Assume spoilers for Nophek Gloss.

Caiden has been on the run for ten years with his unique starship in order to keep his adversary, Threi, imprisoned. But when an old friend he’d once thought dead reappears, he is lured into a game of cat and mouse with the one person whose powers rival Threi’s: Threi’s sister Abriss.

Now with both siblings on the hunt for Caiden and his ship, Caiden must rescue his long-lost friend from their clutches and uncover the source of both his ship’s power and his own origins in order to stop Abriss’s plan to collapse the multiverse.

I’m writing this on the fly, so it might be super short or super long, I don’t know. Let’s find out together!

What I could talk about

Yes, I could talk about how the characters in Essa Hansen’s Azura Ghost are all wonderful. Or how the found family aspect is so strong yet again in this sequel. (Before anyone asks, I did read book 1…before book 2 here.) Or how the characters are the heart of the story, especially our two main protagonists. Or how the representation of different genders (and how it’s just a fact of life, not something that’s focused on) is wonderful to see. Heck, I could even mention the different settings and how they interact with the plot in really interesting ways. Or how yes, you should read this book if you read books.

But what I want to talk about

I want to talk about the writing—specifically, the descriptive nature of it. I heard this book. I felt it. Sound and touch play such crucial roles in the prose. You notice when there’s silence. There’s almost this sense of a relationship between NOISE = STRESS; SILENCE = RELAXING. That’s putting it a bit extreme and probably wouldn’t hold up to close scrutiny. But from a casual reading, I felt as though scenes with minimal to no sounds—or even just quieter ones—were the scenes wherein there was an overall sense of peace. But yeah, this book is filled with sound, and it really enhanced my reading experience. It immersed me in the scenes in such a unique way. Even some of the metaphors called to mind sound, and I wonder if that was a deliberate choice.

And touch/feeling is also another big sense present throughout. It’s just little details here and there. A comforting embrace. Pressure increasing on a character’s back. Fire warming a character’s skin. It’s noticeable throughout without being overwhelming.

There are of course vivid visual descriptions, as well as ones of smell and taste. But sound and touch went a step above in this book. No scene felt empty. Even the quiet or silent moments felt deliberately noiseless and not just “there aren’t any descriptions of sound.”

Anyway

That’s all I have to say. This is one of the most immersive books I’ve ever read. So I think you should read it too.

(I received an e-ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.)