Review: Earthbound by Katee Stein
Blurb:
Every oath holds power.
In a land where the Earth spawns terrible beasts capable of moving through all but stone, the Sky bestows power to those bound by Oaths.
As earthbound creatures invade, bringing with them chaos and whispers of a coming war, protector and Overseer Tehran fights to keep his people safe. After losing his best friend to the beasts and with the stability of the region deteriorating, Tehran heads to the Capital to plead for support from the Order of the Sky.
When his friend’s widow stows aboard the transport, determined to hold the Order accountable for the death of her husband, Tehran’s plans are derailed. Torn between upholding his responsibility as an Overseer or honouring his friend’s memory, Tehran must either choose the Oaths that have forged him or trust new bonds to guard the fate of the Mercurial.
Review:
Earthbound by Katee Stein is simply put, one of the best sci-fantasy books I’ve read. Following a reading slump that I was recently broken out of, this book continued me on the trajectory of finding enjoyment in SFF again, and reminded me what I love so much about character-driven storytelling.
At the heart of Earthbound are the central trio of characters, Knox, Tahren, and Emilia, who all undergo deeply embedded traumas, and find solace in both memory, and each other throughout the story. I cannot emphasise enough how much the tension between these characters had me screaming at the page, or my CarPlay screen. By the way, I jumped between the ebook and audiobook of this novel, and loved the narration by Magnus Carlssen by the end, so if audio is your thing, get on it.
The worldbuilding is also fascinating in this novel, and I was pleasantly surprised that it was so deeply considered and executed on the page with minimal infodumping, given the plot is driven by character interrelationships and motivations. If anything, the incredible earthbound creatures, fused with the interesting cultural differences marked by the Order of the Sky, the Tumultians, and the citizens of Rikken, were all evidence of how expertly Katee weaves detail through the story. As a result, the world felt incredibly lived in, and I often connected with it in a very natural way.
The biggest challenge I faced while reading was in regards to pacing, and it happened in a way that was quite unusual. Typically, authors find the middle of the book the hardest to write and retain momentum in, but in Earthbound, I did really struggle at times, in the first quarter of the book especially, to stay interested. Thankfully, there were many moments of absolute tragedy, second guessing, and genuine character exchanges that kept me going. Once the plot opened up from the inciting incident (which is huge, by the way), I found myself totally enthralled, and committed to reading all the way through in a matter of days. The politicking, treatment of cultural sensitivities, and tumultuous emotions had me utterly riveted. And most importantly, a certain character, (who is the most adorable child ever), won me over from the moment they appeared on the page.
Lastly, the ending. THE ENDING!
This was, in my opinion, the absolute epitome of Katee’s writing, and I could not anticipate what was happening at all. Usually, I find myself quite good at predicting plot flow, but here, I was constantly on my toes, and the shock of each twist and turn was in short, infectious. Though Earthbound suffered from a beginning that was a little too slow-burn in my opinion, the latter two thirds more than made up for that, and this book as a whole, is incredibly worth your time. It is hinged on its themes of fatherhood, what it means to love somebody, and the intersection of power and greed in such an intrinsic way that you never feel like what’s on the page isn’t important.
If you like Brandon Sanderson’s Skyward books, but enjoy more adult interrelations and a fusion-fantasy setting, I think you'll really love Earthbound. At this point, I cannot wait to read the conclusion to this duology, hopefully in 2025.
