Otherworldly is a YA paranormal fiction/romance by F.T. Lukens. I really enjoy reading this author’s work because they tend to write more in the fantasy genre, creating their own worlds with their own rules, which is really cool! The two other F.T. Lukens books I’ve read are So This Is Ever After and In Deeper Waters, and I actually think I preferred those two over Otherworldly. Not that there is anything wrong with Otherworldly, I just identified more with the characters in the other two books.
One element I found really fascinating about this book is the use of the word “belief”. We start out with the typical definition of believing (you believe in something or you don’t) but then as the plot progresses, we end up with an altered definition of belief, one closer to choosing to believe in those around you. The people in this world make offerings to the gods and goddesses to ensure their harvest goes well, that they have good weather, that they are taken care of generally. Our main character, Ellery, doesn’t really share this belief, or if they did, it was slowly stripped away when the goddess of their area stops responding to people. Spoiler alert: They end up face to face with this goddess at the end of the book and still don’t believe in them! And at this point we are not just talking about the basic “do you believe in gods and goddesses” anymore. The goddess tells Ellery they can sense that they don’t believe in them and Ellery says “Why would I believe in something that abandoned my home and people? I choose to believe in my friends who have looked out for me this whole time.” And I just think that’s really beautiful, putting your faith and trust in those around you who you care for instead of some supernatural being who may or may not even exist.
Now lets jump more into the summary of the book:
We have our main character Ellery (they/them) who was kind of sort of forced to move off their family farm and into the city with their cousin Charlie and her girlfriend Zada. The reason for the forced move was because there has been mysteriously long winter in their area for the past five years, which has made it hard to farm and now her family could lose their home. So Ellery works with Charlie in the city diner. This winter has caused all sorts of problems, leading to the slow decline of the city. Ellery’s family keep making offerings to the goddess to fix the winter and Ellery thinks it’s a big waste of time and money.
They occasionally see this “hot weird” guy picking up food at the diner. This hot weird guy is Nox, a familiar from the otherworld who is assigned to help people who make bargains with the goddess. He is currently living in the human world with Arabelle, who made a bargain with the shades (on behalf of the goddess) to try and make an elixir of life. Once she succeeds, the shades come and take her soul. At this point, Nox is supposed to go back to the otherworld and wait until someone else wants to make a bargain and might need his help, but instead he runs away. He wants to experience human life for a bit longer and the goddess hasn’t been answering his letters, which makes him worry something is wrong. He takes the elixir of life and he runs… straight into Ellery outside the diner.
It’s closing time and Ellery is about to go home when Nox literally knocks them over. The shades are after Nox, but he and Ellery are able to fight them off with Knox’s magic and a big lead pipe (which apparently hurts magical creatures). The next day Knox comes back to the diner to apologize and tells Ellery he is a supernatural being who ran away. They initially think Nox is playing some sick joke on them because they don’t believe in the supernatural and are pretty upset and distrustful for a long time after. This makes Knox sad because he doesn’t understand why Ellery doesn’t believe him. But Charlie believes Nox and invites him to come stay with her, Zada, and Ellery while he figures out his next steps.
After another run in with the shades Knox has used up the rest of his magic, but was able to convince Ellery he is indeed supernatural. They make a bargain together in which Knox will help Ellery find out what’s causing this never ending winter, and Ellery will help Knox experience human life to the fullest. Knox is excited to make a bargain himself instead of just for the goddess. This allows him to get his magic back.
Over the course of their bargain they meet many different magical creatures and minor gods and goddesses. The meet Lorelei the river nymph singing at a club, who remembers Knox from his past lives, despite Knox not being able to remember her or the details of his past lives. They meet Bram, a messenger god, at a corny roadside attraction. They go to a hockey game that erupts into fist fights, and a college party where an undead tries to feast on Ellery’s emotions, and finally come across a demon in an abandoned mall storefront while running from the shades. The demon nearly kills Ellery but Knox gives her the elixir of life.
Over the course of their adventures Knox and Ellery get closer and closer, hardly able to admit to the other they are starting to really fall for them. Then Knox finds out from the shades that he is the reason for the never ending winter, and it crushes him. We find out that the bargain the shades made with Arabelle five years ago was not allowed by the goddess. The shades blocked the whole region from the goddesses view. Once Arabelle made the elixir of life, the shades were going to take it to be able to stay in the human world and rule, but unexpectedly, Knox took it and ran. Because of this, the goddess is still blind to the region and doesn’t know it is still winter. This crushes Knox because he sees how Ellery is struggling and how she is terrified her family will not be able to stay on their farm. Knox comes clean to Ellery right before they are attacked by the demon. After Knox gives Ellery the elixir, he is taken by the shades back to the Otherworld and his memories of Ellery and the shades plot are lost.
The goddess is not happy Nox has been gone so long, thinking he was just playing in the human world (which is kind of true) but she also realizes that the shades were up to something. She sends the shades to the farthest point from the human realm as punishment, and throws Knox in a sort of prison until she can sort out what really happened. The elixir of life is a threat to the goddess because it means a soul will escape her realm, so if she finds out Knox has anything to do with it, she will strip him of his power and position as familiar.
Devastated by almost dying and losing Knox, Ellery is determined to help his situation somehow. They get help from Bram, who goes to check on Knox, and the undead, who is able to open a portal to the otherworld. Ellery remakes the elixir of life from Arabelle’s notes as an offering to the goddess, hoping to get Knox back. On their journey through the otherworld, they are almost killed by a horrifying river monster and sidetracked by souls trying to talk their ear off for eternity, but they set their mind to Knox and continue. When Ellery reaches the palace, they make the offering to the goddess, who pardons Knox for his truancy and any part he played in making the elixir of life. Ellery dares to go further and offers her own newfound immortality so that Knox can have the choice to come back with her or stay as a familiar. Knox is still very confused about what is going on because he lost all his memories. The goddess accepts this second offering but tells Ellery to go now and not look back, or the bargain will be broken. She walks all the way back to the portal and to Charlie and Zada waiting on the other side. She thinks Knox has chosen to remain in the Otherworld, but then he stumbles through the portal, memories slowly coming back to him. He says that even though he couldn’t remember Ellery, anyone who would go through all that trouble for him must be worth it. The book finishes with the winter ending and Ellery starting school with Knox as their official boyfriend.
Thoughts:
I really like the emphasis on friendship and family in this book. It’s giving very mature vibes. Ellery is able to rely on Charlie and Zada when she has to leave her home in the country; Ellery, Charlie, and Zada offering Knox so much help simply because he is in need; and Knox leaving the otherworld for Ellery because she was kind to him and traveled literally to other worlds for him. There are also great examples of how to deal with toxic family/friend relationships, like when the winter is over and Ellery’s parents want her to come back to the farm, but she stands her ground and stays in the city because that’s what’s best for her. Or when Knox goes at the goddess right before choosing Ellery, saying, “You never once asked if I was happy or what I actually wanted to do.” This book is all about putting your faith in the right people and how the right people will always be there for you and help you through whatever you’re going through.
I always question the validity of gods and goddesses in books like these, because how realistic is it that the shades could block the goddess’s vision of a whole area? And why would these gods and goddesses take so much smack talk from a bunch of human teenagers? Books like this, along with Greek mythology, portray gods and goddesses basically as humans with a little more power, and that clashes with what I typically think of as an all-knowing and all-powerful being. But I like it! It’s a refreshing change and one that adds more personality and plot.
If you haven’t read any of F.T. Lukens’ books yet I would highly recommend them, especially if you’re into fantasy or LGBTQ+ romance. I will be on the lookout for any new publications from them!
-Atlas
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