The First Ethereal

The Ethereal World #1

by E.L. Williams

Can love & magic save the world? Super empath Lilly is almost relieved to be living her last human life. With only her spirit guide Jack for company and the world collapsing around them, she longs for the peace of the Eternal Forest. When by chance, Lilly meets Storm, a widowed ex-witch who has lost her magic, both women discover that sometimes life can turn on a sixpence. As Lilly falls in love with life, Storm joins her old friend and retired vicar Henri on a desperate quest to find the only being capable of halting the apocalypse. Only the First Ethereal can decide whether there is enough good left in humanity to save it, but will the friends find it in time? Also hunting the Ethereal, but with murderous intent, is a group determined to maintain the status quo and ride out the apocalypse in luxury. The race is on – and the stakes couldn’t be any higher.

Genres: Fantasy, Ebooks, Fiction, Paranormal, Magic

430 pages, Paperback

Published October 31, 2020

About the author

E. L. Williams is the award-winning author of the Ethereal World series — witchy, character-driven fantasy novels where reluctant heroines harness the power of love, friendship, and wild magic to save the world.

The series spans four books, including The First Ethereal, The Blessing of Crows, and the standalone prequels The Magic Keepers and The Butterfly Witch, with a fifth on the way.

When she's not writing, Emma’s usually reading, gardening, or dreaming up ways to smuggle just one more houseplant past her surprisingly tolerant husband.


Join the readers’ club for a free short story https://elwilliamsauthor.com

Connect with Emma on Tiktok, Instagram, Facebook and Substack: @ELWilliamsAuthor

Reviews

[Fuffles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the main characters a lot but feel like there were a lot of side characters to keep track of. I also feel like the ending was quite rushed, and I would’ve liked the last few chapters to just be a bit more fleshed out.
But I’m definitely interested to see where it goes in the next book.

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm struggling to put into words how much I loved this book and why. It's so relevant and rooted in reality while still being full of real magic, with a sprinkle of hocus pocus for good measure!
The underlying message is so beautiful and made me cry at various points through the book. It threads hope into the most painful, hopeless situations and highlights the beauty of humanity without ignoring the awful parts of it.

The characters are relatable and, despite having clear goodies and baddies, the plot manages to expose the shades of grey in situations.

I was so moved by the story, it made me think and really look at my own beliefs and the way I've been acting simply by showing the complexity of the human experience.

I can't wait for the sequel!

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book.

At first I was enjoying it a lot. Jack and Lily had such an interesting relationship at the start and the backdrop of the story – a world on the brink of collapse – provided such a brilliant atmosphere. As more characters were introduced it was a little hard to keep up with all the POVs, especially since they were never specified. You had to guess the POV based on what was happening in the chapters.

Something else I really didn’t enjoy at the beginning (and this is a small issue but to me it felt big) was how the characters’ clothing sizes were not only mentioned but pointed out in what felt like to me was borderline disrespectful. I’m not going to go into detail here because this is just my perception of the writing and all I’ll say is that it did make me feel a little upset and uncomfortable (at two specific parts of the book).

Other than that, the story was actually really interesting and the characters did all have a role to play in the plot, so it was fun to see them all come together in the end. There was also a lot of commentary on our real world which I feel was done rather well and I enjoyed seeing that woven in with the magical whimsy parts of the story.

There were moments were I felt things were a little rushed. The ending is one of them even if I was not expecting that plot twist at all. Also, coming back to Jack and Lilly, I wished we got more time with them and got to explore their relationship because that was what initially drew me in. Unfortunately, the other characters took a lot of the spotlight away from them and I barely got to see them throughout the book.

[Julia Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully written and fully immersive story of magic and dark versus evil that resonates with the current state of the world. Legend states that the First Ethereal will arise at the end of days with a choice to make that will either ascend humanity into a new age of love and peace or damn it to a lowly existence of hate and violence.

Like many children, Lilly had an imaginary friend. The only difference is that Lilly is now an adult and Jack is still there. Storm runs the local café, and when she meets Lilly, she is instantly drawn to the waif-like young woman and offers her a home and a job. Storm’s best friend, Veronica, is the keeper of the magic library even though she possesses no magic herself. Henri lost his beloved wife some years previously, and her last message to him haunts him still.

As this group of people are drawn together by an increasing awareness that something is very wrong with the world, legends become true, and darkness sweeps across the land, contaminating everything in its path.

This is an engrossing page turner that made me very pleased I already had the second book on my Kindle, ready to dive straight into. With characters to love and hate, a steady build of tension with every page turned, and no guarantee of a happy outcome, this is for readers who love urban fantasy with a generous dash of magical wonder.

[James Clare · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where to begin, I assumed this was an "chosen one" story, I was assured by the author it wasn't, then there was a prelude to the story which doesn't shed much light on what the book will be about, apart from magic and a spirit guide. When speaking to the author I said Storm was an unusual name she said she met someone called Storm and she was a person who was spiritual and so when it came to create the character Storm was who it was always going to be.
I got through the book fairly quickly, I definitely bonded with the characters but I have questions:
What or who is Lilly? Is she the witness?
Is Storm the Ethereal?
Jack doesn't feel like a guide more like a lover, it's hard to trust Jack.
Was Lilly's transformation due to Storm's presence?
Apart from empath what else can Lilly do.
Storm seems to pull magical people to her, the magical family she built herself despite her condition seems odd.
The books even though magical, the other magical people use magic instinctively which somehow doesn't track, is there only a couple of magical libraries? Where do magic people learn? Is it more past down knowledge?

[Helen Garraway · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is so much to talk about in this book, that I hardly know where to start! What an amazing setting, combining humanity's disdain and lack of care for the world we live in with the final apocalypse of our own making, encouraged by an evil sect who want to wipe out everyone but themselves.

But the Earth and the spirits of the universe have one last throw of the dice, and the hunt is on for the First Ethereal to save the world. The spiritual world is well developed and the magic adds an additional dimension to the story. You feel for Jack as he struggles to fulfil his purpose, and not feel jealous as Lilly blossoms. There are so many strong characters; Storm and Isaac, Veronica, even Margot, and emotions run high as the story progresses.

Combine a variety of amazing characters along with a range of adorable pets - We all know Williams loves her animals - all cleverly intertwined as the book progresses and it's lovely to see them represented in this slow build adventure that grabs you and doesn't let go until the final explosive page.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Loved the characters. Highly recommended, and I can't wait to read book two.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a truly wonderful story that gives a frightening glimpse into where our world is headed, and some hope for the future of humanity in this alternative magical universe.

I felt like the layers of magic and spirituality unfolded alongside the main characters' own understanding of what was happening, so I felt just as in the dark as them but equally as captivated and uncertain by where the story would go next.

The story gathers pace throughout and I never wanted to put it down, as I was so gripped by the fate of the characters. I can't wait for the sequel to see which fascinating direction the story takes next.

[Ray Star · Rating 5 out of 5]

‼️Alert!!!

I don’t say this lightly…
But it HAS to be said…

✨This is genuinely the best book I’ve read since Harry Potter.✨

Absolutely ten out of five stars and I am itching for book two to arrive.

If you love magical fiction with characters to root for, a relatable narrative that could quite easily be our future, and twist and turns that keep you guessing right until the end, with *just* the right amount of romance - The First Ethereal is a must read.

Now to read A Blessing of Crows 🐦‍⬛ I have to know how this story ends!!!

Superb writing, absolutely beautiful.

[Madi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book from start to finish... Lilly is a great character who i found was easy to relate and feel attached to. Storm is such a amazing character I was instantly super interested in her story and what she had/was going through throughout the story. The way this book relates to the state of the world in real life was eye opening and made the story feel really real. I loved the entire concept of this book. And I am so excited to start on the next one!

[Steve Candler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story and you get drawn into the characters. Slight feeling that the end was quite rushed, perhaps would have liked a little bit more detail, though did make it quite dramatic. Quite light in a way, but worth reading.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! I feel like I’d love to read a sequel to find out even more about the characters.

[Aimee Schornig-Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book, beautiful characters and such a lovely, natural flow through the whole book. Would love another instalment❤️

[Marilyn Sitar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t stop reading!

Read it all in one sitting. Couldn’t stop reading it! Very different story line but very good. If this is your genre, you won’t be disappointed!

[Rachelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really loved this book! It was really easy to read, lovely story line and great characters. I love the small village coffee shop owner vibe. Definitely recommend

[Jo Lockhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to follow after I have read the series

[Yvonne Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the characters and the story looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

[Hayley Hemming · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh wow! I enjoyed this book and all the characters that were involved throughout the story. There were quite a few to keep track of and some of them, I don't really remember (but they were people that I didn't really care much for anyway!)

I really liked the premise of the book and where the story was going, especially learning all the things we did about them all.

Loved Lilly and Storm's friendship too and Jack was a favourite from the beginning.

I did feel as though the ending was a little rushed and would have loved to have seen more of the conflict and more of the fight that happened and the powers that were revealed etc.

However, I still really enjoyed the book and I can't wait to read the second one to see where it'll go!

[read. by. emma_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Magical Adventure. Spoiler-free ✨️

When I first read 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘌𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭, I shared a quick video with some of my thoughts, but after finishing the next two books and falling even more in love with E.L. Williams’ writing, I realised I hadn't done a proper review. So here it is. 📖

I was already intrigued by the premise—lost magic, a secret library, a world on the edge of collapse, but what I didn’t expect was just how deeply I’d connect with these characters and the heart of the story. It’s the kind of book that quietly draws you in, layer by layer, until you realise you’ve been completely swept away.

The world E.L. Williams has created is rich and feels so real, full of mystical elements, but grounded in very human emotions. Beneath the magic, there’s a powerful sense of loss, survival, and hope. Lilly, a super empath nearing the end of her final human life, is ready to let go—until she crosses paths with Storm, a once-powerful witch who’s lost her magic. From there, everything changes.

I adored watching their connection grow. Lilly, who felt she never truly belonged, begins to find a sense of home and family for the first time. And Storm… there’s just something about her. That quiet resilience, the vulnerability she rarely shows, and her fierce protectiveness She quickly found her way into my heart.

The story is full of emotion, tension, and the kind of magic that lingers in the background until it suddenly knocks the wind out of you. There’s a race to find the First Ethereal before dark forces get there first, and every chapter pulls you in a little deeper. E.L. Williams adores animals, and they’re woven in beautifully. 🐾

I absolutely devoured this book. It’s immersive, moving, and impossible to put down. Having now read 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘴 and 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘒𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴, I can say this series just keeps building in the best possible ways.🥰

If you love found family, layered characters, and the kind of magic that wraps itself around your heart, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘌𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 belongs on your shelf.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I shouldn’t have left it as long to review since finishing the book.

What I do know is that I really enjoyed it. The characters was relatable and they were well built on throughout.

It was a definite page turner, particularly towards the end where things get a little more scary.