Earthbound

Of Earth and Sky Duology, Book 1

By: Katee Stein

Narrated by: Magnus Carlssen

Every oath holds power.

In a land where the Earth spawns terrible beasts capable of moving through all but stone, the Sky bestows power to those bound by Oaths.

As earthbound creatures invade, bringing with them chaos and whispers of a coming war, protector and Overseer Tehran fights to keep his people safe. After losing his best friend to the beasts and with the stability of the region deteriorating, Tehran heads to the Capital to plead for support from the Order of the Sky.

When his friend’s widow stows aboard the transport, determined to hold the Order accountable for the death of her husband, Tehran’s plans are derailed. Torn between upholding his responsibility as an Overseer or honouring his friend’s memory, Tehran must either choose the Oaths that have forged him or trust new bonds to guard the fate of the Mercurial.

©2024 Katie Stein (P)2024 Katie Stein

This is fabulous and omg just read it

Loved the narration and the characters, so obsessed with how the author has created the Oathbound world and all the complexities within it! It’s like Dune, plus Clockwork Angel (Shadowhunters) plus Way of Kings, plus Wool (Silo). It’s character driven sci-fi with a romance sub plot and it will destroy your emotions! (Which I love).

Wonderful worldbuilding

I was gifted this audiobook from the author in exchange for an honest review! I LOVED this book. I will admit that certain characters drove me absolutely crazy, but I still found myself unable to put this book down.

I laughed, I cried, I raged… and I came out absolutely in love with the world Katee has created (and Knox). Cannot wait for book 2!

perfect sci-fantasy

A genius blend of sci-fi and fantasy with beautiful relationships, loveable and real characters, with gut-wrenching suspense. If you want Dune with the vows required by the Jedi order, this must be read.

Great fantasy book

I haven't read a fantasy book in ages, so when Earthbound caught my eye I decided to pick it up and I was not mistaken! It's a captivating adventure of love, honor, and oath. I am definitely waiting for the second book because I want to know how the story ends.

Very entertaining listen and story!

This was such a unique and interesting twist of fantasy and sci-fi. All 3 POVS were incredibly entertaining and helped make this story a hit for me. Narrator Magnus did a fantastic job with this! Highly recommend you check this one out!

SO Well Done!

Listening to this audiobook was wonderful! The clarity and quality was top tier. The narrator Magnus Carlsson, really understood the story and had such emotion in their voice.
This book deals with some dark subjects (loss of a child and partner, religious beliefs) but handles it with dignity.

There was a lot to love about this scifi/fantasy novel. It's an interesting mix of a couple of styles and I feel like Katee is finding her voice as an author.
We have characters that don't always do the right things, act with haste and have regrets. You know...like real humans! I think the characters are the real strength here....they are complex and developed. I loved the sacrifices the author makes them experience. It brings realness to the story.
The villains aren't that villainous and I would have loved to see some real scary stuff in the next installment to this duology!

A Uniquely Entertaining Dark Fantasy Epic

Enter a world of oath-based magic.

Overseers are the guardians of this world, empowered by the Sky goddess with speed and strength and near invincibility, they protect their people from beasts that swim through the earth, liquifying the soil and they go.
Knox and Tehran are life-long friends, and powerful overseers, but their oaths are challenged by the Order designed to protect them and gatekeep the religion.

This story is full of political intrigue and tested relationships. I thoroughly enjoyed the trueness of friendship and nobility of Knox and Tehran as they made tough decisions and chose the right thing even if it was the harder thing.

Emelia is a great character to follow, so strong and beautiful and resilient. And while it hurt knowing what she and Tehran didn't know for most of this book, their situation made sense.

This story is very well written, with beautiful prose at times. It's also a terrific start to a series with such potential. There's some otherworldly advanced technology mixed in with a sword and sorcery fantasy feel. Or was it a sci-fi feel on a sword and sorcery fantasy? I couldn't quite tell. It was just deliciously different.

It dealt with adult problems in a way that would be great for upper YA readers. Pick this one up. You'll love it.

I forgot to leave my review..

What an awesome new addition to fantasy and independent authorship.
Katee has crafted a story that breathes like she has been doing this a long time. No unnecessary dialogue, likable characters with a budding bromance. Action that is using powers that are easily understood and villains that are to knowable that you won’t have a problem despising. Can’t wait for the second book!

A Cannot Miss!!!

I have to be honest, don’t tell my TBR, but I read this book twice. I couldn’t help myself. I absolutely loved reading the ARC, so when the audiobook came out it was an automatic relisten for me. These characters live with me, in the back of my mind, as I walk through my daily life. The questions Katee poses as we walk with these characters through unfathomable situations brings out a fire in me that has me looking in the mirror at what I truly believe. All set against the stunning backdrop of an intensely volatile and beautiful world. This is an epic adventure you dive into head first, and need never come up for air.

This epic fantasy with strong romantic subplot and some crossover sci-fi world elements is a can't miss. My heart is forever marked with these amazing characters and their gut wrenching tale. With themes of Love, Honor, Loss, Grief, Divine Nature, Bonds and what makes Family, this book will fully entertain while challenging you with profound questions and testing the bounds of your own moral compass.

Amazing!

I loved this in book form, and the audio took it to the next level! I can’t wait for the sequel!