Eiderdown, Vol. 1

by Hope Zane

“If this is a charmed space,” June says, “Then what you and I do in here won’t really matter. If you want me to touch you, I’m willing.”

It’s not a request for a sweet wheedled out by a child but an offer of comfort made by a man.

Nice sucks in a sharp breath, and June can practically see the denial perched on the tip of his tongue. They’ve spent enough time together for that.

They’ve spent enough time together for this, June is no longer the angry, fumbling, confused child he’d been at fifteen. He knows Nice, now. He can see him, perhaps more clearly than Nice thinks he does and more clearly than Nice would like. For all that Nice preens with attention, he does not especially like being seen and known.

But that’s too bad. June can see him, and June is old enough now, mature enough now, to know what it is that Nice needs. Sex is no longer a strange, uncomfortable mystery to him.

He crosses the mirror-charmed room in quick strides and picks up Nice’s thin, bony hands, sliding his hands down to Nice’s thin wrists and pushing his thumbs into the soft spaces of tendon and ligament, pushing hard until his touch sparks real pain, until the pressure causes a sickly, buzzing numbness in the tips of Nice’s fingers.


June is growing up and growing into himself. And then there’s Eden.

The two babies of the family get themselves into a big, stupid mess.

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Note to

This is a novella-length BL (an m/m genre in the Asian tradition, distinct from Western m/m romance).

It continues after the events of the Fragile Tender series and features June, a side character from that series. However, Eiderdown can stand alone. This is the first volume in an ongoing series.

A full list of tags, tropes, and content notes are available on the author's website.

112 pages, Paperback

Published March 28, 2025

About the author

Hope Zane (they/them) writes queer fiction, particularly fantasy that straddles the line between love and horror. We aren't afraid of the dark around these parts—not the night outside the window or the shadow parts of the human soul.

Hope tells dark stories with a thread of hope woven through them, stories about sex that are really about trust, and stories about pain that are really about love.

They're here to remind you that there are things that can harm us but still nothing to fear.

You can sign up for Hope's newsletter at hopezane.com/join

Reviews

[Kurohagi · Rating 4 out of 5]

To kick off this review, a word of warning. Although the story is independent of the “Fragile Tender” series, I recommend reading the latter beforehand to get a good idea of the universe in which this story takes place.

An intriguing first volume in this new series. We get to know a little more about two characters we met earlier in “Fragile Tender”: June and Eden.
Although they live under the same roof, June and Eden aren't particularly close. June is Nice's shadow and in love with him, while Eden is the strange little brother of the Succubi siblings, a succubus who doesn't like sex.
Somewhat by chance, June and Eden come together.

I like the complexity of the characters, the writing is pleasant and very poetic. The relationships between the characters are intense and just as complex, between sex, love and friendship, the boundaries are blurred and sometimes spill over.

Beautiful writing, for a very intriguing story.
I can't wait to read the next volume and see where it all leads.

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Pour démarrer cette review, un petit warning. Même si l'histoire est indépendante de la série "Fragile Tender", je recommande de lire celle-ci avant pour avoir une bonne idée de l'univers dans lequel se déroule cette histoire.

Un premier tome intriguant, pour cette nouvelle série. On y découvre un peu plus deux personnages rencontrés auparavant dans "Fragile Tender" : June et Eden.
Bien que vivants sous le même toit, June et Eden ne sont pas spécialement proches. June est l'ombre de Nice et amoureux de lui, Eden est le petit frère un peu étrange de la fratrie de Succubes, un succube qui n'aime pas le sexe.
De manière un peu fortuite, June et Eden se rapprochent.

J'aime la complexité des personnages, l'écriture est agréable et très poétique. Les relations entre les personnages sont intenses et tout aussi complexes, entre sexe, amour et amitié, les limites sont flous et débordent parfois.

Une belle écriture, pour une histoire très intriguante.
J'ai hâte de pouvoir lire le prochain tome et voir où tout cela nous mène.

[Mino · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC... I... Am conflicted. Perhaps it's unfair of me to have read this as I hadn't read the other books that are technically part of the series but also as a standalone novel (supposed to be) I feel like you should still maybe get a little background. I was lost for a while until I calibrated and figured out who was who and what was happening...

I didn't particularly like the style of writing in this novella... The points of view switching back and forth like that confused me a bit. Maybe I've read too many back and forth POVs that seeing multiple POVs from so many people got me messed up.

I also wasn't a particular fan of the last chapter. Just seemed a little brutal... I think I'll have to go and read the rest of the series to really get a good read on this novella and I may come back to edit my review but... Overall... I didn't particularly like it.

I'd give it closer to a 3.5. The author is clearly talented with their writing but this novella just didn't sit with me like most others have. I liked... Reading the story? It was pleasant to read in the sense it was written prettily. But I dunno. It's short, so give it a shot if you like it but I'd definitely maybe read the series first because if you don't, you'll likely be as confused as I was...

[Deb Kel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was certainly an intriguing storyline with complex characters. I must admit it did take me a while to fully get into it and follow everything so not sure if this is because I haven't read the previous series, so off to do that now but I recommend you do it first! Apart from that I thoroughly enjoyed it and really liked the flow of both the plot and relationship build.
I received a free arc copy and this is my honest review