Our Tethered Worlds

Our Tethered Skates #2

by Naadhira Zahari

Layla has resumed her school life and figure skating lessons, settling back into the routine of everyday life. A new neighbour moves in next door, igniting a friendship that brightens her days. Just when everything seems to fall into place, Verglas beckons.

In the kingdom of ice and snow, turmoil brews. Negotiations with the Frosts stall, while the Settlers stir up trouble. Juggling her ordinary life with her duties as a Warrior, Layla strives to restore peace.

But, when a complication arises, trapping Layla between two worlds, she faces an impossible choice. Should she save the kingdom for the greater good? Or should she selfishly rescue a friend before he perishes?

128 pages, Paperback

First published March 31, 2024

About the author

Naadhira has been writing since she was 15 and has never stopped. She spends most of her time getting sucked in books and daydreaming about fictional characters. She’s a lover of words and languages and aspires to make all her dreams come true, specifically to publish all her stories. She can also be found on Bookstagram, Twitter and Blog at @legenbooksdary

Reviews

[Aishah Humaira' (Mermaird ♡) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The hellos in this book made me happy, but the goodbyes made me want to crumble and cry my heart out :(

Our Tethered Worlds by Naadhira Zahari is the second book in a duology and sequel to Our Tethered Skates. In this book, Layla reunited with Bam and befriended a new neighbour named Wonu. I adore their friendship so so much! ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

I’m a sucker for tight knit friendships that reads like a found family trope, so the ending of this book broke me to pieces ㅠㅠ No spoilers for you guys but please, prepare your hearts. I can hardly believe a book this short is capable of making me bawl my eyes out, snot and all.

My favourite character in this series will always be Bam, and I’m grateful of the change he made within befriending Layla. As for most disliked character, it’s still and probably will always be Queen Cayra. She could have made more effort as a queen to a whole kingdom instead of waiting for a teenager from another world to save the day. But I guess it’s thanks to her that Layla was able to come to Verglas and even learn about the true meaning of friendship and making sacrifices.

Many thanks to Bookiut for sending me a copy of this book in exchange with my honest review!

[✨ sufina ✨ (thebadassreader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

✫ The author really said 'welcome back to Verglas ... for me to break your heart' 💔

✫ The storyline picked up after Our Tethered Skates. This book was more sunshine and rainbows (mostly) as compared to the previous one.

✫ I was happy to be back in Verglas but I wish we spent more time there. While I enjoyed the friendship development, I didn't expect that we would be getting that as the main story.

✫ Hence why I was bumped when the turmoil that was happening in Verglas wasn't explored well. I found myself flipping pages back and forth to see if I missed any important information but to no avail.

✫ However, this goes without saying, Naad is a talented writer and since it's a novella, the word count limitation may be one of the reasons why some things couldn't be developed further.

✨ Overall, I enjoyed the moments I had with the characters and if you listen closely, you'll hear my heart still shattering 💔

My rating: 3.5⭐️

[E-Lynn Kok · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you listen closely, you might think you hear the rumble of an avalanche. No, it's not my hungry tummy; it’s the sound of my heart giving up with a valiant roar. This sentence may not make sense to readers unfamiliar with the book, but it captures the intense emotions within. So, here it stays!

As a novella, "Our Tethered Worlds" has much to say within its few pages. The fast-paced narrative left me finishing the book sooner than I’d have liked. Verglas is once again in turmoil, and Layla steps in to save the day. But do the sacrifices justify the victory?

For a queen, monarch, ruler, and leader, Queen Cayla proves to be as useful as a soldier in an army. Instead of leading negotiations for peace with the Settlers and enforcing her power to maintain the hard-won peace from the first book: "Our Tethered Skates". She leaves these responsibilities to a teenager from another world. This underscores that power is only effective in the hands of someone worthy.

Naadhira is a wonderful writer who writes with her heart. The influence of K-Pop and Seventeen is evident in this book, with their cameo adding a wholesome touch to the narrative. I cannot wait for more from her!

[Huda Harith · Rating 4 out of 5]

my first thought, WHY naadhira WHY?

first short story which made me cry. not that hard but yeah.

i kinda wish the leader of Settlers is Maya hahaha. not sure why. maybe there is plot twist she survived and then fight side by side.

overall 4 stars from me. keep it up!

[Najwa | naj.reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

NO NO NO NO NO NO WHY WHY WHYYYYY

[ninnnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

so cuteee love it!!

[han · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book is probably targeted to middle schoolers which explains the straightforwardness in the writing style. i tried to love this book but it is not doing it for me. characters are underdeveloped and transitions between plots are too abrupt (which is probably due to the word limit but it took a toll on the reading experience a lot)

[Amani · Rating 4 out of 5]

— this one deserves 0.5 stars more than our tethered skates because someone shed a tear early in the morning while reading it (for the ending) :D

[Atkah Yahya · Rating 4 out of 5]

So we’re back to Verglas!
This story picked up one year after the event in Book 1, Our Tethered Stakes.
There’s not much I can say about the story without spoiling the plot but OTW has been an amazing reading experience.

It didn’t focus so much on the war and Maya’s absence as the first did, but more on the strong friendship forged between Layla and Bam along with a new character. Also, Queen Cayla remains my most disliked character in the book.

However, it was the story ending that floored me. It broke my heart as well as healed it. While I wanted a little bit more from the ending, I thought it was an entertaining duology. I wonder if the author will expand the universe?

[Misshann · Rating 4 out of 5]

the writing in this book is MILESSS better than the first one —props to the author!
i read the acknowledgment and it seems the author isn’t done with the story yet???? here’s to hoping she’s returning a certain character 👀 back because i am fuming 😤

also layla’s better than me. i’d let the world burn to “save” my loved ones — which makes her an actual Warrior of course heh

[Sufiah Shahril · Rating 3 out of 5]

BAMMMMMMMMM T.T

[Ainun Agustine Budiyawan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Svt fanfiction

[erisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

easy and cute read

[mea devina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Final book to read before 2024 ends

[Thes · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://itsthesuraya.blogspot.com/202...

[nrh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me go and cry

[Anastasia Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ending truly got to me — oh, Naadhira, it was such a comforting read from the start that I never anticipated the sequel would melt me the way the 'character' did. :')