#madeline dyer

[starchilddante]

Every ace person NEEDS this freaking book

It has a dozen fiction stories with ace characters all over the spectrum and in so many genres. Im talking ghost stories, supernatural, drama, sci-fi, you name it. I've literally cried three times while reading it I feel so seen

This is the representation ace people need. In every category. We need full length novels dedicated to the ace experience because this would've SAVED me as a kid.

If you're on the aspec, this books is for you.

[bigcats-birds-and-books]

Books of 2026: BEING ARO ed. by Madeline Dyer and Rosiee Thor.

I swear I didn't paint all the walls in my house to match queer anthology covers, I just know what I like.

Earlier this year, I finally got around to reading BEING ACE (which I enjoyed!), specifically because BEING ARO came out last month. Since both of those are #MyLabels, and I write enough YA that I still want a finger on that pulse, I acquired this one, too. I was curious to see what recurrent themes would emerge in an aro anthology aimed at teens, because I feel like it's still much easier to find explicit ace rep than aro rep in tradpub spaces.

ARO was two pieces slimmer than ACE (12 to 14, respectively), although a higher proportion of the stories were experimental, which I appreciated (we love a good second person in this house!). Most of the aro stories were spec, although the first one was firmly contemporary (and read like Aro 101: A Primer On The Bi To Aro Pipeline). This collection featured compulsory pairing as a literal curse, zombies as amatonormativity as zombies (rinse and repeat), choosing your lovingly-crafted sword over a partner, partly human construct villains, and magical book dragons and censorship, just to recap a few my favorites, apparently:

"The Binding" by Soumi Roy

"Lovesick" by Taka Owen

"Swordmaiden" by Kalyn Josephson

"Indulge the Other" by Laura Pohl (!!!!!!)(favoritest)

"Paper Rebellions" by Rukman Ragas (honorable mention)

Unfortunately, I felt like a handful of the other stories suffered from dodgy worldbuilding, and with fewer in there, it had a more noticeable impact on the overall quality. I wanted to love the one about pilots, but I couldn't take the nomenclature seriously (and I've got major beef with a literal spaceship not being airtight. hello??? you're zipping around in the VACUUM OF SPACE??? WHAT DO YOU MEAN ALIEN GAS IS GETTING INTO YOUR SHIP--); I wanted to like the one with the explicitly alloaro protag, but don't set something "in 1699" and then drop marrying ~for love~ as standard practice into the first three pages (and for the love of God do not over-complicate your 29-page short story--we did not need to go on that whole spell book fetch quest when a Much Simpler Solution was literally right there, and the Simpler Solution was literally how the story ended after all, why didn't you all just START THERE)(this story peeved me most lol. I don't recall being Actively Peeved while reading ACE); I wanted to like the one involving cloning mammoths but the SF elements and the fantasy elements (Neanderthal shaman time traveling, yes from her POV too) just weren't clicking for me.

While I appreciate that both anthologies exist (I'm genuinely so happy that ace and aro teens can see books like these on the shelf!), overall I found BEING ACE to be the stronger collection. There are a few bangers in here, but I can't throw my endorsement behind this Whole Book as readily as the other.

Still, though: Happy Pride, y'all :D

[bookshelvesandtealeaves]

✨ BOOK REVIEW ✨

Being Aro anthology

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

QOTD: Have you read any good anthologies or short story collections lately?

[instagram]

Thank you Page Street YA for the eARC. All thoughts are my own.

Kimberly Ma Meets Her Match by Ann Zhao

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a really sweet aroace awakening story. It was a bit goofy and a lot heartfelt. As with most good short stories, I desperately want more while appreciating it didn’t leave anything left unsaid.

The Binding by Soumi Roy

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was such a fascinating concept. I was worried it would be too short for all it was trying to tackle but it ended up being the perfect length for this story. I love the idea of aromantic people having the power to stop a God who feeds on love until they’re drained and empty.

Lovesick by Taka Owen

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Well this was…devastating. I feel like it would have worked a little better if it were a little longer. It was a bit info-dumpy and obviously, being so short, I felt nothing of the build-up of what eventuated. But that loneliness still punched me in the gut.

Preservation by Kemi Ashing-Giwa

⭐️.5

This one just bored me. I honestly skim read the second half of it because I wasn’t at all interested.

Joust Friends by Rosiee Thor

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I liked this well enough but it did feel a little over-dramatic without any real context. But the characters were good and I liked the way it was resolved.

Thomas Marley’s Fake Bride by Ian M. Carlisle

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

This was a lot of fun. Very silly, sometimes a little over the top in its silliness, but enjoyable. I loved the very specific aro-allo rep and I loved the platonic marriage resolution.

Swordmaiden by Kalyn Josephson

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I adored this. I only wish it were longer. This is the kind of incredible story that deserves more time and more fleshing out. But it was still really good as it was. I adored Mira and her fire and passion and I’d love a series of her travelling with her sword and cat.

Flying Solo by Claudie Arseneault

⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a lot of fun but I didn’t really connect with the character. I loved the sci-fi of it all and the parallel of aromanticism vs this sci-fi pilot pairing.

Paper Rebellions by Rukman Ragas

⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a really cool concept. I loved the magic system, turning books into dragons that can go spread their tale. I loved this as a form of rebellion against book banning. But I also felt like this story was being too obvious, like the reader couldn’t be trusted to understand its meaning.

Do You See Me? by Isa Fiel

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was brilliant! It was eerie and haunting and so full of compassion. I loved that Yoli had people in her life who understood and loved her as she was and because of that, she could show love and compassion and understanding to someone who’d done terrible things because she’d had no one.

Daughter of Tile by Madeline Dyer

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was such a beautiful story of two people from very different worlds stumbling across one another and giving each other the strength to be as they are. I really loved the connection between Nala and Orla.

Indulge the Other by Laura Pohl

⭐️⭐️

I just didn’t connect with this one. It was an interesting idea but didn’t work for me as a short story. I never cared about the MC or what they were doing.

[the-final-sentence]

Orla was finally ready to be herself.

Madeline Dyer, from "Daughter of Time"

[authorjoeypaul]

Seventeen-year-old Kira Taylor’s fragile mental health means she doesn’t know what’s real anymore. But she is certain of the following: the day of the Bad Stuff changed everything; the dystopian world she lives in is getting worse; and the voice in her head will protect her.

Having been committed to the De Hewitt Psychiatric Hospital, Kira slowly begins to accept that she’s safe here. She starts to make friends and even gets used to the new branding on her forehead that marks her for what she is: an Untrustworthy Offender.

But then the voice inside Kira’s head tells her she needs to escape. Her past is catching up with her, and she needs to run… now. 

Amazon

My Review: 5 STARS

I’ll preface this review by being clear that this is a heavy heavy book, and you need to watch the trigger warnings. Dyer draws you into the world with the dystopian themes and then carries you through a traumatic and enticing experience as you start to learn more about Kira and everything she’s gone through. I loved the book, even with it pulling no punches, and taking you through some very dark times, it’s enough to make you really sit up and take notice. The way Dyer has pulled you through the themes makes you feel like you are on the journey with Kira watching and hoping things work out for her. A chilling read, but one that is very much recommended!

Join Joey here on the blog on Fridays for interviews, reviews and guest bloggers. If you'd be interested in doing any of those, you can contact Joey here

[intotheescape]

books that looked interesting on my last bookstore visit

[readcommendations]

[lgbtqreads]

Exclusive Cover Reveal: Being Aro ed. by Madeline Dyer and Rosiee Thor

Today on the site I’m delighted to reveal the cover of Being Aro: A Collection of Aromantic Fiction About Love, Connection, and Empowerment ed. by Madeline Dyer and Rosiee Thor, a YA anthology releasing May 26, 2026 from Page Street YA! Here’s the gist: Explore expansive aromantic love and connection in stories across genres These twelve stories showcase aromantic people breaking generational…

Exclusive Cover Reveal: Being Aro ed. by Madeline Dyer and Rosiee Thor