Reviews

Azura Ghost by Essa Hansen

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grimdark_dad's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

shellycampbellauthor's review against another edition

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5.0

Wow. Just wow. It’s tough to be elegant with words here with the disorienting wave of what is certain to be the biggest book hang-over of all time already numbing me. I loved all the characters in Nophek Gloss, Caiden most fiercely of all—Sorry En! So, how ironic is it that Azura Ghost, the follow up to the insanely imaginative found family space opera, feels like coming home to a family that I didn’t know how much I’d missed. Essa’s characters are complex multiverses unto themselves, unique, individual, and driven by cosmic forces—but most of all—utterly relatable. You’ll find it impossible not to be tied up in the web of conflict they face, rooting for each of them in turn, wincing at their battle injuries and aching along with them through their losses. Hansen’s knack for magically plunking your consciousness into the very fibres of her characters is uncanny. You're not reading about them. You’re totally immersed, exhausted and desperate, along for the ride. If Nophek Gloss blew you away, Azura Ghost will put you back together and shatter you all over again. The universe building is staggeringly unique and imaginative, the plot balances cosmic scale with individual relationships on a knife blade. This book is overwhelmingly big and comfortingly personal all at the same time, and I’ve no idea what kind of energy Essa Hansen pulled out of the luminiferity to create it, but she is a writer with a fresh, incredible talent like no other I’ve seen. I’ll be reading this again, in many different universes, on several separate timelines, and I have a feeling I’ll absorb something new each time. Bravo.

taserface's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

We finally get to learn more about the Graven. Can't wait for the next one!

tmkutawrites's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

lancenichols's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

alana_readsbooks's review against another edition

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4.0

I look forward to seeing how this series concludes

bkwrm1317's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is JUST A GEM. The REVEALS in this second book in the series are WHEW so WHEW!

Azura is living and she's no longer trapped! Caiden/Winn is the perfect Graven being ahhhhh!!!! Ksiñe being taken by the Prime at the end and his scientific knowledge being used abusively - which will come back to bite our protagonists in the butt, of course

. This novel is just so SMART dammit. It's flawlessly planned and executed in the unfolding of the story arc, perfect found family themes (one of my favorite SF themes in particular), this shit warms my cold black little heart.

The ending... so much in the ending...! I will be anxiously awaiting Ethera Grave out in March!

Content Warnings