Review: The Blacksea Odyssey Trilogy by J.A. Vodvarka

Titles: Unworthy, Unbound, Unyielding

Author: J.A. Vodvarka

Length: 447 Pages, 545 Pages, 705 Pages

Category: Epic Fantasy

Rating: 5 Stars

At a Glance: Saga: (noun) a dramatic and often complicated story or series of events. The Blacksea Odyssey Trilogy is this, and then some. The world building is robust, its characters richly drawn and complex. Everyone not only earned their happy ending, but they fought bloody tooth and nail for it.

Reviewed By: Lisa

Blurbs: Capture one harmless fugitive. What could go wrong?

Nyssa Blacksea is eager to silence her doubters. The only warrior in her guild without magick, she’s forced to rely solely on her martial arts mastery, unwavering confidence, and charisma. When given the chance to hunt down a mysterious woman named Quinn, and earn the coveted title of Ashcloak, Nyssa seizes the opportunity. Track down a fugitive? An easy task.

There’s just one problem—Quinn isn’t receptive to Nyssa’s charms and refuses to go down without a fight. Dangerous secrets swirl around Quinn and a treacherous guild leader, rattling Nyssa’s faith in the very system that raised her.

Though troubled by the sinking feeling she’s not meant to survive the mission, Nyssa confronts the dangers awaiting her, clashing with pirates, assassins, and undead horrors. Duty pulls her in one direction, but a strange, undeniable spark of connection draws her towards Quinn. With only her heart and code of honor to guide her, Nyssa risks death to stay true to herself.

Two souls, forever entwined…and running for their lives.

Nyssa Blacksea is a wanted woman. The Empire she once served now hunts for her and her unlikely new companion, Quinn. It’s only a matter of time until the two women are found and executed. Desperate and with nowhere to turn, Nyssa and Quinn hatch an insane plan—offer the Empire its oldest enemy in exchange for their freedom.

But the path to their freedom is fraught with assassins, heart-breaking betrayal, strange gods…and a dangerous queen who demands Nyssa to submit. Or be broken. Complicating everything is Nyssa’s growing affection for Quinn. Both are inextricably linked by magick that they barely understand and struggle to control.

Facing incredible odds and her own mortality, Nyssa has to confront her fears—and her feelings—or succumb those who wish to destroy her.

Two souls, forever entwined. One seeking justice. The other craving revenge.

Nyssa Blacksea is tired of running from the Imperial regime that wants her dead. With a royal bargaining chip in hand, and freedom for her and Quinn finally within reach, Nyssa’s ready to take the fight to the Empire’s doorstep. She’s armed with desperate plan and a dangerous weapon: hope.

But that hope is shattered when Quinn’s nemesis, Ceril Anelos, strikes. Always a step ahead, his traitorous intentions soon becomes clear—master forbidden magick that has been locked away for centuries.

His ruthless attack forces Nyssa and Quinn to form an unlikely alliance with the very powers that once threatened them. Navigating a treacherous web of Imperial politics, power struggles, and old rivals, Nyssa’s top priority remains protecting those she loves.

Both women must confront their own painful pasts while hunting down Anelos, who will stop at nothing to claim Quinn and kill Nyssa. As they race to prevent him from becoming a god himself, Nyssa fights to stay true to her sense of honor and protect Quinn from being consumed by the darkness of hate.

Review: To try to summarize this epic fantasy is to unintentionally omit some of its finer points. J.A. Vodvarka plunged into this world, chapter and verse, and came out the other side with characters I grew to love, and those I grew to loathe too, rightfully so. There is swashbuckling adventure within, sword fights and magick, growing bonds and found family, treachery and revenge and intrigue, and through it all a series of complementary love stories to that of its heroines Nyssa and Quinn.

Rebirth, Revenge, and True Love encompass this tale of two women who become Cursed Gods and then set about to not only rewrite history but to forge their own path along the way. They do so with their backs protected and defended while, at the same time, coming to terms with explosive secrets dragged into the light. They must fight their own demons as well as those who would see them captured and enslaved. Or else dead. There is very little middle ground on which they maneuver, they are nearly out-schemed and are endangered at every turn, but this is when they are at their fiercest.

There is so much to embrace in this trilogy that it’s difficult to recall each of its finer points in lieu of simply seizing onto the bond amongst its characters. It’s a slow-burn story of reclamation and renewal brought to life through the author’s imagination.

Saga: (noun) a dramatic and often complicated story or series of events. The Blacksea Odyssey Trilogy is this, and then some. The world building is robust, its characters richly drawn and complex. Everyone not only earned their happy ending, but they fought bloody tooth and nail for it.