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Aithyr Uprising #2
New Worlds Wake
A desperate deal with the king was only the beginning.
With the former queen dead and enemies poised to strike, Satiros stands on the brink of war. Marietta and Wyltam race to secure new alliances, but her homeland in the east greets them with mistrust. Her people doubt the intentions of a half-elf tangled in a foreign court’s machinations, questioning where her true loyalties lie.
As an iros chosen by the deity Therypon, Marietta’s divine favor unsettles the nobles. The old order, wary of divine interference, sees her presence as a disruption to the fragile balance they cling to. Suspicion grows, and the whispers against her multiply.
Caught between the gods and her enemies, Marietta must help Elyse to uncover the secrets of the fey—a mystery buried in a cryptic list of books. With every step they take, the threat of war looms closer, and they must expose their enemies before darkness consumes them all.
New Worlds Wake is the second book in the Aithyr Uprising series, an epic romantic fantasy filled with political intrigue, magical conflict, and characters who walk the line between right and wrong. In a world where power is never freely given, every choice has a price.
With the former queen dead and enemies poised to strike, Satiros stands on the brink of war. Marietta and Wyltam race to secure new alliances, but her homeland in the east greets them with mistrust. Her people doubt the intentions of a half-elf tangled in a foreign court’s machinations, questioning where her true loyalties lie.
As an iros chosen by the deity Therypon, Marietta’s divine favor unsettles the nobles. The old order, wary of divine interference, sees her presence as a disruption to the fragile balance they cling to. Suspicion grows, and the whispers against her multiply.
Caught between the gods and her enemies, Marietta must help Elyse to uncover the secrets of the fey—a mystery buried in a cryptic list of books. With every step they take, the threat of war looms closer, and they must expose their enemies before darkness consumes them all.
New Worlds Wake is the second book in the Aithyr Uprising series, an epic romantic fantasy filled with political intrigue, magical conflict, and characters who walk the line between right and wrong. In a world where power is never freely given, every choice has a price.
- GenresFantasy Romance
734 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 7, 2024
28 people are currently reading
466 people want to read
About the author
Eri Leigh
4 books101 followersRead the first 3 chapters of A Queen's Game for free! Click here for more details.
Eri Leigh is the author of the Aithyr Uprising series, beginning with her debut novel A Queen’s Game. Known for its court intrigue, dark secrets, and layered characters, the series continues with New Worlds Wake, with more to come.
Her writing draws inspiration from a lifelong love of fantasy and from authors such as N. K. Jemisin and Sabaa Tahir. With a style that blends intricate plotting and emotional depth, Eri creates stories that offer both sweeping adventure and richly immersive worlds.
Connect with her on social!
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Eri Leigh is the author of the Aithyr Uprising series, beginning with her debut novel A Queen’s Game. Known for its court intrigue, dark secrets, and layered characters, the series continues with New Worlds Wake, with more to come.
Her writing draws inspiration from a lifelong love of fantasy and from authors such as N. K. Jemisin and Sabaa Tahir. With a style that blends intricate plotting and emotional depth, Eri creates stories that offer both sweeping adventure and richly immersive worlds.
Connect with her on social!
TikTok
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
November 7, 2024
5/5⭐️
Holy crap, what a ride!! Book two really picked where we left off and took off. If book one was the steady climb up the initial hill of a rollercoaster, book two is us speeding down and the loops.
Loved that we got introduced to two new POVs. Though, despite not being a POV, Wyltam still might be my favorite character. I love him. I fall for him. Yet I’m never certain what he is up to, if he is possibly playing the long game? He’s not a perfect ruler but he understands the best it’s truth and its limitations and I love when he drops those hard truths on others. Like when he threw out the line “I know, you thought you were helping. The same hubris as Valeriya, believing you were doing good, but your scope was too narrow.” Damn.
I also really enjoyed how flawed Marietta and Elyse are. It’s refreshing when so many FMCs lately are flawless and perfect, or their flaws are superficial like “my biggest flaw is I work too hard.” Gag. Not these two. They mean well, but they’re naive and seeing the world with so much idealistic hope that it’s leads them to shoving their feet in their mouths. I want to shake them some times, but I like how the author has me understanding where they are coming from and giving them consequences to their actions. For example, while I’m not a fan of a main character getting almost unlimited power, I like here it was the character’s choice & you can see that they are making it out of ignorance and a rose colored glass dream. It’s like watching a child run head first into something you know is disastrous yet they keep waving off your warnings.
This book also has set us up for a whole lot more to come. I cannot wait for book 3
Thank you to author for providing an advance reader copy of this book for my honest review.
Holy crap, what a ride!! Book two really picked where we left off and took off. If book one was the steady climb up the initial hill of a rollercoaster, book two is us speeding down and the loops.
Loved that we got introduced to two new POVs. Though, despite not being a POV, Wyltam still might be my favorite character. I love him. I fall for him. Yet I’m never certain what he is up to, if he is possibly playing the long game? He’s not a perfect ruler but he understands the best it’s truth and its limitations and I love when he drops those hard truths on others. Like when he threw out the line “I know, you thought you were helping. The same hubris as Valeriya, believing you were doing good, but your scope was too narrow.” Damn.
I also really enjoyed how flawed Marietta and Elyse are. It’s refreshing when so many FMCs lately are flawless and perfect, or their flaws are superficial like “my biggest flaw is I work too hard.” Gag. Not these two. They mean well, but they’re naive and seeing the world with so much idealistic hope that it’s leads them to shoving their feet in their mouths. I want to shake them some times, but I like how the author has me understanding where they are coming from and giving them consequences to their actions. For example, while I’m not a fan of a main character getting almost unlimited power, I like here it was the character’s choice & you can see that they are making it out of ignorance and a rose colored glass dream. It’s like watching a child run head first into something you know is disastrous yet they keep waving off your warnings.
This book also has set us up for a whole lot more to come. I cannot wait for book 3
Thank you to author for providing an advance reader copy of this book for my honest review.
August 23, 2024
OMFG I JUST FINISHED THE FIRST BOOK I AM DYING I NEED THEM TO BE OKAY
November 9, 2024
I love this series
There is a LOT going on. And there is a lot yet to come. I highly recommend this series. I enjoy following the different characters, wouldn't mind if wyltam was one we followed in the next book would love to be in his head
There is a LOT going on. And there is a lot yet to come. I highly recommend this series. I enjoy following the different characters, wouldn't mind if wyltam was one we followed in the next book would love to be in his head
November 28, 2024
Did I finish the book or did it finish me ?
I can't put into words how much I love this series and what it means to me. The whole book was a big exilarating adventure, and the story ended on such a big cliffhanger!!! I can't believe everything that went down I the last 20% it was amazing !!
Screaming, crying, throwing up….. what an ending!
but first lets rewind, New Worlds Wake opens a few months after the end of book 1, with 2 new POVs joining the story, the pace moved pretty swiftly, same as the preparations for the war and the nuptials of a certain couple
Nothing could have prepared me for the ways the story developed and I have to say I calmly moved over the story so that I could properly focus on it but still it was hard to stop myself from reading it in two days.
all the choices the characters made in book one have consequences and the new ones they make in this book all join together for high stakes and secrets upon secrets to discover
I can't put into words how much I love this series and what it means to me. The whole book was a big exilarating adventure, and the story ended on such a big cliffhanger!!! I can't believe everything that went down I the last 20% it was amazing !!
Screaming, crying, throwing up….. what an ending!
but first lets rewind, New Worlds Wake opens a few months after the end of book 1, with 2 new POVs joining the story, the pace moved pretty swiftly, same as the preparations for the war and the nuptials of a certain couple
Nothing could have prepared me for the ways the story developed and I have to say I calmly moved over the story so that I could properly focus on it but still it was hard to stop myself from reading it in two days.
all the choices the characters made in book one have consequences and the new ones they make in this book all join together for high stakes and secrets upon secrets to discover
December 2, 2024
Rounding up from a 4.5 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫 situation! This was awesome but I didn’t quite love it AS MUCH as book 1. But obviously still excellent & I’m excited to see where rhis goes! Plot, pros, cons, & spoilers 👇🏼
PLOT
Picking up where book 1 left off, Marietta is now betrothed to King Wyltam & set to be the new Queen of Satiros, so we follow her having to learn the intricacies of court life as well as expanding her presence with the deities. Plus we see how the elven population of Satiros responds to the pilinos Queen-to-be. We also still follow Elyse as she starts her new role as King’s right hand woman, dealing with the fallout from her failed betrothal to Az & what he & his people are going to do. There are some new POVs, lots of new worldbuilding, & twists galore. This book has:
- elves, humans, mages, deities, & fey lore
- reluctant allies to lovers
- scorned exes
- politics on politics
- toxic relationships
🚨 SPOILERS ⚠️
PROS
- I am annotating like a mad woman. The way this plot is coming together is so good.
- The last 20% of this book was amazing. No one was safe. Holy shit this took a turn in the best, most stressful way.
- The characters are written so well & are so flawed. The context for their flaws js extremely well explored.
- Honestly Keyain’s chapters were awesome & infuriating & devastating. He is a self-proclaimed decent enough male who has done terrible things & he is learning the consequences of those actions in real time. I really enjoyed his Before chapters where we got a slice into his time with both Wyltam & the toxic relationship & career ascent he experienced with the queen. His death was devastating. “In the tunnel he exhaled one final time, feeling the familiar sense of loneliness that had never left him. Even as he died, Keyain was alone.” This WRECKED me.
- WYNN. 😭😭😭😭 Completely devastated. This was so well written as was Elyse’s accompanying grief.
- Elyse’s journey has been super awesome to read. How her relationships develop now, how she throws herself into work, how her personal style has reflected this, how her magic & physical training has gained her confidence. She’s becoming a real badass. & then to basically sacrifice herself for everyone at the end. Ugh.
- I am also deeply looking forward to her chapters next book how that she’s in Chorys Dasia with Sylas & what Az does regarding being mated & his sister’s condemnation.
- Amryth has also been a fun journey & I enjoyed her chapters as well.
- I absolutely adore Wyltam. I respect the long game he has been playing politically & how his words can be the most dangerous currency he trades in. I love that he lets Marietta take charge even when it leaves mess after mess for her to clean up. I love how he’s a forever student. His backstory is so layered and rich. He’s such an interesting character & we keep peeling back layer after layer & he just keeps getting better.
- I also love that Marietta & Elyse’s hiding TBR truth of the Fey from Wyltam & court didn’t just get forgiven & swept under the rug. The response to this betrayal was done exceptionally well IMO.
- THEY BETTER NOT HURT SWEET BABY MYCAUB.
- The ultimate betrayal from Tryda & co wasn’t surprising but damn if they didn’t basically end the world over a human.
- Queen Valeriya being alive after all wasn’t a shock but I’m glad she’s going to take up arms & join the fight.
- I like how the Fey are portrayed! We get a lot of super human-esque Fey & I’m liking seeing them in their more brute animalistic forms.
- The Orcs! Super interested in more of them. I knew from the the second Keyain described how the squirmishes went down they weren’t the evil they were said to be.
- I’m not totally sure how I feel about the temples specifically BUT I knew Marietta was going to become an Iros of all deities so hopefully she takes Wyltam up & learns some magic because she could be soooo badass.
CONS
- I loved Marietta so much in book 1 & I think the things I loved about her didn’t translate to here. She’s whipsmart & thoughtful in book 1 & I feel like she wasn’t the calculating woman we met. She would think through every scenario before as a business consultant & now she’d just make a sweeping demand/declaration with no thoughts to the consequence. Wyltam was constantly cleaning up her messes & this particular brand of brazenness didn’t feel like the same version we got in book 1 that I fell in love with. & for her to have no interest in magic knowing how it could help her individually but also the message it would send more broadly? That felt off from her. She’s idealistic (& they’re great ideals) & she was in over her head which is definitely the cause of some of her bad ideas. But I just missed her being more calculated & thoughtful, so she was a bit of a bummer unfortunately for a lot of the book (& she was my fave FMC in book 1).
- Because I wasn’t loving Marietta this book her POVs felt like they dragged sometimes.
OTHER THOUGHTS
- I am hoping Marietta being an Iros to all doesn’t end up making her an unstoppable magical force. I hope there is limitation, lessons, & obstacles with that. Just because I’m sort of tired of that trope in romantasy & I think this series explores things with more nuance so I’m excited to see how her skill develops.
- Marietta will def catch Wyltam in some sort of half truth with her Iros power.
TLDR this series rules & I’m extremely excited for more. 🙌🏼
PLOT
Picking up where book 1 left off, Marietta is now betrothed to King Wyltam & set to be the new Queen of Satiros, so we follow her having to learn the intricacies of court life as well as expanding her presence with the deities. Plus we see how the elven population of Satiros responds to the pilinos Queen-to-be. We also still follow Elyse as she starts her new role as King’s right hand woman, dealing with the fallout from her failed betrothal to Az & what he & his people are going to do. There are some new POVs, lots of new worldbuilding, & twists galore. This book has:
- elves, humans, mages, deities, & fey lore
- reluctant allies to lovers
- scorned exes
- politics on politics
- toxic relationships
🚨 SPOILERS ⚠️
PROS
- I am annotating like a mad woman. The way this plot is coming together is so good.
- The last 20% of this book was amazing. No one was safe. Holy shit this took a turn in the best, most stressful way.
- The characters are written so well & are so flawed. The context for their flaws js extremely well explored.
- Honestly Keyain’s chapters were awesome & infuriating & devastating. He is a self-proclaimed decent enough male who has done terrible things & he is learning the consequences of those actions in real time. I really enjoyed his Before chapters where we got a slice into his time with both Wyltam & the toxic relationship & career ascent he experienced with the queen. His death was devastating. “In the tunnel he exhaled one final time, feeling the familiar sense of loneliness that had never left him. Even as he died, Keyain was alone.” This WRECKED me.
- WYNN. 😭😭😭😭 Completely devastated. This was so well written as was Elyse’s accompanying grief.
- Elyse’s journey has been super awesome to read. How her relationships develop now, how she throws herself into work, how her personal style has reflected this, how her magic & physical training has gained her confidence. She’s becoming a real badass. & then to basically sacrifice herself for everyone at the end. Ugh.
- I am also deeply looking forward to her chapters next book how that she’s in Chorys Dasia with Sylas & what Az does regarding being mated & his sister’s condemnation.
- Amryth has also been a fun journey & I enjoyed her chapters as well.
- I absolutely adore Wyltam. I respect the long game he has been playing politically & how his words can be the most dangerous currency he trades in. I love that he lets Marietta take charge even when it leaves mess after mess for her to clean up. I love how he’s a forever student. His backstory is so layered and rich. He’s such an interesting character & we keep peeling back layer after layer & he just keeps getting better.
- I also love that Marietta & Elyse’s hiding TBR truth of the Fey from Wyltam & court didn’t just get forgiven & swept under the rug. The response to this betrayal was done exceptionally well IMO.
- THEY BETTER NOT HURT SWEET BABY MYCAUB.
- The ultimate betrayal from Tryda & co wasn’t surprising but damn if they didn’t basically end the world over a human.
- Queen Valeriya being alive after all wasn’t a shock but I’m glad she’s going to take up arms & join the fight.
- I like how the Fey are portrayed! We get a lot of super human-esque Fey & I’m liking seeing them in their more brute animalistic forms.
- The Orcs! Super interested in more of them. I knew from the the second Keyain described how the squirmishes went down they weren’t the evil they were said to be.
- I’m not totally sure how I feel about the temples specifically BUT I knew Marietta was going to become an Iros of all deities so hopefully she takes Wyltam up & learns some magic because she could be soooo badass.
CONS
- I loved Marietta so much in book 1 & I think the things I loved about her didn’t translate to here. She’s whipsmart & thoughtful in book 1 & I feel like she wasn’t the calculating woman we met. She would think through every scenario before as a business consultant & now she’d just make a sweeping demand/declaration with no thoughts to the consequence. Wyltam was constantly cleaning up her messes & this particular brand of brazenness didn’t feel like the same version we got in book 1 that I fell in love with. & for her to have no interest in magic knowing how it could help her individually but also the message it would send more broadly? That felt off from her. She’s idealistic (& they’re great ideals) & she was in over her head which is definitely the cause of some of her bad ideas. But I just missed her being more calculated & thoughtful, so she was a bit of a bummer unfortunately for a lot of the book (& she was my fave FMC in book 1).
- Because I wasn’t loving Marietta this book her POVs felt like they dragged sometimes.
OTHER THOUGHTS
- I am hoping Marietta being an Iros to all doesn’t end up making her an unstoppable magical force. I hope there is limitation, lessons, & obstacles with that. Just because I’m sort of tired of that trope in romantasy & I think this series explores things with more nuance so I’m excited to see how her skill develops.
- Marietta will def catch Wyltam in some sort of half truth with her Iros power.
TLDR this series rules & I’m extremely excited for more. 🙌🏼
November 14, 2024
I’m not ok after finishing this book. It was absolutely amazing. The first one took me a couple of weeks to get through, but this one?
Hot damn, i finished it in 4 days and the thought of not being able to continue the series any time soon is killing me.
One of my favorite reads of the year without a doubt.
Hot damn, i finished it in 4 days and the thought of not being able to continue the series any time soon is killing me.
One of my favorite reads of the year without a doubt.
October 1, 2025
4.5/5
So many emotions. I really enjoyed this and can’t wait for the next!
So many emotions. I really enjoyed this and can’t wait for the next!
November 30, 2024
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Eri Leigh has done it again! She is my favorite author by far. I fell in love with a Queens Game last year and was so excited for New Worlds Wake. This book came out at the worst time with the US election so it was hard for me to get into it with the stress of the times, but as soon as I really got to pick it up, I could not put it down! It is such an incredible fantasy story and so relevant to our world today. To me, books like these are so important to read, especially with so many powerful FMC. They’re not perfect people, and their choices and emotions can be frustrating at times but that does endear me to them. There were many different perspectives in this book but that is something I personally enjoy. One thing that was on my mind the whole time I was reading this was, wow I really need a glossary or something because there are so many names, and lo and behold, as I finished the book there was a glossary with every name and general descriptions of certain words and concepts. You think of everything! Also after finishing the book the cover is even more perfect ;). There were some twists that I saw coming in the book but others that I wasn’t expecting at all so it just all fit together perfectly for me. I know there are more books to come in this series and I am very impatiently waiting!
Eri Leigh has done it again! She is my favorite author by far. I fell in love with a Queens Game last year and was so excited for New Worlds Wake. This book came out at the worst time with the US election so it was hard for me to get into it with the stress of the times, but as soon as I really got to pick it up, I could not put it down! It is such an incredible fantasy story and so relevant to our world today. To me, books like these are so important to read, especially with so many powerful FMC. They’re not perfect people, and their choices and emotions can be frustrating at times but that does endear me to them. There were many different perspectives in this book but that is something I personally enjoy. One thing that was on my mind the whole time I was reading this was, wow I really need a glossary or something because there are so many names, and lo and behold, as I finished the book there was a glossary with every name and general descriptions of certain words and concepts. You think of everything! Also after finishing the book the cover is even more perfect ;). There were some twists that I saw coming in the book but others that I wasn’t expecting at all so it just all fit together perfectly for me. I know there are more books to come in this series and I am very impatiently waiting!
February 24, 2025
SHBWJXOFNWPSOFBROA. How do I do this without spoilers?
First of all, there was no way to earn a full 5 stars here, HOWEVER that is not the fault of the writing, it's what I call "Book Two Syndrome". Basically you have to set up so much in book 2 for book 3, it's just not as insanely life altering as book 1 and 3 usually are.
What I will say is while the first half took a lot a while for me to get through (to be fair, it's been over holidays, sickness, etc), the second half I read in literally 2 days. The set up, while long, was SO worth it. This book did so much, and honestly was so good in its own right.
Yeah, anyways, I had lots of feels, they were all over the place. Like name an emotion and this book made me feel it. There's a couple of plot lines that I think were not resolved super well, but my suspicions is that's a lead up to book 3, and there's a bunch of plot lines that I found beautiful and fulfilling. Anyways, yes, so good, and now I eagerly await the next one while singing to the masses about how much I need them to read this series.
Thanks for the free ARC, it is greatly appreciated, sorry it took so long to get it done, but seriously, amazing.
First of all, there was no way to earn a full 5 stars here, HOWEVER that is not the fault of the writing, it's what I call "Book Two Syndrome". Basically you have to set up so much in book 2 for book 3, it's just not as insanely life altering as book 1 and 3 usually are.
What I will say is while the first half took a lot a while for me to get through (to be fair, it's been over holidays, sickness, etc), the second half I read in literally 2 days. The set up, while long, was SO worth it. This book did so much, and honestly was so good in its own right.
Yeah, anyways, I had lots of feels, they were all over the place. Like name an emotion and this book made me feel it. There's a couple of plot lines that I think were not resolved super well, but my suspicions is that's a lead up to book 3, and there's a bunch of plot lines that I found beautiful and fulfilling. Anyways, yes, so good, and now I eagerly await the next one while singing to the masses about how much I need them to read this series.
Thanks for the free ARC, it is greatly appreciated, sorry it took so long to get it done, but seriously, amazing.
February 16, 2025
Great writing
Eri is such a good writer. I love her style. Beautifully descriptive. There were a number of grammatical issues which were frustrating.
I liked the new point of views but i didn’t feel like Amryth’s was necessary.
I did like that the FMC wasn’t the most powerful female. She shares it with another female. Having said that, the FMC’s power is weird and we never learn what it will do. The acquisition process of her power(s) didn’t add any value and were rushed.
I liked that the love stories were representative of real life, not the typical love-at-first-sight trope.
I really hate not knowing if/when the next book will be published, which was the case with the first book. It took 2 years for this book to come out.
Eri is such a good writer. I love her style. Beautifully descriptive. There were a number of grammatical issues which were frustrating.
I liked the new point of views but i didn’t feel like Amryth’s was necessary.
I did like that the FMC wasn’t the most powerful female. She shares it with another female. Having said that, the FMC’s power is weird and we never learn what it will do. The acquisition process of her power(s) didn’t add any value and were rushed.
I liked that the love stories were representative of real life, not the typical love-at-first-sight trope.
I really hate not knowing if/when the next book will be published, which was the case with the first book. It took 2 years for this book to come out.
December 5, 2024
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you very much once more to Book Sirens and Eri!! <3
That cliffhanger? I see you!!!
That was an insane ride! This series means so much to me, and I love seeing the characters developing more and more as the series goes on. Just like before in book one, as hinted above, the ending of the book was simply gripping. I love a messy character and I love complex characters - this book has it ALL. The pacing was just right for me (a hard thing to manage), this series' world building has me hooked.
Again, I cannot WAIT to see where Eri takes us next!!! <3 xx
That cliffhanger? I see you!!!
That was an insane ride! This series means so much to me, and I love seeing the characters developing more and more as the series goes on. Just like before in book one, as hinted above, the ending of the book was simply gripping. I love a messy character and I love complex characters - this book has it ALL. The pacing was just right for me (a hard thing to manage), this series' world building has me hooked.
Again, I cannot WAIT to see where Eri takes us next!!! <3 xx
January 8, 2025
i refuse to believe they killed of wynn, he better be coming back and be opening the fucking cafè with elyse
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 18, 2025
Great story, but the obvious lack of an editor (or decent one) was distracting at times.
March 21, 2025
Starting to get lost between all of the city-states and gods and character names.
June 1, 2025
Really enjoyed book 2 of this series!
June 13, 2025
Even when I try to make sure I'm not being tricked into starting a series that isn't finished I still get tricked!! How in the name of everything holy am I supposed to remember everything that happened in these long ass books in 8 months??!!
I read the e-book and the editing errors were aplenty, yikes. Hopefully that gets worked out before the next is released.
Wynn! That was brutal, hated it.
I read the e-book and the editing errors were aplenty, yikes. Hopefully that gets worked out before the next is released.
Wynn! That was brutal, hated it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 10, 2025
My yearly most favorite read. I highly recommend this series. I love Wyltam and also Marietta's POV. Not only them but also how addicted every characters' POV and chapters are.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews