This is a collection of short stories and, as such, bound to have narratives that better fit your tastes than others. The second half of the book spoke more to mine (And Then Again to the Next, The Oak I Knew, The Age of Oceanus, Borealis), but I'm not sure someone without my completist tendencies would hold out for it.

If I had to label the genre, I'd say it features mostly urban fantasy, climate fiction, and horror. All of these are often used for commentary, and this collection was no exception. But I felt like I was being talked down to, smacked over the head with the ideals conveyed with little to no depth or finesse. (Mind you, I mostly agree with the author's views, so it's got nothing to do with that.)

The potential was obvious, but there were no new perspectives to garner from these stories. They were also hindered by the length, of course, as it is much harder to make a reader care about a character's journey in so few words. It would've probably helped to invest a little more on characterization, however. As my brilliant friend put it, “[nearly] all the characters in this collection are in unhappy relationships. Yet none is as unhappy as I am having to read this book”. And most of these relationships are terrible by MC's own doing and in the same or very similar way. The relationships were either 1) going stale, the MC struggling with feelings of inadequacy or lack of desire for their partner, or 2) new but not exciting. So, if you’re looking for uplifting queer romance, best to look elsewhere.

This book is for you if you enjoy:
- reading about failing relationships
- dystopian cli-fi
- fantastical creatures behaving oddly
- sprinkles of body horror

Thank you NetGalley, Amble Press and Jacob Budenz for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I quite liked this! I love anthologies and short stories so this was a great book to read in-between and keep me from falling into a reading slump!

There were so very many different stories to fall in love with, “And then again to the next,” was everything I love in a story, reincarnation and finding love over multitudes of lives.

A few of the stories were a bit too much for me. But overall, I felt like they really had aspects of the fears and hopes all us queer folk have when falling in love and being in relationships. The fairies and mysticism just make it a nicer world to play in than the real world.

I definitely recommend this to anyone who likes short queer stories or would even like to experience what a first generation queer fairy tale could be.

I love short stories and this is a new author for me. SO that worked out perfectly! These stories were thoughtful and interesting. I really think I will buy a physical copy for my kids!

I liked it! It was an enjoyable - sit for a day or so- and have a new story with each continuing fable. I didn’t lovvvve the graphic-ness, but that’s okay! It was still a lovely read! I will be coming back to these stories in the future for sure!

Delightful collection of short stories with diverse characters and ideas, wonderful read especially to see queer middle aged people living their lives (in sometimes tragic ways)

This is a fun collection of fantastic short stories, all combining queerness and mystical elements in different ways. It was an enjoyable experience to go into each new story no knowing what to expect, just knowing that there would be something different in each of them. I found many of the stories relatable and realistic in the portrayal of queer people and the challenges they face, and to then have a bizarre mystical element thrown in was entertaining and helped lighten the mood where needed.
Some of the stories were less appealing than others, with a sense that perhaps the author was less invested in them, and I felt that the endings of some lacked conclusion - however, I can say that some others left me wishing there was a full length novel dedicated to that particular story.
Overall, I'd say that if you're wanting to read something unusual, and that will keep on surprising you throughout and that you can dip in and out of, this is a great collection.

Thank you to NetGalley and Jacob Budenz for the opportunity to read Tea leaves as an ARC.
I picked this book as I love fantasy and often get recs for LGBTQ + books from my daughter.

The short stories vary in length and have a great fantasy base. Some are weird and wacky and others just have mild fantasy twist. Most ( I may of missed the linkage with some of the stories ) have an LGBTQ + narrative. And all I can say is that Jacob has the ability to give all the queer individuals excellent voices. Some stories are so subtle in the world that some struggle to find their place. Others, hit you over the head in the ugliness of humanity.. This is what I like about reading these books and all I can say is that o hear you !

There was a few short stories I didn’t bond with at all but overall, I thought the book was well written.

Thanks again! ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 3.5 stars

Tea Leaves is a short story collection that blurs the line between modernity and the fantastical. Many of the stories feature mystical elements – such as faeries, magic, and shapeshifters – all in parallel with the LGBTQ+ experience, developing themes around love and desire but also marginalization and violence.

This book was a very interesting read. As a queer person, I enjoyed having LGBTQ+ people like me and the exploration of their experiences at the forefront of so many stories. I applaud Jacob Budenz’s creativity in putting together a collection covering such a wide breadth of tones and characters. Some stories drew me in with how heartfelt they were while others did so with their absurdity, their humor, or their gruesomeness. There were alligator-men, immortal beings, Lovecraftian monstrosities, witches, magicians, and futures full of climate catastrophes. With such fascinating concepts and a pleasant writing style, I found that once I started each story, it was easy to finish them.

While a couple of stories stayed with me far after I was finished reading them, I will say that there were others that were quickly forgettable, and they interfered with my enjoyment of the collection as a whole. Additionally, I sometimes struggled to grasp the overarching theme that drew all the stories together into a single collection, but I still liked a majority of the stories individually.

Overall, I thought that the book was a wonderful foray into magical realism. I would recommend it to those interested in the genre or searching for more queer representation in their reading!

Thank you to Net Galley and Amble Press for providing me with this advanced readers copy

I had high hopes for this collection and unfortunately, it fell a bit short. I really struggled with some of these stories, especially in the first 150 pages or so - I was left wondering "why?" at the ends, seeing the potential threads of commentary or deeper meaning but not quite seeing them all come together cohesively by the end of each story. Many of the stories felt too on the nose, the metaphors a bit too blunt, and that lack of finesse felt like I was being hit over the head even while I struggled to parse a deeper lesson or meaning in the story. The second half stories, however, felt much stronger to me! They had much clearer voices, more natural-feeling characters, and clearer take-aways. Unfortunately, I think most readers would DNF a collection before getting to that point and this collection might have benefitted from the stories being ordered differently. I did appreciate the diversity of the stories and their characters, though, and I think this collection will certainly be loved by some readers - it just wasn't quite the right fit for me.

When I first started this anthology I wasn’t sure it would be for me. The stories were a little different from my usual reading taste. But as I kept reading I started to see the beauty in the diverse tones and atmospheres between the stories and really enjoyed it.

The bizarre fantasy elements make for a great setting to explore aspects of the queer experience in new and interesting ways.

Favorite stories include Ah, Well; Borealis; And Then Again To the Next; and The Oak I Knew.

This is a fun and unique collection of magically queer stories! Each story has unique magics and interesting plots despite being short. The stories range from fun light heartedness to slightly terrifying and thought provoking. Two of my favorites are "Borealis" and "And Then Again to the Next"

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you enjoy short stories then this is a great book to check out. These stories range from queer romance and fantasy to contemporary and modern. This is a really quick and easy read, but I do wish some of the stories were just a bit longer.

These 16 short stories pack a punch! Ranging from LGBTQ+, fantasy, and dragons you will sweep through each page so quickly.

I liked the fantastical elements to the story especially as a way to tell queer stories but they felt too short to me and I know they are short stories but I'd have a liked a bit more for some of them as they didn't feel like they ended just stopped.
They were good to pick up when I wanted to read something in between everything else and I did enjoy all of the stories.

Short stories are great to read when you just want to get a taste of a certain genre. The queer take on this was really interesting. Some stories were very good some i couldn't grasp well enough to like. Its still an amazing take in the LGBTQ Community. I would read again for sure some of them still were very good.

I like stories that have a sense of mysticism and the fantastical about them, and this collection has this in spades - overt and sometimes absurd! Each story foregrounds the supernatural and LGBTQIA+ characters, with the feel that these stories give voice to the outsiders and the magic just out of “traditional” life. Budenz’s ability to write with many voices is impressive, capturing the subtle agelessness of an ancient being alongside the diction of an insecure younger millennial. Overall, I enjoyed them but there were a few stories that felt unfinished or like they lacked meaning, though perhaps I was just searching for something in a story that was simply meant just to entertain.

ARC from NetGalley in exchange for honest review.

16 speculative short stories that place queer characters in larger-than-life situations to emphasize the surreal experience of marginalization? Sign me up.

Some of the stories might be very hit or miss but overall I really liked this book. It was a time well spent and as a queer person myself I think these type of stories are very important.

Many a times has the queer community (as any other minority in history) been ostracised and demonised as a way to further the myth of a “modest and proper society“ as a means of control of the masses; but the surefire way to disrupt a community is to make it disappear, for how can you join one and revel in the joy of fellowship and camaraderie if it’s not only signaled as evil but it’s also invisible?

The use of the idea of the “monstrous” in media has been linked to the the portrayal of queerness (both the lgbtqai+ kind of queerness as well as the Stranger and the Diverse, be it in terms of race, disability, gender, etc) - this idea is further explored in these short stories by the presence of the fae folk and other magical creatures, be it witches, demons and ancient gods.

The author puts his best foot forward in this collection, fruit of a decade of work, by making queer people and magical creatures the undisputed protagonists of both common and uncommon situations in an alternate universe of our world (I would call this book an urban fantasy if I had to put it in a genre category) in order for them to be *seen*, and finally regarded as fully fledged members of society without having to hide or mellow themselves down in order to be accepted.


Despite the noble intent, I did not find myself enjoying the reading process: I wasn’t a fan of the author’s characterisations of their protagonists, nor of the writing style in general. I do think there’s a dedicated audience waiting to find this book as their Holy Grail, but sadly it was not for me.

This was good. Some stories were very hit or miss for me but overall I really liked this! I think all of the stories really compliment each other and I am so excited to read more stories like this! Thank you for letting me read!