On Zemlya a person does not become an adult until they Become on their twentieth birthday. Rythan has eagerly awaited and dreaded this day. For not all succeed in Becoming and they remain in their bi-pedal child form forever. In order to Become Rythan must use the energy generated through sex as a catalyst to burn through his immature form and into his adult form. To help him in this endeavor Destiny has provided him with a pair of adults he’s never met, one of the air and one of fire. Can they generate enough energy for Rythan to succeed and fulfill his true destiny?

Kira Stone has built a complex and interesting world around a culture that uses sex to bring about maturation. Rythan is still a child in the eyes of his people even though he is twenty years old. His current form is that of a mature human man but among his people they mature into different life forms. Helping him in his transformation were Tind, a Firebrand, and Ze, a wind Zephyr. I felt that the length of the story was detrimental to the development of the characters. Rythan, as the main focus, was more fully fleshed than Tind and Ze but because they weren’t as fully developed it detracted from my enjoyment. All in all Rythan’s Becoming was a good read, I just wish that there had been time to get to know more about the characters and this fascinating world.

Reviewed by: Hayley