Donald Maass Literary Agency

Reactor: I had no idea what to expect when I opened to the first page of Asunder. Kerstin Hall has cemented herself as a brilliantly unpredictable writer. Her surrealist concepts are unlike any other, and she’s unafraid to go to the darkest, weirdest places. Asunder shines as a uniquely ambitious accomplishment among her stellar catalog, and I need you to know that the description I’m about to give pales in comparison to the vibrancy of the actual text. In a world of many gods and demons, we meet Karys, a death speaker, an ability which allows her to peer beyond the veil and recall the whispers of those that have passed. She uses this in a sort of freelance detective capacity, and is on a gig when the Constructs—translucent monsters that eat humans whole—find her. While running from the Constructs she collides with Ferain Taliade, a dying man who has managed to stay just slightly out of reach of the monsters and desperately needs her help. She agrees to magically bind him to her so he’ll stay alive, but he’s sort of living inside her now, which is inconvenient in a lot of ways. Especially considering she’s secretly the vassal for a very powerful eldritch being, not to mention the type of person who keeps getting pulled into dangerous situations. This is a complex, emotional rollercoaster from Hall that grabs you from the first page and never lets go. Oh and also, in this one they use big dogs like taxis.

Publishers Weekly: In this dazzling and eclectic fantasy from Hall (Star Eater), a scrappy, foul-mouthed medium wrangles with an impressively imagined cohort of skin thieves, smugglers, and shape-shifters—as well as her own inner demons. At 17, Karys Eska ran away from an abusive father and sold her soul to the god Sabaster to become a deathspeaker, one able to communicate with the deceased. When, years later, a job gone wildly wrong leaves her stranded in a sea cave, a stranger saves her life. Feraine Taliade turns out to be a diplomat from a neighboring country who survived an assassination attempt that left him badly wounded. Karys tries to use her powers to save him—and by fluke instead attaches him to her as her shadow. At first merely awkward, the situation quickly proves perilous; the assassins now pursue Karys as she sets out in search of a magic that can separate her from Feraine. Along the way, the pair become emotionally attached, but the odds that both of them will survive a powder-and-potion-induced separation are slim. Adding to the danger, Sabaster grows increasingly persistent in summoning Karys to his underworld, where he aims to make her his bride. Though extraordinarily complex, the plot never loses focus or pace. With elements of gut-turning horror, adventure, and romance, this is a powerhouse.