What do you think?
Rate this book
Of the Wild
Aeris, a shapeshifter of the Wild, steals children from unloving homes and raises them as his own in an enchanted grove deep in the Woods. Under the protective eye of their new guardian, the children absorb the forest's magic and grow more fey-like than human: some of them sprout mushrooms or flowers while others develop scales or wings.
But the reserve of magic that keeps Aeris and his forest home alive is inexplicably running dry. With his life waning and the dangers of the Wild creeping closer and closer, Aeris will do anything to protect his family, even set his hopes on an unlikely new arrival in the Woods: a human stranger.
But the reserve of magic that keeps Aeris and his forest home alive is inexplicably running dry. With his life waning and the dangers of the Wild creeping closer and closer, Aeris will do anything to protect his family, even set his hopes on an unlikely new arrival in the Woods: a human stranger.
136 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 25, 2021
17 people are currently reading
961 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
June 23, 2024
A small, beautifully written fairy tale about found family. A little melancholy. And the romance only takes place between the lines, there is only a tiny kiss at the very end.
“Family,” he began, sharply aware, even with his eyes closed, of William's drawn attention, “is the garden that grows you before you realize you are growing. It is the dirt and the sun and the air, and you take root where you can, even if all you have is stone and shade. And if that first planting does not take, we try again.”
He blinked, found William's eyes on him, their green and brown as dark as deep water in the gathering night. “In a different garden, we try again.” 🥰💔🥰
I feel completely sucked dry right now. The book was very exhausting, but I don't know if it's just me or if it really is that draining.
It's possible that I empathized with Aeris so much, I don't know.
Anyway, that's not a complaint, if anything it's a compliment that the story had such a grip on me. Even if the feeling afterwards, though satisfying, is rather tiring.
“Family,” he began, sharply aware, even with his eyes closed, of William's drawn attention, “is the garden that grows you before you realize you are growing. It is the dirt and the sun and the air, and you take root where you can, even if all you have is stone and shade. And if that first planting does not take, we try again.”
He blinked, found William's eyes on him, their green and brown as dark as deep water in the gathering night. “In a different garden, we try again.” 🥰💔🥰
I feel completely sucked dry right now. The book was very exhausting, but I don't know if it's just me or if it really is that draining.
It's possible that I empathized with Aeris so much, I don't know.
Anyway, that's not a complaint, if anything it's a compliment that the story had such a grip on me. Even if the feeling afterwards, though satisfying, is rather tiring.
June 12, 2022
A sweet little novella about Aeris, an asexual, fae-like shifter who may or may not be dying, his family of found children, and William, a stranger who stumbles into it all. It's fluffy and delightful and absolutely adorable. Very much recommended if you need a palate cleanser with ace and trans rep, a little romance, and found families.
Enjoyment: 4/5
Execution: 4/5
Content warning: references to off-screen abuse
More reviews on my blog, To Other Worlds.
Enjoyment: 4/5
Execution: 4/5
Content warning: references to off-screen abuse
More reviews on my blog, To Other Worlds.
June 26, 2021
Beauty in surviving and healing
An asexual love story about Aeris a magical guardian, his incredible family of children who he rescues from broken homes and loves more than life itself and William the man who helps him learn to allow himself to be loved again.
I adore William and I love the way he glows up from downtrodden and tired, subsisting in what we gather is a violent and transphobic home life to this confident, resilient man who fights for those he loves.
The ultimate found family story. It's soft and deep, taking the horror of neglect and reshaping it with love and acceptance into claws and teeth to protect and delight in, flourishing with mushrooms and wings to give back freedom and joy.
Cw: referenced/implied of child abuse offscreen (physical, emotional, neglect), bullying, referenced/implied transphobia (off-screen), mentioned poverty & homelessness, referenced terminal illness.
An asexual love story about Aeris a magical guardian, his incredible family of children who he rescues from broken homes and loves more than life itself and William the man who helps him learn to allow himself to be loved again.
I adore William and I love the way he glows up from downtrodden and tired, subsisting in what we gather is a violent and transphobic home life to this confident, resilient man who fights for those he loves.
The ultimate found family story. It's soft and deep, taking the horror of neglect and reshaping it with love and acceptance into claws and teeth to protect and delight in, flourishing with mushrooms and wings to give back freedom and joy.
Cw: referenced/implied of child abuse offscreen (physical, emotional, neglect), bullying, referenced/implied transphobia (off-screen), mentioned poverty & homelessness, referenced terminal illness.
August 1, 2024
This was a nice, gentle, lovely sort of story. A very magical, ethereal feel to it, including in the way it was written.* The whole thing was from the POV of the magical fae being, rather than the human, which I feel like is not something you often find in stories like this.
*One short part even had a sort of interesting visual thing going on with lots of blank space and different formatting, but don't worry, it's brief, and it's still read aloud just fine if you use a screen reader, like I do. I just went back after finishing to see something, which is how I noticed.
Both characters were kindhearted and gentle. Fierce when it came to protecting the children and each other though.
There was some nice unexpected queer rep! One character was trans, the other ace.
There was a magical forest and fae-like children and a main character who didn't know what he was (at first, at least), just that he was of the wild, and shapeshifting. Like I said, very magical.
Overall, I enjoyed this story about a magical forest and the kind characters within it.
*Rating: 3.5 Stars // Read Date: 2023 // Format: Ebook via TTS*
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes gentle stories, gentle characters, trans and ace rep, fae beings, and magical woodland havens.
More Reviews @ Metaphors and Moonlight
*One short part even had a sort of interesting visual thing going on with lots of blank space and different formatting, but don't worry, it's brief, and it's still read aloud just fine if you use a screen reader, like I do. I just went back after finishing to see something, which is how I noticed.
Both characters were kindhearted and gentle. Fierce when it came to protecting the children and each other though.
There was some nice unexpected queer rep! One character was trans, the other ace.
There was a magical forest and fae-like children and a main character who didn't know what he was (at first, at least), just that he was of the wild, and shapeshifting. Like I said, very magical.
Overall, I enjoyed this story about a magical forest and the kind characters within it.
*Rating: 3.5 Stars // Read Date: 2023 // Format: Ebook via TTS*
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes gentle stories, gentle characters, trans and ace rep, fae beings, and magical woodland havens.
More Reviews @ Metaphors and Moonlight
July 9, 2023
I randomly came across this yesterday and decided to pick it up immediately, and it's definitely a new favourite for me. This is such a kind-hearted, gentle, loving story, and it's exactly the kind of fantasy I adore. The way Aeris gave all of these children a loving, accepting place to heal from past abuse until they felt ready to move on was so incredibly beautiful, and I loved seeing William get tangled up in it too.
January 16, 2024
3★ | “Just keep a piece of your heart for yourself next time.”
“Certainly. But giving it to you was no mistake.”
“Certainly. But giving it to you was no mistake.”
July 16, 2021
4/5 Stars
I'll be honest with you. There were only two reasons for as to why I bought this.
1 ) The Ace Rep & 2 ) The Found Family Trope. And since both of those things were done well, I can happily say, that I enjoyed the book.
OK, so characters.
That's the books strongest and - at the same time - weakest point. Look, I said I came for the found family. And I stand by that. But I didn't quiet expect to be confronted with 25 children, with distinctive names, looks and characteristics. I was way to overwhelmed and - sadly - felt like, at some point, I couldn't keep up. All the children became kinda blurry and at the end, I can't even tell you if there was one that stood out a lot. I remember telling my best friend, that they reminded me of kindergarden children and would you look at that, they were actually inspired by kindergardeners. So I guess they were depicted realistically. Doesn't change, that the amount of children was to blame for the 4 stars. If it were 5, maybe 7, I could have maybe been able to keep track. I'd suggest to kill some off, but I don't know if child murder is really the best thing to suggest in a review, so I guess I'll just shut up about it. My criticism still stands: Too many characters.
The characters that did manage to shine, were our two most important ones, our MC Aeris aaaand William. William is a great character. He was the best and I absolutly adored him. He was a good person , without any - at least in my opinion - flaws. He might be a little to impulsive, but he does so with good intentions. Like when we meet him, he got into a fight, because he was protecting a kitten. Sorry, but beating assholes who mistreat animals makes you automatically the best character ever. I don't make the rules.
The way those two talked was also nice to read, especially when the children started to swear and poor William was like 'Well shit'.
They also work really well as partners. Partners in Crime, Parents & (Boy)friends. Those two had such sweet moments and the development of their relationship felt as natural as breathing. They were just great.
I loved the worldbuilding. Although, I would have enjoyed to learn more about the Tall Ones and what their deal was. Like yeah, they are the bad guys but .... is there a reason for as to why they wanna eat children? Can't they just steal them themselves? The conflict reagarding them was nice, but could have been concluded better.
However, I'm pretty sure they were kinda representing the theme and are ment to be more of walking symbols so that's why we didn't get more of them... which ... sure, but I still think they should have gotten more time.
I saw someone list this book as the 'Love is stronger than death' trope which lol, no. The children & Aeiris don't get safed because William was so in love with Aeiris. Love isn't fixing the problem. I mean, if you really wanna read it like that, then maybe it is kinda, but not the romantic one. Not the platonic one and not the family one. Figure out for yourself which one is left.
The reason for as to why people believe that that trope is present, might be the ending. I thought it would end differently, but I didn't think the book would pull the "It's a metaphor' move. If you look at the worldbuilding, the ending seems way to happy for the context. But again, it's about the motive and theme. Which is never really forced in your face, but is also impossible to miss, because everything is build around it.
So what is this book about? What's the theme, you may ask? Well,:
You're past doesn't define you. What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. Life gets better. You choose your own path. There's beauty in everything. Family is more then blood. And -most importantly - your own needs matter, you and you're life matter.
There are some things in there that I'm not getting. I know they are there to support the themes, but honestly, I almost wish some things were a little more spelled out. Especially since every single thing seems to be connected and important.
There is - by the way - not just ace, but also trans rep. Both were done greatly without it being ABOUT them being ace or trans. But it just beeing one aspect of who they are. Made me smile.
Overall, I think this book is a sweet, heart-warming story about all the forms of love.
I'll be honest with you. There were only two reasons for as to why I bought this.
1 ) The Ace Rep & 2 ) The Found Family Trope. And since both of those things were done well, I can happily say, that I enjoyed the book.
OK, so characters.
That's the books strongest and - at the same time - weakest point. Look, I said I came for the found family. And I stand by that. But I didn't quiet expect to be confronted with 25 children, with distinctive names, looks and characteristics. I was way to overwhelmed and - sadly - felt like, at some point, I couldn't keep up. All the children became kinda blurry and at the end, I can't even tell you if there was one that stood out a lot. I remember telling my best friend, that they reminded me of kindergarden children and would you look at that, they were actually inspired by kindergardeners. So I guess they were depicted realistically. Doesn't change, that the amount of children was to blame for the 4 stars. If it were 5, maybe 7, I could have maybe been able to keep track. I'd suggest to kill some off, but I don't know if child murder is really the best thing to suggest in a review, so I guess I'll just shut up about it. My criticism still stands: Too many characters.
The characters that did manage to shine, were our two most important ones, our MC Aeris aaaand William. William is a great character. He was the best and I absolutly adored him. He was a good person , without any - at least in my opinion - flaws. He might be a little to impulsive, but he does so with good intentions. Like when we meet him, he got into a fight, because he was protecting a kitten. Sorry, but beating assholes who mistreat animals makes you automatically the best character ever. I don't make the rules.
The way those two talked was also nice to read, especially when the children started to swear and poor William was like 'Well shit'.
They also work really well as partners. Partners in Crime, Parents & (Boy)friends. Those two had such sweet moments and the development of their relationship felt as natural as breathing. They were just great.
I loved the worldbuilding. Although, I would have enjoyed to learn more about the Tall Ones and what their deal was. Like yeah, they are the bad guys but .... is there a reason for as to why they wanna eat children? Can't they just steal them themselves? The conflict reagarding them was nice, but could have been concluded better.
However, I'm pretty sure they were kinda representing the theme and are ment to be more of walking symbols so that's why we didn't get more of them... which ... sure, but I still think they should have gotten more time.
I saw someone list this book as the 'Love is stronger than death' trope which lol, no. The children & Aeiris don't get safed because William was so in love with Aeiris. Love isn't fixing the problem. I mean, if you really wanna read it like that, then maybe it is kinda, but not the romantic one. Not the platonic one and not the family one. Figure out for yourself which one is left.
The reason for as to why people believe that that trope is present, might be the ending. I thought it would end differently, but I didn't think the book would pull the "It's a metaphor' move. If you look at the worldbuilding, the ending seems way to happy for the context. But again, it's about the motive and theme. Which is never really forced in your face, but is also impossible to miss, because everything is build around it.
So what is this book about? What's the theme, you may ask? Well,:
You're past doesn't define you. What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. Life gets better. You choose your own path. There's beauty in everything. Family is more then blood. And -most importantly - your own needs matter, you and you're life matter.
There are some things in there that I'm not getting. I know they are there to support the themes, but honestly, I almost wish some things were a little more spelled out. Especially since every single thing seems to be connected and important.
There is - by the way - not just ace, but also trans rep. Both were done greatly without it being ABOUT them being ace or trans. But it just beeing one aspect of who they are. Made me smile.
Overall, I think this book is a sweet, heart-warming story about all the forms of love.
July 27, 2021
oh my goodness🥺❤
this is a sweet short story about a forest guardian who takes in abandoned children. it has an asexual mc and a trans love interest, though it mainly centers around found family, and it's done so beautifully. the characters were amazing and i adored the children. it did made me cry in some parts, but only bc of how heartfelt it was.
this is a sweet short story about a forest guardian who takes in abandoned children. it has an asexual mc and a trans love interest, though it mainly centers around found family, and it's done so beautifully. the characters were amazing and i adored the children. it did made me cry in some parts, but only bc of how heartfelt it was.
July 27, 2021
Lovely story with great queer rep
This was sweet, beautifully-written story. The relationship between Aeris & William was soft & loving with a real connection, and the author portrays both Aeris' asexuality and William being trans (this isn't directly stated in the book, but made clear enough in-text) with respect.
She also does a good job of capturing the nature of the children. However, my one tiny criticism was that I couldn't keep track of all the children. It might have worked better with less child characters (perhaps just the ones who are given distinct personalities/ story arcs).
But overall, this was fun, enjoyable read with an ending that brought a smile to my face.
This was sweet, beautifully-written story. The relationship between Aeris & William was soft & loving with a real connection, and the author portrays both Aeris' asexuality and William being trans (this isn't directly stated in the book, but made clear enough in-text) with respect.
She also does a good job of capturing the nature of the children. However, my one tiny criticism was that I couldn't keep track of all the children. It might have worked better with less child characters (perhaps just the ones who are given distinct personalities/ story arcs).
But overall, this was fun, enjoyable read with an ending that brought a smile to my face.
March 3, 2022
This book is just so soft and warm and lovely. I love each and every character so much. I'll just continue to reread this until I die. Thanks.
June 4, 2025
A beautiful story about how you cannot fill from an empty cup, unconditional love and keeping a piece of your heart for yourself
July 1, 2021
This. Is so heartwarming.
Wambheim just has a writing style that really works for me; it focuses on small details and emotional shifts and less on basic descriptions. It just gives me all the feelings.
The cast is quite big with so many children running around but it was handled well. The fantastical influence creates somewhat of a time capsule where the kids can heal and be themselves until they are ready for something new. In general, the soft magic system fit the tone of the story perfectly; I wish I could almost see the clearing, the hollow tree and Aerie keeping watch.
And William - oh, William. The change he goes through.
The story is so much about acceptance and warmth and finding the right place.
(I wanted a little more context and background overall; a few more pages to build up the world more. This is a complete story but I needed a little more to feel fully satisfied.)
Wambheim just has a writing style that really works for me; it focuses on small details and emotional shifts and less on basic descriptions. It just gives me all the feelings.
The cast is quite big with so many children running around but it was handled well. The fantastical influence creates somewhat of a time capsule where the kids can heal and be themselves until they are ready for something new. In general, the soft magic system fit the tone of the story perfectly; I wish I could almost see the clearing, the hollow tree and Aerie keeping watch.
And William - oh, William. The change he goes through.
The story is so much about acceptance and warmth and finding the right place.
(I wanted a little more context and background overall; a few more pages to build up the world more. This is a complete story but I needed a little more to feel fully satisfied.)
September 1, 2023
a lovely cozy woodland story
There is some lovely prose here. You definitely feel the wild woodland all around. Aeris is a woodland creature who cares for orphans for various species. A human, William, is called through a dream, to come help Aeris with the children because he is not well.
There is so much imagery here. I love a good wild forest in my story. There is a slow burn m/m relationship that evolves. The children are precious, especially Hori. I would’ve liked to have more visual description of the children. I had a hard time depicting them in my mind. There is a nod to The House on the Cerulean Sea here. It’s not that story, but characters and plot remind me of it.
A loving story of found family is the cozy read needed on a chill day.
There is some lovely prose here. You definitely feel the wild woodland all around. Aeris is a woodland creature who cares for orphans for various species. A human, William, is called through a dream, to come help Aeris with the children because he is not well.
There is so much imagery here. I love a good wild forest in my story. There is a slow burn m/m relationship that evolves. The children are precious, especially Hori. I would’ve liked to have more visual description of the children. I had a hard time depicting them in my mind. There is a nod to The House on the Cerulean Sea here. It’s not that story, but characters and plot remind me of it.
A loving story of found family is the cozy read needed on a chill day.
April 14, 2023
I'm a sucker for parental relationships; Aeris's and William's interactions with the children are the most wholesome, and so are the ones between them. I couldn't help but utter how beautiful this book was every few pages.
The prose was superb. It's atmospheric with a dark-fey theme and stayed cozy while navigating dark themes. It was a niche novella of everything I love and easily became one of my favourites.
Read my full review: https://tinyelfarcanist.com/2023/04/1...
The prose was superb. It's atmospheric with a dark-fey theme and stayed cozy while navigating dark themes. It was a niche novella of everything I love and easily became one of my favourites.
Read my full review: https://tinyelfarcanist.com/2023/04/1...
Read
August 29, 2025I feel like the most cold-hearted person ever saying it— alas, this novella was kind of insufferable. I resolved on not rating it, mostly to ease my own conscience, largely because I do not know where it would land.
To be frank, outside of the concept, there was nothing really remarkable about this story. In summation, it consisted of “deep” quotes pertaining to family, interchangeable “aw, the kids are playing” scenes and the vaguest (honestly irrelevant) magic system all haphazardly stitched together with ridiculously over-sentimental writing in a way that made even 100 pages feel long.
It attempted meaning, but ultimately sheepishly slunk over the finish line. For example, William’s theme was only beginning to fly in the latter half before it got shot down by the ending. It is Kintsugi, I get it, yet I was more so told it happened than allowed to observe it. Every theme had no beginning, middle nor end; only an introduction and loose one-liners adding to it. Thus, whilst the themes were handled with overall care, they were left unexplored enough to make me raise an eyebrow. It wanted to be a cosy fantasy, yet simultaneously wanted to showcase a child with mangled hands. That is a horrid situation to simply bring up and therefore it feels like it should have something more substantial to say than “child abuse is bad and not the child’s fault”. For a novella, I totally understand the need for brevity. However, why introduce such a heavy theme if it is left only half explored? I think that a more focused exploration of 2 themes at most would have been marginally better than broad strokes of 4. The ace “representation” seemed vestigial and honestly laughably insignificant when presented with fairly the same amount of page time alongside topics such as this.
Its use of visual metaphors was something I appreciated in principle— like William’s which I previously alluded to. The concept of healing from trauma was beautifully illustrated, yet felt so distanced from how emotionally heavy the topic is. Alongside the Kintsugi, the children were building armour that eventually fell away as they healed but there was no simultaneous emotional bond to the physical. It made their physical journey seem like a separate entity entirely instead of being entwined with their personhood. Therefore while it was beautiful, it felt so empty. I believe it was Hori who said that he never wanted to leave and was consoled by Aeris that he could stay forever if he wished. That is a pebble in an ocean and ties in to one of my other problems which is how indistinct the cast is. So yes, he says that but it does not build onto anything established or connect to his journey we see and thus falls flat on its face.
This leads me to say that I think it failed dismally in portraying its central theme. Granted, I am not a parent nor someone with aspirations of ever becoming one, yet even I smelled its disingenuousness. All 24 children were devoid of any personality whatsoever. As in, in my mind they were a unit, a singular— if you will allow me to borrow the writing style for a second. I find it incredible that an arbitrary list of names was somehow expected to suffice in sketching out a scene where the kids are playing. The only fact about them that I can relay with certainty is that Mika was the baby. This book would have been infinitely better served had it shaved more than half the cast off. There was no reason for there to be so many “characters” (I hesitate to say placeholders) if you are not going to use them. The magic should have been the set-dressing instead.
The true thorn in my side, however, was the writing style. Holy guacamole it was pretentious and melodramatic beyond reason— this coming from someone who deliberately seeks out flowery writing. It had repetitions, forced depth, minimum 12 similes per page, the whole nine. Here is but a sample of what I sat through:
“Slowly, slowly, he let go, let go, and properly softened.”
“He woke. Woke to the cool, dark, ruffled peace of the Tree alive and alive with the shift and sigh of those at rest. Everyone asleep. Everyone safe.”
“Freckles scattered like spilled cinnamon across his face;”
“He was a butterfly pinned, surprise a stake through his chest, his alarm as visible as veins on a wing.”
“He would not be seen. He would not be known. Not here, not now.”
“His expression, as he looked out over the clearing, was closed and tight—a bottle too full to risk opening too quickly.”
“As if every thought and instinct turned inward, toward containment and control and quiet, quiet, quiet.”
“Sen's silence felt hungry, restless, and Aeris knew to wait, to leave space, to provide the parchment but leave her the pen.”
“…and how easy, how dangerously easy, to admit no, no, no, he was not, he was breaking, his heart cracking open in his chest and his skin warm, too warm, with the risk of eyes on him—on his face, on his hands.”
“…his guilt and sorrow so palpable that Aeris could taste it: hyacinth and juniper.”
Sincerely, I cannot tell you who this was intended for. Its saccharine pretentiousness makes me think YA, yet the attempt at dark topics turned me towards adult? The swearing was additionally so awkward. It was a no man’s land in terms of rating, themes and demographic it seems.
I take no pride in admitting that this was bad. 2025, when I catch you! Nothing is safe from me this year; even the simplest “fairy tale” about the purity of children and chosen family can bring out the pessimist in me.
I should have known, seeing as “asexual” and “fairy tale” were enough to sell me. I know better now.
To be frank, outside of the concept, there was nothing really remarkable about this story. In summation, it consisted of “deep” quotes pertaining to family, interchangeable “aw, the kids are playing” scenes and the vaguest (honestly irrelevant) magic system all haphazardly stitched together with ridiculously over-sentimental writing in a way that made even 100 pages feel long.
It attempted meaning, but ultimately sheepishly slunk over the finish line. For example, William’s theme was only beginning to fly in the latter half before it got shot down by the ending. It is Kintsugi, I get it, yet I was more so told it happened than allowed to observe it. Every theme had no beginning, middle nor end; only an introduction and loose one-liners adding to it. Thus, whilst the themes were handled with overall care, they were left unexplored enough to make me raise an eyebrow. It wanted to be a cosy fantasy, yet simultaneously wanted to showcase a child with mangled hands. That is a horrid situation to simply bring up and therefore it feels like it should have something more substantial to say than “child abuse is bad and not the child’s fault”. For a novella, I totally understand the need for brevity. However, why introduce such a heavy theme if it is left only half explored? I think that a more focused exploration of 2 themes at most would have been marginally better than broad strokes of 4. The ace “representation” seemed vestigial and honestly laughably insignificant when presented with fairly the same amount of page time alongside topics such as this.
Its use of visual metaphors was something I appreciated in principle— like William’s which I previously alluded to. The concept of healing from trauma was beautifully illustrated, yet felt so distanced from how emotionally heavy the topic is. Alongside the Kintsugi, the children were building armour that eventually fell away as they healed but there was no simultaneous emotional bond to the physical. It made their physical journey seem like a separate entity entirely instead of being entwined with their personhood. Therefore while it was beautiful, it felt so empty. I believe it was Hori who said that he never wanted to leave and was consoled by Aeris that he could stay forever if he wished. That is a pebble in an ocean and ties in to one of my other problems which is how indistinct the cast is. So yes, he says that but it does not build onto anything established or connect to his journey we see and thus falls flat on its face.
This leads me to say that I think it failed dismally in portraying its central theme. Granted, I am not a parent nor someone with aspirations of ever becoming one, yet even I smelled its disingenuousness. All 24 children were devoid of any personality whatsoever. As in, in my mind they were a unit, a singular— if you will allow me to borrow the writing style for a second. I find it incredible that an arbitrary list of names was somehow expected to suffice in sketching out a scene where the kids are playing. The only fact about them that I can relay with certainty is that Mika was the baby. This book would have been infinitely better served had it shaved more than half the cast off. There was no reason for there to be so many “characters” (I hesitate to say placeholders) if you are not going to use them. The magic should have been the set-dressing instead.
The true thorn in my side, however, was the writing style. Holy guacamole it was pretentious and melodramatic beyond reason— this coming from someone who deliberately seeks out flowery writing. It had repetitions, forced depth, minimum 12 similes per page, the whole nine. Here is but a sample of what I sat through:
“Slowly, slowly, he let go, let go, and properly softened.”
“He woke. Woke to the cool, dark, ruffled peace of the Tree alive and alive with the shift and sigh of those at rest. Everyone asleep. Everyone safe.”
“Freckles scattered like spilled cinnamon across his face;”
“He was a butterfly pinned, surprise a stake through his chest, his alarm as visible as veins on a wing.”
“He would not be seen. He would not be known. Not here, not now.”
“His expression, as he looked out over the clearing, was closed and tight—a bottle too full to risk opening too quickly.”
“As if every thought and instinct turned inward, toward containment and control and quiet, quiet, quiet.”
“Sen's silence felt hungry, restless, and Aeris knew to wait, to leave space, to provide the parchment but leave her the pen.”
“…and how easy, how dangerously easy, to admit no, no, no, he was not, he was breaking, his heart cracking open in his chest and his skin warm, too warm, with the risk of eyes on him—on his face, on his hands.”
“…his guilt and sorrow so palpable that Aeris could taste it: hyacinth and juniper.”
Sincerely, I cannot tell you who this was intended for. Its saccharine pretentiousness makes me think YA, yet the attempt at dark topics turned me towards adult? The swearing was additionally so awkward. It was a no man’s land in terms of rating, themes and demographic it seems.
I take no pride in admitting that this was bad. 2025, when I catch you! Nothing is safe from me this year; even the simplest “fairy tale” about the purity of children and chosen family can bring out the pessimist in me.
I should have known, seeing as “asexual” and “fairy tale” were enough to sell me. I know better now.
July 21, 2021
Super cute short story about a non-binary, ace, forest dwelling shapeshifter raising children abandoned by their families. Sweet romance and found family.
December 12, 2022
This book is just the entirety of my personality now. I will be taking no questions at this time. Thanks.
August 9, 2021
This is a beautiful little gem of a story and I hope many more people will discover it. I'm grateful to Ace Book Club for featuring it. It's sweet and beautifully queer, mysterious enough to be engaging but still lighthearted enough to be relaxing. Every time I settled down to read, I was transported into the quiet atmosphere of this magical forest, and I came to care deeply about its characters.
November 12, 2021
This is such a cute little novella. Although I tried it as it was suggested to be a m/m romance and asexual, the romance, though there, is quite subtle in the whole of the story. A slow and gradual thing. Not in a bad way though.
To me, this novella read like a mysterious mystical folk lore story, about found family, magic and the unknown.
A lot of what is going on has you guessing or left unknown. But in that folklore/fantasy way were not everything has to be explained. It’s part of the charm of it.
It’s a truly lovely little short.
To me, this novella read like a mysterious mystical folk lore story, about found family, magic and the unknown.
A lot of what is going on has you guessing or left unknown. But in that folklore/fantasy way were not everything has to be explained. It’s part of the charm of it.
It’s a truly lovely little short.
January 21, 2025
Sobbing. Cried my little eyes out. It was beautiful. A stunning and heartfelt depiction of kindness for those who have only been shown horrors. A found family for children who were abused. And their ace caretaker who has to learn to not pour every part of their being into others, but to also take care of themselves.
October 28, 2025
4.5 stars, rounded up.
Absolutely lovely story, beautiful imagery, heart-wrenching characters. The only thing that takes that final half-star away is the occasional bit of writing that doesn't quite stick the landing and that I believe it could have gone for a little longer in the middle part.
But, did it make me tear up? Damn right it did 🤧
Absolutely lovely story, beautiful imagery, heart-wrenching characters. The only thing that takes that final half-star away is the occasional bit of writing that doesn't quite stick the landing and that I believe it could have gone for a little longer in the middle part.
But, did it make me tear up? Damn right it did 🤧
January 18, 2024
This book was amazing. I loved every minute of it. The message is so heartfelt. Plant yourself in an environment you can flourish with people who love you for who you are. Will definitely re-read this in the future.
May 28, 2024
WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH MY LIFE NOW ?!
July 21, 2024
this was so wholesome i’m sobbing
June 8, 2025
What a wholesome lovely story, so beautifully written with the most lovable, adorable characters ❤️ stay weird and wonderful y'all
June 17, 2025
Way too many grammatical & editing mistakes. It was hard to tell who was speaking. There were so many kids to keep track of that they all seemed arbitrary.
January 30, 2022
This book was absolutely STUNNING. There isn't a ton of plot, per se. It's more about Aeris and how much he loves all of his children and the soft, slow introduction of William to their family. I loved the themes of loss, abandonment, selflessness, and unnecessary self sacrifice. Aeris had so much love to give but he didn't keep nearly enough for himself and his whole family almost lost everything because of it. And then there's William, who needed to learn to let himself be cared for and to recognize his own strength. (sidenote: I envy William's sparkly gold scars SO MUCH) I loved all of the dynamics in this book so much and it absolutely made me cry in the middle of the liquor store at work which totally wasn't awkward at all. I need more soft ace stories like this in my life.
December 29, 2021
The author of this book is both a work colleague and friend of mine, but even so, I promise to leave an honest review.
This is a cute, warm-your-heart story with some fun fantasy elements to it. The story did leave me with a handful of unanswered questions, but all in all, the book was well done. There is no doubt that the author is a skilled writer.
I look forward to reading more of Wambheim's books!!
This is a cute, warm-your-heart story with some fun fantasy elements to it. The story did leave me with a handful of unanswered questions, but all in all, the book was well done. There is no doubt that the author is a skilled writer.
I look forward to reading more of Wambheim's books!!
March 17, 2023
That b99 meme: "I've only had Arlo for a day and a half, but if anything happened to him, I would kill everyone in this room and then myself", that's the energy here.
This is the best found family. Aeris loves his children so much - I definitely did not cry over it, there was a lot of dust in my eyes.
This is the best found family. Aeris loves his children so much - I definitely did not cry over it, there was a lot of dust in my eyes.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews