The four profound waves is a book that immediately throw you in media res, following Uiziya, that after forty years of waiting is about t to finish her training, and nen-sasaïr, a nameless 60 years of man that transition very late in life and is making peace with his identity.
They have left their settlement behind to go on an epic adventure. My problem with this book is that the premises seemed super epic and full fo concepts, themes etc, but it feels like the reader lacks of so many information that would be very useful and precious to understand what's the story behind what we are currently seeing. No explanation to terms, backstories, events and whatsoever, so it's really difficult to get into it deeply. What a missed chance to make it glorious!

Lemberg’s writing is always poetic and engrossing — I could spend days just basking in her sentences.

This was such a unique and heartwarming fantasy! I wasn't sure what to expect when I started, but I'm so glad I gave it a try.
I had a hard time getting into the story at first, but once I did I couldn't put it down. I think part of the problem was that this book almost felt like a sequel, or like I'd missed something at first. But once I figured out what was going on, I really enjoyed it!

I have this a one star. This was hard to read, it wasn’t memorable. I didn’t care what happened. It was really boring and couldn’t keep me interested.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I tried dipping in and out of this for a while but unforuantly I was never girpped and had to DNF. WIshed this had worked for me as it sounded great but alas not my cup of tea.

I cannot rate this book higher and I wish I could.
The worldbuilding in this book is absolutely amazing. The story is heartbreaking and conflicting and... I loved every minute of it.

The world is... magical. It was like reading the first Harry Potter book for the first time. There was wonder and magic around every corner, and the prose was so lush, I wanted to wrap myself up in it.

The story of Uiziya and the nameless man was... nothing short of spellbinding.

If you've got an afternoon, I highly suggest taking the time to read it.

Thank you NetGalley and Tachyon for giving me an e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really wanted to read this and everything about it sounds so good and interesting! Unfortunately I found this to be impossible for me to get into. Something about the writing doesn’t click for me, which is such a disappointment for myself. I may try giving Profound Weaves another chance in the future, but for now it’s a book I’ve found doesn’t suck me in like I’d like.

This book is an amazing piece of fantasy writing with plenty of queer representation, and a truly fascinating plot. I love how the authors culture shines through in this book and how it captures so much happening is so little time. With the story itself, I was intrigued from the beginning and I couldn’t stop reading. I can’t wait to see if this author does anything else in the future especially anything related to the story.

Deeply atmospheric and beautifully written, this story takes to you a place of magic and wonder. Gifted weavers can make carpets out of the world around them, using sand, wind, and even death. Our main characters are dealing with many difficulties, the main one being identity. The book addresses topics like gender roles, personal identity and what one will risk to find their place in the world. The setting is richly described and the characters are well developed. The story was a little slow but the action built up nicely.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me an advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

This is the most difficult book I've ever tried to review. I don't even know where to begin.
Most of the time I didn't understand what was going on, but I was intrigued by these magic carpets, and the nameless man.

I would have given this 2 stats but I appreciate the transgender rep, so I bumped it up to 3 stars.

I wonder if reading the other books/poems in this universe prior, would have helped me to understand this better.

Imaginative, emotional and beautifully told. A really profound story, with depth and beauty, would easily recommend to anyone

This book felt like a character study. Two transgender people who know each other from old times decide to work together to get a masterwork carpet (capable of magic) back from the ruler who hoards it to make himself feel special.

These two people come from vastly different cultures. Uiziya comes from desert nomads who don't have rigid definitions of gender. Kaveh comes from a people who are not accepted in the city that rules them, so they live apart in a ghetto. Their culture seems based on Orthodox/Hasidic Judaism. Their men are scholars who have turned away from the world to focus on their studies and their women take care of trade and the practical parts of making a living. They also have very strict definitions of gender and gender roles. Because of this, Kaveh waited most of his life before availing himself of the transformative magic that made him male in body as well as in spirit. Kaveh is lonely and doesn't think anyone can understand him.

Although this book focuses more on people than plot, both main characters' motivations seemed a bit hazy to me. Emotions felt muted. Plot happened and important events occurred, but their importance felt muted too. I was interested in this world with its gentle bird goddess of death and release but the story told within it didn't grab me.

Not exactly what I'm used to, but unique and engaging, with a rich setting that invites further exploration. I'm aware that this author has other stories in this world and does intend to publish more - I will be keeping an eye out for them. I did think this could be longer, but I often feel that way with novellas.

In the world where bird-deity is worshipped and weavers can weave magical carpets, the story follows 2 older protagonists Uiziya and nen-sasaïr. Uiziya is a weaver who after more than 40 years goes in search of her master weaver aunt to finish her training and nen-sasaïr is a trans-man who transitioned late, accepts his identity and struggles to live in the not so supportive society. There were moments of surprises but otherwise the dreamlike/poetry-like writing that should've entrapped the reader just pushed me off the pages without much depth. I failed to care for the characters as I did not connect with them in their entire journey. The idea/intention behind Uiziya's carpet and the right for a person to transition in their own timeline are 2 worth mentioning details that were the highlights of the story. I wish the book was more alive to me to keep me trapped in the unique weaving magic world.

This story was very confusing at first, not helped by the fact that the audiobook narrator for both of the POV characters was the same person and made no effort in distinguishing their voices whatsoever.

Eventually, I understood what was going on more or less, and I really appreciate the conversation on gender and being transgender, but it never really steal my heart.

This book was so beautiful and poetic, and the imagery was evocative and beautifully written. It feels like a fairy tale, but told from a wholly unique point of view.

This complex, human narrative tells the story of uncovering identity - specifically gender identity, set against the backdrop of a fantasy world. I'm a sucker for desert settings, and this did not disappoint.
The Four Profound Weaves is a rollercoaster of a story with vivid characters and a great sense of place.

I received a free e-copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This has not affected my opinion and the following is an honest review.

I don't really know what to say about this book except that I absolutely loved it and it's the most trans book I've ever read. I felt it in my bones. I loved that both of the protagonists were in their 60s and yet they were still the ones who took up the mantle of freeing their land from an oppressive ruler. I loved that they were both trans, that it was a radically different experience and meant different things to each of them, that they had so much to learn from the world and each other despite their decades of life.

I loved that even though both nen-sasaïr and Uiziya were binary trans, there were nonbinary characters present too, that it was discussed how being nonbinary in this world was radically different again from being binary trans. I loved that both of them were often wrong in their assumptions about each other and their place in the world, that even though they questioned and suspected each other, they chose again and again to trust each other and to stand together.

I loved that even though transitioning was fraught for nen-sasaïr, he was always strong in his conviction that despite the difficulties he experienced and the struggle to find where he belonged, he knew that it was the right course and stood firm in his conviction that he did not need to be the man everyone expected him to be, that somewhere out there he would find a true name and a true place.

In short, I loved every single word of this book and I will for sure come back to it again and again because it's just. Absolutely glorious.

(On a lighter note, the thought I had upon realising that I wasn't going to be able to stop reading until the story was over was "why did I ever bother with Dune when this book exists??" If you have a hankering for a desert fantasy quest novel but Dune was too white-savioury and not queer enough for you, read this book instead.)

Rep: fat disabled trans woman MC, trans man MC, nonbinary side characters, queer-normative and polyamorous-normative world, ff and ff(m) and fmm relationships mentioned. Ownvoices trans rep. (Fat and disabled rep maybe also ownvoices? Not sure though.)

CWs: nen-sasaïr's gender is often weaponised against him ("why don't you go and sit with the <i>men</i>") by his grandchildren and occasionally by Uiziya; near the end of the book he is frequently misgendered and deadnamed; discussion of trans people being accepted or not accepted; the transition of a character is delayed by years bc their lover "could not love them if they were a man"; violence; murder; serious injury; a character feeds off another character's life force; discussion of a mobility aid being a way for someone to control someone else; misogyny (a character is arrested for the crime of being unveiled, even though her veil had been forcibly removed without her consent)

Gorgeous, queer, and fascinating. I've never read a book quite like this one before, and I'm so glad I did. What a beautiful world!