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Asunder
"Eerie, lovely, and surreal."—Ann Leckie on The Border Keeper
We choose our own gods here.
Karys Eska is a deathspeaker, locked into an irrevocable compact with Sabaster, a terrifying eldritch entity—three-faced, hundred-winged, unforgiving—who has granted her the ability to communicate with the newly departed. She pays the rent by using her abilities to investigate suspicious deaths around the troubled city she calls home. When a job goes sideways and connects her to a dying stranger with dangerous secrets, her entire world is upended.
Ferain is willing to pay a ludicrous sum of money for her help. To save him, Karys inadvertently binds him to her shadow, an act that may doom them both. If they want to survive, they will need to learn to trust one another. Together, they journey to the heart of a faded empire, all the while haunted by arcane horrors and the unquiet ghosts of their pasts.
And all too soon, Karys knows her debts will come due.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
We choose our own gods here.
Karys Eska is a deathspeaker, locked into an irrevocable compact with Sabaster, a terrifying eldritch entity—three-faced, hundred-winged, unforgiving—who has granted her the ability to communicate with the newly departed. She pays the rent by using her abilities to investigate suspicious deaths around the troubled city she calls home. When a job goes sideways and connects her to a dying stranger with dangerous secrets, her entire world is upended.
Ferain is willing to pay a ludicrous sum of money for her help. To save him, Karys inadvertently binds him to her shadow, an act that may doom them both. If they want to survive, they will need to learn to trust one another. Together, they journey to the heart of a faded empire, all the while haunted by arcane horrors and the unquiet ghosts of their pasts.
And all too soon, Karys knows her debts will come due.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
427 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 20, 2024
207 people are currently reading
9454 people want to read
About the author
Kerstin Hall
11 books395 followersKERSTIN HALL is the author of Asunder, The Border Keeper, Second Spear, and Star Eater. She lives in Cape Town, South Africa.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 652 reviews
December 1, 2024
This book gave me that good ache deep in your gut-- if you're someone who checks the "hurt/comfort" box on ao3 when you're looking for reading material, you know what I mean. It's that feeling when you read about two people who have been through some deep shit together and they finally permit themselves to have just a tiny sliver of tenderness and hope. I'm still thinking about it even though I finished awhile ago, about the lengths to which these characters (and not just the main duo, but the whole team, so to speak) will go to help each other, despite the wounds between them.
So like, I could tell you a lot about this book. I could tell you to read it if you feel like the fantasy you've been reading recently feels a bit same-y, because this one is completely different from whatever else you've read. I could tell you about the blood-soaked rituals to appease eldritch horror beings, the perils of body-sharing, the cold sea air vibes, the array of untrustworthy, unsavory individuals that our heroes have to deal with on their journey, all of whom introduce new facets of this world and how its wonders can be used for ill. I could tell you about all those things but they don't change the real reason you should read this, which is: the characters and their relationships.
I think a lot about "cozy" as a descriptor for books-- not usually my thing, but no judgment here-- and I want to suggest something different for you. Some books give you a cozy feeling because they're like a warm cottage in a sunny forest, so the entire world that they occupy feels safe and comfortable, as well as the stories inside them. But some books give you a cozy feeling because the story creates a shelter against a raging storm-- because the world of the story is harsh, cold, and unfeeling, but the characters have huddled together against it and kept a small fire alive. If a book makes me feel cozy, that's usually why-- because I don't recognize a world that isn't trying to eat me alive, that's just not something I can get my brain on board with, but what I long for and what I've loved in this hard world we live in are the moments when I, wounded by life, find solace with people who care about me imperfectly but earnestly. That's essentially what these characters do, they carry all their hurts and weaknesses and failures into this space they make together, and take care of each other. Now, does it work all the time? Does it work in the end? I'm not going to spoil it for you. But the feelings are real, and complex, and hard won.
And if I don't get a sequel I will riot I WILL RIOT
So like, I could tell you a lot about this book. I could tell you to read it if you feel like the fantasy you've been reading recently feels a bit same-y, because this one is completely different from whatever else you've read. I could tell you about the blood-soaked rituals to appease eldritch horror beings, the perils of body-sharing, the cold sea air vibes, the array of untrustworthy, unsavory individuals that our heroes have to deal with on their journey, all of whom introduce new facets of this world and how its wonders can be used for ill. I could tell you about all those things but they don't change the real reason you should read this, which is: the characters and their relationships.
I think a lot about "cozy" as a descriptor for books-- not usually my thing, but no judgment here-- and I want to suggest something different for you. Some books give you a cozy feeling because they're like a warm cottage in a sunny forest, so the entire world that they occupy feels safe and comfortable, as well as the stories inside them. But some books give you a cozy feeling because the story creates a shelter against a raging storm-- because the world of the story is harsh, cold, and unfeeling, but the characters have huddled together against it and kept a small fire alive. If a book makes me feel cozy, that's usually why-- because I don't recognize a world that isn't trying to eat me alive, that's just not something I can get my brain on board with, but what I long for and what I've loved in this hard world we live in are the moments when I, wounded by life, find solace with people who care about me imperfectly but earnestly. That's essentially what these characters do, they carry all their hurts and weaknesses and failures into this space they make together, and take care of each other. Now, does it work all the time? Does it work in the end? I'm not going to spoil it for you. But the feelings are real, and complex, and hard won.
And if I don't get a sequel I will riot I WILL RIOT
April 19, 2025
i don’t want to lose you let’s merge souls bro
don’t you hate it when the guy you bound to your body to save from a violent death ends up seeing you at your lowest alongside all your flaws and still believes that you are the best thing to happen to him and just wants to keep you near for as long as he is able.
him being like: i can’t leave you. dude you physically cannot but okay i getchu
and what do you mean that ending??? i am unwell
Bookstagram | Blog
don’t you hate it when the guy you bound to your body to save from a violent death ends up seeing you at your lowest alongside all your flaws and still believes that you are the best thing to happen to him and just wants to keep you near for as long as he is able.
him being like: i can’t leave you. dude you physically cannot but okay i getchu
and what do you mean that ending??? i am unwell
Bookstagram | Blog
February 4, 2025
Asunder is a dark, gritty fantasy story with fascinating world-building and emotional character arcs. It quickly became one of my favorite books of the year and I need more people to read it.
Asunder is a book that will make you work to understand the world-building; something I really love. I was immediately hooked by all of these small references to things I didn’t fully understand. This book will not reveal information until you absolutely need it making for a satisfying and engaging reading experience.
The world of Asunder reminds me of a horror Studio Ghibli atmosphere. Karys and her companions traverse a very unstable land, divided by years of godly conflict. Magic has integrated itself into the land in ways that are sometimes whimsical and yet often strange and unsettling.
The gods of this world are grotesque, inhuman, and selfish. Some of the scenes where Karys is interacting with her pact holder really freaked me out. But I loved how these interactions captured the violent, bloody history between the gods and the twisted forms of faith that developed as gods tried to cling to power. Lurking in the background of this story are threads of messy, complicated political turmoil related to the role of gods in the world. I would love to explore these threads further in a sequel.
There are so many raw and emotional character moments in this. Karys is a deeply jaded and untrusting character. Along her journey, she picks up people who are determined to help her and we get some amazing interactions within this found family group. These characters have really complicated histories and are likely working towards their own hidden agendas.
The forced proximity bonding between Karys and Ferain was incredible. What starts as a selfish, temporary plan becomes a relationship that changes both of their lives. The progression of their relationship as they slowly learned to trust each other was so moving.
I don't believe that any news for a sequel has been confirmed but listen… TorDotCom… YOU CANNOT LEAVE ME WITH THAT ENDING UNRESOLVED FOREVER. I need a sequel desperately. Kerstin Hall ripped my heart out and stomped on it with that ending.
Links to my TikTok | Instagram
Asunder is a book that will make you work to understand the world-building; something I really love. I was immediately hooked by all of these small references to things I didn’t fully understand. This book will not reveal information until you absolutely need it making for a satisfying and engaging reading experience.
The world of Asunder reminds me of a horror Studio Ghibli atmosphere. Karys and her companions traverse a very unstable land, divided by years of godly conflict. Magic has integrated itself into the land in ways that are sometimes whimsical and yet often strange and unsettling.
The gods of this world are grotesque, inhuman, and selfish. Some of the scenes where Karys is interacting with her pact holder really freaked me out. But I loved how these interactions captured the violent, bloody history between the gods and the twisted forms of faith that developed as gods tried to cling to power. Lurking in the background of this story are threads of messy, complicated political turmoil related to the role of gods in the world. I would love to explore these threads further in a sequel.
There are so many raw and emotional character moments in this. Karys is a deeply jaded and untrusting character. Along her journey, she picks up people who are determined to help her and we get some amazing interactions within this found family group. These characters have really complicated histories and are likely working towards their own hidden agendas.
The forced proximity bonding between Karys and Ferain was incredible. What starts as a selfish, temporary plan becomes a relationship that changes both of their lives. The progression of their relationship as they slowly learned to trust each other was so moving.
I don't believe that any news for a sequel has been confirmed but listen… TorDotCom… YOU CANNOT LEAVE ME WITH THAT ENDING UNRESOLVED FOREVER. I need a sequel desperately. Kerstin Hall ripped my heart out and stomped on it with that ending.
Links to my TikTok | Instagram
October 8, 2024
Loved this. It’s a great blend of fantasy and horror, with some parts so unique/imaginative they felt like a fever dream. What a fantastic recommendation
September 16, 2024
This review was originally published on Grimdark Magazine
Well, Kerstin Hall can probably expect some of my therapy bills in her inbox soon, because I think Asunder just broke me in the best way possible. Brimming with arcane horrors, uncanny atmosphere, darkly wondrous magic, divine meddling, broken yet loveable characters, and brutal emotional gut punches, this is truly the fantasy horror adventure of my darkest dreams.
In a foolishly desperate act in her late teens, Karys Eska bargained her soul away to a terrifying eldritch being, which granted her the abilities of a Deathspeaker; she can communicate with the newly departed through touch, and uses her gifts to investigate suspicious deaths around the city. However, her latest job suddenly goes horribly wrong, leaving her with a dying stranger accidentally attached to her shadow. Haunted and hunted by horrors both internal and external, they will have to learn to trust each other and travel their faded empire to find a way to rip their bond apart, before they are both torn asunder by their looming demise.
Holy smokes, does Hall know how to open a story with an irresistible hook! Her visually and emotionally evocative prose immediately sucked me straight into this dark miasma of a story, and I was instantly obsessed with all the wondrously weird intricacies of this disturbingly haunting yet beautifully mesmerising world.
There’s almost a bit of a technologically advanced aesthetic to this fantasy world, yet it somehow never loses its darkly whimsical air of wonder and magic. Cosmic horrors, semi-sentient beastly transport systems, meddling heralds, arcane artefacts, abominable constructs, and deathspeaker magic; Asunder is truly exploding with wild imagination, and the all-consuming eerie atmosphere just immediately grabbed me by the throat and didn’t let me go until the very end.
From the moment I met my fearsome woman Karys Eska, I was honestly a lost cause. With her sharp snarkiness and well-earned ‘fuck around and find out’ attitude, she reminded me of all the best parts of some of my all-time favourite characters like Mia Corvere (Nevernight), Gideon (Gideon the Ninth), and Eska (Along the Razor’s Edge), except with a less foul mouth. Life has tried to beat her down without remorse and her walls are up high, but she is still an absolute force to be reckoned with and has a heart of gold hiding behind the tough mask.
I absolutely loved exploring this dark world in all its beauty and terror through her eyes, and her strong voice and compelling emotional journey kept me rooted throughout this increasingly wild quest. Despite its addictively smooth pacing and riveting ‘ticking clock’ element, Asunder almost has a bit of an episodic feel to its storytelling. Yet each little ‘side quest’, if you will, only helped organically expand the vibrant world, deepen the lore, heighten the stakes, build out the characters’ backstories and strengthen the gripping emotional core of this narrative (for better or worse, my poor heart).
You see, while this is absolutely Karys’ story first and foremost, I loved how each member of the motley crew that she (unintentionally and sort of begrudgingly?) picked up along the way absolutely gets their time to shine as well. Through the vivacious scholar Winola, we get such a fascinating look into the dizzyingly complex yet darkly wondrous ‘workings’ magic system, while Karys’ childhood friend Haeki blasted open the more mythological aspects of this world through her status as Favoured of one of the capricious heralds. Plus, we get treated to some delicious sapphic tension, so I am always here for that.
However, Karys’ complicated yet amusing dynamic with her mysterious yet cheery shadow companion Ferain (who is a GEM and has now become my new standard for any future shadow daddies, just saying) was absolutely the heart of this story for me, and I never knew I needed the ‘only one head’ trope until Kerstin Hall introduced me to it here; don’t get me wrong, the sloooow-burn romance is just about the most minor and least important aspect of Asunder, yet I was truly gobbling up every single scrap of the simmering tension and playful banter. The way that he slowly and gently breaks through Karys’ carefully built walls was so touching to see, and I loved how Hall wove in themes of (childhood) trauma, grief, trust, redemption and healing through their tentatively developing bond.
I honestly can’t remember the last time I was this deeply engrossed in a story, and I am not kidding when I say that Asunder quite literally tore my soul asunder and left me physically, mentally and emotionally unwell by the end. This story truly just kept zigging whenever I expected it to zag, and I deeply admire Hall for not pulling any punches, especially with that brutally bittersweet cliffhanger of an ending; I needed book 2 yesterday already!
If my unapologetic gushing hadn’t given it away yet, Asunder has instantly become my favourite book I have read this year so far, and if it has any flaws, I sure as hell didn’t notice any of them. If you like the sound of an emotionally-driven fantasy horror that beautifully blends its darkness with a tender heart, then I can’t recommend Asunder highly enough; it’s disturbing yet beautiful, traumatic yet entertaining, epic yet intimate, and it will absolutely leave an irreversible mark on you, whether you like it or not.
Thank you to Tordotcom for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Well, Kerstin Hall can probably expect some of my therapy bills in her inbox soon, because I think Asunder just broke me in the best way possible. Brimming with arcane horrors, uncanny atmosphere, darkly wondrous magic, divine meddling, broken yet loveable characters, and brutal emotional gut punches, this is truly the fantasy horror adventure of my darkest dreams.
In a foolishly desperate act in her late teens, Karys Eska bargained her soul away to a terrifying eldritch being, which granted her the abilities of a Deathspeaker; she can communicate with the newly departed through touch, and uses her gifts to investigate suspicious deaths around the city. However, her latest job suddenly goes horribly wrong, leaving her with a dying stranger accidentally attached to her shadow. Haunted and hunted by horrors both internal and external, they will have to learn to trust each other and travel their faded empire to find a way to rip their bond apart, before they are both torn asunder by their looming demise.
Holy smokes, does Hall know how to open a story with an irresistible hook! Her visually and emotionally evocative prose immediately sucked me straight into this dark miasma of a story, and I was instantly obsessed with all the wondrously weird intricacies of this disturbingly haunting yet beautifully mesmerising world.
There’s almost a bit of a technologically advanced aesthetic to this fantasy world, yet it somehow never loses its darkly whimsical air of wonder and magic. Cosmic horrors, semi-sentient beastly transport systems, meddling heralds, arcane artefacts, abominable constructs, and deathspeaker magic; Asunder is truly exploding with wild imagination, and the all-consuming eerie atmosphere just immediately grabbed me by the throat and didn’t let me go until the very end.
From the moment I met my fearsome woman Karys Eska, I was honestly a lost cause. With her sharp snarkiness and well-earned ‘fuck around and find out’ attitude, she reminded me of all the best parts of some of my all-time favourite characters like Mia Corvere (Nevernight), Gideon (Gideon the Ninth), and Eska (Along the Razor’s Edge), except with a less foul mouth. Life has tried to beat her down without remorse and her walls are up high, but she is still an absolute force to be reckoned with and has a heart of gold hiding behind the tough mask.
I absolutely loved exploring this dark world in all its beauty and terror through her eyes, and her strong voice and compelling emotional journey kept me rooted throughout this increasingly wild quest. Despite its addictively smooth pacing and riveting ‘ticking clock’ element, Asunder almost has a bit of an episodic feel to its storytelling. Yet each little ‘side quest’, if you will, only helped organically expand the vibrant world, deepen the lore, heighten the stakes, build out the characters’ backstories and strengthen the gripping emotional core of this narrative (for better or worse, my poor heart).
You see, while this is absolutely Karys’ story first and foremost, I loved how each member of the motley crew that she (unintentionally and sort of begrudgingly?) picked up along the way absolutely gets their time to shine as well. Through the vivacious scholar Winola, we get such a fascinating look into the dizzyingly complex yet darkly wondrous ‘workings’ magic system, while Karys’ childhood friend Haeki blasted open the more mythological aspects of this world through her status as Favoured of one of the capricious heralds. Plus, we get treated to some delicious sapphic tension, so I am always here for that.
However, Karys’ complicated yet amusing dynamic with her mysterious yet cheery shadow companion Ferain (who is a GEM and has now become my new standard for any future shadow daddies, just saying) was absolutely the heart of this story for me, and I never knew I needed the ‘only one head’ trope until Kerstin Hall introduced me to it here; don’t get me wrong, the sloooow-burn romance is just about the most minor and least important aspect of Asunder, yet I was truly gobbling up every single scrap of the simmering tension and playful banter. The way that he slowly and gently breaks through Karys’ carefully built walls was so touching to see, and I loved how Hall wove in themes of (childhood) trauma, grief, trust, redemption and healing through their tentatively developing bond.
I honestly can’t remember the last time I was this deeply engrossed in a story, and I am not kidding when I say that Asunder quite literally tore my soul asunder and left me physically, mentally and emotionally unwell by the end. This story truly just kept zigging whenever I expected it to zag, and I deeply admire Hall for not pulling any punches, especially with that brutally bittersweet cliffhanger of an ending; I needed book 2 yesterday already!
If my unapologetic gushing hadn’t given it away yet, Asunder has instantly become my favourite book I have read this year so far, and if it has any flaws, I sure as hell didn’t notice any of them. If you like the sound of an emotionally-driven fantasy horror that beautifully blends its darkness with a tender heart, then I can’t recommend Asunder highly enough; it’s disturbing yet beautiful, traumatic yet entertaining, epic yet intimate, and it will absolutely leave an irreversible mark on you, whether you like it or not.
Thank you to Tordotcom for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
March 30, 2024
you've heard of only one bed but may i suggest only one head??? forced proximity but may i offer you LIs sharing a body and needing to get split up before they both die?
dark adventure fantasy with a tender heart - this brings you through fantastical place after place with an almost ghibli-esque wonder and imagination, while never losing its characters or kirsten's other trademark of super concerning demons and doses of body horror. this is an excellent loner-reluctantly-gains-band-of-allies-and-learns-to-trust fantasy; it's learning to open a walled-off heart and want to live and live with someone; it's got scholars with magical workings, demented sea slug gods and places and creatures i'd love to visit; it crosses personal stakes with a vast world so wonderfully and the ending DEVASTATED me.
i would kill to see this as an animated series. tor give the people the sequel i'm quite literally in your walls
--
1 sept 2023:
I've read the first few early chapters of this and like. Adventure fantasy with a darker bent and a little Ghibliesque wonder? Stabby woman sworn to demon who accidentally binds a pathetic pretty quippy man to her shadow in order to save his life and must now free him to save her own?? im about to be incredibly annoying about karys x ferain let the record show i was their first shipper
dark adventure fantasy with a tender heart - this brings you through fantastical place after place with an almost ghibli-esque wonder and imagination, while never losing its characters or kirsten's other trademark of super concerning demons and doses of body horror. this is an excellent loner-reluctantly-gains-band-of-allies-and-learns-to-trust fantasy; it's learning to open a walled-off heart and want to live and live with someone; it's got scholars with magical workings, demented sea slug gods and places and creatures i'd love to visit; it crosses personal stakes with a vast world so wonderfully and the ending DEVASTATED me.
i would kill to see this as an animated series. tor give the people the sequel i'm quite literally in your walls
--
1 sept 2023:
I've read the first few early chapters of this and like. Adventure fantasy with a darker bent and a little Ghibliesque wonder? Stabby woman sworn to demon who accidentally binds a pathetic pretty quippy man to her shadow in order to save his life and must now free him to save her own?? im about to be incredibly annoying about karys x ferain let the record show i was their first shipper
August 23, 2024
This was excellent! A layered novel that blends sci-fantasy with horror elements in an expansive world. Asunder follows a deathspeaker named Karys who has bargained her soul for the ability to peer beyond the veil. While on a job, she stumbles across a dangerous secret and meets the dying heir of a wealthy family. In order to save him, she somewhat accidentally binds him to her shadow and sets off on a quest to find a way to free both of them. But this is a game with many players...
The world-building in this story is interesting and complex. Karys is a great character with a traumatic past just trying to survive. There are twists and turns that make this feel rather epic. From what I can tell, I THINK this is set in the same universe as Star Eater though following quite a different cast of characters in different places. One of my criticisms of that book was how gender essentialist the magic system was, and this seeks to correct that. We have a non-binary side character who shows up, and we get the sense that the way magic is viewed in the first book is coming from a sort of cult perspective that isn't inclusive of the entire world. I appreciate how this has complicated that narrative. Definitely worth a read! The audio narration is really good- the actors portray the characters well and it feels immersive with the right tone. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
The world-building in this story is interesting and complex. Karys is a great character with a traumatic past just trying to survive. There are twists and turns that make this feel rather epic. From what I can tell, I THINK this is set in the same universe as Star Eater though following quite a different cast of characters in different places. One of my criticisms of that book was how gender essentialist the magic system was, and this seeks to correct that. We have a non-binary side character who shows up, and we get the sense that the way magic is viewed in the first book is coming from a sort of cult perspective that isn't inclusive of the entire world. I appreciate how this has complicated that narrative. Definitely worth a read! The audio narration is really good- the actors portray the characters well and it feels immersive with the right tone. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
October 29, 2024
Gideon the Ninth meets Sabriel meets The Justice of Kings.
Chased by enemies, conspiracies, her past, and the debt waiting to be paid by her soul compact; this is at once a character study, slower paced yet thrilling inventive adventure.
Karys is a Deathspeaker, her soul bargained to a terrifying eldritch being.
In her latest job, an unknown creature, a Construct, attacks and she escapes alongside a dying stranger, but only by accidentally binding him to her shadow.
The stranger is Ferain, part of the Vareslian embassy. Now non-corporeal, in exchange for her help, Ferain is willing to pay her a lot of money.
I don’t even know where to start with this review.
The world-building is insanely creative. It throws you in head first and never relents. There is no hand holding, so you’re trying to wrap your head around the bizarre technology, power, and history as Karys’s entire world is turned upside down.
The characters?!
Give me more disaster bisexuals who melt your heart whilst being entirely entertaining.
The characters are not your typical brash, brave, brawling protagonists. Here, they are softer. They want to work in the shadows, remained unrecognised, try and have a normal-ish life.
“No one 'dates' deathspeakers. We aren't a good long-term investment.”
“Firstly, that isn't how attraction works. Secondly,
'investment' is a tragic way of referring to yourself."
Hall weaves a tale of darkness and trauma partnered with healing and tentative bonding.
This story is gory (blood spraying, bodies ripping apart), it is dark (caves, drowning seas, dealing with soul binding god-like beings, facing abuse), it is epic!
Sometimes the places that you love grow teeth. Sometimes, home can swallow you. And even if that hurts, losing it still seems worse because what if you let go and never find a better place? What if there's nothing else?
I do think the last 15% really decreased my overall enjoyment. The pace suddenly ramped up to the max and it felt rushed - like one non-stop, can’t breathe climax that left me feeling lost.
For this reason I am conflicted. The rest of the book was a four stars, but that last stretch (sprint) really detracted from my experience. This is despite most other reviewers saying the ending was what cemented the favourite of the year label. Maybe I misunderstood the ending. Perhaps I am a reader who prefers more rounded out endings.
I will read more from Hall again.
Bookstagram
Chased by enemies, conspiracies, her past, and the debt waiting to be paid by her soul compact; this is at once a character study, slower paced yet thrilling inventive adventure.
Karys is a Deathspeaker, her soul bargained to a terrifying eldritch being.
In her latest job, an unknown creature, a Construct, attacks and she escapes alongside a dying stranger, but only by accidentally binding him to her shadow.
The stranger is Ferain, part of the Vareslian embassy. Now non-corporeal, in exchange for her help, Ferain is willing to pay her a lot of money.
I don’t even know where to start with this review.
The world-building is insanely creative. It throws you in head first and never relents. There is no hand holding, so you’re trying to wrap your head around the bizarre technology, power, and history as Karys’s entire world is turned upside down.
The characters?!
Give me more disaster bisexuals who melt your heart whilst being entirely entertaining.
The characters are not your typical brash, brave, brawling protagonists. Here, they are softer. They want to work in the shadows, remained unrecognised, try and have a normal-ish life.
“No one 'dates' deathspeakers. We aren't a good long-term investment.”
“Firstly, that isn't how attraction works. Secondly,
'investment' is a tragic way of referring to yourself."
Hall weaves a tale of darkness and trauma partnered with healing and tentative bonding.
This story is gory (blood spraying, bodies ripping apart), it is dark (caves, drowning seas, dealing with soul binding god-like beings, facing abuse), it is epic!
Sometimes the places that you love grow teeth. Sometimes, home can swallow you. And even if that hurts, losing it still seems worse because what if you let go and never find a better place? What if there's nothing else?
I do think the last 15% really decreased my overall enjoyment. The pace suddenly ramped up to the max and it felt rushed - like one non-stop, can’t breathe climax that left me feeling lost.
For this reason I am conflicted. The rest of the book was a four stars, but that last stretch (sprint) really detracted from my experience. This is despite most other reviewers saying the ending was what cemented the favourite of the year label. Maybe I misunderstood the ending. Perhaps I am a reader who prefers more rounded out endings.
I will read more from Hall again.
Bookstagram
June 11, 2025
4.25/5
Wait a damn minute, this is no standalone. I just saw the author replying with "I'm writing the sequel", and with that ending she better be.
This is one of the most unique stories, universes and divine pantheons I've read in a long while.
It's true that at times I wasn't sure about the point of some scenes, but the characters are so good, and this story gets so dark.
The subtrope of two people sharing a brain so they develop a relationship/friendship cause they can't hide their thoughts from each other is one I feel like I've read many times, but this was SO WELL DONE.
This book would be many people's new favourite book if they read it.
Wait a damn minute, this is no standalone. I just saw the author replying with "I'm writing the sequel", and with that ending she better be.
This is one of the most unique stories, universes and divine pantheons I've read in a long while.
It's true that at times I wasn't sure about the point of some scenes, but the characters are so good, and this story gets so dark.
The subtrope of two people sharing a brain so they develop a relationship/friendship cause they can't hide their thoughts from each other is one I feel like I've read many times, but this was SO WELL DONE.
This book would be many people's new favourite book if they read it.
January 2, 2025
One of the most refreshing fantasy stories I’ve read in a while.
Nothing I love more than the one-body trope, especially when there’s yearning involved.
Every character was enjoyable. Karys was a breath of fresh air and Ferain was adorable.
I’m desperate for a sequel, I will read anything Hall writes.
Nothing I love more than the one-body trope, especially when there’s yearning involved.
Every character was enjoyable. Karys was a breath of fresh air and Ferain was adorable.
I’m desperate for a sequel, I will read anything Hall writes.
September 7, 2024
Yeah I need more people to read this
March 1, 2024
Holy FUCK
there are tears in my eyes & im in agony
I think this is already going to be one of my top 5 reads of 2024
there are tears in my eyes & im in agony
I think this is already going to be one of my top 5 reads of 2024
September 10, 2024
Asunder by Kerstin Hall
Genre: Fantasy, Horror
Subgenre(s): Secondary World Fantasy, Cosmic Horror
Book Track: Running Away by John Butler Trio
I think there comes a point in every fantasy readers journey where we’ve consumed so many stories and adventures, that we start to feel fatigued when we open a new series or standalone and are faced with now all-too familiar characters, tropes, themes and story beats. Whether it’s grim dark you crave, or swords and sandals, or just good old high fantasy— eventually, most readers come to this barrier of disinterest and begin to pine for something new, invigorating, and bold, told by someone whose imagination offers passage to the rousing unknown.
This is where I’ve been for the last few years, and why I think Secondary World Fantasy has been the antidote for me. Not that traditional fantasy is without it’s merit or capability to amaze and surprise me still— I’ve just found that Secondary World Fantasy challenges my imagination to expand it’s boundaries in the same organic way traditional fantasy once had by focusing more on the spectacle of a unique world and it’s denizens. Instead of explaining to me how the new magic system works, again; it scoffs, then forces me to catch up and figure it out for myself. Instead of the story handing me familiar tropes and character archetypes to grasp onto, it flips the script and forces me to trust and to revel in being lost, for a time, until I've gathered my bearings through the environmental storytelling and non-conforming character work.
At it’s core, this is what Fantasy is all about, is it not? Casting us somewhere uncharted and extraordinary, forcing us to let go of any preconceived notions of what we think is up and down, retraining ourselves within this foreign plain, and stepping forth one foot after the other into the beautiful, oft times wicked, unknown. Kerstin Hall has achieved this renewed sensation of how it felt to read Fantasy for the very first time not once, not twice, but now four times for me. And I think I will forever be in her debt for it. For reminding me, every time, why I always come back and why I fell in love with this genre in the first place. Okay, perhaps I’m a little biased considering I’ve deeply enjoyed each book I’ve read from Kerstin Hall, sure. Thats fair. However, as a fan, I can and will say that Hall has not only matured as a storyteller, but as an editor and a world builder, too. You can feel the fullness and the intricacies of this universe she has created with every page, and often times in the most minuscule of ways; is that headless dog a mode of transportation? You said these lightbulbs are infused with essences of the gods? These drugs are made from whose body fluids? What do you mean some of the gods were killed by the new gods and now you work for one?
In every sense of the phrase, Hall makes you feel like a stranger in a strange land who’s clinging to the tattered knapsack of its protagonist like a sand bur. She creates a world where big ideas of convenience, equality, and prosperity amongst its denizens, is not just realized, but put into practice!
The world has so many cool and practical uses for magic and science! You can feel in every page how Kerstin sat down and thought about inventions that near-utopian societies would want to have or feature in their “perfect” country. Side note: this book is very Mkalis Cycle, Kerstin’s ongoing series of novellas, and it makes me wonder if she plans to have them be connected somehow.
Asunder’s world is definitely its own thing though. It’s a world you’d want to live in, not simply because it’s magical, but because it is progressive. It’s new and exciting, sure enough, but it bears the markings of what dreams may become. What the first phases of an ideal society might look like if science were treated as holy. But it all comes with a price, and often that price is paid with blood, willingly offered, down the throats of eldritch gods— whose acts of malice, retribution, creation, invention, and good fortune, are but a byproduct of their vessels devotion.
Uncharacteristic of my normal reviews, I don’t want to spend any time discussing the potent themes or distinct characters throughout this story, because I truly think they should all be consumed as blindly and uninfluenced as possible. I will say that our lead protagonists, Karys and Ferrain, are a much welcome change, and often reminded me of the two leads in Arkady Martine’s A Memory Called Empire, but by way of the supernatural instead of scientific. The sensual tension and connection between these two individuals, whose fate becomes the close proximity lovers ideal scenario, is compelling and excellent. The queer normatively of this world, too, is something to make note of. This is an element I’ve found that is rarely achieved, without drawing too much attention to it in the narrative, and Hall spins these threads through her tapestry with ease.
By the gods, were the gods cool as hell! It is so difficult not to spend this entire review gushing over the hauntingly beautiful and poignant imagery Hall conjures up with these sacred entities. Here's the thing... I have a soft spot for biblically accurate angels. I was raised Catholic. I grew up with all the famous renaissance paintings and sculptures of scripture, and never once connected to them until I saw a painting of what would be considered as a "biblically accurate" angel. For one reason or another, it really moved me. Not in a “Hail, Jesus—break out the Christ cookies and wine” way... but in that eerie and unsettling way— where you find something to be somehow both beautiful and horrifying.
I consider myself agnostic now and, while I don't believe in a god in the traditional sense, I do feel like IF there are gods, they would be both beautiful and horrifying... unknowable... alien. These are the kinds of gods, goddesses, and other higher powers that Hall births into existence in Asunder. These aren’t your typical heraldic or olympian men and women chiseled in stone— these gods have sharp teeth, weep blood, hunger for belief, and collect the corpses of the old gods to display as trophies. When these gods sing or speak, they pierce the mind and render the flesh immobile as such strange frequencies are incomprehensible to the mortal minds of their subjugated apostles.
This book is not your typical tale of magic and fantasy that you’d find on that table of trending titles at the bookstore. Asunder is the book you find spirited away in the darkest and dustiest corners of an old library’s restricted section. The kind of book that no one knows how, or when, it got there; but, it may or may not be cursed to steal your every waking thought should you peel back it’s (gorgeous) cover and look inside it’s pages. That enough hyperbole for you? Take everything you thought you know about fantasy, plot, theme, magic, magical deities, and strange, unusual characters, and leave them at the threshold of the front page of this book. There will be familiar elements, no doubt, but Hall will somehow make them feel alien to you— like watching strange science, or a natural phenomenon outside your window. But, trust me when I tell you, you’ve never read a book like Asunder. Full stop. Bring it back and read that again. You’ve never read a book quite like Asunder, and that’s the only mantra you should recite like a prayer as you read this book.
Asunder by Kerstin Hall
Star Rating: 5/5 Stars
Score: 98/100
Review by Nick Kimball
Genre: Fantasy, Horror
Subgenre(s): Secondary World Fantasy, Cosmic Horror
Book Track: Running Away by John Butler Trio
I think there comes a point in every fantasy readers journey where we’ve consumed so many stories and adventures, that we start to feel fatigued when we open a new series or standalone and are faced with now all-too familiar characters, tropes, themes and story beats. Whether it’s grim dark you crave, or swords and sandals, or just good old high fantasy— eventually, most readers come to this barrier of disinterest and begin to pine for something new, invigorating, and bold, told by someone whose imagination offers passage to the rousing unknown.
This is where I’ve been for the last few years, and why I think Secondary World Fantasy has been the antidote for me. Not that traditional fantasy is without it’s merit or capability to amaze and surprise me still— I’ve just found that Secondary World Fantasy challenges my imagination to expand it’s boundaries in the same organic way traditional fantasy once had by focusing more on the spectacle of a unique world and it’s denizens. Instead of explaining to me how the new magic system works, again; it scoffs, then forces me to catch up and figure it out for myself. Instead of the story handing me familiar tropes and character archetypes to grasp onto, it flips the script and forces me to trust and to revel in being lost, for a time, until I've gathered my bearings through the environmental storytelling and non-conforming character work.
At it’s core, this is what Fantasy is all about, is it not? Casting us somewhere uncharted and extraordinary, forcing us to let go of any preconceived notions of what we think is up and down, retraining ourselves within this foreign plain, and stepping forth one foot after the other into the beautiful, oft times wicked, unknown. Kerstin Hall has achieved this renewed sensation of how it felt to read Fantasy for the very first time not once, not twice, but now four times for me. And I think I will forever be in her debt for it. For reminding me, every time, why I always come back and why I fell in love with this genre in the first place. Okay, perhaps I’m a little biased considering I’ve deeply enjoyed each book I’ve read from Kerstin Hall, sure. Thats fair. However, as a fan, I can and will say that Hall has not only matured as a storyteller, but as an editor and a world builder, too. You can feel the fullness and the intricacies of this universe she has created with every page, and often times in the most minuscule of ways; is that headless dog a mode of transportation? You said these lightbulbs are infused with essences of the gods? These drugs are made from whose body fluids? What do you mean some of the gods were killed by the new gods and now you work for one?
In every sense of the phrase, Hall makes you feel like a stranger in a strange land who’s clinging to the tattered knapsack of its protagonist like a sand bur. She creates a world where big ideas of convenience, equality, and prosperity amongst its denizens, is not just realized, but put into practice!
The world has so many cool and practical uses for magic and science! You can feel in every page how Kerstin sat down and thought about inventions that near-utopian societies would want to have or feature in their “perfect” country. Side note: this book is very Mkalis Cycle, Kerstin’s ongoing series of novellas, and it makes me wonder if she plans to have them be connected somehow.
Asunder’s world is definitely its own thing though. It’s a world you’d want to live in, not simply because it’s magical, but because it is progressive. It’s new and exciting, sure enough, but it bears the markings of what dreams may become. What the first phases of an ideal society might look like if science were treated as holy. But it all comes with a price, and often that price is paid with blood, willingly offered, down the throats of eldritch gods— whose acts of malice, retribution, creation, invention, and good fortune, are but a byproduct of their vessels devotion.
Uncharacteristic of my normal reviews, I don’t want to spend any time discussing the potent themes or distinct characters throughout this story, because I truly think they should all be consumed as blindly and uninfluenced as possible. I will say that our lead protagonists, Karys and Ferrain, are a much welcome change, and often reminded me of the two leads in Arkady Martine’s A Memory Called Empire, but by way of the supernatural instead of scientific. The sensual tension and connection between these two individuals, whose fate becomes the close proximity lovers ideal scenario, is compelling and excellent. The queer normatively of this world, too, is something to make note of. This is an element I’ve found that is rarely achieved, without drawing too much attention to it in the narrative, and Hall spins these threads through her tapestry with ease.
By the gods, were the gods cool as hell! It is so difficult not to spend this entire review gushing over the hauntingly beautiful and poignant imagery Hall conjures up with these sacred entities. Here's the thing... I have a soft spot for biblically accurate angels. I was raised Catholic. I grew up with all the famous renaissance paintings and sculptures of scripture, and never once connected to them until I saw a painting of what would be considered as a "biblically accurate" angel. For one reason or another, it really moved me. Not in a “Hail, Jesus—break out the Christ cookies and wine” way... but in that eerie and unsettling way— where you find something to be somehow both beautiful and horrifying.
I consider myself agnostic now and, while I don't believe in a god in the traditional sense, I do feel like IF there are gods, they would be both beautiful and horrifying... unknowable... alien. These are the kinds of gods, goddesses, and other higher powers that Hall births into existence in Asunder. These aren’t your typical heraldic or olympian men and women chiseled in stone— these gods have sharp teeth, weep blood, hunger for belief, and collect the corpses of the old gods to display as trophies. When these gods sing or speak, they pierce the mind and render the flesh immobile as such strange frequencies are incomprehensible to the mortal minds of their subjugated apostles.
This book is not your typical tale of magic and fantasy that you’d find on that table of trending titles at the bookstore. Asunder is the book you find spirited away in the darkest and dustiest corners of an old library’s restricted section. The kind of book that no one knows how, or when, it got there; but, it may or may not be cursed to steal your every waking thought should you peel back it’s (gorgeous) cover and look inside it’s pages. That enough hyperbole for you? Take everything you thought you know about fantasy, plot, theme, magic, magical deities, and strange, unusual characters, and leave them at the threshold of the front page of this book. There will be familiar elements, no doubt, but Hall will somehow make them feel alien to you— like watching strange science, or a natural phenomenon outside your window. But, trust me when I tell you, you’ve never read a book like Asunder. Full stop. Bring it back and read that again. You’ve never read a book quite like Asunder, and that’s the only mantra you should recite like a prayer as you read this book.
Asunder by Kerstin Hall
Star Rating: 5/5 Stars
Score: 98/100
Review by Nick Kimball
January 23, 2026
Review on JamReads
Asunder is a dark fantasy novel written by Kerstin Hall, published in the UK by Solaris. As it ended up being one of my favourite titles of the year it was released, this was the perfect excuse to re-read it and maybe take a new look at it, living again Karys Eska's adventure through this world, enjoying its richness and weirdness, while also hoping we eventually get the sequel this novel deserves.
Karys Eska is a deathspeaker, able to summon and hear the last words of the recently deceased because of her contract with Sabaster, a terrifying Eldritch entity that might decide to finally honour her and recall his part of the compact. In one of the tasks that she performs for smugglers, Karys meets Ferain, a seriously injured man who offers her a substantial amount of money if she saves her; Karys' solution is binding the man in a trapped time within her body to escape. An easy to perform task that becomes more complicated as she discovers she's unable to undo the bind, and that there's a group persecuting Ferain; the start of a journey to Ferain's country that will also be the perfect excuse to learn more about this richly crafted world.
I was gladly impressed by the characterization in the first read, and that hasn't changed on this re-read: not only Karys' character mixes excellently the resourceful and strong woman, trying to escape from her compact with all the medium possible, but I also appreciated how she's vulnerable when she's overwhelmed by the circumstances; but also the secondary characters are part of the fun, from the fascinated scholar Winola to Haeki, an old friend from Karys' childhood, all of them are excellently fleshed and add the salt this stew needed to taste complete.
The episodic nature of the plot serves as the perfect device to let us take a glimpse at the different parts of this world; I can totally see how people might compare this with an Eldritch meets Ghibli style world, as it is an apt comparison. It is true that the pacing can be a bit weird because of the dissonance between the urge Karys is experiencing, and how sometimes the quest diverges from the main path, losing some valuable time, but overall, I think it's something you can overlook.
Asunder is a novel more people need to read; an excellent dark fantasy proposal that nails to balance the equilibrium between an interesting worldbuilding and a character-driven novel. Seriously, I can't wait (and hope enough) that we get a sequel!
***
Review originally on JamReads
Asunder is a dark fantasy novel, written by Kerstin Hall, and published by TOR. It features an excellently built character driven plot, extremely impactful in the emotional aspect, but with a really original worldbuilding that blends together steampunk, eldritch creatures and religions, with an episodic taste that is hidden into the bigger story; definitely a candidate to be on my favourite books of the year list.
In a foolish and desperate act in her teens, Karys Eska bargained with Sabaster, a terrifying eldritch creature, getting the abilities of a Deathspeaker; a gift that allows her to communicate with the recent dead, and that has been put to use to investigate mysterious death around the city. However, her whole world is put into shambles when in her last job, she ends with a dying stranger, Ferain, attached to her shadows; plagued by horror, external and internal, she will be forced to travel through a faded empire looking for a way to break their bond, before they both end torn asunder by it.
And let me tell you, during this travel, Hall will fully flesh the character of Karys; a strong woman who resorted to a desperate option in her worst moment, independent and trustworthy. We get to experience not only the struggle and horrors derived from her current situation with Ferain, but we will explore her past and the traumatic events that shaped her character. It's impossible to not end really invested in her destiny; and Ferain plays a good role in letting her open and trust somebody more. It might be a forced proximity thing, but we also see the Karys that has fissures among her impenetrable semblance. They develop a really tight bond as a consequence of their destiny, and even if Ferain can be annoying at times, you end appreciating him.
But not only Ferain and Karys shine, as with the rest of the characters that become part of their group, Hall shows her ability to create complex and well-fleshed characters; each one with a past and abilities that marked them, organically introduced through their actions. I particularly grow fond of Winola, a vivacious scholar that also helps the reader in the task of comprehending many of the intricate details of the arcane beings of this world.
The semi-episodic nature of the plot, with different encounters and situations that our characters will have to face and solve if they want to continue alive (and trust me, the Society one is absolutely chef kiss). I loved how the world blends together advanced technology similar to steampunk together with making use of some of the eldritch beings, while also each place has its unique characteristics.
Hall's prose is quite effective at transmitting those small details of the world while not losing the focus on the characters; as a result, you not only have a clear idea of where you are, but also can empathize with the cast. It's incredibly well paced, keeping you glued to the page.
Asunder is an excellent novel, one that will emotionally destroy you but will make you beg for more of this world; a read that will stay with me for a long time, and which has created a new Kerstin Hall fan.
Asunder is a dark fantasy novel written by Kerstin Hall, published in the UK by Solaris. As it ended up being one of my favourite titles of the year it was released, this was the perfect excuse to re-read it and maybe take a new look at it, living again Karys Eska's adventure through this world, enjoying its richness and weirdness, while also hoping we eventually get the sequel this novel deserves.
Karys Eska is a deathspeaker, able to summon and hear the last words of the recently deceased because of her contract with Sabaster, a terrifying Eldritch entity that might decide to finally honour her and recall his part of the compact. In one of the tasks that she performs for smugglers, Karys meets Ferain, a seriously injured man who offers her a substantial amount of money if she saves her; Karys' solution is binding the man in a trapped time within her body to escape. An easy to perform task that becomes more complicated as she discovers she's unable to undo the bind, and that there's a group persecuting Ferain; the start of a journey to Ferain's country that will also be the perfect excuse to learn more about this richly crafted world.
I was gladly impressed by the characterization in the first read, and that hasn't changed on this re-read: not only Karys' character mixes excellently the resourceful and strong woman, trying to escape from her compact with all the medium possible, but I also appreciated how she's vulnerable when she's overwhelmed by the circumstances; but also the secondary characters are part of the fun, from the fascinated scholar Winola to Haeki, an old friend from Karys' childhood, all of them are excellently fleshed and add the salt this stew needed to taste complete.
The episodic nature of the plot serves as the perfect device to let us take a glimpse at the different parts of this world; I can totally see how people might compare this with an Eldritch meets Ghibli style world, as it is an apt comparison. It is true that the pacing can be a bit weird because of the dissonance between the urge Karys is experiencing, and how sometimes the quest diverges from the main path, losing some valuable time, but overall, I think it's something you can overlook.
Asunder is a novel more people need to read; an excellent dark fantasy proposal that nails to balance the equilibrium between an interesting worldbuilding and a character-driven novel. Seriously, I can't wait (and hope enough) that we get a sequel!
***
Review originally on JamReads
Asunder is a dark fantasy novel, written by Kerstin Hall, and published by TOR. It features an excellently built character driven plot, extremely impactful in the emotional aspect, but with a really original worldbuilding that blends together steampunk, eldritch creatures and religions, with an episodic taste that is hidden into the bigger story; definitely a candidate to be on my favourite books of the year list.
In a foolish and desperate act in her teens, Karys Eska bargained with Sabaster, a terrifying eldritch creature, getting the abilities of a Deathspeaker; a gift that allows her to communicate with the recent dead, and that has been put to use to investigate mysterious death around the city. However, her whole world is put into shambles when in her last job, she ends with a dying stranger, Ferain, attached to her shadows; plagued by horror, external and internal, she will be forced to travel through a faded empire looking for a way to break their bond, before they both end torn asunder by it.
And let me tell you, during this travel, Hall will fully flesh the character of Karys; a strong woman who resorted to a desperate option in her worst moment, independent and trustworthy. We get to experience not only the struggle and horrors derived from her current situation with Ferain, but we will explore her past and the traumatic events that shaped her character. It's impossible to not end really invested in her destiny; and Ferain plays a good role in letting her open and trust somebody more. It might be a forced proximity thing, but we also see the Karys that has fissures among her impenetrable semblance. They develop a really tight bond as a consequence of their destiny, and even if Ferain can be annoying at times, you end appreciating him.
But not only Ferain and Karys shine, as with the rest of the characters that become part of their group, Hall shows her ability to create complex and well-fleshed characters; each one with a past and abilities that marked them, organically introduced through their actions. I particularly grow fond of Winola, a vivacious scholar that also helps the reader in the task of comprehending many of the intricate details of the arcane beings of this world.
The semi-episodic nature of the plot, with different encounters and situations that our characters will have to face and solve if they want to continue alive (and trust me, the Society one is absolutely chef kiss). I loved how the world blends together advanced technology similar to steampunk together with making use of some of the eldritch beings, while also each place has its unique characteristics.
Hall's prose is quite effective at transmitting those small details of the world while not losing the focus on the characters; as a result, you not only have a clear idea of where you are, but also can empathize with the cast. It's incredibly well paced, keeping you glued to the page.
Asunder is an excellent novel, one that will emotionally destroy you but will make you beg for more of this world; a read that will stay with me for a long time, and which has created a new Kerstin Hall fan.
December 23, 2024
I fell in love with this book nearly immediately and was gripped from the first page, but around the halfway mark, my WSOD faltered. I still liked it, still inhaled it in just a couple of days, but it had some shortcomings that affected my immersion.
First, the good:
The world-building is phenomenal. The place and its details were so sumptuously *other*, strange and wonder-inducing and unsettling, that I was dying to know more about the world this takes place in basically from the word "Go." The author generally doesn't lean on exposition to get you caught up, either: you buckle up and gather context clues and figure it out as you go--I love that.
The descriptions: evocative and vivid (my mouth was watering reading a food description and I had just eaten) but without indulging in James Fenimore Cooper levels of detail (you know the kind: 3 pages into a scene and you're still hearing about the type of lace at their cuffs and just want to know what happens already).
What didn't work for me:
Of course YMMV, but two of the central main characters were ostensibly roughly 30ish but were emotionally teenagers. Even granting trauma and deprivation over the years affecting one's development, it was so much seething spiky angst, unmanaged feels, and poor/absent communication skills that it felt like more of a YA book than it was. Plus plenty of "if not for me..." pathological guilt and ensuing attempts to be a noble martyr, which is a character pet peeve of mine.
Plot-wise, I had two issues. The street-wise, surly urchin with a (very) secret heart of gold, our MC, becomes absurdly less suspicious when the plot needs her to be, in order to have her make forehead-slappingly credulous, unwise choices and up the tension. Second, the romance was a relationship I found it hard to root for, to put it mildly. If Person A distrusts everyone around them, is estranged from their family, and most importantly has no friends--zero connections in their life whatsoever--and Person B has a social life and interests and seems emotionally twice the age of the first person, that is not a setup for a relationship. At best, that's Person B having a project to work on. Aside from trauma-bonding and maybe some Stockholm syndrome, there wasn't anything to make me believe that Person B had any reason *at all* to develop feelings for Person A. The end was suitably dramatic, but by that point, I really wasnt as invested as I wanted to be and it didn't resonate for me like it did for a lot of other readers.
There was SO much that I loved, though, and I think the issues are writer-honing-their-craft bumps, so I'll definitely keep an eye out for more by Hall.
First, the good:
The world-building is phenomenal. The place and its details were so sumptuously *other*, strange and wonder-inducing and unsettling, that I was dying to know more about the world this takes place in basically from the word "Go." The author generally doesn't lean on exposition to get you caught up, either: you buckle up and gather context clues and figure it out as you go--I love that.
The descriptions: evocative and vivid (my mouth was watering reading a food description and I had just eaten) but without indulging in James Fenimore Cooper levels of detail (you know the kind: 3 pages into a scene and you're still hearing about the type of lace at their cuffs and just want to know what happens already).
What didn't work for me:
Of course YMMV, but two of the central main characters were ostensibly roughly 30ish but were emotionally teenagers. Even granting trauma and deprivation over the years affecting one's development, it was so much seething spiky angst, unmanaged feels, and poor/absent communication skills that it felt like more of a YA book than it was. Plus plenty of "if not for me..." pathological guilt and ensuing attempts to be a noble martyr, which is a character pet peeve of mine.
Plot-wise, I had two issues. The street-wise, surly urchin with a (very) secret heart of gold, our MC, becomes absurdly less suspicious when the plot needs her to be, in order to have her make forehead-slappingly credulous, unwise choices and up the tension. Second, the romance was a relationship I found it hard to root for, to put it mildly. If Person A distrusts everyone around them, is estranged from their family, and most importantly has no friends--zero connections in their life whatsoever--and Person B has a social life and interests and seems emotionally twice the age of the first person, that is not a setup for a relationship. At best, that's Person B having a project to work on. Aside from trauma-bonding and maybe some Stockholm syndrome, there wasn't anything to make me believe that Person B had any reason *at all* to develop feelings for Person A. The end was suitably dramatic, but by that point, I really wasnt as invested as I wanted to be and it didn't resonate for me like it did for a lot of other readers.
There was SO much that I loved, though, and I think the issues are writer-honing-their-craft bumps, so I'll definitely keep an eye out for more by Hall.
January 9, 2025
The first half of this book is so good. I don’t know what happened but after the 50% mark I was so bored and could not care less what happened to the characters. 😩 3 stars because I enjoyed half of it.
June 20, 2024
this really did not need to be as long as it was
February 2, 2026
4.5 stars!
May 29, 2025
Ferain really said “once I figure out how to undoom her from the narrative the wedding is back on”
4.5 stars? Loved. I’ll be screaming into the void for the foreseeable future. I was obsessed with the freaky fucked up horror-fantasy worldbuilding, and I have 5 star feelings about Karys and Ferain (both as individual characters and as a complicated, nuanced, beautifully developed relationship). This was also just a deliciously thematically dense book, grappling with so many thorny topics: love and devotion and sacrifice, grief and faith, and quite prominently, bodily autonomy.
Much as I loved all that, though, I can’t deny the pacing was a bit odd. I think this should have either been broken into two books, or had a few elements pared down. There are some parts that honestly feel kind of random and disconnected—the book feels almost overstuffed. Not to mention the characters kept falling for the STUPIDEST most obvious traps that made me want to shake them.
Also: there’s no way that was really the end, right? I refuse to believe there isn’t a second book coming.
Also, also: this isnt a real critique, but this could and should have been hornier. The potential for an emotionally dubious and spatially improbable threesome feels tragically wasted.
4.5 stars? Loved. I’ll be screaming into the void for the foreseeable future. I was obsessed with the freaky fucked up horror-fantasy worldbuilding, and I have 5 star feelings about Karys and Ferain (both as individual characters and as a complicated, nuanced, beautifully developed relationship). This was also just a deliciously thematically dense book, grappling with so many thorny topics: love and devotion and sacrifice, grief and faith, and quite prominently, bodily autonomy.
Much as I loved all that, though, I can’t deny the pacing was a bit odd. I think this should have either been broken into two books, or had a few elements pared down. There are some parts that honestly feel kind of random and disconnected—the book feels almost overstuffed. Not to mention the characters kept falling for the STUPIDEST most obvious traps that made me want to shake them.
Also: there’s no way that was really the end, right? I refuse to believe there isn’t a second book coming.
Also, also: this isnt a real critique, but this could and should have been hornier. The potential for an emotionally dubious and spatially improbable threesome feels tragically wasted.
May 27, 2025
STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND GO READ THIS BOOK!!!
Asunder is a Dark Fantasy with eerie Eldritch horror elements. Filled with complex moral dilemmas and existential dread in a tense and adventurous narrative.
📖 Karys Eska is a Deathspeaker she has traded her soul to the eldritch god Sabaster for the ability to communicate with the dead. She pays the rent by using her abilities to investigate suspicious deaths around the troubled city she calls home. When a job goes sideways and connects her to a dying stranger with dangerous secrets, her entire world is upended.
✨ Review ✨
I was absolutely hooked from Chapter 1 and this fast became one of my favourite books of the year. I was instantly immersed into this world, it has that kind of world building that feels like an experience and you learn more and more as you go on rather than just being informed dumped everything in the first few chapters. For me this is what world building should be.
And the world itself is incredible, filled with atmosphere and imagination. There are parts of this world that feel so unique I wouldn't even know what to compare it to and the magic is woven into the story perfectly. It's a world I wish I could step into.
The prose is fantastic creating such a richly vivid picture in my mind. At times it has this beautiful whimsicality to it but it's also filled with tension that is eerie and unsettling. In this sense Kerstin Hall reminds me of T.Kingfisher in ways.
I absolutely love the gods and the creatures in this world. I'm so used to god's being unrealistically beautiful but here they are truly otherworldly, grotesque and inhuman. They bring moments of intense violence with underlining political intrigue and explore complex themes of death and faith in terms of religious beliefs and of the choices individuals make based on their beliefs.
But of course it's me so my favourite thing about this book is the characters. Karys and Ferain have my whole heart. Absolutely love the dynamic between these two. It's a slow burn that starts out with so much distrust and animosity and slowly develops into something so heartfelt.
But even individually they hold up so well and there were so many moments especially with Karys our FMC that had me feeling emotional as we explore the impact of childhood trauma on relationships, the complexities of love and grief, and the choices individuals make to survive.
We also have a strong cast of side characters. Everyone feels individualised and complex with their own hardships and struggles but they all bring something special to the story and together they make a fantastic group.
For me this was perfection I really don't have a single criticism. I just need you to read it.
Asunder is a Dark Fantasy with eerie Eldritch horror elements. Filled with complex moral dilemmas and existential dread in a tense and adventurous narrative.
📖 Karys Eska is a Deathspeaker she has traded her soul to the eldritch god Sabaster for the ability to communicate with the dead. She pays the rent by using her abilities to investigate suspicious deaths around the troubled city she calls home. When a job goes sideways and connects her to a dying stranger with dangerous secrets, her entire world is upended.
✨ Review ✨
I was absolutely hooked from Chapter 1 and this fast became one of my favourite books of the year. I was instantly immersed into this world, it has that kind of world building that feels like an experience and you learn more and more as you go on rather than just being informed dumped everything in the first few chapters. For me this is what world building should be.
And the world itself is incredible, filled with atmosphere and imagination. There are parts of this world that feel so unique I wouldn't even know what to compare it to and the magic is woven into the story perfectly. It's a world I wish I could step into.
The prose is fantastic creating such a richly vivid picture in my mind. At times it has this beautiful whimsicality to it but it's also filled with tension that is eerie and unsettling. In this sense Kerstin Hall reminds me of T.Kingfisher in ways.
I absolutely love the gods and the creatures in this world. I'm so used to god's being unrealistically beautiful but here they are truly otherworldly, grotesque and inhuman. They bring moments of intense violence with underlining political intrigue and explore complex themes of death and faith in terms of religious beliefs and of the choices individuals make based on their beliefs.
But of course it's me so my favourite thing about this book is the characters. Karys and Ferain have my whole heart. Absolutely love the dynamic between these two. It's a slow burn that starts out with so much distrust and animosity and slowly develops into something so heartfelt.
But even individually they hold up so well and there were so many moments especially with Karys our FMC that had me feeling emotional as we explore the impact of childhood trauma on relationships, the complexities of love and grief, and the choices individuals make to survive.
We also have a strong cast of side characters. Everyone feels individualised and complex with their own hardships and struggles but they all bring something special to the story and together they make a fantastic group.
For me this was perfection I really don't have a single criticism. I just need you to read it.
February 21, 2026
This is a really tricky one because for 50% of this, I thought it would be my first 5 star read of the year. The second half was less strong, but still enjoyable. But the final 50 pages or so have really made me re-consider.
First - that is one hell of an opening. Incredibly well-written, super strong author voice, we’re thrust into the middle of otherworldly terrors in a dark fantasy that feels real and alive and properly imagined. The horror aspects heighten everything, and I was immediately hooked.
This is the kind of book I wish I could write. The prose, description, creativity, imagination, world building - everything is top tier and feels incredibly refreshing and unique. Absolutely fantastic and I utterly adored it.
We have death speakers, genuinely terrifying monstrous meddling gods, different cultures and religions, workings and engineering, and a world that is reeling from a recent war.
Your hand is not held with this. You have to read the context and figure out what Bhatuma and Ephirite and heralds and workings are, and the countries, and who is in which camp and what that means. If you prefer more on-the-nose telling, then this might be trickier for you to enjoy. I liked it very much.
I liked that we had a majority female cast (rare in epic fantasy), we had bisexuality rep, trauma done well, and complex, slow growth and character development that felt very real and grounded.
Sometimes Eska could be a little too sarcastic/dismissive/angry, particularly at times where I felt communication and more growth might have happened, but that was only a minor gripe.
Most of my reading I go into without looking up the blurb or synopsis, to avoid any bias. Perhaps if I’d realised this would take a left turn into romance in the final hurdle of the book, I’d have been more prepared. But I really did not like it. It felt far too convenient, strong, unearned, and frankly ridiculous. To the point it made me reconsider my rating. (Wanting to run off to an isolated part of the world after knowing someone for three weeks and interactions mostly being platonic? I don’t buy it. And the random scene in the library?? And none of the former fiancés or old flames have any issues??) I understand it was needed for the ending to make sense (and set up for the sequel), but I found it very jarring, out of left field, and just didn’t work for me.
It soured the end of the book and now I don’t know how I feel about it as a whole.
First - that is one hell of an opening. Incredibly well-written, super strong author voice, we’re thrust into the middle of otherworldly terrors in a dark fantasy that feels real and alive and properly imagined. The horror aspects heighten everything, and I was immediately hooked.
This is the kind of book I wish I could write. The prose, description, creativity, imagination, world building - everything is top tier and feels incredibly refreshing and unique. Absolutely fantastic and I utterly adored it.
We have death speakers, genuinely terrifying monstrous meddling gods, different cultures and religions, workings and engineering, and a world that is reeling from a recent war.
Your hand is not held with this. You have to read the context and figure out what Bhatuma and Ephirite and heralds and workings are, and the countries, and who is in which camp and what that means. If you prefer more on-the-nose telling, then this might be trickier for you to enjoy. I liked it very much.
I liked that we had a majority female cast (rare in epic fantasy), we had bisexuality rep, trauma done well, and complex, slow growth and character development that felt very real and grounded.
Sometimes Eska could be a little too sarcastic/dismissive/angry, particularly at times where I felt communication and more growth might have happened, but that was only a minor gripe.
Most of my reading I go into without looking up the blurb or synopsis, to avoid any bias. Perhaps if I’d realised this would take a left turn into romance in the final hurdle of the book, I’d have been more prepared. But I really did not like it. It felt far too convenient, strong, unearned, and frankly ridiculous. To the point it made me reconsider my rating. (Wanting to run off to an isolated part of the world after knowing someone for three weeks and interactions mostly being platonic? I don’t buy it. And the random scene in the library?? And none of the former fiancés or old flames have any issues??) I understand it was needed for the ending to make sense (and set up for the sequel), but I found it very jarring, out of left field, and just didn’t work for me.
It soured the end of the book and now I don’t know how I feel about it as a whole.
March 7, 2025
2.75✨
I was really excited for this. I don’t know how to write this review or how I feel after reading it.
The beginning was 5✨ material - the world building was immaculate and the story unique.
My biggest issue with this book is that there’s one main plot that gets constantly thrown aside for smaller plot points… which didn’t seem to work for me? I just couldn’t follow the storyline because of this. I felt like I was reading plenty of *extra* materials inside the ongoing story but I only cared about the main plot.
The ending was vile. And I was kind of disgusted at some point? And the romance was ??? So unnecessary. Idk. I’m keeping this at 2.75✨ right now but I might lower it.
I was really excited for this. I don’t know how to write this review or how I feel after reading it.
The beginning was 5✨ material - the world building was immaculate and the story unique.
My biggest issue with this book is that there’s one main plot that gets constantly thrown aside for smaller plot points… which didn’t seem to work for me? I just couldn’t follow the storyline because of this. I felt like I was reading plenty of *extra* materials inside the ongoing story but I only cared about the main plot.
The ending was vile. And I was kind of disgusted at some point? And the romance was ??? So unnecessary. Idk. I’m keeping this at 2.75✨ right now but I might lower it.
October 10, 2025
What an absolute shame because this book probably had the coolest opening chapter I have ever read. But that’s really it..
I will say the world building was really good, mainly show not tell, we get this satisfying sprinkling of information as the world gets built out. That’s the reason I’m giving this two stars. The rest though? Just really did not work for me at all. It sucks because the world building being great kept me reading because I had faith that something interesting would finally happen, but it just didn’t..
Starting with characters, I felt like there was just zero character development. Both Karys and Ferain where exactly the same at the end of the book as they were at the beginning of the book, minus some decisions towards the end that I guess were intended to look like character development but all it did was just annoy me and had my eyes rolling. I could not care less what happened to them.
As for the side characters - they were just plot devices, there to execute a specific function and then they were done. I already forgot some of their names, and I just finished the book like 20mins ago.
The plot - it went something like this: Really cool beginning, then travel from point A to point B, then from point B to point C, then from point C to point D, and stuff happened along the way that’s just kind of convenient but the main plot never moves along. And I felt that the stuff that happened at the different locations were not cohesive with each other, just kind of multiple short stories roughly linked together.
I was really disappointed..
I will say the world building was really good, mainly show not tell, we get this satisfying sprinkling of information as the world gets built out. That’s the reason I’m giving this two stars. The rest though? Just really did not work for me at all. It sucks because the world building being great kept me reading because I had faith that something interesting would finally happen, but it just didn’t..
Starting with characters, I felt like there was just zero character development. Both Karys and Ferain where exactly the same at the end of the book as they were at the beginning of the book, minus some decisions towards the end that I guess were intended to look like character development but all it did was just annoy me and had my eyes rolling. I could not care less what happened to them.
As for the side characters - they were just plot devices, there to execute a specific function and then they were done. I already forgot some of their names, and I just finished the book like 20mins ago.
The plot - it went something like this: Really cool beginning, then travel from point A to point B, then from point B to point C, then from point C to point D, and stuff happened along the way that’s just kind of convenient but the main plot never moves along. And I felt that the stuff that happened at the different locations were not cohesive with each other, just kind of multiple short stories roughly linked together.
I was really disappointed..
August 31, 2024
I am going to cry an ocean with my tears before walking into it oh my fucking god
November 25, 2024
4.5 rounded up. I loved this! Kind of picked it up on a whim, but I sure am glad that I did. I’ll be back for more!!
July 31, 2025
4.25 ⭐️
April 20, 2024
I desperately hope that we get another book in this world from Hall. A direct sequel, a spin off, a bunch of short stories, a one woman show on Broadway that is then published as a play, I don't care what form it takes I WANT MORE.
This is by far one of the most inventive, gut-wrenching, and compelling fantasies I have ever read. There is no hand holding, you are thrown into this strange world with eldritch creatures and strange magic. I have never felt such empathy for a main character before while reading, I cried, feeling Karys's emotions as my own as she went on this difficult journey. The cast of characters is fantastic, from the friends to the enemies Karys meets along the way. The book is fast-paced and deeply immersive. I could not pull myself away from this book.
Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is by far one of the most inventive, gut-wrenching, and compelling fantasies I have ever read. There is no hand holding, you are thrown into this strange world with eldritch creatures and strange magic. I have never felt such empathy for a main character before while reading, I cried, feeling Karys's emotions as my own as she went on this difficult journey. The cast of characters is fantastic, from the friends to the enemies Karys meets along the way. The book is fast-paced and deeply immersive. I could not pull myself away from this book.
Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
January 27, 2026
What do you MEAN there's no sequel?! SOLARIS, PLEASE! You cannot leave us hanging like this! Asunder is too good, we the readers require book two. REQUIRE.
On a slightly more serious note, wow. If I were to pick faults with Asunder I would be nitpicking. Everything about this book is marvellous. The worldbuilding feels so unique. Here we have a high fantasy world that strives to feel very much like its own thing, and the magic system is super intriguing. It's clear that a lot of care and attention went into building these systems, and then present them to us, the reader so carefully. There's a little bit of dropping us into the deep end with strange and fresh fantasy terms that don't all get explained right away, but it's not so bad that it's a problem, in my opinion. Things are explained as they become relevant, so we learn at a more steady pace and aren't just inundated off the bat with exposition. That's solid fantasy writing right there.
Then the characters, oh lord the characters. Each one feels three-dimensional, fully realised. For a little bit I was wondering if perhaps Karys, the MC, was perhaps a little flat but no, I was wrong. She's just Very Traumatised and acts accordingly. But she feels and loves fiercely. And Ferain, oh gosh, what a good boy he is. I'm so tempted to attempt drawing him but I'm absolutely an amateur and that's an overwhelming thought. But really every. Single. Character. Has such depth. Their flaws, desires, motivations are all such a part of them, and their voices are so distinct. My hat goes off to Ms. Hall, frankly. There's nothing I love more than great character work and I was thinking about these idiots long into the wee hours last night.
Of course, this is a dark fantasy. And that means The Horrors. As a horror fiend: oh this was luscious. We've got Eldritch horror just oozing with blood and gore and creeping dread. Bargains for powers with entities that cannot truly be comprehended by the mortal mind. Absolutely excellent stuff.
And the story, of course. From beginning to end I was just so eager to know what was going to happen. I had my inklings about a certain twist though that was not down to predictability just my brain working out how best to hurt me. 😂 But Hall knew better how to twist the knife with that ending!! Absolutely rude. I'm not fond of cliffhanger endings and as far as I know, while she has been writing a sequel, it has not yet been picked up but you know I went off and subscribed to her newsletter to hear news because I NEED IT!
Anywho, Asunder is amazing. Please go purchase a copy and read it. If only to show the publisher that the demand is there so I can get my hands on a sequel. But it will 100% be worth your time, I swear.
On a slightly more serious note, wow. If I were to pick faults with Asunder I would be nitpicking. Everything about this book is marvellous. The worldbuilding feels so unique. Here we have a high fantasy world that strives to feel very much like its own thing, and the magic system is super intriguing. It's clear that a lot of care and attention went into building these systems, and then present them to us, the reader so carefully. There's a little bit of dropping us into the deep end with strange and fresh fantasy terms that don't all get explained right away, but it's not so bad that it's a problem, in my opinion. Things are explained as they become relevant, so we learn at a more steady pace and aren't just inundated off the bat with exposition. That's solid fantasy writing right there.
Then the characters, oh lord the characters. Each one feels three-dimensional, fully realised. For a little bit I was wondering if perhaps Karys, the MC, was perhaps a little flat but no, I was wrong. She's just Very Traumatised and acts accordingly. But she feels and loves fiercely. And Ferain, oh gosh, what a good boy he is. I'm so tempted to attempt drawing him but I'm absolutely an amateur and that's an overwhelming thought. But really every. Single. Character. Has such depth. Their flaws, desires, motivations are all such a part of them, and their voices are so distinct. My hat goes off to Ms. Hall, frankly. There's nothing I love more than great character work and I was thinking about these idiots long into the wee hours last night.
Of course, this is a dark fantasy. And that means The Horrors. As a horror fiend: oh this was luscious. We've got Eldritch horror just oozing with blood and gore and creeping dread. Bargains for powers with entities that cannot truly be comprehended by the mortal mind. Absolutely excellent stuff.
And the story, of course. From beginning to end I was just so eager to know what was going to happen. I had my inklings about a certain twist though that was not down to predictability just my brain working out how best to hurt me. 😂 But Hall knew better how to twist the knife with that ending!! Absolutely rude. I'm not fond of cliffhanger endings and as far as I know, while she has been writing a sequel, it has not yet been picked up but you know I went off and subscribed to her newsletter to hear news because I NEED IT!
Anywho, Asunder is amazing. Please go purchase a copy and read it. If only to show the publisher that the demand is there so I can get my hands on a sequel. But it will 100% be worth your time, I swear.
March 5, 2026
What I’ve learned in the current era of fantasy publishing is that I really care about fantasy, not as an array of cool gods and powers and magic carriages, but as a vessel through which meaningful and profound ideas can be explored. 20 hours of audiobook and I can’t tell you what a single element of this book was for. I couldn’t tell you much of anything about the characters as people. I couldn’t identify a core passion or moral center, a theme or a persistent question. The book felt purposeless, except as a forum for expansive but sometimes haphazard worldbuilding. In the end a lot of the world was empty as well: a lot of posturing from the characters and gimmicks without any apparent intention or connection behind it. It felt unoccupied. Or like a lower mid tier fantasy adventure anime from the mid 90s. (Slayers get behind me this is not about you.)
And it was so long. A book can be long, but only if it insists on longness after a rigorous edit. As I listened, however, I couldn’t stop thinking of a friend’s comment that Hall writes everything too much, and I found myself mentally shaving down almost every page. Hall persistently says three ways what could have been said in, at most, one. It suggests that she doesn’t trust that her reader will be able to catch her meaning; if every action and internal experience needs to be reiterated for you to feel confident that readers will get it, there’s a more extensive structural and thematic weakness in your story that needs to get sorted out. It did not get sorted and so we get herded like cats, to, again, spend 20 hours getting to the halfway point of the story.
Yet despite the herding, I couldn’t reach inside any of these characters, and I was amazed at how, having had Karys’s every thought painstakingly explained to me, I still didn’t know what she felt about, say, the deaths of her family members. It was frustrating. The book was frustrating. I want to know what it was all for.
And it was so long. A book can be long, but only if it insists on longness after a rigorous edit. As I listened, however, I couldn’t stop thinking of a friend’s comment that Hall writes everything too much, and I found myself mentally shaving down almost every page. Hall persistently says three ways what could have been said in, at most, one. It suggests that she doesn’t trust that her reader will be able to catch her meaning; if every action and internal experience needs to be reiterated for you to feel confident that readers will get it, there’s a more extensive structural and thematic weakness in your story that needs to get sorted out. It did not get sorted and so we get herded like cats, to, again, spend 20 hours getting to the halfway point of the story.
Yet despite the herding, I couldn’t reach inside any of these characters, and I was amazed at how, having had Karys’s every thought painstakingly explained to me, I still didn’t know what she felt about, say, the deaths of her family members. It was frustrating. The book was frustrating. I want to know what it was all for.
February 2, 2026
Hall brings the heat with this scorcher of a novel. Blistering with hellfire, it's the original adult epic fantasy everyone burns for in a sea of tepid YA romantasy.
This was a suprise Yuletide gift, a book of which I was unaware. I helpfully put "a book you think I'll enjoy" on my wish list and my wife and daughter chose this from a list of Nebula finalists. I made it my first novel of 2026 and it was a hit. The book's world is vast, richly populated, and alive. The writing is of excellent quality. I made myself slow down and take in all the luscious, effective description. It's a novel that demands attentive reading, effort which pays off. I was reminded of Kate Elliott's commitment to the work, and Richard Swan in the satanic, very real theology. The acknowledgements hint at a challenging process to work out many kinks from earlier drafts and make the whole thing pop; the outcome of all this effort was worth it, and any residual messiness works in its favour by keeping it honest.
The author is a Clarion West graduate and I have consistently found that authors from such a background (the Iowa Writers Workshop is another) rarely disappoint me. It's the antidote I need to all the unfiltered self-published things I've sampled in recent years. There's obviously something to be said for the process of writers who demonstrate sufficient talent and drive to be accepted to a top-tier training program to help them hurdle to the next level, and choosing to read books that emerge from this process rather than from any schmoe publishing the first novel they ever finished.
I have one lingering line of thought about gender lines in writing and publishing prompted by this book that I'm going to babble about now. Feel free to skip the rest, or tell me how wrong I am as needed. The thought is this: is this a novel for women? Of course it's not because I read and enjoyed it, but of course such a thing exists, but also of course there's no such thing because anyone can read whatever they want. Of course there are marketing extremes, like Mary-Kate & Ashley Starring in When in Rome with "Real Books for Real Girls" stamped across it; and of course there are plenty of books written and marketed strictly with women in mind, e.g. most romance and romantasy. But what about Asunder? It's written by a woman; five of the six author endorsements on the book cover are from female authors; the main character and every corporeal sidekick is female. The only male ally presents no threat because he doesn't have a penis. The only penis to fear is Satan's penis. It feels to me like it leans toward a female readership. It's a great book that can be enjoyed by anyone, but for this male gen-Xer whose opinion can safely be discounted, I can't shake that feeling.
It probably didn't help that (MINOR SPOILERS) the primary relationship in the book turned to romance by the end. It was perfectly fine being not that, but then it had to be that, and then both were like, "I INSIST ON SACRIFICING MY LIFE TO SAVE YOU!" and also, "OH NO, THE AMAZING PRETTIER-THAN-ME EX-FIANCEE JUST SHOWED UP," and that was very eeugh and unnecessary as far as I was concerned. It would have worked perfectly well for them to simply understand and greatly respect each other and develop a strong friendship and then stop there.
This was a suprise Yuletide gift, a book of which I was unaware. I helpfully put "a book you think I'll enjoy" on my wish list and my wife and daughter chose this from a list of Nebula finalists. I made it my first novel of 2026 and it was a hit. The book's world is vast, richly populated, and alive. The writing is of excellent quality. I made myself slow down and take in all the luscious, effective description. It's a novel that demands attentive reading, effort which pays off. I was reminded of Kate Elliott's commitment to the work, and Richard Swan in the satanic, very real theology. The acknowledgements hint at a challenging process to work out many kinks from earlier drafts and make the whole thing pop; the outcome of all this effort was worth it, and any residual messiness works in its favour by keeping it honest.
The author is a Clarion West graduate and I have consistently found that authors from such a background (the Iowa Writers Workshop is another) rarely disappoint me. It's the antidote I need to all the unfiltered self-published things I've sampled in recent years. There's obviously something to be said for the process of writers who demonstrate sufficient talent and drive to be accepted to a top-tier training program to help them hurdle to the next level, and choosing to read books that emerge from this process rather than from any schmoe publishing the first novel they ever finished.
I have one lingering line of thought about gender lines in writing and publishing prompted by this book that I'm going to babble about now. Feel free to skip the rest, or tell me how wrong I am as needed. The thought is this: is this a novel for women? Of course it's not because I read and enjoyed it, but of course such a thing exists, but also of course there's no such thing because anyone can read whatever they want. Of course there are marketing extremes, like Mary-Kate & Ashley Starring in When in Rome with "Real Books for Real Girls" stamped across it; and of course there are plenty of books written and marketed strictly with women in mind, e.g. most romance and romantasy. But what about Asunder? It's written by a woman; five of the six author endorsements on the book cover are from female authors; the main character and every corporeal sidekick is female. The only male ally presents no threat because he doesn't have a penis. The only penis to fear is Satan's penis. It feels to me like it leans toward a female readership. It's a great book that can be enjoyed by anyone, but for this male gen-Xer whose opinion can safely be discounted, I can't shake that feeling.
It probably didn't help that (MINOR SPOILERS) the primary relationship in the book turned to romance by the end. It was perfectly fine being not that, but then it had to be that, and then both were like, "I INSIST ON SACRIFICING MY LIFE TO SAVE YOU!" and also, "OH NO, THE AMAZING PRETTIER-THAN-ME EX-FIANCEE JUST SHOWED UP," and that was very eeugh and unnecessary as far as I was concerned. It would have worked perfectly well for them to simply understand and greatly respect each other and develop a strong friendship and then stop there.
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