REVIEW: Sundered Moon by Zammar Ahmer
Zammar Ahmer pushes boundaries and takes the concept of grey morality to a whole new level in Sundered Moon, the deliciously dark and exquisitely bittersweet finale to The Book of Astea duology. Full of both devastating losses and small hopeful victories, this exceptional story offers an altogether more nuanced, satisfying, and emotional twist on the grimdark genre.
Picking up seconds after the earth-shattering ending of Riven Earth, Sundered Moon reunites us with our compelling cast of deeply flawed (anti-)heroes as they have to grapple with the brutal consequences of their questionable actions. Nature’s threat to humanity grows ever more dire, a possible cure for the blood plague comes at a terrible price, dangerous revolts are brewing, and the wrath of the gods grows inescapable. Though even when faced with impossible odds and devastating moral dilemmas, the relentless fight for peace and balance continues, no matter how high the cost.
Now, as much as I love the satisfaction of finishing a series, I rarely find myself enjoying a sequel or finale as much as its predecessors because I often don’t feel genuinely scared for the fates of the characters. However, Ahmer brutally broke that pattern with Sundered Moon by uprooting all conventions, tropes and expectations to deliver an altogether more unique and engrossing story. I mean, ‘plot armour’ is clearly not a term in Ahmer’s dictionary, and I absolutely loved the high stakes and anxiety-inducing levels of emotional turmoil; these characters are put through the wringer, and absolutely nothing and no one is proven safe.
As impressed as I was with the character work in book 1, I think Ahmer just stepped up his game even more in Sundered Moon. We follow a large cast of incredibly complex and deeply flawed characters whose opposing goals and ambitions create a riveting sense of anticipatory dread, and rarely have I felt so conflicted on characters over the course of a series. They are all working towards what they think is right, but some of their goals are unattainable without hurting people; or should I say, without hurting the ‘wrong’ people, however they define that for themselves.
Though, while I loved getting a glimpse into the troubled minds of so many diverse characters, I do think the frequent POV switches (up to 8 or 10 times within a single chapter) sometimes slightly hindered my immersion. The pacing is already quite slow-burn, with most of the real action only taking place after the 70% mark, and I can see less character-driven readers than me starting to lose attention because of the slightly uneven pacing and lack of solid grounding at any given point.
All that said, I think it is remarkable how, after reading hundreds upon hundreds of fantasy books, Ahmer managed to completely surprise me with his bold storytelling decisions in Sundered Moon. The way that this entire conflict played out was just magnificently done, and I loved how my own sense of morality kept being tested when faced with the deep complexity and raw emotional vulnerability of these characters.
Moreover, I really love the breathtakingly beautiful yet unforgivingly brutal world that Ahmer has created here, especially as the immersive and evocative descriptions make this world feel so vibrant and lived in. Similarly to R.J. Barker’s style of world building, the entire flora and fauna is entirely unique to this world, which just sparked such a deep sense of wonder and awe. Moreover, the depth of the history and lore is truly astounding, and I loved exploring how religion, faith and magic are so intricately tied together in this story.
And then add to all of that the subtle environmental themes that lie at the core of both Riven Earth and Sundered Moon, which make the beautifully bittersweet ending of this duology hit home so hard. Some of the resolutions and reveals, especially regarding the more ethereal aspects of the ending, could have easily felt like plot conveniences in the hands of a lesser author, but I think Ahmer nailed the execution of this story by masterfully planting all the seeds and delivering a tragically believable level of sacrifice and loss.
Though while this series, and especially this finale, goes down some disturbingly dark paths and features characters more morally ambiguous than any you will find in Abercrombie’s First Law Trilogy or Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, I do think Sundered Moon offers a refreshingly inventive and more hopeful twist on the grimdark genre. The touching moments of hope and victory only feel so earned and impactful because we have experienced the deepest tragedy first; this is how you write a multi-layered and emotionally resonant story.
With The Book of Astea duology, Ahmer proves that a talented author doesn’t need thousands upon thousands of pages to deliver world building, character work, and emotional depth of the highest quality. If you like your stories dark, character-driven, and full of brutally bold twists and turns, then I can’t recommend Riven Earth and Sundered Moon highly enough. Ahmer has single-handedly raised the bar for any debut (indie) author with this duology, and I am truly beyond excited to follow along on his undoubtedly fruitful author journey.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Sundered Moon is scheduled for release on July 16th, 2024.
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