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Mismatched
Her plan was Find your life-match and follow your destiny--the heart-stone doesn't lie.
On the night of her initiation ceremony into her chosen clan, Liu'bimec feels a scorching pain from something other than the marking iron. Her heart-stone responds as if her life-match is close. It burns hot within her, ready to bond. But none of the men she approaches induce a heart-stone bond, and if she does not bond with her life-match by the time a year has passed, she will be banished. Her heart-stone had guided her, but was it wrong?
Her questions only multiply when she finally does find her life-match. He is not a he at all, but a she, and if it were known they have bonded, Liu would face something far worse than banishment--an empty life without her match.
On the night of her initiation ceremony into her chosen clan, Liu'bimec feels a scorching pain from something other than the marking iron. Her heart-stone responds as if her life-match is close. It burns hot within her, ready to bond. But none of the men she approaches induce a heart-stone bond, and if she does not bond with her life-match by the time a year has passed, she will be banished. Her heart-stone had guided her, but was it wrong?
Her questions only multiply when she finally does find her life-match. He is not a he at all, but a she, and if it were known they have bonded, Liu would face something far worse than banishment--an empty life without her match.
28 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 23, 2013
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94 people want to read
About the author
Lydia Sharp
8 books196 followersLydia Sharp writes young adult novels with lots of kissing and adventures.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 8, 2013
I was caught off guard by how much thought was put into this short piece. At first I wasn’t sure what to expect, but as I started reading I realized there was a story within the story. The main character lives on an island, where everyone finds a life-mate biologically by something in their bodies call a heart-stone. These things are so freaking powerful that once you find your mate you can’t get too far away from them physically or you get ill. And you have no choice, the heart-stone decides, your body is branded after your first boom-chicka-bow-wow, and that’s it. You are together. But, the amazing thing is, once you are bonded you really love and care about this person, your entire existence is making their life better, helping them,
”this woman is my sole reason for living now, the foremost desire of my heart-stone. Everything I do from this day forward will be focused on her happiness and well-being. Nothing will ever fell wrong between us. I will never be alone again.” *sigh* And of course the feelings are reciprocated just as strongly.
But then drama ensues. There are no documented cases of same-sex mates. It just isn’t heard of, and so what should they do... live in secret? Tell everyone and get kicked of the island... “the tribe has spoken” style? It really makes you think about how society acts, and without the “out” of having the choice who you love, what is fair and just?
The idea of having a heart-stone correlates directly to having a “true-love,” in such an amazing way. It truly is one of the best descriptions I have ever read of what love should be between two people. And while there are ceremonies, fantasy islands, rights of passages, and heart-stones, the core is that love is love. So deal with it! ;)
The intense assault on the ideas of love and marriage, -hetero, -homo, and -everything else, sexuality (and other issues that consequently get triggered in your mind) are powerful. I would love for this to be expanded into a longer book or a series... this little piece packs a huge punch. Prepare to think, People.
”this woman is my sole reason for living now, the foremost desire of my heart-stone. Everything I do from this day forward will be focused on her happiness and well-being. Nothing will ever fell wrong between us. I will never be alone again.” *sigh* And of course the feelings are reciprocated just as strongly.
But then drama ensues. There are no documented cases of same-sex mates. It just isn’t heard of, and so what should they do... live in secret? Tell everyone and get kicked of the island... “the tribe has spoken” style? It really makes you think about how society acts, and without the “out” of having the choice who you love, what is fair and just?
The idea of having a heart-stone correlates directly to having a “true-love,” in such an amazing way. It truly is one of the best descriptions I have ever read of what love should be between two people. And while there are ceremonies, fantasy islands, rights of passages, and heart-stones, the core is that love is love. So deal with it! ;)
The intense assault on the ideas of love and marriage, -hetero, -homo, and -everything else, sexuality (and other issues that consequently get triggered in your mind) are powerful. I would love for this to be expanded into a longer book or a series... this little piece packs a huge punch. Prepare to think, People.
May 25, 2013
This is a captivating and quick read. Lydia Sharp does a great job of developing character over world-building. The story left me wanting to know more about the culture and the world and the language. Here, Sharp uses brushstrokes to paint enough of the picture for the reader to fill in the rest of the canvas, which only adds to Liu, the main character.
Liu faces her matching ceremony at the onset of the story. The description of the harsh preparations was visceral and reminded me of the similar DIVERGENT ceremony. Sharp's MISMATCHED isn't about choosing a faction. Rather, it's about choosing a mate and how the heart stone of a clan member bonds with their mate and never lies. The core of the story is wrapped around this idea, and it was enough to draw me into the story and keep me reading until the very end.
Liu wrestles with her choice. She tries to listen to her heart stone that will guide her toward her perfect mate. She is open to the finding. But, her mate alludes her and she risks banishment following a year of being unmatched after the ceremony. Her brother and mother worry about her and the rest of the island begins muttering about her.
MISMATCHED is about being true to yourself and accepting the truth of one's heart over the expectations of the culture and society. I found this a powerful and beautiful read. I enjoyed how art played a role and left undertones of flowers and berries throughout the story. Highly recommended.
Liu faces her matching ceremony at the onset of the story. The description of the harsh preparations was visceral and reminded me of the similar DIVERGENT ceremony. Sharp's MISMATCHED isn't about choosing a faction. Rather, it's about choosing a mate and how the heart stone of a clan member bonds with their mate and never lies. The core of the story is wrapped around this idea, and it was enough to draw me into the story and keep me reading until the very end.
Liu wrestles with her choice. She tries to listen to her heart stone that will guide her toward her perfect mate. She is open to the finding. But, her mate alludes her and she risks banishment following a year of being unmatched after the ceremony. Her brother and mother worry about her and the rest of the island begins muttering about her.
MISMATCHED is about being true to yourself and accepting the truth of one's heart over the expectations of the culture and society. I found this a powerful and beautiful read. I enjoyed how art played a role and left undertones of flowers and berries throughout the story. Highly recommended.
June 13, 2013
This was a beautiful read. I was captivated by the story of a young woman in the midst of her clan's ritual preparations--she's going through the process of becoming an adult, which involves a large amount of pain (kind of like what we go through in our journey to adulthood and the separation from our parents). She's basically put on the market and must find a match within a specified time frame or face separation from her clan. The heart wants what the heart wants, though, and when Liu's heart-stone calls out to a woman--well, this is taboo.
Lydia Sharp is a wonderful writer and I just enjoyed this so much, and I felt sad at the notion of anyone out in the world who feels that they can't be with the person they love because their society has decided that their love is unacceptable. How soul crushing that must be. Lydia, in a short work, explores these emotions surrounding having feelings that go against the rest of one's culture. I really feel that everyone should read stories like this so that we can all develop our empathic and compassionate parts of ourselves. We really need to put ourselves in the other person's shoes to understand what they're going through. (Uh-oh, I feel a soap box coming on here!)
This was lovely.
Lydia Sharp is a wonderful writer and I just enjoyed this so much, and I felt sad at the notion of anyone out in the world who feels that they can't be with the person they love because their society has decided that their love is unacceptable. How soul crushing that must be. Lydia, in a short work, explores these emotions surrounding having feelings that go against the rest of one's culture. I really feel that everyone should read stories like this so that we can all develop our empathic and compassionate parts of ourselves. We really need to put ourselves in the other person's shoes to understand what they're going through. (Uh-oh, I feel a soap box coming on here!)
This was lovely.
June 6, 2013
Lydia Sharp has an amazing talent for packing a strong, emotional story into a smaller work of fiction. She also knows how to hook a reader from the first page. I was immediately drawn into this story and finished it within twenty-four hours (which is saying a lot since I have a three-year-old and a five-month-old). Although I knew the reason behind the main character's lack of a male match, I found myself hurting along with her as the story progressed. When she finally bonded, I was both relieved and excited about the new romance.
My only complaint is that I want more! I love these characters and the fantasy world where they live. It's an excellent addition to LGBTQ literature, and I highly recommend it.
My only complaint is that I want more! I love these characters and the fantasy world where they live. It's an excellent addition to LGBTQ literature, and I highly recommend it.
January 1, 2015
An intriguing read. The story focuses on Liu, a young lady living on an island with her clan community. Every girl goes through a ceremony which transitioned them from girlhood to womanhood. After the marking ceremony, Liu is expected to find her life-match partner, the matching process guided by her heart-stone. Heart-stone is something that is inside her and everyone in the clan communities. The heart-stone reacts quite strongly and vividly when it finds a matching heart-stone, when it does, the bonding process completes. The problem for Liu is that her heart-stone reacts strongly to another, a woman. There has been no case of a same-sex bonding before.... It's a dilemma faced by Liu and her match.... Will they follow the path set by their heart-stones? Will their clans accept them?
June 3, 2013
Poignant story for anyone following their heart's desire, especially if what you want falls outside of your culture's norms. Loved it and will read it again. I think it would be an awesome book to discuss in a high school English class.
March 4, 2016
I wasn't sure what to expect from this short story, and was absolutely pleasantly surprised. It's the story of a world where people have soulmates - a "heartstone" in their hip burns with fire when they meet them, and magic bonds them together. If they are ever separated, it could physically kill them.
The worldbuilding was stellar and thorough. In such a short space, the author paints a brilliant picture of how things work, which is crucial since the story revolves around this soulmate magic and customs of this world. I also just loved the writing in general, and was immediately drawn into the story from the very beginning.
Because the story revolves around immediate soulmate-ship, we don't really get much chemistry or relationship between the characters. It's instalove, intentionally so. The story instead focuses around the protagonist and her desire for love and freedom, belonging to a community while remaining her true self. I wish the story had been longer, and we were able to see the characters settle in a new village and make a place for themselves. But overall, this was a well-done little story, and I'm definitely going to look for more from this author.
The worldbuilding was stellar and thorough. In such a short space, the author paints a brilliant picture of how things work, which is crucial since the story revolves around this soulmate magic and customs of this world. I also just loved the writing in general, and was immediately drawn into the story from the very beginning.
Because the story revolves around immediate soulmate-ship, we don't really get much chemistry or relationship between the characters. It's instalove, intentionally so. The story instead focuses around the protagonist and her desire for love and freedom, belonging to a community while remaining her true self. I wish the story had been longer, and we were able to see the characters settle in a new village and make a place for themselves. But overall, this was a well-done little story, and I'm definitely going to look for more from this author.
December 14, 2014
I loved this short story so much! There is only 27 pages to this small story, but its one that makes you want it to be 400 pages. When I found this book I could not be sure what category it fit into age wise. The cover makes you think Adult, The description makes you think NA. In the end I would say NA (New Adult). The girls start at 19 in the first couple of pages, then their 20th birthday and then the book ends with them close to becoming 21. Its was a little fast paced in my opinion, but I will let it slide and give it 5 stars! I wish there was a longer story to it, but it will still be up there with my favorite of books!
September 23, 2013
sweet little book
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews