ASTERIA is quite the epic fantasy and this first book[1] dumped you right into the world(s). It follows 5 characters and their POVs[2]. Over the curse of the book you follow each of these characters as they navigate their changing realities and come together to find a way to stop the “darkness” from taking hold. The prologue did seem a little unnecessary[3], as if it was there to merely catch the reader’s attention. I don’t know how it connects at all to what went on in the rest of the book. The beginning to the book wove a confusing tapestry of separate stories[4]. It wasn’t until page 130 that it really started to come together in some kind of coheasive plot, sort of. I will say that the characters were enough to keep me going and by the 25% mark, I wanted to continue to keep reading their individual journeys. It was well over the halfway point in the story that the characters began to run into each other. First it was Connor and Jaime meeting Skyye as she saves them from Harbingers. Then Evangeline comes into the picture. It was in the last hundred pages that Azra finally enters the chat. When all of them finally come together, the plot starts to thicken into a fathomable plot line.[5]

The characters and their journeys were the most captivating parts of the book. The first one introduced in the book was Jaime, and I was immediately pulled in. When he and Conor end up in Asteria, Conor really begins to shine.[6] She is presented with an entirely new world and she immediately begins to question things[7] around her. Now, at this point, Jaime explains that all is not as it seems and the world they are in is unstable and unpredictable. I didn’t get that impression as they adventures through it. A few things stood out but not enough to prompt Jaime’s warning. The relationship between Azra and Salara also needed a little bit of fleshing out. I didn’t really see much more than a basic attraction, then suddenly she feels like “a part of [him]”.

I did enjoy this story and I’m intrigued to see where it all goes and what is actually going on.[8] The characters were fun and their various quips were extremely quotable. I loved the purple prose of the story as well.[9] A beautifully written book with an intricate world and plot I hope to someday untangle.



[1] I believe this is the first in a series, because there is definitely more to this story.

[2] Points of View, for any of those non-bookish people.

[3] Which is surprising as the writer is a literary agent and literary agents are generally anti-prologue.

[4] Save for Conor and Jaime, who’s POVs connect immediately.

[5] Sort of.

[6] Oh. Have I mentioned yet that Conor is a girl?

[7] Especially things that usually get overlooked or ignored in these kind of reality-hopping stories like: Why DO they speak English?A really good question, Conor!

[8] Something I feel series intro books should really cover.

[9] Even if one of the non-earth characters said “tarnation”.