Of Blood and Aether

Harbingers, Book 1

De: Harper Hawthorne

Narrado por: Nikki Grey, Lucas Dixon

A rare conduit of Light drawn to the Shadows. A spymaster who can't seem to stay away.

For as long as she can remember, Arken Asher has been searching for answers—driven by an insatiable hunger, a need to understand the meaning behind her dangerous arcane secrets. She's finally taken that leap into the unknown, leaving her simple life behind to attend the Arcane Studium, a prestigious college of magickal arts & sciences nestled in the heart of Sophrosyne, the City of the Gods.

As the Scouting & Reconnaissance Captain of the Elder Guard, Kieran Vistarii deals in Shadows, blood, and subterfuge. Scarred by his past but dedicated to safeguarding Sophrosyne's future, Kieran's self-imposed isolation is easily masked by charm and cocksure energy. Strange disappearances have kept his cadre busy as of late, and yet the captain finds himself sidetracked, distracted by the inexplicable allure of a certain golden-eyed Conduit and her curious mind.

They both know better than to get involved, but the Fates have other plans. The dark threads of prophecy were woven long ago, and the ties that bind just might be what it takes to mend these broken, star-crossed souls… or what forges a deadly bond that could damn them all.

Of Blood and Aether is the first book in the Harbingers series, a captivating and character-driven dark romantasy saga. Rife with sizzling tension, gut-wrenching angst, addictive banter, and ever-growing stakes, the Harbingers series is perfect for fans of A Court of Thorns & Roses, Fourth Wing, and From Blood & Ash.

©2023 Harper Hawthorne (P)2024 Podium Audio

Plot, Cliffhanger

Devastated I already finished this and have to wait for the next!!! Such a good listen

God I hope 2nd cone out soon!!

I need to know what happens!! leaving on a cliff hanger is not fun!! Sad face

Wonderful slow paced romantasy with a cliffhanger

The pace is slow and meandering, which I appreciated. There are scenes with banter and just sort of these lingering moments between the MMC and FMC. Some reviewers suggest this is boring or there isn’t enough plot, so if you prefer a plot driven book vs a romance centered narrative, then this might not be the story for you.

There are occasional info dumps through dialogue. I think that might be harder to get through for readers of the physical book. I enjoyed the narration and I’m usually multitasking so it didn’t bother me.

The ending is a cliffhanger with the epilogue making me yearn for the next book badly! If you need something to fill the void, I recommend Shield of Sparrows (but I read it, so I can’t recommend the narration or not)

Spoilers Below on what I didn’t like:
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The ending is a cliffhanger with a third act breakup. There is a one sided miscommunication trope that I am
not a big fan of. If you don’t like bully romances like Cruel Prince, this might ruin the series for you. I wouldn’t say the MMC is totally irredeemable but it’s definitely upsetting. It also feels slightly out of character for the MMC…. I actually stopped listening and had to cool off before getting to the epilogue. The epilogue helped a lot to soothe the burn but dang, the author really hits you hard in the end. I’m excited for the next book. It wasn’t enough to put me off, but I’ve read reviews where readers felt betrayed by the sudden change in direction.

I was surprised!

This book had so much more depth than I was expecting. Yes it’s relationship forward but the world was well built and the pacing excellent and I’m super on the hook for book 2.

I NEED THE SECOND BOOK!!!

Story
Of Blood and Aether opens with a banger, setting us up for a roller coaster of emotions and a lot of questions. I was immediately hooked just from the prologue. I found the world to be interesting and had great world building. Who doesn't love a good prophecy?

The world-building is both interesting and intriguing from the very first page and continues to build throughout even the novel's slowest parts, and left me curious to see what journey Harper takes us (and the characters) on next.

But I didn’t read this book for the world, I’ll be honest. I read it for the romance, and it did not disappoint. AND THE ROMANCE??? That slow burn with that tension could’ve ended me. The flame was burning between these two. And the fact that no one was surprised when they finally came together? Iconic. As for spice, it is lighter. Some scenes here and there, that were yummy by the way, but not overbearing. But let me tell you, I would not mind more either.

The two main characters are both witty, clever, strong, but also deeply flawed. They see themselves in each other, which I find so beautiful, and it made their love story feel like it was coming off the page.

The (smaller) side characters were by far the weakest part, but this will be a long series with a lot of room to grow, and in my eyes, Harper has already proven herself. I trust her completely, not only to build on what is already a wonderful foundation but to surpass my every (very) high expectation.
This is a great fantasy, we don’t know everything yet, and we’ve still got questions, but we aren’t feeling lost. There’s a dooming prophecy, we know the generality of it, but not all the details. So we have extra knowledge during the book but still not as much as some characters. This gives us both the knowledge and the mystery to enjoy the story.

I am dead inside after the criminal ending that I fear I will never recover from. If you’re looking for your next incredible romantasy read, I beg you to pick up this book. I am in mourning that I have to wait for book 2.

Audiobook
Nikki Grey & Lucas Dixon both deliver a truly mesmerizing performance. Their delivery and cadence are spot-on, perfectly matched to the flow of the story and keeping you locked in from start to finish. You can feel that they’re fully invested in the storyline, which only draws you in deeper.