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A review by aw_reads
Aetherbound by E.K. Johnston
3.0
I'm glad I decided to listen to the audiobook for this one because it is STUNNING. The narration is solid, but it's the ambience that really captures me. In the background, you can hear echoes of spaceship doors closing, people chatting, and music playing. The title cards are read with a strange sound effect that resembles a cosmic aura. There is no silence and I LOVE that. The characters seem more alive and the world more full.
Sadly, the story didn't match the outstanding production. The first half of this book is tense and disturbing. You feel decidedly uncomfortable the whole time the MC is on her family's ship because there are some WEIRD and UGLY things going on there. Though the author includes a disclaimer about calorie counting, there is much more upsetting or triggering material: child abuse, bullying, forced insemination, human trafficking, etc. This little book packs a lot of punch with its heavy material, but not always does it seem well explored or necessary.
The writing reads more like a summary and too often there were large sections of info-dumping that detracted from the excitement of the lore and setting.
Even though I liked the main character, I wasn't attached. The twins were also likable but not memorable. The second half of the book slows way down and the narrative loses focus. Nothing really happens and if only the tone of the first half of the book were carried through to the end, this book would have been much more impressive.
Sadly, the story didn't match the outstanding production. The first half of this book is tense and disturbing. You feel decidedly uncomfortable the whole time the MC is on her family's ship because there are some WEIRD and UGLY things going on there. Though the author includes a disclaimer about calorie counting, there is much more upsetting or triggering material: child abuse, bullying, forced insemination, human trafficking, etc. This little book packs a lot of punch with its heavy material, but not always does it seem well explored or necessary.
The writing reads more like a summary and too often there were large sections of info-dumping that detracted from the excitement of the lore and setting.
Even though I liked the main character, I wasn't attached. The twins were also likable but not memorable. The second half of the book slows way down and the narrative loses focus. Nothing really happens and if only the tone of the first half of the book were carried through to the end, this book would have been much more impressive.