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A review by psreadsmore
To Astera, With Love by Amanda Ross
1.5
The year is 2022, and a vampire is President. This is leading to even more tension between the vampires and witches. Mercury, a witch, ends up at a party, where one thing happens after another. And suddenly. Mercury and his friends are on the run trying to get to the one place where they might be protected.
This book is fast-paced and brutal. Clearly inspired by the racial tensions of current day, this story really turns up the brutality (definitely check trigger warning before reading). The near-future /alternate-history setting was a clever choice, and definitely focuses on an analog of white supremacy fighting with Black and Brown communities. This book heightened the violence and toxic relationships that we already know to exist today and brought them front and center to confront the reader.
While the concept was good, it definitely felt heavy handed, leaning into satirical commentary territory, from the violence to the characters themselves, some of whom at times seemed like caricatures. I had a hard time understanding their motives, feelings, actions, and interactions. I also had a difficult time understanding the mechanism and rules of the magic. Unfortunately, this just wasn't for me. I think this debut novel is a good read for someone who is looking for an interesting world and a over-the-top fast-paced action-packed urban fantasy, that rings of satire.
This book is fast-paced and brutal. Clearly inspired by the racial tensions of current day, this story really turns up the brutality (definitely check trigger warning before reading). The near-future /alternate-history setting was a clever choice, and definitely focuses on an analog of white supremacy fighting with Black and Brown communities. This book heightened the violence and toxic relationships that we already know to exist today and brought them front and center to confront the reader.
While the concept was good, it definitely felt heavy handed, leaning into satirical commentary territory, from the violence to the characters themselves, some of whom at times seemed like caricatures. I had a hard time understanding their motives, feelings, actions, and interactions. I also had a difficult time understanding the mechanism and rules of the magic. Unfortunately, this just wasn't for me. I think this debut novel is a good read for someone who is looking for an interesting world and a over-the-top fast-paced action-packed urban fantasy, that rings of satire.