Claudie Arseneault is not only one of my autobuy authors, but also someone I’m glad to count as a friend! Even if she weren’t my friend, I would have fallen head over heels for this fantastical platonic cozy road trip series. If you don’t trust me, it’s also recommended by Rosiee Thor. Just saying.
Your story is my story…
As the city’s eternal apprentice, Horace has never found a clan to belong to. E has joined Trenaze’s guards with hopes to finally earn eir place during eir trial day at the Great Market—that is, until the glowing shards haunting the world break through the city’s protective dome. Armed with a sword and too little training, Horace doubts in eir ability to defend the market-goers. But eir last stand is interrupted by a mysterious elven figure who can dissipate the shards with a single, strange sentence: your story is my story.
From the moment it is uttered, Horace knows the sentences holds true for em, too—and when the elf collapses in the middle of the market, e carries them to safety. After an afternoon of board games in their quiet, sharp-witted company, Horace is ready to follow this elf as they seek the forest that haunts their dreams, and answers to the confounding events at the Market. Their story is eir story, and e is willing to confront the dangers of the road to hear their laugh again and finally feel like e belongs.
Awakenings is the first of nine novellas in a fantasy adventure blending cozy fantasy vibes and D&D style side-questing, imbued with an aspec-focused queernormative world and strong platonic bonds. (blurb from author)
Content Notes: Descriptive violence (two brief instances), mention of memory loss, systemic ableism in the worldbuilding
I want to live in Nerezia. I want to ride in the Wagon and be friends with Horace and Rumi and Keza. And I want all of these novellas in teeny tiny paperbacks in my house immediately. Someone make that budget happen because ALL OF THE COVERS FLOW INTO EACH OTHER LIKE ONE HUGE LANDSCAPE AND I NEED IT OKAY. LOOK AT THIS MAGNIFICENT ART BY EVA I!
*ahem*
Back to being slightly hinged and reviewing the actual book. I’m only going to talk about book 1 to avoid spoilers, but I just want to wax poetic about how amazing Claudie is at building a setting that feels real, complete with a found family that you feel like you could slip right into. It’s something that’s consistent in all of her books and I just really love it.
This series is already three books in, with more to come, and I cannot wait for the next one. It gets you hooked with the mystery of the Wagon basically immediately and I need more answers as soon as possible!
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