Marble Sun

by I.K. Stokbaek

With the Thimalian heir out of the way, spies infiltrating his enemy’s camp, and unshakably loyal men behind him, King Pyresain schemes to make himself ruler of everything beneath the Sun.

Thindra's father died fighting Pyresain many years ago, and following in his footsteps, Thindra joins the Thimalian army and goes to war. She is no stranger to combat, but she is not prepared for the bad decisions, infuriating charms, and dangerous lies of her fellow recruits. When a simple scouting mission goes awry, Thindra finds herself brought to the capital of the Xerxian empire, now a prisoner of war and a thorn in the flesh of King Pyresain’s rivalling sons.

Meanwhile, Lorah and Celesia attempt to track down the Thimalian King’s lost bastard – a young man now heir to a throne he never wanted and a responsibility he will do anything to avoid.

274 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 1, 2025

About the author

Ida was born in Denmark some time in the previous millennium and moved to the UK as a teenager with unattainable dreams. Fantasy has been her life since she discovered The Lord of the Rings at the age of 11, and she fell into science fiction as a young adult because Star Trek was incessantly repeated on the only channel her charity-shop television could pick up. Ida has wanted to be a writer since she was old enough to hold her favorite crayon, and her earliest stories – written in red crayon – featured exclusively bees and kittens.

She has a BA in Philosophy and Psychological Studies and lives in Hampshire with her kids and pets.

Reviews

[eclecticbychoicereads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I.K. Stokbaek is an author you need to know of and experience her work. She doesn't write books; she writes masterpieces. Each and every story she weaves is just pure art; from world-building, lore, history, plot, and character development, everything oozes perfection. Still, it's more than that; what makes her books masterpieces is the emotions dripping from every page, the feelings that consume you while reading. It is all that and so much more.

So, what should you do now? You should run as fast as you can and get your hands on Ida's Mortals series. Start with the Moonward Chain and ease into the Marble Sun. I will patiently wait for you to let me know just how in love you are with these stories. And you will fall in love, trust me.

If you crave epic fantasy, intricate world-building and lore, beautifully executed found family trope, love and friendships that transcend time and place, an epic quest for a better world, stories of magic, mages, and immortal beings, Ida's Mortals series is the book for you!

You will fall in love with Lorah and Lesi from Moonward Chain, and your love will deepen with Thindra and her quests. While the Moonward Chain will offer you more of a friends-to-lovers, in the Marble Sun, you will find an enemies-to-lovers trope that you will adore. Still, there is so much more to Marble Sun; there is action, mysteries to uncover, magical beings to meet, a masterfully crafted plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat, and a story that will live in your head and heart forever.

[Brittany T · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love her writing, I was so excited to be able to read her first book, and then I received this one as well, and let's just say I was stoked. For me, her books are so much more than just books. They paint the imagery in your mind as if you are there watching it take place. You feel the emotions all the anger, love, heartbreak, disappointment all of it. Being able to watch the characters grow throughout the story is amazing. It makes you feel as though you are truly invested in the book, and their fight is your fight. Amazing author and amazing books, I am so glad I was allowed to read them both.
* The first one was moonward chain*
If you need a book to fully immerse yourself in, then you should definitely check out her books!

[Gemma Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been rather impatiently awaiting the release of this book since reading Moonward Chain and it did not disappoint! Wonderful to dive straight back and join the characters from the previous book as well as a few new ones, and the plot is fast paced and full of action from the start. I still love the fantastic, story teller writing style the author has that genuinely makes you forget you are reading as you lose yourself in the whimsical world she has created. An intricate magic system and an enemies to lovers arc, what more could you want?!

[eliza · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a beautiful second piece to the original Moonward Chain. The continuation of Lesi's story, the addition of new characters and the way that I.K. Stokbaek interweaves the two is simply fantastic. I constantly found myself devouring page after page, and now I need MORE. This is yet another beautiful fantasy by such a talented and underrated author, and I'm so glad to have read this book! It has become a favorite for my shelf. If you have any doubts, pick up a copy, I guarantee you will fall in love with the world that's been created in this duology just as quickly as I did.

[Unleishd_reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great follow-up to the first book! The stakes feel higher, and the world expands in such an exciting way. The characters are put through some serious challenges, and I loved seeing how they grow and adapt. The magic and lore get even deeper, which kept me hooked the whole time. It’s full of twists and emotional moments that really hit. If you liked the first book, this one takes everything up a notch!

[Lumie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to I.K. Stokbaek for the ARC

Plot 4/5
Characters 4.25/4
Ending 4/5
Interest 4/5

Overall 4/5

-This was a very solid 4 star book for me. It kept me entertained enough to get a high rating but I do have certain issues with which don’t make it 5 stars but not too bad that it ruins the experience for me. I liked the world the first book was set in so I enjoyed coming back and being reminded of it. The plot itself was interesting enough but I did feel kind of lost at certain moments. Is it my own fault? Maybe, but there were some chapters where my attention drifted a little.

-I still really like the characters of this series although I wished that we saw more of Lesi and Lorah and their backgrounds and personalities. I still really liked the new characters we followed more closely but if I could have had more content of previous characters I would have preferred. At least now I know that each book will follow different sets of characters. Tin was still a fun character to read about and I liked her relationships with every character.

-The ending was similar to the first book where things kind of went off in a bang. Lots of stuff going on and I’m never too sure where to place my focus on. Things had really gotten interesting but almost to the point where I got confused about who was who and where. I would continue this series gladly now that I’m aware of more.

[Micki-D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marble Sun is fast paced and full of action from the start. We dive back in with old characters and some new a story of magic, mages, immortals, spies and an intricate magic system

Follow Thindra on her quest.