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Is That An Aura of Wild Magic Engulfing You, Or Are You Just Pleased To See Me?
Queer disabled joy.
Emotional pain manifests literally around Laceco. He doesn’t know why, maybe he was cursed when he crossed the Ember Trail.
He’s tried living as a hermit in the mountains, hoping the wild magic wouldn’t ensnare anyone else. He managed a month before the wild magic teleported a new victim into his shack. He tried running, but he couldn’t get very far thanks to post-viral fatigue.
He’s drawn to the Ember Cavalcade, a nomadic caravan run for disabled people, by disabled people. Laceco needs to rest and recover, but the wild magic manifestations, the emotional pain manifesting literally, won’t stop. The wild magic seems to want something from him, and he won’t be able to live with himself until he learns what.
Emotional pain manifests literally around Laceco. He doesn’t know why, maybe he was cursed when he crossed the Ember Trail.
He’s tried living as a hermit in the mountains, hoping the wild magic wouldn’t ensnare anyone else. He managed a month before the wild magic teleported a new victim into his shack. He tried running, but he couldn’t get very far thanks to post-viral fatigue.
He’s drawn to the Ember Cavalcade, a nomadic caravan run for disabled people, by disabled people. Laceco needs to rest and recover, but the wild magic manifestations, the emotional pain manifesting literally, won’t stop. The wild magic seems to want something from him, and he won’t be able to live with himself until he learns what.
- GenresDisabilityFantasy
253 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 1, 2024
5 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
March 15, 2025
I loved the worldbuilding and the utopian collectivist world where capitalism seems to be a very bad word.
The agency of people with disabilities despite them was very well written.
The biggest gripe I have which shattered my willing suspension of disbelief and why I can't give the book more than 3 stars were the references to our world, off the top of my head, football, gnocchi and tortillas.
Also, despite living in a collectivist nomadic society, I find it strange that a person needs explaining what a political prisoner is.
I received an advance review copy from BookSirens for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The agency of people with disabilities despite them was very well written.
The biggest gripe I have which shattered my willing suspension of disbelief and why I can't give the book more than 3 stars were the references to our world, off the top of my head, football, gnocchi and tortillas.
Also, despite living in a collectivist nomadic society, I find it strange that a person needs explaining what a political prisoner is.
I received an advance review copy from BookSirens for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
June 19, 2024
WOW wow wow! It's been a while since I read a book that changed my worldview; this one definitely qualifies. It starts a bit slow and difficult to follow, but if you can get past the first couple chapters you're in for one hell of a ride.
June 26, 2024
Laceco runs away from home, convinced that his presence is causing magical manifestations of the emotional pain of those around him. Planning to live the rest of his life in isolation, his plans change when he meets Ven, a woman who appears in his hut and seems to turn the area around her into a toxic wasteland.
The novel features a cast of main characters, all with different disabilities. They are portrayed as interesting and complex individuals, not reduced to their disabilities or depicted as heroically inspirational simply because they are disabled. It's refreshing to find a novel that handles disability so well.
The story envisions a world where people can be disabled, queer, or simply different and still be accepted. This idea of acceptance and inclusivity feels both hopeful and possible. The romance is believable, and it doesn't take long to start caring about the characters. I read this quickly and enjoyed the humour, which stopped the narrative from becoming too heavy.
The novel has both heart and wit and is a solid choice for readers interested in themes of community and belonging.
The novel features a cast of main characters, all with different disabilities. They are portrayed as interesting and complex individuals, not reduced to their disabilities or depicted as heroically inspirational simply because they are disabled. It's refreshing to find a novel that handles disability so well.
The story envisions a world where people can be disabled, queer, or simply different and still be accepted. This idea of acceptance and inclusivity feels both hopeful and possible. The romance is believable, and it doesn't take long to start caring about the characters. I read this quickly and enjoyed the humour, which stopped the narrative from becoming too heavy.
The novel has both heart and wit and is a solid choice for readers interested in themes of community and belonging.
February 17, 2025
I absolutely loved this book. It is somewhat cosy fantasy as there is no major peril at any time, but that doesn't affect the pace or enjoyment as there is still a strong plot with good characters and worldbuilding.
In a post-apocalyptic setting, a young man called Laceco has run away from his travelling circus as he thinks he is giving people magical manifestations (where they change form or place or strange things happen around them) and he wants to stop that. He builds himself a home on a mountain, only to wake up one morning on the floor because a young woman has pushed him out of his bed. He soon finds himself taken into the warm embrace of another travelling company, one in which most people have a disability of some sort. The people around him start to have manifestations of their own and he has to help them to resolve them and get back to normality.
The world this book takes place in is strange but the reader can still picture it and understand it enough without long passages of background or clumsy exposition through dialogue, and you gradually get to piece enough together to close off unusual concepts.
The characters we meet are all well shaped and unique and their interactions are both funny and charming, with quite open discussions about or awkwardness about talking about disabilities.
I really enjoyed this book and how it looks to resolve the conflicts within some characters, which are usually not connected to their disabilities, the author exploring their feelings not directly connected to their physical restrictions.
The book was thoroughly enjoyable and a treat to pick up and read by the pool or on the balcony on holiday.
I received a free copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
In a post-apocalyptic setting, a young man called Laceco has run away from his travelling circus as he thinks he is giving people magical manifestations (where they change form or place or strange things happen around them) and he wants to stop that. He builds himself a home on a mountain, only to wake up one morning on the floor because a young woman has pushed him out of his bed. He soon finds himself taken into the warm embrace of another travelling company, one in which most people have a disability of some sort. The people around him start to have manifestations of their own and he has to help them to resolve them and get back to normality.
The world this book takes place in is strange but the reader can still picture it and understand it enough without long passages of background or clumsy exposition through dialogue, and you gradually get to piece enough together to close off unusual concepts.
The characters we meet are all well shaped and unique and their interactions are both funny and charming, with quite open discussions about or awkwardness about talking about disabilities.
I really enjoyed this book and how it looks to resolve the conflicts within some characters, which are usually not connected to their disabilities, the author exploring their feelings not directly connected to their physical restrictions.
The book was thoroughly enjoyable and a treat to pick up and read by the pool or on the balcony on holiday.
I received a free copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
February 3, 2025
Disclaimer: I received an e-ARC from netgalley in exchange for a review.
I picked this story up for two reasons: The first line in the summary promising queer disabled joy and the fact that it was tagged as fantasy on netgalley, which is a genre where disabled people often do not really feature. If you want more disabled fantasy like I did, this book absolutely delivers on that wonderfully and I adored it so much for that.
I am incredibly excited to see that Me/Cfs is slowly gaining representation in media and I found the way it was portrayed here great. In general, one of my favorite parts of this book was its nuanced examination of dis_ability, crip4crip solidarity, crip wisdom etc. I also liked the way the disabled society had formed here, found new ways of living together and exist in solidarity and care for each other, while still examining the negative aspects of disabled people being pushed in segregated spaces like these, even if they can be the best place for survival for some. And I also really enjoyed that a few aspects of disability studies were featured in the story (such as disabled time). I also liked the way polyamory was handled and the very low-key trans rep (mentioned in one sentence, but concerning important characters, which I found lovely).
The story itself is a bit of a cozy mystery as we follow Laceco, as he tries to figure out what is causing these manifestations and how to stop them, but also the way he forms connections and finds community with others, as well as unlearn internalized ableism, but also deal with what he termed “the Oro Virus”, a fictional way of dealing with the prejudiced stereotypes and negative ideas we can absorb if we grow up in a prejudiced society. I also really enjoyed getting to follow the other characters as they dealt with their problems, some related to their disabilities, others caused through other issues. It was both interesting and comforting for me to read this and I really found a lot of joy in it.
My only problems with the story were some worldbuilding issues that are rather minor in the big picture, but include some things I would have liked examined a bit more. Why are the terms masc and femme used in this story, while the terms woman and man also exists? What exactly do they refer to here in this fantasy world? What about people who fall outside of that binary? Are they just a replacement for man and woman or are they about gender presentation? Laceco always seems to know whether somebody is a masc or a femme, but how? As you can see, that was something that was bothering me a bit. I also would have liked a definition of the term “Q.A.P.I.T. people”, as that is a term that is unfamiliar even to me, somebody raised on tumblr. And finally, I need to know what the ties stand for. I kept a list for every meaning mentioned and while I have guesses for the purple tie (severe disability?), I have no clue what the yellow, the black and the brown tie stand for. They are mentioned, but we never find out what they signify, and I would have liked to know.
But if my only problems with this story are these minor questions of worldbuilding and what these terms signify, I think you can tell that I otherwise had a really great time with the story. It was refreshing to read a story with that many disabled people, disabled community and kinship and care, disabled joy and disabled love. This is certainly something I need to recommend to some friends of mine.
TW: attempted drugging, ableism, internalized ableism, misogyny, illness
I picked this story up for two reasons: The first line in the summary promising queer disabled joy and the fact that it was tagged as fantasy on netgalley, which is a genre where disabled people often do not really feature. If you want more disabled fantasy like I did, this book absolutely delivers on that wonderfully and I adored it so much for that.
I am incredibly excited to see that Me/Cfs is slowly gaining representation in media and I found the way it was portrayed here great. In general, one of my favorite parts of this book was its nuanced examination of dis_ability, crip4crip solidarity, crip wisdom etc. I also liked the way the disabled society had formed here, found new ways of living together and exist in solidarity and care for each other, while still examining the negative aspects of disabled people being pushed in segregated spaces like these, even if they can be the best place for survival for some. And I also really enjoyed that a few aspects of disability studies were featured in the story (such as disabled time). I also liked the way polyamory was handled and the very low-key trans rep (mentioned in one sentence, but concerning important characters, which I found lovely).
The story itself is a bit of a cozy mystery as we follow Laceco, as he tries to figure out what is causing these manifestations and how to stop them, but also the way he forms connections and finds community with others, as well as unlearn internalized ableism, but also deal with what he termed “the Oro Virus”, a fictional way of dealing with the prejudiced stereotypes and negative ideas we can absorb if we grow up in a prejudiced society. I also really enjoyed getting to follow the other characters as they dealt with their problems, some related to their disabilities, others caused through other issues. It was both interesting and comforting for me to read this and I really found a lot of joy in it.
My only problems with the story were some worldbuilding issues that are rather minor in the big picture, but include some things I would have liked examined a bit more. Why are the terms masc and femme used in this story, while the terms woman and man also exists? What exactly do they refer to here in this fantasy world? What about people who fall outside of that binary? Are they just a replacement for man and woman or are they about gender presentation? Laceco always seems to know whether somebody is a masc or a femme, but how? As you can see, that was something that was bothering me a bit. I also would have liked a definition of the term “Q.A.P.I.T. people”, as that is a term that is unfamiliar even to me, somebody raised on tumblr. And finally, I need to know what the ties stand for. I kept a list for every meaning mentioned and while I have guesses for the purple tie (severe disability?), I have no clue what the yellow, the black and the brown tie stand for. They are mentioned, but we never find out what they signify, and I would have liked to know.
But if my only problems with this story are these minor questions of worldbuilding and what these terms signify, I think you can tell that I otherwise had a really great time with the story. It was refreshing to read a story with that many disabled people, disabled community and kinship and care, disabled joy and disabled love. This is certainly something I need to recommend to some friends of mine.
TW: attempted drugging, ableism, internalized ableism, misogyny, illness
April 16, 2025
My Review on Youtube:
https://youtu.be/XIFwMg7sNRI
Characters 5/5
Setting 3.5/5 interesting but not fully developed
Plot:2/5 is there a plot? If there is, it wasn't resolved
What is this about? Basically when people are having bad feelings, those feeling manifest as magic in the world which cause trouble. The main character helps people resolve these feelings.
This book is a little weird. It's set in a fantasy world of some kind, but the characters speak like they've spent a lot of time in modern therapy.
The story might have worked better without the fantasy elements.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
https://youtu.be/XIFwMg7sNRI
Characters 5/5
Setting 3.5/5 interesting but not fully developed
Plot:2/5 is there a plot? If there is, it wasn't resolved
What is this about? Basically when people are having bad feelings, those feeling manifest as magic in the world which cause trouble. The main character helps people resolve these feelings.
This book is a little weird. It's set in a fantasy world of some kind, but the characters speak like they've spent a lot of time in modern therapy.
The story might have worked better without the fantasy elements.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
March 28, 2025
I don’t mind cosy fantasy, but it’s not generally my thing. I really enjoyed this one much more than I tend to, both for the spirit of radical inclusion and disabilitypunk that infused it, and for the genuinely engaging ‘mystery of the week’ format.
Laceco, isolated both by his chronic pain condition and his “curse” – the often uncomfortable manifestations of wild magic that spring up around him whenever somebody is in emotional distress – finds himself abruptly welcomed into a community which seems to take both of these things in its stride. The Ember Enclave, a collectivist travelling society where the majority of residents are disabled, has a lot of practice at taking people’s varied conditions in stride. It’s just a shame that his new friends’ inner pain is now being expressed with literalised metaphors.
Laceco was a fun main character, and I enjoyed seeing his developing relationships with the cast around him – particularly his metamour Rikolta, who really stood out off the page. For me, by far the greatest strength of the book (apart from its unique setting) is the investigative format – person experiences allegory, Laceco and crew have to unravel it in order to save them from the attack of their own repressed feelings. It made for a really enjoyable episodic format – I’d happily read three seasons and a holiday special of the Ember Emotional Investigators. In contrast to some of the fairly heavyhanded worldbuilding explanations elsewhere, readers were left to draw their own conclusions about several of the allegorical “manifestations”.
As a small note, I appreciated also that, for all this is a fantasy of an everyone-is-disabled community, the pitfalls of choosing separatism over integration are briefly acknowledged. “And it means we’re not living in society at large, demanding Akoma changes to meet our needs. We’re squirrelled away, nice and quiet, where we don’t make any reds feel uncomfortable by needing them to make adjustments in the way they live.” On the other hand, the Enclave gives its residents a shared understanding and commitment to the collective good, in meaningful community with each other.
I don’t think I’ve ever read a book, fantasy or mundane, so genuinely committed to showcasing different disabled experiences and foregrounding the daily joys and difficulties of a full cast of disabled characters. It really was striking how different it made the reading experience, for which I can forgive the occasional infodumps and heavily didactic teaching-moments-for-the-reader.
If you're going to read a cosy fantasy, read this one.
Laceco, isolated both by his chronic pain condition and his “curse” – the often uncomfortable manifestations of wild magic that spring up around him whenever somebody is in emotional distress – finds himself abruptly welcomed into a community which seems to take both of these things in its stride. The Ember Enclave, a collectivist travelling society where the majority of residents are disabled, has a lot of practice at taking people’s varied conditions in stride. It’s just a shame that his new friends’ inner pain is now being expressed with literalised metaphors.
Laceco was a fun main character, and I enjoyed seeing his developing relationships with the cast around him – particularly his metamour Rikolta, who really stood out off the page. For me, by far the greatest strength of the book (apart from its unique setting) is the investigative format – person experiences allegory, Laceco and crew have to unravel it in order to save them from the attack of their own repressed feelings. It made for a really enjoyable episodic format – I’d happily read three seasons and a holiday special of the Ember Emotional Investigators. In contrast to some of the fairly heavyhanded worldbuilding explanations elsewhere, readers were left to draw their own conclusions about several of the allegorical “manifestations”.
As a small note, I appreciated also that, for all this is a fantasy of an everyone-is-disabled community, the pitfalls of choosing separatism over integration are briefly acknowledged. “And it means we’re not living in society at large, demanding Akoma changes to meet our needs. We’re squirrelled away, nice and quiet, where we don’t make any reds feel uncomfortable by needing them to make adjustments in the way they live.” On the other hand, the Enclave gives its residents a shared understanding and commitment to the collective good, in meaningful community with each other.
I don’t think I’ve ever read a book, fantasy or mundane, so genuinely committed to showcasing different disabled experiences and foregrounding the daily joys and difficulties of a full cast of disabled characters. It really was striking how different it made the reading experience, for which I can forgive the occasional infodumps and heavily didactic teaching-moments-for-the-reader.
If you're going to read a cosy fantasy, read this one.
August 28, 2024
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I did like the way this was written and how it introduced the characters, I loved the way it handled the magical aspects, especially that it has someone trying research it in a scientific way, but it didn't focus on that really at all.
It focuses on the people and they are mostly well put together characters, I enjoyed reading their stories.
It was an easy read because it was all very WYSIWYG, but the language being used to portray the world and the way the have the Ember Cavalcade can seem very forced. It feels like they are trying to show a thing as normalised but it ends up feeling clunky at times. On the other hand they handle some aspects of being disabled *really* well, i particularly like the fact they show that people should not try and compare themselves with others and how they are doing / can do things, it was a very poignant moment when the main character describes "disabled time" but it shows up as a theme in the story time and time again
This is the second book I've read by this author and they both have the same issue of diversity feeling a bit forced some of the time and I'm not entirely sure why because this community they created where being different for whatever reason is just accepted is somewhere I would want to live. I'm autistic and there is an autistic character, and a hinted at nain character who is autistic, and whilst I do love that people are writing autistic characters now more frequently. To be honest I wonder if the author is autistic, it feels like maybe they are, because it feels like they have a need to over explain in places in a way that feels very common.
Overall I would recommend it to people, it takes a little while to become accustomed to the writing style and word choices but it is worth that small effort.
I did like the way this was written and how it introduced the characters, I loved the way it handled the magical aspects, especially that it has someone trying research it in a scientific way, but it didn't focus on that really at all.
It focuses on the people and they are mostly well put together characters, I enjoyed reading their stories.
It was an easy read because it was all very WYSIWYG, but the language being used to portray the world and the way the have the Ember Cavalcade can seem very forced. It feels like they are trying to show a thing as normalised but it ends up feeling clunky at times. On the other hand they handle some aspects of being disabled *really* well, i particularly like the fact they show that people should not try and compare themselves with others and how they are doing / can do things, it was a very poignant moment when the main character describes "disabled time" but it shows up as a theme in the story time and time again
This is the second book I've read by this author and they both have the same issue of diversity feeling a bit forced some of the time and I'm not entirely sure why because this community they created where being different for whatever reason is just accepted is somewhere I would want to live. I'm autistic and there is an autistic character, and a hinted at nain character who is autistic, and whilst I do love that people are writing autistic characters now more frequently. To be honest I wonder if the author is autistic, it feels like maybe they are, because it feels like they have a need to over explain in places in a way that feels very common.
Overall I would recommend it to people, it takes a little while to become accustomed to the writing style and word choices but it is worth that small effort.
August 12, 2024
I received an advance review copy for free thanks to the author and BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own!
"We all live in Disabled Time. Time shattered in fragments... We're time travellers. We're old when we're young and young when we're old... We live in grief, the time we lost to our disabilities. The time we spent thinking about the things we can't do any more, what we might never get to do, who we could have been... We live in sick time, in a world where we are never sick and we are never well, we're always somewhere in between. We live in vampire time - late nights, unconscious days and weird life schedules which don't match up to the rest of the world... But we also live in creating time - a lot of us reflect and create based on how *we* experience the world..."
"I'd done everything right. That meant I basically wasn't disabled, right? If I did everything right, then I'd never experience symptoms ever again."
This is my second book by Michael Coolwood, and while the writing is occasionally rough in patches (the introduction especially could have used a little more padding for world-building), it's still a solid 5 stars from me based on the beauty of the writing and the vibrant characters. The sheer amount of representation of different disabilities, genders, and sexual orientation is a huge breath of fresh air as well. This book makes me think differently about my disabilities as well. Can't recommend it enough.
For sensitive readers this book contains body horror and descriptions of rot as well as references to ableism, misogyny, transphobia, racism, and classism.
"We all live in Disabled Time. Time shattered in fragments... We're time travellers. We're old when we're young and young when we're old... We live in grief, the time we lost to our disabilities. The time we spent thinking about the things we can't do any more, what we might never get to do, who we could have been... We live in sick time, in a world where we are never sick and we are never well, we're always somewhere in between. We live in vampire time - late nights, unconscious days and weird life schedules which don't match up to the rest of the world... But we also live in creating time - a lot of us reflect and create based on how *we* experience the world..."
"I'd done everything right. That meant I basically wasn't disabled, right? If I did everything right, then I'd never experience symptoms ever again."
This is my second book by Michael Coolwood, and while the writing is occasionally rough in patches (the introduction especially could have used a little more padding for world-building), it's still a solid 5 stars from me based on the beauty of the writing and the vibrant characters. The sheer amount of representation of different disabilities, genders, and sexual orientation is a huge breath of fresh air as well. This book makes me think differently about my disabilities as well. Can't recommend it enough.
For sensitive readers this book contains body horror and descriptions of rot as well as references to ableism, misogyny, transphobia, racism, and classism.
January 27, 2025
"Is That An Aura of Wild Magic Engulfing You, Or Are You Just Pleased To See Me?" is really one of a kind. It has the unique talent to slap you in the face with a cruel truth one minute and wrap you in a hug with a consoling thought the next.
It's so full of disability representation, queer representation, self-realization, and so much love.
The way Laceco worked through the manifestations with other people, changing not only their lives but his life in the process as well, was so beautiful to see.
I went through so many emotions when reading this book, and it filled me with such a fierce need to change the world for the better, to give people who don't feel like they fit in a place to express themselves without the constant pressure to explain themselves, that in my mind this story needs a little award for giving me hope and inspiration.
The only thing I would have enjoyed seeing more of is further explanation of Oro and Akoma and some more information on Lacecos manifestation, because the explanations felt quite vague at times.
To sum up, this book is for everyone wondering about their place in the world because of the seemingly huge differences that split them up from other people and everything who wants to change the world and their mindset for the better.
Thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing for providing me with this ARC in return for an honest review.
It's so full of disability representation, queer representation, self-realization, and so much love.
The way Laceco worked through the manifestations with other people, changing not only their lives but his life in the process as well, was so beautiful to see.
I went through so many emotions when reading this book, and it filled me with such a fierce need to change the world for the better, to give people who don't feel like they fit in a place to express themselves without the constant pressure to explain themselves, that in my mind this story needs a little award for giving me hope and inspiration.
The only thing I would have enjoyed seeing more of is further explanation of Oro and Akoma and some more information on Lacecos manifestation, because the explanations felt quite vague at times.
To sum up, this book is for everyone wondering about their place in the world because of the seemingly huge differences that split them up from other people and everything who wants to change the world and their mindset for the better.
Thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing for providing me with this ARC in return for an honest review.
March 28, 2025
Disclaimer - I am Michael Coolwood's mother- in- law
Having said that, I have nit enjoyed some of hus books because the world- building has been inadequate. Whikst ut is not very full in tnis book, there is enough for me not to be finding myself constantly saying to myself " But.... but"
The narrative goes along very well and I loved many of the characters. Therre is a very useful discission about how people with differing abilities can cope with a one size fits all world - many choosing to build a community that shuts it out but others challenging such a world and asserting that it should to be prepared to include many sizes and shapes.
This is very much a book that is trying to continue a conversation about how people fit in when it is becoming apparent that vast sections of our population have been masking in order to do so, to the deriment if their well- being. This book asks " Why should they?" and I applaud Michael for that.
Having said that, I have nit enjoyed some of hus books because the world- building has been inadequate. Whikst ut is not very full in tnis book, there is enough for me not to be finding myself constantly saying to myself " But.... but"
The narrative goes along very well and I loved many of the characters. Therre is a very useful discission about how people with differing abilities can cope with a one size fits all world - many choosing to build a community that shuts it out but others challenging such a world and asserting that it should to be prepared to include many sizes and shapes.
This is very much a book that is trying to continue a conversation about how people fit in when it is becoming apparent that vast sections of our population have been masking in order to do so, to the deriment if their well- being. This book asks " Why should they?" and I applaud Michael for that.
April 12, 2025
I received a copy of this book through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewer in return for an honest review.
This book drew me in with due to the LGBTQIA+ tag, fantasy tag, and the mention of queer disability joy. I would say that this book delivered that and so much more.
This is definitely one of my top books of 2025. It was a cozy fantasy and I’m big on cozy genre of things and took a chance with the fantasy aspect and glad I did.
I adore the characters and the idea of the story, where bad feelings can manifest with wild magic. The ending was sweet, I wish there was more in the sense of I wasn’t ready to put the book down or leave the characters just yet. I think it was a beautiful word setting, with some minor hiccups but nothing that shattered the world or reality for me.
This is a one-of-a-kind book and I hope to see more from Michael Coolwood, whether it is building off of this book and a series or launching into another cozy adventure.
This book drew me in with due to the LGBTQIA+ tag, fantasy tag, and the mention of queer disability joy. I would say that this book delivered that and so much more.
This is definitely one of my top books of 2025. It was a cozy fantasy and I’m big on cozy genre of things and took a chance with the fantasy aspect and glad I did.
I adore the characters and the idea of the story, where bad feelings can manifest with wild magic. The ending was sweet, I wish there was more in the sense of I wasn’t ready to put the book down or leave the characters just yet. I think it was a beautiful word setting, with some minor hiccups but nothing that shattered the world or reality for me.
This is a one-of-a-kind book and I hope to see more from Michael Coolwood, whether it is building off of this book and a series or launching into another cozy adventure.
February 17, 2025
3.5 rounded to 4 stars
This was an overall good read. The world was interesting, although the introduction to it felt a bit clunky. The disability rep was handled really well, and there were a lot of relevant topics touched on that had to do with different disabilities. I felt like the story would have been more coherent with less allegory and more concrete examples, but since the magic of the world works more allegorically, it worked. Some of the topics covered really hit home - time being different when disabled, the constant struggle of chronic illnesses, trying to find one's place in a community - and were poignantly portrayed.
I would recommend this for fans of fantasy with a queer-normative world and disability rep.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC I received.
This was an overall good read. The world was interesting, although the introduction to it felt a bit clunky. The disability rep was handled really well, and there were a lot of relevant topics touched on that had to do with different disabilities. I felt like the story would have been more coherent with less allegory and more concrete examples, but since the magic of the world works more allegorically, it worked. Some of the topics covered really hit home - time being different when disabled, the constant struggle of chronic illnesses, trying to find one's place in a community - and were poignantly portrayed.
I would recommend this for fans of fantasy with a queer-normative world and disability rep.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC I received.
February 18, 2025
I'm writing this slightly biased as a person fairly new to accepting my own disabilities, so I am not sure how relatable this can be for anyone else.
This is not the first time I've been reading this author's works and I can definitely see similarities to my own journey regarding disabilities and such. But I found the writing very enjoyable and world-building quite fascinating. The author does a good job creating a narrative that I can relate to.
Would recommend perhaps for folks who are either new to being disabled or around newly-diagnosed/relating people. Talks of disabilities ain't easy or fun, but at least, rather than bombarding people with scientific sources or, worse, facebook anecdotes, this is an easy start point.
This is not the first time I've been reading this author's works and I can definitely see similarities to my own journey regarding disabilities and such. But I found the writing very enjoyable and world-building quite fascinating. The author does a good job creating a narrative that I can relate to.
Would recommend perhaps for folks who are either new to being disabled or around newly-diagnosed/relating people. Talks of disabilities ain't easy or fun, but at least, rather than bombarding people with scientific sources or, worse, facebook anecdotes, this is an easy start point.
December 31, 2025
I've read a lot of Michael Coolwood's work and it's lovely to see how his writing has developed. The setting was absolutely fantastic - an anti-ableist caravan where most of the travellers are disabled. The protagonist has chronic pain - very sensitively portrayed - and most of the side characters also have disabilities. There's a lot of thought been put into these and adaptations for them - including a magical hearing aid for one character. There's a mystery of the week format which is quite fun too, though sometimes comes over as heavy-handed Therapy for Repressed Feelings.
But overall there's a lot less infodumping and more subtlety than in earlier books.
Most importantly, I don't think I've come across such an anti-ableist world since I finished Rebuilding Tomorrow 3 years ago.
But overall there's a lot less infodumping and more subtlety than in earlier books.
Most importantly, I don't think I've come across such an anti-ableist world since I finished Rebuilding Tomorrow 3 years ago.
September 29, 2024
What to say. This definitely wasn’t one of my usual kinds of books. I had a hard time in the beginning of the book - making sense of the start. As I kept reading the story started to make sense and became interesting. I did enjoy the bits of mystery and the process of solving the manifestations. It was an interesting idea to have inner feelings to come out in a way that showed others that someone was in need of help. I am glad I finished the book.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
January 12, 2025
This was a very interesting read. It was a bit slow for me to get into at the beginning, but it turned out to be quite an enjoyable journey.
This book had a lot of focus on people with disabilities, which made for a pleasant change of pace.
The characters, especially Laceco, were well written and have a nice depth to them.
While it wasn’t quite what I had pictured when I requested the book, it was a nice read and a great adventure.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher/author for this copy of the book.
This book had a lot of focus on people with disabilities, which made for a pleasant change of pace.
The characters, especially Laceco, were well written and have a nice depth to them.
While it wasn’t quite what I had pictured when I requested the book, it was a nice read and a great adventure.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher/author for this copy of the book.
October 18, 2024
He is trying to run away from everything and everyone around him as he needs to keep them all safe. He has magic inside him which causes problems to everyone around him. He will try to find out why he was given the powers. A brilliant read about overcoming any problem you may face
I received and advanced copy from hidden gems and it was such a wonderful read as you find out what is going to happen next
I received and advanced copy from hidden gems and it was such a wonderful read as you find out what is going to happen next
February 24, 2025
What a great experience to be transported into this world. I feel as if I was seeing the entire world through the eyes of the protagonist. Constant excitement throughout :)
May 25, 2025
This is a really, really lovely book that does a lot of very cool and interesting things in the way it engages with society, and specifically with disability and trauma. The characters are very well written and are complex and interesting and not reduced to their disabilities.
The book made me feel seen and understood in ways I don't feel that often. It's very wholesome and cozy. It feels like it was written for me personally.
The audiobook is read by the author and is a very lovely way of experiencing this book.
The book made me feel seen and understood in ways I don't feel that often. It's very wholesome and cozy. It feels like it was written for me personally.
The audiobook is read by the author and is a very lovely way of experiencing this book.
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