Daughter of No Worlds by Carissa Broadbent – Review

Published: January 7, 2020

Publisher: Self Published

Series: The War of Lost Hearts #1

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Pages: 520 (Kindle)

My Rating: 5 Stars

Synopsis:
A former slave fighting for justice. A reclusive warrior who no longer believes it exists. And a dark magic that will entangle their fates.

Ripped from a forgotten homeland as a child, Tisaanah learned how to survive with nothing but a sharp wit and a touch of magic. But the night she tries to buy her freedom, she barely escapes with her life.

Desperate to save the best friend she left behind, Tisaanah journeys to the Orders, the most powerful organizations of magic Wielders in the world. But to join their ranks, she must complete an apprenticeship with Maxantarius Farlione, a handsome and reclusive fire wielder who despises the Orders.

The Orders’ intentions are cryptic, and Tisaanah must prove herself under the threat of looming war. But even more dangerous are her growing feelings for Maxantarius. The bloody past he wants to forget may be the key to her future… or the downfall of them both.

But Tisaanah will stop at nothing to save those she abandoned. Even if it means gambling in the Orders’ deadly games. Even if it means sacrificing her heart.

Even if it means wielding death itself.

I feel like I’ve been praising this book for weeks on various lists and other miscellaneous posts, but I hadn’t quite sat down to write an actual review. I have two pages of notes to try to format into a coherent review that will hopefully make my readers want to pick up Daughter of No Worlds, which might be my favorite fantasy romance (romantasy) of 2024.

Daughter of No Worlds follows Tisaanah, a young woman who has been enslaved for a decade. Her homeland was destroyed by the Threllians and most of her people were taken into slavery and sent to work in the mines. Tisaanah was ‘lucky’ because she is a Valtain – a wielder of magic and minor illusions – and thus more valuable, especially combined with her beauty and she was purchased by a powerful noble to dance and entertain. We meet her as she is about to purchase her freedom and journey to Ara where she can join a powerful order of magic wielders and hone her gifts so she might return to free her dearest friend Serel and the rest of the slaves. Unfortunately for Tisaanah, her owner, Esmaris, never had any intention of letting her go and he nearly beats her to death before she uses her magic to kill him.

Tisaanah’s plans and intended timeline are stymied because in order to join the Orders, she must train and pass their trials. Students typically begin their apprenticeship around the age of 13 and it takes years. Years that she doesn’t have. Tisaanah is self taught and she convinces them to let her train until the next evaluation, but the only available teacher is one Maxantarius Farlione, a famous Solarei fire wielder, and he outright refuses to take on Tisaanah. Her stubbornness and her humanitarian goals eventually make Max cave despite his reservations and hatred of the Order and the training montage begins in earnest.

Even though it seems like I’ve written a huge summary of the plot, this is only a fraction of what happens in Daughter of No Worlds. It’s also in no way the coolest or most exciting part of the book, though I do love a good training montage and a reluctant mentor. I so love that over time Max begins to soften toward Tisaanah and begins to truly know and appreciate the person she is. The story continues to burgeon from what could easily have been the plot of the entire first book, which I found delightfully surprising. This isn’t a light, fluffy romance but rather an epic tale filled with battles, magical weapons, and a mix of incredibly dark and beautifully intimate moments.

Tisaanah is a remarkably resilient person and she also happens to have the honor of being the only heroine who would truly sacrifice anything to achieve her goals. This woman is a badass and unlike so many popular fantasy heroines (Aelin, Feyre, Violet, etc) she’s legitimately clever, isn’t snarky and obnoxious, and throughout all her hardships she remains a caring person.

Max is also a wonderful departure from the toxic alpha male attitude that’s so present in romantasy books. He respects Tisaanah’s choices even if he doesn’t agree and he treats her like a capable equal. He refuses to let her be thrown into a war alone even though he’s free to walk away and she even encourages it. Max also pushes aside his fear and trauma surrounding his past and his own power to support her in her goals because he can’t let someone he cares for walk into danger alone.

Daughter of No Worlds is currently ranking as my favorite fantasy romance book of the year and may even be my favorite ever. I would have to sit down and do some serious evaluations to make that call, but I really think it may be. It has amazing characterization, the world building is on par with some of the best epic fantasy stories I’ve read (especially as the series progresses) and it beautifully side steps all the tired tropes of the current fantasy romance market. I hope to share my review of the sequel, Children of Fallen Gods, soon!