A review by sashahc
The Truthseer and the Goose by Aven Shore-Kind

emotional hopeful reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

“The Truthseer and the Goose” by Aven Shore-Kind.  It is described as a pastoral fantasy, which I think is appropriate. It’s the story of a goose, a disgruntled beekeeper, and a teen finding their gender identity in a world other than this one. It’s got bees and farming and traveling by foot.  It’s got minor magic and a monetary system based on contribution to society.  The world is gently unique, and the world building is intimate, where you learn along with the characters. If you are looking for a gentle and soothing escape, this is a good one.  (TW:  there is an attempted assault towards the beginning)

Aven Shore-Kind: “This one has me in it.  Bits of my soul live in most of the characters and I relate to their journeys.  I did not know what genre I was writing in, I largely ignored story arc, and I had no audience in mind.  My goal and daily writing struggle was to say what I meant… but it’s not always easy to wrap words around a thing!   I only needed to hear from one person that they had received the message I was trying to send.”

Aven Shore-Kind (she/they) is a white American and Canadian who lives in the woods of rural Canada with an entourage of chickens and several hives of honeybees.  She has narrated over 300 audiobooks and has been a firefighter, a tax preparer, a bartender, and a professional snowboarder.