A review by olivedean
Earthflown by Frances Wren

emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-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

4.75

 Somehow, I simultaneously cannot sing enough praises regarding Earthflown and am unable to put into words how I feel about it to accurately convey how much it has ruined me. It’s one of those books where I forgot I was reading and stopped counting page numbers. I dreaded this book ending but couldn’t put it down. And though some readers may not be particularly fond of this style of ending, some will be content being left with that perfect ache of wanting a little bit more. I fall into the later group. That ending will haunt me, and that’s exactly what I’m looking for in a book: being left a little bit feral for more to the point where you can’t get it out of your mind for a long time. 
 
As someone who is ace spec and neurodivergent, the developing relationship between Ethan and Javier felt so honest and raw and real. From Ethan’s break down regarding not feeling useful, to Javier’s breakdown when Ethan reveals he knows he’s an empath and wants to know what HE can do to make things easier for Jav and worries he’s the one causing more harm to Jav than vice versa. Their relationship transcends “I’m hurt, help me feel better” and highlights the self sacrificial, actuality of healthy, functioning relationships: “I see you’re hurting. How can I make things easier for you?” There’s an uncanny relatability for me, and I will never be able to thank Frances Wren enough for creating these characters and this relationship.
 
I typically dislike books with multiple POVs, but that is not the case here. I thoroughly enjoyed all three and each had their own particular voice.
Jav and Ethan’s POVs were obviously my favorite; they were angsty/fluffy sweet romance breaks and then we went back to Ollie’s POV to move the plot along with intrigue and humor.
 
This book is described as a genre mashup/genre soup, and it feels like two books in one but that works unbelievably well. I may be slightly biased in that they’re my two favorite genres: analyses of intimacy outside of the physical and philosophical sci-fi. 
 
Ethan, Jav, and Ollie are all absorbed by their jobs/functions/assumed roles, and this book takes you on their journeys as they wrestle with what that means and can they set that aside for those who are important to them?
Ethan and Jav ultimately decide they can, while Ollie cannot. What we don’t know is how that ends up impacting Ethan and Jav, but we already know who they are at their cores, so we can very much speculate that no matter what happens, they’ll fight side by side for each other.
 
This book devoured me, and I’m sure the in universe sequel will do the same. I went through so many tabs annotating. Earthflown is my favorite read of 2024 so far, and anything else will be hard pressed to compare. All of this to say, Frances Wren, if you write something, I will absolutely read it.