It's really difficult to describe what Asunder is, because it is very much a fantasy novel that exists in and for itself. It combines a number of different ideas, all novel and fresh, in crafting a complex, richly detailed world. Fantasy is often the genre for dense worldbuilding, but nowhere is that more apparent in this novel, where it seems every new chapter is an opportunity to introduce yet another strange conceit--a world suffused with imaginable magic from unimaginable sources.

But nothing in Asunder feels particularly recycled. I think contemporary fantasy can oftentimes fall into two camps: one in which everything in the book feels like a riff on a familiar tune, with most tracks drawing from established voices, and another of almost totally novel ideas that feel like they are in conversation with a totally different language. Not to say that the former isn't good, but it is often the latter form of fantasy that manages to stand out. I liken Asunder to the latter category, the same category of writers like N.K. Jemisin or Kelly Link, as opposed to writers like Sanderson (or writing within that same vein).

Aside from the worldbuilding--which can be demanding--I think what sets Asunder apart is also the way in which the book writes with a human fluency at least insofar as the book's major themes are concerned. In a book containing magic and demonic pacts, it's really interesting to me that what really makes the book work is the way it handles human thematic concerns. Yeah, magic is cool, but I find a book that wants to interrogate ideas of racism, of conflict between peoples of different faiths or different philosophies, of questions of bodily autonomy and identity. Asunder is probably at its weakest when its focus drifts away from these very human concerns--how politics complicates our lives, how the shape of our lives changes when we anchor ourselves to another person.

So Asunder feels like a book that dares to think just a little more deeply about our human concerns, using the language of the fantastic as a vehicle to push us to engage with the subject matter critically. There are some really strange ideas in this book, elements of horror and romance and a thriller's intrigue, but the human core remains just as important to the book as anything else. It's a singular kind of fantasy, and while it will make you work for it, I think there's a lot to be gained from it.

Disclosure Statement: I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher for review. My opinions are entirely my own and uninfluenced by either author or publisher.

Asunder pulled me into a dark and intriguing world right from the start. Karys, a deathspeaker who made a desperate pact with an eldritch being, is such a fascinating character. When she accidentally binds a stranger, Ferain, to her shadow, things get really interesting. Their dynamic kept me hooked, and I loved watching them learn to trust each other.

The world-building was great without feeling like an info overload, and the magic system was super unique. Alyssa Appleton’s narration really brought the story to life and made it easy to follow along. If you’re into dark fantasy with complex characters and a bit of mystery, this audiobook is definitely worth a listen!

Highlights
~who needs trains when you have spiders?
~sell your soul, become a saint
~falling in love with your own shadow
~there used to be not-gods, now there’s new not-gods
~you can run, but can you hide?

Asunder is velvet and dust and the softest ashes, salt and copper and crystal. It is twilit. It whispers. It has sharp edges. You must hold it very carefully as you read, or it will slice your fingers open to the bone. When you are finished, you will have its teethmarks on your heart.

It is a treasure.

The task of describing Asunder demands poetry, because mere prose can’t possibly capture the scintillant brilliance of Hall’s writing. I want this book tattooed on my skin. I want to wear it and breathe it and have it with me always; I want it wrapped around my fingers so I can punch it into people’s faces. It’s soft and brutal, clear and secretive, straightforward and intricate. It is dazzlingly original and quietly subversive, magical and horrifying, beautiful and heartbreaking. It hurts, and I want it to hurt me again.

I wanted to turn back to the first page the moment I finished the last, and the second I’m done with this review, I will.

Hall has, yet again, created an impossibly impressive world so real that you can feel its wind on your face, so strange that it feels like a dream, conveyed to us through prose both sharp and somehow delicate, a Fabergé egg with razors inside. It’s a world shaped by otherworldly conflict, but not in the way you might expect; our main character Karys doesn’t wander through a landscape bearing the scars of undivine war, but her culture, and the geopolitical history of her world, are inextricably entwined with the rise and fall of different…pantheons, families, species?…of not-gods. The once-mighty Vareslain empire has fallen, bereft of the nod-gods who once favoured it; Karys’ native Mercia is currently rising in prominence as the bastion of the Ephirite, who slaughtered the not-gods who came before them. The miracles of the deceased Bhatuma linger alongside those of the newer Ephirite, both fulfilling vital services for mortals – everything from public transport to the postal system are the workings of the undivine, or derived from those workings. The result is a setting both dream-like and nightmarish to the reader, but which the characters living in it see as perfectly normal, a dissonance that adds only adds to Asunder’s lustre.

It’s also, brilliantly, a world you have to discover for yourself. I’m used to a certain amount of telling in the books I read – which is fine; it’s only when there’s too much of it, or it’s done clumsily, that it’s a problem. The ‘show don’t tell’ rule is, like probably every writing rule, only applicable some of the time – it’s not a sin to ‘tell’ the reader things! But Hall has taken the rare approach of barely telling us anything at all; instead it’s up to the reader to note and gather together every clue, every fragment of lore, every scrap of backstory, and piece them together – and we very rarely get clear confirmation that the picture we’ve made is the correct one. Puzzling out the history of the Bhatuma, the dead not-gods, and their relationship with different humans and countries, involved a fair bit of reading between the lines, drawing inferences from other bits of the worldbuilding – and yes, I can see some readers being a bit frustrated by this, but you know what, I loved it. It’s somehow incredible immersive, makes it feel like a real world, because in real life there are no info-dumps, you have to learn by experiencing, and that’s very much what reading Asunder is like. None of the worldbuilding feels vague; I’m absolutely convinced that Hall has all the details worked out, has thought all of it through, because everything fits together perfectly, no matter how deep you dig at it. Hand-wavey worldbuilding doesn’t do that; you only get this kind of neat precision when a storyteller knows their world inside-out and backwards, and it’s obvious that Hall really does.

The setting is distinct and vivid, a character in its own right – and the rest of the cast is equally marvellous. Karys herself, our main character, is sharp and brittle and sort of grimly hopeful, stubborn but not at all stupid. Her wariness of the world transfers brilliantly to the reader; she’s closed off from us at first, keeping her secrets to herself, and opens herself up to us only slowly. There’s a clear sense that we have to earn her trust before she’ll reveal herself fully – that only by going through her travails at her side can we l/earn who she is. It’s not so unusual for a character to be keeping secrets from the reader, but I’ve never seen anything like this before; the effect it creates is that of lingering over something unspeakably precious, being patient because it would be criminal to rush and not appreciate it properly. By the time we get to really know Karys, we’re honoured to be allowed to know her.

“I was trying to apologise, actually.”

“That’s new. I don’t think you’ve quite mastered the technique.”

She made a small, rude gesture with one hand.

“That’s not it either.”

“It’s all you’re getting now.”

The supporting cast honestly startled me by being so strikingly real, alive; every single one of them surprised me over and over, and like Karys, they all have hidden depths, so many layers and facets to who they are. It’s very rare for me to care about every major character, but I did here, because all of them are driven by vital passions or interests or secrets that make them so much more interesting than most people, vivacious and vivid even when they were trying to blend into the background! Ferain, whom Karys rescues, is funny and compassionate and desperate, bright as a light in the dark – and even the most minor of characters feel fully realised, so that you know they have their own, full lives happening just out of sight, that they existed before the first page and will continue to exist after the last.

To say nothing of being impossibly relatable, even the deathspeakers and mobsters and–!

“Why is it so . . . morning?” she mumbled.

Not only is nothing about Asunder predictable, Hall subverts the story structure that seems to have become the norm lately: instead of a three-beat narrative, A->B->C, Hall gives us a book that spirals in on itself, a plot that buds new adventures like rich flowers. Within the overarching plot that is rescue Ferain are multiple mini-plots, side-quests, and instead of distracting from the ‘main’ story, they complement it. Like branches of filigree they entwine to make something lovelier and more exquisite than they would alone; like rose vines, the spin-off growth feels entirely natural, not forced. None of them detract from the tension and urgency of Ferain’s situation – they’re all tense and urgent in their own right – and yet, they feel like a reminder to breathe, to pause, to savour instead of hurrying to the next page. They make Asunder into something decadent and luxurious, give us another reason to delight in it, without ever feeling slow or dragging things out. The pacing is perfect on every front, and the prose is sublime, all steel and silver. I lost count of the number of passages I wanted to wear like jewellery.

“Sometimes the places that you love grow teeth. Sometimes, home can swallow you. And even if that hurts, losing it still seems worse–because what if you let go and never find a better place? What if there’s nothing else?

Asunder defies categorisation: it’s not an adventure or a romance or a horror, it’s not a quest-story, it’s not a mystery – but it has adventure and love and horror in it, there are quests, there are mysteries. It’s grim without being grimdark, hopeful without being hopepunk, a standalone richer than a trilogy. It’s the kind of rare, weird, inexplicable gem you find buried at the back of someone’s attic, or in a secondhand bookshop no one’s ever heard of, or at a garage sale for a house that doesn’t exist – but it’s being traditionally published, will be on the shelves of places like Barnes & Noble and Waterstones next week. It’s an impossibility and a contradiction and a marvel, a nonpareil the like of which is seen maybe once a decade, if we’re very, very lucky.

It is easily – easily! – one of the best books of the year.
Don’t miss it.

This book was weird. I read 100+ books per year and it’s mostly fantasy so there’s some wonderfully imaginative worlds and characters, but not many on the level of Asunder. And in this case, let me assure you that weird is GOOD. As long as you’re into really strange religions and terrifying physical manifestations of gods.

Asunder follows Karys Eska, a deathspeaker, as she investigates the deaths of a group of smugglers on behalf of their boss, the intimidating Second Mayor. Karys gets far more than she bargained for when she’s confronted by these ghostly entities that can unravel a person at a mere touch. While escaping, Karys encounters a man named Ferain who strikes a deal with her - rescue him and she’ll get enough money to escape her current life. Karys freehands some magic and ends up with Ferain bound to her shadow - a piece of magic that is highly dangerous and might destroy them both. Karys sets off with Winola, as scholar, and Haeki, an old friend, to Ferain’s childhood home to try and unravel the binding. 

The whole magic system in this book is based on the god-like entities that people swear themselves to. The old pantheon were called the Bhatuma, all of whom were killed by the new group of deities. The new gods, like Karys’ compact holder, Sabaster, are horrifying to behold. Sabaster has three faces and likes to see Karys drenched in blood when he appears before her. It’s uncertain when he’ll call in the compact, but Karys has served for 12 years and she knows her time grows short… Sabaster seems to have something particularly disturbing in mind for his most favored servant. None of these entities are good or friendly, but the magic they bestow on the world can be used for incredible marvels. Mail can be sent swiftly, people can enter a giant spider’s mouth and be transported hundreds of miles in what appears to be a comfortable train car, and people can also be accidentally bound to one another.

Not only are we blessed with a super complex, interesting world in Asunder, but we also get a fascinating cast of characters. Ferain and Karys are easy to root for and Winola is a nerdy delight. Haeki is somewhat more difficult to like at first, but once it became clear why she’s a grouch I began to sympathize with her. Even the cast of minor characters are intriguing - the second mayor runs a criminal underworld and there's a guy who practices binding other humans to body hop and extend his life!

Asunder is an extremely unique story and the ending was pretty epic. Right now this is supposed to be a standalone, but if a sequel were to happen I would totally read it! If you're looking for something unique or specifically a fantasy with a huge pantheon and interesting religion, I'd definitely recommend Asunder.

Not the book for me, I ended up DNFing.

Although I loved the richly original worldbuilding, which was brought to life by her beautiful writing, the novel's pacing lost me. Climactic moments seem a bit underbalanced, and events seem to happen abruptly, with little nuance.

Very interesting world with great dark elements but the structure just didn't work for me. Give it a try!

I received a gifted copy of ASUNDER by Kerstin Hall from TorDotCom and a gifted ALC from Macmillan Audio and Netgalley!

ASUNDER follows Karys Eska, a woman who once upon a time made a compact with an eldritch being named Sabaster. This has given her a count down to when he will come to call in the pact. In the meantime she has the abilities of a deathspeaker, able to communicate with the recently deceased. She uses this ability to earn a living, working for those in need of someone to investigate suspicious deaths.

As the book opens Karys' current job is going very badly and she winds up losing hope of a payout. In the process, though, she meets Ferain. Ferain is injured does not expect to escape the place Karys finds him. They strike a deal for a considerable amount of cash if Karys gets him out alive. Unfortunately, this also doesn't quite go according to plan and Karys finds that she can't quite figure out how to unbind herself from him. Together they must find answers and a path forward.

This is a book that really puts the reader right in the middle of the action at the start and there is a lot of the world building to take in. I was glad to have both the physical book copy in front of me and the audiobook to listen along and I found that combo to work really well for me. I was instantly intrigued by Eska as a fierce and feisty character and the really dark and intricate world that the author built up.

The story itself has a bit of the feel of a sequence of adventures, though everything feels cohesive also. There were a few places in the middle where my interest waned just a bit and I found that listening to the audiobook while driving wasn't the best method to hold my attention when we got into some of the transitions between locations. Once I picked back up the physical copy I was quickly hooked again and the ending had me fully invested and eager for more!

This book is listed in a few places as a standalone, but don't go in expecting a finished story arch. Thankfully the author has said that they are working on a sequel! I really enjoyed the connection that forms between Karys and Ferain as they learn to work together and the friends they add to their party as the book continues! I will definitely be looking forward to more from this author!

With amazing world building and such a compelling cast of characters, this is the perfect precursor to spooky season fantastical reading.

This was more than I was expecting. A heartfelt story with a unique world, and characters that are fandom worthy, Asunder was fabulous. This sort of magical system really intrigues me. I recommend this if you’re looking for an immersive fantasy read with a found family friend group.

Well, Kerstin Hall can probably expect some of my therapy bills in her inbox soon, because I think Asunder just broke me in the best way possible. Brimming with arcane horrors, uncanny atmosphere, darkly wondrous magic, divine meddling, broken yet loveable characters, and brutal emotional gut punches, this is truly the fantasy horror adventure of my darkest dreams.

In a foolishly desperate act in her late teens, Karys Eska bargained her soul away to a terrifying eldritch being, which granted her the abilities of a Deathspeaker; she can communicate with the newly departed through touch, and uses her gifts to investigate suspicious deaths around the city. However, her latest job suddenly goes horribly wrong, leaving her with a dying stranger accidentally attached to her shadow. Haunted and hunted by horrors both internal and external, they will have to learn to trust each other and travel their faded empire to find a way to rip their bond apart, before they are both torn asunder by their looming demise.

Holy smokes, does Hall know how to open a story with an irresistible hook! Her visually and emotionally evocative prose immediately sucked me straight into this dark miasma of a story, and I was instantly obsessed with all the wondrously weird intricacies of this disturbingly haunting yet beautifully mesmerising world.

There’s almost a bit of a technologically advanced aesthetic to this fantasy world, yet it somehow never loses its darkly whimsical air of wonder and magic. Cosmic horrors, semi-sentient beastly transport systems, meddling heralds, arcane artefacts, abominable constructs, and deathspeaker magic; Asunder is truly exploding with wild imagination, and the all-consuming eerie atmosphere just immediately grabbed me by the throat and didn’t let me go until the very end.

From the moment I met my fearsome woman Karys Eska, I was honestly a lost cause. With her sharp snarkiness and well-earned ‘fuck around and find out’ attitude, she reminded me of all the best parts of some of my all-time favourite characters like Mia Corvere (Nevernight), Gideon (Gideon the Ninth), and Eska (Along the Razor’s Edge), except with a less foul mouth. Life has tried to beat her down without remorse and her walls are up high, but she is still an absolute force to be reckoned with and has a heart of gold hiding behind the tough mask.

I absolutely loved exploring this dark world in all its beauty and terror through her eyes, and her strong voice and compelling emotional journey kept me rooted throughout this increasingly wild quest. Despite its addictively smooth pacing and riveting ‘ticking clock’ element, Asunder almost has a bit of an episodic feel to its storytelling. Yet each little ‘side quest’, if you will, only helped organically expand the vibrant world, deepen the lore, heighten the stakes, build out the characters’ backstories and strengthen the gripping emotional core of this narrative (for better or worse, my poor heart).

You see, while this is absolutely Karys’ story first and foremost, I loved how each member of the motley crew that she (unintentionally and sort of begrudgingly?) picked up along the way absolutely gets their time to shine as well. Through the vivacious scholar Winola, we get such a fascinating look into the dizzyingly complex yet darkly wondrous ‘workings’ magic system, while Karys’ childhood friend Haeki blasted open the more mythological aspects of this world through her status as Favoured of one of the capricious heralds. Plus, we get treated to some delicious sapphic tension, so I am always here for that.

However, Karys’ complicated yet amusing dynamic with her mysterious yet cheery shadow companion Ferain (who is a GEM and has now become my new standard for any future shadow daddies, just saying) was absolutely the heart of this story for me, and I never knew I needed the ‘only one head’ trope until Kerstin Hall introduced me to it here; don’t get me wrong, the sloooow-burn romance is just about the most minor and least important aspect of Asunder, yet I was truly gobbling up every single scrap of the simmering tension and playful banter. The way that he slowly and gently breaks through Karys’ carefully built walls was so touching to see, and I loved how Hall wove in themes of (childhood) trauma, grief, trust, redemption and healing through their tentatively developing bond.

I honestly can’t remember the last time I was this deeply engrossed in a story, and I am not kidding when I say that Asunder quite literally tore my soul asunder and left me physically, mentally and emotionally unwell by the end. This story truly just kept zigging whenever I expected it to zag, and I deeply admire Hall for not pulling any punches, especially with that brutally bittersweet cliffhanger of an ending; I needed book 2 yesterday already!

If my unapologetic gushing hadn’t given it away yet, Asunder has instantly become my favourite book I have read this year so far, and if it has any flaws, I sure as hell didn’t notice any of them. If you like the sound of an emotionally-driven fantasy horror that beautifully blends its darkness with a tender heart, then I can’t recommend Asunder highly enough; it’s disturbing yet beautiful, traumatic yet entertaining, epic yet intimate, and it will absolutely leave an irreversible mark on you, whether you like it or not.

Thank you to Tordotcom for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Asunder is scheduled for release on August 20th, 2024.

This book had an amazing premise but the execution lacked in my opinion. The concept of the world and magic system is truly unique and very interesting. However, the actual world building through the story was too complex and difficult to follow. It reads as if the author expects the reader to know everything about the world going in. It explains very little, just throws you right in the middle of the conflict and expects you to catch up. The whole society structure was intricate and there are many a term that never gets fully explain.

That being said, the writing style in itself was smooth and the characters were easy to like, if a bit one dimensional.

I give it 2 stars for the idea, but that’s about it.

This is a series, right? THIS IS A SERIES, RIGHT?

All jokes aside I do in fact have a feral desperation for more. I laid in bed just staring at the ceiling after I finished it. It was the first thing I thought of this morning when I woke up. This can't be where things end. Not only did I go preorder a copy of this book, it's rare that I feel so inspired by something that it inspires me to create as well. While reading this novel, all I wanted to do was draw. I haven't had a book inspire me this way in a long time. This one is an instant favorite.

This novel checked every box for me.
Super dark fantasy religious imagery, wildly unique and fully fleshed out eldritch horrors.
Religious zealots.
Complex magic systems.
Complex characters, and relationships.
A sense of found family.

I loved the idea of supernatural deities at war with each other and how that created tension politically in the world. I also loved that these deities were not benevolent but something to be feared.

The way Karys changes and grows throughout the novel is subtle and stunning. As well as the foil of her and Ferain, and how they work together. The other characters in the novel were complex and fueled by their own motivations, either to the benefit or the detriment of the party.

There is just SO MUCH that happens in this novel it feels like the beginning was ages ago. I will be thinking about this novel for a long long time. I even went back to start reading Kerstin Hall's backlog --starting with purchasing Star Eater.

Thank you so much to Tordotcom and NetGalley for the chance to read this book early. This is my favorite read of 2024 (and I have read almost 70 books) :)

I will read anything compared to Sabriel. So I had already high hopes for Asunder, but whatever hopes I had were exceeded in Asunder. It's a story that begins with such a compelling, vulnerable, mercurial main character of Karys. I was intrigued from the beginning in the ways she just cares about survival, about using her powers to make it to the next day. And what follows is not only a story about her powers, but also about the people that find their way into her life. It was a precious experience to watch her open up to the people around her.

Overall enjoyable, but too long relative to the eventual payoff. The side characters’ plot lines don’t really feel resolved by the end and the romantic pairing felt a little forced? (Personally I was rooting for the scholar but could have settled for the childhood friend).

I think Hall did a fantastic job of building a complex sociopolitical structure between the neighboring countries (though I wish we’d gotten that sowed a bit earlier / more consistently) but I found that I didn’t understand the Workings very well by the end - different disciplines, some people have affinities for them, poetry?? - or the “higher beings” beyond the legends.

This book needs a sequel to feel wholly complete

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

Full Rating: 4.5 stars rounded up

In Asunder, Kerstin Hall weaves an epic fantasy where human lives are entangled in a cosmic struggle between two spiritual gods, the Bhatuma and the Ephirite. At the heart of this narrative is Karys, a deathspeaker bound to the Ephirit Sabaster. With the ability to peer into death’s memory and speak with the deceased, Karys navigates a world where power, survival, and sacrifice are deeply intertwined. Her journey begins with an investigation into a botched smuggling job, and what she uncovers sets her on a dangerous path, unraveling her own tether to the spiritual forces that govern her world.

Karys is a compelling protagonist—sullen, snarky, and unafraid to stand up for herself, yet deeply burdened by her circumstances. Her resourcefulness shines when her investigation takes a dangerous turn and she encounters Ferain, a dying man who offers her a “Split Lapse,” a device that can manipulate time. Karys seizes the opportunity, not just to survive but to potentially escape the oppressive forces that bind her. Their initial agreement, forged out of desperation, unexpectedly entwines their fates as Ferain becomes bound to Karys’ shadow, turning what began as a temporary alliance into something far more complex and enduring.

Hall’s world-building is rich with layers of mythology and political intrigue. The contrast between the Bhatuma and the Ephirite is sharply drawn, with Karys’ past devotion to the Bhatuma serving as a poignant backdrop to her current entanglements. The Bhatuma’s ruthlessness, juxtaposed against the rigid control of the Ephirite, creates a world where no one is truly free, and survival often means navigating morally ambiguous choices.

As Karys delves deeper into the mystery of the Split Lapse—the device tethering her to Ferain—she gathers a found family around her. Winola, a professor who becomes an unlikely ally, and Haeki, a childhood friend, join her in a quest that transcends mere survival. Together, they embody the novel’s central theme of community care and solidarity, offering moments of tenderness and sacrifice that stand in stark contrast to the harshness of the world around them.

The novel’s exploration of imperialism, religious power dynamics, and the struggle for autonomy is both timely and resonant. Through Karys’ eyes, we see the devastating impact of the Ephirite’s rule over Mercia, and the ways in which individuals and communities resist or are complicit in this domination. The narrative is interwoven with reflections on home and identity, how home can come to define us, and how hard it is to escape, should we choose to.

Hall’s characters are deeply developed, each one bringing a unique perspective to the central conflict. The dynamic between Karys and Ferain evolves from initial suspicion to a bond marked by comedic banter and mutual respect, adding a layer of warmth to the story. Their relationship, along with the slowly blooming camaraderie with Winola and Haeki, underscores the novel’s exploration of loyalty and sacrifice.

Asunder is a powerful exploration of survival in a world where power is often wielded without mercy. Hall masterfully balances the fantastical elements of the story with the ethical dilemmas faced by her characters, creating a narrative that is as thought-provoking as it is thrilling. Karys’ journey is one of grit, compassion, and relentless determination, making her a protagonist worth rooting for. The novel concludes on an open-ended note, leaving the door ajar for a potential sequel. If there is more to come, I can’t wait to return to the world of Karys, Ferain, Winola, and Haeki!

📖 Recommended For: Fans of intricate world-building and morally complex characters, readers who enjoy epic fantasy with strong female leads, those interested in stories of found family and survival, and lovers of nuanced power dynamics and spiritual mythology.

🔑 Key Themes: Community Care and Solidarity, Survival and Sacrifice, Imperialism and Religious Power, Autonomy and Identity, Home and Belonging.

Content / Trigger Warnings: Gore (severe), Blood (severe), Drug Use (minor), Animal Cruelty (minor), Self Harm (minor), Murder (minor), Death (moderate), Violence (severe), Suicide (Minor), Grief (minor), Child Abuse (moderate).

"Sabriel meets Witch King in Nommo Award finalist Kerstin Hall's beguiling new standalone novel. A LitHub most anticipated book of 2024.

We choose our own gods here.

Karys Eska is a deathspeaker, locked into an irrevocable compact with Sabaster, a terrifying eldritch being - three-faced, hundred-winged, unforgiving - who has granted her the ability to communicate with the newly departed. She pays the rent by using her abilities to investigate suspicious deaths around the troubled city she calls home. When a job goes sideways and connects her to a dying stranger with some very dangerous secrets, her entire world is upended.

Ferain is willing to pay a ludicrous sum of money for her help. To save him, Karys inadvertently binds him to her shadow, an act that may doom them both. If they want to survive, they will need to learn to trust one another. Together, they must journey to the heart of a faded empire, all the while haunted by arcane horrors, and the unquiet ghosts of their pasts.

And all too soon, Karys knows her debts will come due."

Isn't it wonderful to sometimes just pick up a magnificent fantasy that isn't part of a series?

This is by far one of the most inventive, gut-wrenching, and compelling fantasies I have ever read. There is no hand holding, you are thrown into this strange world with eldritch creatures and strange magic.

Dark, atmospheric, and brooding as all hell, yet also hopeful and immersive, this novel tore me asunder in the best way possible.

Possession is one of my favourite sub-genres or tropes in fantasy, and this is BOGO possession! If you love this trope too, it gives you both malevolent and benevolent in the same person!

The story, like all my favourites, provides no info-dumping. We learn as we go that this rather technologically advanced fantasy (by that I mean in terms of say Belle Epoch compared to medieval - it’s not an urban fantasy) functions under the reality that gods (called heralds) are real and can provide boons to humans (like the Greek gods) but that there are also even more powerful eldritch monsters that came into the world from another dimension. I’m telling you this because it is one thing that could have used some more detail earlier on. Other than that, I found this book to be pretty much perfect.

One of the best things about the magic system is the semi-sentient transportation systems that are both fascinating and kind of horrific. It reminded me instantly of the palanquin from Beauty and the Beast; this was such a unique and cool idea. The magical aspects aren't as common as in sword and sorcery novels, and are woven into society. People kind of just accept magic stuff with passive wariness or study it as a field.

The plot is a quite basic quest narrative (sometimes simpler is better), and the different places Karys travels to are fascinating and surprising. One of my favourite places was the seaside town where they are bombarded by crashing waves constantly, and, of course, the train.

The characters are great. We have Karys, Ferein inhabiting her, a surly priestess, a quirky scholar, and the creepy Goddess of Brine and Urchins. Karys can be a bit of a wet blanket at times, but given her life and situation, this is understandable (and it's great to see her soften as the novel progresses). Ferain is easily likable, as he is a great foil to Karys in personality (think grumpy/sunshine), and the others make for a well-rounded crew. I cared about all of them and shipped them in pairs. There is a very very slow burn love story that I thought was excellent.

The action in the novel is visceral and a little gory but never gratuitous. It suits the novel’s dark and brooding atmosphere. While it's a little gloomy, it’s never depressing, as there are moments of levity and even the occasional laugh.

This book blew me away. I absolutely loved it.

Wow! I've never read Kerstin Hall before, but reading descriptions of what she's written in the past, I don't think they'd really be up my alley. But THIS? My god, it's so cool! This was just a thrilling, scary, fun ride from start to finish. I'm almost considering reading more of Hall's work, but I'm definitely gonna be recommending this to everyone I know. This is the best fantasy book I've read all summer.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book and still am unsure of how to rate it. I loved Karys as a main character and the lore and the world Kerstin Hall created, but I was so frustrated at the ending. This is billed as a standalone and that's one of the reasons I was so excited to read it, but so many threads were left dangling at the end, it left me feeling unsatisfied.

"Asunder" by Kerstin Hall is a captivating blend of dark fantasy and intricate world-building. The novel takes readers on a journey through a realm where gods and magic intertwine with human ambition and betrayal. Hall's prose is lush and evocative, painting vivid images of a world teetering on the edge of chaos. The protagonist's struggle for survival and identity amidst political intrigue and ancient powers is both gripping and poignant. The narrative is rich with complex characters and unexpected twists, keeping readers engaged from start to finish. "Asunder" is a remarkable debut that showcases Hall's talent for storytelling and world-crafting, making it a must-read for fans of the genre.

I requested this one on a bit of a whim. I was vaguely familiar with the author, knowing that she’d released at least one or two other books, but I hadn’t read any of them. This cover, while excellent, doesn’t really give many clues as to what type of fantasy novel this was. And the book description is wild with talk of various types of magical beings (death speakers), fantasy creatures (eldritch entities) and long-reaching spells (binding someone to a shadow, what?). And man, was this an instance where not knowing going in really paid off! This was a crazy ride of a book and I loved every bit of it!

There’s so much to love about this book that I don’t know where to start. But I think I’ll begin with the general type of fantasy novel that this book is. I’m not sure if this is an “official” subgenre of fantasy, but I’d label this book and books like it as “hard fantasy.” As in, the fantasy version of “hard science fiction.” For example, last year I read and loved Martha Wells’ “Witch King.” I loved it so much that I included it (or tried to? I can’t remember) in one of our “Another Take” list where we link to other reviewers who also enjoyed the same book. Problem was, I kept coming across reviewers who struggled with the book because of the complicated world-building and the fact that the reader is essentially plopped into the story with no explanations or answers in sight, left to piece it together over the course of the book. So, where “hard science fiction” leans heavily on the scientific details of it all, I’d say that “hard fantasy” is the type of fantasy that presents a very foreign world, full of totally unfamiliar elements, cultures, and religions that readers are left to piece together largely on their own.

This book is very much that, and, like “Witch King,” I loved it. For one thing, I think this style of storytelling often makes the most sense for fantasy stories like this. In this book, we’re following one main character, Karys, as she goes on a quest to various locations in various countries and, essentially, has a bunch of mini-adventures while gathering up a party of friends. But because we’re following her so closely, and she’s a member of this world, her explanations of what she sees around her are fairly straightforward and undetailed.

She blasély comments on these enchanted dog-like creatures that essentially operate as a free taxi system in her home city. She mentions the various deity-like beings that have warred over the past decades, with one now practically extinct and a new order in place with beings that are only partially understood. She casually describes cultures and customs where it is understood that one simply climbs within a ensorcelled spider-thing that operates like a train. It’s all incredibly creative, incredibly strange, and incredibly straight-forwardly presented. This is all familiar to Karys; she has no reason to go into long monologues about the how and why of it all. As such, the reader is left to piece together these elements over the course of the book, slowly filling out the broad strokes of this world and the true stakes involved. I enjoy fantasy stories that test the limits of the imagination like this one does. That said, this is definitely not an approachable fantasy story, and I can see some readers being turned off by the complexity of it all.

As I mentioned, while there is a larger mystery and quest involved (Karys’s mission to return the man she bound to her shadow to his rightful body), the plot swings through a multitude of shorter “side quests.” All of these were worked in to the larger plot in small ways, but they also felt like interesting little mini stories in their own right. And, most importantly, they gave the reader more insights into the strangeness of this world and its people.

While I like the plot and the fantasy world, none of this would have worked without a strong leading character, and Karys is exactly the sort of leading lady I enjoy. She’s fiercely independent (often to a problematic level), and much of the story follows her personal arc of coming to trust and rely on the friends she meets along the way. Her past is riddled with trauma, and yet her approach to life is a fierce will to live, even in the face of the most dire of circumstances. Her fairly tightly-wound character is balanced well by her shadow companion, Ferain, who is a more light-hearted and open individual. That said, for a character that spends almost the entire book in a shadow-like state, Ferain’s own story turned out to be more rich than I had expected. Plus, the cherry on the top, I loved the sweet, slow-burn romance that developed between them.

I’m really tempted to give this book a 10 rating. However, I will say that while I enjoyed all of the mini adventures on their own, there were a few points where I felt like these side stories broke up the overall pacing of the story. And there was one that I didn’t really understand the point of, though I may have missed some important detail (like I said, the author doesn’t spoon feed it to you, so if you missed a line, oops!). I also felt like the ending was rather abrupt and felt a bit like a cliffhanger. Normally, this wouldn’t really bother me, but as of writing this, this book seems to be being marketed as a stand-alone, which, if true, makes the ending slightly unsatisfying. That said, I still highly recommend this to fantasy readers, especially those who want to go hard into the crazier side of fantasy world-building and are happy to go along on a mildly confusing, but well worth it, ride!

Rating 9: A perfect example of hard fantasy at its best, with a world that feels completely foreign and rich to be explored, especially alongside a fantastic cast of characters.

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