What do you think?
Rate this book
Breath, Warmth, and Dream
The three Rules of Witches: Love fearlessly, travel extensively, and never pass up an abandoned cottage for a well-deserved rest.
When Mother Khumalo finds the perfect lodging, well away from people, work, or adventure, she settles in with daughter Amnandi for an extended stay. Yet her trips into the nearby port town of Waterfall leave her wary. Something is most definitely not right, and witches, sometimes to their regret, often notice more than they'd like.
A ruthless mage, an angry ghost, and a bone-crunching demon certainly do not wish to be noticed. Witches, however, are rarely in the business of granting wishes. There is a fourth never fail to protect innocents in harm's way.
When Mother Khumalo finds the perfect lodging, well away from people, work, or adventure, she settles in with daughter Amnandi for an extended stay. Yet her trips into the nearby port town of Waterfall leave her wary. Something is most definitely not right, and witches, sometimes to their regret, often notice more than they'd like.
A ruthless mage, an angry ghost, and a bone-crunching demon certainly do not wish to be noticed. Witches, however, are rarely in the business of granting wishes. There is a fourth never fail to protect innocents in harm's way.
- GenresFantasy
237 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 17, 2024
7 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
About the author
Zig Zag Claybourne
23 books78 followersZig Zag Claybourne (also known as C.E. Young) wishes he’d grown up with the powers of either Gary Mitchell or Charlie X but without the Kirk confrontations. (Anybody not getting that Star Trek reference gets their sci fi cred docked 3 points.)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
Want to read
May 18, 2024Hopefully, the paperback edition can be added too, but I look forward to reading this in the future.
May 17, 2024
A lot of people are comparing Breath, Warmth, and Dream to Terry Pratchett’s writing.
That’s wrong only because it’s more like Pratchett was reincarnated as someone with broader life experience, and they sat down by a roaring fire on a cold winter night to tell you a story.
That’s wrong only because it’s more like Pratchett was reincarnated as someone with broader life experience, and they sat down by a roaring fire on a cold winter night to tell you a story.
October 9, 2024
I read a fair amount. I’ve read twenty books so far this year and likely will read five to ten more by the end of the year. Not only that, but I lead a writing critique group at my local Library. I might have to stop. You see, nothing I have read — ever — is like Breath, Warmth, and Dream. I have read many a fast-paced book with engaging characters, books I’ve raced through in a few hours or a few nights. This is not like those.
I purposely read Breath, Warmth, and Dream only a few pages at a time. From the outset, the engagement was so surprising and of such different flavor that I had to stop and consider. It was only later that I realized this was a book to savor. Like a fine wine, it was not to hurry through. You might miss the subtle notes and flavors, the aftertastes and under-tastes, the aroma and the lingering spice along your tongue.
These books make other magical fantasies seem like a quick hot shower —relaxing but mostly efficient in getting to the point. Breath, Warmth, and Dream is a languid soak in a tub of eccentric but healing perspectives. The scents of spices and exotic oils relax you and soften you and make you realize a bit of the magick in your own humanity — and all those places that your magic comes up short and your humanity turns hard edged and caustic.
I recommend this book not for its entertainment value, though there is that. I recommend it as a tool for seeing yourself, your magic and your own perspective that you might find healing and peace. I recommend this book to the distressed and the stressed, to those who don’t fit the place they are in and the people they are with. I recommend this to those who understand that you do not need to suspend belief to believe in an alternate world of beauty and grace. It hides around you now. You will see it when the air you breathe tastes like sugar.
I purposely read Breath, Warmth, and Dream only a few pages at a time. From the outset, the engagement was so surprising and of such different flavor that I had to stop and consider. It was only later that I realized this was a book to savor. Like a fine wine, it was not to hurry through. You might miss the subtle notes and flavors, the aftertastes and under-tastes, the aroma and the lingering spice along your tongue.
These books make other magical fantasies seem like a quick hot shower —relaxing but mostly efficient in getting to the point. Breath, Warmth, and Dream is a languid soak in a tub of eccentric but healing perspectives. The scents of spices and exotic oils relax you and soften you and make you realize a bit of the magick in your own humanity — and all those places that your magic comes up short and your humanity turns hard edged and caustic.
I recommend this book not for its entertainment value, though there is that. I recommend it as a tool for seeing yourself, your magic and your own perspective that you might find healing and peace. I recommend this book to the distressed and the stressed, to those who don’t fit the place they are in and the people they are with. I recommend this to those who understand that you do not need to suspend belief to believe in an alternate world of beauty and grace. It hides around you now. You will see it when the air you breathe tastes like sugar.
September 29, 2025
This was an unexpected and lovely reading experience. Mother Khumalo is a powerful witch who has settled into a remote cottage to rest and recover from a traumatic past experience. Her main focus is nurturing and protecting her potentially even more powerful daughter, Amnandi, but she is drawn into extending her protection to an entire nearby town when a supernatural menace in the form of a trio of ancient beings threatens to prey upon the innocents within.
That's the bare bones of the plot but in some ways—strange as it might be to say—the plot is beside the point. This is a delicate and somewhat leisurely tale where you'll want to take your time and savor the use of language and imagery. I found myself often stopping to re-read sentences just to appreciate their construction and impact. There is a cozy found family aspect as Mother Khumalo and Amnandi are gradually drawn into the lives of the people they meet, and every character is intriguing and well-developed in their own rights, making you long to spend more time with their community. Definitely feels like a book that is rich enough to reward a second reading to catch all the nuances as well.
Drawing on a deep well of African and Black cultural and storytelling traditions adds even more interest and emotion to the experience. There is much beauty to be found in love and loyalty to those around you and much beauty to be found in this original reading experience. Definitely not the best pick for readers expecting a breathless thrill ride, although there are thrills and chills along the way and a real sense of peril and dire prices paid. Overall, an immersive experience for lovers of folkloric stories who can appreciate the more contemplative pace and inspired wordsmithing.
That's the bare bones of the plot but in some ways—strange as it might be to say—the plot is beside the point. This is a delicate and somewhat leisurely tale where you'll want to take your time and savor the use of language and imagery. I found myself often stopping to re-read sentences just to appreciate their construction and impact. There is a cozy found family aspect as Mother Khumalo and Amnandi are gradually drawn into the lives of the people they meet, and every character is intriguing and well-developed in their own rights, making you long to spend more time with their community. Definitely feels like a book that is rich enough to reward a second reading to catch all the nuances as well.
Drawing on a deep well of African and Black cultural and storytelling traditions adds even more interest and emotion to the experience. There is much beauty to be found in love and loyalty to those around you and much beauty to be found in this original reading experience. Definitely not the best pick for readers expecting a breathless thrill ride, although there are thrills and chills along the way and a real sense of peril and dire prices paid. Overall, an immersive experience for lovers of folkloric stories who can appreciate the more contemplative pace and inspired wordsmithing.
September 19, 2024
Rich descriptive language. A fantasy concentrating on relationships between people: mother-daughter, official-immigrants, elderly-community, monster-victims, children-together, capitalists-shop+operators.
Plus monsters vs. community action-adventure elements.
The rest of the review is breaking things down from an developmental editor point of view, trying to figure how the book "ticks". If you want to see the magic behind the curtain continue, but in general, it is High School English class exercise.
Plus monsters vs. community action-adventure elements.
The rest of the review is breaking things down from an developmental editor point of view, trying to figure how the book "ticks". If you want to see the magic behind the curtain continue, but in general, it is High School English class exercise.
October 9, 2024
I read a fair amount. I’ve read twenty books so far this year and likely will read five to ten more by the end of the year. Not only that, but I lead a writing critique group at my local Library. I might have to stop. You see, nothing I have read — ever — is like Breath, Warmth, and Dreams. I have read many a fast-paced book with engaging characters, books I’ve raced through in a few hours or a few nights. This is not like those.
I purposely read Breath warmth and Dreams only a few pages at a time. From the outset, the engagement was so surprising and of such different flavor that I had to stop and consider. It was only later that I realized this was a book to savor. Like a fine wine, it was not to hurry through. You might miss the subtle notes and flavors, the aftertastes and under-tastes, the aroma and the lingering spice along your tongue.
These books make other magical fantasies seem like a quick hot shower —relaxing but mostly efficient in getting to the point. Breath, Warmth, and dream is a languid soak in a tub of eccentric but healing perspectives. The scents of spices and exotic oils relax you and soften you and make you realize a bit of the magick in your own humanity — and all those places that your magic comes up short and your humanity turns hard edged and caustic.
I recommend this book not for its entertainment value, though there is that. I recommend it as a tool for seeing yourself, your magic and your own perspective that you might find healing and peace. I recommend this book to the distressed and the stressed, to those who don’t fit the place they are in and the people they are with. I recommend this to those who understand that you do not need to suspend belief to believe in an alternate world of beauty and grace. It hides around you now. You will see it when the air you breathe tastes like sugar.
I purposely read Breath warmth and Dreams only a few pages at a time. From the outset, the engagement was so surprising and of such different flavor that I had to stop and consider. It was only later that I realized this was a book to savor. Like a fine wine, it was not to hurry through. You might miss the subtle notes and flavors, the aftertastes and under-tastes, the aroma and the lingering spice along your tongue.
These books make other magical fantasies seem like a quick hot shower —relaxing but mostly efficient in getting to the point. Breath, Warmth, and dream is a languid soak in a tub of eccentric but healing perspectives. The scents of spices and exotic oils relax you and soften you and make you realize a bit of the magick in your own humanity — and all those places that your magic comes up short and your humanity turns hard edged and caustic.
I recommend this book not for its entertainment value, though there is that. I recommend it as a tool for seeing yourself, your magic and your own perspective that you might find healing and peace. I recommend this book to the distressed and the stressed, to those who don’t fit the place they are in and the people they are with. I recommend this to those who understand that you do not need to suspend belief to believe in an alternate world of beauty and grace. It hides around you now. You will see it when the air you breathe tastes like sugar.
July 22, 2025
Is your brain weary of fast-paced books with overly clever twists and edgy personalities? They can be fun, but now and then it's good to give yourself little spa-time. This story will feed and refresh your heart, soul, and mind with its gorgeous wordplay, lush worldbuilding, unique characters, and heartfelt, thoughtful messages. The author clearly loves his work, and I think he loves us, too.
As for what the book is actually about: Mother Khumalo is a witch who's just found a nice abandoned cottage outside the port town of Waterfall. She tidies it up and decides to pause in her travels and stay awhile. Her daughter Amnandi is returning from time spent at sea. Mother and daughter settle in, go into town often, and get themselves involved in protecting the town from three extremely horrid entities.
Simple plot, but it's enough to weave a net strong enough to hold Zig Zag's words, which are 98% of the reason you should be reading this book. He writes with care, choosing words for their beauty, flow, and meaning. This is a celebration of the art of wordsmithery, and I envy the author's opportunity to experience it in such a magical way.
If you are concerned about starting into a promised trilogy, rest assured that Zig Zag has completed the second book and is well into the third. This author keeps promises.
As for what the book is actually about: Mother Khumalo is a witch who's just found a nice abandoned cottage outside the port town of Waterfall. She tidies it up and decides to pause in her travels and stay awhile. Her daughter Amnandi is returning from time spent at sea. Mother and daughter settle in, go into town often, and get themselves involved in protecting the town from three extremely horrid entities.
Simple plot, but it's enough to weave a net strong enough to hold Zig Zag's words, which are 98% of the reason you should be reading this book. He writes with care, choosing words for their beauty, flow, and meaning. This is a celebration of the art of wordsmithery, and I envy the author's opportunity to experience it in such a magical way.
If you are concerned about starting into a promised trilogy, rest assured that Zig Zag has completed the second book and is well into the third. This author keeps promises.
September 21, 2024
Honestly, there are few books worth five stars, but this author keeps producing them. This is a brave book to have written, as it dares to be unfashionably positive in the face of adversity. There is so much genuine love here that it could have been sticky, but instead, it feels like a bath in a clean stream. Claybourne has certain skills that stand out in all his books. Dialogue that is so sparky and delightful, yet believable it sometimes reminds me of the greatest of Capra movies. Women who--actually, women who are real, not composites of what they're supposed to be. He is my favourite living author when it comes to writing women. And that includes women writing women now. His ma must have raised him right.
This is beautifully written, too, with no padding. It's Book 1 of a trilogy, and having read the manuscript of Book 2, I can tell you it's a trilogy not because he's trying to stretch it but because the story needs three books. Maybe more. But however many it'll take, these aren't read-once-and-tossers. They're companions, as any book should be that does your heart good.
I admit I'm prejudiced. I got hooked on The Brothers Jetstream Universe series, and he's only surprised me in good ways since.
This is beautifully written, too, with no padding. It's Book 1 of a trilogy, and having read the manuscript of Book 2, I can tell you it's a trilogy not because he's trying to stretch it but because the story needs three books. Maybe more. But however many it'll take, these aren't read-once-and-tossers. They're companions, as any book should be that does your heart good.
I admit I'm prejudiced. I got hooked on The Brothers Jetstream Universe series, and he's only surprised me in good ways since.
August 20, 2024
Rich worldbuilding infuses metaphor in Afrelo, a place of forests, wharfs and waterfalls, where ‘home is who you are’. The narrative odysseys across portals that sear heatless, soundless and passage us between reality and unreality, where even shadows ‘must approve’. Our multi-selved protagonists speak to spirits, ride on wind and twirl potent orbs in their fists, appearing as ‘a nebula at sunset, nothing but colors in human form’.
There’s much to savour in this black speculative world where wealth, trade and magick intersect, witchery and martial arts merge in action, much action. Author Claybourne’s solemnity channels you to an ending that intrigues you to intercept more escapades of Mother Khumalo and her precocious daughter Amnandi in book two, already underway.
There’s much to savour in this black speculative world where wealth, trade and magick intersect, witchery and martial arts merge in action, much action. Author Claybourne’s solemnity channels you to an ending that intrigues you to intercept more escapades of Mother Khumalo and her precocious daughter Amnandi in book two, already underway.
August 20, 2025
Y’all, when I finished this book, I legit had a mourning period where I couldn’t read fiction for a couple of weeks. Everything else just felt hollow and lifeless.
This is a story of a witch and her daughter coming of age in a world where magic is part of the landscape, and horror lurks in the shadows.
It’s fabulous, infused with humor and a deep sense of humanity. There’s love, and significantly, friendship. Clayborne writes women and girls in a way that is an antidote to all the poisonous examples of men writing women.
The next book in the trilogy, Amnandi Sails, is coming out soon, and I’m over the moon. Grab this now, y’all, so you can be ready and eager for the next installment. I know I am!
This is a story of a witch and her daughter coming of age in a world where magic is part of the landscape, and horror lurks in the shadows.
It’s fabulous, infused with humor and a deep sense of humanity. There’s love, and significantly, friendship. Clayborne writes women and girls in a way that is an antidote to all the poisonous examples of men writing women.
The next book in the trilogy, Amnandi Sails, is coming out soon, and I’m over the moon. Grab this now, y’all, so you can be ready and eager for the next installment. I know I am!
October 23, 2024
A masterpiece of fantasy and magic
Zig Zag Claybourne accomplishes in this first of a projected trilogy what he has always managed to accomplish, but perhaps even better. Those familiar with Zig know he has created a language and style of writing that is unique to him and him alone. There is no other Zig Zag, and he doesn’t write easy journeys. He demands that you either commit or get off the ride. Sometimes a full commitment may require a second reading, or at least a much slower reading the first time. But a committed reader is a rewarded reader. Of that you can be sure.
Zig Zag Claybourne accomplishes in this first of a projected trilogy what he has always managed to accomplish, but perhaps even better. Those familiar with Zig know he has created a language and style of writing that is unique to him and him alone. There is no other Zig Zag, and he doesn’t write easy journeys. He demands that you either commit or get off the ride. Sometimes a full commitment may require a second reading, or at least a much slower reading the first time. But a committed reader is a rewarded reader. Of that you can be sure.
May 29, 2024
I have read thousands of books over the past four and a half decades, and few have left me simultaneously joyous and teary-eyed. This is one of the most achingly beautiful books I have ever read, full of exquisitely multifaceted characters who became more like friends as I journeyed through their story.
As much as it pained me to reach the final few pages, I was heartened to remember that there are two more books in the works, so I haven't lost my dear friends forever.
As much as it pained me to reach the final few pages, I was heartened to remember that there are two more books in the works, so I haven't lost my dear friends forever.
June 13, 2024
May I say, 'W00t!'?
If someone asks me how to write a beautiful book, I shall hand them this and say, "Read and learn, baby." Gorgeous plot, gorgeous characters, writing like spiced honey. And THEY say there's nothing new in fantasy.....
If someone asks me how to write a beautiful book, I shall hand them this and say, "Read and learn, baby." Gorgeous plot, gorgeous characters, writing like spiced honey. And THEY say there's nothing new in fantasy.....
July 10, 2024
Breath Warmth & Dream is a pleasure, a tension, a release, and a comfort from its first to last page.
The reader, carrying our own weight and loads, is led to a land not free of those, but one in which magick walks, and one where those who seek it can separate ourselves into the known and unknown - finding the piece of us that can exist fully in joy and appreciation for the complexity of quirky, beautiful, life. These pieces can help us rest. Help us center. Help us protect.
Claybourne weaves a tale where evil lurks, and we find our power to live and thrive in the protection of community. An exciting story, a calming story, a thoughtful story, and all this sheltering subtle layers of absolute brilliance.
Our quest for infinity surely rests in the hands of a storyteller.
Wherever Zig Zag Claybourne gets this magick, I am certain that generations of witches kept on, to make it so.
A complete and total delight. I will be reading the rest of the trilogy as soon as each book is in my hands.
-
Content notes for creatures of horror that prey on mind, body, and soul, with somewhat graphic references, told gently and with an embrace of safety meant to inspire hope and power, rather than fear.
The reader, carrying our own weight and loads, is led to a land not free of those, but one in which magick walks, and one where those who seek it can separate ourselves into the known and unknown - finding the piece of us that can exist fully in joy and appreciation for the complexity of quirky, beautiful, life. These pieces can help us rest. Help us center. Help us protect.
Claybourne weaves a tale where evil lurks, and we find our power to live and thrive in the protection of community. An exciting story, a calming story, a thoughtful story, and all this sheltering subtle layers of absolute brilliance.
Our quest for infinity surely rests in the hands of a storyteller.
Wherever Zig Zag Claybourne gets this magick, I am certain that generations of witches kept on, to make it so.
A complete and total delight. I will be reading the rest of the trilogy as soon as each book is in my hands.
-
Content notes for creatures of horror that prey on mind, body, and soul, with somewhat graphic references, told gently and with an embrace of safety meant to inspire hope and power, rather than fear.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews