Whispers of Aelthoria

by Makhtuum Anifowose

What would you sacrifice to save a kingdom?

Aelthoria survives on power, obedience, and truths buried so deep they’ve become law. When Nova Dravenyl is torn from Earth and forced into its deadly machinery, survival is her only goal.
Not loyalty, not destiny, and certainly not becoming the weapon the kingdom needs.

But Aelthoria didn’t take her by accident.

With rival disciples and the relentless threat of the Drekkyuls push her to the edge. Nova is forced toward power she never asked for. To survive, she must decide who to trust, what to sacrifice, and how much of herself she’s willing to burn to claim the fire in her veins.
Every alliance is fragile. Every secret cuts deeper than the last. And escape is no longer the simple answer it once was.

Calix, the kingdom’s most feared prince, should be her enemy. Instead, he becomes something far more dangerous, a watchful presence she cannot outrun, and a temptation she cannot trust.

In a world where loyalty is currency and power demands blood, Nova must decide what she’s willing to become… before Aelthoria decides for her.

Genres: Fantasy

555 pages, Paperback

Published February 14, 2026

Reviews

[seema · Rating 5 out of 5]

writing? fantastic. story? spectacular.
this book got me hooked just from the first word alone. and what followed then at the end of the first chapter made me stay for the whole book.
this book is the type of book that makes you stay up till 3 in the morning just to read “one more chapter” when in reality that ‘one chapter’ turns into ten more. also started slowing down my reading towards the end since i didnt want the book to end because it’s THAT good and i knew i’d want more.
overall a well written, easy to read book. the similes used in this book were actually so amazing, it connects things that i wouldn’t think of in a million years so perfectly. the writing of the fight scenes was also incredible.
i hope a book 2 will come out after this one but if not i’ll still be looking forward to reading more books from this author hopefully!!

‼️⚠️⛔️SPOILERS⛔️⚠️‼️

WOAH WHERE DO I EVEN BEGIN W EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED NEAR THE END???
- the twin’s mom not being dead?
- draxil willing to experiment on the twins after all that trouble to make him king?
- i knew lucien was sus when he was so willing to help b4 even knowing about anything he’s going to be helping in but then i started to think that he was actually stupid but boy was i wrong.
- sage’s death broke me. like actually. I excepted if any of the friends are gonna die it would be nymira but never in a million years would i have guessed sage. “"Thank you," she whispers. "For letting me have a sister again." Her eyes flutter weakly. "E-even if it was only for a little while."” LIKE WDYMMM STOP PLAYING W MY HEARTTT AHH.
- selis lwk has a crush on nova, cant convince me otherwise 🤷🏻‍♀️ also if calix betrays nova later on pls make nova and selis end up together lmaooo.
- nebula, nebula, nebula. i dont know what to say and what not to say ab her 😭. I dont like her is all i’m gonna say. I get her at times cuz she was kept in the dark but she’s still easily manipulated. second book better give her a character development situation but it still wont undo what she’s done😔.
- selrira’s death when?
- veyric dying 😍😍.
- evania not being dead?
- so many unanswered questions, i need book 2 like yesterday. (I hope there’s gonna be book 2)

[Courtney Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow wow wow ! this book was something else .

I was lucky to be an arc reader for this book and it did not disappoint.

The story like was amazing and beautifully written. the author went into amazing detail about the characters the scenery and it really helped to draw a picture of where and what was happening.
I loved that the plot started straight away and stayed strong through out the book, you would thing you are finally getting to the end and figured it all out, but another bomb is dropped and you are questioning everything again.

The characters are really well written and I loved that the FMC was fierce and strong. The MMC I enjoyed the yearning through out the book and considering it doesnt have any smut in and we didn't have any like love interactions ( kissing) till the end of the book I really enjoyed. I loved the side characters even though they was only side characters they are well written to the point you remember them.

I was gutted with the betrayal from Lucien and this book made me cry when sage died ! like girl you was meant be signing that tree again in the future!.

I really enjoyed this book and would deffo recommend this to anyone who wants a strong FMC and plot twist after plot twist! I can not wait for more books from this author 🖤

[Sofia Rose💙 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I officially finished this book today🥰and I’m honestly so happy I got to read it and discover the world of Althoria.❤️
This story stayed with me for over a month, and besides being busy, there were times when I purposely paused reading just because I didn’t want it to end.😭

I think that Nova and Calix’s story is a true enemies-to-lovers romance, exactly what I’ve been searching for. The fantasy world and magic system were also everything I needed from a book ,an escape from reality.
Especially for a debut novel, I think this book did an amazing job in so many aspects. The characters had depth and personality, the pacing felt satisfying, the events unfolded naturally, and the tension was THERE the entire time.👀

I also really want to talk about Nova, because I’m genuinely so satisfied with her character. I love female protagonists who are badass, strong, independent, and confident ,women who don’t rely on a man. for me i think what made Nova special is that despite everything she’s been through, deep down she still has such a kind heart. She wouldn’t wish harm on anyone, yet she would defend herself fiercely and never let people underestimate her or bully her. She is strong and am mad that my girl cried more than she laughed 😭 so please give her some happy moments(would appreciate more if those happy moments were with a particular prince 👀) anyway!!! i think she is my favorite charachter 🤭,she is exactly the type of female character I look for in books.

As for Calix… we didn’t get his POV until around 200 pages in, and it was completely worth the wait.
His aura and personality showed the dangerous prince energy. every small moment between them felt so intense which is exactly what we want from an enemises to lovers!!!🤭
his cold dangerous aura at first, made the moments were he defended her, noticed small details about her ,or showed kindness to her, really special,
the slightest affection felt huge,and Some parts genuinely kept me awake all night😭.

i also wanna talk about the plot twists Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen, the story surprised me with another shocking twist,not once, not twice, not three times 😭 but in a way that actually felt satisfying .

So to conclude: I literally just finished the book, and I’m honestly angry for Nova, my poor girl (iykyk). I did not expect it to end that way at all. But at the same time, it feels like the story still has SO much left to tell. Now that I reached the ending, it almost feels like Book 1 was only the beginning ,like an introduction to the characters and the world.

I’m excited to see how Nova develops in the next book, how she’s going to fulfill what she promised, and maybe even give us that revenge arc👀. And her relationship with Calix!!! we need more, i think there s so much more to tell!! I’m really looking forward to seeing how their story unfolds, and I honestly hope Calix becomes a true safe space for Nova in the future , someone who sees all her wounds and loves her deeply, because our girl has been THROUGH ALOT, she deserves to have someone by her side and i hope it would be him.

so i definitely would recommend the book especially if someone is just getting into this genera ❤️

[sabsooba · Rating 3 out of 5]

LIGHT SPOILERS FOR EARLIER CHAPTERS!!


im in LOVE. i’m genuinely so glad i got the chance to read this early. i’m OBSESSSEDDD with the story and the small details that were put in🥹THIS BOOK BROKE MY READING SLUMP I SWEARR im so excited to get a physical copy and annotate it😋
i finished this pretty quickly the first time and ended up restarting it to get a clearer sense of everything

one thing i really loved was the atmosphere and some of the imagery. its vivid and easy to picture: for example, a really strong one was “The room is too quiet, as if the walls themselves are holding their breath,” which creates a really clear and tense image almost. however, there are also places where the metaphors feel more vague or shallow. for example, “the darkness presses down on me like something alive.” sounds deep, but it’s hard to picture what ‘something alive’ means in that context, so the image feels a bit unclear. + some metaphors or phrases are repeated, like: “Stone and spires wrapped in ivy, watching us like something alive. “ + phrases like “a roar cuts through the house” felt a bit vague too, it could be thunder, a person, an animal, etc. making these comparisons more specific and/or using a more diverse range of writing techniques that don’t follow the basic structure [(the noun) (verb) (the subject) like (metaphor)] would make the imagery feel more consistent.

the main thing i struggled with in the first chapters was structure, especially in chap1. a lot of really major things happened very quickly: her mom being murdered, the reveal that Nova and her sister weren’t from earth, the dad not actually being their father, and then being taken away. because it all happens so fast, i wasn’t always sure how to process it as a reader. it almost felt like i didn’t know if i was reading something happening in real time or something being retold after the fact. that made it a bit confusing to ground myself in the scene. therefore because of that fast pacing, the reader doesn’t always get enough of nova’s internal reaction beyond physical stuff like her chest tightening, heart racing. we don’t really get to sit in her thoughts. for example, when selis reveals what happened to her mom, it moves pretty quickly into the next line of dialogue without showing what’s going through novas mind. slowing those moments down and adding more of her internal voice would make the emotional impact much stronger.

another noticeable aspect is that there’s a lot of dialogue back to back, especially in early chapters, which sometimes makes the story feel more like a script rather than a fully immersive scene (which goes back to the last thing i mentioned.) breaking the dialogue up with internal thoughts would help balance it out.

in chapter 2, the timeline can feel slightly confusing. it starts a week later, but then it feels like it shifts into a memory, and it’s sometimes unclear whether we’re seeing something happening now or something nova was recalling. a clearer transition or a subheading that labels whether the chapter is present time or a flashback would help.

in terms of writing, i did notice that the story relies a lot on short sentence fragments and ellipses, especially in emotional scenes. example:
“Home. Mom. The life that used to make sense. I reach for memories, but they slip like water through my fingers. Her voice feels distant. Her laugh, her warmth, her scent, fading. All our photos, all the pieces of her, left behind. I have nothing here. Not even something small to hold. It makes me feel hollow. Untethered. Like she’s disappearing a little more every second.”
the idea in this section is really strong and genuinely emotional. but because so many of the lines are broken up like this, the rhythm starts to feel repetitive and it slightly weakens the impact. letting some thoughts flow into longer sentences would allow the emotion to build more naturally instead of feeling cut up.
+ nova’s internal voice and dialogue rely (i’m saying relies a lot oops) heavily on ellipses to show pauses. using them so often can sometimes take away from the tension. instead of the (…) it would be more effective to show those pauses through her environment: her throat tightening, a long beat of silence, or her fidgeting with something. it would make those quiet moments feel a lot more atmospheric and less repetitive.

there are also moments of repetition in actions. for example: nyla dropping multiple things— a spoon, a plate, a glass. because it happens several times, it slightly reduces the tension.

FOR CAAAALLLIIIIIXXXXX😍😍😍😍😍😍😍 i think he has a strong presence as a love interest, but right now he feels a bit more like a familiar archetype than a fully distinct character?? hope this makes senseee but i feel like giving him more specific traits, reactions, or moments that show something unexpected about him would really help him stand out and not feel like the same character recycled.

from a character perspective, i think nova has a lot of potential, ESPECIALLY emotionally. as someone who relates to the feeling of not really belonging anywhere (the dedication in the beginning of the book hooked me INSTANTLY), i feel like the first few chapters are really important for establishing that connection. however, i felt like we saw more world building and dialogue than her actual thoughts, so my understanding of her felt a bit surface-level at times. for example, when she has the panic attack, i didn’t feel as shaken as i think i was supposed to, because i didn’t fully understand what she had been holding in beside mentioning missing her mom a couple times. going deeper into her internal world earlier on would make those emotions hit much harder (ANDD i thought it’d be cute to add a prologue where it shows how their life was for them, or how their mom was as well just to build a bond with the two sisters.)

one thing i LOVED that was so unique and original and unlike what i’ve seen in other books: THEIR APPEARANCES CHANGING WHEN THEY ENTERED THE KINGDOM. such a cool detail and added a really interesting layer to the transition. i wish it was highlighted more throughout the book because i feel like it connects a lot to how the sisters feel alienated in aelthoria, like they’re losing everything they once knew including something as little as their appearance + the way they recognized their features aligned with malik and their mother instead of the dad on earth 🥹

also something else that could really improve the reading experience would be adding a page at the beginning with pronunciation guides for character names and places 😭😭 maybe it’s just me who’s stuck up on pronunciation but i find it hard to stay focused and immersed when im unsure how to say a word, especially with how the world is detailed and the names being unique.

ultimately, i believe the story has a REALLY strong foundation. the world is interesting, the concepts are engaging, and there’s a lot of potential in characters. most of the things i noticed are more about clarity, pacing, and refining the writing style rather than anything major.

[xxwriterluna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of this book and I am super glad I did.

The biggest trope in this book is definitely enemies to lovers, and this is one of the REAL ones where they are actual enemies. It was refreshing to read, I'd gotten so used to those "enemies to lovers" where they simply don't like each other and then fall in love. THIS IS NOT THAT 😍

Get ready to read lines such as:
"Little flame,” he murmurs, “Careful, I might start thinking you enjoy talking to me.”
And
“She doesn’t know it yet.
 But I will burn this system to the ground before I let them take her.”

On top of the romance, the story itself is also really interesting and the plot twists were not at all predictable. I found myself putting the book down several times unable to believe what just happened. There is especially a plottwist(actually a few but one in particular as well) toward the end of the book that made me want to scream. I don’t want to spoil it but when you read it... you'll probably know.

My main hesitation with the book is the writing. At many times it is good but there were unfortunately a few things I didn't like and which made the book a bit harder to read which sucks because the story was actually lovely.
Shortly explained, the things I disliked were at times confusing dialogue, a lot of character descriptions at once which made it harder to get to remember, things being repeated, many methaphors, writing sometimes felt a little too dramatic even in moments that weren't and a few smaller mistakes in the writing.
However as this is a self published book I don't want to let that drag it down too much as again I think the story is worth it.

Overall, I do recommend the book and I am super excited to read the upcoming novella!

[Amber 🍓🪩✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is absolutely amazing!! It sucked me in from the start. The world building and characters were written beautifully! The back story for calix and his hatred towards nova at the beginning makes complete sense but also him not being able to stay away from her. I ate that up🤭
The ending however!! I NEED THE SECOND (cannot wait for the novella)

[Cheyenne Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very promising start to what I think will be an amazing series!! I’m ngl the pov switch in part 2 had me gagged. I love me a dual pov and having Calix’s pov made this 4 stars for me. The author did an amazing job of making the tone between Nova and Calix’s pov’s completely separate. It genuinely felt two different people which was amazing. Some New York Times authors have an hard time doing that so kudos. And omg that ending?!
I can’t wait to read more from the world of Aelthoria!

[Dodo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven’t read this yet BUT I JUST KNOW I’LL LOVE THIS, will be back when I’m done!

[Aya Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

looks really interesting, can't wait to read it soon

[Fatima · Rating 5 out of 5]

lovee the plot and im super excited to read this book cant wait!!

[Maria Alali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok so i didn't expect this but this book made me cry. Honestly thank you maakhtum for writing such a great book! You're officially third on my list of authors who made me cry.
I love the romance between nova and lucien. I actually really love lucien. Not as much after what he said to her. But still he was trying to protect her from what he thought was danger.
Also i like how nova and calix slowly go from enemies to lovers. I would've loved it more if they stayed in the awkward 'to' phase that would really make the moment they become lovers even more satisfying.
I also liked how a lot of characters felt like they actually had a life instead of just being there for the sake of being there. There's a lot going on between characters behind the scenes which actually really makes you curious on what on earth are they doing. Especially veiyren and nebula. I genuinely want to know what makes her love him so much. It might be selrira manipulating her but if its not that i really want to know what made her like him so much.
I also remember there being other kingdoms in aelthoria which i'm really curious about. I really want to explore the drekkyuls more. What are they other than the monsters that everyone deems them to be? Clearly rowyn isn't bloodthirsty.
I also found myself curious about the bloodstone and shattered crown. I wanted to see the bloodstone being used.
Overall great book, im honored to have received a digital copy to read before getting an arc copy of the novella. I can't wait!!!!

[Elize Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, wow and wow. Calix, Little Flame, Sage 😭. I was incredibly lucky to be able to ARC read Whispers of Aelthoria and it DID NOT disappoint. This book absolutely had me hooked and had me in all the feels. Sadness, anger, grief & rage. I thought I’d had the story all figured out and then nope plot twist after plot twist. It was an incredible read and had me hooked from the start!

I don’t want to give a lot away but the FMC Nova is strong, fierce and her character development throughout the book is incredible. The yearning from the MMC throughout this book was intense and literally had me gripped. It was great to read a book where the author managed to portray this so well without any smut!Additionally, the betrayal in this book, oh my goodness 😭.

It you love these tropes, you’ll love this book:

✨ Enemies to lovers,
✨Tension,
✨Yearning,
✨Romantasy,
✨“Hurt her and you’ll die”
✨Politics,
✨Morally Grey Characters,
✨Dangerous Alliances,
✨Academic Setting,
✨Betrayal,
✨Magic and Dark Secrets.

Some of my favourite quotes:

♥️ “ I see a heart that is bruised… a heart so big, it keeps giving, even when it never gets anything back”,

♥️ “Did I steal your breath away Little Flame?”,

♥️ “I’m not the only one who feels this… like my heart burns when you’re near”.

Please please please tell me you’re considering a book two 😭. That ending?!?Cannot wait to read more of your writing, thank you so much for letting me read and review this ✨🥰.

[nadia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually had a really fun time with Whispers of Aelthoria. The whole magical setting immediately pulled me in, and I really liked discovering Aelthoria alongside Nova rather than having everything explained at once.

There’s SO much going on here, and I was constantly wondering what was actually going on and who I could trust. Which was also one of my favorite things, just how much there was to uncover. I especially liked the darker side of the world because underneath all the magic and beauty, there’s clearly something much more unsettling happening.

Nova and Nebula’s relationship was also one of my favorite parts. Their bond gave the story a more emotional side.

Overall, this was an exciting and emotional fantasy read with magic, secrets and plenty of questions that left me wanting answers (which I mean as a compliment).

[Reham Thair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg where do I even start🤭 This book was everything, from world building to the plot, the characters and the unexpected plot twists until the very end!

I'm so lucky to have been provided an ARC of this book. I loved reading every single moment, it was truly incredible abd I never once felt bored. The story was so well crafted, and after ending on that cliffhanger I can't wait for the ARC of the new upcoming novella🥰

[Tanisha Sardar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. From the plot to the characters to the storyline, everything. It's soo wel written. My first fantasy book ever and it did not disappoint 👏🏻👏🏻

[Richaunda Heath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the book. It had multiple plot twist especially at the end with the cliffhanger. The right amount of tension for enemies to lovers. I will definitely recommend

[layan ghalayini · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best fantasy books I've ever read . If you love The Cruel Prince you're going to absolutely love this book 📖 ❤️.

[Lenna Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished this book a few days ago and it was great! A lot of unexpected twists and a great storyline.

I really liked the character and absolutely enjoyed the ending! 4 ⭐️!

[Hailey Daniels · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading and this book is so good I suggest you guys should read because wow love it❤️

[Nora · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the blurb itself and the few chapters i've read so far, i'll have to say it's amazingggg, and for a debut novel this book is rly good!!!
Can't wait to complete it soon