Review: Children of the Aether by Alex Trevino
Imagine a world— An Aether, if you will!— In which strange, otherworldly powers (called “Aura”) manifested in Cyborg Wrestlers? Now what if you threw in a mix of Soviet era and Mad Scientist mysteries with ancient relics and a Great Evil coming through portals to top it off? Why, you would have the most unique, action-packed story ever written!
Children of the Aether by Alex Trevino is a return of the beloved characters from the first book in the Sirens of Agartha series, where Maddie’s story rose amidst a heated rivalry between once-friends, Ashley and Rebecca. At the start of book two, Ashley is now seeking answers as she explores the past of her parents, while Rebecca and Maddie are shown firsthand the horrors that may await should the Children reach them.
The opening is quick and to the point. There is no overtly-flowered descriptions of a room or an object— The author writes clearly and with forward impact. This a series for lovers of Pulp-Fiction; the badass Hero or Heroine, in a world much stranger than ours, with wit and action galore! They are hopeful and unflinching in the titanic duty laid out before them, and there is little doubt that the Evil they face is exactly that.
Yet, this book is not without its emotions. All of main heroines have a unique voice within this world, and as human nature is unchanging no matter how strange our surroundings, Maddie, Rebecca, and Ashley all ring with the familiarity that characters should. From the feelings of sorrow and anger of a life that could have been, to the yearn to grow stronger for oneself and for others. Even companions, such as Vasily, the Huntsman— who aids Ashley in her search for Veinhundt— are given great depth despite appearing in such a small span of a one-hundred and sixty-four paged book; a magnificent feat for an author, showcasing his skill and undoubted belief that these characters are not fiction, but as real as you and I.
Our villains of the story are also introduced, with Caligula giving insight to his very believable motivations as he and the other Children continue their destructive, and genocidal search for The Root, their only hope to restoring their universe. The author quickly sets up the reasons, goals, and personal conflicts amongst the trio with each still commanding their own presence, allowing the story to continue its fast and consumable pace without ever feeling as if too much or too little is happening.
I’ll admit, as a fellow author, Trevino’s ability to paint such a vivid and believable picture of fight scenes (no matter how fantastical!) has left me with plenty of envy. One could close their eyes and see the words transform off the page into motion.
Thus, Alex Trevino is a master at ensuring your time is never wasted, and the plot and characters will bring this world— that I can only describe as historical-punk-fantasy-futurism— alive with its mix of many elements blended so wonderfully together. Without spoiling any further, the mysteries and charming characters with their respective aims weave perfectly together, leaving the reader satisfied but hungry for more.
In Ancient Greece, the term, “Aether” referred to a fifth element beyond Air, Earth, Water, and Fire— a celestial element. However, it is also often mythically used within literature to describe a heavenly realm. Separate from its significance within the story, Children of the Aether by Alex Trevino is itself its own Aether in every sense of the word; an element beyond all elements, as if a mix of many, and a world that—for a reader— is a heaven of passions coming together to form a strange yet exciting new world that has no match in fiction.
This is a longer, and greater installment into the Sirens of Agartha series, and if what I’ve written above stirs your interest, please follow the links below and join in on a truly unique and spectacular ride:
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