Odyssey of the Ethereal

As of the time of writing this review, I have read the available chapters (chapter 31).

Blurb

Aesca Lampi was a skilled MMO player and raid leader, but she never could have predicted the turn her life would take when she died and was reborn as Aetheria, a chosen hero tasked with overthrowing the Goddess of Misery and bringing hope to the suffering world of Grief. Armed with the power of regeneration and a fierce determination, Aetheria sets out to climb the Ten Towers and fulfill her destiny. But with danger and distractions at every turn, will she be able to complete her quest and bring about a new age of peace and prosperity?

After all, who can avoid the danger and cuteness of dragon-cat fairies?

Odyssey of the Ethereal: Book 1: Tower of Aetherius, is where the fun all starts. For you, not for Aetheria.

Thoughts

It’s not often I’ll read a series before it has a hefty backlog of content, but I’m in a discord server with Jamie and have seen so much art of Aetheria, and I wanted some better context, so here we are!

Alright, so the blurb on this one is pretty much the deal. This is, through and through, a tower climber book. After a quick death and reincarnation, our MC starts off at the bottom of the tower, and needs to reach the top.

The pacing of the series is fast. If you’re fans of Defiance of the Fall, Randidly, and similar serials, then you’ll probably like it. I do normally read slower things, but my personal preferences are of pretty much no value for anyone not me!

The first few chapters help establish the world outside of “Yeah there’s a tower, have fun,” in a way that isn’t annoying exposition, and is more “the city is collapsing around me, leg it.”

After the initial hectic chapters, we spend a bit of time on various levels, including a tutorial-style village level early on. This is where Ria (nickname of the MC) meets the witch Aoihbe (yes, I checked the spelling of this, don’t ask me to pronounce it). Aoihbe is also the main romantic interest.

That actually brings me into why I like slower stories I think. Character development and depth. Theres a three year time skip in the tutorial village as Ria learns everything and develops her relationship, but damn, I want to read that. I want to know the characters. How can I be invested in the relationship, or the other charactes that were introduced, if I barely know them?

Of course, it’s still very early days for the serial. I’ll update this page in a few months time when there’s more to read. However, given the author has explicitly established relationships, I’m optimistic.

So for thoughts right now, if you want that popcorn-style serial, enjoy a badass female lead, then give this one a shot.

Oh, and I talked about art before, so here’s Ria:

And here’s Aoihbe: