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The Graven #2
Azura Ghost
Caiden has been on the run for ten years with his unique starship in order to keep his adversary, Threi, imprisoned. But when an old friend he'd once thought dead reappears, he is lured into a game of cat and mouse with the one person whose powers rival Threi's: Threi's sister Abriss.
Now with both siblings on the hunt for Caiden and his ship, Caiden must rescue his long-lost friend from their clutches and uncover the source of both his ship's power and his own origins in order to stop Abriss's plan to collapse the multiverse.
Now with both siblings on the hunt for Caiden and his ship, Caiden must rescue his long-lost friend from their clutches and uncover the source of both his ship's power and his own origins in order to stop Abriss's plan to collapse the multiverse.
480 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
July 3, 2023
This has been a most unexpected and pleasing, stunning and spectacular space opera read! Beautifully written prose.
Edit II: 07022023
Essa Hansen delivers so much more in this book than the first although the first was quite enjoyable too. The plot is fast paced and relentless, the world-building is unique not in it's broad scope ideas but in the subtle interwoven details of profound metaphysical questions coupled with unapologetic, unflinching and fantasmic answers.
I haven't been this excited to wait for a sequel since reading John C. Wright's Count to the Eschaton Sequence that started with Count to a Trillion. Impatiently waiting for the next installment. Superb imagination by the author all through and a delightful read. I'll highly recommend this for all space opera natives.
"Aurorae wisped from nothingness in ethereal cyans and pinks. Azura billowed through space as a luminiferous presence within the very fabric of it, rolling pressures outward. She was a tangle of forces all bent in different directions, frantic for something while a guiding will tried to cinch them up into coherence."Read: 4th of June, 2022
Edit II: 07022023
Essa Hansen delivers so much more in this book than the first although the first was quite enjoyable too. The plot is fast paced and relentless, the world-building is unique not in it's broad scope ideas but in the subtle interwoven details of profound metaphysical questions coupled with unapologetic, unflinching and fantasmic answers.
I haven't been this excited to wait for a sequel since reading John C. Wright's Count to the Eschaton Sequence that started with Count to a Trillion. Impatiently waiting for the next installment. Superb imagination by the author all through and a delightful read. I'll highly recommend this for all space opera natives.
December 23, 2021
He grazed the crystalline florescer over his head. The Azura’s universe bloomed. Light purled outward, space simmered, and effervescence settled in the wake. The vibrations quieted to a perfect chorus, ethereal and whisper-sleek.
“Ready, gorgeous?”
There’s a painting on my wall of a wave crashing on a beach with sea foam frothing up and down the shoreline. ‘This is just like the multiverse in Azura Ghost,’ I kept thinking to myself while reading Essa Hansen’s sequel to Nophek Gloss. Countless bubbles of foam, each with its own distinct physical properties, with a thin layer of rind separating each tiny bubble from destruction or assimilation. In the multiverse analogy, these bubbles are universes, each with their own laws of physics, their own rules of mathematics. If one bubble universe pops and bleeds into the next: chaos, destruction, eventual adaptation. Quite a scary thought if you happen to be a resident! So if the ruling Dynast, Abriss Cetre, tries to unify the entire multiverse by destroying all the border rinds, there will certainly be genocidal consequences. But when attempting to resurrect lost Graven ancestors, one must crack a few eggs to make an omelette…
One of the many things I love about this series is how deep the characters are tied into its rich story. The characters are driven by multiverse-spanning goals that are humane and relatable. Abriss Cetre may be seeking to unify the multiverse and bring back the age of the Graven, but above all she is just looking to make a real human connection and escape her cursed power of never knowing if she can be spoken to as an equal. Threi Cetre is a man obsessed with playing second fiddle to his sister, the most powerful Graven alive, and will do anything he can to find a way to usurp her power while completing his own Graven tech research. Caiden wants to keep Threi’s powers neutered and his presence banished to a jailed universe, but doesn’t want anything to do with his own Graven roots, finding the manipulation abilities cursed, as Abriss does. He chooses to live the life as a fugitive to keep Threi jailed and sacrifices his relationship with his found family so they wouldn’t be hunted alongside him. Caiden’s limits his family to himself, his Very Good Boy pet nophek, and his mysterious Graven ship’s intelligence known as Azura.
In the first book, En, Lathan, Panca, Kisñe, and more of Caiden’s human and xenid friends shared in the spotlight. In the sequel, we’re introduced to a new cast of characters in the form of Proxies: sculpted humanoid bodyguards, designed by Dynast Abriss in the image of the Graven ancestors, each capable of harnessing the luminiferity in different ways. In the luminiferity, the spirits of the Graven are diffused instead of dead, so the consciousness of the Proxies can flow between the construct bodies and their original human/xenid bodies. Proxy Number Nine has a special ability to project her spirit through the luminiferity to visit other bodies outside her own, and it sets the stage for many thrilling battles across space and consciousness. Other Proxies have specialized fighting capabilities, and there are a couple of scenes of scalar gravity slugfest mayhem when Caiden and the Proxies cross paths.
Her sensitive nervous system fuzzed at the edges like the pages of the most-read books, velveted from a history of touch.
Some of the major themes on Nophek Gloss remain front-and-center in Azura Ghost. Inclusivity and identity are once-again explored as the Proxies struggle to figure out their role in the universe, and if they can live independently outside of Abriss’ Graven influences. I loved reading about the struggles of these Proxies and their decision-making process when finally given freedom to act on their own, outside of blanketed emotional oppression. I also loved just how damn cool Hansen’s imagination is. Incredible ship battles, chase scenes that defy gravity with each new directional leap, and alien, environmental landscapes reminiscent of the Strugatskys’ Roadside Picnic. Even more impressive is that even though this book introduces many new and exciting characters, new philosophies, and new conflicts, I found this to be a much tighter, and more focussed read than book one. Much of the first half was build-up, and the entire back-half of the story was all fallout. It stole my breath and became an absolutely relentless page-turner by book’s end.
Azura Ghost somehow raises the bar from what Nophek Gloss brought to the table: a bizarre and thrilling tale of finding one’s true family, brimming with fresh imagination and originality. Hansen paints wondrous vistas from paragraph to paragraph and drives our emotions through the blender along the way. This is the type of story that lives as a movie inside your mind and continues to play when the book is done. The Graven is one of the most thoughtful and visionary science fiction epics I’ve ever read, and I give it my highest recommendation to fans of the genre.
9.5 / 10
“Ready, gorgeous?”
There’s a painting on my wall of a wave crashing on a beach with sea foam frothing up and down the shoreline. ‘This is just like the multiverse in Azura Ghost,’ I kept thinking to myself while reading Essa Hansen’s sequel to Nophek Gloss. Countless bubbles of foam, each with its own distinct physical properties, with a thin layer of rind separating each tiny bubble from destruction or assimilation. In the multiverse analogy, these bubbles are universes, each with their own laws of physics, their own rules of mathematics. If one bubble universe pops and bleeds into the next: chaos, destruction, eventual adaptation. Quite a scary thought if you happen to be a resident! So if the ruling Dynast, Abriss Cetre, tries to unify the entire multiverse by destroying all the border rinds, there will certainly be genocidal consequences. But when attempting to resurrect lost Graven ancestors, one must crack a few eggs to make an omelette…
One of the many things I love about this series is how deep the characters are tied into its rich story. The characters are driven by multiverse-spanning goals that are humane and relatable. Abriss Cetre may be seeking to unify the multiverse and bring back the age of the Graven, but above all she is just looking to make a real human connection and escape her cursed power of never knowing if she can be spoken to as an equal. Threi Cetre is a man obsessed with playing second fiddle to his sister, the most powerful Graven alive, and will do anything he can to find a way to usurp her power while completing his own Graven tech research. Caiden wants to keep Threi’s powers neutered and his presence banished to a jailed universe, but doesn’t want anything to do with his own Graven roots, finding the manipulation abilities cursed, as Abriss does. He chooses to live the life as a fugitive to keep Threi jailed and sacrifices his relationship with his found family so they wouldn’t be hunted alongside him. Caiden’s limits his family to himself, his Very Good Boy pet nophek, and his mysterious Graven ship’s intelligence known as Azura.
In the first book, En, Lathan, Panca, Kisñe, and more of Caiden’s human and xenid friends shared in the spotlight. In the sequel, we’re introduced to a new cast of characters in the form of Proxies: sculpted humanoid bodyguards, designed by Dynast Abriss in the image of the Graven ancestors, each capable of harnessing the luminiferity in different ways. In the luminiferity, the spirits of the Graven are diffused instead of dead, so the consciousness of the Proxies can flow between the construct bodies and their original human/xenid bodies. Proxy Number Nine has a special ability to project her spirit through the luminiferity to visit other bodies outside her own, and it sets the stage for many thrilling battles across space and consciousness. Other Proxies have specialized fighting capabilities, and there are a couple of scenes of scalar gravity slugfest mayhem when Caiden and the Proxies cross paths.
Her sensitive nervous system fuzzed at the edges like the pages of the most-read books, velveted from a history of touch.
Some of the major themes on Nophek Gloss remain front-and-center in Azura Ghost. Inclusivity and identity are once-again explored as the Proxies struggle to figure out their role in the universe, and if they can live independently outside of Abriss’ Graven influences. I loved reading about the struggles of these Proxies and their decision-making process when finally given freedom to act on their own, outside of blanketed emotional oppression. I also loved just how damn cool Hansen’s imagination is. Incredible ship battles, chase scenes that defy gravity with each new directional leap, and alien, environmental landscapes reminiscent of the Strugatskys’ Roadside Picnic. Even more impressive is that even though this book introduces many new and exciting characters, new philosophies, and new conflicts, I found this to be a much tighter, and more focussed read than book one. Much of the first half was build-up, and the entire back-half of the story was all fallout. It stole my breath and became an absolutely relentless page-turner by book’s end.
Azura Ghost somehow raises the bar from what Nophek Gloss brought to the table: a bizarre and thrilling tale of finding one’s true family, brimming with fresh imagination and originality. Hansen paints wondrous vistas from paragraph to paragraph and drives our emotions through the blender along the way. This is the type of story that lives as a movie inside your mind and continues to play when the book is done. The Graven is one of the most thoughtful and visionary science fiction epics I’ve ever read, and I give it my highest recommendation to fans of the genre.
9.5 / 10
February 5, 2022
3.5 Stars
From the way the Nophek Gloss ended, I was very eager to read this follow up novel.
I am happy to say that the sequel delivered a solid story. The characters and storytelling really matured in this sophomore novel. I loved the world building, which is rich, imaginative and (wonderfully) also a little dark. The naivete of the protagonist in the first book is clearly gone and instead we are left with a self assured man.
The story is at times tropey, but they mostly tropes I love. As a space opera, it almost unavoidably a little predictable, but the author brought some twists and turns to keep the story feeling fresh.
I would recommend this one to space opera fans looking for an exciting and sometimes terrifying new adventure.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
From the way the Nophek Gloss ended, I was very eager to read this follow up novel.
I am happy to say that the sequel delivered a solid story. The characters and storytelling really matured in this sophomore novel. I loved the world building, which is rich, imaginative and (wonderfully) also a little dark. The naivete of the protagonist in the first book is clearly gone and instead we are left with a self assured man.
The story is at times tropey, but they mostly tropes I love. As a space opera, it almost unavoidably a little predictable, but the author brought some twists and turns to keep the story feeling fresh.
I would recommend this one to space opera fans looking for an exciting and sometimes terrifying new adventure.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
Read
September 11, 2021I loved the first book in the series. This one is better. It still has the wonderfully imaginative world, though it also runs at a faster pace, with a lot more happening. Without giving too much away, while the first book was about family (and that theme still runs through this one) this is more Caiden and Leta's book.
I'll promise you this: You absolutely don't know where this is headed. But you want to.
I'll promise you this: You absolutely don't know where this is headed. But you want to.
January 25, 2022
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.
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.
September 16, 2022
For me, the ideas and world building in this book, make it a four star rating, but I still find her prose difficult to read and my mind wanders...however I give it a 3.5 🌟 star rating. Also for what ever reason, the characters don't grab me and they feel somewhat one or two dimensional...I was a little disappointed that the book ends with a cliffhanger...book 3 is out in early 2023...but right now I'm not sure if I will read it....
December 20, 2021
Essa Hansen’s Azura Ghost, second book in The Graven series, marks an enormous step up from her already impressive debut, Nophek Gloss. This new story takes us deeper into the mysterious multiverse of the Graven, an ancient race of vast accomplishments that disappeared ages ago but left numerous traces both in architectural and technological remnants and in genetics.
We continue to follow the central character of the first book, Caiden Winn, now ten years older and still trying to understand the Graven element in his genes. It is an inheritance that gives him special powers, particularly the power to compel obedience through his voice and also his ability to master the space ship, Azura, which itself seems to embody an almost spiritual force that is somehow linked to the powers of the Graven.
As in Nophek Gloss, Hansen’s language is startling and fresh, crashing senses into each other, and wrapped in driving rhythms. Sometimes it reminds me of an epic poem, nothing wasted, glowing images, as the author plunges us into the action. I don’t know a lot of Anglo-Saxon poetry, but Hansen’s language reminds me of those brief punchy lines, each with its stress and the metaphors built into the words with such economy and force. Her writing carries me along, sometimes complex and demanding (especially in the opening chapters where there is a lot to unpack) but with no dramatic letup.
......
A central theme of this novel is the struggle of the main characters to understand how their human personalities can be fitted into the roles they are meant to play in realizing some of the lost Graven powers. Leta’s development is exceptional, as we hear her integrate the newly recalled memories of her childhood bond with Caiden, how that could translate into the present and testing just how close they want to be or can be, given their immersion in the godlike forces that surround and pull them in.
..........
There are so many spectacular ideas and innovative approaches to a multiversal space opera, all realized in rich, vivid language, that I found this book irresistible. It’s not at all your typical adventure, so please put aside any expectations you may have from other writing in this genre. This novel attempts an interesting balance of the underlying adventure and character conflicts inherent in space opera with the exploration of the transcendent dimensions of physics, spirituality and the vastness of human consciousness that Hansen probes so well. The result is a book I find profoundly interesting. The ideas are always compelling, the language superb and the difficulty is the sort that comes from first exposure to a work that is deeply original. It takes a little time for it all to soak in, but the effort makes this story all the more rewarding. I hope the third installment comes soon.
Read the full review at SciFi Mind.
We continue to follow the central character of the first book, Caiden Winn, now ten years older and still trying to understand the Graven element in his genes. It is an inheritance that gives him special powers, particularly the power to compel obedience through his voice and also his ability to master the space ship, Azura, which itself seems to embody an almost spiritual force that is somehow linked to the powers of the Graven.
As in Nophek Gloss, Hansen’s language is startling and fresh, crashing senses into each other, and wrapped in driving rhythms. Sometimes it reminds me of an epic poem, nothing wasted, glowing images, as the author plunges us into the action. I don’t know a lot of Anglo-Saxon poetry, but Hansen’s language reminds me of those brief punchy lines, each with its stress and the metaphors built into the words with such economy and force. Her writing carries me along, sometimes complex and demanding (especially in the opening chapters where there is a lot to unpack) but with no dramatic letup.
......
A central theme of this novel is the struggle of the main characters to understand how their human personalities can be fitted into the roles they are meant to play in realizing some of the lost Graven powers. Leta’s development is exceptional, as we hear her integrate the newly recalled memories of her childhood bond with Caiden, how that could translate into the present and testing just how close they want to be or can be, given their immersion in the godlike forces that surround and pull them in.
..........
There are so many spectacular ideas and innovative approaches to a multiversal space opera, all realized in rich, vivid language, that I found this book irresistible. It’s not at all your typical adventure, so please put aside any expectations you may have from other writing in this genre. This novel attempts an interesting balance of the underlying adventure and character conflicts inherent in space opera with the exploration of the transcendent dimensions of physics, spirituality and the vastness of human consciousness that Hansen probes so well. The result is a book I find profoundly interesting. The ideas are always compelling, the language superb and the difficulty is the sort that comes from first exposure to a work that is deeply original. It takes a little time for it all to soak in, but the effort makes this story all the more rewarding. I hope the third installment comes soon.
Read the full review at SciFi Mind.
March 27, 2024
Azura Ghost by Essa Hansen - 2nd book in The Graven trilogy
Challenging, dark, mysterious, reflective, sa, and tense.
Medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0 Stars
Okay. There are a LOT of deep/complex thoughts and ideas within this book. I can honestly say...that I did not follow/understand all of them.
I'm not sure if the burden is on me (to understand), or to the author (to explain it well enough that I understand).
There is a certain part of me that is thinking of Interstellar and Inception, at the same time. Incredible vastness, but also infinate inwardness.
Abbris is the evil genius. Threi is the rebellious want-to-be and our favourites of Caiden, Leta and Azura are our heroes
I'm going to continue onto the third book, but I just wanted to be true and honest...I did NOT understand everything within this book.
I read certain sections multiple times...so that I'd have the best possible capacity to garner the requisite knowledge to fully enjoy this story.
The parts that I have understood, I obviously really enjoyed (hence, me continuing to read this book).
The parts that I "sort of" understand...is like dust in a ray of light. I can see them ONLY when the light shines on them, but when the cloud covers the light...I can no longer see the dust.
And saying that...there are af few parts that I don't even know that I don't understand...they are so unknowable...at this moment. Ugh.
I am going to walk away from this series for a beat. I will hopefully find a recap of what has gone on in THIS book...before proceeding on to the last book.
Again, I am not sure if it is TOTALLY on me, but am willing to think it is.
Challenging, dark, mysterious, reflective, sa, and tense.
Medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0 Stars
Okay. There are a LOT of deep/complex thoughts and ideas within this book. I can honestly say...that I did not follow/understand all of them.
I'm not sure if the burden is on me (to understand), or to the author (to explain it well enough that I understand).
There is a certain part of me that is thinking of Interstellar and Inception, at the same time. Incredible vastness, but also infinate inwardness.
Abbris is the evil genius. Threi is the rebellious want-to-be and our favourites of Caiden, Leta and Azura are our heroes
I'm going to continue onto the third book, but I just wanted to be true and honest...I did NOT understand everything within this book.
I read certain sections multiple times...so that I'd have the best possible capacity to garner the requisite knowledge to fully enjoy this story.
The parts that I have understood, I obviously really enjoyed (hence, me continuing to read this book).
The parts that I "sort of" understand...is like dust in a ray of light. I can see them ONLY when the light shines on them, but when the cloud covers the light...I can no longer see the dust.
And saying that...there are af few parts that I don't even know that I don't understand...they are so unknowable...at this moment. Ugh.
I am going to walk away from this series for a beat. I will hopefully find a recap of what has gone on in THIS book...before proceeding on to the last book.
Again, I am not sure if it is TOTALLY on me, but am willing to think it is.
July 11, 2023
Did it take me a year to finish this book? Yes, it did. Why? Because even though I have been fighting brain fog and time constraints, I loved it so much I was determined to finish it. I had days where I'd read a chapter and ruminate over the concepts. I had days where I blew through multiple chapters and needed a moment to process.
I will also say that there is a running joke in my discord that Azura is cursed for me. Every time I would pick up the book, something bad would happen. Not small bad either. 🤦♀️ So, I did get to a point where I was scared to read it. 🤣
This is, however, one of my absolute favorite series. Essa's writing is brilliant and her understanding of character is showcased in every aspect of this book. These are some of my favorite characters of all time. One of my favorite stories and some of my favorite writing.
With the release of Ethera Grave coming, I knew I needed to conquer my fear of the curse so I could read the next one. But, I will say, I really enjoyed that these characters were with me all year. It actually was incredibly enjoyable to pick them up over the course of the year. Not a habit I wish to continue but still, knowing Caiden, C, En and the gang (Okay, and Threi) were always waiting for me was kinda nice.
I will also say that there is a running joke in my discord that Azura is cursed for me. Every time I would pick up the book, something bad would happen. Not small bad either. 🤦♀️ So, I did get to a point where I was scared to read it. 🤣
This is, however, one of my absolute favorite series. Essa's writing is brilliant and her understanding of character is showcased in every aspect of this book. These are some of my favorite characters of all time. One of my favorite stories and some of my favorite writing.
With the release of Ethera Grave coming, I knew I needed to conquer my fear of the curse so I could read the next one. But, I will say, I really enjoyed that these characters were with me all year. It actually was incredibly enjoyable to pick them up over the course of the year. Not a habit I wish to continue but still, knowing Caiden, C, En and the gang (Okay, and Threi) were always waiting for me was kinda nice.
January 13, 2022
Fantastic installment in this mindbending, genre pushing Scifi series. So much more than just a space opera, Azura Ghost is a treat for the senses and the intellect alike.
February 13, 2022
4.5 stars
Nophek Gloss was my favourite read of 2020, surprising me with its trippy ‘bubbleverse’ sci-fi setting made all the more vivid by Hansen’s uniquely sensorial prose; she had me feeling, smelling and tasting (someone get me some fresh ramia immediately) as I read. Since then, I’ve been particularly impatient to get my hands on a copy of Azura Ghost. And to cut to the chase, it did not disappoint.
“Ten years of monotony, and now he had mere moments to decide what choice was best for the future of the multiverse as an entire concept.”
There’s an experience unique to reading a book you’re really into: you’re completely engrossed in the story and tearing through the pages, but then you reach those critical final chapters and the climax completely blows your mind and you NEED to talk to someone about it. Well, I had that experience in the first 20% of Azura Ghost. And then again at around 30%. It’s a wildly unpredictable story, not due to misdirection or surprise plot twists, but due to Hansen’s willingness to put characters in difficult positions. That, and her fantastic imagination.
“His flesh was built of specks of time from countless ages held together by the magnetism of a dead idea. His bones were fractured planes of space and his marrow became crystalline, built of infinite fractals.
If you’ve already read book one, you can look forward to discovering the secrets of the Azura, the enigmatic Graven, and the multiverse itself. Metaphysical and spiritual ideas introduced in Nophek Gloss are explored in more detail and are central to the plot. While Azura Ghost is set 10 years after the first book’s conclusion, all the key characters are back (plus more than a few new faces), and we learn more about their pasts, particularly the origins of Threi and Abriss’ fraught relationship. Nophek Gloss focuses heavily on Caiden, but the story is told from multiple points of view in Azura Ghost.
If you haven’t yet started this series, you can expect a fantastic sci-fi adventure with the vibrant diversity of character and setting that has earned it frequent comparisons to Mass Effect.
"This planet’s soil was completely transparent. Vast root networks knotted below. Underground river systems roared, bright with schools of fish. Overhead, swarms of lightflies and bioluminescent rays cruised the dark."
There’s something refreshing about Hansen’s character writing that I’m still trying to find the right words to describe. Her characters aren’t necessarily flawed but fallible, and she encourages the reader to see them as such, allowing them to be shaped by their mistakes rather than require redemption because of them. More than once, Caiden needs a rap on the head for things he thinks or does, but that’s what makes him so relatable and his relationships with others feel so genuine.
And if you want to talk morally grey characters, the Cetre siblings are where it’s at. Threi is definitely one of my favourite recent ‘villains’, and I think I’ll still be unsure about those inverted commas even after book three.
The Graven is one of my favourite series and an exciting addition to the diverse sci-fi being published in recent years. For an immersive read in a unique setting, I highly recommend it.
Many to the publisher for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review!
Trigger warnings: c-PTSD, anxiety, references to child abuse
Nophek Gloss was my favourite read of 2020, surprising me with its trippy ‘bubbleverse’ sci-fi setting made all the more vivid by Hansen’s uniquely sensorial prose; she had me feeling, smelling and tasting (someone get me some fresh ramia immediately) as I read. Since then, I’ve been particularly impatient to get my hands on a copy of Azura Ghost. And to cut to the chase, it did not disappoint.
“Ten years of monotony, and now he had mere moments to decide what choice was best for the future of the multiverse as an entire concept.”
There’s an experience unique to reading a book you’re really into: you’re completely engrossed in the story and tearing through the pages, but then you reach those critical final chapters and the climax completely blows your mind and you NEED to talk to someone about it. Well, I had that experience in the first 20% of Azura Ghost. And then again at around 30%. It’s a wildly unpredictable story, not due to misdirection or surprise plot twists, but due to Hansen’s willingness to put characters in difficult positions. That, and her fantastic imagination.
“His flesh was built of specks of time from countless ages held together by the magnetism of a dead idea. His bones were fractured planes of space and his marrow became crystalline, built of infinite fractals.
If you’ve already read book one, you can look forward to discovering the secrets of the Azura, the enigmatic Graven, and the multiverse itself. Metaphysical and spiritual ideas introduced in Nophek Gloss are explored in more detail and are central to the plot. While Azura Ghost is set 10 years after the first book’s conclusion, all the key characters are back (plus more than a few new faces), and we learn more about their pasts, particularly the origins of Threi and Abriss’ fraught relationship. Nophek Gloss focuses heavily on Caiden, but the story is told from multiple points of view in Azura Ghost.
If you haven’t yet started this series, you can expect a fantastic sci-fi adventure with the vibrant diversity of character and setting that has earned it frequent comparisons to Mass Effect.
"This planet’s soil was completely transparent. Vast root networks knotted below. Underground river systems roared, bright with schools of fish. Overhead, swarms of lightflies and bioluminescent rays cruised the dark."
There’s something refreshing about Hansen’s character writing that I’m still trying to find the right words to describe. Her characters aren’t necessarily flawed but fallible, and she encourages the reader to see them as such, allowing them to be shaped by their mistakes rather than require redemption because of them. More than once, Caiden needs a rap on the head for things he thinks or does, but that’s what makes him so relatable and his relationships with others feel so genuine.
And if you want to talk morally grey characters, the Cetre siblings are where it’s at. Threi is definitely one of my favourite recent ‘villains’, and I think I’ll still be unsure about those inverted commas even after book three.
The Graven is one of my favourite series and an exciting addition to the diverse sci-fi being published in recent years. For an immersive read in a unique setting, I highly recommend it.
Many to the publisher for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review!
Trigger warnings: c-PTSD, anxiety, references to child abuse
February 25, 2022
Back in 2020, I read Essa Hansen’s debut novel, Nophek Gloss. It was thoroughly entertaining stuff. The sequel has just been released and the good news is it’s also well worth your time.
Character-wise, I was unsurprised that Endirion Day and C* remain firm favourites. There is, undeniably, a lot going on with the main protagonist Caiden, but I would quite happily read an entire novel following Endirion Day’s adventures. You gotta love a sassy intergalactic gender-fluid rogue who has a habit of getting into all manner of scrapes. I tend to view Endirion as a character living from moment to moment. There is a sense of genuine unpredictability that is always an absolute joy to encounter. You know whatever they do next it is going to keep you riveted to the page.
Hassen’s complex universe building is fascinating stuff. There are many layers of ideas to unpick and enjoy, so much scope for the impossible to become possible. The myriad races are endless. I love the hustle and bustle of the spaceports and the epic, silent grandeur of deep space.
So, what have we learned from Azura Ghost? Firstly, messing with the multiverse is bad. I cannot stress strongly enough how bad. Just trust me, it’s bad. If you are planning on taking control of everything, even if you have the best of intentions, entire planets are going to suffer. Mastering existence is a tricksome business. Secondly, if you have the power to mess with the multiverse then inevitably you will try to mess with the multiverse. It’s just too much of a temptation. Ask yourself, if you could change the shape of reality and bring all different possibilities together into one perfect version of themselves, would you be able to resist?
One of the things I like most about this novel is the way it explores the motivations of the two antagonists, Threi and Abriss. They both exist in a morally dubious grey area. Each is entirely self-assured and utterly convinced that their conflicting plan is the best course of action for the multiverse. It’s interesting watching Caiden’s opinion being swayed by what appears to be two quite compelling arguments. I’ll be honest, if I were in the same position, I’m not sure what choice would convince me more.
Overall, Azura Ghost is a classic slice of mind-bending science fiction. Yes, there is action a plenty but also a thoughtful consideration of other topics like the nature of power and the meaning of family. If you like your science fiction with brains as well as brawn, then this is the series of books for you.
*I wish I could properly articulate how much I love C. If I was wandering the spaceways of the multiverse there would be no better companion to have. You can easily tell by some of the interactions between Caiden and C that the author is most definitely a cat lover. I am also in thrall to our feline overlords, so this pleased me immensely.
Character-wise, I was unsurprised that Endirion Day and C* remain firm favourites. There is, undeniably, a lot going on with the main protagonist Caiden, but I would quite happily read an entire novel following Endirion Day’s adventures. You gotta love a sassy intergalactic gender-fluid rogue who has a habit of getting into all manner of scrapes. I tend to view Endirion as a character living from moment to moment. There is a sense of genuine unpredictability that is always an absolute joy to encounter. You know whatever they do next it is going to keep you riveted to the page.
Hassen’s complex universe building is fascinating stuff. There are many layers of ideas to unpick and enjoy, so much scope for the impossible to become possible. The myriad races are endless. I love the hustle and bustle of the spaceports and the epic, silent grandeur of deep space.
So, what have we learned from Azura Ghost? Firstly, messing with the multiverse is bad. I cannot stress strongly enough how bad. Just trust me, it’s bad. If you are planning on taking control of everything, even if you have the best of intentions, entire planets are going to suffer. Mastering existence is a tricksome business. Secondly, if you have the power to mess with the multiverse then inevitably you will try to mess with the multiverse. It’s just too much of a temptation. Ask yourself, if you could change the shape of reality and bring all different possibilities together into one perfect version of themselves, would you be able to resist?
One of the things I like most about this novel is the way it explores the motivations of the two antagonists, Threi and Abriss. They both exist in a morally dubious grey area. Each is entirely self-assured and utterly convinced that their conflicting plan is the best course of action for the multiverse. It’s interesting watching Caiden’s opinion being swayed by what appears to be two quite compelling arguments. I’ll be honest, if I were in the same position, I’m not sure what choice would convince me more.
Overall, Azura Ghost is a classic slice of mind-bending science fiction. Yes, there is action a plenty but also a thoughtful consideration of other topics like the nature of power and the meaning of family. If you like your science fiction with brains as well as brawn, then this is the series of books for you.
*I wish I could properly articulate how much I love C. If I was wandering the spaceways of the multiverse there would be no better companion to have. You can easily tell by some of the interactions between Caiden and C that the author is most definitely a cat lover. I am also in thrall to our feline overlords, so this pleased me immensely.
February 12, 2022
I wasn’t really sure what to expect going into Essa Hanen’s Azura Ghost. To be honest, I was lukewarm on the first book in The Graven series, Nophek Gloss; Caiden as a young, traumatized protagonist was written convincingly as such and it made it hard to connect with the narrative. But Azura Ghost was like its own multiverse in miniature and reset the playing field altogether. With a ten-year interval and a vastly expanded character cast and stakes, I could barely put down this book for all its 600 pages.
A lot of what I loved about Azura Ghost counts as massive spoiler territory, so unfortunately I can’t get too specific about what I loved, but I can certainly talk about some generalities. Transhumanism plays a central role in Azura Ghost in more ways than I can count offhand, and that is my absolute jam, especially when intersected with topics like disability, neurodivergence, gender identity, and artificial intelligence, all of which are explored in this novel. The intricate, descriptive prose made by brain pop and fizz with delight; so many phrases and paragraphs got highlighted in my ARC.
The character work also ascends into the stratosphere in this one. Caiden with ten years of being on the run under his belt has a lot to grapple with, both in regards to his past and the current conflicts he faces. Many old favourite faces return as well, including the inimitable Endirion Day. In addition to returning characters from Nophek Gloss, we’re also introduced to Abriss and a large cast of unique, terrifying, and wonderful characters in her orbit. Hansen excels at character development and I cared about everyone who got page time. There’s so much queer found family in space that my little heart was full to bursting with the full range of human emotion.
Also… when I say I could barely put this book down, I mean it. The pacing is absolutely excellent, and the way both plot events and character arcs weave together and split apart is a thing of beauty to behold. The already imaginative world gains more new layers than I can shake a stick at, and I sat in awe as that world unfolded before me.
For anyone who was on the fence about continuing this series after Nophek Gloss like me, I have to say I highly, HIGHLY recommend picking up Azura Ghost; this book feels like it has begun to touch upon the heart of the series and is both gripping and imaginative. And if you were considering starting this series at all, consider this my strong recommendation to do so. Unique, wonderful, emotional, brutal, and literally out of this world, Azura Ghost is a contender for one of my favourite reads of 2022.
Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for an advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.
A lot of what I loved about Azura Ghost counts as massive spoiler territory, so unfortunately I can’t get too specific about what I loved, but I can certainly talk about some generalities. Transhumanism plays a central role in Azura Ghost in more ways than I can count offhand, and that is my absolute jam, especially when intersected with topics like disability, neurodivergence, gender identity, and artificial intelligence, all of which are explored in this novel. The intricate, descriptive prose made by brain pop and fizz with delight; so many phrases and paragraphs got highlighted in my ARC.
The character work also ascends into the stratosphere in this one. Caiden with ten years of being on the run under his belt has a lot to grapple with, both in regards to his past and the current conflicts he faces. Many old favourite faces return as well, including the inimitable Endirion Day. In addition to returning characters from Nophek Gloss, we’re also introduced to Abriss and a large cast of unique, terrifying, and wonderful characters in her orbit. Hansen excels at character development and I cared about everyone who got page time. There’s so much queer found family in space that my little heart was full to bursting with the full range of human emotion.
Also… when I say I could barely put this book down, I mean it. The pacing is absolutely excellent, and the way both plot events and character arcs weave together and split apart is a thing of beauty to behold. The already imaginative world gains more new layers than I can shake a stick at, and I sat in awe as that world unfolded before me.
For anyone who was on the fence about continuing this series after Nophek Gloss like me, I have to say I highly, HIGHLY recommend picking up Azura Ghost; this book feels like it has begun to touch upon the heart of the series and is both gripping and imaginative. And if you were considering starting this series at all, consider this my strong recommendation to do so. Unique, wonderful, emotional, brutal, and literally out of this world, Azura Ghost is a contender for one of my favourite reads of 2022.
Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for an advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.
December 19, 2021
Wow. Just wow. It’s tough to be elegant with words here with the disorienting wave of what is certain to be the biggest book hang-over of all time already numbing me. I loved all the characters in Nophek Gloss, Caiden most fiercely of all—Sorry En! So, how ironic is it that Azura Ghost, the follow up to the insanely imaginative found family space opera, feels like coming home to a family that I didn’t know how much I’d missed. Essa’s characters are complex multiverses unto themselves, unique, individual, and driven by cosmic forces—but most of all—utterly relatable. You’ll find it impossible not to be tied up in the web of conflict they face, rooting for each of them in turn, wincing at their battle injuries and aching along with them through their losses. Hansen’s knack for magically plunking your consciousness into the very fibres of her characters is uncanny. You're not reading about them. You’re totally immersed, exhausted and desperate, along for the ride. If Nophek Gloss blew you away, Azura Ghost will put you back together and shatter you all over again. The universe building is staggeringly unique and imaginative, the plot balances cosmic scale with individual relationships on a knife blade. This book is overwhelmingly big and comfortingly personal all at the same time, and I’ve no idea what kind of energy Essa Hansen pulled out of the luminiferity to create it, but she is a writer with a fresh, incredible talent like no other I’ve seen. I’ll be reading this again, in many different universes, on several separate timelines, and I have a feeling I’ll absorb something new each time. Bravo.
January 12, 2022
I received this ebook as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.
Azura Ghost is the sequel to Nophek Gloss, a book which I initially gave 4 stars but upon further reflection, and how much I talk about it, I’ve bumped it to a 5. It was one of my top 12 reads of 2021.
This review will contain spoilers for Nophek Gloss but not Azura Ghost.
Azura Ghost is a balancing act between complex topics and engrossing fight scenes. It’s both a rumination on how we develop trust and, much more intricately, how it’s the alienation that too much power provides that can corrupt a person even more than the desire to control.
Nophek Gloss is as much a learning curve for the reader as it is for Caiden. It’s a complex novel with an overabundance of technology and flowery language, so it takes a while to understand how the world-building functions. Yet, Azura Ghost, because we have learned all of this background in book one, doesn’t have that kind of mental hurdle to deal with. You know what the invented words mean and what you’re getting into (it’s not a novel you can read while tired or distracted though, as it requires concentration). As such, the novel moves at a steady, fast pace the entire time, needing almost no space to sit back and explain stuff to us.
When it comes to the plot, it’s pretty simple. Caiden has been on the run for ten years, despite having Threi captured in a mini, contained universe, and Leta, his “sister”, as we learned at the end of Book 1, is alive and living with Abriss, Threi’s sister, who is the ruler of Unity and a descendent of these forerunner-type people called the Graven. The story starts with Caiden being attacked by a woman who claims to be Leta with her consciousness inhabiting another body, and the story goes from there.
The story is great - it’s not overly complex (it honestly couldn’t be with the number of concepts and tech words thrown around in this novel), but it’s easy to understand and the characters’ motivations are clear. There are several really cool fight scenes in this novel, including a badass one at the midway point that goes on so long I started to feel like I had bruises (in a good way though! It was awesome).
In truth, the novel is less about a twisting story than twisted people. It focuses on the duality of human nature; every character is complex and has at least two sides to their personality. Caiden is extremely strong and resilient, and you’d think he’d be a brooding jerk, but, instead, he’s sweet and overly compassionate. He cares so much he’s almost self-destructive in his martyr complex. Leta, literally inhabiting two bodies, is a shy thing who revels in her proxy’s ability to fight but also fears losing the person she is in her real body. Endiron, one of the side characters, can change their body shape and gender identity at will, and the two other main characters (whom I’ll get to in the spoilers) are also at war with themselves in different ways. Like the first book, this is not a novel about evil villains and white knights - it’s about people put in a pressure cooker and emerging changed but also maintaining a core that yearns for what they once had. It’s very easy to sympathize and understand all four characters because we can see from both sides of their own perspectives. In this regard, it’s a complicated story in truth, because the people are not one-dimensional. While the novel has a ton of action, it’s a story rooted in people.
The entire point of the novel is about perspective. How we can feel and understand something so strongly, but looking at it from another point of view can change that. And when this view comes into conflict with what we’ve decided is the truth, we either adapt or we resist.
Back to the characters, one thing I was slightly at odds with in the first book that carried into the second is Caidan’s attachment to his found family. It didn’t feel to me that he was with them enough in the first book, and definitely not the second, to have such a strong connection (especially after ten years!). Maybe I’m just a jaded person, but like last time we didn’t get enough downtime with Caiden and the other crew to really get to know them aside from little quirks. Granted, if we did, there would be less room for action, and the book is already a hefty one as is.
I did like the focus on Leta’s character - it was great to get a second perspective as book one was all Caidan. It brought a freshness to the worldbuilding and helped round out Caidan as well. I really liked how there wasn’t a forced romance between them.
While Threi is still my problematic crush, my favourite character of the novel was C, the nophek pup. Caiden refers to him once as a “sweet nightmare” which is so fitting.
I will say, I still have no idea what any of the aliens really look like. Even after reading the glossary I still could have used a bit more in-story description of them. This was something I had trouble with in Nophek Gloss too, though it’s a minor consideration.
There’s also a great deal of coincidence in this novel but it doesn’t feel preposterous. A lot of time when you have a few characters involved in events affecting entire worlds, it feels like plot armour that keeps them all linked together. But this book clearly thought this out beforehand - there isn’t a paltry explanation at the end as to why they all involved all the time, or a throwaway comment, but numerous references to how the situations are foretold or orchestrated somehow by certain forces. Whether this comes into play more in book three, we’ll have to find out.
This was an ARC, so some things might change somewhat, but there are some great bits of prose in this novel peppering the action with elegance, for example, “...[it] had long ago taught him he could bridle despair with rage and take it into battle.”
Overall, Azura Ghost is not only a worthy follow-up to Nophek Gloss but surpasses it in many ways. I very much enjoyed it and it was a great book with which to start off 2022.
Azura Ghost is the sequel to Nophek Gloss, a book which I initially gave 4 stars but upon further reflection, and how much I talk about it, I’ve bumped it to a 5. It was one of my top 12 reads of 2021.
This review will contain spoilers for Nophek Gloss but not Azura Ghost.
Azura Ghost is a balancing act between complex topics and engrossing fight scenes. It’s both a rumination on how we develop trust and, much more intricately, how it’s the alienation that too much power provides that can corrupt a person even more than the desire to control.
Nophek Gloss is as much a learning curve for the reader as it is for Caiden. It’s a complex novel with an overabundance of technology and flowery language, so it takes a while to understand how the world-building functions. Yet, Azura Ghost, because we have learned all of this background in book one, doesn’t have that kind of mental hurdle to deal with. You know what the invented words mean and what you’re getting into (it’s not a novel you can read while tired or distracted though, as it requires concentration). As such, the novel moves at a steady, fast pace the entire time, needing almost no space to sit back and explain stuff to us.
When it comes to the plot, it’s pretty simple. Caiden has been on the run for ten years, despite having Threi captured in a mini, contained universe, and Leta, his “sister”, as we learned at the end of Book 1, is alive and living with Abriss, Threi’s sister, who is the ruler of Unity and a descendent of these forerunner-type people called the Graven. The story starts with Caiden being attacked by a woman who claims to be Leta with her consciousness inhabiting another body, and the story goes from there.
The story is great - it’s not overly complex (it honestly couldn’t be with the number of concepts and tech words thrown around in this novel), but it’s easy to understand and the characters’ motivations are clear. There are several really cool fight scenes in this novel, including a badass one at the midway point that goes on so long I started to feel like I had bruises (in a good way though! It was awesome).
In truth, the novel is less about a twisting story than twisted people. It focuses on the duality of human nature; every character is complex and has at least two sides to their personality. Caiden is extremely strong and resilient, and you’d think he’d be a brooding jerk, but, instead, he’s sweet and overly compassionate. He cares so much he’s almost self-destructive in his martyr complex. Leta, literally inhabiting two bodies, is a shy thing who revels in her proxy’s ability to fight but also fears losing the person she is in her real body. Endiron, one of the side characters, can change their body shape and gender identity at will, and the two other main characters (whom I’ll get to in the spoilers) are also at war with themselves in different ways. Like the first book, this is not a novel about evil villains and white knights - it’s about people put in a pressure cooker and emerging changed but also maintaining a core that yearns for what they once had. It’s very easy to sympathize and understand all four characters because we can see from both sides of their own perspectives. In this regard, it’s a complicated story in truth, because the people are not one-dimensional. While the novel has a ton of action, it’s a story rooted in people.
The entire point of the novel is about perspective. How we can feel and understand something so strongly, but looking at it from another point of view can change that. And when this view comes into conflict with what we’ve decided is the truth, we either adapt or we resist.
Back to the characters, one thing I was slightly at odds with in the first book that carried into the second is Caidan’s attachment to his found family. It didn’t feel to me that he was with them enough in the first book, and definitely not the second, to have such a strong connection (especially after ten years!). Maybe I’m just a jaded person, but like last time we didn’t get enough downtime with Caiden and the other crew to really get to know them aside from little quirks. Granted, if we did, there would be less room for action, and the book is already a hefty one as is.
I did like the focus on Leta’s character - it was great to get a second perspective as book one was all Caidan. It brought a freshness to the worldbuilding and helped round out Caidan as well. I really liked how there wasn’t a forced romance between them.
While Threi is still my problematic crush, my favourite character of the novel was C, the nophek pup. Caiden refers to him once as a “sweet nightmare” which is so fitting.
I will say, I still have no idea what any of the aliens really look like. Even after reading the glossary I still could have used a bit more in-story description of them. This was something I had trouble with in Nophek Gloss too, though it’s a minor consideration.
There’s also a great deal of coincidence in this novel but it doesn’t feel preposterous. A lot of time when you have a few characters involved in events affecting entire worlds, it feels like plot armour that keeps them all linked together. But this book clearly thought this out beforehand - there isn’t a paltry explanation at the end as to why they all involved all the time, or a throwaway comment, but numerous references to how the situations are foretold or orchestrated somehow by certain forces. Whether this comes into play more in book three, we’ll have to find out.
This was an ARC, so some things might change somewhat, but there are some great bits of prose in this novel peppering the action with elegance, for example, “...[it] had long ago taught him he could bridle despair with rage and take it into battle.”
Overall, Azura Ghost is not only a worthy follow-up to Nophek Gloss but surpasses it in many ways. I very much enjoyed it and it was a great book with which to start off 2022.
August 25, 2023
4.5 stars
Thanks to NetGalley and to the Editor. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
I loved the first one, and I missed the characters and the world. But it is also true that, as soon as I started reading, I remembered why I had waited so long: gosh, this book is so intense!!! And I am saying it in the best possible way because it’s gripping, it’s engaging and it hurts so much! Argh!
In this second volume, C steals the scene! I loved him! He is the sweetest puppy ever! Also, I wonder how Caiden managed to train him so well! I mean, Ade has learned the basic commands because they bring him treats, and he loves treats! But that’s all… he doesn’t really care about all the rest (and I get him, really I get him but still… I wonder!). And Azura. To be honest, both C and Azura steal the scene! And I am there for them both!! And the second-best thing in there, after C and Azura, are the villains. Threi and Abriss are the villains in this story, but… but they are not your usual villains. And you are kept guessing for all the book, again like in the first one, if they really are the bad guys. I mean, they are the ones that our dear MCs fight, and for sure they are not the heroes in the shiny armor but… they are complex, complicated and so layered! And their action gave a lot of food for thought! I loved this thing immensely!
And the characters in general are pretty amazing! Caiden has grown a lot in the years passed between the two books, and his life has not been easy. But he has matured and he is ready to let go of the weight of the whole world, finally! He has matured, but he is still death set on doing what he thinks is the right thing. I was really happy to see him become the young man he was growing into in the first book, and I loved his relationship with C and Azura (and how cool Azura is??? You just need to read this series for these two!!). And then we have Leta. Oh gosh, I hated her so much! But to be honest with you all, she is another amazingly well-developed character. And she is great, too. But she caused so much hurt to Caiden! And he is my poor baby! The author is just so cruel to him! And so… yeah, I hated her. Because she hurts Caiden (I can’t really say a lot, because I don’t want to spoiler anything, and she is not bad, really, it is more for what their shared past is than for something that she does. Mind me, she is no angel and she knows that she will cause hurt, even if she has the best intention at heart… but you know what they say about good intentions, and what’s more is that good and bad in this book are pretty jumbled up so… she has some excuses, and maybe it’s not so nice of me, to hate her. But hate her I did!).
I also loved the Proxies and all their found family vibes. They were cute, in some distorted way, and I really enjoyed spending time with them.
My only complain is that we get to see the old crew but… not enough!!! I need more of them, please!!!
And last but not least, the worldbuilding. It is a gem. We have an amazing Universe, rich and diverse, and it is so fascinating! And there is so much amazing tech!! I loved it, and I wanted to spend as much time as possible in there! And the book is not a short one, so I had a lot of time with it all but… do you know what? It wasn’t enough!!! At all!
So yeah, I loved all of this book: the characters, the plot and the world! You can’t ask for more! But there is more. The prose is beautiful, too!! It is a real complete reading experience, and even if it is an intense book, and some parts hurt a lot, I loved it from the start to the end!
Thanks to NetGalley and to the Editor. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
I loved the first one, and I missed the characters and the world. But it is also true that, as soon as I started reading, I remembered why I had waited so long: gosh, this book is so intense!!! And I am saying it in the best possible way because it’s gripping, it’s engaging and it hurts so much! Argh!
In this second volume, C steals the scene! I loved him! He is the sweetest puppy ever! Also, I wonder how Caiden managed to train him so well! I mean, Ade has learned the basic commands because they bring him treats, and he loves treats! But that’s all… he doesn’t really care about all the rest (and I get him, really I get him but still… I wonder!). And Azura. To be honest, both C and Azura steal the scene! And I am there for them both!! And the second-best thing in there, after C and Azura, are the villains. Threi and Abriss are the villains in this story, but… but they are not your usual villains. And you are kept guessing for all the book, again like in the first one, if they really are the bad guys. I mean, they are the ones that our dear MCs fight, and for sure they are not the heroes in the shiny armor but… they are complex, complicated and so layered! And their action gave a lot of food for thought! I loved this thing immensely!
And the characters in general are pretty amazing! Caiden has grown a lot in the years passed between the two books, and his life has not been easy. But he has matured and he is ready to let go of the weight of the whole world, finally! He has matured, but he is still death set on doing what he thinks is the right thing. I was really happy to see him become the young man he was growing into in the first book, and I loved his relationship with C and Azura (and how cool Azura is??? You just need to read this series for these two!!). And then we have Leta. Oh gosh, I hated her so much! But to be honest with you all, she is another amazingly well-developed character. And she is great, too. But she caused so much hurt to Caiden! And he is my poor baby! The author is just so cruel to him! And so… yeah, I hated her. Because she hurts Caiden (I can’t really say a lot, because I don’t want to spoiler anything, and she is not bad, really, it is more for what their shared past is than for something that she does. Mind me, she is no angel and she knows that she will cause hurt, even if she has the best intention at heart… but you know what they say about good intentions, and what’s more is that good and bad in this book are pretty jumbled up so… she has some excuses, and maybe it’s not so nice of me, to hate her. But hate her I did!).
I also loved the Proxies and all their found family vibes. They were cute, in some distorted way, and I really enjoyed spending time with them.
My only complain is that we get to see the old crew but… not enough!!! I need more of them, please!!!
And last but not least, the worldbuilding. It is a gem. We have an amazing Universe, rich and diverse, and it is so fascinating! And there is so much amazing tech!! I loved it, and I wanted to spend as much time as possible in there! And the book is not a short one, so I had a lot of time with it all but… do you know what? It wasn’t enough!!! At all!
So yeah, I loved all of this book: the characters, the plot and the world! You can’t ask for more! But there is more. The prose is beautiful, too!! It is a real complete reading experience, and even if it is an intense book, and some parts hurt a lot, I loved it from the start to the end!
January 2, 2022
Azura Ghost is the sequel to Nophek Gloss, Essa Hansen's sprawling space opera full of heartbreak, tension and adventure. The stakes are raised in this book as Caiden has been on his own for the past decade keeping his spaceship, the Azura, away from the clutches of the Dynast Empire but he discovers his old friend Leta may be alive after all and is thrust right back into the heart of the conflict and politics of the galaxy.
In this installment we follow the POV of both Caiden and Leta and I really enjoyed this extra dimesion to the story, as both have very interesting characterisations and conflicting loyalties. Through Leta we explore more about the Empress of the Unity, Abriss and her set of proxy machines which are very interesting and we see how Leta is torn between her past and her current "family" and the Empress who has saved her life.
I think I probably should have re-read book 1 before diving into this one, as I forgot how complex it is and was a little bit confused at first however I soon got into it and remembered all the important plot points and world building. I did think the writing can occasionally be over convoluted but most of the time I really enjoy the prose, it's quite reminiscent of Becky Chambers (whom I love) and the heart-warming found family moments also remind me of her books as well!! I was a bit worried that in the sequel we wouldn't get to see some of the crew from book 1, as I loved the whole dynamic of the group but rest assured we get lots of wholesome moments (as well as some devastating ones lol).
This book is very interesting in that there are two main "villains" and you are never quite sure which one is worse than the other. I thought towards the end of the book Threi (one of the bad guys) got a lot more interesting and I may have even started to like him T_T I love villains who are simps for their love interests haha.
I loved Caiden's arc in this book and how much he has grown and matured since book 1. In book one he was pretty angry and revenge obsessed but now he is a lot wiser and willing to stand up for what he believes in and his new family which makes him a lot more likeable to read from! I also love the side charcaters (especially En and Ksine) they are well characterised and feel like their own people and not just there to prop up the characters.
Overall I would really reccomend this series and the sequel doesn't disappoint - it strikes the perfect balance between interesting speculative sci-fi concepts, reflections on the nature of humanity, dark themes with some lighter moments and great characters.
In this installment we follow the POV of both Caiden and Leta and I really enjoyed this extra dimesion to the story, as both have very interesting characterisations and conflicting loyalties. Through Leta we explore more about the Empress of the Unity, Abriss and her set of proxy machines which are very interesting and we see how Leta is torn between her past and her current "family" and the Empress who has saved her life.
I think I probably should have re-read book 1 before diving into this one, as I forgot how complex it is and was a little bit confused at first however I soon got into it and remembered all the important plot points and world building. I did think the writing can occasionally be over convoluted but most of the time I really enjoy the prose, it's quite reminiscent of Becky Chambers (whom I love) and the heart-warming found family moments also remind me of her books as well!! I was a bit worried that in the sequel we wouldn't get to see some of the crew from book 1, as I loved the whole dynamic of the group but rest assured we get lots of wholesome moments (as well as some devastating ones lol).
This book is very interesting in that there are two main "villains" and you are never quite sure which one is worse than the other. I thought towards the end of the book Threi (one of the bad guys) got a lot more interesting and I may have even started to like him T_T I love villains who are simps for their love interests haha.
I loved Caiden's arc in this book and how much he has grown and matured since book 1. In book one he was pretty angry and revenge obsessed but now he is a lot wiser and willing to stand up for what he believes in and his new family which makes him a lot more likeable to read from! I also love the side charcaters (especially En and Ksine) they are well characterised and feel like their own people and not just there to prop up the characters.
Overall I would really reccomend this series and the sequel doesn't disappoint - it strikes the perfect balance between interesting speculative sci-fi concepts, reflections on the nature of humanity, dark themes with some lighter moments and great characters.
April 8, 2022
Azura Ghost // by Essa Hansen
Oh man. Finally. I'm so glad I finally got to read this book, though now I am just as eager to get to the third book of course. It's difficult to savor something when you've been so excited for it and then it turns out just as good as you wanted it to be! I immediately jumped at the chance to get this ARC and even reread the first book to prepare for it despite it having not even been a whole year since reading it for the first time. I was so glad to be back with Caden (plus adorable sidekick!) and my favorite villain Threi.
We continue to learn more about world, or rather worlds, that Hansen created as well as the many characters that I have grown so fond of. I forgot to talk about this in my last review but I love Hansen's ability to come up with names. There are so many names in these books that sound so foreign to me, yet they all flow together really well, whether they are names for people, races, planets, creatures, or anything else.
Overall, while having many of the same components as the previous book, this one has a much different feel to it. There is much more of an intellectual and theoretical feel this time. Hansen really dove deep into the science this time and I can't claim to have understood it all. Nonetheless, this did not hinder the progression or my enjoyment of the story at all though. It still flowed really well and I didn't feel like it was distracting at all.
My only complaint for this book is that there isn't an audiobook! I adore the audio version of book 1 and am so sad that I couldn't continue on with the series in the same format.
Thank you for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Oh man. Finally. I'm so glad I finally got to read this book, though now I am just as eager to get to the third book of course. It's difficult to savor something when you've been so excited for it and then it turns out just as good as you wanted it to be! I immediately jumped at the chance to get this ARC and even reread the first book to prepare for it despite it having not even been a whole year since reading it for the first time. I was so glad to be back with Caden (plus adorable sidekick!) and my favorite villain Threi.
We continue to learn more about world, or rather worlds, that Hansen created as well as the many characters that I have grown so fond of. I forgot to talk about this in my last review but I love Hansen's ability to come up with names. There are so many names in these books that sound so foreign to me, yet they all flow together really well, whether they are names for people, races, planets, creatures, or anything else.
Overall, while having many of the same components as the previous book, this one has a much different feel to it. There is much more of an intellectual and theoretical feel this time. Hansen really dove deep into the science this time and I can't claim to have understood it all. Nonetheless, this did not hinder the progression or my enjoyment of the story at all though. It still flowed really well and I didn't feel like it was distracting at all.
My only complaint for this book is that there isn't an audiobook! I adore the audio version of book 1 and am so sad that I couldn't continue on with the series in the same format.
Thank you for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.
October 2, 2023
This is the second book in a trilogy. Both books, one and two, were in need of some editing - they were far to long and the story dragged in parts. I skimmed more pages in book two because of this. The two protagonists/antagonists (brother and sister) characters were interesting as the question of who is the 'bad guy' keeps changing - and I suspect that will continue in book 3.
I got this series from the library and had to wait a week for book 3 - Ethera Grave...it took another week for me to start it as my interest faded - especially seeing that book 3 is over 500 pages - I like a long book but I know from the first two books that it's probably 100 pages too long. I started it and like the first two it just seems to drag for me...I would randomly move 25/45/55 pages ahead and it was no problem picking up the story each time I did this. It's been sitting on my table for two weeks now and I find I have no interest in reading the final book in this trilogy.
I got this series from the library and had to wait a week for book 3 - Ethera Grave...it took another week for me to start it as my interest faded - especially seeing that book 3 is over 500 pages - I like a long book but I know from the first two books that it's probably 100 pages too long. I started it and like the first two it just seems to drag for me...I would randomly move 25/45/55 pages ahead and it was no problem picking up the story each time I did this. It's been sitting on my table for two weeks now and I find I have no interest in reading the final book in this trilogy.
December 5, 2021
This book was CHUNKY but still great. I sometimes wished there was less action and more character development but that might just be me. Excited to read the final installation (?) whenever it comes out.
August 27, 2022
Full review at The Quill to Live: https://thequilltolive.com/2022/01/27...
Azura Ghost, by Essa Hansen, is the perfect example of a great book that science fiction needs more of while simultaneously being “not my jam.” I didn’t really have a fun time with this book; many of the plot elements are drawn directly from story concepts I am just not that interested in. I will get into the specifics of what that means soon, but the long story short of it is I don’t really mesh well with stories about rescuing loved ones in cults. That being said, Azura Ghost is an absolute explosion of cool ideas and excellent character writing and is the exact sort of unique and refreshing story that science fiction needs more of.
Ghost is the sequel to Nophek Gloss, and the second book in The Graven series. If you are just joining us and don’t know anything about Gloss, check out this review and start there. As a refresher, the first book tells the story of Caiden and how he goes from a child slave in a distant universe, through a gauntlet of misery and rapid growing up, to learning to love himself and self actualize. It is a strange story set in a multiverse, with a lovable crew of rogues, that expands the imagination and tells its story primarily through change in the protagonist instead of plots to end existence. Ghost picks up some time after the first book. Caiden has come into his own since the last book and is now traveling the multiverse alone on his ship. The crew that saw him through thick and thin in Gloss has departed and he is successfully making a go of it on his own. When a figure from his past as a slave appears in his midst and starts raising questions, he must turn back to the found family he left to get help investigating this strange new occurrence.
The Graven series has a plot that is very hard to explain from the outside. Really, it’s about a little boy who goes through a lot of trauma and the metaphors for his experience are translated into very powerful science fiction world-building. Ghost continues this trend with a weird angle that took me pleasantly by surprise. The second book in this series is, at its core, about the same things that the first book was about. There is a focus on the difficulties of asking for help, self-blame/guilt, finding agency, self-discovery, found family, growing up, and finding stability in an ever-shifting universe. But while we are covering similar subjects in both books, Ghost never feels like we are retreading the same path.
We are introduced to new characters who are going through the same things Caiden did, but come to different conclusions. Caiden is still struggling with much of his baggage, but now we get to see him using new tools and ideas that he grew into from book one to try and tackle the problem. The Graven has this powerful focus on self-improvement and introspection never being “finished” which makes the cast resonate and come alive to the reader. These are books that will resonate very hard with character readers who like metaphor and stories through character growth. Those who need world-ending stakes and a hard science system to explain how the world works might have a hard time.
As I mentioned before, I personally did not mesh well with the nuts and bolts of the plot of Ghost. The story revolves around a girl that Caiden “abandoned” in book one, and while I think Hansen does a spectacular job of digging into what abandonment means and what working through perceived betrayal means, I didn’t quite find the plot of Ghost as exciting as Gloss. Nonetheless, I still had a great time and definitely recommend the series to anyone who is curious.
With Azura Ghost, Essa Hansen has written a second creative entry into modern science fiction. Her clever character stories and world of fractal realities are catching both to the eye and the heart. She is definitely an author to watch and someone to check out if you are looking for something different than your typical military science fiction adventure.
Azura Ghost, by Essa Hansen, is the perfect example of a great book that science fiction needs more of while simultaneously being “not my jam.” I didn’t really have a fun time with this book; many of the plot elements are drawn directly from story concepts I am just not that interested in. I will get into the specifics of what that means soon, but the long story short of it is I don’t really mesh well with stories about rescuing loved ones in cults. That being said, Azura Ghost is an absolute explosion of cool ideas and excellent character writing and is the exact sort of unique and refreshing story that science fiction needs more of.
Ghost is the sequel to Nophek Gloss, and the second book in The Graven series. If you are just joining us and don’t know anything about Gloss, check out this review and start there. As a refresher, the first book tells the story of Caiden and how he goes from a child slave in a distant universe, through a gauntlet of misery and rapid growing up, to learning to love himself and self actualize. It is a strange story set in a multiverse, with a lovable crew of rogues, that expands the imagination and tells its story primarily through change in the protagonist instead of plots to end existence. Ghost picks up some time after the first book. Caiden has come into his own since the last book and is now traveling the multiverse alone on his ship. The crew that saw him through thick and thin in Gloss has departed and he is successfully making a go of it on his own. When a figure from his past as a slave appears in his midst and starts raising questions, he must turn back to the found family he left to get help investigating this strange new occurrence.
The Graven series has a plot that is very hard to explain from the outside. Really, it’s about a little boy who goes through a lot of trauma and the metaphors for his experience are translated into very powerful science fiction world-building. Ghost continues this trend with a weird angle that took me pleasantly by surprise. The second book in this series is, at its core, about the same things that the first book was about. There is a focus on the difficulties of asking for help, self-blame/guilt, finding agency, self-discovery, found family, growing up, and finding stability in an ever-shifting universe. But while we are covering similar subjects in both books, Ghost never feels like we are retreading the same path.
We are introduced to new characters who are going through the same things Caiden did, but come to different conclusions. Caiden is still struggling with much of his baggage, but now we get to see him using new tools and ideas that he grew into from book one to try and tackle the problem. The Graven has this powerful focus on self-improvement and introspection never being “finished” which makes the cast resonate and come alive to the reader. These are books that will resonate very hard with character readers who like metaphor and stories through character growth. Those who need world-ending stakes and a hard science system to explain how the world works might have a hard time.
As I mentioned before, I personally did not mesh well with the nuts and bolts of the plot of Ghost. The story revolves around a girl that Caiden “abandoned” in book one, and while I think Hansen does a spectacular job of digging into what abandonment means and what working through perceived betrayal means, I didn’t quite find the plot of Ghost as exciting as Gloss. Nonetheless, I still had a great time and definitely recommend the series to anyone who is curious.
With Azura Ghost, Essa Hansen has written a second creative entry into modern science fiction. Her clever character stories and world of fractal realities are catching both to the eye and the heart. She is definitely an author to watch and someone to check out if you are looking for something different than your typical military science fiction adventure.
March 20, 2022
While Hansen has wonderfully weird, vast multiverse in which to set her stories, her writing is weighted heavily towards dialogue rather than descriptions of the environment the characters are in, which made it hard for me to connect to the story. When the settings actually are described, it is often in a series of sentence fragments, which were hard for me to follow.
July 31, 2023
Note: This is the 2nd book in a series and this review may include spoilers from the first book.
It's rare when a sequel is as good or nearly good as the first book and this is one of those rare times. The first book was a tour de force story of the sudden and violent "coming of age" of the Caiden.
This book takes place 10 years after the first book. Caiden has been on the run in Azura with his pet nophek C. All that comes to an end when he meets his long-lost friend that he thought was dead. Their reunion is complicated though because of what has happened to her during the last 10 years. Eventually Caiden confronts Abriss and the fallout of that leads to spoiler territory and another reunion. Then there's Caiden's nemesis Threi, who has been stuck in a small universe ever since the events in book one. Surprising things happen, especially towards the end of the book and it ends on a cliffhanger. Now I have to wait a year to find out what's going to happen!
It's rare when a sequel is as good or nearly good as the first book and this is one of those rare times. The first book was a tour de force story of the sudden and violent "coming of age" of the Caiden.
This book takes place 10 years after the first book. Caiden has been on the run in Azura with his pet nophek C. All that comes to an end when he meets his long-lost friend that he thought was dead. Their reunion is complicated though because of what has happened to her during the last 10 years. Eventually Caiden confronts Abriss and the fallout of that leads to spoiler territory and another reunion. Then there's Caiden's nemesis Threi, who has been stuck in a small universe ever since the events in book one. Surprising things happen, especially towards the end of the book and it ends on a cliffhanger. Now I have to wait a year to find out what's going to happen!
May 14, 2022
I really wanted to love this since I loved the first book, I even pre-order it, I was so excited! It’s just not doing it for me. I’m about halfway through and I find that I don’t care about any of the characters or what happens to them. I suppose that was true of the first book as well but the world building made up for it. Now that the world is established and we’re just in it…the rest falters.
February 6, 2022
A cascading narrative of metaphysics, emotion, morality, consciousness, somehow interwoven with incendiary action and a fast paces, reality spanning plot. Essa's prose leaps across the page, with its trademark astonishing dew riptions, and her pacing is perfect in this one.
March 7, 2022
Characters
The story continues ten years after the last events in Nophek Gloss. We follow the adventures of two point of view characters — Caiden and Leta.
Caiden has changed a lot, which is unsurprising after ten years of harsh life on the run. He's become rougher, more mature, less idealistic. And yet, the kindness and strive for justice are still alive in him, as well as the love for his found family. The crew of misfits I came to love are present in Azura Ghost, but they only play secondary roles here.
I was looking forward to Leta's POV, and I enjoyed it as much as I anticipated. She is a complex character whose views and values have been shaped by the charismatic and ambitious Abriss Cetre. It's impossible to untangle the true feelings of those around her from the impact of her Graven gravitas, and her relationship with her Graves (I won't even explain, you'll find out who they are while reading) including Leta is interesting, ambiguous and morally questionable. Just the way I like it!
Leta has her own found family, and their tenderness and care for each other was a pleasure to read about. I'm pretty sure Leta is autistic even though the word never appears in the book — and why would it in an imaginary sci-fi world? The differences of her brain are portrayed with empathy, honesty and what seems to me (not an autistic person) like deep intimate understanding.
Leta's character arc is very compelling. She has to make some very difficult choices and deal with deep trauma. I loved the combination of strength and vulnerability, her bravery and kindness, her blindness to the faults of those she loves and courage to stay true to herself. She felt real to the point of being tangible.
Plot
Azura Ghost is fast-paced, full of action and unexpected twists. I had a feeling there were fewer peaceful moments than in Nophek Gloss, or maybe they were just shorter. It's an intense read with an exciting plot where trouble keeps coming while the reader discovers more previously hidden facts about the world and characters.
World-building
The world-building is original, fresh and absolutely fascinating, just like it was in the first book. We dive deeply into the notion of luminiferity, get a better understanding of the Graven and keep meeting strange and exciting aliens as well as intriguing technology that is more similar to magic (you know the quote I could have used here ;). Essa Hansen's wonderful imagination keeps shining brightly in this one.
It's an inclusive book with LGBTQ+ characters and characters with disabilities portrayed in a respectful way — that hasn't changed since book 1.
Impressions
I was a bit confused by all the new characters in the beginning and kept mixing some of their names until the very end. At first, it was hard to figure out what was going on. However, it might have been caused more by my mental state than anything objective. Either way, I got invested in the book after a short while and enjoyed it a lot. I think I loved the first one a bit more, but maybe it's because it was the first time I encountered this fascinating world and characters. My mental condition likely has played a role too.
I loved Azura Ghost and had a lot of fun reading it. Even though I could barely focus, my brain was a constant chaos and I had very little free time, I kept coming back to it, looking for a much-needed escape between the pages. There is a lot to think about, but I'm not capable of deep analysis at the moment, so I'll leave it to other readers.
I'm already looking forward to the third book in The Graven series, as well as anything else Essa Hansen will write.
You might enjoy the book if you liked Nophek Gloss, appreciate space operas, imaginative worlds, fast-paced action, metaphysics and don't mind some brutality and cruelty.
This review was first published on my website, where you'll find more reviews, author interviews, lists, short stories and more.
The story continues ten years after the last events in Nophek Gloss. We follow the adventures of two point of view characters — Caiden and Leta.
Caiden has changed a lot, which is unsurprising after ten years of harsh life on the run. He's become rougher, more mature, less idealistic. And yet, the kindness and strive for justice are still alive in him, as well as the love for his found family. The crew of misfits I came to love are present in Azura Ghost, but they only play secondary roles here.
I was looking forward to Leta's POV, and I enjoyed it as much as I anticipated. She is a complex character whose views and values have been shaped by the charismatic and ambitious Abriss Cetre. It's impossible to untangle the true feelings of those around her from the impact of her Graven gravitas, and her relationship with her Graves (I won't even explain, you'll find out who they are while reading) including Leta is interesting, ambiguous and morally questionable. Just the way I like it!
Leta has her own found family, and their tenderness and care for each other was a pleasure to read about. I'm pretty sure Leta is autistic even though the word never appears in the book — and why would it in an imaginary sci-fi world? The differences of her brain are portrayed with empathy, honesty and what seems to me (not an autistic person) like deep intimate understanding.
Leta's character arc is very compelling. She has to make some very difficult choices and deal with deep trauma. I loved the combination of strength and vulnerability, her bravery and kindness, her blindness to the faults of those she loves and courage to stay true to herself. She felt real to the point of being tangible.
Plot
Azura Ghost is fast-paced, full of action and unexpected twists. I had a feeling there were fewer peaceful moments than in Nophek Gloss, or maybe they were just shorter. It's an intense read with an exciting plot where trouble keeps coming while the reader discovers more previously hidden facts about the world and characters.
World-building
The world-building is original, fresh and absolutely fascinating, just like it was in the first book. We dive deeply into the notion of luminiferity, get a better understanding of the Graven and keep meeting strange and exciting aliens as well as intriguing technology that is more similar to magic (you know the quote I could have used here ;). Essa Hansen's wonderful imagination keeps shining brightly in this one.
It's an inclusive book with LGBTQ+ characters and characters with disabilities portrayed in a respectful way — that hasn't changed since book 1.
Impressions
I was a bit confused by all the new characters in the beginning and kept mixing some of their names until the very end. At first, it was hard to figure out what was going on. However, it might have been caused more by my mental state than anything objective. Either way, I got invested in the book after a short while and enjoyed it a lot. I think I loved the first one a bit more, but maybe it's because it was the first time I encountered this fascinating world and characters. My mental condition likely has played a role too.
I loved Azura Ghost and had a lot of fun reading it. Even though I could barely focus, my brain was a constant chaos and I had very little free time, I kept coming back to it, looking for a much-needed escape between the pages. There is a lot to think about, but I'm not capable of deep analysis at the moment, so I'll leave it to other readers.
I'm already looking forward to the third book in The Graven series, as well as anything else Essa Hansen will write.
You might enjoy the book if you liked Nophek Gloss, appreciate space operas, imaginative worlds, fast-paced action, metaphysics and don't mind some brutality and cruelty.
This review was first published on my website, where you'll find more reviews, author interviews, lists, short stories and more.
March 4, 2022
For ten years, Caiden has been on the run. His ship, the Azura, is the only thing in the multiverse that can release the Dynast leader Threi from his prison, and after seeing Threi’s terrifying power, Caiden is determined to never let that man go free again. But after years of solitude and avoiding friends, Caiden is lured back to the center of the multiverse with the news that a friend long thought dead is in trouble. It isn’t long before Caiden is caught in machinations of both Threi and his sister Abriss, each of whom has very different plans for the multiverse. One thing is clear though: they both need Azura and her Graven properties to pull off their plans, and Caiden alone may not be enough to keep her safe.
AZURA GHOST is a highly inventive sci-fi tale that balances action and cerebral discussions in equal measure. The author’s strength in this series has always been her willingness to create strange and unfamiliar creatures and worlds, making this a perfect book for someone who wants to sink into a futuristic setting that has little in common with our own. It does, however, mean that you have to be in the right headspace for this book, as it takes a bit of commitment to wade through new technologies and discussions of luminferity, and rinds, and other esoteric concepts.
There are plenty of moments in this book where the pages fly by, as characters are chased through a city, combat erupts on rooftops, or a space battle ensues. But there are equally tense moments that come from characters discussing the intent and future of the multiverse. The age-old question rears its head here: is a life of equality and peace worth giving up most, if not all, of your free will? Or is chaos and struggle and the ability to make individual choices where life really shines? It’s the heart of the conflict between Threi and Abriss, and while each has points, you’re kind of stuck with deciding which is the less terrible option.
I found that the author has really grown from her first book, NOPHEK GLOSS. While I appreciated the creativity she displayed previously, I struggled with some pacing issues and character decisions in NOPHEK GLOSS that felt rushed. That’s not the case here, as the author has given the characters time to breathe and work through their issues. While the story is told from both Caiden and Leta’s perspectives, Leta is the one who truly gets a chance to evolve and wrestle with her world view, and I appreciated her growth over the story. The one big note I had about characters in AZURA GHOST is that I found myself wishing for a character list to track the eight Proxy creatures Abriss employs, as each Proxy had a synthetic and an organic body, and their brief introductions weren’t enough to easily cement who was who in my head.
AZURA GHOST is not an easy book to get into. I will fully put onto the table that I sometimes had to put the book down because I was personally not in the right headspace to wrap my head around some of the denser topics of consciousness and DNA and physics that get discussed. It’s not quite hard sci-fi, but out there enough that you have to be willing to embrace the weird. But if you can meet this book on its terms, it’s a wonderful story of two characters caught on opposite sides of a conflict, desperately trying to unpack their own lives and relationships as the fate of the multiverse is decided around them. While NOPHEK GLOSS was focused on immersing you in its worlds, AZURA GHOST wants to immerse you in characters, and it pulls that off with great success. Now to wait for book 3, ETHERA GRAVE, to see where this trilogy and conflict heads in its finale.
I was provided a free ARC by the publisher in exchange for my fair and honest review.
AZURA GHOST is a highly inventive sci-fi tale that balances action and cerebral discussions in equal measure. The author’s strength in this series has always been her willingness to create strange and unfamiliar creatures and worlds, making this a perfect book for someone who wants to sink into a futuristic setting that has little in common with our own. It does, however, mean that you have to be in the right headspace for this book, as it takes a bit of commitment to wade through new technologies and discussions of luminferity, and rinds, and other esoteric concepts.
There are plenty of moments in this book where the pages fly by, as characters are chased through a city, combat erupts on rooftops, or a space battle ensues. But there are equally tense moments that come from characters discussing the intent and future of the multiverse. The age-old question rears its head here: is a life of equality and peace worth giving up most, if not all, of your free will? Or is chaos and struggle and the ability to make individual choices where life really shines? It’s the heart of the conflict between Threi and Abriss, and while each has points, you’re kind of stuck with deciding which is the less terrible option.
I found that the author has really grown from her first book, NOPHEK GLOSS. While I appreciated the creativity she displayed previously, I struggled with some pacing issues and character decisions in NOPHEK GLOSS that felt rushed. That’s not the case here, as the author has given the characters time to breathe and work through their issues. While the story is told from both Caiden and Leta’s perspectives, Leta is the one who truly gets a chance to evolve and wrestle with her world view, and I appreciated her growth over the story. The one big note I had about characters in AZURA GHOST is that I found myself wishing for a character list to track the eight Proxy creatures Abriss employs, as each Proxy had a synthetic and an organic body, and their brief introductions weren’t enough to easily cement who was who in my head.
AZURA GHOST is not an easy book to get into. I will fully put onto the table that I sometimes had to put the book down because I was personally not in the right headspace to wrap my head around some of the denser topics of consciousness and DNA and physics that get discussed. It’s not quite hard sci-fi, but out there enough that you have to be willing to embrace the weird. But if you can meet this book on its terms, it’s a wonderful story of two characters caught on opposite sides of a conflict, desperately trying to unpack their own lives and relationships as the fate of the multiverse is decided around them. While NOPHEK GLOSS was focused on immersing you in its worlds, AZURA GHOST wants to immerse you in characters, and it pulls that off with great success. Now to wait for book 3, ETHERA GRAVE, to see where this trilogy and conflict heads in its finale.
I was provided a free ARC by the publisher in exchange for my fair and honest review.
January 3, 2022
Despite its long history there is still plenty of new and interesting space opera emerging. Series like Arkady Martine’s Telixcalaan books, Megan O’Keefe’s Protectorate series and Linden Lewis’ First Sister trilogy. Into that mix last year came Essa Hansen’s debut Nophek Gloss, which at least took the prize for weirdest title. That book used a range of space opera standards – multi-species empires, lost civilisations, eldritch powers, genetic modifications – but added in a few twists including manipulation of the multiverse. She now returns to that world in the high energy sequel Azura Ghost.
Nophek Gloss introduced readers to genetically modified supersoldier Caiden and his found family alien crew. The book ended with Caiden on the run with a nophek pup and on his unqiue ship the Azura. The epilogue for that book jumped ten years into the future and Azura Ghost picks up at that point. Caiden has been on the run from the forces of Threi, once his ally now an enemy who he has trapped in a pocket universe. And would stay on the run except that he learns that his adopted sister Leta may still be alive and in the hands of Threi’s sister and leader Unity Arbiss. Arbiss wants Caiden and his ship and uses Leta successfully as bait. Caiden is forced to fall back on his old connections as he tries to thwart Arbiss’s plans and all hell breaks loose.
Hansen’s scenario lends itself to high energy action sequences. Many of the characters have artificial bodies or are alien or in some other way enhanced so can take plenty of punishment allowing for lengthy chase and battle scenes. There is the capacity to create and jump between multiple different universes in which the laws of physics differ slightly. And in amongst all the sturm and drang are the questions of family and loyalty. Caiden struggles with knowing whether his companions support him because the has the power to coerce them or because he really is part of their found family. Arbiss and Threi have very different visions for the future but also have a shared history as brother and sister. And Leta has a deep connection to Caiden but now has her own “found family”. Unfortunately much of the emotional action of this book gets buried under the big set pieces making it hard to really connect with any of the characters, Caiden in particular.
Azura Ghost is a worthy follow up to Nophek Gloss. Hansen deeply understands her weird multiverse and is able to render her vision in a compelling way. Readers who loved the characters and concepts of that first book will be delighted to get more and bigger. But while the action is epic, Hansen is not quite able to capture some of the deeper emotional and character beats that make some of the other recent space operas so compelling. She is definitely though a science fiction author to watch.
Nophek Gloss introduced readers to genetically modified supersoldier Caiden and his found family alien crew. The book ended with Caiden on the run with a nophek pup and on his unqiue ship the Azura. The epilogue for that book jumped ten years into the future and Azura Ghost picks up at that point. Caiden has been on the run from the forces of Threi, once his ally now an enemy who he has trapped in a pocket universe. And would stay on the run except that he learns that his adopted sister Leta may still be alive and in the hands of Threi’s sister and leader Unity Arbiss. Arbiss wants Caiden and his ship and uses Leta successfully as bait. Caiden is forced to fall back on his old connections as he tries to thwart Arbiss’s plans and all hell breaks loose.
Hansen’s scenario lends itself to high energy action sequences. Many of the characters have artificial bodies or are alien or in some other way enhanced so can take plenty of punishment allowing for lengthy chase and battle scenes. There is the capacity to create and jump between multiple different universes in which the laws of physics differ slightly. And in amongst all the sturm and drang are the questions of family and loyalty. Caiden struggles with knowing whether his companions support him because the has the power to coerce them or because he really is part of their found family. Arbiss and Threi have very different visions for the future but also have a shared history as brother and sister. And Leta has a deep connection to Caiden but now has her own “found family”. Unfortunately much of the emotional action of this book gets buried under the big set pieces making it hard to really connect with any of the characters, Caiden in particular.
Azura Ghost is a worthy follow up to Nophek Gloss. Hansen deeply understands her weird multiverse and is able to render her vision in a compelling way. Readers who loved the characters and concepts of that first book will be delighted to get more and bigger. But while the action is epic, Hansen is not quite able to capture some of the deeper emotional and character beats that make some of the other recent space operas so compelling. She is definitely though a science fiction author to watch.
February 8, 2022
Rating
Review
*** This review originally appeared on Out of this World Reviews. ***
Ten years have passed since Caiden put an abrupt end to Threi’s plans for multiverse domination by marooning him in a universe which no one can enter or leave. Caiden has been on the run that entire time, fleeing from just about everyone in order to keep his universe generating ship from falling into the wrong hands. It’s a lonely life, but Caiden at least has C, a nophek who becomes his faithful companion since Caiden raised him from a pup. Caiden’s usual routine is thrown into chaos when an assassin attempts to kill him and steal his ship. Nothing new, really, until Caiden realizes the assassin is linked to a childhood friend he thought long dead. Even worse, by aligning herself with with Threi’s greatest enemy, Caiden’s long lost friend puts Caiden square in the middle of the rivalry he just spent the past decade trying to avoid.
To say Azura Ghost builds on the first book in the series, Nophek Gloss, is an understatement. The fact is that as events unfold in this second book, Nophek Gloss all of a sudden begins to make much more sense. I had many questions—about the technology, the lucky coincidence of Caiden finding Azura, and the corroboration between Caiden and Threi, for example—that were more or less answered as I read Azura Ghost. In many ways, the author’s storytelling ability has gotten better. Nophek was hard to follow at times, with characters that were not well developed and just kind of flat with no real distinctive personalities. Azura Ghost remedies much of that. The storytelling is better, the character development is there now, and the odd coincidences are lessened.
One of the best things about this book is the Azura. In Nophek Gloss, she’s basically a ship, albeit with some staggering technology (abilities?). But now she’s a character unto herself. It turns out the mind link between Caiden and Azura is more than just a technological bridge and while Azura doesn’t communicate in a conventional sense, she is revealed as a sentient entity that can grow, think freely, and ultimately take sides.
The science and technology in the Graven series is pure fantasy and lends credence to the famous Isaac Asimov saying that “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” The technology here is so advanced it’s almost indecipherable to the reader at times, to the point where I think the author could have spent more of her energy on worldbuilding and character development and less on such amazing tech.
Azura Ghost is a worthy sequel to Nophek Gloss in every way. Questions are answered, the storyline progresses nicely, and new characters bring renewed life to this series. I’m upping my rating by one rocket over the first novel because it’s a better read overall and a good stepping stone to the next book in the series.
As always, thank you to the publisher, Orbit Books, for providing a free review copy in exchange for an honest review.
Review
*** This review originally appeared on Out of this World Reviews. ***
Ten years have passed since Caiden put an abrupt end to Threi’s plans for multiverse domination by marooning him in a universe which no one can enter or leave. Caiden has been on the run that entire time, fleeing from just about everyone in order to keep his universe generating ship from falling into the wrong hands. It’s a lonely life, but Caiden at least has C, a nophek who becomes his faithful companion since Caiden raised him from a pup. Caiden’s usual routine is thrown into chaos when an assassin attempts to kill him and steal his ship. Nothing new, really, until Caiden realizes the assassin is linked to a childhood friend he thought long dead. Even worse, by aligning herself with with Threi’s greatest enemy, Caiden’s long lost friend puts Caiden square in the middle of the rivalry he just spent the past decade trying to avoid.
To say Azura Ghost builds on the first book in the series, Nophek Gloss, is an understatement. The fact is that as events unfold in this second book, Nophek Gloss all of a sudden begins to make much more sense. I had many questions—about the technology, the lucky coincidence of Caiden finding Azura, and the corroboration between Caiden and Threi, for example—that were more or less answered as I read Azura Ghost. In many ways, the author’s storytelling ability has gotten better. Nophek was hard to follow at times, with characters that were not well developed and just kind of flat with no real distinctive personalities. Azura Ghost remedies much of that. The storytelling is better, the character development is there now, and the odd coincidences are lessened.
One of the best things about this book is the Azura. In Nophek Gloss, she’s basically a ship, albeit with some staggering technology (abilities?). But now she’s a character unto herself. It turns out the mind link between Caiden and Azura is more than just a technological bridge and while Azura doesn’t communicate in a conventional sense, she is revealed as a sentient entity that can grow, think freely, and ultimately take sides.
The science and technology in the Graven series is pure fantasy and lends credence to the famous Isaac Asimov saying that “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” The technology here is so advanced it’s almost indecipherable to the reader at times, to the point where I think the author could have spent more of her energy on worldbuilding and character development and less on such amazing tech.
Azura Ghost is a worthy sequel to Nophek Gloss in every way. Questions are answered, the storyline progresses nicely, and new characters bring renewed life to this series. I’m upping my rating by one rocket over the first novel because it’s a better read overall and a good stepping stone to the next book in the series.
As always, thank you to the publisher, Orbit Books, for providing a free review copy in exchange for an honest review.
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March 9, 2022 Book Review
Azura Ghost picks up days after the end of Nophek Gloss…kind of. The first book ended with a jaw-dropping twist by leaping forward 10 years for its final chapter to reveal that Caiden’s childhood friend Leta had actually survived their fateful encounter with the nophek (space-lions) at the beginning of that book, and was now seemingly happy under the care of Abriss Cetre. Abriss is one of the last descendants of the Dynast line of Graven, and rules the star system Unity, which is believed to be the original star system from which the multiverse sprouted.
Abriss possesses the signature Graven ability called gravitas, which enables her to exert her will on others. She doesn’t even need to speak — simply being in her presence, or seeing her on a screen, is enough to send most species of the multiverse into a subservient stupor. So while Leta has never felt Abriss was cruel to her, the climactic moments of Nophek Gloss do set up the question of her consent.
That question looms throughout much of Azura Ghost. Unlike the first novel, which is told almost entirely from Caiden’s point-of-view, the second book jumps between him and Leta. Leta has a bunch of characters who fill out her plotline, people she’s come to know and care about over the past decade, and they’re just as intriguing as Caiden’s found family. The addition of a second POV is welcome and helps keep things feeling fresher than in the first book, which had a couple of spots near the beginning where things dragged.
There are basically no places where Azura Ghost drags. While it took me a while to get into Nophek Gloss, Azura Ghost hooked me right from the very first paragraph. Much of the first book was spent dealing with Caiden processing a singularly traumatic event that ended his childhood. Hansen did a really excellent job taking her time with that; she gave those heavy emotions their due and handled everything in a way that felt well-earned and true to the type of subject matter she was dealing with. Azura Ghost still has all that, but the author’s writing has matured so much that this book is immediately more gripping. Of course, part of that is because we’re already familiar with the world and characters and can jump right in, but I can’t understate how much the prose has leveled up. Azura Ghost wastes no time launching readers into the action, and that action is written with razor-sharp precision.
Book Review by: Abdul Basit
Reg no.: 21-SE-57
BS Software Engineering,
UET Taxila.
Azura Ghost picks up days after the end of Nophek Gloss…kind of. The first book ended with a jaw-dropping twist by leaping forward 10 years for its final chapter to reveal that Caiden’s childhood friend Leta had actually survived their fateful encounter with the nophek (space-lions) at the beginning of that book, and was now seemingly happy under the care of Abriss Cetre. Abriss is one of the last descendants of the Dynast line of Graven, and rules the star system Unity, which is believed to be the original star system from which the multiverse sprouted.
Abriss possesses the signature Graven ability called gravitas, which enables her to exert her will on others. She doesn’t even need to speak — simply being in her presence, or seeing her on a screen, is enough to send most species of the multiverse into a subservient stupor. So while Leta has never felt Abriss was cruel to her, the climactic moments of Nophek Gloss do set up the question of her consent.
That question looms throughout much of Azura Ghost. Unlike the first novel, which is told almost entirely from Caiden’s point-of-view, the second book jumps between him and Leta. Leta has a bunch of characters who fill out her plotline, people she’s come to know and care about over the past decade, and they’re just as intriguing as Caiden’s found family. The addition of a second POV is welcome and helps keep things feeling fresher than in the first book, which had a couple of spots near the beginning where things dragged.
There are basically no places where Azura Ghost drags. While it took me a while to get into Nophek Gloss, Azura Ghost hooked me right from the very first paragraph. Much of the first book was spent dealing with Caiden processing a singularly traumatic event that ended his childhood. Hansen did a really excellent job taking her time with that; she gave those heavy emotions their due and handled everything in a way that felt well-earned and true to the type of subject matter she was dealing with. Azura Ghost still has all that, but the author’s writing has matured so much that this book is immediately more gripping. Of course, part of that is because we’re already familiar with the world and characters and can jump right in, but I can’t understate how much the prose has leveled up. Azura Ghost wastes no time launching readers into the action, and that action is written with razor-sharp precision.
Book Review by: Abdul Basit
Reg no.: 21-SE-57
BS Software Engineering,
UET Taxila.
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