Through the Eyes of the Aether

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.