A Walk to Greater Worlds

The Aeriel Trilogy #3

by Nupur Chowdhury

After six centuries of conflict and bloodshed, Earth and Vaan are on the brink of a truce.

Yet, not everyone’s cheering for peace, and clandestine forces hunger for the chaos of war. There are those who would rather plunge humanity into a new war than let go of the ancient grudges both sides have held for centuries.

In a race against time, Ruban and Ashwin must unmask the conspirators plotting to derail the fledgling alliance.

As they dance with fate on the precipice of ruin, the future of two worlds hangs by a thread.

427 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 10, 2024

About the author

Nupur Chowdhury is the author of The Aeriel Chronicles and The Brightest Trilogy. Apart from novels, she enjoys writing poetry and the occasional short story. She was four when she started writing. Now, over 20 years later, it’s more an addiction than a hobby.

Nupur likes coffee, street food, fanfiction, and sleep. She dislikes yogurt, slow internet, unnecessary cliffhangers, and being woken up in the morning.

You can find her on Wattpad, Facebook, and Amazon. And if you can’t, it’s probably because she’s busy sleeping.

For the latest bookish news, offers, and updates, you can join her mailing list here: http://eepurl.com/gHkO2j

Reviews

[Fairuz ᥫ᭡. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Walk to Greater Worlds by Nupur Chowdhury, the third book in The Aeriel Trilogy, took me on a wild ride! 😍 The storyline? Absolutely compelling! The world-building? Criminally underrated! The action, political intrigue, and mystery are all woven together so seamlessly that I was hooked from page one.

✧ Urban Fantasy 🌆
✧ Dystopia 🏙️
✧ Sci-Fi Thriller 🚀
✧ Aeriels 🪽
✧ Found Family 💕
✧ Action-Packed 💥
✧ Political Intrigue 🎭
✧ Young Adult

First off, Shwaan totally stole the show again! 💫 He’s just that character you can’t help but adore. While I’m still warming up to Ruban (he’s growing on me, but we’re not quite there yet 😅), Shwaan shines like a star ✨. Plus, with Simani and Vikram in the mix, and the addition of Safaa? Yes, please! 🙌 Their dynamic is everything!

Also, I flew through this book way faster than the first two. Nupur’s writing style has seriously leveled up. The pacing felt spot-on this time, unlike the previous books where I struggled a bit.

Speaking of the plot—WOW. The complexity and the conspiracies threatening the peace between Earth and Vaan had me on edge. Even though I’m not usually into heavy political scheming, this one totally sucked me in. The balance between character interactions and intricate plotting was chef’s kiss. Every twist made sense, and nothing felt confusing or out of place. I was completely immersed in this world of Aeriels, truce talks, and hidden agendas.

Honestly, I can’t believe how underrated this series is. More people need to pick it up ASAP because it’s that good! 💖

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

[Sotiria Lazaridou · Rating 4 out of 5]

*a huge thank you to the author for providing me with a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review*

what an amazing ending!! I felt great satisfaction after reading the last page!

[Bonnie Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I missed this series more than I thought I did 😭😭 I read book one in 2022 and since then I've been thinking about this story at leas once a month and I will for some years to come!

An absolutely compelling storyline, great world building and smart scheming... and the characters!!! Omg... you can't just dislike them - I mean the main cast - because the people you're supposed to hate are easy to hate... great characterization (Shwaan ❤).

As for the plot, I'm amazed with the complexity level - well crafted, nothing seemed off or far-fetched. All the events made sense and Nupur is delivering the information in a deft manner - I didn't feel confused, not even for a second. I'm not the one for political schemings but in this case I just couldn't say no... I had to know!! Also, brilliant balance between chatacters interactions and political plotting.

Nupur's writing style has improved for sure. I remember book one being a bit hard to digest language-wise. Book two was a bit better and this one is just perfect. I don't see any faults. Like ANY... the book... well, the series is perfect. I hope there will be paperback copies one day so I can display them on my shelf. I'll probably edit this once my head is cool and the happiness wears off!! I waited patiently and my patience was rewarded!! And to think my love for the booka started from a random message on goodreads...

[Saphio · Rating 3 out of 5]

in exchange for an honest review, I received a free copy of the book from the author.

what a wrap to the series! the ending gave me so much satisfaction I reread it twice. and I was really feeling the ruban-ashwin bromance coming along in this book; it was much more developed than in the previous two. that heart-to-heart in chapter 9? the scenes after? chills down my back. just wow.

I think the plot for this installment particularly is so centered around political drama that some readers who come for the sci-fi aspect may be overwhelmed. as an enjoyer of both, I thought it was great! sure, the pacing was a little slow at times, but NC always picks up the plot pace again in the end.

I might come back to this series again at some point to savor the drama again. and if not the drama, then the wholesome character dynamics, plus simani’s unfailing sarcasm.

3 stars

[CA Portnellus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I genuinely enjoy MS Chowdhury's books. The Angels are provocative and alluring, even when working evil plots. This book has revenge and redemption in its heart. Earth's population has suffered during many years from the wars between the Angels and their foes and each other. But many believe peace can be made between all adversaries. And those who only choose revenge, plot to eradicate these alien beings and their overlords. A hefty price for peace.

[Fedythereader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you deeply to the author for sharing a copy of this book with me !!!

“If he goes down, he’ll drag Avery last one of us down with him,” Ruban scoffed. “Why am I not surprised?”

“Safaa is genetically incapable of running late,” Ashwin wasuree him. “It’s all that mulish human blood in her I suspect. She’ll be on time”

I’m almost sad this is over. It has been truly a wild journey. It has been fun. It has been frustrating and exciting to get to read Ruban and Shwaan’s story and their attempt at building peace between two people who have been in conflict with one another since forever. But here, in the last straw of this long journey, we finally reach the HEA we needed. Final instalment … the war is coming and all hell is about to break loose no matter how much Ruban and Shwaan are trying to avoid it. When secrets plots are unveiled and when still the mafia organisation and the exiled are threatening to ruin the balance that even the Queen of Aeriel is ready to fight for, only a bunch of humans and a Prince of aeriel is what is standing between them and total disaster. It seems like this author knows how to make her book so flawlessly fast that it’s impossible to stop reading and put the book down least you loose a focal point in the development of the storyline. And I cannot even complain.
This time around I even got some tears falling because I felt like I was part of a family I didn’t know was becoming so cold to my heart. Every character made the difference and every choice had an impact in what happened in the end. It could have been a total shit show … but somehow Ruban and Shwaan managed to make it work alongside their friends and in the end … contentment was what’s left.

“For the first time in what felt like years, he was content”

[Kanwarpal Singh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is 3rd in the series and has an absolutely compelling storyline, great world building and smart scheming of politics and action packed with mystery, murders... and the characters are divided to find the conspirator and benefactor of this whole mess.

After six centuries of conflict and bloodshed, Earth and Vaan are on the brink of a truce.

Yet, everyone is not cheering for peace, and clandestine forces hunger for the chaos of war. There are those who would rather plunge humanity into a new war than let go of the ancient grudges both sides have held for centuries.

It races against time whether they are able to find the culprits or the humanity is going to face the near extinction ruins, Ruban and Ashwin must unmask the conspirators plotting to derail the fledgling alliance.The future of two worlds hangs by a thread.

I'm amazed with the complexity level of the plot - well crafted, nothing seemed off or far-fetched. All the events made sense and the author is delivering the information in a skilled way and quickly with details which doesn't let the reader lose interest in detailing and didn't feel confused, I'm not into political scheming but in this case I had to know! Because the hype and the culprits need to be discovered. Also, there is a brilliant balance between character interactions and political plotting, that make it look extremely interesting for readers to enjoy fantasy as a genre..

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t wait to dive back into the complex world Chowdhury has built, with characters that I know I’ll never forget. This latest installment didn’t hold back with the action, intrigue, and some events and beliefs that might sound familiar if you live in the US. Although it started off innocently enough, things quickly ramped up, with action that gets your heart racing. Ruban is so different from he was when we first met him, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know him and everyone around him over the course of the books. The plot moves along smoothly, with a lot of complexity and mystery swirled in. This one is heavier on the political intrigue than previous ones, as a lot is riding on potential alliances and political maneuvering. You absolutely need to start with book one, or you’ll be a bit lost, but this is one fantasy series you don’t want to miss!

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good yarn with three issues:
First, it’s been several years since the previous novel was published, so many readers, myself included, would have benefited from a recap of previous events and reminders about the characters;
Second, it ran a bit long and would have been better with some editing to tighten it up;
Third, the book seems to have been written in at least two parts. The latter part of the book felt less well-structured than the earlier part. I noted a great many fragmented sentences that distracted me from the narrative.

All in all, though, I enjoyed the novel and the series. Ms. Chowdhury is a good writer and I look forward to reading more of her work in the years to come.

[Hayley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book for an honest review.

I think this was probably the weakest of the trilogy for me, but it was still a satisfying conclusion. It was much slower paced than the previous books, much more political, conspiracies galore.

I still hate Ruban, but Ashwin is still a pretty stellar character and their relationship growth was enjoyable to watch. I liked the vulnerable moments they shared.

Amongst all the politics there was also quite a bit of action, and it kept things interesting.

Overall, while I didn't enjoy it as much as the last two books, this was a pretty solid way to end the trilogy and I'm grateful to the author for the opportunity to read this.

[Path.Through.Pages · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where the first book was a perfect balance of story and action, and where the second book was loaded top to bottom with battles and intrigue, book 3 was far, far more politically heavy.

Although things were wrapped up nicely in book 3 and you obtained a sense of closure, I found it was quite a bit harder for me to stay engaged. There was so much dialogue, so many conspiracy theories, and unfortunately, it felt very repetitive.

The author still has a wonderful writing style, but I feel like book 3 could have been much shorter and still hit all the key points.

P.s. no MC pregnancy tropes

[ARI ≽ܫ≼ (on hiatus bcos i made bad life decisions) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book provided by author in return for honest review

Don't know what to think about this yet, RTC

[Ant · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Walk to Greater Worlds wraps up the Aerial Trilogy by moving genres to more of a political thriller, and away from the buddy-cop type of action that the previous books in this series have.

At times I felt that the characters get put to the side slightly in order to ensure the required political machinations are presented to allow the plot to progress. There's nothing wrong with this in itself, but it does make for a change in style which can feel a little jarring. Plot progress sometimes seems rushed, with a lot of glossed-over exposition, which doesn't allow for the tension ramp-up that a good political thriller requires.

A reasonable conclusion to the trilogy, but doesn't really hit the high notes.

Many thanks to the author for the provided copy on which this review is based.