"The Unbalancing" by R.B. Lemberg is absolutely phenomenal! When Ranra Kekeri steps into the role of starkeeper, she discovers that the star is restlessly sleeping and is causing the ferocious tremors the islands are experiencing, and they will only get worse. Erígra Lilún is a haunted poet who loves their solidarity. Literally, the ghost of their ancestor haunts them! Ranra and Lilún's paths meet, and things get HEAVY. The story was thoroughly exciting and enjoyable. I was consistently on the edge of my seat. I really wish our society was as accepting as the society of Gelle-Geu was. Polyamory and nobinary (ichidi) are of the norm, fully accepted and embraced. Same-sex couples and having more than two parents was ordinary. This is definitely a book I'll be reading again!!
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★★★★★
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"This is a story. But there is more than one way to tell it."
-R.B. Lemberg, "The Unbalancing"

A short but deep queer fantasy with an intriguing magic system and deity.

For me, the language was hard to understand at times, but I am not used to reading this type of novel so that would make sense :) This novel is part of a universe and I have not read any other books from the universe, so that could contribute to my lack of understanding.

BUT, I absolutely loved it anyways! It was the queer romance literary adventure I didn't know I needed until I started reading. I will definitely be reading more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tachyon for giving me the opportunity to review the eARC of this book!

A star’s unease threatens the peaceful island homes of Gelle-Geu, bringing together a starkeeper and a plant-tending poet to prevent disastrous upheaval in The Unbalancing by R.B. Lemberg.

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Beneath the water, a star sleeps uneasily, rocked by nightmares that manifest as tremors throughout the islands of Gelle-Geu. Though the previous starkeeper opted to ignore what this growing distress means for their home, the new starkeeper, Ranra Kekeri, is determined to confront and heal the underlying issue. But Ranra isn’t the only person who could have been starkeeper; Erígra Lilún, a reclusive poet has the capability of power within themselves to have been the starkeeper but not the temperament to deal with people, much to the dismay of their ghostly ancestor Semberi, who carried the star here and mysteriously imparts tales of the stars’ deliverance by the goddess Bird. After Ranra and Lilún meet, they are drawn to one another, but the magic of their deepnames and how they connect highlights trouble they have yet to face.

With magic and lore infused within the heart of the narrative that moves fairly swiftly, the world of magical constructs, ghosts, and stars impacting life around them was engaging and fascinating to experience. As an exploration in the Birdverse, this felt much easier to read than The Four Profound Weaves; perhaps it was because I had read Lemberg’s writing before and now have some context of the Birdverse or perhaps because this story appeared to be more straightforward in what it’s presenting. Written in a way that doesn’t feel inorganic to the narrative or overly didactic to readers, the text demonstrates the power and importance of naming and identity, both in terms of pronouns and sexuality, as well as neurodiversity, while depicting gaining consent similarly; consistent with previous works, there was impressive diversity of representation within the characters of this world. Though the budding of their relationship seemed to be on the more unbelievable and instantaneous side, the dynamic between Ranra and Lilún was interesting and the foundation between them is built well, combining their different views for the benefit of all.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

2023 Pride Storybundle :D

Dumped into a universe, with little description visually, historically etc. & trying to understand what, how and the way the magic, gods & deep names worked left me feeling really lost for over half the book. Which was a disappointment because I loved the characters! The neurodiverse and binaryverse were woven in seamlessly.
Would definitely try another book by this author