Rating: 4.62 out of 5

Oh my gosh, I just finished reading Aether Heart and I am absolute emotional wreckage in the best way possible. I honestly didn't expect to get this attached to a guy who blows things up for a living and a knight who is literally running out of time, but here we are. The whole vibe of Aethelburg is just incredible, like I can literally hear the gears turning and feel the steam in the air through the screen.

The dynamic between Kaelen and Lyra is everything. Kaelen is such a chaotic mess in Chapter 1 - The Alchemist and the Unscheduled Detonation. The way he just casually destroys his lab and then meets Lyra? Iconic. It sets the tone perfectly because you're laughing at his disaster life, but then you meet Lyra and things get serious real quick. She is so stoic and cool, but you can tell she's terrified deep down about her heart failing.

That clockwork heart plotline? devastating. In Chapter 4 - The Anatomy of a Clockwork Heart, when Kaelen realizes the flaw isn't just mechanical but "resonant"? I literally had to put my phone down and stare at the wall. It's such a beautiful concept, that her heart needs harmony to survive, not just gears. It made the stakes feel so much higher than just a typical fantasy quest. And don't even get me started on Chapter 3. The title "The Awkwardness of Brass and Crystal" does not do it justice. The tension between them was so thick you could cut it with a knife, and seeing Kaelen try to be gentle with her fragile heart was just the sweetest thing ever.

The journey into the Whispering Woods in Chapter 5 was where the suspense really kicked in. I was genuinely scared for Lyra the whole time because every fight feels like it could be her last. The author manages to balance the funny, lighthearted moments with this heavy, looming dread that her time is ticking away. It's a rollercoaster.

I know the raw file format was a bit messy and hard to read at times, but honestly, you stop noticing it after a while because the story is just that good. The emotional beats hit so hard that the typos don't even matter. If you love slow-burn romance with high stakes and a really cool magic-science setting, you have to read this. It's messy, it's loud, and it's totally heartbreaking. 4.62/5 stars!