“Æsa” is the new novel by Sabrina Voerman, the counterpart of “Red” from the “Blood Bound Series”. Book 1 in the series has a theme of fire, where book 2 is here to represent water. I am IN LOVE with this concept and hope to see the other elements of planet Earth, represented in her books to come. 


Before I speak on my comparisons and contrasts between “Red” and “Æsa”, I’ll start by making book 2 its own experience. Sabrina has been vocal about these novels being stand alones in the same “Blood Bound Universe”, after all. Though this novel left many impressions on me, the main one it has left has been the subtext on animal cruelty. 


The plot is simple but told through the lens of a universally told story. The characters are aware of the sirens(mermaids) being slaughtered and eaten by humanity, the world within the story is also aware of the siren tales. The mad king has been granted the reputation of killing and eating the sirens; his wealth and power had been utilized to slaughter them by the thousands. He even married the queen of them all and subjected her to slow torture, before eating her completely. One of many things that makes Æsa so special is her being one of the only sirens left in the world. 


The plot is told through these lenses; Æsa is chased and captured multiple times, by men who all want her for their own selfish reasons. Some want her to live life in a dirty tank and put on display for entertainment and wealth. Others want to eat her. There are creatures in the story that desire to capture her because of the power a siren’s blood has been described to hold. But what about Æsa? What she wants for herself is of no concern for the greedy hearts of men in the 1800s. 


Coming back to this thought-provoking subtext of animal cruelty; I found myself getting upset with the inhumane treatment of our mermaid. But why should I care? I don’t believe in mermaids, why did it bother me so much? Probably because her treatment can look awfully similar to the treatment of animals. 


Æsa is taken from her home in the endless ocean and forced into a confined tank, which was often left unclean. Is this how the orcas feel at SeaWorld? Her kind is endangered and she has witnessed helplessly, her fellow sirens being slaughtered and captured in nets. Is this how the orcas feel at SeaWorld? 


Sabrina goes into deep detail about the claustrophobic feelings of life in confined tanks and the emotional longing to swim freely in bodies of open water. Æsa is tortured throughout the story by her oppressors and the author doesn’t shy away from describing the abuse. It bothered me and I know it was supposed to… so GREAT JOB SABRINA! 


There is another character by the name of Nikolai, a vampire on the run from his sadistic brothers. His character was very well written and he had this thing about him that reminded me of choosing my own path in life. We are not our bloodline if we don’t want to be, and we don’t have to join the family business per se. But what I loved about this character was his sensitivity. As ruthless as he was in combat, he was insecure. For a vampire that feeds on the blood of humans, Nikolai has a lot of humanity about his character. 


Our vampire in the story is Æsa’s savior and the supporting lead to our aquatic Bonnie and Clyde. They both have the same unexpressed insecurity of people dying for them, or how they both failed to save the ones they loved. They both feel like cowards and they both carry the burden of shame. It’s crazy to think that the insecurity we hold in front of someone… is the same insecurity they hold in front of you! 


The combat was epic! Bloody and grotesque! As a major fan of UFC and Boxing, the fight scenes were accurately written! I wonder if the author is kicking people’s ass on the street when she isn’t writing masterpiece after masterpiece! 


There are disturbing images of sirens who had lost their sense of being a mermaid. Very metaphorical to me; it reminded me of how losing one’s humanity is terrifying to me. Losing a limb, having it replaced by something else; this is why the movie “Tusk” makes me squeamish. 


My heartstrings were tugged on tightly, so it’s clear that Sabrina Voerman is a master of playing with the reader’s emotions. But she wants us to feel what she feels and she doesn’t have to blatantly say it for us to get it. What a talent she is! 


Now in comparison to “Red”, Voerman’s previous novel… the emotion is still present! I felt emotional reading book 1 but for different reasons. There was a theme of abuse, but “Red” was abuse against and from people who love us. I related all too well. “Æsa” speaks on abuse from the perspective of something that isn’t considered a human. But reading through the siren abuse, they deserve to be treated as human beings should be treated. 


The violence is present in both novels; visually executed, gory, and entertaining! The depth in lead characters is still a driving force in both novels. I love knowing how the author’s characters feel and I love it, even more, when I feel like I know them personally. Sabrina makes you feel like you know these characters! 


Did I like “Æsa” better than “Red”? No, but it doesn’t change the fact I still ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS SECOND BOOK! It’s more of a personal preference of the first book’s landscape, characters, creatures, and a heavier focus on witchcraft. I’m a sucker for coven stories. But what the author did so intelligently was this… she didn’t try to live up to the greatness of book 1! The author recreated originality and told a completely different story within the same universe! This is why I will always read both novels! I will have different moods, seasons in life, etc. All of those things will play into which novel I decide to go back to. 


I loved the narrowing of characters in “Æsa” and I loved having a lot of cool characters in “Red”. Between both novels in the “Blood Bound Series”, readers can have anything and everything they want!