This book was conceptually really good. I enjoyed the MC of Pendt Harland. I loved the magic system and how it affected Pendt specifically. The early days of learning about Pendt’s magic, how it manifests, how she is treated by her “family” really drew me in.

I got a little more confused and a little less interested once she left the ship. I totally didn’t understand the dynamic with the Brannick twins, the author kept saying there was a difference between the twins but me not having any idea about genetics, I completely missed what she was trying to say. I read a different review and learned it there. Too subtle for dummies like me. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯


I loved Pendt and the twins as characters. The twists were good, but everything was very simple and quickly resolved in all cases. There was danger but it went by so quickly and everything they experiment with works perfectly the first try.

I thought the book had a lot of heart, good ideas and great world building but it fell a little flat for me as a novel. It was more like a novella and I would have liked more of all of it.

★☆☆☆☆ 1/5

this book was marketed to me as a “queer space opera” but i must have missed the “queer” and the “opera” in this book... the info-dumping was so bad i ended up just skipping through some of the beginning, and the whole pregnancy-plot was extremely uncomfortable for me to read, as was the obsession with calories. this book just wasn’t for me.

(arc provided by netgallery and Penguin Teen. all thoughts and opinions are my own)

Any issues I have with this book are related to its length, because what's in between the covers is good, often great, there just isn't enough of it. So, what you end up with is a story where every single ingredient for an epic sci-fi series is there, it just needed more room to breathe.

Interesting and evolving cast of characters, fascinating system of magic, a dark and complex history, practical world building with a ton of potential, ambiguous moral lines, all dressed in a strong sci-fi sensibility. All of this plus a ruling body who prefers domination through limited choice and genetic control, a conscionable and passionate rebellion, and a compelling “chosen one” lead who has a keen interest in a galaxy-wide self-determinative uprising. All good things that deserved more and I have no doubt E.K. would be up to the task.

Despite all that grandeur and occasional bouts of direness, E.K. keeps things grounded and hopeful, firmly entrenched in the YA genre, which it is. So, things like romance and self-discovery are on the menu…along with cheese, lots of cheese. She infuses the book with humor and real-world language that make for some of the more entertaining scenes as the book’s lead, Pendt, is experiencing many things for the first time. On a side note, you’ll love Pendt.

This is where the book does get crowded, as Pendt is experiencing many new things and developing at a fast rate, all with the help of her found family, Ned and Fisher Brannick. As many ideas come together in a short amount of time, some get lost in the mix or don’t necessarily get the time to really thrive. Like I said, I’m sure there’s at least a duology in there and am convinced E.K. has a lot more to tell.

The bottom line is Aertherbound is overflowing with good ideas and her characters are thoughtful and compelling. If the worst thing about the book is that it leaves you wanting more of it, that’s a good spot to be in I suppose.