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Goddess - she is still renowned for uncovering innumerable archaic facts, lost artefacts, ancient maps, and obscure historical documents.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

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.

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.

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.

Good once you're used to it

great original story with realistic relationship building! takes a minute to get used to the flow so stick with it! not a book to use as a background, definitely needs more attention because you can loose place if you miss a sentence and the names can be harder to track sometimes. still recommend!

I need more.

This story requires commitment and patience to start because it is a first book in a series and a lot of information must be conveyed. It also requires patience because of how intricate the plot is. As you learn more and follow the main character as she learns more the story picks up. It is an amazing ride that I highly recommend and will be embarking on again. I cannot wait for book 2.

The first one is always my least favorite

I’ve truly enjoyed Snyder’s other two series but found with each one that the first book is my least favorite. It’s not just the world building it seems to me the flow is always a little more stilted. That said this as with the other first in series is still good enough to convince me to continue with the next book. I’ve got high hopes for the second.

Epic Beginning

I love, love, love Maria V. Snyder's worlds. She puts an extreme amount of thought, detail, and power balance into her novels, and this one isn't any different.

Word of caution: This is a very intricate world and so there is a ton of world-building with new concepts, ideas, terms, religion, magic, and so on. It's also very fast-paced, so like Shyla, you're whisked around into a new world and grasping around for solid purchase along the way. And oh boy, does Shyla get thrown around from place to place and put into so many dangerous and exhausting situations that I'm surprised the next book won't be about Shyla taking a long nap. This world is just so fascinating to me. I love how the people in it have adapted in order to live in such a harsh environment.

I seriously can't find any fault with the story or the characters and am ready to get onto the next book!

I didn’t know what to expect!

This was my very first audio book experience, and I couldn’t have been more pleased to have been introduced to it by Maria V. Snyder’s talented story development. I have read a lot of her series (in the written word version), and LOVE her story telling and imagination. She is truly talented and creative in the different fantasy storylines and character development. Against my “traditional” and much loved book preference of experiencing a story, I finally took the plunge, and tried an audiobook…. I think I held out too long. While I still love, and will continue to enjoy reading a book, the Maria Snyder audible experience is definitely something to dip your toe into.