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Through the Eyes of the Aether
Welcome to the Tri-Realm Republic, a harmonious union of worlds in which its three peoples—human, Jirian, and Zasskell—cohabitate in civil alliance.
But Laura, who’s just lost her job as a peacekeeper in the Silver Guard, suspects not everything is as shipshape as it seems.
A strange illness has cropped up in the last few months, with her own father among the afflicted. She has an inkling about what’s causing it, but it doesn’t bode well for the fate of the Republic, and to make matters worse, nobody seems to share her suspicions—including her senator mother.
But maybe Saeed, an aspiring alchemist with a peculiar connection to plants, will be able to help. He’s got a good reason, after all: his brother’s sick too. While fighting for his dream job at a burgeoning alchemy company, Saeed will stop at nothing to craft a potion to heal his brother, but soon enough, he’ll find out he can’t do it alone.
With apathy from the government, it’s up to Laura and Saeed to carve out an unconventional path to the cure—all the while finding far more mystery swirling beneath the surface of their world than either of them ever imagined.
But Laura, who’s just lost her job as a peacekeeper in the Silver Guard, suspects not everything is as shipshape as it seems.
A strange illness has cropped up in the last few months, with her own father among the afflicted. She has an inkling about what’s causing it, but it doesn’t bode well for the fate of the Republic, and to make matters worse, nobody seems to share her suspicions—including her senator mother.
But maybe Saeed, an aspiring alchemist with a peculiar connection to plants, will be able to help. He’s got a good reason, after all: his brother’s sick too. While fighting for his dream job at a burgeoning alchemy company, Saeed will stop at nothing to craft a potion to heal his brother, but soon enough, he’ll find out he can’t do it alone.
With apathy from the government, it’s up to Laura and Saeed to carve out an unconventional path to the cure—all the while finding far more mystery swirling beneath the surface of their world than either of them ever imagined.
455 pages, Paperback
First published March 22, 2021
1 person is currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
Paige Stonard
1 book8 followersHi, I'm Paige! 👋🙂
she/her—Colorado
Fantasy and science fiction stories are my greatest joy in life, and the one thing I can never get enough of! Bonus points for anything with sentient trees, talking animals, robots with feelings, or friendly aliens—okay, seriously though, can you recommend me some books with that stuff?!
Feel free to say hi anytime, and happy reading. 😊
she/her—Colorado
Fantasy and science fiction stories are my greatest joy in life, and the one thing I can never get enough of! Bonus points for anything with sentient trees, talking animals, robots with feelings, or friendly aliens—okay, seriously though, can you recommend me some books with that stuff?!
Feel free to say hi anytime, and happy reading. 😊
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 28, 2021
4/5 ★
From the very first line, this book reeled me in. I was a bit confused for the first 50ish pages, but then again is it really a good fantasy novel if you aren't confused at the beginning? I loved Paige Stonard's writing style (especially when a character's train of thought would be interrupted and would cut off mid-sentence) and how well-rounded all the characters were. All of the characters were extremely likable (especially Laura and Kaio, my personal faves) and even the antagonists were thoroughly developed.
The ending felt a bit rushed, and I wish it would've been a bit less sudden, it didn't take too much away from how much I enjoyed the rest of the novel.
I'm so glad I discovered Paige Stonard's novel, as I really enjoyed it, and cannot wait to see what she has in store for the future <3
From the very first line, this book reeled me in. I was a bit confused for the first 50ish pages, but then again is it really a good fantasy novel if you aren't confused at the beginning? I loved Paige Stonard's writing style (especially when a character's train of thought would be interrupted and would cut off mid-sentence) and how well-rounded all the characters were. All of the characters were extremely likable (especially Laura and Kaio, my personal faves) and even the antagonists were thoroughly developed.
The ending felt a bit rushed, and I wish it would've been a bit less sudden, it didn't take too much away from how much I enjoyed the rest of the novel.
I'm so glad I discovered Paige Stonard's novel, as I really enjoyed it, and cannot wait to see what she has in store for the future <3
December 23, 2024
3,5/5 ⭐
Book with lots of potential, but it could have been fleshed out a bit more.
From the very first chapter, I was intrigued. The writing style swept me off my feet and begged me to keep on reading. You get little bits of information right from the start, without being overloaded with it. In other words, it's a strong start.
How the world is put together and how alchemy and magic are interwoven is all wonderfully done. The characters are also likeable, you can easily empathise with them. There is also a lot of focus on the non-ethical nature of some actions or powers, which is also a plus for me.
What I felt was a little weaker is that every aspect of the story could have been a bit more fleshed out. Whether the magic or the world-building or the characters (and relationships), they all lacked some depth. The story structure is also a bit too straightforward, with lots of short time jumps following each other, just as if the author didn't quite know how to knit everything together. I would also have liked it better if Laura and Saeed started working together a bit earlier (for about 60% of the story, they barely interact). But since this is a debut, I do have high hopes that the author will make a lot of progress on this front.
Book with lots of potential, but it could have been fleshed out a bit more.
From the very first chapter, I was intrigued. The writing style swept me off my feet and begged me to keep on reading. You get little bits of information right from the start, without being overloaded with it. In other words, it's a strong start.
How the world is put together and how alchemy and magic are interwoven is all wonderfully done. The characters are also likeable, you can easily empathise with them. There is also a lot of focus on the non-ethical nature of some actions or powers, which is also a plus for me.
What I felt was a little weaker is that every aspect of the story could have been a bit more fleshed out. Whether the magic or the world-building or the characters (and relationships), they all lacked some depth. The story structure is also a bit too straightforward, with lots of short time jumps following each other, just as if the author didn't quite know how to knit everything together. I would also have liked it better if Laura and Saeed started working together a bit earlier (for about 60% of the story, they barely interact). But since this is a debut, I do have high hopes that the author will make a lot of progress on this front.
July 21, 2022
This is one of those books where I couldn’t read it fast enough. As soon as I got a glimpse into the characters, I wanted to know more; I wanted to know everything. I couldn’t put this book down, especially the last 2/3 of it. Awesome!
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August 24, 2022Hello!
I'm just here because I wanted the content notices for this book to be available somewhere on the internet for anyone deciding whether to read it. And, well, this seems like a good place!
And just for clarity's sake, here's the disclaimer that goes with them:
Below is a list of subjects present in this book that may be sensitive to some readers. Some items on the list, while vague, may be considered spoilers; please view at your own discretion.
If anybody would like more information don't hesitate to ask! Happy reading! 🙂
I'm just here because I wanted the content notices for this book to be available somewhere on the internet for anyone deciding whether to read it. And, well, this seems like a good place!
And just for clarity's sake, here's the disclaimer that goes with them:
Below is a list of subjects present in this book that may be sensitive to some readers. Some items on the list, while vague, may be considered spoilers; please view at your own discretion.
If anybody would like more information don't hesitate to ask! Happy reading! 🙂
April 2, 2021
I received this book from the author as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I highly recommend this book to lovers of fantasy and to new fantasy readers! The world, magic system, and plot are very well constructed without being too confusing to a newcomer in the genre.
It starts right in the plot without the feeling of info dumping while still giving you the information you need to fully immerse yourself in the world. It does slow down after the first chapter and then builds back up to the final conclusion.
I loved how much this centered on plants and alchemy as a source of healing and magic. The idea that everything that’s living has an energy that can be tapped into is something I haven’t seen explored in any fantasy books I have read. That doesn’t mean it’s not out there cause I am by no means a fantasy expert, but I really connected with the way Paige used that idea and expanded it into something magical and yet familiar to me at the same time.
We follow mainly 2 characters with another handful that are integral to the plot and they all felt pretty well fleshed out. We got a bit of background on all the central characters throughout the book which helped add depth to the story.
The violence and language are pretty mild with little to no gore so it felt suitable for a young adult audience with parents discretion. There was some misuse of alcohol and a bit of sensuality, but not graphic.
Overall I really enjoyed this novel and I’d love to see more from this author. I kind of wish this was a series so I could look forward to meeting these characters in this world again...
I highly recommend this book to lovers of fantasy and to new fantasy readers! The world, magic system, and plot are very well constructed without being too confusing to a newcomer in the genre.
It starts right in the plot without the feeling of info dumping while still giving you the information you need to fully immerse yourself in the world. It does slow down after the first chapter and then builds back up to the final conclusion.
I loved how much this centered on plants and alchemy as a source of healing and magic. The idea that everything that’s living has an energy that can be tapped into is something I haven’t seen explored in any fantasy books I have read. That doesn’t mean it’s not out there cause I am by no means a fantasy expert, but I really connected with the way Paige used that idea and expanded it into something magical and yet familiar to me at the same time.
We follow mainly 2 characters with another handful that are integral to the plot and they all felt pretty well fleshed out. We got a bit of background on all the central characters throughout the book which helped add depth to the story.
The violence and language are pretty mild with little to no gore so it felt suitable for a young adult audience with parents discretion. There was some misuse of alcohol and a bit of sensuality, but not graphic.
Overall I really enjoyed this novel and I’d love to see more from this author. I kind of wish this was a series so I could look forward to meeting these characters in this world again...
March 3, 2021
Thank you to Paige Stonard for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book was so good and I highly recommend to give this a read. Most books I love I hate putting them down because I simply don't want to stop reading. I don't enjoy writing spoilers because I feel it takes away from the reading experience.
I adored the characters and the storyline. I personally don't like the third person point of view but that didn't take away from how much I loved the book, that's just a personal preference. This book made me feel like I was in the book myself experiencing everything.
Really enjoyed this book and I can't wait to read more from her.
This book was so good and I highly recommend to give this a read. Most books I love I hate putting them down because I simply don't want to stop reading. I don't enjoy writing spoilers because I feel it takes away from the reading experience.
I adored the characters and the storyline. I personally don't like the third person point of view but that didn't take away from how much I loved the book, that's just a personal preference. This book made me feel like I was in the book myself experiencing everything.
Really enjoyed this book and I can't wait to read more from her.
March 17, 2021
I received an ARC in exchange for a review....
And I was super stoked with the book.
The opening chapter jumped right into the action. The story was well written and easy to read with a nicely done ending to tie it all together. The characters were well thought out and each one was important in the unfolding of the story.
The only thing I wanted more of were the romance and more passages on the world the author created.
But despite this, it was an enjoyable read and will be enjoyed by many readers of different ages and genre tastes.
And I was super stoked with the book.
The opening chapter jumped right into the action. The story was well written and easy to read with a nicely done ending to tie it all together. The characters were well thought out and each one was important in the unfolding of the story.
The only thing I wanted more of were the romance and more passages on the world the author created.
But despite this, it was an enjoyable read and will be enjoyed by many readers of different ages and genre tastes.
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May 9, 2021Fascinating story
Absolutely awesome story. Would love to read more from this author. Fantastic story line and extremely well written. Highly recommend this book.
Absolutely awesome story. Would love to read more from this author. Fantastic story line and extremely well written. Highly recommend this book.
July 23, 2021
Absolutely amazing story! The characters were unique and so was the plot! Her attention to detail really helped paint a vivid picture!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews