A review by theroastedbookery
Aetherbound by E.K. Johnston

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This author came highly recommended to me by a friend who'd read their Ahsoka novel. It didn't disappoint. I like very much how grounded and real living in space and on a space station was in this book. It wasn't overly burdened with technical jargon and your understanding of the science of space travel wasn't an obstacle to enjoying this book (though I do love a good number crunching, physics explaining space adventure). I really appreciate how the magic system in this book was a portal into a discussion on bodily autonomy and choice. I also appreciate how the magic system itself wasn't overly complicated because I feel as though the point of the book wasn't the magic but the people and the choices they made with their abilities. In the end, despite the setting, this book was about the choices people make given their circumstances and I really enjoyed it.

Things I Liked:

• Typical gender roles were swapped or abandoned altogether. This was a refreshing romance and action/adventure story because of that.
• The magic system was not overly complicated nor was the technical jargon overbearing. This let me see clearly the characters behind the decisions.
• The action of the book was driven by the choices of the people in the story - there were politics, economic systems, etc in the book but those things served as the backdrop against which people acted.
• There wasn't anything about the cruelty or the romance present in the book that was gratuitous. The book was an engaging read that I didn't feel the need to take a "break" from because while the themes were hefty, the manner in which they were presented didn't knock me on my heels.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Eating disorder, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, and Trafficking

Minor: Child death and Grief

This book is set in space and the characters in it (in the beginning) are on a ship where the line between cruelty and survival blurs and in some cases disappears entirely. Because of the manner in which they operate their ship, there is a hyper-focus on food intake. Each crew member's food intake is carefully rationed and controlled to ensure survival but nothing more. Food allotments are controlled to the gram and harsh punishments are exacted for hoarding, wasting or spoiling food.