Short Story Review: Aetheria

 

Hello Dreamers and Star Gazers,

How are you doing? It’s been very rainy here in KC this whole week, and that put this ginger right in the mood for some more reads. Feeling adventurous, I chose a short story I’d had on my TBR for some time, Aetheria by Nerine Dorman.

I discovered this author at random, and out of all her stories, the cover and blurb for this really drew me in given my escapist roots. Also, it’s on KU so I was super grateful for an easy way to borrow this one.

Alright, let’s get this show on the road. On with the review!

 

Blurb

An accident unlocks the key to Aetheria, a secret world of dreams that enthrals Jon Cole. In Aetheria, he is everything he is not in the waking world, a hero beloved of a beautiful woman, who can right great wrongs. So unlike the daylight hours where he is a slave to deadlines and has no lofty aspirations until Aetheria unfolds for him. But what is more real in the end? Jon Cole or Aetheria? What happens when one world bleeds into another?

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The Review

What an exciting journey between fantasy and reality!

This short story is about Jon Cole, your average guy. When he gets jumped in his neighborhood and is rescued by a kind older woman, he soon discovers that the accident did something to him. When he dreams, he can now enter the beautiful dreamworld of Aetheria, where anything seems possible.

I really loved this short story. The concept drew me in, and the execution didn’t let me down either. Dorman has a way with words that keep you reading. I was flipping these pages quickly!

As your average Joe, Jon Cole was easy to follow along. He was rational given his background, and I enjoyed his journey. If you were to discover that a form of magic was real, would you be able to handle having to deal with the real world? His struggle reminded me of what some of Grossman’s characters from The Magicians go through, and it is certainly understandable. Once you know magic exists, does anything else really compare?

I may have liked this story a bit more drawn out to really highlight the magnificent sights of Aetheria in greater detail, but this was fast-paced and that kept me happy throughout. This is definitely a gem of a short story. If you have a love for fantasy and love a brief escape from reality, I highly recommend you try this out!

 

That’s A Wrap!

Well that’s it for this book review. I hope you enjoyed it!

Have you read this book? Are there other similar books you’ve read that you simply have to gush about? Feel free to leave a comment. I’d love to start a conversation!

Have a great day!

 

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