The books are restless.
At the Eternal Library, books are more than the paper, ink, and thread they're made from--they're full of spirits. Only a handful of people will ever be invited to the Bindery to learn the craft of Illumination: the magical creation of intricate illustrated manuscripts, bound with a secret that will make them last forever.
Tabby is a dreamwalker, a witch who escapes into the stories of sleep to avoid a birth family that's never loved em enough. Amane is a cartomancer, a medium who speaks for the Unseen, but doesn’t know how to speak her own needs. Rhiannon is a psychic, an archivist who can See into the past, but only has eyes on the future.
Their stories intertwine as they discover the secrets of Illumination, the Library's archives, and those of their mentors--the three of whom are competing to be the next Head Librarian, the Speaker for all the books. How do you know who's truly worth being part of your family? Sometimes we must forge connections in order to heal; other times, those bonds must be broken.
The Thread That Binds
Eternal Library Book 1
is an adult fantasy novel about queer bookbinding witches forming a found family, falling in love, and keeping their magic library out of the hands of an abuser. It was released on October 1, 2020 for Kickstarter backers and pre-orderers, and is now available to purchase via the links above. It also has a companion divination deck called the Threadbound Oracle; the characters are on the cards, and the cards appear in the novel.
You may like The Thread That Binds if you like:
Found- and bio-family dynamics
Entirely queer cast of characters
Aroace narrator
Queernorm society
Slow burn workplace romance
Main characters in a long term queerplatonic relationship
Polyamory
Deep topics with cozy endings
Check out and preorder Book 2, The Tale That Twines, here!
Scroll down for purchasing options and content warnings.
Major retailers and review
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Content Warnings
Please be advised that the following appear in The Thread That Binds, and though I’ve done my best to handle them with care, may be triggering to some (bolded lines are major themes):
emotional abuse, manipulation, and gaslighting by parents to an adult child, and by a mentor/boss to an employee
discussion of past emotional child abuse and its effects
a nightmare concerning past emotional child abuse
mention and brief threat of domestic violence
minor character death/death of a mentor (off page, peaceful, assisted death)
mention of terminal cancer diagnosis (not explored further beyond one line)
characters attend a memorial service/funeral
discussion of toxic friendships
descriptions of anxiety, panic attack, and PTSD symptoms, including dissociation
use of spiritual/religious beliefs to manipulate people and accrue power
weight loss due to illness
a murderous historical figure being worshipped/admired
expressions of grief
casual alcohol use
You can find further explanations and elaborations on these warnings here. Please be advised that this page contains many spoilers for the story.
If there’s something I haven’t listed that you want to be sure is or isn’t in the book, please message me here. As someone with C-PTSD, it’s important to me that you feel safe!