Azura Ghost

It's 4.5 but I'm definitely rounding up.

I think it's taken me more than 3 weeks after finishing Nophek Gloss to get to this sequel because while I loved it, it was also a very high concept hard sci-fi book which isn't my usual thing and I needed some time before I got back to this world. And I think that was the right decision on my part. (Also, this review might have some spoilers to Nophek Gloss, so please read at your risk).

Because this sequel is so much bigger and expansive and tense than it's predecessor and I was hanging on the edge of my seat while rushing through the pages of this book. Just like Nophek Gloss, we are thrown right in between the action in the first chapter itself and there are hardly any breaks from the high personal as well as multiverse level stakes. The author's imagination is really splendid and rich and I'm still in awe of this world she has created, and while I still won't say I understand everything because I'm not that good at physics, it's highly enjoyable; and even with the little I do get, I was marveling at all the possibilities of this world and wondering how much more we would be getting as the pages went by. While the pacing is mostly breakneck because there is no time to waste when the multiverse is in danger, there were some moments of joy and family bonding and nostalgia which I thought were perfectly lovely and gave me some respite in the whole tense atmosphere. I finished this mostly in one day because I just couldn't sleep for the night not knowing what was gonna happen next.

I did not expect that this book would start a decade after the end of the first one but I think it gave some great character arcs. Especially Caiden, who is a changed man because he has the highest bounty on his head and can hardly take a break. We hear a lot about the little and big things he did in the past decade, helping the oppressed people and doing things to prevent disasters but I so wish we had gotten to read some of those while they were happening - it's not the same while reading about his and other people's feelings about his actions. He is also perpetually scared about giving into his Graven nature, always unsure if the care and affection others are showing towards him genuine or due to his undue manipulation. I really empathized with his need to not to lose his humanity and resort to violence all the time; but he is also helpless because he is kind and compassionate and can't help but take the world on his shoulders and try to protect everyone and everything he cares about.

Leta on the other hand was a character I took some time to warm upto. It wasn't her fault though - I truly sympathized with her situation and could see how she would make certain decisions even if I didn't like them and only kept feeling sad that even she didn't know if she had any agency - but then things happened (which I can't spoil) and she became the strength that Caiden needed. Their relationship is fraught with the memories of an abusive childhood and a decade long separation, but I loved how much they still cared for each other and were ready to get to know each other anew. Leta also has some very interesting powers which complement Caiden's own very well, but she is also much more thoughtful and wise whereas he is the reckless one ready to dive headlong into danger. I'm just so so glad they got to meet again.

Caiden's found family is a much lesser presence this time but whenever they appeared and gave an earful to Caiden for being distant, I was heartened. They really all love and care for each other and I was always wishing that nothing would harm or separate them. Leta also has her own kind of found family but they are much more intertwined due to their circumstances and I think it'll be interesting to see their relationship dynamics when they aren't being manipulated. I don't wanna talk much about Azura and C because I can't spoil the fun, but I can't stop myself from mentioning them because these two were a much source of delight in this otherwise tension filled book.

But the most important side characters this time were Abriss and Threi. Threi is not much changed from the first book and there is still his ruthlessness to contend with, but we get very little glimpses into his past and his true vision for the future, and I'm really excited to see more of him. Abriss on the other hand tries to project an image of benevolence and gentleness - and maybe she did have capacity for that before - but now she is full of hubris, convinced of her vision for the singularity, ready to obliterate any number of people and worlds to get the utopia she believes she deserves to rule over. The way the author has written Abriss's character, with her ever changing words and tactics and actions, is absolutely masterful.

In the end, I had high hopes for this sequel after loving the first book and it exceeded all of them. I fell in love more with the characters, I'm completely stunned at the world the author's mind has conjured, and I'm both excited and petrified about what more she has in store for us in the finale. If you are someone who loves mind blowing and ingenious sci-fi worlds; with characters you'll come to deeply care for; and the themes explored are very much human and personal in a multiverse full of aliens and advanced tech and luminiferity - this series is written for you and you can't miss it. It was much easier to handle the end of Nophek Gloss because I already had the sequel in my hands but Azura Ghost has an equally revelatory and explosive conclusion and I guess the next (probably) one year of wait for Ethera Grave will be full of anticipation.