The Truthseer and the Goose

By: Aven Shore-Kind

Narrated by: Aven Shore

Answering an inner call to seek the Truthseer, a youth questioning their gender identity flees from a joyless home and a shadowy past.

The Truthseer, sought for her wisdom, questions her purpose and doubts her ability to truly assist those in need.

As she tends her beehives with the companionship of a watchful goose, the bee magic warns of a growing disquiet in the Harmony. For all the help she’s shared, might she be the one most in need?

Transformative journeys lay ahead.

Even for the goose.

Those we encounter change us, and through their journeys, these three are compelled to welcome support and love into their lives, discovering that the world is wider and more marvelous than they ever expected.

“Aven Shore-Kind's debut novel imagines a gentle world that asks, What if we cared about different things? What if we cared about our contribution, our own growth? You may be transported to a place you've always dreamed of being.” (S.J. Varengo, author of The Cerah of Quadar series)

"The Truthseer and the Goose dares to conjure a pastoral fantasy where magic's wellspring is an open heart, and where patient observance of the rhythm of nature reveals what is honest and enduring. It is beautiful, and warm, and sometimes sad—and always fearlessly true." (Travis Baldree, New York Times best-selling author of Legends and Lattes)

©2022 Aven Shore-Kind (P)2023 Aven Shore-Kind

Beautiful story

Listened to the book with my daughter and wife on a road trip. Just perfect story as we calmly drove out west. Love the narrators voice! It’s nice to listen to an original story that’s written so well. Didn’t even realize the narrator wrote the book until my daughter noticed. Highly recommended!

This is definitely a different kind of fantasy novel.

It unfolds gently and slowly shows the ways the world it's placed in is different. It has things to say about our relationship with nature and what is worth valuing, and there's an expressive goose and other animals. At the center are two stories: about the acceptance of oneself and the meaning of gender, and of love and accepting that too. Lots of layers.

Wonderful exploration of becoming your true self

I always have high hopes for books that explore gender, self identity, and self acceptance, and this did not disappoint. Trepp's journey to become Tepp, and to understand more of what the world holds and how to exist in it was beautifully written and engaging. The gentle fantasy trappings were so cozy, and Mina's own journey to accept help and love just had me squealing. As a lover of bees, the bee lore had my mind buzzing happily, and the goose and her little purrs and her inherent sense of knowing were so endearing.

I related so much to the journey both main characters went through. Something about Trepp's experience growing up resonated with me, growing up in an extremely religious family. The themes of being insular and separate from the rest of the world stood out and I have felt the same sense of missing out on information that everyone else seems to already know as I have untangled myself from that lifestyle and learned what the rest of the the people around me have known for a long time.

The narration was wonderful. I've listened to Aven Shore's work before, but this one was so fully embodied. Probably because she wrote the book, but it was a beautiful journey from start to finish and I didn't want to turn it off once I'd started.

More than an escape

I’ve been reading cozy fantasy for awhile now. I find it a balm for the soul of a deep feeler during these trying times. This is even more. I want to live in this world and know these characters. I definitely want to hear more! There are loose ends I that need tied up. I’d read any book Aven writes.

Poignant and Complex

Shore-kind makes a memorable tale out of simple things with "The Truthseer and the Goose", weaving simple yet strong bonds between the characters and telling a story of growth, seeking, and loss in each of the main cast.

This story was slow to begin, and slow to continue, but never lacking in intensity. I was pleasantly surprised by how easily I was wrapped up in the different tales told by each of the characters and how, eventually, they twined together. With pastoral descriptions and gentle guidance into the lore of the world, Shore-kind is able to paint a picture of a whole world and society not entirely dissimilar to our own. And still, it's one built on such different principles that I couldn't help but be fascinated, and almost nostalgic for a place I've never lived and will never experience.

I deeply appreciated this book and can absolutely see myself returning to it in the future. From the brightness and joy of the players in this story to the unexpectedly-yet-entirely-reasonable quotes of deep contemplation about the world and how we interact with it and the others who inhabit it, this book made me think. It brought many smiles to my face and several moments of aching to my heart, and Shore-kind gently but firmly set up a future story to be had in the last few chapters. I can't wait to see what comes next.