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A review by geekinthejeep
The Unbalancing by R.B. Lemberg
4.0
Thank you to Tachyon Publications and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This was my first exposure to the works of R.B. Lemberg and their Birdverse, so I went into this ARC completely blind. Overall, it was a very pleasant surprise and a fun read with a few weaknesses.
The Unbalancing follows the dual perspectives of Erígra Lilún, poet and quince tree-keeper, whose only wish in life is to be left alone to their work and their quiet life. Their ancient ancestor, Semberi, cannot allow this to happen as long as the restlessly sleeping star that keeps their island home alive threatens to rumble and destroy everything they hold dear. When Erígra rejects the role of Starkeeper, it instead falls to Ranra Kekeri, brash and loud and determined to fix the problem that has been left to her by her predecessors. Erígra and Ranra will come together to learn the mysteries of how their star was delivered to them by their ancient goddess, Bird, and maybe even how to save their island and their people.
The good: The depth into which this book discusses gender and sexual identity is something beautiful. There are so many different ways to identify as nonbinary, or different versions of queer (my asexual heart was delighted to see mentions of adar people), and all of them are equally accepted and celebrated on the island of Gelle-Geu. Neurodivergence isn't made out to be anything villainized, either; accommodations are normalized and casually mentioned throughout. The magic system is interesting, and it is very clear that Lemberg has created a deep, rich mythology in their Birdverse. Both PoVs are equally interesting and unique, and you don't feel like you're missing out when the story focuses on one character over the other. The story is a fascinating investigation on endings and new beginnings, and what that means to different people.
Struggles: The book was billed as being the first full-length novel in the series, but it felt instead like I had been thrown into the middle of a long, overarching series and had to scramble to catch up. Even a glossary in the back would have been helpful for all of these terms being thrown at me from page 1. My other main struggle was the feeling of insta-love between the two leads; while both were fascinating characters on their own and together, Erígra discusses their feelings of being some sort of (unnamed) demi/grey-romantic, and yet they fall in love within a few days of meeting.
I'll definitely be searching for further pieces in this series, since The Unbalancing has left me curious about the overall mythology! A strong first full-length book in the series.
This was my first exposure to the works of R.B. Lemberg and their Birdverse, so I went into this ARC completely blind. Overall, it was a very pleasant surprise and a fun read with a few weaknesses.
The Unbalancing follows the dual perspectives of Erígra Lilún, poet and quince tree-keeper, whose only wish in life is to be left alone to their work and their quiet life. Their ancient ancestor, Semberi, cannot allow this to happen as long as the restlessly sleeping star that keeps their island home alive threatens to rumble and destroy everything they hold dear. When Erígra rejects the role of Starkeeper, it instead falls to Ranra Kekeri, brash and loud and determined to fix the problem that has been left to her by her predecessors. Erígra and Ranra will come together to learn the mysteries of how their star was delivered to them by their ancient goddess, Bird, and maybe even how to save their island and their people.
The good: The depth into which this book discusses gender and sexual identity is something beautiful. There are so many different ways to identify as nonbinary, or different versions of queer (my asexual heart was delighted to see mentions of adar people), and all of them are equally accepted and celebrated on the island of Gelle-Geu. Neurodivergence isn't made out to be anything villainized, either; accommodations are normalized and casually mentioned throughout. The magic system is interesting, and it is very clear that Lemberg has created a deep, rich mythology in their Birdverse. Both PoVs are equally interesting and unique, and you don't feel like you're missing out when the story focuses on one character over the other. The story is a fascinating investigation on endings and new beginnings, and what that means to different people.
Struggles: The book was billed as being the first full-length novel in the series, but it felt instead like I had been thrown into the middle of a long, overarching series and had to scramble to catch up. Even a glossary in the back would have been helpful for all of these terms being thrown at me from page 1. My other main struggle was the feeling of insta-love between the two leads; while both were fascinating characters on their own and together, Erígra discusses their feelings of being some sort of (unnamed) demi/grey-romantic, and yet they fall in love within a few days of meeting.
I'll definitely be searching for further pieces in this series, since The Unbalancing has left me curious about the overall mythology! A strong first full-length book in the series.