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A review by sparklemaia
The Thread That Binds by Cedar McCloud
5.0
This book BLEW ME AWAY. Self-published books can be kind of a gamble, but this one is so, so, so good. If you have been looking for a book that feels like walking through a curtain strung with amethyst beads and silver bells into a dreamy incense-infused metaphysical bookshop on a rainy fall day with a steaming mug of tea in one hand and a rainbow umbrella in the other, this is the book you have been waiting for.
First: it's queer af, centered around a whole society of people who don't have the concept of a gender binary at all and use agender neopronouns, plus the story is full of lots of endearingly familiar queer themes like chosen family, qprs, trauma & healing, and intergenerational mentorship. The worldbuilding is a goddamn delight, with a magic system and theology so inventive that it caused me to suddenly drop the book several times and shout with joy at my very startled cat (sorry buddy) "ARE YOU SERIOUS, THIS IS SO F*ING GOOD." I mean, most of the story takes place in a MAGICAL LIBRARY where the books themselves have spirits and memories and dreams, there are glowing crystals and trailing plants and vibrant colors and fields of wildflowers and soft floor pillows everywhere, and I just want to live inside of this book, okay? You want sensorial storytelling, this book has got it: scents, sounds, textures, colors, flavors, energy signatures -- the world is rich and vivid and I swear I can actually smell it. The characters are crisply and lovingly rendered (and somehow I relate to almost all of them, but especially former child genius Rhee), with aro/ace & poly rep front and center without being Their Defining Features, as well as positive disability rep and a cast of characters with varying body shapes, ages, and races. This book intentionally and artfully addresses sensitive issues related to trauma and recovery, and at its core is a story of solidarity, hope, and healing. I loved loved loved it, and I implore every library in the world to buy at least one copy.
Also, something very cool is that one of the characters is a cartomancer, and the deck of Oracle cards that character uses to do magic ACTUALLY EXISTS, because the author MADE AN ENTIRE ORACLE DECK to accompany the book. How cool is that? So cool.
First: it's queer af, centered around a whole society of people who don't have the concept of a gender binary at all and use agender neopronouns, plus the story is full of lots of endearingly familiar queer themes like chosen family, qprs, trauma & healing, and intergenerational mentorship. The worldbuilding is a goddamn delight, with a magic system and theology so inventive that it caused me to suddenly drop the book several times and shout with joy at my very startled cat (sorry buddy) "ARE YOU SERIOUS, THIS IS SO F*ING GOOD." I mean, most of the story takes place in a MAGICAL LIBRARY where the books themselves have spirits and memories and dreams, there are glowing crystals and trailing plants and vibrant colors and fields of wildflowers and soft floor pillows everywhere, and I just want to live inside of this book, okay? You want sensorial storytelling, this book has got it: scents, sounds, textures, colors, flavors, energy signatures -- the world is rich and vivid and I swear I can actually smell it. The characters are crisply and lovingly rendered (and somehow I relate to almost all of them, but especially former child genius Rhee), with aro/ace & poly rep front and center without being Their Defining Features, as well as positive disability rep and a cast of characters with varying body shapes, ages, and races. This book intentionally and artfully addresses sensitive issues related to trauma and recovery, and at its core is a story of solidarity, hope, and healing. I loved loved loved it, and I implore every library in the world to buy at least one copy.
Also, something very cool is that one of the characters is a cartomancer, and the deck of Oracle cards that character uses to do magic ACTUALLY EXISTS, because the author MADE AN ENTIRE ORACLE DECK to accompany the book. How cool is that? So cool.