It’s been a while since I read a completely new to me, as in, not a series continuation, high(ish) fantasy, and “Asunder” sounded like just the right pick for getting back into it. And now, having read it, I have to say - it was everything I wanted, even if it wasn’t exactly what it promised to be.

The story follows Karys, a woman working odd jobs using her special skill - as a deathspeaker, she can tap info the shadows of recently deceased and talk to them, to get the last bits of information that her clients ask of her. When a job goes terribly wrong, Karys finds herself quite literally stuck with a man who saved her life, before she saved his - for a price. Now having a talking shadow for a constant companion, the deathspeaker will have to figure out a way to get her payment, and to stay alive in the meantime. For someone - or something - is out to get them both…

The world of this book felt so refreshing, even if the components it was made of would seem ordinary by themselves. I loved the small details, like architecture, or means of transportation, that added color and surprise to concepts that would have otherwise been simple and ordinary. I also liked Karys as the main character, with her hard edges and all; she could have easily fallen into the annoying-unbeatable-rough character stereotype, but instead was written in a way that made her interesting while also relatable. The plot moved fast, and even though it was an almost 20 hours long audio book, I found myself actively listening to it in chunks almost every day this past week.

The only two things that slightly dampened my enjoyment are going to sound nitpicky, perhaps, and they’re not even directly book related (!),, but I feel like I have to mention them anyways. First is the narration: around chapter 16 the voice changes - I feel like it’s the same person narrating, just with a sore throat, or maybe pitch changed?? I don’t know what happened, and it was a bit distracting at first, and then near the end of the book it changed back to the original… And second: the marketing. This book, at least on Netgalley, is presented as the “beguiling new standalone novel” while in fact the book ends on a cliffhanger, leaving multiple questions unanswered? Is it really a standalone with a ‘imagine your ending’ type of thing going on, or is this secretly a series?? I mean, I would love to read more of this story, but it is just confusing.

All in all, this is an easy to get into fantasy story with quick pace and lovable characters, that will be sure to leave you flipping the pages.

I received an advance review copy from Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Asunder is a spellbinding, utterly addictive fantasy novel with adventure, romance, and magic that captivated me from beginning to end.

I LOVE this book. It’s tender and powerful, with characters you’ll fall in love with. I adored Karys and Ferain. Their relationship was so interesting and beautiful. I also loved the fantastic group of characters that joined them on their adventure and the excellent character development. The pacing was great, and the writing was beautiful. I loved the magic and creativity the world was, and it was so fun to explore so many different settings and experiences as the characters continued their journey. This book had everything I love in a fantasy. I know it’s a standalone, but I hope there’s a sequel. I highly recommend this book!

Alyssa Appleton narrated this story beautifully. Her accents and emotions added to the already wonderfully immersive and emotional story. Asunder is a great audiobook listen.

Thank you to the publisher for the free ALC!

Thank you to NetGalley, Kerstin Hall and RBMedia for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review. This review is wholly my own & may not be reproduced.

I went into this one blind. A good book friend was going crazy over this book, so I decided that I absolutely had to read it, even though it’s outside my normal genre box.

This was unlike anything I’ve ever read & I predict this book will be a BIG deal when it releases. I was fully blown away.

The protagonist & supporting characters were amazing. I loved the dark atmospheric feels throughout the entire book. The magic system & mythological aspects were out of this world.

This book was a long one – even sped up on audio & there was just soooooo much involved with the story to list every single thing I loved.

It was very original, inventive, immersive, compelling & bingeable.

Will definitely be one of the best fantasies of the year.

3.5 stars

A difficult one to rate.

This book is long (a 20-hour audiobook) and takes too long to ramp up. It wasn't until 1/3 of the way in when Karys, our heroine, returns to her childhood home, that I began to care about her and some of the other characters in the story.

This novel is nearly episodic, and the book as a whole often feels comprised of side-quests. Sometimes that form of storytelling worked for me. In parts of the book, I felt like I'd been dropped into a dark, lush, beautiful anime—Hall's writing can be wonderfully descriptive and immersive. Other times I felt lost as to what the overarching point or plot of the novel was.

I do love a nice body sharing tale (Cam & Pal in Nona the Ninth and Roger & Dodger in Middlegame—just to name-check a couple of other Tor titles). I requested this ARC because it features that trope and because Isabel Cañas gushed about this novel in a recent newsletter. The body sharing in this story, while not explored as deeply as in those aforementioned, more character-focused books, did not disappoint.

After Karys and Ferain bonded during Karys' trip home, I began to gobble this story up. Those two are pretty straight-forward characters, but I really adored the relationship they forged; I wish we were shown far more of it. I also enjoyed the trust, respect, and affection that Karys and Ferain grew to share with Haeki and Winola.

This is where I admit that I'm probably not the right audience for this book. I liked but did not love it. I'm always going to prefer very character-driven fantasy, and up until the last handful of chapters that's not what this book is.

Even if it wasn't quite for me, this is still a quality novel. Hall is a skilled storyteller. (Though the ending was pretty poor for a book that seems to be marketed as a standalone.)

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

For the audiobook specifically, there was a strange glitch that altered the narrator’s register, dropping their pitch significantly and warping some of the words - this lasted for several chapters and then was randomly fixed in a later chapter.

Classic fantasy, and felt like it was older than it is or was. Pulled you into a new world, and characters that still felt familiar and relatable

Despite having read other fantasy novels in the past, I found ASUNDER to be one of the most intense, inventive, and heart-wrenching novels I have ever read. Throughout the book, I felt extremely attached to the characters and had a great sense of world-building and magic systems. A lot of the focus of the book was on the politics, magic, and world-building of this universe rather than the fast-paced plot itself. This is the first book I’ve read of Hall’s and I plan on looking into her other books. For this to be a standalone and end so open-ended is a travesty. I really hope there will be a second book.

I would like to thank NetGalley and RBmedia for providing the eALC.

Loved the fantasy read. Karys is a death speaker, meaning she can speak to the recently dead. The writer has created a great cast of characters that you grow to care about. I did however find the ending a bit abrupt.

I overall enjoyed the audiobook but there were a few instances of shifting and swallowing noises. The story itself was unique and not something i often read in fantasy. The main characters are likeable but I didn't completely feel engaged with them. It also did feel a bit longwinded at times which slowed the pace of the story.
Thank you for the audio arc in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly, narrator did a fantastic job and I would recommend the audiobook, even though I would have appreciated a glossary at the beginning to avoid confusion. I wonder if there's one in the physical copy.
I'm not sure I can recommend the book itself though. The ending is just so abrupt and unsatisfying. 19 and a half hour audiobook and that's it? Terrible. The description says it's a standalone so that's how I'm going to review it. As a standalone I hate it. I also hate when a book is said to be a standalone only for it to have and ending which basically says it's a series.
The dynamic between Karys and Ferain is the highlight of this book for me and the only reason it's not a one star.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.