Imbued is a dark fantasy following Calla, a servant in Kiriong. Her quiet life life is uprooted when Gray, a magehunter, returns home and the magic deep within Calla rears its head.
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This review may contain mild spoilers.
Opening thoughts: I've read Skylark in the Fog, also by Clove, previously and absolutely adored it, so I knew I was in for a treat when I picked up Imbued. This is a story full of heart with characters that you really want to root for the whole way through.
Worldbuilding: I thoroughly enjoyed the worldbuilding in this book. Clove does an excellent job at fully immersing you in the world and expertly weaving in tidbits that both hint at the plot to come and the greater world around the characters. I really loved the backdrop of a world still recovering from the damage caused by foolhardy mages.
Emotions: Calla goes through it and I just want to bundle her up and tell her everything will be okay (will it though????). There's this constant back and forth of Calla hating and fearing the magic within her but also wanting to learn more about it, and Clove does an excellent job at pulling you into Calla's inner psyche as she struggles with this. The prose is at times very poetic, and I think that lends wonderfully to allowing the reader to really feel alongside Calla.
Intrigue: I was a huge fan of the dichotomy between the nature gods worshipped in Kiriong and the ancient, long dead Luor. I also absolutely love what Clove did with flashbacks and dreams in Imbued. We slowly figure out with Calla what happened to her in her past, and what the magic inside her truly is.
Relationships: The relationship between Calla and Gray is a complex, twisted thing built, at first, on distrust and survival instincts, but it slowly (ever so slowly) blossoms into a mutual understanding and, eventually, something more. I would have loved to have a couple Gray POV chapters to really get into his head, but even seeing him through Calla's POV it's wonderful to watch his and Calla's transformation as they grow closer. I really hope things work out for them because I think they just deserve love and happiness :') I also really loved Calla rediscovering the friendship she once had with Aesh and the complex emotions that dredges up for her. There's quite a large cast of background characters in Kiriong, and while I sometimes forgot some of their names, I think Clove did an excellent job at establishing Calla's relationship to each of them.
Descriptions: Imbued is full of incredibly rich descriptions that really transport you into the moment. I found myself lost within its pages more than once while I was reading. Clove masterfully weaves in sensory details that, combined with the first person narration, allow you to see the world through Calla's eyes.
Engagement: This is one of those books that took me a while to read, not because it was slow but because I wanted to savor every chapter. The pacing starts out gradual, as Calla begins to train with Gray and learn more about her magic, and then it ramps up at exactly the right moment and takes off at a break-neck speed towards the end. I was engrossed at every moment while reading.
Final thoughts: This was a wonderfully heartbreaking read. The characters all had an incredible depth that really made them come alive on the page and the world is rich and unique. Calla's internal struggle with her relationship towards magic and the outer forces working against her created a fantastic reading experience. I can't wait to see what happens in book two.
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