGGGGGGGGGG OBSESSED. So happy I decided to finally read this book, NINI THANK YOUUUU for always telling us to read it!!!
March 29, 2021
I am voluntarily reviewing this novel after receiving a free copy.
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
Sigh. I really wanted to like this novel. It has a lot of good elements - strong basics for characters, unique world, potentially interesting magic system - but I feel like it ends up squandering all of it.
- The characters: although our cast is varied and has a ton of potential, especially in relationship dynamics, almost everyone just ends up feeling stale or flat. This is definitely a "show vs tell" problem, where the characters internally monologue about everything they are feeling/thinking at that moment, and also about others' character traits. Rone constantly thinks about what a baaad guy he is and how he's just sooo shady and can't be trusted. Tal is always thinking about how soft-hearted and fragile Nin is, and how she'll do anything for her. Kav is the only one whose monologue I found interesting, because he's around different characters and picking everything apart in a unique way. His dynamic with Nin was actually interesting, and one of the high points in the book, but if I had to read one more paragraph of Rone thinking about how cute Tal was and how much she definitely shouldn't trust him, I'd scream. Nin herself has very little rattling around in her noggin, aside from baggage and a very obvious reveal you can see coming from miles away.
- The world: honestly, a lot of this is fine. It's a unique setting, kinda Middle Eastern-y, with some unique critters thrown in. Unfortunately, we don't actually get to see most of it. Like, at one point characters literally handwave the fact that they're talking to sphinxes and chimeras and whatever else off-screen, but we don't actually get to see it on-page. There's also some confusing stuff about world layers that I didn't understand at all.
- The magic system: !!! This is my biggest complaint. I literally have no idea what the magic system is, what it's capable of, and what its limits are. Not the scepters - that's pretty self-explanatory - but the magic itself. There are threads, I guess, that can weave spells together. Okay. But there's also spellboxes, which are boxes that do...something? And you put them together...somehow? There are recipes and runes that can teach you to do...things. Magic has some sort of physical form (because someone literally throws out a tub full of used magic on a guard at some point, whatever that means) but is also insubstantial? The threads don't really appear, unless of course they do. There are also a bunch of other magic items and ingredients that also do things of some sort. People are categorized into tiers based on their magic abilities (except you can somehow totally hide what yours are). People tend to have a focus of some kind to their magic (unless they don't - Nin can do all sorts of stuff). There are also oaths, which bind you, unless you know how to escape them, in which case they don't.
I hope you can see the problem above. At any given time in the story, Nin or the others could be capable of literally anything or nothing at all. There is *no* exposition about what magic is, where it comes from, or how it works. There's a lot of jargon thrown in throughout, and apparently there's an appendix or something that explains some of it, but like...that stuff should be in your story somewhere. Yes, no reader likes sitting there, wheels spinning, while characters blather on and on (sigh, Rone), but /some/ idea of what is happening is essential. There are tons of moments in this story where characters are just slinging spells left and right and my brain has no idea what to focus on or imagine because there's no description. The worst examples are when they're in a tomb and trigger a trap and just....spells happen. But they fight back. With other spells. That do. Something?? Or at the climax, when a bunch of bad guys teleport in, but then there's just one, and it's not clear what that one did to the others, and then he whips out some evil summoning magic that's never been explained, and then they have to fight it via means we also don't know....
Linked to this - there are numerous instances where key things happen off-screen, seemingly because the author either didn't think they were important or didn't know how to describe them. Again, we get literally a sentence of the characters going through this jungle giving treasures or riddles or whatever to magic beasts, which would be a huge moment in a normal story. We didn't see where any of the treasure came from, what it is, etc., we were just told they bought it during some of their down-time. We don't know how this works with the beasts, why they're interested in it, or anything like that, it just does. Similarly, once they're in the ruins, we don't know what items they gathered to use, what their uses actually are, or how any of them work, they just do, until they don't, because some broke. It's all very strange and loose.
It really feels like the author had some big plot points in mind, and then just waved her hands around every obstacle along the way. We don't need to know how they get to point A or point B, they just do, and then magic stuff happens because it needs to, so cool stuff can go down, and characters can fight or whatever. Maybe she intended to go flesh it out later and just never did, I have no idea, but it left me unable to imagine huge chunks of scenes because I had no reference point for anything that was going on.
Again, the story has tons of potential. The bedrock is solid - it's the execution that's so murky and flawed. As much as I'm curious about Kav/Nin (and again, loved their dynamic and battle scenes and all that, probably because they were /clear/), it's not enough to carry me into the rest of the series. And that's a shame.
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
Sigh. I really wanted to like this novel. It has a lot of good elements - strong basics for characters, unique world, potentially interesting magic system - but I feel like it ends up squandering all of it.
- The characters: although our cast is varied and has a ton of potential, especially in relationship dynamics, almost everyone just ends up feeling stale or flat. This is definitely a "show vs tell" problem, where the characters internally monologue about everything they are feeling/thinking at that moment, and also about others' character traits. Rone constantly thinks about what a baaad guy he is and how he's just sooo shady and can't be trusted. Tal is always thinking about how soft-hearted and fragile Nin is, and how she'll do anything for her. Kav is the only one whose monologue I found interesting, because he's around different characters and picking everything apart in a unique way. His dynamic with Nin was actually interesting, and one of the high points in the book, but if I had to read one more paragraph of Rone thinking about how cute Tal was and how much she definitely shouldn't trust him, I'd scream. Nin herself has very little rattling around in her noggin, aside from baggage and a very obvious reveal you can see coming from miles away.
- The world: honestly, a lot of this is fine. It's a unique setting, kinda Middle Eastern-y, with some unique critters thrown in. Unfortunately, we don't actually get to see most of it. Like, at one point characters literally handwave the fact that they're talking to sphinxes and chimeras and whatever else off-screen, but we don't actually get to see it on-page. There's also some confusing stuff about world layers that I didn't understand at all.
- The magic system: !!! This is my biggest complaint. I literally have no idea what the magic system is, what it's capable of, and what its limits are. Not the scepters - that's pretty self-explanatory - but the magic itself. There are threads, I guess, that can weave spells together. Okay. But there's also spellboxes, which are boxes that do...something? And you put them together...somehow? There are recipes and runes that can teach you to do...things. Magic has some sort of physical form (because someone literally throws out a tub full of used magic on a guard at some point, whatever that means) but is also insubstantial? The threads don't really appear, unless of course they do. There are also a bunch of other magic items and ingredients that also do things of some sort. People are categorized into tiers based on their magic abilities (except you can somehow totally hide what yours are). People tend to have a focus of some kind to their magic (unless they don't - Nin can do all sorts of stuff). There are also oaths, which bind you, unless you know how to escape them, in which case they don't.
I hope you can see the problem above. At any given time in the story, Nin or the others could be capable of literally anything or nothing at all. There is *no* exposition about what magic is, where it comes from, or how it works. There's a lot of jargon thrown in throughout, and apparently there's an appendix or something that explains some of it, but like...that stuff should be in your story somewhere. Yes, no reader likes sitting there, wheels spinning, while characters blather on and on (sigh, Rone), but /some/ idea of what is happening is essential. There are tons of moments in this story where characters are just slinging spells left and right and my brain has no idea what to focus on or imagine because there's no description. The worst examples are when they're in a tomb and trigger a trap and just....spells happen. But they fight back. With other spells. That do. Something?? Or at the climax, when a bunch of bad guys teleport in, but then there's just one, and it's not clear what that one did to the others, and then he whips out some evil summoning magic that's never been explained, and then they have to fight it via means we also don't know....
Linked to this - there are numerous instances where key things happen off-screen, seemingly because the author either didn't think they were important or didn't know how to describe them. Again, we get literally a sentence of the characters going through this jungle giving treasures or riddles or whatever to magic beasts, which would be a huge moment in a normal story. We didn't see where any of the treasure came from, what it is, etc., we were just told they bought it during some of their down-time. We don't know how this works with the beasts, why they're interested in it, or anything like that, it just does. Similarly, once they're in the ruins, we don't know what items they gathered to use, what their uses actually are, or how any of them work, they just do, until they don't, because some broke. It's all very strange and loose.
It really feels like the author had some big plot points in mind, and then just waved her hands around every obstacle along the way. We don't need to know how they get to point A or point B, they just do, and then magic stuff happens because it needs to, so cool stuff can go down, and characters can fight or whatever. Maybe she intended to go flesh it out later and just never did, I have no idea, but it left me unable to imagine huge chunks of scenes because I had no reference point for anything that was going on.
Again, the story has tons of potential. The bedrock is solid - it's the execution that's so murky and flawed. As much as I'm curious about Kav/Nin (and again, loved their dynamic and battle scenes and all that, probably because they were /clear/), it's not enough to carry me into the rest of the series. And that's a shame.
June 13, 2022
I knew I missed Anne’s writing but I didn’t know how much until I started this book.
I had just woken up when I received Anne’s newsletter about releasing this new series over the period of six weeks and my whole neighborhood must have heard my happy scream. I had almost lost hope of it releasing this year (but I still checked her site almost every other day because I was paranoid I would somehow miss her newsletter), so this was the happiest surprise for me.
I still tortured myself and waited for a few days before Cage of Shadows was released to start reading because I wanted to read them back to back and I’m so glad I did. I was consumed in the story for over a week while I was reading them both. For me, Anne cemented with this series that no one can write friendship, sisterhood and also romantic relationships like her. Her words make you feel all the love, happiness, pain, despair, fear, hope, devotion the characters feel. And for me this is one of the reasons I love her books so much. The other is that I can’t help falling in love with the characters she creates.
Ninli ul Summora has one half of my heart (the other belongs to Ren). I love her so so so much. She’s a character that I came to admire more and more with each page I read. Her devotion, love and care not only to her loved ones but also everyone in Tehras is awe inspiring. Her intelligence and curiosity, her gentleness and kindness, her loyalty and strength after everything she has overcome made me endlessly admire and love her with all my heart. Her chaotic energy when she got herself into trouble and tried to make it out as a positive thing to Taline reminded me of Ren so much I could cry.
“No one from the empire can kill me either! Or the two of you! Protection! We can basically walk through the temple’s front door! Covered in shadows! Think of the possibilities!”
And Taline!! I loved her character as well. The way she loved and protected Nin made me instantly fond of her. But as we learned more about her I came to love her even more. She was as intelligent, brave and kind as Nin just more levelheaded in situations when Nin went headfirst into helping the people of Tehras. I can’t describe how much I adored their relationship, they truly are sisters of each other’s hearts and just remembering their scenes and how they were always ready to sacrifice themselves so the other one could be safe makes me tear up. Also! Her and Rone’s banter was so entertaining. Rone’s character intrigued me because I couldn’t understand his intentions and was wary of him as Taline so I couldn’t wait to find out more.
As for Kaveh, from his very first appearance I knew he would serve one of the most interesting character developments.Just like I could see Ren’s characteristics in Nin, I could see some of Constantine in Kaveh but Kaveh’s character darker. It was hard to imagine how he would overcome his loyalty to emperor and singlehanded focus on the next battle and conquering more lands for the empire. His and Nin’s first meeting kept me glued to my kindle, IT WAS SO INTENSE. So I knew that Nin was going to completely change his life and it would be epic.
He leaned back on his hands, observing her in firelight and shadows once more. “I believe you. How interesting.” Dark pleasure rode the bands of the oath. “I may truly keep you.”
“I will hold to the rules of the oath, and so will you, Kaveh ul Fehl. You get the scepter. I get a month.”
“You can run.”
“You can follow.”
He leaned toward her—the cracking flames a backdrop to the sudden, overwhelming silence of the forest. “I look forward to it.”
Dear Anne, I love you. Please never stop writing.
I had just woken up when I received Anne’s newsletter about releasing this new series over the period of six weeks and my whole neighborhood must have heard my happy scream. I had almost lost hope of it releasing this year (but I still checked her site almost every other day because I was paranoid I would somehow miss her newsletter), so this was the happiest surprise for me.
I still tortured myself and waited for a few days before Cage of Shadows was released to start reading because I wanted to read them back to back and I’m so glad I did. I was consumed in the story for over a week while I was reading them both. For me, Anne cemented with this series that no one can write friendship, sisterhood and also romantic relationships like her. Her words make you feel all the love, happiness, pain, despair, fear, hope, devotion the characters feel. And for me this is one of the reasons I love her books so much. The other is that I can’t help falling in love with the characters she creates.
Ninli ul Summora has one half of my heart (the other belongs to Ren). I love her so so so much. She’s a character that I came to admire more and more with each page I read. Her devotion, love and care not only to her loved ones but also everyone in Tehras is awe inspiring. Her intelligence and curiosity, her gentleness and kindness, her loyalty and strength after everything she has overcome made me endlessly admire and love her with all my heart. Her chaotic energy when she got herself into trouble and tried to make it out as a positive thing to Taline reminded me of Ren so much I could cry.
“No one from the empire can kill me either! Or the two of you! Protection! We can basically walk through the temple’s front door! Covered in shadows! Think of the possibilities!”
And Taline!! I loved her character as well. The way she loved and protected Nin made me instantly fond of her. But as we learned more about her I came to love her even more. She was as intelligent, brave and kind as Nin just more levelheaded in situations when Nin went headfirst into helping the people of Tehras. I can’t describe how much I adored their relationship, they truly are sisters of each other’s hearts and just remembering their scenes and how they were always ready to sacrifice themselves so the other one could be safe makes me tear up. Also! Her and Rone’s banter was so entertaining. Rone’s character intrigued me because I couldn’t understand his intentions and was wary of him as Taline so I couldn’t wait to find out more.
As for Kaveh, from his very first appearance I knew he would serve one of the most interesting character developments.Just like I could see Ren’s characteristics in Nin, I could see some of Constantine in Kaveh but Kaveh’s character darker. It was hard to imagine how he would overcome his loyalty to emperor and singlehanded focus on the next battle and conquering more lands for the empire. His and Nin’s first meeting kept me glued to my kindle, IT WAS SO INTENSE. So I knew that Nin was going to completely change his life and it would be epic.
He leaned back on his hands, observing her in firelight and shadows once more. “I believe you. How interesting.” Dark pleasure rode the bands of the oath. “I may truly keep you.”
“I will hold to the rules of the oath, and so will you, Kaveh ul Fehl. You get the scepter. I get a month.”
“You can run.”
“You can follow.”
He leaned toward her—the cracking flames a backdrop to the sudden, overwhelming silence of the forest. “I look forward to it.”
Dear Anne, I love you. Please never stop writing.
June 22, 2023
3.75 upgraded to 4
April 30, 2024
3.5 ⭐
September 27, 2020
I knew I missed Anne’s writing but I didn’t know how much until I started this book.
I had just woken up when I received Anne’s newsletter about releasing this new series over the period of six weeks and my whole neighborhood must have heard my happy scream. I had almost lost hope of it releasing this year (but I still checked her site almost every other day because I was paranoid I would somehow miss her newsletter), so this was the happiest surprise for me.
I still tortured myself and waited for a few days before Cage of Shadows was released to start reading because I wanted to read them back to back and I’m so glad I did. I was consumed in the story for over a week while I was reading them both. For me, Anne cemented with this series that no one can write friendship, sisterhood and also romantic relationships like her. Her words make you feel all the love, happiness, pain, despair, fear, hope, devotion the characters feel. And for me this is one of the reasons I love her books so much. The other is that I can’t help falling in love with the characters she creates.
Ninli ul Summora has one half of my heart (the other belongs to Ren). I love her so so so much. She’s a character that I came to admire more and more with each page I read. Her devotion, love and care not only to her loved ones but also everyone in Tehras is awe inspiring. Her intelligence and curiosity, her gentleness and kindness, her loyalty and strength after everything she has overcome made me endlessly admire and love her with all my heart. Her chaotic energy when she got herself into trouble and tried to make it out as a positive thing to Taline reminded me of Ren so much I could cry.
“No one from the empire can kill me either! Or the two of you! Protection! We can basically walk through the temple’s front door! Covered in shadows! Think of the possibilities!”
And Taline!! I loved her character as well. The way she loved and protected Nin made me instantly fond of her. But as we learned more about her I came to love her even more. She was as intelligent, brave and kind as Nin just more levelheaded in situations when Nin went headfirst into helping the people of Tehras. I can’t describe how much I adored their relationship, they truly are sisters of each other’s hearts and just remembering their scenes and how they were always ready to sacrifice themselves so the other one could be safe makes me tear up. Also! Her and Rone’s banter was so entertaining. Rone’s character intrigued me because I couldn’t understand his intentions and was wary of him as Taline so I couldn’t wait to find out more.
As for Kaveh, from his very first appearance I knew he would serve one of the most interesting character developments.Just like I could see Ren’s characteristics in Nin, I could see some of Constantine in Kaveh but Kaveh’s character darker. It was hard to imagine how he would overcome his loyalty to emperor and singlehanded focus on the next battle and conquering more lands for the empire. His and Nin’s first meeting kept me glued to my kindle, IT WAS SO INTENSE. So I knew that Nin was going to completely change his life and it would be epic.
He leaned back on his hands, observing her in firelight and shadows once more. “I believe you. How interesting.” Dark pleasure rode the bands of the oath. “I may truly keep you.”
“I will hold to the rules of the oath, and so will you, Kaveh ul Fehl. You get the scepter. I get a month.”
“You can run.”
“You can follow.”
He leaned toward her—the cracking flames a backdrop to the sudden, overwhelming silence of the forest. “I look forward to it.”
Dear Anne, I love you. Please never stop writing.
I had just woken up when I received Anne’s newsletter about releasing this new series over the period of six weeks and my whole neighborhood must have heard my happy scream. I had almost lost hope of it releasing this year (but I still checked her site almost every other day because I was paranoid I would somehow miss her newsletter), so this was the happiest surprise for me.
I still tortured myself and waited for a few days before Cage of Shadows was released to start reading because I wanted to read them back to back and I’m so glad I did. I was consumed in the story for over a week while I was reading them both. For me, Anne cemented with this series that no one can write friendship, sisterhood and also romantic relationships like her. Her words make you feel all the love, happiness, pain, despair, fear, hope, devotion the characters feel. And for me this is one of the reasons I love her books so much. The other is that I can’t help falling in love with the characters she creates.
Ninli ul Summora has one half of my heart (the other belongs to Ren). I love her so so so much. She’s a character that I came to admire more and more with each page I read. Her devotion, love and care not only to her loved ones but also everyone in Tehras is awe inspiring. Her intelligence and curiosity, her gentleness and kindness, her loyalty and strength after everything she has overcome made me endlessly admire and love her with all my heart. Her chaotic energy when she got herself into trouble and tried to make it out as a positive thing to Taline reminded me of Ren so much I could cry.
“No one from the empire can kill me either! Or the two of you! Protection! We can basically walk through the temple’s front door! Covered in shadows! Think of the possibilities!”
And Taline!! I loved her character as well. The way she loved and protected Nin made me instantly fond of her. But as we learned more about her I came to love her even more. She was as intelligent, brave and kind as Nin just more levelheaded in situations when Nin went headfirst into helping the people of Tehras. I can’t describe how much I adored their relationship, they truly are sisters of each other’s hearts and just remembering their scenes and how they were always ready to sacrifice themselves so the other one could be safe makes me tear up. Also! Her and Rone’s banter was so entertaining. Rone’s character intrigued me because I couldn’t understand his intentions and was wary of him as Taline so I couldn’t wait to find out more.
As for Kaveh, from his very first appearance I knew he would serve one of the most interesting character developments.Just like I could see Ren’s characteristics in Nin, I could see some of Constantine in Kaveh but Kaveh’s character darker. It was hard to imagine how he would overcome his loyalty to emperor and singlehanded focus on the next battle and conquering more lands for the empire. His and Nin’s first meeting kept me glued to my kindle, IT WAS SO INTENSE. So I knew that Nin was going to completely change his life and it would be epic.
He leaned back on his hands, observing her in firelight and shadows once more. “I believe you. How interesting.” Dark pleasure rode the bands of the oath. “I may truly keep you.”
“I will hold to the rules of the oath, and so will you, Kaveh ul Fehl. You get the scepter. I get a month.”
“You can run.”
“You can follow.”
He leaned toward her—the cracking flames a backdrop to the sudden, overwhelming silence of the forest. “I look forward to it.”
Dear Anne, I love you. Please never stop writing.
November 7, 2021
Tenía dudas sobre este libro porque la persona que me lo recomendó no es la más confiable, pero sorprendentemente me gustó bastante.
La historia empieza con Nin y Taline, dos jóvenes haciendo un montón de cosas ilegales para ayudar al pueblo donde viven. Su objetivo final es deshacerse de dos personas que están en el poder donde no deberían estar. Para todo esto usan magia que se me hizo súper complicada porque no está muy bien descrita, esto hizo también que me costara un poco agarrar el hilo al libro.
Me gustó mucho la amistad de estas dos, siento que se complementan de muy buena manera. Nin me pareció un poco ingenua, esperaba que todo el mundo actuara de la mejor manera y que todo saliera bien. Capaz una mejor palabras es idealista. Pero Taline estaba ahí siempre poniendo todo en perspectiva, haciendo ver que no todo el mundo es así de bueno y pensar así podría acabar con ellas muertas.
Hay otros dos personajes principales: Kaveh y Rone.
Kaveh es uno de los príncipes del imperio, tiene poder sobre las sombras y fue mucho más fácil entender ese tipo de magia. Me gustó mucho, tiene un sentido del humor oscuro como el, no tiene mucho amor por sus hermanos y amo como les pelea. Su primer capítulo fue el que hizo que decidiera seguir leyendo.
Más adelante aparece Rone, que es otra persona que Nin salvó en algún momento. Aparentemente puede leer bien hechizos y por eso lo necesitan en la misión. Es súper divertido, sarcástico y un poco malo. Básicamente no sirve y ese es mi tipo. Se la pasa peleando con Taline aunque se nota que está atraído a ella, dice las verdades como las piensa, sobre todo con respecto a la manera confiada de ser de Nin y después también se la pasa peleando con Kaveh. Me da mucha curiosidad saber más de él porque se nota que oculta muchas cosas.
Todos estos personajes terminan trabajando juntos para conseguir un cetro muy poderoso que le dará control total de los portales del mundo a quien lo tenga. Nin lo quiere solo para manipular al imperio para que saquen del cuadro a las dos personas que no quiere en el poder. Rone no quiere que lo usen o al menos eso parece. A Taline no podría importarle menos. Y Kaveh lo quiere para el emperador.
Me causa conflicto pero me llena de interés que Kaveh sea tan leal al emperador, porque se nota que hay una conexión con Nin, es un super enemies to lovers y me va a frustrar mucho leerlo. Pero me gusta esa lealtad porque hace que sea más interesante el cambio de enemigo a aliado.
Definitivamente quiero leer los siguientes porque los personajes me gustaron y porque de verdad necesito saber algunas cosas. Espero que sea igual de bueno o mejor.
La historia empieza con Nin y Taline, dos jóvenes haciendo un montón de cosas ilegales para ayudar al pueblo donde viven. Su objetivo final es deshacerse de dos personas que están en el poder donde no deberían estar. Para todo esto usan magia que se me hizo súper complicada porque no está muy bien descrita, esto hizo también que me costara un poco agarrar el hilo al libro.
Me gustó mucho la amistad de estas dos, siento que se complementan de muy buena manera. Nin me pareció un poco ingenua, esperaba que todo el mundo actuara de la mejor manera y que todo saliera bien. Capaz una mejor palabras es idealista. Pero Taline estaba ahí siempre poniendo todo en perspectiva, haciendo ver que no todo el mundo es así de bueno y pensar así podría acabar con ellas muertas.
Hay otros dos personajes principales: Kaveh y Rone.
Kaveh es uno de los príncipes del imperio, tiene poder sobre las sombras y fue mucho más fácil entender ese tipo de magia. Me gustó mucho, tiene un sentido del humor oscuro como el, no tiene mucho amor por sus hermanos y amo como les pelea. Su primer capítulo fue el que hizo que decidiera seguir leyendo.
Más adelante aparece Rone, que es otra persona que Nin salvó en algún momento. Aparentemente puede leer bien hechizos y por eso lo necesitan en la misión. Es súper divertido, sarcástico y un poco malo. Básicamente no sirve y ese es mi tipo. Se la pasa peleando con Taline aunque se nota que está atraído a ella, dice las verdades como las piensa, sobre todo con respecto a la manera confiada de ser de Nin y después también se la pasa peleando con Kaveh. Me da mucha curiosidad saber más de él porque se nota que oculta muchas cosas.
Todos estos personajes terminan trabajando juntos para conseguir un cetro muy poderoso que le dará control total de los portales del mundo a quien lo tenga. Nin lo quiere solo para manipular al imperio para que saquen del cuadro a las dos personas que no quiere en el poder. Rone no quiere que lo usen o al menos eso parece. A Taline no podría importarle menos. Y Kaveh lo quiere para el emperador.
Me causa conflicto pero me llena de interés que Kaveh sea tan leal al emperador, porque se nota que hay una conexión con Nin, es un super enemies to lovers y me va a frustrar mucho leerlo. Pero me gusta esa lealtad porque hace que sea más interesante el cambio de enemigo a aliado.
Definitivamente quiero leer los siguientes porque los personajes me gustaron y porque de verdad necesito saber algunas cosas. Espero que sea igual de bueno o mejor.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 23, 2024
When reading, I always hitch on the use of "disinterested" to mean "uninterested." I don't mind it -- I accept that's the way the language is headed (or rather, started heading a long time ago) -- but I always notice. Which is why I can say that Zoelle does this a lot. And this primed me to notice a larger trend of repetition: the same overworked adjectives, the same generic adverbs.
Usually the adjectives and adverbs are in the service of telling, rather than showing. A sample paragraph: "Valeran's face and charm ensured he had endless admirers. Charming and indolent, few saw the cold power and darkness beneath the veneer until it was too late." The reader is not counted among that few; I would have no idea he was charming unless I had been told, and the "cold power" we're shown consists mostly of him unsheathing daggers he has hidden up his sleeves, which we are told (but never really shown) he is expert at using.
The descriptive text suffered from similar problems. The climactic Indiana Jones section of the book was almost entirely incoherent to me: I had no idea what the physical space looked like or how people moved through it. The booby traps could not have been described more generically: one consisted of "knots" of magic that our heroes had to methodically untie. Apparently they were tricky knots. It would have made more sense if there were actual shoelaces involved. Other booby traps emitted magic that our heroes just absorbed or reflected or something. Is that fiendishly difficult to do?, so that I should be impressed? Or dangerous? I have no idea. In fact, I have only the faintest idea how magic works in this world at all.
Which is a shame, because I get the impression the world has been carefully and creatively thought out. I wish it was presented in a way that made that more evident to the reader.
Usually the adjectives and adverbs are in the service of telling, rather than showing. A sample paragraph: "Valeran's face and charm ensured he had endless admirers. Charming and indolent, few saw the cold power and darkness beneath the veneer until it was too late." The reader is not counted among that few; I would have no idea he was charming unless I had been told, and the "cold power" we're shown consists mostly of him unsheathing daggers he has hidden up his sleeves, which we are told (but never really shown) he is expert at using.
The descriptive text suffered from similar problems. The climactic Indiana Jones section of the book was almost entirely incoherent to me: I had no idea what the physical space looked like or how people moved through it. The booby traps could not have been described more generically: one consisted of "knots" of magic that our heroes had to methodically untie. Apparently they were tricky knots. It would have made more sense if there were actual shoelaces involved. Other booby traps emitted magic that our heroes just absorbed or reflected or something. Is that fiendishly difficult to do?, so that I should be impressed? Or dangerous? I have no idea. In fact, I have only the faintest idea how magic works in this world at all.
Which is a shame, because I get the impression the world has been carefully and creatively thought out. I wish it was presented in a way that made that more evident to the reader.
February 21, 2021
At first when I started reading, “House of Scepters” I was so confused. I didn’t understand any of the lingo. I found out at the end of the book was where the vocabulary list was located. Note to author: That needs to be at the beginning for some of us slow people.
Other than that, I was fascinated by the plot and the characters. A brief synopsis: Ninli is a powerful healer and thief—whose hiding so much more than that and her sister, Taline (though not through blood) are desperate to get hold of the Scepter of Darkness. This scepter will save Tehrasi and its people from Etelian and Aros, the rulers of the territory and an evil traitor named Osni. The two girls eventually seek the help of Rone, a guy with secrets of his own. Rone can read runes and help unlock barriers in the temple where the Scepter of Darkness is stored. The emperor of the empire and father of Etelian and Aros sends his 13th child and favorite, Keveh, Shadow Prince to find the notorious thief and put an end to the exploits causing the empire to look bad.
The story was thrilling with its magic and fight battles. The story did not reveal who or what Ninli and Taline could trust. The plot was so good, I could read it again and can’t wait for the next book in the scepter series. I received a free copy of this book and voluntarily reviewed it.
Other than that, I was fascinated by the plot and the characters. A brief synopsis: Ninli is a powerful healer and thief—whose hiding so much more than that and her sister, Taline (though not through blood) are desperate to get hold of the Scepter of Darkness. This scepter will save Tehrasi and its people from Etelian and Aros, the rulers of the territory and an evil traitor named Osni. The two girls eventually seek the help of Rone, a guy with secrets of his own. Rone can read runes and help unlock barriers in the temple where the Scepter of Darkness is stored. The emperor of the empire and father of Etelian and Aros sends his 13th child and favorite, Keveh, Shadow Prince to find the notorious thief and put an end to the exploits causing the empire to look bad.
The story was thrilling with its magic and fight battles. The story did not reveal who or what Ninli and Taline could trust. The plot was so good, I could read it again and can’t wait for the next book in the scepter series. I received a free copy of this book and voluntarily reviewed it.
March 14, 2021
Being a lover of fantasy and strong female characters, this story hooked me almost instantly. I almost immediately fell in love with Ninli and Taline, as well as the relationship they had with each other. Their use of magic and the steps they took to sneakily live as free of a life from the emperor as possible was super intriguing as well! It took me a bit longer to warm up to Kaveh and Rone, though that may just be because they weren’t as present/important in the story until later on.
The concept of magic being ruled not only by people but also by these powerful scepters (that the rulers ended up wielding as well) is something very new to me. The fact that someone that wasn’t in power, like Ninli, could possibly come into possession of one of those scepters and singlehandedly upset the rule of power in the land was intriguing, to say the least.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I think I’ll be adding the other two in this trilogy to my TBR soon! I received a free copy of this story from Hidden Gems and am choosing to leave an honest review of it.
The concept of magic being ruled not only by people but also by these powerful scepters (that the rulers ended up wielding as well) is something very new to me. The fact that someone that wasn’t in power, like Ninli, could possibly come into possession of one of those scepters and singlehandedly upset the rule of power in the land was intriguing, to say the least.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I think I’ll be adding the other two in this trilogy to my TBR soon! I received a free copy of this story from Hidden Gems and am choosing to leave an honest review of it.
July 1, 2022
I found the House of Scepters series after reading Anne's Ren Crown series. I really like Anne's style of writing. She is wonderful at world building and story telling.
Although based in the same "magical world" as Ren Crown the books and stories are quite different.
I could not get quite as into House of Scepters as I did when reading Ren Crown, but that does not take away from how good this book and series were too.
I was fully immersed in the story by the end of the book and immediately had to jump into the next book.
Although based in the same "magical world" as Ren Crown the books and stories are quite different.
I could not get quite as into House of Scepters as I did when reading Ren Crown, but that does not take away from how good this book and series were too.
I was fully immersed in the story by the end of the book and immediately had to jump into the next book.
October 28, 2020
Truly, a spellbinding book ! This is my first time experiencing Anne Zoelle’s work and it is an absolute pleasure to be captivated by her writing. I love the characters, the magic, and the strengths that they wield! It is fast paced with incredible battles that test the power of belief. Nin and Taline share such a beautiful friendship that is one to always protect no matter what! I am looking forward to what happens next.
September 1, 2020
I couldn't believe Anne Zoelle dropped a new book and I didn't know about it until today! The cover is so gorgeous and I loved the crew. Very grateful the entire trilogy is coming out over six weeks (!!!)
Also Nin if you read this I'm free on Thursday night and would like to hang out. Please respond and hang out with me on Thursday night when I am free.
Also Nin if you read this I'm free on Thursday night and would like to hang out. Please respond and hang out with me on Thursday night when I am free.
October 16, 2020
An action-packed start to a new series. This is like Ren Crown's world transformed anew with the 4 main characters engaged in an Indiana Jones-esque quest. While the magic and world building are slightly familiar, they are also more fantastical and menacing.
August 12, 2021
I was kinda hoping this would be more about how the layers were created, but they're already in place.
The story is still unique, but doesn't have all the descriptions on magic and creativity that the Ren Crown series had and I adored.
The story is still unique, but doesn't have all the descriptions on magic and creativity that the Ren Crown series had and I adored.
February 18, 2022
4.5
the world-building confused me at first, maybe because i was too lazy to analyze everything. surprisingly, though, this book helped me out of my slump. excited to read more of ninkaveh, taline, and other on the next book.
the world-building confused me at first, maybe because i was too lazy to analyze everything. surprisingly, though, this book helped me out of my slump. excited to read more of ninkaveh, taline, and other on the next book.
September 3, 2020
This was so darn good. Once I started I couldn't stop. I can't wait for the next two bucks. Interesting world, great characters and a fantastic story
September 13, 2020
great book, fun characters, an all around good read.
April 26, 2021
Stunning. Reminiscent of Patricia McKillip and Robin McKinley’s classic sprawling epics. One of my favorite new fantasy worlds in a long time.
June 22, 2021
4.5⭐️
February 2, 2022
no entendí mucho pero vamos con el segundo
April 7, 2023
3.75⭐️
April 1, 2021
ok i love nin sooo much she’s so selfless and powerful and taline and nin’s relationship is so pure i love them. kaveh and nin though omg........
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