Scan barcode
A review by heabooknerd
Aerie: A Fantasy Novel by S.E. Wendel
4.0
I really enjoyed AERIE even though it's a long read with a slow pace. The world that Wendel has created is interesting but at the heart of this book are the characters. Unlike a lot of fantasy that relies on world building, the action, and the plot to drive the story, AERIE relies on the characters, their motivations, and their emotions and I got deeply invested in Bel and Lena's story.
Both MCs were deeply lonely and felt out of place in their life, but stuck together on a wintery mountain they found a connection and a comfort in each other. I enjoyed watching them go from strangers to tentative friends to lovers and yes it does take a while to get there but I think the slower pace fits with the characters' personalities and circumstances. The spice is fairly low in AERIE but it is very sweet so I enjoyed those softer moments when they came up.
In addition to Bel and Lena, there are some excellent side characters and found family is definitely a big theme in the story. The ending is a soft cliffhanger and I'm looking forward to reading book 2 and seeing what happens next for Lena and Bel.
Content Warning: past torture; past death of a brother
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Favorite Quotes:
She screamed and screamed and screamed, and something inside Bel screamed with her. He recognized this beaten, feral part of Maddalena, this person stripped down to only survival. He saw her pale, tear-soaked face, and he saw someone he knew, someone whose soul cried out just as loudly as his own, for relief, for a chance.
- - - - -
She’d wait. Let him decide if and when this attraction between them would ever manifest. Let him come to see on his own that she wouldn’t be a burden but, if he wanted, would take some of the weight.
Both MCs were deeply lonely and felt out of place in their life, but stuck together on a wintery mountain they found a connection and a comfort in each other. I enjoyed watching them go from strangers to tentative friends to lovers and yes it does take a while to get there but I think the slower pace fits with the characters' personalities and circumstances. The spice is fairly low in AERIE but it is very sweet so I enjoyed those softer moments when they came up.
In addition to Bel and Lena, there are some excellent side characters and found family is definitely a big theme in the story. The ending is a soft cliffhanger and I'm looking forward to reading book 2 and seeing what happens next for Lena and Bel.
Content Warning: past torture; past death of a brother
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Favorite Quotes:
She screamed and screamed and screamed, and something inside Bel screamed with her. He recognized this beaten, feral part of Maddalena, this person stripped down to only survival. He saw her pale, tear-soaked face, and he saw someone he knew, someone whose soul cried out just as loudly as his own, for relief, for a chance.
- - - - -
She’d wait. Let him decide if and when this attraction between them would ever manifest. Let him come to see on his own that she wouldn’t be a burden but, if he wanted, would take some of the weight.