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.
The Tale That Twines
Eternal Library Book 2
The Tale That Twines is an adult fantasy novel about queer bookbinding witches, found family, memory, fandom, and the power of story to heal from trauma! It is the second book in the Eternal Library Series and the first of two prequels. It also has a companion divination deck called the Threadbound Oracle; the characters are on the cards, and the cards appear prominently in Book 1, The Thread That Binds.
For readers who like:
Found and bio-family dynamics
Entirely queer cast of characters, including many aro & ace-spectrum
Autistic ADHD narrator & neurodivergent main cast
Queernorm society
Extremely slow burn friends to lovers romance
The power of friendship and fandom
Deep thoughts, cozy vibes
Magical art, writing, & traditional crafting
Fantasy 1970s/80s setting
Intergenerational mentor/student friendship
Trauma healing
B I G L I B R A R Y
Buy directly from Numinous Spirit Press
Buy elsewhere
Heat Level: Low to Medium-Low (depending on your sensitivity)
Contains mild innuendo, brief reference to kink, general discussion of sexuality and attraction as a concept, mild flowery thoughts of sexual attraction, and brief lead up to an off-page sex scene.
Content Warnings
Please be advised that the following appear in The Tale That Twines, and though I’ve done my best to handle them with care, may be upsetting to some:
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
scene involving childhood bullying related to neurodivergency
brief reference to ableism against ADHD and autistic people
brief reference to past aphobia directed at demisexuals
brief reference to past childhood sexual abuse
scenes depicting toxic friendship involving gaslighting and religious bigotry
scene depicting childhood cancer and chronic illness in a hospital setting
casual use of alcohol and weed
Bold = major theme.