Aetherbound
Aetherbound
She looked out at the crush of people walking past the little oasis she’d found in the corridor. They were all moving quickly, eyes forward, target acquired. No one was watching her. She could do whatever she wanted. So she closed her eyes and reached inside.
The jumpsuit was made of plant fibre, harvested from the hydroponics bay and treated so that it was tear-proof and fire-retardant, but it was still a plant. She tightened the weave of it around her stomach, hips, and below her knees. It was nowhere near as eye-catching as the people she’d seen, but at least she no longer wore a shapeless bag. Next, she changed the colours: deeper green for the bottom half and lightening until the collar around her neck was white. She detached the sleeves and stuffed them into her bag; it went against her nature to discard things.
And then, using the last of her expendable calories, she added the slightest tinge of green to her newly darkened hair. It was ridiculous, a useless reason to put forth the effort, but she found she didn’t care.
Space is all Pendt Harland has ever known. She is a gene mage on the family freighter Harland, able to manipulate the DNA of any organic being. But, because her magic isn't required to run the ship, she is deemed worthless and set to be sold on her eighteenth birthday. However, during a space-station layover, 17-year-old Pendt makes a desperate escape and quickly forms a bond with Ned and Fisher Brannick, the young brothers who run Brannick Station.
To legally escape her family and aid the brothers with their own plans, she marries Ned who soon joins a rebellion against the oppressive Stavenger Empire. Ned and Fisher’s parents have been taken hostage by the Empire, and their family's station is tied to their genetics, meaning that, if they leave or die, everyone on the station dies with them. What begins as a somewhat transactional relationship among the three of them gradually shifts in a way that changes their lives.
Aetherbound’s three main characters are equally engaging. From a young age, Pendt is subject to her family’s neglect, and her journey to safety will have readers rooting for her success. The Brannick twins are charming and complex, anchored by their affectionate relationship with one another and genuine empathy for others. Ned is a bold leader who’s dedicated to managing Brannick Station despite his dream to leave it all behind and join the rebellion. Fisher is willing to do anything to protect his home and the people he loves but lacks the Y chromosome the departing empire made a requirement to sustain life on the station.
Johnston packs a lot into one novel: the history of the Stavenger Empire; the collapse of a major food source; an exploration of the ethics of gene manipulation; a nuanced view of gender identity and bodily autonomy; and meticulously structured worldbuilding. Aetherbound is an epic space opera where the “epic” part is just offscreen in the form of a rebellion that just begins to set foot on the page. Sequel anyone?
Though some threads, especially those surrounding the rebellion, feel underdeveloped, character elements—particularly Pendt’s recovery from a lifetime of abuse, offer an affirmative arc about emotional healing and personal growth in the wake of trauma.
E. K. Johnston is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of several YA novels, including the L.A. Times Book Prize finalist The Story of Owen and Star Wars: Ahsoka. Her novel A Thousand Nights was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Award. She lives in Stratford, Ontario.
Chris Laurie is an outreach librarian at Winnipeg Public Library in Winnipeg, Manitoba.