By: Lindsey N. Rhoden
Genre: Adult Epic Fantasy
Audience: Adults
Publisher: Lindsey N. Rhoden, Self-Published
CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS: Strong language, mention of suicide, strong themes of depression and anxiety throughout, brief mention of sexual assault (not on page), descriptions of torture, death on page.
“I smiled, looking at where he had been moments ago. Then, as my eyes trailed around the house, the silence crept in. I was alone. As the weight of that loneliness hung in the air, the smile faded from my lips.”
Lindsey N. Rhoden, A Tether Through the Rift
It is hard to believe that A Tether Through the Rift by Lindsey N. Rhoden is a debut fantasy novel. With its rich character development, unique magic system, incredible world building, and story that had me wanting more with each page, A Tether Through the Rift was extraordinary. I loved everything about it. The novel has all the elements of an epic fantasy; Rhoden also runs the reader through a gamut of emotions. A Tether Through the Rift was truly an amazing read, and I am already looking forward to reading the next in the series.
The book opens and we meet Hazel, a young woman with no memories. She is found wandering in the woods, wounded, and knowing only her name. As she is treated for her wounds, she meets Arlo, who takes her into his home. The two fall in love, easily falling into a routine for the year they spend together. Through all of this, however, nightmares and a strange pull still haunt Hazel. She wants to find out who she is, or was, despite loving Arlo. Hazel clearly feels a certain emptiness and despair from her amnesia, and she simply cannot disregard this pull she feels.
“… It reminded me of Arlo leaning against the door this morning, his bare skin bathing in that sunlit glow. It reminded me of something else, too, something distant and warm…It felt like true happiness… somewhere inside of me I could feel a pull, something calling me to anywhere but here…”
Lindsey N. Rhoden, A Tether Through the Rift
I felt that Hazel’s reactions to her situation were dealt with in a very realistic way, which is so important when representing mental health struggles. Hazel is suffering from trauma, depression, and anxiety, both from her unknown past, and the constant nightmares that plague her. The reader can easily commiserate with Hazel, knowing we would feel the same in that situation. It is a feeling of incompleteness even with Arlo’s love and support. That is not always enough, even if Arlo wants it to be. We can also feel a certain dread from Arlo, as he believes that if Hazel does find her memories, it will bring more harm to her, and he might lose her if she returns to her old life. The conflict is palpable with Hazel’s internal war between her safety with Arlo and her pull to her lost memories. It is interesting that they both have the same internal struggle, but on opposite ends. Arlo wants Hazel to stay with him and be safe, and Hazel wants to recapture her lost life, which would keep her away from Arlo and safety.
“Sometimes it was hard to remember that such a traumatic moment in my life was also such a blessing in his. He’d do anything to get me answers, figure out what happened to me, or help me heal, but he also hadn’t hesitated to make sure I knew coming into his life was the best thing that ever happened to him.”
Lindsey N. Rhoden, A Tether Through the Rift
On the first anniversary of Arlo finding her, Hazel convinces him to go back to the place she was found in hopes of triggering something from her past. As he reluctantly agrees, Hazel can feel a pull, or a tether, to an unknown place. It gets stronger the closer they get to where she was found and undeniable when they make camp there. Unable to resist, Hazel leaves the safety of their tent in the night and walks towards the pull. She keeps going until she finds a strange “gate,” the rift that was calling to her. She steps through into another realm, a new realm she does not recognize, and the gate is not behind her, cutting her off from Arlo. Nightmare creatures abound, ready to attack, until she is saved by Vander Darroch, and his brother, Bastian. She’s taken to their home to recover, where they call her Hazlenn. Hazel, or Hazlenn, is shocked to discover she is in the world she originates from. A magical world with mystical beasts and a terrible darkness. Unfortunately, Hazel does not remember this world either.
I loved the time difference that has passed. With Arlo, she was with him for one year, but upon returning to this world of Tir Nadaar, Vander tells her she has been missing for ten years. I thought this was a great choice, now her return home traumatic for her as well as those who love her. Hazel is thrust from one place she has no memories in to another, not gaining any memories, and also losing Arlo.
She immediately encounters the magic in Tir Nadaar, meeting Aerie, Bastian’s kind fae wife, who heals Hazel from the fight in the woods. She also finds out that Bastian and Vander are wolf shifters. Though she does not remember, they all remember her, and Vander is particularly affected, as he loved Hazel, and she him. Now he must face the fact that not only does she not remember him, but she has fallen in love with someone else in her absence. All of them are saddened and disturbed by Hazel’s lack of memories, but Aerie’s magic reveals a “void” in Hazel’s mind where her memory must be. For her part, all of it seems unreal to Hazel, whose only thought is to get back to Arlo. It is interesting to note that Hazel no longer feels the pull she felt in the other realm. The pull led her to Tir Nadaar, but her trauma, anxiety and helplessness remain. She is moving from realm to realm, not knowing who she truly is.
“I stared at my reflection in the small dark mirror. My deep auburn hair hung in clumps around me, dull and matted from days of neglect. My face, streamed with tears, looked sunken and hollow. There was no stopping it, the feeling of free-falling into the darkness…the hateful thoughts crashing into me one after another.
Worthless. Lost. Nothing, Weak. Broken.”
Lindsey N. Rhoden, A Tether Through the Rift
While all of this might seem overwhelming and too much information packed into the novel, the pacing was perfect. There were action sequences interspersed perfectly with times of quiet reflection in both realms. Her year in the human realm was filled with her trying to find out who she was, and her time with Arlo, while sweet and romantic, was realistically strained at times. He desperately wanted to protect her and just continue the life they had. For him, it was perfect. For Hazel, he was perfect… but she was missing a piece of herself, so how could she pretend everything was fine? When she passes through the rift, she once again faces the demons that plagued her in the human realm. She questions if Arlo was real. She was missing for ten years, found by her “family,” one she does not remember. In Tir Nadaar, she is given time and space to try and heal, to try and remember. With Arlo, they were quiet, romantic, and loving times. In Tir Nadaar, she often went places with Aerie, and some other members of the household. Hazel wondered that if she came from this realm, was it also possible she possessed some sort of magic? This kept me reading non-stop, always wanting to know what was going to happen next. Ms. Rhoden is certainly a master of surprise. I had an inkling one plot point might happen, but the way it happened took me by surprise.
The characters are very well-developed. Hazel, though burdened with her lack of memory, is still a strong female protagonist. She fearlessly walks towards this pull without knowing where it will take her. She knows Arlo wants the perfect life with her, but she pushes him to face her own reality and pain. In Tir Nadaar, while some things feel familiar, most do not, but Hazel is adaptable. Until she can return to Arlo, she becomes part of the family she once had. Throughout all of this, Ms. Rhoden does not dismiss Hazel’s mental health. It comes up many times. Hazel learns how to deal with her anxiety attacks, as Arlo, who was always there to help her through, is no longer with it. It becomes Vander who helps her with her breathing in Tir Nadaar. This is a realistic way of portraying mental health; her problems do not go away once she passes through the rift. Hazel continually deals with it even as new information and situations arise.
All the other characters are exemplary as well. Arlo is kind and steadfast to Hazel. He is not two-dimensional, while he does his best to help her, he truly does not understand that even if she loves him, she still has this pull and need to find more of herself. This is another realistic way that people often try to help those with mental health issues. They try their best to “make it all better,” but in the end, the only one who can is the person suffering from it.
In Tir Nadaar, Aerie is clearly in charge. Bastian is leader of their tribe, Talamh, but Aerie has the magic and kindness to deal with people. One gets a sense of peace when she is around, with her even temperament and always seeming to know what others need. She and Bastian’s love is beautiful and ever-present. Vander takes over as the lead male protagonist across the rift. He is in love with Hazel, and faces the pain of losing her for ten years, finding her, realizing that not only does she not remember him, she is in love with Arlo. He is rough around the edges, a tough fighter, and quite the opposite of Arlo. Vander, of course, wants Hazel to desperately get her memories back, while Arlo wanted the status quo. The reader can feel Vander’s pain and frustration. He does try, maybe too hard at times, to help her regain her memory. She is, after all, the woman he loves.
“His breath shook as he paused… I stared straight ahead at the small dancing flame as he continued, “But when I heard you tonight, when I felt your pain and I thought I’d lost you all over again, I realized something. I don’t care what version you I get. Hazlenn, Hazel, whatever else you may become. I want you. I want every version of you in whatever way I can. I cannot lose you again.”
Lindsey N. Rhoden, A Tether Through the Rift
The world building was incredible. The human realm was interestingly constructed. The town, as well as Arlo’s home, seemed fairly modern, including things such as indoor baths, yet they traveled by horseback. Hazel found the town constricting and longed to travel beyond it. Tir Nadaar was both beautiful and terrifying. Each tribe controlled a section of the land, and being in a certain tribe determined what magic the individual had. The dark realm held nightmare creatures, it is a place of pain and torture. The Tribe of Talamh, Hazel, or Hazlenn’s family, has earth magic. Aerie is fae, and very powerful. Where their tribe lived was full of life. Beautiful flowers, gardens, a quaint town, a pond, and forests. It seemed to be everything Hazel had longed for in the human realm, to be away from the confines of the crowded city they lived in.
The romance was perfectly balanced in this book. I believe too much focus on a ‘love triangle’ would have taken away from Hazel’s story. The main crux is her finding herself and who she is. To add in more love scenes would have detracted from that purpose and would not have realistically fit into her character. The love scenes between Hazel and Arlo were beautifully done, soft, quiet, and passionate. When she went to Tir Nadaar, she did not know Vander, and was suffering from nightmares and panic attacks, as well as looking for a way to find Arlo once more. To have them fall back in love, or attempt a relationship, would have felt too soon, and detract from Hazel’s journey. I thought it was another excellent choice on the part of Ms. Rhoden. Even if her memories of Vander return, I would think there would be a period where they would have to become comfortable with each other again after a ten-year absence. This, from Hazel’s thoughts, I believe sums up why she is not ready for any kind of romantic connection:
“It felt like it would never end-the secrets and scheming and magic forever morphing to keep me in the dark, to keep me questioning my reality. The pain was too much to bear, the sense of being utterly and completely lost and alone. I longed for numbness to wash over me, willed the disconnect to find me as I escaped into the darkest recesses of my mind… I cried into the cold porcelain bowl and prayed no one followed me in there to witness the wreckage I had become.”
Lindsey N. Rhoden, A Tether Through the Rift
Overall Thoughts
A Tether Through the Rift, Lindsey N. Rhoden’s debut fantasy novel, is sheer perfection. I loved every moment of reading this book. Hazel, the protagonist, suffers from memory loss and has lived with it for over a year with Arlo, her lover. When she feels a pull to an unknown place, Hazel goes through a gate (the rift) to another realm. Unfortunately, her memories are not restored, and she feels just as lost here. However, she has a “family” that knows her and, in their realm, she has been missing for ten years. To complicate matters, she has no memory of Vander, her lover in this realm of Tir Nadaar, who must now face a woman who is in love with another man. The pacing of this book was excellent. It was a page turner from start to finish, with plenty of action, especially in Tir Nadarr, where dark nightmares live. Hazel suffers from trauma, depression, and anxiety throughout the book and her mental health is dealt with in a very realistic way. Mental health takes time to deal with, and Hazel faces it throughout the book. It never “magically” goes away. Those around her try to help in any way they can, but ultimately feel helpless, another realistic aspect of mental health. The book is not at all depressing, so I do not want to give that impression. Hazel is strong, and can adjust to her new world and fit in with her found family. They are wonderfully kind, and posses magic, which, of course, is another added layer for Hazel. She is not frightened by it, even when she finds out Vander is a wolf shifter. The world building was exquisite. Tir Nadaar was beautiful and frightening, with Ms. Rhoden creating so many diverse places, including the human realm. There were so many twists and turns that I never saw coming. The romance in the book was also perfect. To have too much would not have been realistic. Hazel does not know Vander, and to have them resume a sexual relationship would have taken away from Hazel’s struggles. To me, that was central to the novel. It was Hazel finding out who she is and where, ultimately, she will be. In addition, since she comes from a magical realm, does she have magic? Ms. Rhoden ran me through a gamut of emotions. There were times I laughed, times I was worried for Hazel, and times that I really cried. Overall, A Tether Through the Rift is an amazing debut novel from Lindsey N. Rhoden and I highly recommend it.
Summary (Lindsey N. Rhoden)
Hazel is ready to find answers about a past she can’t remember. She has no memories, no family—only the fierce loyalty of Arlo, her ultimate protector turned devoted partner. But after a year of garish nightmares that constantly threaten her stability, she grows unsatisfied and decides to follow the pull she feels inside. Suddenly Hazel is tumbling through a rift between worlds and finds more than she ever bargained for, a world where her nightmares become reality.
Vander Darroch is a brooding wolven shifter with a soft side left behind from the loss of his only love long ago When she suddenly emerges from a rift, back into his world, she is a mere echo of the female she used to be. She doesn’t remember him, the existence of magic, or anything about her past. Not to mention she’s fallen for another.
Between dodging attacks from a particularly powerful enemy and learning how to navigate the world of magic surrounding her, Hazel discovers glimpses of her past and must decide between accepting the world she’s stumbled into, or retreating to the only life she can remember. Can she hold on to what she’s discovered while protecting the one she loves? Or will she have to surrender everything she thought she knew in order to find herself?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hi there! I’m Lindsey N. Rhoden. I’m a mama to four crazy kiddos, a full time homeschooler, and a part time writer with an affinity for all things herbal. I’ve spent the last several years as a birth/postpartum photographer and doula, specializing in herbal and Ayurvedic care. In the past year, I decided to take a step back from that line of work to focus on my family and make room for other passions.
I love exploring darker elements through my writing and focusing on the more taboo topics of mental health and what that kind of pure, raw emotion can look like. I try to bring my writing to life through elements of nature and descriptive language. My main goal in my work is to write real, raw emotion that the reader can relate to and can feel through the pages, whether that be love, excitement, panic, or pain.
I’ve been a writer for as long as I could hold a pen, but I’ve always struggled to give my writing the time it deserved to truly develop. I dove into the world of literature during college and earned my degree in English literature with a concentration in creative writing from the University of Central Florida. Authors such as Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Edgar Allen Poe inspired me to continue pursing my own writing. Motherhood had other plans, though, and I took a long reprieve after I graduated in 2018. In 2023, I decided to dive back into the world of writing and found out that apparently I had a lot to say.
My sincere thanks to Lindsey N. Rhoden for a copy of the eBook ARC.
Find out more about Lindsey N. Rhoden on her website: https://www.lindseynrhoden.com/
Purchase A Tether Through the Rift on Amazon
