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125 reviews for:
Common Bonds: An Aromantic Speculative Anthology
C.T. Callahan, B.R. Sanders, Claudie Arseneault, RoAnna Sylver
3.92 AVERAGE
125 reviews for:
Common Bonds: An Aromantic Speculative Anthology
C.T. Callahan, B.R. Sanders, Claudie Arseneault, RoAnna Sylver
3.92 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I can't express how much this book means. To have a book, a collection of short stories with "aromantic" on the cover is just... indescribable. This is the first ever aro specific anthology and it can't be perfect. As it was said in the beginning this can't be the aromantic speculative anthology because there is a lot more to be said and explored. Even though I have criticism towards the book I'm incredibly happy it exists. This will provide a way for more works of fiction like this.
Firstly, the only real issue I had with the book, and probably the main reason I didn't give it 5 stars, is that while all the stories explored relationships, some of them didn't have anything aro related. Just no romance. Look, of course not everything should be about one's identity. But this is aro book! That's what I'm here for! It's supposed to explore or at least to contain stories with aro coded characters. It's not enough for me a story to be just romance free. I want to talk about the rep in these stories, probably not every one of them, but in general and a few specific ones.
One of my favorite stories is Spacegirl and the Martin. I loved the aro rep and the MC's relationship with her sister. It's probably not the best written story but I really liked the type of aro the MC is and how the rep is handled (that's what I expected from every story actually).
Another one I really enjoyed is Fishing Over the Bones of the Dragon. Look, I'm not quite sure why it was added to this anthology (along with several other stories) because this is not aro story - just a story without romance. But the idea and the writing are really good. I found myself fascinated by it and I had an awesome time with it.
I unexpectedly enjoyed Shift and Seems of Iron. They're quite different stories from one another but I liked how both of them touch on the topic of amatonormativity and now it affected characters' life. And Not to Die as well - it portrays how many aros feel lonely because they think they will be alone forever (even though the MC’s feeling of loneliness comes from somewhere else and that's refreshing to see).
A story that was very good is A Full Deck. Like, damn, I want a book like this. I mean, a team of aces who hunts succubi and incubi because they’re immune to sexual seducing? But then someone starts to feed from romantic attraction and they have to team up with an aro hunter to take it down?
Have you ever heard of something so impossibly good? But here it is, in this short story. I really liked the aro character, Cat. He is straight up a bastard, sex is a hobby for him and he is honestly one of the best aro rep in the whole anthology.
I really wanted to like the stories Moon sisters and Would you like Charms with that? but for different reasons I couldn't.
Moon sisters was a little bit too plotless for my taste. I was a lot more interested in the MC, her experience as aroallo and the mentioned side characters than the best friend who just got through a break up. I liked the found family trope, how the pack lives together and always supports each other. I just didn't like how it was centered around the break up of an allo character.
Would you like Charms with that? is a more complicated case. I like how it uses words like "aromantic", "asexual" and "queer" but the same time it shys away from saying the MCs are in QPR? Also, the character Kit who had been kicked out of home for being queer (aroace specifically) didn't feel like the right representation. This is experience mostly gay and trans youth have while the aro/aces face the disappoinment and denial of family/friends, having to explain what their identity means and have a whole debate if it's exist and it's real. I don't know, I think it was there to serve the found family trope more than anything else. And sadly, I didn't really like how the whole concept of QPR is portrayed - how it's the most important thing, how Kit really wanted to have a QPR too, ect. - it oddly felt like romance but it was replaced with platonic feelings. QPR is a big thing in the aro community but I'm just one of these aros who aren't interested in it and I'm not practically fond of it in this specific story.
Stories like Voices in the Air, Asteria III, Half a Heart and the poems In the Summer a Banana Tree and Remembering the Farm are not necessarily bad but… I’m not sure why they’re included in this anthology. The characters are hardly aro-coded if at all and the poems aren’t even speculative. I can be interested in a book with Half a Heart and Voices in the Air ideas but I wish it was more heavily implied that the MC is aro(-spec) then just… not having a love interest.
I definitely will recommend this book to people whenever I have the chance. It's not perfect, really but... I can't help but feel protective over it and deeply grateful for the work of all people who made it possible to exist.
Firstly, the only real issue I had with the book, and probably the main reason I didn't give it 5 stars, is that while all the stories explored relationships, some of them didn't have anything aro related. Just no romance. Look, of course not everything should be about one's identity. But this is aro book! That's what I'm here for! It's supposed to explore or at least to contain stories with aro coded characters. It's not enough for me a story to be just romance free. I want to talk about the rep in these stories, probably not every one of them, but in general and a few specific ones.
One of my favorite stories is Spacegirl and the Martin. I loved the aro rep and the MC's relationship with her sister. It's probably not the best written story but I really liked the type of aro the MC is and how the rep is handled (that's what I expected from every story actually).
Another one I really enjoyed is Fishing Over the Bones of the Dragon. Look, I'm not quite sure why it was added to this anthology (along with several other stories) because this is not aro story - just a story without romance. But the idea and the writing are really good. I found myself fascinated by it and I had an awesome time with it.
I unexpectedly enjoyed Shift and Seems of Iron. They're quite different stories from one another but I liked how both of them touch on the topic of amatonormativity and now it affected characters' life. And Not to Die as well - it portrays how many aros feel lonely because they think they will be alone forever (even though the MC’s feeling of loneliness comes from somewhere else and that's refreshing to see).
A story that was very good is A Full Deck. Like, damn, I want a book like this. I mean, a team of aces who hunts succubi and incubi because they’re immune to sexual seducing? But then someone starts to feed from romantic attraction and they have to team up with an aro hunter to take it down?
Have you ever heard of something so impossibly good? But here it is, in this short story. I really liked the aro character, Cat. He is straight up a bastard, sex is a hobby for him and he is honestly one of the best aro rep in the whole anthology.
I really wanted to like the stories Moon sisters and Would you like Charms with that? but for different reasons I couldn't.
Moon sisters was a little bit too plotless for my taste. I was a lot more interested in the MC, her experience as aroallo and the mentioned side characters than the best friend who just got through a break up. I liked the found family trope, how the pack lives together and always supports each other. I just didn't like how it was centered around the break up of an allo character.
Would you like Charms with that? is a more complicated case. I like how it uses words like "aromantic", "asexual" and "queer" but the same time it shys away from saying the MCs are in QPR? Also, the character Kit who had been kicked out of home for being queer (aroace specifically) didn't feel like the right representation. This is experience mostly gay and trans youth have while the aro/aces face the disappoinment and denial of family/friends, having to explain what their identity means and have a whole debate if it's exist and it's real. I don't know, I think it was there to serve the found family trope more than anything else. And sadly, I didn't really like how the whole concept of QPR is portrayed - how it's the most important thing, how Kit really wanted to have a QPR too, ect. - it oddly felt like romance but it was replaced with platonic feelings. QPR is a big thing in the aro community but I'm just one of these aros who aren't interested in it and I'm not practically fond of it in this specific story.
Stories like Voices in the Air, Asteria III, Half a Heart and the poems In the Summer a Banana Tree and Remembering the Farm are not necessarily bad but… I’m not sure why they’re included in this anthology. The characters are hardly aro-coded if at all and the poems aren’t even speculative. I can be interested in a book with Half a Heart and Voices in the Air ideas but I wish it was more heavily implied that the MC is aro(-spec) then just… not having a love interest.
I definitely will recommend this book to people whenever I have the chance. It's not perfect, really but... I can't help but feel protective over it and deeply grateful for the work of all people who made it possible to exist.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The aromatic lovers by Morgan swim 4
Voices in the air by Vida Cruz 3.5
Moon sisters by Camilla Quinn 5
Cinder by Jennifer Lee Rossman 4
Not quite true love by Syl Woo 5
Dracanmot council of human study report by AZLouise 3
Spaceship and the Martian by Cora Ruskin 4
Would you like charms with that? by EHTimms 4.5
In the summer a banana tree by Thomas shaw leonard 3
Remembering the farm by Thomas Leonard 3
Fishing over the bones of the dragon by Jeff Reynolds 3.5
Asteria III by Marjorie King 4.5
A full deck by Avi Silver 4
Half a heart by Ren Oliveira 5
Shift by Mika Stanard 4
Discography by Ian Mahler 4
Seams of Iron by Adriana C Grigore 3.5
Not to die by Rosiee Thor 3.5
Busy little bees by Polenth Blake 4
Voices in the air by Vida Cruz 3.5
Moon sisters by Camilla Quinn 5
Cinder by Jennifer Lee Rossman 4
Not quite true love by Syl Woo 5
Dracanmot council of human study report by AZLouise 3
Spaceship and the Martian by Cora Ruskin 4
Would you like charms with that? by EHTimms 4.5
In the summer a banana tree by Thomas shaw leonard 3
Remembering the farm by Thomas Leonard 3
Fishing over the bones of the dragon by Jeff Reynolds 3.5
Asteria III by Marjorie King 4.5
A full deck by Avi Silver 4
Half a heart by Ren Oliveira 5
Shift by Mika Stanard 4
Discography by Ian Mahler 4
Seams of Iron by Adriana C Grigore 3.5
Not to die by Rosiee Thor 3.5
Busy little bees by Polenth Blake 4
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
4.5 / 5: what mattered most to me was that as i’m still coming to terms with being aro, i found an anthology that explored all these different worlds and characters through the lens of those on the aromantic spectrum. i got to witness how far and wide our desires lead us, completely away from the expectations society places on us when it comes to romance. to have little to no romantic attraction is seen as a phase or being a sign of being “abnormal”, but in these fantastical stories and poetry, it just means the connections we make transcend what society deems most important.
i loved how imaginative each and every piece of this collection was and how different these worlds were to my own. i could connect so vividly to the characters and i felt this longing in seeing them form all these different bonds in all sorts of ways that make them feel less alone. whether it was seeing the bond between just two characters, or in an entire group, or between a parent and their child, even one who stumbles upon the spirit of nature—i just loved all of it, even if there were only two or three that missed the mark for me.
one specific thing i loved as well is that in some of these worlds, it’s never explicitly explained what it means to be aromantic. as i’m exploring my identity on the aro spectrum, i find myself hiding in the corner, too scared to not explain well enough why i feel connected to this piece of my sexuality. when reading this anthology, it felt like a relief to see that for some of these characters, there was no need for them to explain themselves to anyone. what the main focus was was exploring how these new bonds they form affect them and how it matters to only them in their own life. it just made me reflect on how it really shouldn’t matter so much how others may feel about how i experience romantic attraction.
because what’s most important to me is that i could have these different connections that didn’t ask too much from me. they’re just simply there for me to feel like i can breathe, for as long as we’re both willing.
i really recommend this one to anyone who stumbles upon this anthology.
some of my favorite stories from this collection: “not quite true love”, “spacegirl and the martian”, “fishing over the bones of the dragon”, “seams of iron”, and “not to die”.
content warnings//: [in order] mentions of misgendering, drowning, human sacrifices, mentions of abuse, controlling romantic partners, abusive parents, anti-aromantic sentiments, consumption of alcohol, ableism, colonization allegories, animal abuse, roofie mention, PTSD mention, forced prostitution mention, decapitation, thoughts of arson, accidental misgendering, violence, injury, spiders, animal death, death imagery, puke/vomit mention, alzheimer’s disease, death of a parent, exploration of grief, abusive relationships, mentions of species extinction, animal cruelty, child illness, apathy about life, loss of loved ones, depression, mentions of non-consensual relationship dynamics, and forced pregnancies
i loved how imaginative each and every piece of this collection was and how different these worlds were to my own. i could connect so vividly to the characters and i felt this longing in seeing them form all these different bonds in all sorts of ways that make them feel less alone. whether it was seeing the bond between just two characters, or in an entire group, or between a parent and their child, even one who stumbles upon the spirit of nature—i just loved all of it, even if there were only two or three that missed the mark for me.
one specific thing i loved as well is that in some of these worlds, it’s never explicitly explained what it means to be aromantic. as i’m exploring my identity on the aro spectrum, i find myself hiding in the corner, too scared to not explain well enough why i feel connected to this piece of my sexuality. when reading this anthology, it felt like a relief to see that for some of these characters, there was no need for them to explain themselves to anyone. what the main focus was was exploring how these new bonds they form affect them and how it matters to only them in their own life. it just made me reflect on how it really shouldn’t matter so much how others may feel about how i experience romantic attraction.
because what’s most important to me is that i could have these different connections that didn’t ask too much from me. they’re just simply there for me to feel like i can breathe, for as long as we’re both willing.
i really recommend this one to anyone who stumbles upon this anthology.
some of my favorite stories from this collection: “not quite true love”, “spacegirl and the martian”, “fishing over the bones of the dragon”, “seams of iron”, and “not to die”.
content warnings//: [in order] mentions of misgendering, drowning, human sacrifices, mentions of abuse, controlling romantic partners, abusive parents, anti-aromantic sentiments, consumption of alcohol, ableism, colonization allegories, animal abuse, roofie mention, PTSD mention, forced prostitution mention, decapitation, thoughts of arson, accidental misgendering, violence, injury, spiders, animal death, death imagery, puke/vomit mention, alzheimer’s disease, death of a parent, exploration of grief, abusive relationships, mentions of species extinction, animal cruelty, child illness, apathy about life, loss of loved ones, depression, mentions of non-consensual relationship dynamics, and forced pregnancies