Mindtouch (The Dreamhealers, #1) in SpecFic Buddy Reads

Sep 15, 2020 Cathy rated it it was amazing

I really liked Hogarth‘s Laisrathera (Her Instruments) trilogy. It is more of a swashbuckling adventure story compared to this gentle, pretty chilled setting. I have read and liked some of her other stories since then as well. I even played around with the idea of reading her complete backlist with some friends, but ran out of steam eventually.

She wrote interesting and diverse characters years ago, before it became the thing to have non-binary characters. I took a longer break… 2017, maybe? So ...more

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Sep 09, 2020 Di Maitland rated it really liked it

Shelves: sci-fi, buddy-reads, space, fantasy-romance, non-humans, on-kindle, very-old-characters, romance, future, lgbtq

“I don’t know how the two of you do that,” the human said softly. “But it is amazing. And I kind of want to be near it all the time.”[…] “Would you mind if I just…sat here? And…” She trailed off, sheepish, then said, “Well, if I basked in it.”

This book is total comfort reading. It wraps you up in the goodness of life and protects you, for a little time, from life’s harsh realities. Unfortunately, my warm feelings towards it have diminished with time and the more I’ve read of the series. A hard b

“I don’t know how the two of you do that,” the human said softly. “But it is amazing. And I kind of want to be near it all the time.”[…] “Would you mind if I just…sat here? And…” She trailed off, sheepish, then said, “Well, if I basked in it.”

This book is total comfort reading. It wraps you up in the goodness of life and protects you, for a little time, from life’s harsh realities. Unfortunately, my warm feelings towards it have diminished with time and the more I’ve read of the series. A hard book to rate, then.

Jahir is an Eldritch, a long-lived, reclusive, human-like being. Venturing off-planet for the first time, and one of the few of his kind to do so, Jahir is attending Seersana University to study xenopsychology. On his first day on campus, overwhelmed by the sights and sounds around him, Jahir meets Vasiht'h, a Glaseah, an asexual, engineered species rather like a small centaur. Bonding over their shared major, their love of the simple things in life and their ability to reads minds with a touch, Jahir and Vasiht’h’s relationship blooms and they soon find that they’re stronger together than they are apart.

Jahir is the Prince Charming of the book. He’s kind and thoughtful, though, after a childhood of training, he tends to hide his emotions behind a carefully cultivated straight face. He enjoys trying new things and meeting new people, but is torn by the loyalties and obligations he feels towards his rather backward home planet and is reluctant to form meaningful relationships knowing they’ll die well before he will. I loved his grace, his decorum and his understated manner.

Vasiht’h “Manylegs” claims to feel no extremes of emotion but experiences almost constant underlying anxiety. He worries for the well being of his friends, he doesn’t know what he’s doing with his life and he’s concerned he’ll never live up to others’ expectations.

‘How ironic was it to be a xenopsychology student and not understand the inside of his own head.’

Vasiht’h is also a nester. Home life is important to him and he actively cultivates a warm, welcoming environment. He’s a relationship builder and a source of comfort for many. I would love a good snuggle with him.

Mindtouch doesn’t exactly have a plot or any clear story arc. Instead, it is perhaps best described as a slice of life. You join Jahir and Vasiht’h as they explore Seersana, make friends, practice their vocation, and struggle with the life decisions we’re all forced to make around this time. This may sound dull, but Hogarth’s world is just so warm and inviting it’s hard not to wallow in it. Everyone is nice and friendly, accepting of difference and interesting in their differences. Their home has a fire that they snuggle in front of and Vasiht’h likes to bake cookies. With Covid darkening our doorsteps, I can’t be the only person that needed to read about this little slice of heaven.

You may have gathered from the above that, whilst the book is based on an alien world, Hogarth is not particularly creative in her world-building. Life is lived much as it is today on Earth, just on an alien planet. There are a few technological innovations like pads which transport you from place to place instantaneously and boxes that deliver food immediately (though for an exorbitant price). However, these innovations are incidental to the story and have not significantly changed the rhythm of life. Meanwhile, the multitude of alien species we see are, except for a few minor exceptions, Earth animals, mythical or otherwise, made sentient. They may have a few species mashed together or be stretched in one dimension or another, but they’re easily imagined (there’s also a nice picture at the back to help). It felt like lazy writing, though at the time I was too happy imagining their life to care.

Whilst I would describe this book as a romance, it is an asexual romance between two men. Jahir and Vasiht’h begin as friends and develop quickly to become best friends, but it goes beyond this. They find comfort in one another, in their words, their gestures, and very occasionally their touch; they live together and plan their future together. They are a couple, they just don’t have sex. It’s not something I’m familiar with and, as someone that would want the sex, I admit that I wanted them to consummate their relationship. And yet I know that there are many who do not feel desire in that way and it does not make their relationships any less valid. A learning curve for me.

I realise that, despite my four-star rating, this review is rather negative. Like I said, it’s a hard one to rate. Objectively, it is not a great book. Subjectively though, and in these times, it’s just what I needed. If you need a nice easy read to cuddly up to, give it a go. Maybe even give the second book a go – I actually preferred book two. But stop there. Book three drags and book four is not good. I don’t think I’ll be reading any more Hogarth but I’m glad to have given this a go. ...more

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Nov 01, 2020 Lindsay rated it really liked it

Shelves: science-fiction, 2020-tbr-challenge

The first of a series in the author's Pelted universe, a rich future history which postulates a space opera universe populated by humans, space elves (the Eldritch), bio-engineered anthropomorphic animals and true aliens.

This series focuses on an unusual pair: Jahir, a very rare example of an Eldritch venturing off-planet, and Vasiht'h, a Glaseah who's basically a telepathic skunk-centaur with bird wings for ears and bat wings on their lower half. They're both students at Seersana University stu ...more

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Jul 31, 2020 Jeff rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

What an absolutely lovely book! It is so thoroughly suffused with empathy and compassion that having just finished reading it, I am already missing it. While I found it to be an uplifting book overall, there are places where it deals movingly with such subjects as loss, grief, loneliness, school-related stress and more. All in a fascinating science fictional galaxy, wrapped around a budding asexual romance between two males of different alien species. A beautiful gift from an author who is new t ...more

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Sep 22, 2020 Lata rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: x2020-tbr-cleanup, auth-f, sf-f-h, bipoc-author, x2020-read

I loved this story, and start of the Mindhealers series by M.C.A. Hogarth. It’s a hug in book form with a story that envelopes you in kindness.
Our characters are young, alien, and at university. One is a centauroid, a Glaseah, the other, a bipedal Eldritch. The two become roommates and eventually good friends as they deal with a heavy course load, volunteering, and eating all sorts of yummy things together. I have a massive cookie craving thanks to Vasiht’h’s penchant for baking cookies to calm ...more

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Sep 06, 2020 Denise rated it really liked it

Shelves: women-2020

4.5 a wee bit slow but a gentle thoughtful book about learning to understand oneself and others. And we are, in essence, aliens to each other.

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Sep 28, 2020 Joanne rated it really liked it

Mindtouch is a story about beings from different worlds getting together at a school. They are studying psychology and psychotherapy of different races. The book is mainly about the friendship between the two roomates and how it develops. It is a gentle and kind read. Recommended for anyone who wants to explore the elements of friendship and what it means to let someone into your life. It is about love and what it means to share in pain, suffering, joy and fear.

I feel it was well written becaus ...more

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