#(like mutual antagonism can feel more even yknow?) Like yes this is the focus of their character development - we know why they’re like thi | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

aroaessidhe · 3 months

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2024 reads / storygraph

A Tale of Seashells & Shenanigans

YA fantasy

follows a grumpy 19yo who works in the fantasy thriftstore

when a girl tells them she accidentally donated her selkie sealskin on their watch, they have to go on a quest with her across the sea to the other store the donations were sent to against their will

but things quickly go wrong and they get stranded on a desert island, and they have to survive by busking, and hitchhike with some pirates to make their way there, and their frustration eventually grows into attachment

nonbinary ace disabled (cane user) MC, aroace ‘love interest’, QPR-ish

#A Tale of Seashells & Shenanigans #aroaessidhe 2024 reads #Hm.. I like the idea of this but it was a bit all over the place and I feel like the relationship development wasn’t great #the MC spends most of the book being pretty horrible to a very timid well-meaning autistic girl who isn’t mean back.#(like mutual antagonism can feel more even yknow?) Like yes this is the focus of their character development - we know why they’re like thi #the fact that they’re mean to her is very much addressed; they apologise eventually; the author is autistic and making intentional choices.#but......they apologise but then are mean again over & over. it keeps happening and it’s just not fun to read when it’s 80% of the book?#them being nice to her is a way smaller part and I just don’t really buy the love at the end.#I think the author’s strength is definitely in real world settings where it can just focus on the characters #- I feel like this kind of silly anachronistic fantasy world needs to be leaned into a bit more?#I also felt like Tillie was quite self hating (or: only focusing on the negatives) about being autistic and aroace with the MC there to tel #her that no it's ok! Of course that’s a realistic experience but I find when it’s so succinct like that it feels really….reductive; idk.#pet peeve i keep running into #I did kinda enjoy the detail of ‘I’m ace siren’s won’t effect me’ *immediately flings self overboard after hearing them* lmao #but yeah I feel like some sections of this could have been cut out and a couple things expanded on and I might have enjoyed it more

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