Aliferous Book Review (& Author Interview!)

Hello and happy Wednesday!

I am so excited to share this post with you today! Recently, I was blessed to read one of the best books I’ve read in a long time – and it releases tomorrow! That book is the collection of short stories, fairy tales, and poetry called Aliferous by Alissa J. Zavalianos.

So today, not only am I sharing some information about this beautiful book, but I’m going to be sharing my personal review AND an interview with the author herself! I can’t wait to share these with you, so let’s get started!

First, some info about the book!

The Story Blurb

Aliferous adj. winged; having wings

A starling calling songs in the middle of the night, owls taking a young girl on a journey, a swan charm bracelet holding more meaning than it appears, a steampunk aircraft on a harrowing misadventure, parched sands where a roadrunner keeps a grieving man alive…

In this collection of short stories and poems-both adventurous and bittersweet-you’ll find birds are everywhere. Whether mentioned outright or simply by themes of flight, hope, beauty, and freedom, this collection is for everyone who has ever had a dream or longs to spread wings of their own.

My Review

Several months ago, I was thrilled to receive an ARC copy of this beautiful collection, and I can’t say enough good things about it. This is the first collection of short stories and poetry that I’ve read in years so I was a little worried that I might not enjoy it, just because of the change in style from my usual reads. But that wasn’t the case at all, and I’m definitely going to be snagging a paperback copy of this book for rereads!

This collection is comprised of four sections, as the title shares: Fairy tales, Adventure, Romance, & Whimsy/Poetry. Because of how it’s broken up, I’m going to review this a little differently than I typically do, but I can honestly say I enjoyed every section in the book. Each one held strong stories, inspiring lessons, and charming prose, and I would feel comfortable loaning this to absolutely anyone, thanks to it being 100% clean.

In the Fairy Tales section, my absolute FAVORITE story was Coal of Smith-Harrow. By the end, it nearly made me cry with the touching reminders of worth and belonging that I – and I’m sure many others – can relate to. It was such a fun spin on the Cinderella story, but delivered in a charming new setting, with likable and mysterious new characters, and again, precious and inspiring themes. The romance was sweet and completely clean. I would gladly read an entire series around those characters. I’ll continue with the rest of the review now, but I had to gush about that story first <33

As for the other stories in that section, each one held its own special lesson, theme, and meaning. Anna Belle and the Seed was immediately intriguing, and contained some thought-provoking questions amidst the cute and silly storytelling. Crescent was cute, imaginative, and whimsical, and left me wanting more. And The Legend of the Lighthouse Keeper hooked me from the start with its poetic and mythical style of storytelling.

My favorite story in the Adventure section of the book would probably have to be The Tale of Markhus Roder. While short, there are so many deep questions and themes packed inside, and they’re delivered with lots of heart. I love Robin Hood themed stories anyway, and this one is one of my favorites now. I called one of the twists, but loved it all the same, and I admire how the author explored the nuances of both good and bad in people.

Enjoy this gorgeous line from that story <33
“Sunshine and talons. Joy and grief. Perhaps life was a mixture of the two.”

As for the many other stories in the Adventure section, I again enjoyed each and every one of them. Stories in the Dark got my attention right away because, well, pirates AND Irish influences? What’s not to love? Especially with a healthy dose of adorable children and vivid imagination. Storm-Crow was fast-paced with great foreshadowing, a clear and interesting setting, and a puzzling predicament for the protagonist. I also love the moral that the author included at the end.

Like Stars in the Sky started with an intriguing conflict, and ended with some truly touching character change, with fun connections, creative names, and sad backstories in between. I enjoyed the twist on Peter Pan, and how unique the elements that the author added were. This is another story I’d absolutely read an entire series about (hint hint). And lastly, Captain Maverick of Tarkin left me contemplating my life, but in a good way. The steampunk setting was fun and new to me, and the worldbuilding and backstories were both heartbreaking and well-written. I liked that, while not perfect for the characters, the ending still contained hope.

When I reached the Romance section, I was more hesitant. I love fairy tales and adventure, but I tend to be more picky with my fictional romances. If that’s you too, I’m happy to say that I enjoyed all of the romances that the author included in this section. They were clean, sweet, engaging, and reminded me of my husband, which is always a good thing, haha. <3

My favorite story in the Romance section would be The Swan and the Masquerade. I could relate to the protagonist from the start, and between the well-timed jumps in time (flashbacks to present), and the adorable end couple, I finished the story smiling. I disliked a couple of the characters that I was definitely supposed to dislike, but otherwise it was an all-around adorable story with good themes. The setting was also very fun, because who doesn’t like period masquerade balls?

The other two stories in that section were also cute. Second Chance Robin was a fun little glimpse into a story (that felt like it could easily be developed into a longer series) with an amusing ending, and fun, mostly likable characters. Parched Sands made my heart hurt for the main character and his family, but it ended with a much needed glimmer of hope. The worldbuilding for that story and the sad flashbacks kept me invested, and I would (again, this is a recurring theme) read an entire book about that storyworld.

And finally, for the Whimsey/Poetry section. Though I’ve written poetry and read a bunch of old poems, it’s been a long time since I read a significant amount of others’ poetry. I didn’t realize how much I missed it!

The poems in this section were so sweet and beautiful. I’m not going to go through them individually because there were quite a few and I have the same comments on nearly all of them: they’re hopeful, cute, full of good reminders, inspirational, and TRUE. Some of the poems were lighthearted and made me smile, others made me tear up, and still others just left me feeling motivated to be a better person – which is something I admire in writing. The author has a beautiful style of poetry.

So all of that to say, I highly recommend this collection. What expectations I had were blown away and I know this is going to be a comfort read when I’m looking for some fun, quick, and hopeful stories, and/or when I want to gift someone a book and be sure they’ll enjoy it. If you’re on the fence, go ahead and give it a try! I can guarantee you’ll find at least one story you love (if not more).

Themes: True love, family, hope, light overcoming darkness, friendship, forgiveness, humility, grace, strength in hard situations, trust, acceptance, and true beauty.

Content warning: G-rated. Rare use of d*rn and h*ck, and one use of h*ll (to describe a situation). Non-described kisses. Mention of a drunk and of a character that smokes. Fairy tale magic. Loss, grief, fighting, and mentions of characters dying in the past. In my opinion, everything was tactfully covered, and I would feel comfortable with my young siblings reading the material.

**I received a free copy of this book from the author. I was not required to leave a review and all thoughts are my own.**

And now, the special interview with the author herself! I’ve loved getting to know Alissa more over the past few months, and her consistent and peaceful content never ceases to make me smile. Her writing is so wholesome. Aliferous is such a sweet and beautifully-written collection, and I’m thrilled for you all to meet the author behind the stories. Let’s jump into it!

Interview With the Author

Bella: Hello and welcome to the blog, Alissa! Thank you so much for being here today, and congratulations on the upcoming release of your newest book, Aliferous! I’m so excited for you! First, can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Alissa: Hi Bella, thank you so much for having me; this is a huge treat! Some things about me are that I’m on the quest to own at least 1,000 physical books to finally be classified as a library, I have a floofy cat named Moo who was also Rylla’s companion in my debut novel The Earth-Treader, and above all, I love Jesus and my family.

Bella: When did you start writing? Was it love at first paragraph, or did it take you a while to realize your fondness for writing stories?

Alissa: I started writing in the 4th grade, and my love for the fantasy genre really blossomed in the 7th grade. But it wasn’t until college where I really started taking my writing seriously. I began the first draft of The Earth-Treader my senior year of college back in 2016, and then I put it on hold for four years. In January 2020, I picked up the threads of that story and started from scratch, later publishing the novel in December of that same year. Since then, I haven’t looked back.

Bella: You’ve mentioned that Aliferous is a work that’s taken years to compile. Were there certain inspirations behind the stories in this book? If so, do you remember what they were?

Alissa: I remember many of these stories were written, or were simply just ideas at the time, even before The Earth-Treader ever came to be. I started writing short stories before full-length novels, and I think a lot of the inspiration for these tales stemmed from simply wanting to create and go on adventures. I’ve always had an active imagination, and I felt that writing these stories whisked me off to distant places in ways that I’ve always dreamed of. So I guess the desire to create was motivation enough to even begin.

Bella: Do you have a favorite story in this book? How about a favorite poem? Why?

Alissa: I have a soft spot for Coal of Smith-Harrow. This was one of the few stories I actually wrote while Unearth the Tides was undergoing edits, so it came later than the majority. I just think the story is really sweet, and I love the setting. And I think my favorite poem is the one about Cats (ironic since the collection is about birds haha); but Moo was largely an inspiration for that one.

Bella: That was my favorite story, too! It’s such a sweet tale. And the Cats poem is so fun as well. What are some of the main themes readers can expect to find in Aliferous?

Alissa: Readers can expect themes of flight, freedom, forgiveness, brokenness, healing, adventure, heartache and loss, hope, courage, and redemption.

Bella: Who would you say is the target audience for Aliferous? Are there types of readers you think will enjoy it most?

Alissa: My target audience is for young adults, but I think readers young and old can still find something meaningful within these pages. If you’re someone who loves adventures and deep themes, then I think this collection could be for you.

Bella: I’d definitely echo that! Where do you want your writing to take you? If you could choose where you’ll be in 10-15 years, what would your life look like?

Alissa: I am usually a pretty present-minded person, so thinking that far ahead overwhelms me or doesn’t usually cross my mind. I’m so thankful to have published what I have within these four years or so, and I’m just excited to see where the Lord will take me next. I do hope to keep writing and publishing, but I’m not worried about the timeline.

Bella: What’s one thing you want readers to take away from Aliferous?

Alissa: I hope readers walk away from Aliferous encouraged and inspired to dream a little deeper, fight for courage, and to cling to child-like wonder. Too often as adults, I feel we get bombarded by the harshness of reality, that sometimes it’s nice to retreat within the pages of adventurous storytelling, the kinds we grew up reading as children. There’s never a wrong time to go on an adventure.

And as for all the Biblical themes interwoven throughout the stories and poems, my prayer is that readers can see the heart of Christ a little clearer. That He is good. He is the Maker of all things. And He is why we can dream and create in the first place. All glory to Him.

Bella: That’s so beautiful. And I have to ask…do you have a favorite kind of bird? And if so, what is it?

Alissa: Yes! I have 6, in fact, and they are all listed in my poem titled “My Favorite Birds.” They are the Tufted Titmouse, Northern Flicker (yellow), Eastern Bluebird, Northern Cardinal, Gray Catbird, and Barred Owl.

Bella: That was such a fun poem! Lastly, and this is very important, what’s the next book on your TBR?

Alissa: I am currently reading and loving Andrew Peterson’s Wingfeather Saga, so I’m really excited to keep going and finish that series soon. Otherwise, I’m hopeful to get to Dave Barry’s Peter and the Starcatcher’s Series too!

Bella: I hope you enjoy both series! Thank you so much again for coming on the blog today, and congratulations on your upcoming release!

About the Author

Alissa J. Zavalianos grew up in New Hampshire and currently lives there with her wonderful husband and their adorable cat Moo. As a child, she always had a love for nature, books, and fairy tales, and as she grew older, that love bloomed all the more. Alissa loves Jesus and is inspired by birds, mountains, castles, Tolkien, Lewis, and the way a cold breath of wind feels on her bare toes.

Learn more and connect with her at her website (click here) or on her socials (click – Instagram & Facebook)!

Are you planning to read Aliferous? Does it sound like your kind of book? If so, don’t forget to look for Aliferous tomorrow (click here to find more information and purchase links)! Or if you’d prefer, you can even preorder it today so that it gets to you as soon as it possibly can!

Happy reading, and thank you so much for supporting Alissa’s release!

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