The Awakening of Lora Abernathy

The Cosms Cycle #1

by M.J. Anthony

"What are you?" Lora whispers.

"What are you?" The wolf echoes, stalking towards her until it is close enough that Lora has forgotten to be afraid. "What is anyone? It's not a polite question to ask."


After a disastrous birthday ceremony and coming-of-age ritual gone wrong, Lora flees home, taking her new lycanthrope form for a test drive on the streets of Glenhurst, and hoping to prove her worth. When she answers a local job posting at random, Lora lands in the company of two other strangers: Nic and Art.

Nic has sought redemption from his own past failings on his fiancé's family farm. When that security is threatened, he takes matters into his own hands, seeking out a connection from his sister's college days, who is rumored to have experience with magic blades and killing tyrants.

Art longs for the past about as often as he longs to forget it, pouring his time into cooking, mutual aid efforts, bounty hunting gig work, and studying crosscosm theory (the idea of travel between worlds). This job will pay his rent, and, if he's lucky, not give him time to think about his trauma.

The job? Enter the forest and eliminate the threat that's been causing townsfolk and travelers to go missing. But the woods are dark, and they have eaten adventurers before. When their pasts come back to haunt them, can the fledgling party survive?

Genres: Fantasy, Queer, Young Adult, LGBT, Werewolves, Horror

ebook

Published November 4, 2025

Reviews

[Nathaniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm going to start off by saying that I have been a fan of MJ's poetry and prose for years. I've been fortunate enough to read published and unpublished works by them, and the writing has always knocked me down. MJ has a quality to their work that makes it a living, breathing thing.

I got to read this while it was being written. It kind of came out of nowhere. MJ messaged me about an idea, and suddenly there was a novella being born.

You guys...this novella is everything. It has the heart and soul of an epic adventure, the cast of a D&D campaign, the ache of being alive, the questioning that comes with aging. TLDR: it's a super fun book with quirky characters and so much heart.

Add it to your TBR. Better yet, grab an ARC. This novella has some BIG concepts and you won't want to miss out on it.

I might change this review later because it feels messy but this book makes me feel messy so maybe it's all going to be okay.

[Ai Jiang]

A big thank you to the publisher for an ARC of the book!

THE AWAKENING OF LORA ABERNATHY is a cozy, party quest fantasy that brings readers on a magical journey of soul searching and path finding, filled with restless dreams, witty banter, exploring the wonders of companionship and transformation.

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is MJ Anthony's debut novel and their prose is great to read!

Following three MCs in a novella felt to me like biting off quite a lot. While this is clearly the first book in a series, it makes me wonder if that makes for the right pacing.

The story itself has lovely points and features a range of queer topics really well, so if you enjoy D&D-esque stories but wish they were just a bit queerer, this book might be for you.


I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Cassian Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

True rating: 4.5 stars

I absolutely ADORED this book. I wasn't planning on reading it all in one night, but I just couldn't put it down. The characters are incredibly diverse, with a LOT of queer representation, some of the best I've seen in a book. They're also so INTERESTING and unique! I love that Lora just can't help but give her whole life story half the time, I love Nic and Art's backstories!

I wish there was a little more world-building in this book, so I'll just hold onto that hope for a part two.

The PROSE for Lora's dream sequences in particular had me in tears, and I can't explain why. Something about her "choices" in those dreams and everything about them just really spoke to me on a deep level that I had to spend a few moments in my partner's lap recovering. Thinking about them now has my eyes watering again!

I felt like the ending wrapped up WAY too quickly, but there's plenty of room for a sequel and that's what I'm excited for already.

All in all, I HIGHLY recommend this!!!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Elliot · Rating 4 out of 5]

like other people have mentioned this book has such great representation of queer characters, I loved seeing how their relationships developed throughout. Some of it was a bit cheesy but still cute to read.

The body horror that goes along with lycanthropy was an amazing touch, there's not always alot of writing about the in between stages of human to wolf so reading it here was really interesting.

it was short but quite fast paced and I felt it got the story across pretty well. There are still lots of unanswered questions by the end but it leaves space for the next book in the series which I'm sure will be just as well written.

I received an advance review copy for free (thanks BookSirens) and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Kat M · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a strong start to the Cosms Cycle series, it had that element that worked in the scifi element to this and does a great job in bringing this world and characters were written in this storyline. It was a strong concept and thought that I was wanting and enjoyed the use of LitRPG and werewolves, it worked well overall and was engaged from the first page. MJ Anthony has a strong writing style and was glad it had that feel that I was looking for and am excited for more.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Beatrice Lebrun · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got so immersed in this story I forgot I was reading. Micah's storytelling voice has a personality of its own, and each character in this book felt like a long lost friend I didn't know I had, until now 💖

[V.R. Cross · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to thank the publisher for gifting me an e-arc! All opinions are my own!

This was a gift of a novella! All of the characters were charming and a delight to read! Lora, Arthur, and Nic have my entire heart and I can't wait for the next one!

[Kate Lawhon · Rating 5 out of 5]

MJ is an amazing author and The Awakening of Lora Abernathy is absolutely spectacular! I loved it from the first paragraph. The characters and world are intriguing and refreshing. It is fast paced and leaves you wanting more. It is a fun dangerous romp for any fans of DND, Vox Machina, and The Graveyard Trees Duology.
I can't wait for the next novella!

[Jaime Penwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. There was tons of representation, which was nice. I also liked the dynamics between the characters and their newfound friendship made me feel warm and cozy. I found the book to be fairly fast paced as well, which I like in a book.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Rallie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5 Stars, rounded down.
For fans of: In Other Lands, Terry Pratchett, Dungeons and Dragons, Dimension 20’s Neverafter, Baldur's Gate 3

“Lora Abernathy has always been an optimist. To be fair, for the last several days she’s also been a dog.”

Lora, a weredog in a family of werewolves, Nic, a wingéd man (NOT an angel) with a prophecy (maybe) to fulfill, and Art, a young wizardy-type who needs to pay rent wind up teaming up on a quest to figure out why people are going missing in the nearby woods. This is Adventuring, though, which means nothing goes to plan; and the trio find themselves trapped in a forest filled with their worst nightmares.

This is a cute and light-hearted D&D-style adventure (thank WotC for the OGL!) set in a queer-normative world where looking for a magic blade to stave off a devastating blight is just as valid a reason to go off Adventuring as needing to pay the rent. That this kind of irreverent take on the genre also has a depth of emotion and strong characterization makes it that much better.

Representation matters, and seeing a werewolf struggle with chronic fatigue and the expectations--or lack of expectations--from those around you that comes with it was so validating. “I’m tired of watching them be proud when I succeed but be prepared when I fail” was a line I felt so deeply in my chronically pained bones.

The writing itself was fun and light, although it's written in the present tense which I'm not usually a fan of. The choice to have at least half the book be alternating dream/flashbacks was bold, but in this case it actually worked. It added a strange, almost unsettling vibe to a story unfolding in a strange, unsettling place.

It was impossible to put down once as I started, and I found myself rooting for the three main characters each for their own reasons. Overall this is a great introduction to a series that I look forward to devouring!

Thank you to Book Sirens and Dragon Bone Publishing for a free review copy of this book! I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily.

[Effie Stock · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thrilling, complex little introduction into a d&d style fantasy world! absolutely LOVING our fiesty MC Lora 🙌🏻 go feral for a female mc who is an absolute menace.

Can't wait for book 2!!

[Stasia Roze · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you for the ARC! before I go into the review, I have to say how gorgeous the front cover artwork is. 10/10 would have it as a print on the wall.

This short novella was a really beautiful and enjoyable read, I read it in one sitting! it has the best qualities of a dnd campaign, with an unlikely group of folk joining together to go on a quest. I love this style of fantasy. It's nostalgic and cosy. It feels like the enjoyment of a warm soup on a bitterly cold day. The prose and cadence led to an almost lyrical reading experience, especially during the dreamwalking (idk how else to call it) elements.

The ending did go really quickly, but I'm not overly mad about it, but pacing could be worked on. However, I love how it's set itself up for book 2 with intrigue and suspense.

This book is also set in a queer normative world, which I absolutely love, and I think this is where the cosiness vibes come from for me. I'm a disabled book reviewer, and I loved the small inclusion of mobility aids and rep. It's so hard in fantasy books to find good rep for disabled folks, so I really really enjoyed this addition, however small it may have been!

I can't wait to see this series, the characters and the author grow. If pacing is fixed, I see nothing but 10s across the board for future books!

[Martina Weiß · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to BookSirens for providing me with an e-ARC for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily in return.

CW: Mentions of Transphobia, Slight Body Horror, Animal Death(?), Chronic Illness, Minor Sexual Content, Violence, Emotional Abuse, Religious Trauma

3 / 5 Stars

I really wish I could walk away from this one with a higher rating, but I simply can’t.

I genuinely loved one of our main characters — Lora — a lot. (We’re sharing the spotlight between Lora, Nic & Art, but she definitely stole the show.) She feels like the one who got the most development out of everyone. Even if her name weren’t in the title, she’d still manage to command all the attention she deserves.

On paper, I loved what the book did with her lycanthropy — how it symbolically mirrors her becoming who she’s always been but never dared to be. Different, but not in any way lesser. I have spoiler-y thoughts about something tied to that at the end, but let’s just say: I wasn’t a fan.

Also on paper, I liked the insight we got into the other characters, especially Nic. I never doubted they were well-rounded and interesting.

But if we look beyond that paper, we’ll find… issues.

The whole book is magical, mystical, and dreamy — which fits, since we’re trapped in a sort of living forest that uses dreams to attack us. It’s creative, but it means we spend a lot of time in flashbacks and backstory through dream sequences, which is… a choice. One I was willing to reserve judgment on, if the book managed to stick the landing.

I’m patient. I promise, I am. So I kept reading, and waiting, and then we finally reach the climax of the book and… there’s no real payoff. The “mission” concludes, we save the people, and — roll credits.
I literally sat there like: :) “Wow, okay. That happened.”

I get that this is book one of a series, and that more story will follow. But this one just doesn’t quite manage to payoff all that forshadowing it had build up. I can easily imagine a version of this book that satisfied me — honestly, it wouldn’t take much to bump this up to four stars if the last 30% had landed differently. But that’s not the book I got, and I can’t exactly review wishful thinking.

Which sucks, because the representation in this book is fantastic. There’s one particular conversation between Lora and Nic that I highlighted and screenshotted because it was just SO GOOD, okay? Major kudos for the disability and queer rep — adored it a great deal. Same goes for the characters and their relationships.

Those were never the issue.
The issue was everything else.

[Rhiley Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to BookSirens and M.J. Anthony for the E-ARC! This E-ARC was sent to me in exchange for an honest review.

All the queer representation you could ask for in one short book! That was a lot of fun to see! I loved that each character was introduced with their pronouns, they were never just assumed.
The book starts right into the plot. This is a novella, under 200 pages, so the author wastes no time in getting straight to the point-Which works! It works well with the characters and the pace of the storyline. You're never really confused, it all flows well and is explained with clarity.
Getting a sequel makes this first book even better! That cliffhanger (And that one character? Ah! You ass!) was INTENSE and made my skin crawl with how much I wanted to jump inside the book and start throwing punches and help the three main characters. They're all lovable and the way they build onto their friendship and bond over the course of their discoveries is breathtaking.
Adding this novella to the list of series I'm going to be thinking about until it's completed!

[elysian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book, and wow.
I do want to say that I did struggle at the beginning and in other moments because this books doesn’t let you see the whole picture, though that was something I ended up loving.
I also loved how the three main characters had a “slow-burn” friendship. I loved Nic a lot, and I know there are many things about their past that I still don’t know and I really want to.
I truly can’t wait for the second part!

[Bookish Coffee UK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow what beautiful written poetry story, I really felt like it was so deep and meaningful. Although I can't resonate with the queer aspects, I bet that there's alot of people that can.

The dreaming part where they make their.. erm choices really made me stop and think about life.

I literally consumed this as I couldn't sleep last night, kinda bummed out that it just felt like a quick ended ending but kinda leaves it open for more, so I do hope there will be more. I'm already ready to devour it..

[Ambre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect first book for the series because it sucked me right in, just like that isocosm our intrepid adventurers walked into. The Awakening of Lora Abernathy is one giant mystery and I can't wait for the next installment




*POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD*




because I need to know what the heck is gonna happen to Lora, Nic, Art, and yes, even Tobias, the fkn traitor....

[♡•°☆ Aster De Lisle ☆°•♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book, for many reasons. If I was a little lost at the beginning with all the information about the characters' past, the rest of the book explains a lot of things (and it was only the first of the saga so it's ok). I loved the characters, especially Lora and Nic, who really touched me (they are really human and relatable).

I really appreciate the queerness : all the questions about pronouns, sexualities, genders… are really fun and enjoyable.

And the plot was good. A little too short I think but really interesting and easy to read. I was really invested on it so it's a good point.

So I recommend this book if you want an easy and enjoyable read, with relatable characters and a lot of queer.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Mireya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to BookSirens for the ARC copy of this book. This has not affected my review at all, which are my own thoughts.

After a coming-of-age ritual gone wrong, Lora Abernathy flees home, taking her new lycanthrope form to the streets of Glenhurst, hoping to prove her worth. When she answers a local job posting, Lora finds herself in the company of two other strangers: Nic and Art.

Nic, who sought redemption from his own past failings on his fiancé's family farm. Yet, when that security is threatened, he takes matters into his own hands and goes looking for a colleague of his sister, who is rumored to have experience with magic blades and killing tyrants.

Enter Art, who longs for the past as often as he longs to forget it, pouring his time into anything and everything that will keep him and his mind occupy, including the same job that Lora takes, which will also pay his bills, and kind of convinces Nic to go with him.

The job? Enter the forest and eliminate the threat that's been causing people to go missing. Venturing could mean death, yet is the living and their memories that our adventurers should fear more.

So, a bit of a longer plot summary, but that way we are all acquaintance with our three main characters. And, soon, we'll be acquaintance with my disappointment too, unfortunately.

The Awakening had a promising premise, along with a cover that caught my attention almost immediately. Yet, it disappointed almost as fast, as I read it in a weekend; that's a positive, since the book isn't longer than necessary, doesn't drag things out, nor does it give long paragraphs of description or endless action-after-action page without a purpose.

The letting-me-down came in two parts: characters and execution of the premise. An the second one came, mostly, because of those firsts; a serpent biting its own tail. Because, you can't have most of your action and character's backstory be told through dreams that haunt them during the day while they go in circles. Literal circles, I must say.

Like, some people might call that choice bold or the appropriate for the book and story being told, but i don't think so. Getting to know the characters through dreams instead of them talking, acting, reacting, deciding...I've never really liked it, to be honest. Moreover when it is only how they came to be as they're now, meaning, the events that led them to that job and meeting each other. Sorry, but I didn't connect with either of them, so when the final confrontation with the villain/threat, I didn't care what happened to them.

Moreover, the villain reveal and the resolution of the conflict was so anticlimactic, that I stared at the (e)book for a while in...disappointment, really. No other word that can describe it better, I'm afraid.

I could go in depth, but I'd rather avoid spoilers for now. I'll just say, that some things could have been done different, while still having dreams to torment the characters, maybe even add the villain to the mix so the reveal hit closer to home and/or we knew our characters better to care about them.

One aspect of the book that I think was done quite well is the distinction between the characters' POV, meaning, the voices where different enough from each other for me to never get confuse about which chapter was from Lora, or Nic or Art. Also, the three of them have the same amount of time and where given space for their story, and that's something I appreciate. Hence, while I think this book had a lot of potential that was not exploited fully but it still entertained me the hours I spent with it.

If anyone reads it, enjoy! And I'll see y'all in the next one ;)

[Jennifer MD Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was honored to be an ARC reader for this novella (even though I'm late reviewing again).

Specific Reader Recommendation
When I say this book is for Dungeons and Dragons players, I don't mean because it features fantasy creatures in an adventuring party with magical artifacts. I mean this book has the exact feel of a D&D campaign featuring queer players who don't have good health insurance so playing D&D is the only therapy they get, and they all know that, so they've leaned into the roleplay aspect very heavily, and everyone is super on board with openly processing their personal trauma through their characters. So if that sounds like you, this is your book.

What I Liked
The setting was wonderfully immersive and channeled familiar fantasy archetypes while still feeling fresh. The prose is gorgeous and engaging; you can tell the author cares as strongly about the language used for storytelling as about the plot.

The characters are delightfully unique and fleshed out. I never got confused about who was who and what their motivation was, because they each were so strongly fleshed into their own identity. And I was emotionally invested in each of their motivations equally, eager to learn more and see them succeed.

Perhaps because of my own D&D experience, the worldbuilding was solid for me, including being able to follow the use of magic. And as an extension of that, I loved that this was a fantasy adventure that relied less on the traditional sword-and-shield combat and leaned more into the adventuring, trauma nightmares, and problem solving aspects.

I'm tuned in and hoping for a sequel soon, because I'm terribly invested now.

Where It Fell Short
There was a lot of character development squeezed into a little amount of time, and while overall I don't think there was any damage done to the story, there were times I was taken a bit out of my reader experience. The POV shifts flowed inconsistently. Sometimes this meant going back and forth between POVs while an experience was still unresolved.

And for a novella named after Lora, she didn't actually get to be the star of the story as much as I was hoping for. Don't get me wrong, I don't think she's abandoned by the story at all - she's still kick-ass representation for chronic illness and I love how she is personally challenged in the narrative. But if you hadn't told me the title of the book and then asked me at the end which character this book was named after, I honestly would have said Nic. I can tell you more about his background and important relationships than I can tell you about Lora's.

In Summary
I'm keeping this review as vague as possible because I genuinely want people to read this. If you're the type of person who uses TTRPG as therapy, this book will definitely resonate with you. All the POV leads have a lot to offer and have investment-worthy motivations. The adventure borrows familiar archetypes while keeping things fresh, and leans more into aspects of adventuring that aren't always shown love in fantasy books. The POV shifts sometimes take me out of the immersion, but I don't think it damages the story overall, and I can't wait to read what comes next. Oh, and I read it in one sitting.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Awakening of Lora Abernathy is like the start of a TTRPG campaign. You have the meeting up of several strangers who have to work together to complete a quest for the town they are in and then adventure and chaos ensue. This part was done extremely well! It's not heavy with dice rolls or anything, so folks who aren't a fan of the stats and mechanics will be absolutely fine reading this, but as a player I can see where things went wrong or wonky with checks.

I liked the introductions of our different characters and getting their perspectives. I love the variety of queer representation in the cast. While I really enjoyed Lora's introduction/backstory - it was fun and does a good job of setting up her character as well as a side character that I hope comes back in the sequels (Bonus points for intimate negotiation conversations!) - I think Nic's introduction was my favorite. I loved his background story and his motivations for traveling. I love the idea of his design. I adored the doorbell incident. He's just a really interesting character and I hope we get more information about him in future books.

The adventure itself was interesting, and we are able to learn more about all the characters' backstories. I liked the psychological horror vibes of the forest and how it affects each character. I feel like their getting to know each other, not being insta-friends, and how they get through that was well done.

The cosm & crosscosm information from Art was a bit confusing, but I think it's supposed to be. I definitely felt for Nic in that moment because my brain was melting just as much as his was.

The ending was a smidge disappointing. I loved most of it, the unexpected consequences of completing their assignment and their Employer's horrified "What did you do?" were very relatable. I understand that this is a series and more like the start to a campaign, so not everything is going to be wrapped up in one book. This particular quest is complete and set up greater mysteries to be uncovered later.

What I struggled with while reading is that this story was supposed to be more about Lora (based off the title), and I felt very confused by where she ended up. She feels more pulled along and making choices without thinking things through rather than "Awakening" (which on its own, for an early level character makes perfect sense, it just doesn't mesh with the title). I do feel for her throughout these choices, I just feel like I too missed something important in her story. It story doesn't feel complete, but maybe things will become clear in later installments.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own. Thank you very much to both the author and Book Sirens for allowing me to read this book. I do want to continue on in the series and see where the adventure leads.

[Peyton · Rating 4 out of 5]

MJ Anthony's The Awakening of Lora Abernathy is a fast paced novella that follows three main characters who all sign up for a job: enter the forest and eliminate the threat that is causing so many townsfolk and travelers to go missing. Sounds simple, right?

Lora Abernathy left home after a disastrous coming-of-age ritual went wrong, and she's taking her shapeshifting lycanthrope abilities on a spin. She wants to prove her worth, even if she's unsure how she'll do that. She ends up answering a random job posting, and teams up with two others, Nic and Art, to do the job. Nic is on a quest and is seeking redemption from his past. When his fiance's family farm is threatened, he decides to take matters into his own hands and seeks a magical object that may be the solution to his problem. His sister's connection from her college days leads Nic to meet Art. Like the others, Art is trying to forget his own past and put his efforts towards cooking, bounty hunting, and studying the idea of traveling between worlds. Together, they enter the forest, but as they travel deeper into the woods, the woods start playing tricks on them, even in their dreams.

As I was reading along, I was getting a Dungeons and Dragons feel to the storyline, which I love. There is also a lot of queer representation in this world as well. At first I wasn't sure how much character development we could get from our three main characters within a novella, but our author delivers. We're following three random characters, but soon we see them connect, especially with them having to deal with the forest messing with them. You would think that there is something out there, but it's really their past psychological trauma they keep reliving through their dreams every time they go to sleep. Towards the end, the story touches upon travel between worlds and magic, and I'm curious to see what happens next for our band of heroes.

I received an advance reader copy of this book from MJ Anthony and Dragon Bone Publishing for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. My intentions are to write feedback that reflects my genuine thoughts and is written with the book’s genre and target audience in mind. I aim to review fairly and respectfully, focusing on the story’s purpose.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a quick, jam-packed novella that introduces readers to the world of The Cosms Cycle. If you’re a fan of D&D-inspired worlds with diverse queer representation, this one’s for you.

I found our three main characters endearing, complicated, and genuinely interesting in their very different motivations. Each is pursuing their own quest, yet they’re brought together in what’s essentially a side quest to their larger goals; a clever way to frame their story and development. It eases you into the world while establishing the characters’ motivations and hurdles before diving deeper into their main quests.

The world itself features some of the most effortless and natural queer representation I’ve read. It’s refreshingly queernormative, and I am absolutely here for that. Don’t get me wrong, I love a “queer character overcomes the odds” story for my aching, romantic heart, but I’ve come to find queernormative worlds more and more comforting as I’ve grown older and a bit weary of “the fight.” In MJ Anthony’s world, we have queer main characters whose have struggles that often lie beyond their queerness, and that feels both validating and therapeutic.

My biggest (and really only) issue with this book is the concept of the “cosm.” It’s intriguing but still quite confusing. It started to make a bit more sense by the end, but I hope it becomes more clearly explained, or at least a little more approachable, in future installments. That said, the confusion might be intentional, leaving room to build on the idea as the series unfolds.

Overall, this was a fantastic start, and I quickly fell in love with the world and its characters. I’m definitely looking forward to reading more from this series in the future. :)

[Finding Sky Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Things I loved:
- Queer Normative World
- Trans, Bi, Pan and Achillean MC's
- Lycans, magic and mysterious forests
- Dnd inspired world
- Chronic disability rep (autism, migraines, Lyme disease)


Spice: 🌶️🌶️ (one open door mildly detail scene at the start)
Burn: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Review: This was an incredibly different read, and I absolutely ended up loving it! Immediately, I was incredibly curious and wanted to know so much more about Lora. The way it starts just drags you in, especially as you begin to see her personality, which I loved. I got confused initially when it swapped to Nic's POV and with Art, but it didn't take long to catch up and figure things out.

The author did an amazing job with each of these characters. They all felt incredibly complex, with unique personalities and histories that you continue to learn about via their dreams and the way they interact with each other. I loved watching each of them build a relationship together; they felt like a misfit found family in a way, which I loved. I especially related to and felt for Lora, gosh, in so many moments.

I really enjoyed the details in the writing, especially when it came to their dreams and how vivid they felt, and a special mention to the amazing body horror that came with the transition into lycan form. The forest scenes were all well-detailed, and they had me gripped while reading them. Special mention for the detail of top scars at the start of the book in the intimate scene too; loved to see it.

The way it ended left me just wanting more; I desperately want to know what happens next. It was extremely fast-paced, and would I have enjoyed a longer novel-length version of this? Yes, but it almost feels intentional too, as so much was told through dreams. So I'm very excited for the next installment in this series.


✨

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first time I’ve read an ARC; I stumbled across the opportunity as I saw increasing mentions of the book in various places.

I’m struggling more with this review in that setting. I’m not sure if this is the book’s final iteration; there are some grammar issues and that made the read more challenging. I might have liked the book more and felt more invested without those, and they might not be in a final draft.

There are some things I did appreciate. The premise of Lora’s character itself is interesting and felt fresh. I was excited to read more in the world that was built; I enjoyed the casual banter in the first chapter (good dialogue is hard! And deserves kudos where it exists).

But. Grammar aside - the rapid switches in viewpoint were frequent enough to be jarring after the first chapter. A later reveal for a character felt kind of out of nowhere. And, there is a scene mid-way into the book that I hope has a trigger warning/preface when this finally gets published.

So, after reading - I felt like this was a novella that had and has potential, but was not quite there in the version I read. For readers who are less preoccupied with published grammar (and to a lesser extent diction), don’t mind the faster viewpoint flips, and are hungry for fantasy with representation (one reason I was interested in the first place), it may be worth seeing if your mileage varies.

I wish the best to the author; regardless of the story, I appreciate reading more lgbtq perspectives.

I received a free advance review copy; this is a voluntary review.

[Molly Haniszewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

A queer-normative world, a fresh take on werewolves, chronic illness rep, and a messed-up, mysterious forest? I could not have been more intrigued going into this novella.

It comes with its own perfect blend of fantasy and horror. And our thrown-together trio of main characters gives us the best introduction to this world. We have Lora, navigating her unexpected ability to transform into a dog rather than the wolf she had hoped for. We have Nic, victim of prophesies, searching for a special sword. And we have Art, quietly competent and good at managing the chaos of Nic and Lora—though he, too, is tormented by his past and all too familiar with death.

All three battle tortuous nightmares, secret griefs, and inner turmoil unique to their situations as they set out to discover what plagues supply trains in the woods near town. But then they become trapped in the woods themselves. The found family develops slowly—they start out chafing at one another and lashing out due to their respective traumas. But gradually they start to fit together.

Plus the dog jokes. PEAK humor.

Intricate and powerful, this book is for anyone who loves their quests and autumnal horror tempered by the coziness of found family and witty banter. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the series has in store.

[Leoxo_ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book felt like the start of a D&D campaign which is both a good and bad thing, in my eyes. I found the vibes very cozy, and thought the characters had some interesting ideas behind them. I did not love the cold opening, as it made it confusing to keep track of what the multiple POV characters’ backgrounds were and why we should care about them. I also found the explanation of the Cosms to be somewhat confusing, and found myself accepting that I didn’t quite understand how they worked. I loved the queer representation and the normalcy of it in this world, I thought it was very well done. This is also a novella that I think could have really benefitted from being a full novel– while I know that it is the first in a series, I would have liked it to have the breathing room for the plot to be explored more. It felt like I had just finally gotten a good sense of who the characters are, what their relationships are to each other, and their motivations; and then the book ended. I’m looking forward to the next installment in the series, and I think it’s a good fit for those who love TTRPGs and books set in medieval fantasy worlds that have hints of modernity.

Thank you so much to Dragon Bone Publishing for providing a copy of this book to me for review through BookSirens for free! All opinions are my own.

[Keturah Sergeant · Rating 3 out of 5]

An engaging short story, with adventures, character development and moments of friendship and humour. Three people with their own motivations join to complete an important quest, recovering missing people, finding the cause. Each is plagued my nightmares, their experiences unique and sad, their backstories well constructed if hastily told. It is very simply written, which in places does make the narrative feel rushed, but gets better as the quest narrative begins. I felt that the beginning set the 'villain' up as a too important a character for him not to return, which made the 'twist' ultimately unsurprising. The plot itself was somewhat lost in the character development but I was, eventually, invested in the characters and their stories.

The world building was very limited, there is an expectation the reader understands the different races and species. It is essentially DnD, but there is very little description and explanation within the text! The plot was underdeveloped, the focus definitely on the characters with a lot of flashbacks, nightmares and minor disagreements. The villain basically reveals himself and all the captured are released without them actually doing much... An easy, ultimately satisfying, slightly intriguing read.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Pindistress · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Awakening of Lora Abernathy follows a group of three strangers, each with a complicated past: Lora, a lycanthrope running away from a coming-of-age ceremony gone wrong; Nic, who is chasing a magical object to help him fulfil a prophecy; and Art, who spends his time cooking and helping stragglers. The three of them end up on the same job to enter a magical forest and track down the mysterious source of traveler disappearances. But of course, the job is not as straightforward as it seems...
This book hooked me from the beginning - I loved how the world was described (and how queernormative it was!) and the characters' initial introductions were intriguing. Overall, I really liked the concept and the characters (and I wanted more Tobias content!!). The main thing that could have been better was the pacing - the flashbacks/dreams became repetitive after a while and didn't offer much concrete information on the characters' backstories, and then in contrast, the final conflict was resolved rather suddenly. However, I do understand that this is the first in a series, so these openings were left for a reason. I did really enjoy this book, and I would be excited to read a sequel!
Thanks to BookSirens for the ARC!