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A review by azahller
Of Blood and Aether by Harper Hawthorne
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you so much to The Nerd Fam for my gifted ARC!
Of Blood and Aether begins with a dark prophecy. Our MMC, Kieren, is in a state of isolation desperately running from his fate. Our FMC, Arken, is hiding a dangerous secret about herself as she attends the university to learn how to control her powers. As a Light Conduit, Arken is very rare so of course the captain of the guard, Kieren, is instructed to keep an eye on her. This thrusts them into each other's orbits and sparks a friendship that both of them desperately try to keep from becoming more...
I absolutely adored our cast of characters. Kieren and Arken are delightful as are all of their friends. The magic and lore in this world are so intriguing to me and the pacing of the revelations is done incredibly well. Arken being a student is utilized perfectly for world building. This book also has some wonderful space after an excellent friends to lovers slow burn. Oh! And did I mention Kieran wields shadows? Because he does!
There were a couple phrases here and there that made me cringe and some of the banter wasn't really for me, but I felt it worked for the characters. I also found myself really frustrated with one of our final conflicts, but I'm still very excited to see how that plays out. Overall, this book isn't going to be for everyone, but it was for me! Definitely check your trigger warnings with this one!
This book would be great for those seeking elemental magic, magical schools, friends to lovers slow burn romance, and prophesies!
Of Blood and Aether begins with a dark prophecy. Our MMC, Kieren, is in a state of isolation desperately running from his fate. Our FMC, Arken, is hiding a dangerous secret about herself as she attends the university to learn how to control her powers. As a Light Conduit, Arken is very rare so of course the captain of the guard, Kieren, is instructed to keep an eye on her. This thrusts them into each other's orbits and sparks a friendship that both of them desperately try to keep from becoming more...
I absolutely adored our cast of characters. Kieren and Arken are delightful as are all of their friends. The magic and lore in this world are so intriguing to me and the pacing of the revelations is done incredibly well. Arken being a student is utilized perfectly for world building. This book also has some wonderful space after an excellent friends to lovers slow burn. Oh! And did I mention Kieran wields shadows? Because he does!
There were a couple phrases here and there that made me cringe and some of the banter wasn't really for me, but I felt it worked for the characters. I also found myself really frustrated with one of our final conflicts, but I'm still very excited to see how that plays out. Overall, this book isn't going to be for everyone, but it was for me! Definitely check your trigger warnings with this one!
This book would be great for those seeking elemental magic, magical schools, friends to lovers slow burn romance, and prophesies!