For those unacquainted with the works of R.B. Lemberg, the Birdverse is a complex fantasy world with magic, a goddess named Bird, and a cast full of LGBTQ characters. Part of the world is inspired by their Jewish faith, specifically the Khana people. The magic is based around deepnames; with five-syllable names being the weakest up to the strongest one-syllable names of which a person can have up to three of. These names can form different configurations and scholars dedicated to studying them. There is a strong focus on queer identity, art, and healing weaved into the personal stories about people overcoming hardships and being true to themselves.
There are several short fiction pieces, poems, and now a full-length novel set in the same universe.

While The Unbalancing can work as a starting point, I would personally recommend one of their short stories like Grandmother-Nai-Leylit's Cloth of Winds to see if you like their writing first as it's one of the most unique features. While The Four Profound Weaves was written earlier, its world-building is much denser and makes the reader work to understand it all.


In this story, we are on the island of Gelle-Geu, the home of one of the stars from the creation myth for centuries. And change is coming with its new keeper, Ranra, who is determined to do a good job with such important responsibilities. There is also Lilún, a local poet still working out their nonbinary identity, who is being compelled by their ghost and ancestor Semberi to take up starkeeping themselves.
Told in a dual point of view, we follow them meeting for the first time and see sparks fly. And as the plot slowly unravels with their new relationship, we learn more about the history of theisland. The romance here is both soft and wild – their initial connection is strong but the timing is not perfect and there is still the waking star hanging above their heads.


The writing has this lyrical, dream-like quality. It creates this beautiful atmosphere that is complemented by the setting. Lemberg has a way of describing simple things – the trees on a mountain, the sea touching the shore – that work to enrich both her world and her characters. As to be expected, storytelling is an important part of this world and this book – Semberi tells their stories and there are also poems and songs.

Gender identity is a major theme. Lilún is still looking for a name for their gender identity. Her people have several different names and tokens for ichidi (nonbinary people) and we meet quite a few people with unique experiences. They are also autistic and on the asexual spectrum, which equally informs how they interact with the world around them.
Consent and responsibility is another theme. Ranra is bold and self-assured until she discovers the dire situation the last starkeeper has left with. She needs to decide how she – and not anyone else – wants to deal with the star and become a leader her people can be proud of.


It's a close character study, a sapphic romance, a redemption story, and a fantasy book with determined ghosts and cats all in one.

Note - Review posted to Amazon but pending approval

The Four Profound Weaves by R.B. Lemberg was one of my favorite reads in the first half of the year, and now The Unbalancing has taken up it’s space beside it for this half of the year. The Unbalancing follows two characters as they attempt to find out what is causing the star in the heart of their homeland to tremble with nightmares. The nightmares in fact have begun to disrupt and may possibly destroy this land if they cannot stop them in time.

The important thing to remember about the writing in these books - that I’ve found at least - is that R.B. Lemberg is a poet. That reflects in the style of their prose. It’s beautiful and at times leans to the purple, in the best possible way. It can seem slow to read, but ultimately the world it paints and the characters are intense and very real, with meat on them.

The primary characters of The Unbalancing are deeply flawed and nuanced - one clearly struggles with an unspecified neurodivergence. They are quiet, very introverted, and wants more than anything to keep to their safe spaces. Our other character is the opposite, full of fire and quick action. I loved them both though it took me a good chunk of reading with Ranra, the more outgoing of the two. Erígra was by far my favorite. I deeply felt many of their needs and questions and empathized with them throughout the whole book.

Outside characters from our primary ones were equally as nuanced and fascinating. We get frequent references to Weaves, but in an approachable and very fun ‘Ah Ha!’ kind of way. The story of the Birdverse is also explored and explained in a deeper way. From the idea of who Bird is to the seven stars and who they were before they were brought to the world. That itself was heartbreaking, the realizations behind those stars.

Ultimately this book felt to me - and I think it’s one that will feel and hit different for a lot of people - to be a lot about beginnings and endings. Finding out truths about yourself and others. One of the biggest themes for me was also Failure. How to carry failure, and carry pain. The book is heavy at times, Erígra is attempting to learn just who they are and how they identify. Ranra is struggling with a history of abuse from her mother, who suffers from an ‘illness of the mind’. Their world is literally being destroyed at the same time as they’re trying to sort these things out (something the book touches on, when is the right time to find oneself or take care of yourself). So don’t expect a light read.

I adored it. I wish I could break down every theme and character, but I would get lost in the weeds and truly - I’m still sorting them out in my own head. I loved this and deeply recommend it if you want a heavier, more intense read that really grapples with a lot of themes.

A really rich piece of almost mythological-feeling worldbuilding; I would recommend it as an introduction to the Birdverse as a whole, as it manages to communicate the conceits and limits of its invented systems (both magical and sociological) in a really clear way while not at the expense of any character development or plot progression. I was really surprised and then fascinated by the narrative arc ending in (partial) failure—a level of “realistic” uncertainty one doesn’t see too frequently in plots like this.

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.

I've read short stories from this author and I was so excited to see this novel offering! The worldbuilding in this is fantastic. I can't adequately say how excited I am by the OwnVoices representation and hope to continue seeing more of it! I love the way this is character-focused and I loved the style of the writing.

I loved a lot about this book: the casual queerness in a society that is just like that (truly a utopia), the concept of the deepnames and the starkeeper, the way the world was described and the poetry of the writing style. However it felt a little rushed, and more of the world building could have been expanded upon to give us all a deeper understanding of things. There was a lot of repetition of things that felt didn't really need to be repeated, but perhaps that is my own personal pet peeve about repetition cropping up. I wanted more of a development between Lilun and Ranra, because I'm not a huge fan of insta-love, and even with Lilun wanting things to go slow, it was pretty much A Thing from the get go.

However, as someone with autistic traits, I could really relate to a lot of things that Lilun experienced (though not all of it, because we're all different, and that's the beauty of things) and it felt nice to be seen in that way, but I wished that there was a bit more of an understanding of them by other characters.

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!

An exquisitely crafted story about love and deep magic, about people coming to terms with the past and their own powers, set in a community and a landscape that faces total destruction. I've been a fan of Lemberg's Birdverse stories for years, and this book delves deep into the magic that helped create the world and create the magic woven into that world. There's a love story here, twined together with the story of a place and a people shaped by, and tied to, the star that once fell into the sea near their island. Lemberg's prose is a thing of beauty as always, and there's a quiet fierceness to this story that I found absolutely mesmerizing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tachyon Publications for this eARC!

Beneath the waters by the islands of Gelle-Geu, a star sleeps restlessly. The celebrated new starkeeper Ranra Kekeri, who is preoccupied by the increasing tremors, confronts the problems left behind by her predecessor. Meanwhile, the poet Erígra Lilún, who merely wants to be left alone, is repeatedly asked by their ancestor Semberi to take over the starkeeping helm. Semberi insists upon telling Lilún mysterious tales of the deliverance of the stars by the goddess Bird.

This is clearly an instance of it's not you, it's me. I haven't read anything in the Birdversee before and decided to just dive in because the description of this book intrigued me. Sadly, the writing didn't catch me at all and one thing that massively threw me off was the made up swearing. In the Birdverse people believe in the goddess Bird and thus there is a lot of Bird-related swearing. While made up swear words will always sound a bit silly, things like "pluck it" just had me laughing every single time and not in the way I should be.

However, if you're really interested in contemplations of gender and gender identity within fantasy, I would still suggest you give this book a try.

There's no entry into the Birdverse, You just open the book and you're there. The way the Birdverse unfolds before and around me is part of what is so rich and magical about it.

I was hooked on R.B. Lemberg's work after reading The Four Profound Weaves,. Both books drop you right into the Birdverse and leave you to sort out the details as you go. There's no time to decide whether this is a world you WANT or not. It's a world you're in, and now you have to see how it works. There's something very, very good about this (I do feel as if the Unbalancing is a bit smoother with this process, but that's what happens when authors keep writing books - they get even better).

R.B. Lemberg is a skilled worldbuilder, and the Birdverse is a perfect and rich example of what speculative fiction is meant to do. The world they've created is one in which "they" is a given: there's room for all kinds of fluidity, neurodivergence, sexual preference (or not) and gender expression. Chances are that if any of these things are especially important in your life, you'll feel seen here in a way that is joyous, powerful and necessary.

Anyone with the power to distribute literature to people who need it should have R.B. Lemberg's work in their library.

This book was nothing like I expected. It would have been in my best interest to read more in the Birdverse before embarking, but nevertheless I greatly enjoyed The Unbalancing even with no framework by which to base it on.

In a mix of poetry and prose, The Unbalancing is a deep character study set in a fantastical, gorgeously exposed world. Relationships, love, culture and belonging are all themes that are carefully parsed and beautifully thought out. Ideas around queer romance, the inner workings of the brain and how we see the world are so intimately shown it felt like a direct glimpse into the authors mind. I find it quite hard to adequately put into words the depth and beauty of this story, only that if you’re looking for a speculative, character driven story that will stick with you long after you finish it, this is the one for you.

This novel explores what it means to come together as a group for the common good, and what to do in the aftermath despite the outcome. It was beautiful! My favorite aspect was that the ichidi, or as we would call them nonbinary people, were so normalized and accepted in their society, it’s amazing to see such positive nb rep!

I enjoyed this book, and one of the reasons was that I felt very comfortable reading it.

Part of it was certainly the way the gender binary is a non-starter in this near-paradise archipelago, which makes me feel safe as a person outside the gender binary myself. This is added to, maybe paradoxically, by the mentions that the world outside of the island nation is not as free from gendered restrictions, and that gendered violence is real and terrifying. The knowledge that this island is a safe haven rather than the norm makes it feel even more special. Additionally, everyone respects each other. Even characters who don't particularly like each other, or have a complicated history, generally treat each other with respect. When characters make each other uncomfortable for any reason, they are tired or read a situation wrong, they apologize. Overall, despite the tensions of, you know, the actual plot, I felt rather cozy reading it.

I also thought that the magical system was intriguing. The concept of secret names which give power is nothing new, but I felt the way it was employed was exceptional. The visual of deep names swirling above one's head like stars as they cast magic added to the wistful, celestial atmosphere of the book.

The only thing that real broke my immersion was the occasional use of the word "style" in relation to how a character does something. It seemed garishly modern against the rest of the setting, to say "that's just not their style".

Otherwise I think this is an good start to a series and I am very excited to see how it progresses after the impactful end of this first book.

I feel genuinely upset about not enjoying this one, and I do think it’s a me-problem – everyone else loved Four Profound Weaves, the novella Lemberg wrote in this verse and which I was quite meh about, and so far the early reviews for Unbalancing are overwhelmingly positive too. And I’m confused, because on paper this is a checklist of so many things I love – and I adore Lemberg’s short stories!

But reading this just felt exhausting. It felt like a chore. I still love the premise and the diversity, I’m still in awe of Lemberg’s imagination, but I got halfway through the book and just did not care how it was going to end. I didn’t find the prose beautiful, as somarimy other reviewers have; I thought it was quite plain and also kind of stilted, stopping and starting with a very jerky rhythm. Things moved so fast I had no time to process or understand them, and as much as I appreciate jewelry that indicates your nonbinary identity and discussions of sexuality and consent, those are not what I came to this book looking for. I wanted a fabulous story about stars and magic, and that was kind of lacking. It didn’t help that I didn’t find either of the main characters very interesting, and wasn’t the slightest bit invested in their romance.

Written in third person with lush, beautiful prose, I think I could have loved this. In blunt first person, not so much, unfortunately.

The Unbalancing is a book about survival and being realistic (even in a world of magic) and consent and neurodivergent life, all set in Lemberg's fantastical Birdverse. There's a lot here that is philosophical and intellectual, but Lemberg always manages to keep the storyline moving forward. The book nods to the traditional Western shape for storytelling--intro, conflict, crisis, resolution--but also avoids this form, making the book somewhat circular and focused on personal decisions, sharing, attraction, and action. It's also a different way of approaching climate fiction, and is meditative and full of beautiful language even when describing catastrophe. I love the pace of the novel, the way the characters become involved and care for one another, and the introspection of the narrator. I'd love to read this with other people who know Lemberg's other BIrdverse work; having said that, though, I think it can stand on its own with newcomers to the author's writing.

Wow. This is my first foray into the Birdverse that R.B. Lemberg has built and WOW. This is an absolutely beautiful world, a sort of Utopia of identity and love but with a heartbreaking series of flaws and mistakes that cause the ultimate catastrophe. For such a short novel, this story contains multitudes. Magic, ghosts, queer and gender acceptance, neurodivergence, love, the pain of an unloving parent, the joy of friendship, false confidence, and the reality of facing the consequences of our choices. I am truly blown away. Reading this story from the perspectives of two vastly different characters who must come together to solve an impending apocalypse feels like watching a beautiful train wreck - I'm sure there's a better way to say that, but that's all I can come up with.

If you don't enjoy being dropped in a fantasy world where world-building is minimal and the author trusts you to figure it out along the way, this is not the book for you. But if you want immersion and beautiful prose, I cannot recommend this story highly enough. The sheer amount of pain in this story keeps it from being a 5 star read for me, but if any more stories come out from this universe, I will read them eagerly.

**Thank you to Tachyon Publications and Netgalley for the eARC**

Huge thanks to the author, R. B. Lemberg, the publisher, Tachyon, and NetGalley for the advance reader copy of this book.

The short version of what may be a behemoth of a review: If you’re looking for lyrical prose, an action-packed magical fantasy reminiscent of the legend of Atlantis, protagonists that focus on the facets of trans identity and neurodivergence, found family, queer romance, emotive worldbuilding, an original magic system, ghosts, and a wholly unique voice in the speculative fiction landscape- this is THE book you need. If you’re looking for a traditional fantasy story that won’t rock the boat or make you think a lot- this might not be the book for you, but still try it just in case.

“The Unbalancing” impacted me in such a strong way that I feel nearly incapable of doing it justice in a review, but trust me when I say that this will be one of my most recommended novels of the year, and perhaps my favorite novel of 2022. I want to yell about it from the rooftops. I want to re-read it. I want my book club to read it, I want my pastor to read it, and I want every librarian in my state to read it and put it in their collections.

Lemberg dumps the reader into the universe of Birdverse with relatively little introduction, but I appreciate how some of the mythology and history of the culture is explained via oral history sharing between the characters in the novel. Although some reviewers have complained about the lack of visual descriptions of the setting or straightforward explanations for the universe the story is set in, I think Lemberg does an excellent job of providing us just enough information to follow the plot while keeping the novel moderately cerebral. If you’ve never read any of Lemberg’s Birdverse works, you should have no problem still following the plot of “The Unbalancing.” Personally, I think that the Birdverse setting is more approachable and easier to conceptualize in “The Unbalancing,” compared to another Birdverse novel, “The Four Profound Weaves,” especially for those of us who have not read Lemberg’s extensive number of other Birdverse works.

What stands out to me about “The Unbalancing” is the descriptions of the protagonists’ internal experiences throughout the novel. Rather than focusing all of their energy on the plot, Lemberg delves deep into the narrators’ identities, and you can truly see Lemberg’s own life experience shine through in the lyrical expositions of each protagonist’s story and the way their identities intersect. This is an Own Voices novel of genuinely astounding quality. I’m not sure if I’ve ever before felt such an intimate connection with a narrator.

The overall plot of “The Unbalancing,” of two people figuring out how to love and how to save their home and culture at the same time, was exciting and kept me seriously engaged. The couple of twists at the end- when we learn more about the star’s magic and creation, and how the protagonists act during what is effectively the apocalypse- answered many of the questions I had from earlier in the book.

In conclusion: Read this, as soon as possible, and then read it again.

Thank you, Tachyon Publications, for allowing me to read The Unbalancing early!

After receiving quite a large number of galleys, principally debuts, I noticed how strong this year will be for queer ones. In their debut novel, R. B. Lemberg crafted such a lyrical romance that removed with care my heart from my body and offered it to me again one piece at a time; and simultaneously an introspective look at community, neurodivergence and queerness.

Such a beautiful cover, and the blurb was really intriguing!

I saw that it was part of a universe already established by the author, but it honestly felt like starting in the middle of a series. There is almost no worldbuilding, no descriptions, I couldn't really picture much.

For me, there was too much focus on gender identity, particularly all the variations of non-binary. It was more a contemplation and essay than an actual novel. Also a huge focus on the idea of consent; not necessarily in a relationship, but in general like "will this entity that I don't really understand (the star) consent to my being its keeper?". It felt like the plot was secondary, which may very well work for some readers, but didn't for me.

Another thing that didn't work for me was the use of made-up swear words. Because there is a Bird goddess, swearwords are bird-themed, so people will repeatedly say 'pluck you!', which sounded a bit silly to me.

I liked the idea of the magic system, which was quite innovative, but I also couldn't fully grasp it. So just by saying their deepnames in their head, they could summon magic and do...pretty much anything? And there were grids of deepnames all around, not just in people?

I also liked the idea of the characters: a shy and reclusive poet, versus a brash and loud starkeeper. It was thought versus action. Unfortunately, their relationship developed far too quickly to be believable or for me to get invested in it.

Overall, I just didn't really get to care about any of it (yet somehow the ending was still quite unsatisfactory).

THE UNBALANCING is an unbalanced work (heh). I’ve previously liked much of Lemberg’s other works, including their novella THE FOUR PROFOUND WEAVES as well as many Birdverse poems. They’re delightfully original, depicting a very queer and diverse world. The worldbuilding is quite interesting, if abstract—I felt a bit lost at times, but if I got it right this book is about a sleeping star having nightmares, threatening a nearby city- which means a starkeeper and a poet have to try and heal the star.

It's a very magic-infused book, definitely easier to read than THE FOUR PROFOUND WEAVES, but it still feels a bit too much for me. An extended version with more of a focus on the plot and the characters would do wonders, I reckon. But if you’re willing to forgive its somewhat ramshackle plot, you’ll be enraptured by its mythology (still the main appeal to the Birdverse, for me), the tremendous amount of diversity and the way people express it (not just queer, but also neurodiversity, and cultural).

If anything, it’s an interesting read. I think it will grow on me on a re-read. It’s a poetic and fleeting work—unique, inspiring wonder, feeling like a small story in a much bigger world.