Earthflown: A Potable Study of Love and Collusion (The Anatomy of Water)

Earthflown is a love story, both in a traditional sense and completely untraditional.Set in a post flood London, where the majority of potable water is possible only thanks to chemical and technological advances, people are struggling. There is the power struggle of those on the "lower levels" (literally in this case) and the rich and powerful above them. And here we meet our cast...Ollie is a reporter with the personality of a very suspicious golden retriever. Maybe a German shepherd. He is energetic, bouncy, in love with his on and off girlfriend, Vegas, and perhaps even more in love with his work. One anonymous tip sends him into a carnival of red flags that he cannot escape. Every member of the influential, and rich, Arden family is plotting and scheming. There is mass cover ups and lies being fed not only to the media but perhaps the police are in on as well, even if it's by force. Ollie is amazing, and while he is very quick witted and understands a lot more of what is going on then the others, his conspiracy theory behavior and paranoia make it hard for anyone to take him seriously.Ethan is a healer. This is not just his profession, but his "aptitude" or special power. He literally can touch someone and diagnose or heal people. But it is not without potential harm to himself. Ethan "eye-bags" Faulkner is tired, jaded, and tired. He is emotionally unavailable, and frankly selfish in the worst way. Very much a "the world is dark and people are horrible" sad angry man. I adore Ethan. I understand his tired. I can also see him truly wanting to help, and wanting to be a "good person" but also being unable to spend any emotional energy on getting there.And then there was Javier. Javier is the son of the Arden Pharma family. Javier is the kindest poodle you could ever meet. Enthusiastic, friendly, kind and yet oh so vain, snobby, and a little airheaded. Javier meets Ethan while trying to get his twin sister, Corinna, out of the hospital Ethan works at. What starts as Javier attempting to thank Ethan for saving his sister's life quickly spirals into a romance that can thaw even Ethan's ice heart.Running along side by side is the story Ollie is so desperate to uncover, and the romance of Ethan and Javier. However these two seemingly unconnected things also loop together. Is Javier part of some evil plan by Arden Pharma, sent to seduce and spy on Ethan, Vegas and Ollie? Who sent the tip that landed Ollie into the middle of a massive conspiracy? How many things were truly coincidence and how many were orchestrated? Does Ethan ever stop falling asleep at the ballet!?Unfortunately for some, these things may never be answered! As is expressly stated by the author themselves, the lingering questions are intentional. This world never ties up nearly. Justice is not so clear cut and won. And yet the story is complete.The romance of Ethan and Javier is so so fulfilling, and very realistic. Perhaps one of the most realistic romances I have ever read. Oh and how can I not mention our dear poodle is on the Ace spectrum! A romantic lead, who is ace? And his romantic partner, who is not bothered by this? When Ethan told Javier he just wanted to make sure they were on the same page, and that if Javier didn't want to sleep with him it was cool? He just didn't want to make him uncomfortable? My little ace heart exploded.Truly, Earthflown is a masterpiece of literature. It is charming. It is shocking! It is hilarious, and it is heartbreaking. I cannot wait for more from the author. Justice for Nick!The print addition also has illustrations, both full page that depict scenes from the story, but also small items and signage from the world as well. These may not be necessary to understand or enjoy the story, however they enhance and add a level of immersion that you miss without them. Frankly, I would miss them if I were reading the ebook version without. I do recommend you pick up the paperback if able.

Frances Wren has created a politically charged, queer love story with murder and dangerous familial obligations threaded through the seams of their gorgeous debut novel, Earthflown. Told through multiple yet interconnected perspectives, Earthflown immediately threw me into this futuristic world, which took me a while to feel comfortable in; there is plenty of new terminology and different families running prominent organizations, and it can be difficult to remember the who’s who and the what’s what, bringing me down to four stars since I feel like I didn’t fully understand everything, even by the end of the novel. I found myself having to reread sections to be able to understand the politics of it all, but it was still worth it as Wren clearly put a lot of thought into this complex world similar to yet different from our own.The mystery, the never-ending questions, and the suspense of the not knowing, always feeling like I’m on the precipice of piecing everything together, had me eager to keep reading. Not to mention the love story that had me kicking my feet and giggling at how extraordinarily cute and heartwarming it is. Ethan and Javier’s development as they grow together and help each other learn how to trust in love and in themselves is absolutely beautiful. Each and every character in Earthflown is complex and completely their own, none being perfect but existing in a gray area due to their own complicated circumstances, but Ethan and Javier both hold a special place in my heart as not only a couple but as individuals as well. Nick and Vegas come in a close second to favorite characters in the book, growing on me more and more as the novel progressed.The novel also contained some of my favorite tropes: perpetual angst, the sweetest comfort, unwavering faith, and protective characters willing to do the most, the worst, for those they love. Every single aspect of this book is so necessary to understanding the world, the characters, and the unraveling mystery. Wren had me clinging to the edge of my seat, desperate for more and yet dreading when I would reach the end, wanting to savor every deliciously charged moment. Earthflown is a must read for sci-fi lovers, mystery enthusiasts, and those who can never get enough of well-written queer romances.Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is one of those books where the characters have a hold on you long after you finish the book, the kind where you listen to songs and think - this is about them. My favorite kind of book.I didn’t know I could root so hard for characters with a corruption arc and yet, Ethan and Javier are so likable and human and their actions make sense when you are in their head. But I also want Ollie, their antagonist, to succeed, and unravel the web of crimes and conspiracies surrounding Javier's family.Earthflown is a mish mash of fantasy, sci-fi, romance, and political/crime thriller. The author warns that there’s probably too much romance for crime readers and too much crime for romance readers, but it was the perfect blend of crime and romance👌🏾The paperback is illustrated. If you buy the ebook do check out the beautiful art on the author's website. The website is like a small wiki for the characters and the universe and this is the kind of book where you want to spend more time in their world even after you finish the book. 😍

A glorious combination of dystopian science fiction, sunshine x grumpy queer romance, AND investigative political noir - which is not a group of things I ever would have strung together myself.Ethan and Javier fairly stumble into a romance with a looming water crisis that Javier’s family is deeply intertwined with acting as an excessively dramatic background. Not only do you quickly get invested in these characters, but they also make you giggle AND cringe. It’s amazing.(Also, that ending?!?!? The ending?!?! Like, is it genius? a disaster? glorious? all of the above???)

This felt like watching prestige TV at its best. Every character is fully fleshed out lovable and likeable and unlikeable and problematic, warm, funny, self absorbed and selfish. I loved them all and I could spend hours thinking about them and what they are up to and why they do what they do.The visual language is so strong. The world these guys inhabit is so real thanks to Litarnes beautiful art and the lived in world building that we get.I highly recommend folks read this one and if I wish and hope hard enough maybe it will be adapted into a series we can watch cause can you imagine how good that would be?!

I don't know what it has but I can't put it down. I usually read stories with a lot of action like the typical fantasy young adult, so this novel was kinda new for me but I really enjoy it. I also like that even though some characters make me frustrated because they interfere in Jav's and Ethan's relationship, it doesn't make me stop reading. I ended up hating some stories because of some hateful characters but that didn't happen with Earthflown. I also love both Jav and Ethan despite being very different. They are very cute and I feel like we must protect them. I love that I could feel what they feel, or idk I might have a lot of imagination.I might regret not buying the limited special edition but it was too expensive for me. I understand that in the package it comes two special books (or that's what I understand) but I'm only interested in Earthflown, plus the shipping fee for me was +20euros and I didn't know if I would have like it. I also expected the illustrations to be clearer, I'm sure that from the screen it might look better but I think that how it's printed it might lose quality. In that sense, I like better the illustrations of Earthflown that are on Instagram (in the artist's and authour's account).I highly recommend this novel and if you can buy the limited special edition, go for it. I will think it over xd if I ended up buying it

This book was a hell of a trip I've loved it SO MUCH and I can't wait to buy the physical copy to see the illustrations!I highly recommend this 💛

What a wonderful novel and I am so glad that I picked EarthFlown up. I adored all the characters in this story and I would love there to be more

So, Ethan is a Healer and has powers that help towards fixing the injured, but too much work can weaken him and cause him to pass out. One night working in the hospital he treats a gunshot victim who's life is hanging by a thread. Ethan manages to save the victim, but is confronted by a very stressed twin brother (Javier) of the victim who doesn't treat Ethan with that much respect and goes against his professional opinion.Javier, in an attempt to apologise to Ethan decides to take him for dinner and their chemistry grows.I loved the relationship between between Javier and Ethan. Their love seems so pure and blossoms in a way that really pulls you in.The rest of the story felt in my opinion quite flat. There was virtually no worldbuilding, so I struggled to envision it. The word levels was mentioned quite a bit, are they just in one big building? I don't know.I wish the side characters and Ethan at times were more likeable and easier to connect with. The only character who I felt was written perfectly, was Javier, the emotion was written so fresh and captivating.The storyline was interesting, but I wish it was explained in more depth at times.I just wish I could have seen more of the powers that some characters had with more worldbuilding.Overall, a beautiful, slow burn relationship with characters who are struggling to show their true selves.