A review by sophieissapphhic
Aetherbound by E.K. Johnston

2.0

“Not knowing was a weakness, and no weakness could be tolerated in space.”

Thank you to Penguin Teen for sending an eARC in exchange for an honest review. This review is based on an unfinished copy of the book & any quotes included are subject to change.

Content Warnings: calorie counting (rations), forced insemination & pregnancy, human trafficking, medical violence, confinement, familial emotional abuse

Overall rating: 2 / 5
Characters: 2.5 / 5
Writing: 2 / 5
Plot: 1.5 / 5
Setting: 3 / 5

Aetherbound follows Pendt Harland, a girl born to a family who runs a space cruiser. In space, everything is centered around survival, and everyone aboard the Harland is only seen as valuable as what they contribute.

The worldbuilding was unique, but the info-dumping made it un-enjoyable. While the setting was interesting, there wasn’t enough time to sink into the world or story.The first third of the book felt like background information to set up the main story. From there, everything felt rushed. In some parts, conversations felt forced. The balance of plot and dialogue felt awkward, as did the narrative.
Pendt and I share a love of cheese, but I found it hard to relate to her beyond that. That said, Pendt underwent a lot of character development in the story, and I enjoyed watching her growth. I also enjoyed Fisher’s character, and I found Pendt’s idea of survival and how it changes over the course of the book interesting.
I appreciated that there was a content warning at the beginning of this book, but it only included medical violence and calorie obsession.

Rep: Transgender MC (Fisher)