𝑬𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 by Courtney Beaton | Book Review

Emergence by Courtney Beaton
Series: Athyria #1
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 359
Published: 20th January, 2026
Format: Ebook
Source: Gifted
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Book Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Rae Taylor has spent her life chasing big waves, and she’s closer than ever to earning her place on the world tour, but when an ancient artefact stirs after centuries of silence, the truth shatters her carefully built world and everything she thought she knew about herself.

Rae is pulled into a realm she once thought existed only in her grandmother’s stories, a world held together by fear and failing magic. Among the few still willing to stand against it is a warrior who has survived more battles than he speaks of and the white wolf whose bond to her commands power that draws danger as quickly as it offers protection, placing them both at risk the moment it forms.

Together they are a force everyone long believed lost. And Rae soon finds herself torn between two worlds: the one that raised her and the one that will fall if she doesn’t rise.

Book Review

*I received a free copy of this book, but all opinions are entirely my own and honest.

I’d never heard of this author before until they kindly reached out to me on Instagram asking if I wanted to read their debut novel. I do enjoy reading both fantasy and YA so was very intrigued to give this a read. I’m glad to say that this book surprised me with how much I enjoyed it!

Considering this is the author’s debut, the writing is impressively strong. Beaton does such a great job with the descriptions for the world-building. The world feels well fleshed out considering this is the first book in a trilogy. The dialogue didn’t feel forced at all between the characters too.

I will say that to begin with, it didn’t feel like I was reading a fantasy book… However, at some point I was pulled into a world and from that point on I was completely invested. There was good pace overall throughout the story. The opening was a little slow for me, but I was still intrigued by where the story was going. Once I reached about the 30-40% mark, the pace picked up a lot and I was even more hooked into the story.

For the first book in a trilogy, I expected some of the characters to be more developed than others. I personally didn’t mind this as it gives the author a chance to further develop those more in future books. From what I know about the characters so far, I really enjoyed getting to meet them in this book. There is a little bit of a romance element in this book but it is more in the background. It did not take away from the main fantasy plot of this book.

I want to mention that I did find myself occasionally pulled out of the fantasy setting by some modern references. I understand for a portal fantasy there is going to be a blending of the real world with the fantasy realm, and I can see why the author has chosen to carry some of those familiar elements across. However, references to things like fidget spinners etc. made me very aware of the modern world, when I wanted to lose myself in the fantasy setting. It’s a small thing, but I found those moments a little jarring.

Overall, if you look at the tropes below and see any that appeal to you then I’d definitely recommend giving this a read. For a debut, it’s a very strong first book and I’m very excited to see what the next book will bring!

Tropes:

🩵 Coming of Age
🩵 Love Triangle (not a main focus – more in the background)
🩵 Wolves (yesssssss)
🩵 The “Chosen One” (for sure)
🩵 Elemental Magic (very fun!)
🩵 Found Family (LOVEEEEEE <3)
🩵 Shape-Shifting (very cool)
🩵 Portal Fantasy (not read this type of fantasy before but it was fun)