Evie's Reviews > Earthflown

I am having alot of thoughts about this one, but I feel relatively confident with this being a rounded up 4.5 stars. This book was on my list of super anticipated releases for the year based on the covers alone and I’m glad to say it didn’t disappoint.

Firstly, this story is an amazing effort for a debut. You can feel the blood, sweat and tears that must have gone into the research and world building, especially regarding medical scenes and the healers. This book was smart, unique and morally complex. I finished this whole thing in one sitting cause I was so absorbed and this will likely go on my list for favourites of the year.

The author has invested so much time into this final product. I’m still shocked at how polished it is. The author worked closely with an illustrator to produce some stunning art which is on their Instagram and I believe will be included in the final hard copy of the book. For that reason alone (amongst many) I’ll be purchasing a hard copy when it’s available. The pride and effort that has been taken in this work has made this author one that I will come back to in the future.

This is a wonderful example of SFF. This story is set in a futuristic London where the city has started sinking and is growing vertically to escape destruction and clean water is a rare commodity controlled by the rich and powerful. This world had such a unique tone of crime noir/ gritty cyber-punk vibes. There are some ‘magic’ elements in the story where people possess special abilities such as healers, empaths, telekinetics and firestarters, and while these powers are important to the story, these abilities are also not the main focus of the narrative.

The core relationship in this is Ethan and Javier and I just adored them. The slow build in trust and love was very sweet and as a reader you were so invested in them and their happiness. Full disclosure, there is very little spice in this book, so if that’s something that you need, you may be left a little unfulfilled. While I would have welcomed a scene or two to cement the emotional payoff of the build of their relationship, I didn’t find that it impacted my enjoyment of their dynamic as a whole.

I don’t want to say much more cause it feels like everything could be a clue or spoiler but I knocked off half a star because the ending was left a bit open and ambiguous. And I understand why it’s been done that way, but just for personal preference it drives me a little nutty.

I would encourage any fans of queer SFF to support this standalone (?) and give it a read.

Thank you to BookSirens and the author for the opportunity to read this ARC. These are my own thoughts and feelings.