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Erisseth
499 pages, Paperback
Published February 20, 2024
1 person is currently reading
7 people want to read
About the author
Jake Zuurbier
5 books13 followersJake Zuurbier, born in 2002, is a multifaceted Dutch author whose creative endeavors span writing, photography & painting. As the founder of Apollo Imperium, he has established a platform that reflects his artistic passions.
In literature, Zuurbier is recognized for his innovative narrative techniques and unique perspectives. His debut novel, “The Detective,” published in February 2023, offers a modern and off-beat twist on classic murder mysteries. His second book, "Erisseth," released in January 2024, delves into themes of magic, love, and betrayal, showcasing his versatility as an author.
Beyond writing, Jake's artistic expression includes painting and sketching, with his visual art characterized by a blend of traditional techniques and contemporary themes. His works vary from realism to abstract. His photography reflects his keen eye for detail and composition
In literature, Zuurbier is recognized for his innovative narrative techniques and unique perspectives. His debut novel, “The Detective,” published in February 2023, offers a modern and off-beat twist on classic murder mysteries. His second book, "Erisseth," released in January 2024, delves into themes of magic, love, and betrayal, showcasing his versatility as an author.
Beyond writing, Jake's artistic expression includes painting and sketching, with his visual art characterized by a blend of traditional techniques and contemporary themes. His works vary from realism to abstract. His photography reflects his keen eye for detail and composition
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 27, 2025
I was lucky enough to get an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I have to say, before I have never read an ebook. So for me it was also getting used to read from my iPhone (since I don’t own an e-reader). This could also have had an effect on my reading experience.
About the book:
(I’ve tried to make this review spoiler free, however some mentions of things happening I could not leave out. So be aware before reading further from here).
I love reading fantasy books and I especially like stories where the ‘real world’ emerges with the fantasy world.
Erisseth is exactly this.
Immersive world building with the use of portals.
We follow Mikiya as the main character and protagonist. A young girl who watched her best friend disappear in a car accident. Years later she is still struggling with this big loss.
It’s very nice to see how, in the story, we see the struggles and also the lessons learned during this grieving process. It’s a big theme in this book.
Through some strange occurrences she lands in the realm of Erisseth. In this strange and new world Mikiya makes some new friends while trying to find a cure for a dark and mysterious phenomenon.
But is everybody who they say they are? Is everyone Mikiya meets on her journey to be trusted? Time will tell.
On her quest Mikiya travels through different realms through different portals. Which means this book contains a lot of world building and new places to get used to. During this journey we don’t even get to see all the realms Jake Zuurbier has had in mind. You can tell there’s a big world consisting in the mind of the writer.
As a reader it’s nice to be part of all these different realms. Though sometimes you get the feeling that you’d want to know about this realms, but then the journey continues in a new realm.
Also the solution to getting the different items and rhymes needed for the party to find a cure for the phenomenon they’re so eager to end feel sometimes a little bit rushed and superficial. Most of the time it feels to easy and you’re waiting for something to happen, but then nothing happens and they’re just traveling on.
All in all I have to say I enjoyed being in the world of Erisssth and I can totally see the love for this world by the author. It makes me wanting to know more, more depth to the worldbuilding, more depth in some of the dialogues. I totally recommend it if you want to expand your reading interests to portal hopping fantasy. This is an easy and good start. And I can see more stories happening in the world of Erissseth!
I have to say, before I have never read an ebook. So for me it was also getting used to read from my iPhone (since I don’t own an e-reader). This could also have had an effect on my reading experience.
About the book:
(I’ve tried to make this review spoiler free, however some mentions of things happening I could not leave out. So be aware before reading further from here).
I love reading fantasy books and I especially like stories where the ‘real world’ emerges with the fantasy world.
Erisseth is exactly this.
Immersive world building with the use of portals.
We follow Mikiya as the main character and protagonist. A young girl who watched her best friend disappear in a car accident. Years later she is still struggling with this big loss.
It’s very nice to see how, in the story, we see the struggles and also the lessons learned during this grieving process. It’s a big theme in this book.
Through some strange occurrences she lands in the realm of Erisseth. In this strange and new world Mikiya makes some new friends while trying to find a cure for a dark and mysterious phenomenon.
But is everybody who they say they are? Is everyone Mikiya meets on her journey to be trusted? Time will tell.
On her quest Mikiya travels through different realms through different portals. Which means this book contains a lot of world building and new places to get used to. During this journey we don’t even get to see all the realms Jake Zuurbier has had in mind. You can tell there’s a big world consisting in the mind of the writer.
As a reader it’s nice to be part of all these different realms. Though sometimes you get the feeling that you’d want to know about this realms, but then the journey continues in a new realm.
Also the solution to getting the different items and rhymes needed for the party to find a cure for the phenomenon they’re so eager to end feel sometimes a little bit rushed and superficial. Most of the time it feels to easy and you’re waiting for something to happen, but then nothing happens and they’re just traveling on.
All in all I have to say I enjoyed being in the world of Erisssth and I can totally see the love for this world by the author. It makes me wanting to know more, more depth to the worldbuilding, more depth in some of the dialogues. I totally recommend it if you want to expand your reading interests to portal hopping fantasy. This is an easy and good start. And I can see more stories happening in the world of Erissseth!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 29, 2025
I was very happy to receive an ARC and read Erisseth. I’m a sucker for “Alice in Wonderland” style tropes where the character falls into the unknown. The whole idea of crossing into another world full of strange, eerie rules really appeals to me and I really enjoyed this book. The pacing in the beginning was a little slow at times and I got a bit confused by some of the jumps between scenes or timelines.
That said, once the story settles into the other world, it really picks up and the emotional depth shines. It’s a raw, very personal look at grief and guilt, with some striking world building details. If you enjoy darker portal fantasies and don’t mind a bit of a slower start, you’ll probably really enjoy this one.
That said, once the story settles into the other world, it really picks up and the emotional depth shines. It’s a raw, very personal look at grief and guilt, with some striking world building details. If you enjoy darker portal fantasies and don’t mind a bit of a slower start, you’ll probably really enjoy this one.
July 28, 2025
~ ARC Review ~
First off, thank you Jake Zuurbier for allowing me to be part of your ARC reviewers. I had a lot of emotions run through while reading. This book is full of action, magic, friendship, betrayal, love, and more. I found myself feeling sad, happy, confused, scared, etc. everything Mikiya was feeling. Each character is thought out very well and don’t worry if you had some questions about the villain, it’s explained at the end! Now the reason I’m giving 4 stars instead of 5 is that I felt that the story was a bit long yet, some scenes felt too fast (mainly the action scenes) but that didn’t stop them from being exciting! The ending battle (to me personally) felt quick as well and like the book was building up to something huge but it didn’t feel as big as it should have been. The twists were very well done though. I loved the extra information at the end of the book. It explained a lot about some things I was stuck on and shows the world of Erisseth. I felt like I was learning its history! I also loved the ending with all the reveals and getting closure to some of the things mentioned throughout the book. To avoid spoiling, I’m not going to say anymore haha! Let’s just say I have some questions for the author and I need them answered NOW. Overall, I have to say that I’m genuinely impressed with how much planning, world building, and thought was put into this book and it was definitely a ride. Can’t wait to see what the author does next.
First off, thank you Jake Zuurbier for allowing me to be part of your ARC reviewers. I had a lot of emotions run through while reading. This book is full of action, magic, friendship, betrayal, love, and more. I found myself feeling sad, happy, confused, scared, etc. everything Mikiya was feeling. Each character is thought out very well and don’t worry if you had some questions about the villain, it’s explained at the end! Now the reason I’m giving 4 stars instead of 5 is that I felt that the story was a bit long yet, some scenes felt too fast (mainly the action scenes) but that didn’t stop them from being exciting! The ending battle (to me personally) felt quick as well and like the book was building up to something huge but it didn’t feel as big as it should have been. The twists were very well done though. I loved the extra information at the end of the book. It explained a lot about some things I was stuck on and shows the world of Erisseth. I felt like I was learning its history! I also loved the ending with all the reveals and getting closure to some of the things mentioned throughout the book. To avoid spoiling, I’m not going to say anymore haha! Let’s just say I have some questions for the author and I need them answered NOW. Overall, I have to say that I’m genuinely impressed with how much planning, world building, and thought was put into this book and it was definitely a ride. Can’t wait to see what the author does next.
July 28, 2025
I had the honor of being one of the first ones to read this wonderfull story. It really has been a journey!
Let me start of with the fact that I really enjoyed this story very much. It had wonderfull and quite deep storybuilding, characters are well thought out and feel quite real. I really loved the portrayel of grief and how Jake make our main character feel and live with her grief but also with the confusion of getting to know someone else after losing a loved one. That was very well crafted!
On the other hand, the pacing could have been a little more balanced. It starts of quite slow and all of a sudden we end up in a really fast paced, action packed slipstream. Where action scenes follow eachother quite quickly. With a lot of twists and turns. Although I really liked most of the plot twists the rapid succesion of them makes the book feel rushed and muddies the story a bit. Making it unclear what’s happening or make me have to go back in the story to try and figure out what is happening or how we got there.
Overall I really like the book and would love to revisit Erisseth again. The worldbuilding is good and opens the door for more books in this world, wich if that really happens I would love to read.
July 27, 2025
Five years after losing her best friend in a crash that never made sense, Mikiya isn’t expecting to be pulled into another world — let alone one filled with mist, monsters, and secrets she never saw coming. Now stuck in Erisseth, tangled in a prophecy she didn’t ask for, and paired with the broody Anzeru and fierce Neretha, she’s forced to face more than just the danger around her and figure out the truth.
The world-building is gorgeous. Each realm feels unique and rich, without ever being confusing or overwhelming. And the character dynamics? Some of my fave moments. Anzeru is broody, Neretha brings the fire, and Vane… Vane is that sharp, complicated one who instantly makes things interesting. The banter and tension between them was amazing.
It’s emotional and layered. If you love portal fantasies with strong characters, slow-burn tension, and stories that deal with loss — give this a shot.
The world-building is gorgeous. Each realm feels unique and rich, without ever being confusing or overwhelming. And the character dynamics? Some of my fave moments. Anzeru is broody, Neretha brings the fire, and Vane… Vane is that sharp, complicated one who instantly makes things interesting. The banter and tension between them was amazing.
It’s emotional and layered. If you love portal fantasies with strong characters, slow-burn tension, and stories that deal with loss — give this a shot.
July 22, 2024
Reyes, who lost her best friend in a car accident which she witnessed, gets transported to another world. When she gets there, she meets Ocell, a girl who lives in the forest of the realm they're in - together they see the purple mist for the first time, something that kills so swiftly and painfully that they see no other option than to report it to the king of that realm. There, they find out that they are the only ones who can go on a journey to find the cure to this mist. Because Reyes doesn't have much left at home, she agrees. nothing can be worse than the grief she sees everywhere back home. Together with Anzeru, their guide, they trace these ingredients while fighting monsters, enemies and most importantly, themselves and each other. A lot of love, loss, secrets and lies.
I really liked the idea of the story. It doesn't feel to heavy but at the same time it deals with some things that actually kind of healed me since I went through something similar some time ago (save for the fantasy world). The characters are really really fun and they have some depth that complements the plot which is really helpful. The fantasy world itself is very detailed and well thought out but it doesn't feel like it's shoved in your face, you just naturally learn all about it.
Props to the writer, because I really, genuinely enjoyed this read even though I'm usually a girly who likes to read shorter books. But even though this was 500-ish pages, I flew through them. I loved it.
I really liked the idea of the story. It doesn't feel to heavy but at the same time it deals with some things that actually kind of healed me since I went through something similar some time ago (save for the fantasy world). The characters are really really fun and they have some depth that complements the plot which is really helpful. The fantasy world itself is very detailed and well thought out but it doesn't feel like it's shoved in your face, you just naturally learn all about it.
Props to the writer, because I really, genuinely enjoyed this read even though I'm usually a girly who likes to read shorter books. But even though this was 500-ish pages, I flew through them. I loved it.
August 5, 2025
I really wanted to enjoy this, especially after reading “Darius”. But I really couldn’t get into this story. 100 pages in and I really wasn’t sure what was going on.
There was a lot of clunky dialogue between characters. So, for this I’ve just had to DNF. Maybe I’ll come back round in the future, who knows.
There was a lot of clunky dialogue between characters. So, for this I’ve just had to DNF. Maybe I’ll come back round in the future, who knows.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews