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bonriki's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Blood, and Kidnapping
Minor: Child abuse and Transphobia
tinyelfarcanist's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Aeris is a creature of the Wild that takes abused and abandoned children to raise them as his own, providing them with unwavering love. These human children grow fey-like features after a while of being in the Woods, turning them into the most mismatched and adorable group of siblings I’ve encountered.
William, the human who finds Aeris’s home, carries an aura of serenity and patience, but he’s quick to show his fierce side when his loved ones are threatened. Suffice to say that the characters are lovely.
I’m a sucker for parental relationships; Aeris’s and William’s interactions with the children are the most wholesome, and so are the ones between them. I couldn’t help but utter how beautiful this book was every few pages.
Aeris’s refuge is an analogy for the family some queer folks find after being rejected by their biological parents. A community they build with those who have felt unwanted, and learn they’re deserving of love even when others have shunned them. Did I mention there’s ace and trans rep?
The prose was superb. It’s atmospheric with a dark-fey theme and stayed cozy while navigating dark themes. It was a niche novella of everything I love and easily became one of my favourites.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Death, Terminal illness, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Transphobia, and Abandonment
minervacerridwen's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is a beautiful little gem of a story and I hope many more people will discover it. I'm grateful to Ace Book Club for featuring it. It's sweet and beautifully queer, mysterious enough to be engaging but still lighthearted enough to be relaxing. Every time I settled down to read, I was transported into the quiet atmosphere of this magical forest, and I came to care deeply about its characters.
Also, I loved the moral of not giving away your entire heart, and the fact that I hadn't seen it coming from miles ahead. That, too, was really well done.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, and Violence