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[STARRED REVIEW] “This first full-length novel in Lemberg’s acclaimed Birdverse (The Four Profound Weaves, 2020) shines with the author’s signature lush, dreamlike prose and nuanced explorations of trans and queer identity. The islands of Gelle-Geu are disturbed by a star that sleeps fitfully beneath the waves, its nightmares rocking the land with earthquakes increasing in frequency and severity. New starkeeper Ranra is determined to do whatever it takes to learn what is wrong and fix it to save her home from destruction. Poet and gardener Erígra Lilún is descended from the first starkeeper, Semberí. Semberí insists that Erígra is the only one who can wake the star and end its devastating nightmares, but Erígra has no interest in being starkeeper. Ranra and Erígra are instantly drawn to one another and fall into a romantic relationship even as the danger to Gelle-Geu increases. Both Ranra and Erígra have challenging and gratifying personal growth arcs, approached with the same thoughtfulness and determination the characters bring to bear on the threat facing their community. Lovingly crafted with a deep and rewarding world full of complex characters who are often LGBTQIA+ and/or neurodiverse, this is an outstanding novel from a rising star in fantasy fiction.”
—Booklist

“An enchanting world of star lore, magic and gender identity with a roster of heartfelt characters told with such rich prose that kept me rooting for Ranra.”
—Tlotlo Tsamaase, The Silence of the Wilting Skin

“In all their fiction from the fascinating Birdverse world, Lemberg centers marginalized identities: queer, trans, neurodiverse, elderly, and more The Unbalancing is Lemberg’s first novel-length book to take place in the Birdverse. It’s a poetic and magical Atlantis-esque novel and a perfect introduction to the Birdverse.”
—Buzzfeed

“Set in Lemberg’s Birdverse, this lyrical fantasy novel is a queer, nonbinary Atlantis . . . a wonderful balance of thoughtful world-building with intense character work.”
—Autostraddle

“The intricate world of magical names and variations of gender identity provide nuance and character growth while still providing enough action to build to its climactic end. VERDICT Lemberg’s first full-length novel in their lauded ‘Birdverse’ (following the novella The Four Profound Weaves) showcases elegant and lyrical prose to create an immersive romantic fantasy.”
—Library Journal

“The finely wrought first full-length outing into Lemberg’s inclusive and lushly folkloric Birdverse universe (after the novella The Four Profound Weaves) begins centuries after the goddess Bird carried 12 stars into the world.... Brisk action balances the meditations on gender and glimpses of the complex magic system as this unpredictable tale wends to an intense and deeply moving climax. It’s bittersweet and lovely.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Readers of Lemberg’s poetry and fiction will delight in The Unbalancing, which expands the geography of the Birdverse beyond the city of Iyar and the Great Burri Desert, the backdrops for events in Lemberg’s Nebula-award finalist, The Four Profound Weaves (2020).”
—FEMSPEC

“Despair, love, survival, death, identity, and community are intimately intertwined in the Birdverse. This is one of the most beautiful and important books I’ve read this year.”
—Nibidita Sen, Hugo, Nebula, and Ignyte Award-nominated author

“In a narrative by turns gentle and implacable, Lemberg writes movingly and magnificently about disaster, survival, and hope.”
—Kate Elliott, author of the Crown of Stars series

“[The Unbalancing] impacted me greatly, yes, you should read this book. [It] is a respite and a consolation. It made me cry, and gave me strength.”
—Trans Narrative

“Beautiful and queer and challenging and tender.”
 —Ada Hoffmann, Philip K. Dick Award finalist and author of The Outside

“R. B Lemberg’s  Birdverse is one of my favorite places to visit, full of queer possibilities and deep emotional and philosophical musings. In The Unbalancing they give us wonder, devastation, resilience, and love.”
—Julia Rios, Hugo Award-winning editor of Uncanny Magazine

“Lemberg’s prose is soaked in magic, magic that’s full of space and light and sound. The Unbalancing manages to be both ethereal and earthy.”
—Craig Laurance Gidney, author of A Spectral Hue

“The first full-length novel in the expansive Birdverse series, The Unbalancing is an LGBTQ+ fantasy overflowing with heart. . . . No prior knowledge of the Birdverse is necessary to appreciate the worldbuilding of this novel.””
—Foreword

“A novel at times raging, at times romantic, but through everything beautiful and powerfully human.”
—Charles Payseur, author of The Burning Day

“A beautiful and nuanced work about love, power, and magic.”
—Quick Sip Reviews

“The Unbalancing is a story of people and their power, in nature and society, in interactions and relationships, and of consent and belonging, and of failure and hope.”
—Scott H. Andrews, World Fantasy Award-winning Editor/Publisher of Beneath Ceaseless Skies Magazine

“Reading this book is like diving into the most beautiful language exploring various aspects of human possibility. Everything in this book is so fluid from the words, the setting itself, but also the characters—the way they think, the way they feel, and the way they present.”
—Infinite Text

5/5 stars. “A beautiful read, and its ending is as beautiful as it is tragic. This novel is rich, with many layers that you can just sink your teeth into. I love this diverse world with queer characters and all kinds of families.”
—Book Blogging

“Beautiful and queer and challenging and tender. And it’s a story that could not have been told without Erígra’s autistic point of view, without a deep respect for needs like Erígra’s, which comes from lived, thoughtful experience. I love all of R. B. Lemberg’s work, but I might love this book most out of any of them.”
—Autistic Book Party

“An exquisite marriage of imaginative world-building, insightful relationships, and a compelling story. . . . As with Lemberg’s previous novella, The Four Profound Weaves, The Unbalancing is a tale of emotional power and superbly handled prose that often approaches poetry in its nuance and poise. Highly recommended.”
—Deborah Ross

“Some of the best nonbinary rep I’ve seen in SFF fiction, and two people who find deep connection when they least expect it. . . . The Unbalancing is a beautiful novel.”
—M. Crane Hana, author of Moro’s Price

5/5 stars. “This novel is rich, with many layers that you can just sink your teeth into. I love this diverse world with queer characters and all kinds of families.”
 —Cloud Reads Books

“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 its space beside it for this half of the year.”
—Wayseeker’s Books

“The Unbalancing is amazing. R. B. Lemberg is a skilled worldbuilder, and the Birdverse is a perfect and rich example of what speculative fiction is meant to do.”
—Dori Mondon

“Intimacy and magic collide to move the story along, both interpersonally and externally. It’s sexy and unexpectedly intense, with a deep focus on consent and mutual respect.”
—Jo Writes Fantasy

“This is my first introduction to Lemberg’s Birdverse and I look forward to spending more time in the gorgeous world they have created.”
—Just Geeking By

“Queer and, well, wholly wonderful, you’d get this book”
—Llama Reads Books

“Full of love, and connection, and hope; and a sense that destruction is worth struggling against even when the odds are overwhelming.”
—Nerds of a Feather

“In The Unbalancing, one protagonist begins at the center of her society’s power structure, but her desire for the novel’s other lead opens her up to understanding a positive self-abnegation in relationships—even at the cost of her home . . . a character at the center of her society’s hierarchy finding a new sensitivity and humility.”
—Strange Horizons

•    Cover reveal and launch feature on The Fantasy Hive
•    Prepublication reviews and endorsements from leading mainstream, genre, and LBGTQIA+ authors, reviewers, and media outlets
•    Print and digital ARC distribution via NetGalley, Edelweiss+, and publisher; Featured at ABA Snow Days
•    Online and print features, author tour/events, and book launch TBD
•    Instagram and blog tour, Reddit AMA, and social media campaign