[Kodie’s Review] Aetherbound by E. K. Johnston

Set on a family-run interstellar freighter called the Harland and a mysterious remote space station, E. K. Johnston's latest is story of survival and self-determination.

Pendt Harland's family sees her as a waste of food on their long-haul space cruiser when her genes reveal an undesirable mutation. But if she plays her cards right she might have a chance to do much more than survive. During a space-station layover, Pendt escapes and forms a lucky bond with the Brannick twins, the teenage heirs of the powerful family that owns the station. Against all odds, the trio hatches a long-shot scheme to take over the station and thwart the destinies they never wished for.

This book immediately captured my attention and created a world that I was ready to be fully immersed in. Learning about Pendt’s life on the Harland was so interesting, you couldn’t help but get hooked. However, once she left to go to the Brannick Station, the book just took a sudden slow turn. While the magic in this story is unlike any I have ever seen which is such a refreshing change, I wish there would have been more conflict in the second half of the book. 

Pendt embarks on a journey to try and break away from the life that she was born in to. When she sees an opportunity to escape, she takes it, and in doing so ends up finding her chosen family.

This was such a fun and quick read. Watching Pendt grow as a person, and truly embracing herself and her new friends, made this story easy to love. I wish there had been more conflict, but the world that was created has such potential that I hope to see in future books.

Kodie

Hi I’m Kodie! I am a longtime book lover, and aspiring author! I’ve been obsessed with escaping the real world through books since the moment I learned how to read. Whether it was Junie B Jones, Laura Ingalls, or as I got older Harry Potter and the like, I have dived head first into these new worlds and never looked back. Journey with me through all of my reads on my Instagram, Just Two Scrollmates!