Book Review: Asunder by Kerstin Hall

Asunder by Kerstin Hall is an adult fantasy book first published on August 20, 2024, and it’s (in my opinion) criminally underrated for how amazing it is. And I picked it up by accident. One day I was looking through discounted books on my kindle and saw a girl on a cover that looked exactly like the main character in my work in progress novel. 

Of course, I was a little snotty about it, and I clicked on it just to prove to myself that whatever this book was, it was worse than what I was writing. Turns out, the plot (at least based on the synopsis, mainly Karys being a deathspeaker) was kind of similar to my WIP as well. 

At this point, I was acting entirely in bad faith and I really wanted Asunder to be bad. But when I read the sample, those first few sentences took my breath away. And so I bought the book immediately and had the utmost privilege of going on this beautifully-written journey with Karys and the gang.

The prose, it must be said first, is sublime. I usually dislike descriptions of places and things, with the exception of a few writers and books, but Kerstin Hall did such a fantastic job here, I didn’t skip a single word. In fact, I went back over some of the descriptions just to better absorb those lovely words and turns of phrases into my brain.

Every scene is set so perfectly, you can practically see it like a movie. All the smells, the sights, the feelings. I absolutely had a blast reading, and would have loved it even if the book was just Karys walking around and describing things in this world to me. 

The dialogue was simple and clear, and I thought the dialogue tags (or, I guess just understanding who’s speaking) were handled super well. And if you’re curious, this book is written in third POV, following Karys, the main character, exclusively. You don’t get to see anything Karys doesn’t see, but it also feels like the narrator is sitting on top of her skin and only occasionally burrowing in, so don’t expect constant inner monologues about her feelings, though there are some at important emotional beats of the story.

Then there’s the world of Asunder, which is so imaginative, so beautiful but also gory and grimy, and so fresh in the current fantasy market. You’d expect either a medieval-ish or an urban-ish world, but you’d be wrong, because the one in Asunder is entirely new. It feels a bit futuristic, but also contemporary, all while retaining that classic fantasy charm.

You have gods and eldritch creatures, but also a magic, mossy train, something like floating cars, a gigantic spider that’s also a form of transportation and has a full hotel inside it. The young people do casual drugs, but then there’s a magical path that lights up at night and leads lovers to each other. All of it reminds me, at least in terms of aesthetics, of Ghibli movies, if they were a little bit more gory. Or some really beautiful anime like Suzume, perhaps.

I loved the city of Psikamit and would adore more stories set in it, if this author chooses to write them. As I said, I would have been happy just following Karys around this city and doing nothing else.

Fair warning, though — you won’t get any maps, glossaries, footnotes, or similar paraphernalia expected of fantasy books nowadays. The author doesn’t info dump at all; there’s no exposition. You’re placed into the story, and things start happening immediately. The narration doesn’t pause to tell you what Bhatuma or Ephirite are, how magic works, etc. But you’ll catch on, don’t worry (but also, don’t expect to know or understand everything in chapter one). 

Things are explained when they’re needed and in a very natural way. You’ll have all the information you need to understand the plot while you read, and for everything else, just relax — it’s a fantasy book, allow yourself to sink into the magic without needing to know how it works. You’re enjoying the internet right now, while reading this; can you explain how it works with 100% accuracy and in technical detail?

Karys is a great main character. She’s kind of aloof and detached, but you can tell she cares very deeply about everything and everyone around her, more so as the story progresses. Then there’s Ferain, the man she rescues (sort of); he’s fun and really sweet, although I have to say that I wish the story allowed for him to be seen, if not by anyone else, then at least by Karys. I’m not sure why even, I just feel like it would have been better. But other than that, he’s quite a refreshing love interest. He’s protective and gentle, but without the usual darkness, broodiness and overall refusal to share information.

There are also fun side characters like Winola the scholar, and Karys’ childhood friend Haeki; a goddess Nuliere, assorted criminals and family members. It’s nothing like what you’d expect and nothing like the most popular fantasy books these days (and that’s a compliment!). 

I found Asunder incredibly cozy despite the fact that this is not marketed that way or even matches most people’s definition of cozyness. It’s just that we go on this journey, and it’s a journey with friends and people who are kind to each other and communicate relatively well, and even though bad things happen, the central group is always okay at the end, and they’re always a safe space for each other. 

It’s got almost an episodic quality — the characters go somewhere, things build up until something really bad finally happens, but then it’s resolved, and they move on to somewhere else, usually better and slightly safer, at least at first. The world around them is fascinating and gorgeous, and we go through the motions of buying tickets for transport and organizing things (which gives us these important breathers to process everything) and we learn a lot of lore along the way. 

If you’ve seen Frieren, that’s what it feels like overall. Beautiful scenery, good friends, adventure! But also melancholy and underlying darkness. Or perhaps if you’ve played Baldur’s Gate 3; there’s an end goal, but also a bunch of side quests along the way. 

So, there you have it, the unofficial comp titles (sort of): Frieren, Ghibli, Baldur’s Gate 3, Suzume, beautiful anime in general. 

The romantic relationships are also gorgeously written. One of them is happening sort of in the background where you can tell there’s more than friendship but it’s never explicit. And then there’s the main romance between Karys and Ferain which develops so naturally and slowly. And it’s so normal, which I really appreciate. There are no huge love confessions (literally, neither one of them says the words, not even Karys in her mind), and it’s all so tender and full of understanding and caring. It’s not at the forefront of the book, I have to say, so don’t go in expecting that, but it’s really ethereal and special specifically because they’re bound together in this magical way. 

Overall, Asunder is such an achievement of a book! With gorgeous prose, unforgettable characters and a world that feels alive, like some place I could return to, I cannot recommend it enough. It’s genuinely one of the best fantasy books I have ever read. And fortunately, it’s (at the very least) a duology so we’re getting a part two, hopefully sometime soon. In the meantime, I’m going to reread my paperback version of Asunder (which just arrived a few days ago) and binge everything else this author has written. Happy reading!