Kerstin Hall’s Asunder follows deathspeaker Karys Eska as she flees across a richly imagined world—from the man she accidentally bound to her shadow, from the forces that pursue them for reasons more frightening than she could imagine, from the terrifying entity that gave her her power and now wants something more.
This book had me in a death grip from the first pages. I loved Karys as a character—shrewd, a survivor who’s still kind against her better judgment—and the world she lives in has a lovely fresh take on transportation, opposing magics, the boundaries between countries, and wars between entities who seem not to care for the festering wounds they leave upon humanity. Ferain, the man accidentally bound to her shadow, is a delight as well. A situation I’ve seen become invasive, comic relief, or both in other books transformed here into something kind and gentle, recognizing the invasive nature of the binding and forming that forced relationship around dignity and consent.
The further we delved into what Karys and Ferain want and where they come from, the more I came to love them both and the way they treated each other’s vulnerabilities. I finished this one on a plane ride I expected to sleep on. I’d only slept a few hours the night before, but I was too close to the end to put it down. I’d recommend this if you’re into sharp prose, complex characters you can’t help but love, and a world that’ll keep its claws in you well beyond the final page.
Information about Asunder:
Author: Kerstin Hall
Publisher: Tordotcom
Release date: August 20th, 2024
Print length: 427 pages
