The first book I read this year was Hold your Horses, book 5 in the Prickle Island Zoo series by Ali K Mulford. I was luckly to recieve an ARC copy of this book from being on their email newsletter.
You can read my review of book one: She’s a keeper here
Book two: Easy Tiger
Book three: Party Animal
Book four: Crocidile Tears
Summary attempt
This book follows Heron, one of the twins from the younger half of the Lachlan family. Heron has settled comfortably into their non-binary identity but isn’t quite there with being open about being asexual, even though their queer, neruodivergent family would be completely accepting of them. However, they aren’t opposed to having a love story of their own, except for the fact they live on a tiny island and work in a zoo with their family, so the chances of meeting someone is practically zero. That is until the newly diagnosed audhd, newly coming to terms with their own asexual identity, Hollis joins the zoo.
Hollis *spiced* up her application to the zoo with a fake history as a rancher in Wyoming, but really it was just an attempt to get as far away from her real life as possible. She expected this job to go like every other job, where everyone is off put by her blunt, introvert tendencies. Hollis is dismayed (and a little overjoyed) to find that Lachlan clan are extremely easy to get along with, especially one person in particular. Heron and Hollis immediately hit it off but neither is entirely sure about the other’s romanctic preferences, and in trying to avoid miscommunications from previous relationships it takes them a minute to get on the same page. Except it’s all too good to be true and Hollis is terrified that she is not good enough to be a part of this life, when, for the first time ever, she’s sees a place in the world she could fit. Also, it’s way too soon to be planning a future together, right? And what will happen when the truth about her past comes out?
My thoughts
I love this series. It’s so comforting, it’s easy reading but not in the way of bad or superficial writing. I love the world of the Lachlan family and the zoo, as a massive animal lover and not so secret lover of sappy romance stories, the world of these stories is perfect for me. I liked the journey of the character’s in this book, which was mostly about the coming to terms with their indentities, which for Hollis also meant working with her neurodivergent brain, not against it. Their relationship feels so natural that it’s easy to believe how hard and fast they fall for each other. Plus, I liked the snapshots we get into the other relationships explored in the earlier books and seeing the progress of the zoo, which almost another character really.
I haven’t read many love stories that show asexual relatonships, and it’s so different to see a story like this told without any spicy components, but with so much passion and intimacy in the characters interactions. It was honestly just really heart warming and still made me do the girly *squee* face about all the cute moments between the characters. I think it’s a great example of what love actually is, not just the fireworks but the quiet moments of peace and comfort, of being accurately percieved by someone, of safety with your person.
Asexuality is one part of the LGTBQIA+ community that I am lacking in a lot of knowledge about, in things such as the right words to use and the varied spectrum of idenities within it. I think this book explores it in a very sensitive, honest way, by it just simply showing a love story between two people, who happen to be ACE. (Obviously that opinion is coming from me, a straight cis women, so I’m happy to be corrected if I’m wrong in this).
In conclusion, read this series if you like romance, animals and a lot of funny moments.
Antonia Bernardin 