Asunder by Kerstin Hall
Genre: Fantasy, Horror
Subgenre(s): Secondary World Fantasy, Cosmic Horror
Book Track: Running Away by John Butler Trio

I think there comes a point in every fantasy readers journey where we’ve consumed so many stories and adventures, that we start to feel fatigued when we open a new series or standalone and are faced with now all-too familiar characters, tropes, themes and story beats. Whether it’s grim dark you crave, or swords and sandals, or just good old high fantasy— eventually, most readers come to this barrier of disinterest and begin to pine for something new, invigorating, and bold, told by someone whose imagination offers passage to the rousing unknown.

This is where I’ve been for the last few years, and why I think Secondary World Fantasy has been the antidote for me. Not that traditional fantasy is without it’s merit or capability to amaze and surprise me still— I’ve just found that Secondary World Fantasy challenges my imagination to expand it’s boundaries in the same organic way traditional fantasy once had by focusing more on the spectacle of a unique world and it’s denizens. Instead of explaining to me how the new magic system works, again; it scoffs, then forces me to catch up and figure it out for myself. Instead of the story handing me familiar tropes and character archetypes to grasp onto, it flips the script and forces me to trust and to revel in being lost, for a time, until I've gathered my bearings through the environmental storytelling and non-conforming character work.

At it’s core, this is what Fantasy is all about, is it not? Casting us somewhere uncharted and extraordinary, forcing us to let go of any preconceived notions of what we think is up and down, retraining ourselves within this foreign plain, and stepping forth one foot after the other into the beautiful, oft times wicked, unknown. Kerstin Hall has achieved this renewed sensation of how it felt to read Fantasy for the very first time not once, not twice, but now four times for me. And I think I will forever be in her debt for it. For reminding me, every time, why I always come back and why I fell in love with this genre in the first place. Okay, perhaps I’m a little biased considering I’ve deeply enjoyed each book I’ve read from Kerstin Hall, sure. Thats fair. However, as a fan, I can and will say that Hall has not only matured as a storyteller, but as an editor and a world builder, too. You can feel the fullness and the intricacies of this universe she has created with every page, and often times in the most minuscule of ways; is that headless dog a mode of transportation? You said these lightbulbs are infused with essences of the gods? These drugs are made from whose body fluids? What do you mean some of the gods were killed by the new gods and now you work for one?

In every sense of the phrase, Hall makes you feel like a stranger in a strange land who’s clinging to the tattered knapsack of its protagonist like a sand bur. She creates a world where big ideas of convenience, equality, and prosperity amongst its denizens, is not just realized, but put into practice!

The world has so many cool and practical uses for magic and science! You can feel in every page how Kerstin sat down and thought about inventions that near-utopian societies would want to have or feature in their “perfect” country. Side note: this book is very Mkalis Cycle, Kerstin’s ongoing series of novellas, and it makes me wonder if she plans to have them be connected somehow.

Asunder’s world is definitely its own thing though. It’s a world you’d want to live in, not simply because it’s magical, but because it is progressive. It’s new and exciting, sure enough, but it bears the markings of what dreams may become. What the first phases of an ideal society might look like if science were treated as holy. But it all comes with a price, and often that price is paid with blood, willingly offered, down the throats of eldritch gods— whose acts of malice, retribution, creation, invention, and good fortune, are but a byproduct of their vessels devotion.

Uncharacteristic of my normal reviews, I don’t want to spend any time discussing the potent themes or distinct characters throughout this story, because I truly think they should all be consumed as blindly and uninfluenced as possible. I will say that our lead protagonists, Karys and Ferrain, are a much welcome change, and often reminded me of the two leads in Arkady Martine’s A Memory Called Empire, but by way of the supernatural instead of scientific. The sensual tension and connection between these two individuals, whose fate becomes the close proximity lovers ideal scenario, is compelling and excellent. The queer normatively of this world, too, is something to make note of. This is an element I’ve found that is rarely achieved, without drawing too much attention to it in the narrative, and Hall spins these threads through her tapestry with ease.

By the gods, were the gods cool as hell! It is so difficult not to spend this entire review gushing over the hauntingly beautiful and poignant imagery Hall conjures up with these sacred entities. Here's the thing... I have a soft spot for biblically accurate angels. I was raised Catholic. I grew up with all the famous renaissance paintings and sculptures of scripture, and never once connected to them until I saw a painting of what would be considered as a "biblically accurate" angel. For one reason or another, it really moved me. Not in a “Hail, Jesus—break out the Christ cookies and wine” way... but in that eerie and unsettling way— where you find something to be somehow both beautiful and horrifying.

I consider myself agnostic now and, while I don't believe in a god in the traditional sense, I do feel like IF there are gods, they would be both beautiful and horrifying... unknowable... alien. These are the kinds of gods, goddesses, and other higher powers that Hall births into existence in Asunder. These aren’t your typical heraldic or olympian men and women chiseled in stone— these gods have sharp teeth, weep blood, hunger for belief, and collect the corpses of the old gods to display as trophies. When these gods sing or speak, they pierce the mind and render the flesh immobile as such strange frequencies are incomprehensible to the mortal minds of their subjugated apostles.

This book is not your typical tale of magic and fantasy that you’d find on that table of trending titles at the bookstore. Asunder is the book you find spirited away in the darkest and dustiest corners of an old library’s restricted section. The kind of book that no one knows how, or when, it got there; but, it may or may not be cursed to steal your every waking thought should you peel back it’s (gorgeous) cover and look inside it’s pages. That enough hyperbole for you? 

Take everything you thought you know about fantasy, plot, theme, magic, magical deities, and strange, unusual characters, and leave them at the threshold of the front page of this book. There will be familiar elements, no doubt, but Hall will somehow make them feel alien to you— like watching strange science, or a natural phenomenon outside your window. But, trust me when I tell you, you’ve never read a book like Asunder. Full stop. Bring it back and read that again. You’ve never read a book quite like Asunder, and that’s the only mantra you should recite like a prayer as you read this book.

Asunder by Kerstin Hall
Star Rating: 5/5 Stars
Score: 98/100
Review by Nick Kimball

This epic fantasy was a bit of a sleeper agent - I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it, from the intricate world building to the complex characters. Great queer fantasy.

This was fantastic, I had no idea what to expect but I was blown away by the story telling, the world building, the emotions the characters experience and the trials they go through on their journey.

I Started this Audiobook not too long ago, I was kind of intimidated by the audio length (18hrs), but now that I am done with the book I wish it were longer!!

The Story follows our FMC Karys Eska, she is a Deathspeaker, a power that is both a gift and a curse, that comes with a high cost. She does the dirty work for those in power where she lives, sent on dangerous missions that may lead to the beginning of the end.

With a couple near death experiences and magical artifacts, Karys is able to escape danger with the help of our MMC Ferain, after some close calls, they are thrust together in ways neither expected, and it is up to them to not only save their own lives but maybe all of the lives in their Realm.

There is Action, Adventure, Found Friendship, hard decisions, and a love story that took me by surprise, but is what I secretly wanted the whole time. There are also a lot of great scenes working through some pretty important topics around found family and learning that you are worthy of being loved, no one has to go through life alone when you have friends by your side.

Basically it’s Magic, Mythology and Mayhem. You’ll love it! I kinda need more people to read this so I can talk to someone about it because THAT ENDING was a cruel cliffhanger but definitely ensured that I will be back for the next book! 5 ⭐️’s

Thank you to the Author Kerstin Hall for writing this incredible book and also to the Narrator Alyssa Appleton who did a phenomenal job differentiating Characters.

Big Thank you as well to RBmedia and NetGalley for my no cost audiobook copy of “Asunder”.

I received an advance reading copy at no personal cost and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Asunder is an immersive, dark, queer-norm, secondary world fantasy that is, undoubtedly, Hall's strongest work to date. Hall thrusts you into the world with little information about how things work. There is no handholding or info dumping; instead, Hall subtly builds the world and provides all the required information via conversations, interactions, observations, etc.

We follow the main character, Karys Eska, while she navigates her life as a deathspeaker —someone who sold their soul to a terrifying eldritch god in order to gain the power of speaking to the dead. One of her jobs takes her to a cavern where she meets an injured man. In order to hopefully save his life, she places him into stasis and binds his soul to her body. The majority of Asunder is Karys’ journey to heal then separate herself from this stranger. Along the way we learn more about the old and new gods, workings (kinda like magic), the political landscape, and Karys’s past.

This book has something for everyone: body sharing, horrifying eldritch beings, familial trauma, political machinations, rich world building, slow burn romance, and much more.

I am BEGGING for the sequel to be picked up. The world needs more of this story!

Audiobook Note: The narrator changes randomly for about a third of the book. I'm not certain if this was intentional, but it was definitely very jarring and pulled me out of an otherwise stellar story. The main narrator, who started & finished the book, was very enjoyable.

This was a very complicated book to listen to. It was really hard to follow and understand the story. It kind of went all over the place. I actually did not finish the book because I was so confused about what was happening.

I picked up this dark fantasy on a whim, and quickly became enthralled by the lush, intricately arcane world as well as fully invested in the plucky, doomed heroine. Because, oh yes, she is doomed. After years of starvation and abuse, Karys pledged herself to an eldritch deity in return for powers that could pay her way to stability – only to have her careful plan to escape her “benefactor” upended when she stumbles across and is tied to Ferain, the last survivor of a murderous plot. Karys and Ferain then travel across an ancient, broken empire, collecting a ragtag group of companions as they attempt to figure out why Ferain was targeted and what they need to do to help him.

The central plot was fun – being dragged across the empire exposes the reader to an interesting variety of settings both wondrous and horrible. This is a world in which humans are pawns in a war between eldritch and angelic beings, and I found the tension between the followers of these “gods” to be as compelling as the central quest. I also liked the commentary on class and privilege and how it contributes to the cycle of magic use.

In other words, come for the arcane atmosphere, stay for the found friendship and the detailed horrorscape of a world controlled by eldritch beings. There’s a bit too free-swinging a door at the end, waiting for the sequel to continue the storyline a bit too seamlessly, but overall, this book was a great find! My thanks to RB Media, the author, and the narrator for providing this e-arc for review.

Asunder is a story about a death speaker, how she gets bound to a dying man, and their journey across their world to try and break the bond before they’re doomed for good. They face unimaginable horrors and make unexpected allies along the way. In a world where you must look out for yourself above all, Karys and Ferain have to learn to trust each other if they have any hope of making it out alive.

I enjoyed this book so much! Karys is a strong main character and I enjoyed watching her learn and grow throughout their journey. Necromancy is one of my favorite fantasy tropes which is what initially drew me to this book. What kept me invested were the (good and bad) relationships between the characters, the magic system, and I had to know how it ended! Alyssa Appleton did a great job narrating the audiobook! Her smooth voice and hints of terror truly made this one come alive for me! Definitely give this one a try if you’re a fan of epic adventures, horror mixed with fantasy, and unique magic systems.

Asunder
by Kerstin Hall Alyssa Appleton (Narrator), Recorded Books (Publisher)
This is a great addition to the fantasy genre. Reaching out to the younger audience allowing a strong dynamic of young characters facing enormous challenges. the world building of this book envelops the reader in a conflict and dynamic circumstance that is appealing. The main character making choices that will haunt her is understandable. The real advent of starvation, and despite times make desperate choices for everyone. I like the strength of the characters, and how they have true motivation for their choices and actions.

Once again, I fall victim to a highly character driven book. I am not a fan of books that do not have a clear plot and goals. However, the writing in this book is phenomenal. The characters were all ones I was rooting for. And I really liked the relationships.

I did find that a lot of the "horror" elements of this book a little lacking. I never felt tense or scared. This was a minor let down for me.

I never really had a grasp of the plot of this book and if the only plot was to free the MMC, I have to say, that's a very weak plot. So, I found myself zoning out at times.

As for the audio narrator, I found it difficult to stay awake. Her voice is so soothing that it had me drifting. Add that to a plot with no clear direction and I really didn't absorb all this book was trying to do.

Overall, I get why people really love this book. Especially if you are a character driven reader. There is a lot to like. However, these elements kept the book from being a five star for me.

Asunder by Kerstin Hall is a masterful blend of fantasy and horror that quickly pulls readers into its eerie, beautifully crafted world. The novel follows Karys Eska, a deathspeaker locked into an unbreakable pact with Sabaster, an unforgiving eldritch being with three faces and a hundred wings. Sabaster grants Karys the ability to communicate with the newly dead, a gift she uses to investigate suspicious deaths in her troubled city.

When a routine job goes awry, Karys finds herself linked to Ferain, a mysterious dying stranger with dangerous secrets. In a desperate attempt to save him, she inadvertently binds him to her shadow, an act that could doom them both. As they are forced into an uneasy alliance, they must journey through a fading empire, facing arcane horrors and confronting their own haunted pasts. Along the way, Karys and Ferain must learn to trust each other if they hope to survive, all while Karys knows her debts to Sabaster will soon come due.

Hall’s storytelling is as chilling as it is captivating, weaving a narrative that balances moments of terror with beauty, tenderness, and hope. Karys is a strong, flawed protagonist, constantly learning and adapting, making her journey compelling and relatable. The side characters are richly developed, and the world-building, with its intricate magic system and vivid backdrop, adds depth to this haunting tale.

Asunder is an unforgettable read for anyone who loves fantasy tinged with darkness, filled with well-developed characters and a plot that keeps you on the edge of your seat. It's a story that lingers long after the final page, leaving a lasting impression.

Asunder reels you in with its eerie beauty within the first paragraph of this story. You're immediately immersed in a world of god-like entities, people with magical abilities, and a world with fascinating inventions and technology. Karys and Ferain are relatable characters who only become more relatable and likable as you learn more about their stories. One of my favorite parts of this book was the portrayal of female friendships. I love a good story where girls support girls and I devoured every bit of dialog and interaction in this area. This combined with the horror and fantasy elements had me glued to this book from start to finish. It's a perfect read for transitioning from summer to fall.

4.75🌟 — moody, adventure, fantasy, horror, slow-burn, soul-crushing ending, and a new trope (???) one-body forced proximity (!!!)

THIS. BOOK. HAS. IT ALL.
Asunder is the genre-bending imaginarium I didn't know I needed. This is my first Kerstin Hall read and I can say she had me hooked right away. Ohh how I love when I don't have to get 100 pages into a book for it to get interesting! Asunder is a dark sci-fantasy with elements of horror and slow-burn romance all while fueled with a character-driven plot. Our FMC, Karys, is the broody loner set on living out her days alone because alone is all she has ever been. A deadly pact with Sabaster, a terrifying eldritch creature, and a job gone awry leads her on the path to meeting Ferain, our MMC. Ferain is a breath of fresh air when it comes to typical MMCs. There is some broodiness as he and Karys learn to trust each other, but more so a sense of protection and responsibility from the very start. He's mysterious in a way that is only magnified by their forced proximity. Asunder has a semi-episodic nature that introduces us to a variety of side characters and "side quests" that I would happily want to know more about. All of Hall's characters are wholesome and fleshed out through the course of the story. Each one has a past and depth to who they are. I have never felt so connected to side characters before.

I'm going to avoid discussing much of the plot because while I can explain in simple-non-spoiler terms, it won't do justice to the depth and layers that are uncovered. It's dark, beautiful, intrinsically presented world-building, original, thoughtful, and just so so much more. The only reason I took a quarter of a star away is because of the length of the book. I feel like all plot points could have been hit and delivered with the same tenacity if the length was slightly shorter. Maybe that's just a personal preference though and it in no way takes away from the quality of this read.

The ending to this one absolutely DEVASTATED me!!! THIS IS A SERIES, RIGHT??!! I will gladly seek a pact with an eldritch creature if it means getting more of this world and these characters. Please, Kerstin, I am begging you!!

**Reader Disclaimer**
I was provided a free copy of the audiobook through Net Galley in exchange for an open and honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. Thank you, Net Galley, for the honor of reading this book!

Asunder had a very interesting premise and a great atmosphere. I think the plot was a little slow to develop but it was interesting. The audiobook was well done and I enjoyed the narrator.

This book had a very attractive synopsis and listening to the first few chapters, I knew I had to read this along with a hard copy. It has a complex and interesting world setup, very creative and executed rather well. The storytelling was atmospheric and I could form a very clear picture of the settings.

I really liked Karys’ deathspeaker abilities, the Veneer and in turn, the connection she forged with Ferain through the Split Lapse. Watching this entanglement come to a (slow) crescendo added an emotional connection for me, which I ended up enjoying the most. I really liked the secondary characters of Winola and Haeki, and later on Ilesha, they added history and great interactions throughout.

I wished there was a glossary of the characters, beings, locations and a map. It was difficult for me to remember all the players at large, there’s not a standard info dump to introduce you to the story and I found it a little lacking. But alas, I persisted and struggled mainly with the pacing.

The audiobook narrated by Alyssa Appleton was well performed, I appreciated her use of voice changes to distinguish every character.

Asunder left me with a few unanswered questions, so I’m curious if this becomes a series or will stay a standalone. 3.5⭐️

Thank you to RB Media for the audiobook copy to review.

I am struggling to give meaningful feedback for this.

First off, this is one of the best books I’ve read this year. Sometimes I’ll rate a book 5 stars and see that someone else rated it lower and sort of shrug, but this is one of those books where I actually am not accepting any criticism, thanks. I loved the blending of genres—high fantasy with an epic quest, body horror, eldritch gods, romance. At no point did I know what the next chapter would bring, whether it was a character trying to resolve their trauma from growing up in a small town that didn’t accept them to a scene straight out of Get Out to some of the most romantic dialogue I have ever read in my life to flesh melting in a horrific hell dimension. This was so dark and yet I loved the main characters so much. If this doesn’t get a sequel I will literally cry.

The narrator did an amazing job shifting the tone of the book along with the content. She conveyed a sense of ominous doom, of several characters talking back and forth rapidly, of sweet moments and of horror. This required a lot of range and I was very glad that she was up to the challenge.

This was excellent! A layered novel that blends sci-fantasy with horror elements in an expansive world. Asunder follows a deathspeaker named Karys who has bargained her soul for the ability to peer beyond the veil. While on a job, she stumbles across a dangerous secret and meets the dying heir of a wealthy family. In order to save him, she somewhat accidentally binds him to her shadow and sets off on a quest to find a way to free both of them. But this is a game with many players...

The world-building in this story is interesting and complex. Karys is a great character with a traumatic past just trying to survive. There are twists and turns that make this feel rather epic. From what I can tell, I THINK this is set in the same universe as Star Eater though following quite a different cast of characters in different places. One of my criticisms of that book was how gender essentialist the magic system was, and this seeks to correct that. We have a non-binary side character who shows up, and we get the sense that the way magic is viewed in the first book is coming from a sort of cult perspective that isn't inclusive of the entire world. I appreciate how this has complicated that narrative. Definitely worth a read! The audio narration is really good- the actors portray the characters well and it feels immersive with the right tone. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

I was immediately pull into the story of Asunder, by Kerstin Hall. The voice acting was outstanding, causing me to become completely immersed in the story. This is a very entertaining audio book!

Asunder by Kerstin Hall was absolutely fantastic. The audiobook brought the whole experience of reading to another level. It was so well done! I loved it. The narrator did a great job of bringing the characters to life and making them unique from each other which I really appreciated. I loved this story and it left me wanting more. The writing was captivating and it kept me hooked the entire time. The world building was done so well and it definitely wasn't info-dumping where it kind of stops the story. Honestly, I would recommend this to so many people even if it's not their usual genre. The writing makes it so easy to get absorbed into the story.

This book has the perfect title because my heart has been torn ASUNDER upon finishing it!!!

From the moment I was dropped into this world I was enraptured. The haunting and dark atmosphere, the touches of horror, the magical workings, the characters, everything about this book is captivating.

I'm actually a fan of being semi to mostly unsure of what's going on in fantasy books, and I'd rather pick up the pieces as I go than be info-dumped at. This book takes its time building the world and I loved how it took me on an adventure while learning, and falling in love with the characters along the way.

Karys bound herself to an eldritch entity called Sabaster in her teens in a time of desperation. It granted her the power of a Deathspeaker, but also started a ticking clock on the time when Sabaster would call in her debt. After accidentally binding Ferain (a random stranger she met in a cave and knew for 3 minutes) to her shadow, they attempt to work together to save both of their lives.

Her decision making skills could definitely use some work, but Karys binding herself to Ferain was a set up for the most immaculate developments throughout the book. That applies to each of them respectively (mainly Karys) and between them. I loved Karys. And Ferain? Spectacular, give me 14 of 'em. We round out the crew with two equally interesting side characters, childhood friend Haeke and scholar Winola. The tension, desperation, yearning, sacrifice, and love in this book blew me away. I loved it and haven't stopped thinking about it.

The blurb says Sabriel meets Witch King. I'd already read and loved Witch King, and I get it. I am nothing if not a thorough researcher, so I immediately read Sabriel after finishing this: I can see it. I feel like it's also giving a hint of A Marvellous Light?

Thank you Tordotcom, NetGalley, and RBmedia for the ALC!

The audiobook quality and production was great! The narrator was a good fit for this book and I enjoyed listening to it.

Asunder was my first book by Kerstin Hall (I've been meaning to read Star Eater ever since it was announced *ahem*) but it certainly won't be my last. I'll get to her other titles ASAP. 

I'm usually not the biggest fan of high fantasy, where characters mostly travel and come across one obstacle after another. But both the characters, their challenges, and especially the world-building made me enjoy this one a whole lot. 

I liked the characters right from the start and loved seeing their relationship progress throughout the story while they learned more and more about each other. It was an interesting way of getting to know characters' backstories both by way of the shared connection and by meeting people from their past. The slow-growing trust over shared struggles was lovely to follow, and I just loved their relationship.

The world-building did no small task in me liking this one so much. Being able to speak with the dead, eldritch beings, and more—there were so many fascinating aspects to this world, I could not stop listening because I always wanted more.

The audio narration was excellent. Alyssa Appleton did an excellent job, and I hope I'll come across more books narrated by her in the future.