Æroreh by Jesikah Sundin is a beautifully twisted Sleeping Beauty retelling that injects a hint of dystopian sci-fi into a lush fantasy landscape. The intriguing combination of technology and faery lore makes this a stand-out in a sea of fairytale reimaginings.
I normally wouldn’t comment on a dedication, but this one so perfectly sets the tone of this novel.
“Dedicated to all the women who are told they would be prettier if they smiled more and to all the men who are our allies.” -Jesikah Sundin, Æroreh
Félip is the perfectly imperfect contrast to our heroine, Æroreh. He is charming, humble, and pleasantly real in a world where people are programed to behave “ideally”. I loved him from the first page he is mentioned. Æroreh took a bit more time to see through all the glamour, but once she started revealing her true nature, I enjoyed seeing her character flourish.
This is the first in The Ealdspell Cycle. Though this book reaches a nice resolution, it does a fair job of introducing the premise of book 2, which appears to follow different characters set in the same world. I look forward to the continuation of this tale and recommend book 1 for fans of The Lunar Chronicles and Praetorian Rising.
The audiobook is narrated by Olivia King, who does a fantastic job creating two distinct characters that bring this book to life. Her mastery of accents was evident in her seamless delivery.
I’d like to thank the author for providing a free audio book of Æroreh in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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