An escape from reality. Ask any book lover and I guarantee their greatest escape from reality is found between the pages of an amazing book. Reading can be utilized not only as an escape but also as one of the cheapest forms of therapy. For me personally I used reading as both an escape and therapy while going through chemotherapy. Anything that would distract me from what was really going on, and I know I’m not alone. So what exactly do well written books give readers who are struggling mentally, physically, and emotionally? HOPE. There’s nothing quite like reading hope between the lines of a book. You have the ability to “hang in a moment that’s halfway between a nightmare of hope that will never be fulfilled, and a fantasy whereby everything [you’ve] ever wanted is firmly within [your] grasp.” You have a main character who can relate to your struggles, especially those of us in chronic pain, and Author Kristy Nicolle shows us that it’s okay to not find our way back to the person we once were before the pain. She allows us to believe that “the imaginary could become tangible.”
Kairi Freemont is a free spirit, but even free spirits have trouble flying with a clipped wing. At 23 years old Kairi is dealing with a diagnosis that would bring most people to their knees to bargain with the devil. She chooses to deal with it one spoon at a time, knowing she doesn’t have the same 20 spoons a day most people do, more like 6 (if you are unaware about spoon theory for chronic pain, please visit here). Living with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome is “wanting respite from the pain of yesterday, but [careless actions] will most likely cost today’s comfort as well.” It’s no wonder Kairi finds her freedom in well worn novels, a mental escape into a pain-free world. Thankfully Kairi has the help she needs at home with her fathers however, “it’s impossible not to feel infantilised with a condition like this because often I need help doing things that even a child could manage.” If a winged stranger showed up out of the blue and promised you a place where you felt no pain, would you take the bait and go? Kairi takes a chance to remember what it was like to live a life without hindrances, only to be shown that wishes and dreams are a two-faced bargain, and not all stories have credence.
Note: While I may not look upon some of the things I say as a spoiler, others might. It is never my intention to spoil a book for anyone.
The Covers
I’m a complete sucker for a gorgeous cover. What I love about Kristy Nicolle’s covers are the diversity. All eye catching, all gorgeous colors, all relevant to what the actual story is about. Even better, once her trilogies are all complete she piles them into on big tome. Needless to say so far I have each individual book as well as their respective tomes.
Book Set-up
“Indigo Dusk” has a pretty linear story line. There’s no jumping back and forth between present and past. The only jumping the reader will be doing is from mortal to immortal world (which is rare), jumping from one continent to another in the immortal world, and one instance of a memory backstory which you will be living through vicariously and wishing there was more.
Here’s where we get down to brass tacks about what readers prefer/like and what they don’t. ALL of Kristy Nicolle’s books are heavy handed with descriptions. I know a lot of readers deem this unnecessary or even at times fluff, however I disagree vehemently. I enjoy well written descriptions of people, places, and things to view the story accurately in my head. I know not everyone does this, only a select few of people. Kristy is extremely articulate in her descriptions, a place for everything and everything in its place. Which ultimately leads me to my next topic.
Conspiracy Theories
Because I’m a sucker for detail, I occasionally start to hyper-focus on things others could have possibly missed. Whether knowingly or unbeknownst to the author, there are a certain set of clues in the beginning chapters that directed my thoughts on how the book would turn out. One was color. There is a certain two-toned color that is mentioned three times within a chapter (or two). My biggest discovery (and here could be a possible spoiler) was almost a simile for a cage. Naturally Kairi feels her diagnosis as some sort of cage, trapped. When going into Solis Castra, what would presumably be her “escape”, she is brought into the city in a covered carriage. Okay Angie, what’s the big deal? It’s a carriage. My point being, as mesmerizing as this new escape is, she’s traded one cage, for another. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side, it could be AstroTurf. One of the other main characters also has a mode of transportation mentioned, and it’s an OPEN sleigh. Again, to some this minute little detail can be overlooked, I could be labeled as taking things out of context, however I was correct in my theories.
People, Places, Things
The … enormity this book contains blows my mind. While I’m familiar with Kristy Nicolle’s other worlds (see Ashen Touch and Tidal Kiss) there are times where I do feel a bit lost on characters and places. Here in Aetheria we have 4 floating continents, all divided with species on each one. I cannot even get into all of it without giving some of the mystery away. There were a couple of times I had to go back and re-read some descriptions to make sure I was in the correct place or remembered what happened in a certain place with a certain person. If you’re used to a small group of characters in a book, get ready to have your socked knocked off!
Similar Books
While each book in it’s own respect is independent, I receive a few messages asking if I enjoyed this book, what is another book similar you think I would enjoy? In particular, two books stuck out to me while reading “Indigo Dusk”. For readers who enjoyed Lauren Kate’s “Fallen” series, and Sarah J Maas’ “A Court of Thorns and Roses” series, you’ll find yourself surrounded by familiar themes.
The Good
This is Book One of “The Aetherial Embrace” trilogy, however this is NOT the first book in the “Queens of Fantasy” Saga. You’ve got:
- The Tidal Kiss Trilogy
- The Ashen Touch Trilogy
- The Aetherial Embrace Trilogy
While reading these trilogies out of order isn’t exactly suggested, it is doable. Personally, I started with the Ashen Touch Trilogy not aware that there was an entire trilogy before it. What fans will tell you is that reading them in order you’ll read over little easter eggs in each book, almost like an inside joke to Kristy Nicolle fans.
The descriptions are top notch. Again, I know descriptions are not for every reader, and this could possibly make someone give a book a lesser star for it. I find “Indigo Dusk” completely rich with detail.
The bad
This is just my personal opinion- some may not view this as bad. There is a MAJOR trigger chapter in here that I’m not even going to get to in here. Some may deem it as unnecessary, however traumatized I was after reading said trigger I have to disagree. Sometimes you need to have a bit of violence to see through the glamour, see through the character flaws, and ultimately have a villain to hate.
Conclusion
While this isn’t my all time favorite book from Kristy Nicolle, this was a solid start for a new series. There are no loose ends (except the obvious cliffhanger), she didn’t dump useless information at the end of the book to tie up the knots. Everything was laid out beautifully for the continuation of the series. There was only one split second where I was confused at the end of a character’s disappearance and then reappearance.
“Indigo Dusk” by Kristy Nicolle is available now and can be purchased here! I was chosen to receive a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Given that fact, it has not altered my opinion on the book at all.
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