Strands of Existence 1: Island Girl

Can you find yourself when you didn't know you had lost yourself?

As an opportunist, Istrae yearns to get off her insignificant home island and visit Kerth, the City of Light and Abundance. Her preferred method of travel, however, didn't include drowning. And she didn't expect the city to be so dirty. Her memories are as broken as her body. She begins to piece them together with the help of a spirit bound to a statue and an ambitious army captain called Rime she enjoys teasing. While Rime guides Istrae in her new life, it becomes evident the rigid rules of society and the city's Temple do not welcome those who seek to shake the established rules, which is something Istrae is incapable of resisting.

Will Istrae find out who she is, and what she forgot?

A consistently intriguing story which unfolds little by little like a mystery. Island Girl is the first book in a fresh epic fantasy series Strands of Existence with tones of adventure and a splash of romance. A new world with its own laws, intuitive magic, and religion.

"Island Girl is the first book in the Strands of Existence fantasy series, and it sets the tone magnificently. One of the most enjoyable things about this novel was the characters and how realistic and nuanced they felt. The protagonist Istrae is a particularly strong character, and I enjoyed her humour and fierceness which I felt made me root for her from the very first page. The supporting characters are no different to Istrae in that all the characters feel fully formed and have depth and flaws, even if they only appear briefly. Author Aino Lahteva is a master at world-building, and Kerth, the setting for the story, felt well thought out and intricate, making it easy for me to envision that I was there with the characters. Overall, I would thoroughly recommend this novel to fans of epic fantasy novels, and those looking for stories with a rich and diverse cast of characters." K.C. Finn, Readers' Favorite. ★★★★★


"Strands of Existence: Island Girl follows a woman who is desperate to leave her home. Her home is an island that is feeling less like home and more like a prison. Her destination is the City of Light and Abundance. A city name that perfectly reflects her mental image of it. When her journey to the city ends in disaster, she arrives with scattered memories, and the city is not what she thought it would be. Can she learn the rules of her new life without attracting unwanted attention?Author Aino Lahteva has created a detailed world that is grounded in reality, even though it is filled with magic and religion. This is a character driven fantasy story, with our protagonist Istrae, going through a slow evolution throughout the book that is consistently intriguing. She goes from almost marrying a man out of necessity and turns into a strong woman that embraces her destiny with vigor. The world in which this story exists always seems like there is deeper lore behind everything, and we're only scratching the surface of a much larger story. Magic and religion is seamlessly blended into the world and the story in a unique way that elevates this book from a simple fantasy story and into an epic fantasy novel. While I heartily enjoyed the story I felt like the ending was not as fulfilling as I wanted it to be. This leads me to yearn for a follow up book, but I would have enjoyed a more complete ending.Strands of Existence: Island Girl is a different type of fantasy story that breaks the mold of the epic fantasy genre in an entertaining way. I recommend this book to sword and sorcery fans looking for some romance added to the mix of a fantasy story that doesn't overwhelm you with specifics and focuses instead on delivering human drama that is easily enjoyed." - Literary Titan. ★★★★

Aino was born in Helsinki, Finland, in the '80s. She's always loved stories of all sorts, but ever since her mother read her Tolkien's LoTR when Aino was 5, she has loved fantasy. Overall, Aino is the slightly annoying artsy type who is often wrapped up in her own head. But she can be nice too, especially if you buy her a glass of whiskey. The only constant thing about her personality seems to be that it's always shifting to the opposite. She doesn't so much think about the story as she notes it down as it unfurls. Though several neighbors and bypassers might have spied her acting out dialogue and then talking to herself about the flaws. Her passions include shiny things, silliness, and oddly placed melancholy and pathos.