Umbertouched is a beautifully bittersweet fantasy

Umbertouched breaks out of the mold set by Rosemarked, to mostly positive (and somewhat heartbreaking) results, making it a much stronger book.

Last year, this reviewer had the chance to take a look at Livia Blackburne’s Rosemarked, and at the time, I focused a lot on how similar it can seem to other popular YA books out and about right now. When Hyperion then sent along Umbertouched, though, there was a curiosity to see if things had changed in any meaningful way.

Suffice it to say that Rosemarked is good. Umbertouched is better in pretty much all respects, although author Livia Blackburne may have made it a bit tough for some readers to get through depending on what they’re there for.

This is because for plot reasons, Zivah and Dineas spend a significant part of the book apart from each other, even as their respective peoples form an alliance to fight against the invading Amparan empire. If you’re here for the romance, you’ll still be satisfied, as Blackburne uses what little time she’s given herself to develop this key relationship extremely efficiently.

There’s also a challenge just in terms of the character work necessary, as Zivah is still living under a death sentence and Dineas is struggling to reconcile the events of Rosemarked to himself and to the Shidadi. But that’s also handled well; there’s a real sense of tenderness about their more emotional scenes. Frankly, one wishes there were more of them, even though the scenes put in place, which see Zivah and Dineas alike struggling with other relationships, are perfectly serviceable too.

Aside from all that, though, there is actually a war on, or at least a threatening invasion that comes with its own threat of plague, so Blackburne has even more of a chance to really sink her teeth into true combat scenes, lots (and lots) of planning (which does occasionally drag things down, as Dineas is, for all his strengths, still not trusted entirely), and the psychological effects of being a fighter. As she notes in the acknowledgements, she did some consultations on PTSD, with the effect that Dineas’ hallucinations and trouble distinguishing between what’s real and not are actually quite striking, if occasionally just as confusing for the reader as they are for the character himself.

Incidentally, there’s also a note in the acknowledgements about research into terminal illness, and frankly, this book hits just the right tone. It could have easily tilted into the sappy or otherwise found a way to make things magically better, but, without spoiling things as much as possible, it doesn’t. It shows a willingness to make difficult decisions for the sake of telling a stronger story, and it pays off tremendously for Blackburne and readers alike. Sure, you might feel like you need to just stare at the ceiling during parts of it (as this reader did, though she also needed to keep reading), but you’re also not going to feel as though there was a bit of cheating going on by the author.

All in all, Umbertouched (and Rosemarked — although this is marked as a companion book, it’s really much more of a straight sequel) should be considered not just for the young adults in your life who love complex fantasy, but for adults, too.