The Tale That Twines by Cedar McCloud

All we have is now. Forty years before THE THREAD THAT BINDS, Juniper Starstitch returns to Caspora City young and hopeful. Chosen to be Head Librarian Opaline Sweetfrond's last apprentice, June arrives at the Eternal Library looking to discover the magical manuscript art of Illumination—and to recover the memories lost to the trauma of the massive earthquake that killed one of eir parents a decade earlier. June quickly discovers that these memories can be recovered through the ancient art of reading etheric Threads, the spiritual ties that link the world together. But remembering can be painful, and living in the past means missing out on the present. Even to the point that June’s beloved apprenticeship is threatened by eir inability to let go. It will take the help of friends both old and new for June to untangle the knotted threads of time, including the mysterious and stern Aeronwy Greengrove, who June may or may not be falling in love with, one song at a time.

Adult • Diversity Representation/LGBTQ+/Own Voices • Diversity Representation/Mental Health/Own Voices • Fantasy/Cozy, Low, Mundane, and Slice of Life • Diversity Representation/Neurodiversity/Own Voices

Content Warning: grief over childhood death of a parent, traumatic memory loss, scenes describing the experience of surviving a large scale natural disaster (earthquake), descriptions of panic attacks, anxiety, flashbacks, autistic meltdowns, and depression

APGoodman

A cozy fantastical tale of self-discovery and self-acceptance. McCloud creates a complex world of magic unlike any other that focuses on ourselves and what ties us to the universe we live in. This book will pull at your heartstrings and leave you feeling empowered.