Aetherbound

by E. K. Johnston

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

This multilayered YA space adventure follows Pendt, who has had to fight for survival against her own family for her entire life on their interstellar spacecraft. Pendt jumps at the chance for escape during a space station layover and teams up with the wealthy Brannick twins to leave behind the only lives they’ve ever known. Magic, science fiction and familial loyalties come together in this exciting tale.

A thought-provoking new YA space adventure from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Ahsoka.

Set on a family-run interstellar freighter called the Harland and a mysterious remote space station, E. K. Johnston's latest is story of survival and self-determination.

Pendt Harland's family sees her as a waste of food on their long-haul space cruiser when her genes reveal an undesirable mutation. But if she plays her cards right she might have a chance to do much more than survive. During a space-station layover, Pendt escapes and forms a lucky bond with the Brannick twins, the teenage heirs of the powerful family that owns the station. Against all odds, the trio hatches a long-shot scheme to take over the station and thwart the destinies they never wished for.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780735231870
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	05/24/2022
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x 0.65(d)
Lexile:	840L (what's this?)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

E. K. Johnston is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of several YA novels, including the L.A. Time Book Prize finalist The Story of Owen and Star Wars: Ahsoka. Her novel A Thousand Nights was shortlisted for the Governor General's Award. The New York Times called The Story of Owen "a clever first step in the career of a novelist who, like her troubadour heroine, has many more songs to sing" and in its review of Exit, Pursued by a Bear, The Globe & Mail called Johnston "the Meryl Streep of YA," with "limitless range." E. K. Johnston lives in southwestern Ontario. Follow her on Twitter at @ek_johnston.

Editorial Reviews

★"A close-knit, endlessly cathartic gem."—Kirkus, starred review

"Aetherbound had me by the heart in just a few chapters...[a] book for anyone who’s ever underestimated themself, and who had to find their people to figure out their power."—Tor.com

"Brimming with heart, this book is the tale of young people searching for a better, kidner way."—San Diego Union Tribune

"E. K. Johnston writes books that are simultaneously gentle and devastating, and I'm not sure how she does it but I'm so glad she does."—Kiersten White, New York Times bestselling author of And I Darken

"E. K. Johnston's Aetherbound is a powerful and gorgeous story of a character who makes her own self, family, and future. I loved it completely."—Kat Howard, Alex Award-winning author of An Unkindness of Magicians

"Compelling and thoughtful, stark and bright, brimming with heart and rebellion, Aetherbound is the space opera you didn't know you needed and a beautiful reminder that the tendrils of hope can grow in even the darkest, hardest world. This book is a gift and a balm."—Delilah S. Dawson, New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Phasma

"I always enjoy found-family stories and the acceptance and love that Pendt finds in Aetherbound satisfies tremendously. Poignant themes surrounding bodily autonomy, human trafficking, and colonialism in space remind us that we must wrestle with these problems now. Looking forward to more adventures with Pendt the gene mage!"—Kevin Hearne, author of the Iron Druid Chronicles and Star Wars: Heir to the Jedi

"A masterful blend of magic, genetics, and interstellar relations in a tale that is as sharp as it is tender, as much a critique as it is an adventure. A true battle cry of a book!"—Natalie C. Parker, author of the Seafire Trilogy   

"The beauty of Aetherbound lies in its characters’ abilities to face painful, terrible circumstances and still fight for a better life. It’s a thought-provoking and hopeful book that encourages a closer examination of what truly makes life valuable."—Bookpage

"Johnston gives readers a dystopian space drama that blends the spirit of Firefly with the heart of The Handmaid’s Tale. It’s a rewarding read that reflects on human trafficking, the value of human life, and the ethics of gene editing, all posited within the personal framework of almost 18-year-old Pendt’s sudden bid for freedom during a station stop and the two brothers committed to helping her."—Booklist

"This engrossing, triumphal sci-fi tale is a gritty space-wizard drama in the tradition of Anne McCaffrey."—The Horn Book

A Kirkus Best Book of 2021
A Tor.com Best Book of 2021

From the Publisher

03/22/2021

A teen flees her emotionally abusive family in this slow-burning, character-driven space opera by Johnston (The Afterward). Since age five, Pendt Harland has been told she’s useless, her magical gene-sense considered a waste of precious calories aboard her blue-eyed, white-skinned family’s generational trading ship, especially compared to more desirable powers, such as the star-sense required of the ship’s captain. As her 18th birthday approaches, Pendt vanishes into the depths of Brannick Station during a stopover, encountering Fisher and Ned Brannick, the twin brothers who run the station. To legally escape her family’s clutches and aid the brothers with their own plans, she marries Ned, who soon joins the rebellion against the oppressive Stavenger Empire; she then grows closer to Fisher while building a life for herself. When her family returns, though, Pendt must use her powers to engineer an unorthodox, extremely dangerous solution. Johnston packs a lot of galaxy-spanning worldbuilding into a small space. Though some threads, especially surrounding the rebellion, feel underdeveloped, character elements—particularly Pendt’s recovery from a lifetime of abuse—offer an affirmative arc about emotional healing and personal growth in the wake of trauma. Ages 14–up. Author’s agent: Josh Adams, Adams Literary. (May)

Publishers Weekly

06/01/2021

Gr 9 Up—Pendt Harland has only known life on her family's generation ship, traveling through space delivering ore and miners. Everyone is born with a magical ability, but when her family discovers that she is a gene-mage she is deemed useless and essentially starved until she can be sold to another ship. When the ship docks at Brannick station, Pendt sees her opportunity to escape and soon meets Ned and Fisher Brannick, the twin brothers running the station. Through some complicated legal maneuvering, they help protect Pendt from her family and she gives Ned the opportunity to join the resistance fighting the empire. But they know that one day Pendt's family will come back for her. The worldbuilding in this novel is phenomenal. Space opera fans will enjoy the backstory, station features, and technology, though other readers might find it overly descriptive. Pendt develops a loving bond with the brothers, especially after the loneliness and abuse she suffered at the hands of her family, that readers will adore. However, everyone seems a little too happy to the point of it feeling forced and unrealistic. The ending is anti-climatic but hints at a sequel. Characters are cued as white and Fisher is subtly identitfied as trans. VERDICT Buy if you serve a large population of science fiction readers.—Cathy DeCampli, Haddonfield P.L., NJ

School Library Journal

★ 2021-02-05
In an oppressive science fiction world, a young woman discovers the meaning of family and autonomy.

The Stavenger Empire has the galaxy in a stronghold, forcing its citizens into tyrannical relationships that prioritize specific lineages and skill sets while dampening rebellion. Pendt Harland lives on a merchant ship tied to her family line: Only Harlands can control the ship, and further, only those with specific abilities. Pendt, having gene-sense (the power to magically sense and alter aspects of organic matter), is considered useless in her family’s strict hierarchy and so faces abuse and neglect until she comes of age and can be sent away to earn her keep outside the Family. When an opportunity to escape presents itself, Pendt leaves everything behind to start anew on a bustling space station. There, she meets twins Fisher and Ned, earnest boys also trapped in the churning machinery of the empire. Together, they might just find a way to loosen the holds that the society has on them all. With an emphasis on valuing chosen family, securing bodily autonomy, and challenging authoritarianism, this intimate, character-driven yarn brings stunning revelations in every chapter. With each mystery that reveals itself, the worldbuilding grows stronger, enveloping readers in a grounded universe that feels nearly tangible. A major character is trans; main characters are coded as White.

A close-knit, endlessly cathartic gem. (Science fiction. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews