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Twisting Every Way
When Emya’s village is invaded by two magic-wielding barbarians that proclaim themselves kings, the last thing she expects is to be taken in as their mage apprentice. Emya understands little about magic, despite having known it all her life. She was told it would destroy everything she hated, then everything she loved, and then herself. Yet the kings alleviate her fears and show her potential she never imagined. Her future was bright and formidable as the fire she twists in her fingers, except for the strange, sickly young man the kings hold captive. His presence is as a shadow, but Emya is determined to ignore him, choosing to believe in the kings’ extraordinary plans for her. Yet, as a strange enchantment falls over the village Emya can’t help but wonder what the kings’ true intentions are.
110 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 23, 2021
2 people are currently reading
9 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 9, 2021
Though it took a few chapters for the character’s journey to begin, I really enjoyed this novella. Twisting Every Way is an intriguing story and a fine introduction to what could be a great adventure with complex characters.
Throughout the book, we follow Emya. She’s a young mage with no training and a bunch of trust issues. She leads a secluded life in a small village that begrudgingly takes care of her, but when the whole place gets conquered by some peculiar warriors, things start to change. The story’s a bit of a slow burn, mostly because Emya’s cautious personality, but the writing is good and consistent.
The worldbuilding also worked for me. As the story gradually introduces more details and characters, we learn more about magic and how it shaped this world. This isn’t as whimsical as it sounds, though. Magic is rather dangerous in this universe, and mages are often seen as part of the problem—which all nicely ties in with Emya’s journey!
So yeah, the story is solid. It’s a great foundation for a compelling journey. However, I feel it lacks a conclusion… I know this is just the first act and that Part 2 is coming, but I still wish that the book had a meaningful closure on its own in the meantime. That’s the only reason I’m giving Twisting Every Way a 4/5 as my final rating. That being said, I'm looking forward to the sequel!
Throughout the book, we follow Emya. She’s a young mage with no training and a bunch of trust issues. She leads a secluded life in a small village that begrudgingly takes care of her, but when the whole place gets conquered by some peculiar warriors, things start to change. The story’s a bit of a slow burn, mostly because Emya’s cautious personality, but the writing is good and consistent.
The worldbuilding also worked for me. As the story gradually introduces more details and characters, we learn more about magic and how it shaped this world. This isn’t as whimsical as it sounds, though. Magic is rather dangerous in this universe, and mages are often seen as part of the problem—which all nicely ties in with Emya’s journey!
So yeah, the story is solid. It’s a great foundation for a compelling journey. However, I feel it lacks a conclusion… I know this is just the first act and that Part 2 is coming, but I still wish that the book had a meaningful closure on its own in the meantime. That’s the only reason I’m giving Twisting Every Way a 4/5 as my final rating. That being said, I'm looking forward to the sequel!
June 6, 2024
4.5 stars
From the cover, I was expecting a light, cozy read. But it was totally different and I loved it! I think my favorite part of this book was the main character. How dark her upbringing and the village are is what shapes her personality. She is not a Mary Sue and you feel empathy for her. In fact, all of the characters in this book were enjoyable and well developed despite it being a Novella. Going to purchase the next book in the series today!
From the cover, I was expecting a light, cozy read. But it was totally different and I loved it! I think my favorite part of this book was the main character. How dark her upbringing and the village are is what shapes her personality. She is not a Mary Sue and you feel empathy for her. In fact, all of the characters in this book were enjoyable and well developed despite it being a Novella. Going to purchase the next book in the series today!
June 15, 2023
Under the tutelage of two brother barbarian kings, Tragically orphaned teenage bumpkin Emya, becomes inextricably linked with the withered, abused youth known only as the shadow—that is, until the big reveal: the shadow turns out to be a prodigal magician by the name of Felix whose link with Emya will take her far from the anti-magic prejudice of her home to the mountain stronghold of Tritium.
There are plenty of mysteries still to be resolved. How exactly did Emya’s parents die? Who are the kings, really? And is Felix really to be trusted? Will Emya be able to maintain her friendship with Evris once they are both studying magic? Or will a romantic triangle form and ruin their friendship?
If you, like me, are intrigued, start the Twisted Realm series for yourself!
There are plenty of mysteries still to be resolved. How exactly did Emya’s parents die? Who are the kings, really? And is Felix really to be trusted? Will Emya be able to maintain her friendship with Evris once they are both studying magic? Or will a romantic triangle form and ruin their friendship?
If you, like me, are intrigued, start the Twisted Realm series for yourself!
March 3, 2021
Twisting Every Way started out a little slow for me, and I found myself reading the beginning chapters in spurts over many days. Suddenly around the mid-way point of the story, things really picked up and I ended up finishing the second half in one night!
This book is definitely a Part 1, with mysteries yet resolved and plot lines set up and ready to be continued in Part 2 (and perhaps beyond). I was completely invested by the end, especially loving the characters of Emya, Felix, Artyem, and Evris, the four who will embark on an important journey together in the next book (can't wait!).
Emya goes through a lot in the first half, and the author does a good job of showing how these tragedies and tortures can leave a person timid, mistrusting, and disbelieving when new friends show her kindness. It will be interesting to see if/how she grows out of her shell (hints of confidence glimmer underneath, so undoubtedly she will!).
Good stuff and I'm looking forward to more from Amy Sutphin.
This book is definitely a Part 1, with mysteries yet resolved and plot lines set up and ready to be continued in Part 2 (and perhaps beyond). I was completely invested by the end, especially loving the characters of Emya, Felix, Artyem, and Evris, the four who will embark on an important journey together in the next book (can't wait!).
Emya goes through a lot in the first half, and the author does a good job of showing how these tragedies and tortures can leave a person timid, mistrusting, and disbelieving when new friends show her kindness. It will be interesting to see if/how she grows out of her shell (hints of confidence glimmer underneath, so undoubtedly she will!).
Good stuff and I'm looking forward to more from Amy Sutphin.
February 5, 2022
3.7 stars
Twisting Every Way opens with a funeral and our main character Emya, a young woman with magic, in grieving. Things only get worse from here as the villagers mistreat her for her powers, and worse still when two barbaric Kings raid and conquer them. Everyone is terrified of these two tyrants, Emya not least of which, but once they discover her abilities, they take her in as their student. Magic is dangerous in this world, and Emya learns first hand what it can do when twisted minds get ahold of it.
I had fun with this book, and I often found myself coming back multiple times a day to continue reading even if it was only a couple pages at a time. I even stayed up past my bedtime a couple nights getting to the end of a chapter, which isn’t very common for me.
Although Felix hasn’t done much yet since most of his time in this story has been spent sleeping or healing, I already like him. He’s got charm, and plenty of backstory yet to be told. Artyem is also set up to be an intriguing, gruff man that’s more focused on practicality than whimsy.
The biggest hitch for me in this book was the time skipping. There were several instances where the story leapt forwards over important scenes that could’ve fleshed out Emya for the reader. Her village being conquered, sneaking into her old home to get her mother’s necklace, and her training with the Kings could all have been bonding moments between the reader and the character. Each skip disrupted the flow of the narrative, and it’s often where I found myself pausing my reading session and setting the book down before coming back later.
I like Emya’s character and I’ll be picking up Winding Ever Higher to follow her and Felix along their journey, but I feel like I could’ve known her a little better before the end of book one. I know this is meant to be a short book though - a novella - so maybe by adding all that detail it would’ve turned into a much longer read, but I’d have happily read the extra content. What can I say? I guess I just want more of these characters!
For those of you on Minds, you can follow the author at @amyisgreat20 for updates on this series and a constant stream of LOTR memes to boot.
Twisting Every Way opens with a funeral and our main character Emya, a young woman with magic, in grieving. Things only get worse from here as the villagers mistreat her for her powers, and worse still when two barbaric Kings raid and conquer them. Everyone is terrified of these two tyrants, Emya not least of which, but once they discover her abilities, they take her in as their student. Magic is dangerous in this world, and Emya learns first hand what it can do when twisted minds get ahold of it.
I had fun with this book, and I often found myself coming back multiple times a day to continue reading even if it was only a couple pages at a time. I even stayed up past my bedtime a couple nights getting to the end of a chapter, which isn’t very common for me.
Although Felix hasn’t done much yet since most of his time in this story has been spent sleeping or healing, I already like him. He’s got charm, and plenty of backstory yet to be told. Artyem is also set up to be an intriguing, gruff man that’s more focused on practicality than whimsy.
The biggest hitch for me in this book was the time skipping. There were several instances where the story leapt forwards over important scenes that could’ve fleshed out Emya for the reader. Her village being conquered, sneaking into her old home to get her mother’s necklace, and her training with the Kings could all have been bonding moments between the reader and the character. Each skip disrupted the flow of the narrative, and it’s often where I found myself pausing my reading session and setting the book down before coming back later.
I like Emya’s character and I’ll be picking up Winding Ever Higher to follow her and Felix along their journey, but I feel like I could’ve known her a little better before the end of book one. I know this is meant to be a short book though - a novella - so maybe by adding all that detail it would’ve turned into a much longer read, but I’d have happily read the extra content. What can I say? I guess I just want more of these characters!
For those of you on Minds, you can follow the author at @amyisgreat20 for updates on this series and a constant stream of LOTR memes to boot.
February 20, 2022
This was an interesting little novella. As it stands I really like the magic system as it feels like it can be both soft and hard. It's not very long and you'll probably finish it in an afternoon.
September 5, 2021
What a great fairy tale!
I love this.
The world building is amazing. Something is very wrong with this world. The people have suffered so much because of magic and mages. I love how well that part of the story was told.
And how does it tie the story of Emya and Felix together. I love that too. It’s going to be so great.
Good job Amy!
I love this.
The world building is amazing. Something is very wrong with this world. The people have suffered so much because of magic and mages. I love how well that part of the story was told.
And how does it tie the story of Emya and Felix together. I love that too. It’s going to be so great.
Good job Amy!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews