Review: The Never Tilting World by Rin Chupeco

The Never Tilting World by Rin Chupeco
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC via Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review. Disclaimer, I did listen to the published version of the audiobook. The 4 narrators did a fantastic job with the audio and I highly recommend it. I'm not a huge fan of multi-perspective books, but this one was done really well and the multi-voice narration really helps distinguish which perspective you are following. That being said I really loved this. I really don't have any complaints other than I wanted a little more of the mythology to be explained.

I've read and really enjoyed Chupeco's Bone Witch trilogy so when I saw that she was coming out with a mythology based YA fantasy that was pitched as Frozen meets Mad Max I was all in. The author claims it's more like Mad Max meets Avatar the Last Airbender, which made me want to read it even m more because that seemed even more appealing, and I think that description is a little more accurate. The Frozen aspect comes in because we follow 2 sisters, but I don't think it is a fair comparison as they believe each other to be dead, Unlike Ana and Elsa, there isn't a sisterly bond driving them to save each other and the kingdom, they are on their own very separate journeys. Each sister has a companion/love interest that helps them on their way to the abyss where they are both set on healing the break that their respective mothers supposedly created. We hear the story told from both the sisters and both of their companions.

The sisters are goddesses like their mothers, and they have elemental powers. Neither girl knows that her sister survived the world breaking which each of their mothers blames on the other. Each side of the break, one light and one dark, has Devoted, people who have elemental powers and serve their respective goddess. When strange things start happening to the sisters, they both decide they need to do their part and heal the breach their mothers created. Their journey to the abyss is fraught with danger, but they each have a loyal companion to accompany them as more strange things happen and they begin to learn snippets of the truth about their mothers and the goddesses that came before them.

I would have liked more of the backstory on the mothers and more on the mythology of the world. Clearly there is more to the story of how the world broke, who their father is, and how and why they survived. I have lots of unanswered questions that I hope are cleared up in the next book. Knowing that is how Chupeco resolved things in her previous series I kind of expect that all will be revealed eventually, I'm just anxiously awaiting the next book.

If you are a YA fantasy lover, I'd give this one a read. It hit all of the fantasy check marks for me. This has a really unique elemental magic system and the landscape on both sides of the break is pretty unique as well. I think the author did an excellent job with the world building considering she had to create two different distinct sides with different abilities for the people who live there. And finally, there is romance but it doesn't overtake the plot. It isn't the main focus of the book.

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