Mindtouch

M.C.A. Hogarth's Pelted Universe is a place where humans genetically engineered human/animal hybrids.  These "pelted people" eventually fled from the humans on Earth out into space.  They set up a peaceful multicultural society across planets as life on Earth regressed.  Once humans started exploring space again, they found the species that they created had developed a rich society.That is the premise for several series that she has written in this universe.  I read the series that starts with Earthrise last year so I was familiar with the world.  That series has a lot more action than this one.  I'm glad I started there to get a sense of the universe.  This series is very different.  It is a very quiet and sweet story two members of empathic species that form a deep bond.The Eldrich are a mysterious humanoid species.  They have chosen to self-isolate on their planet.  They can read a person's mind if they touch them so accidental touch is avoided at all cost.  They are also very long lived.  Their society is one of court intrigue and careful deception.  Few leave the planet and those that do are forbidden to talk about the society.Jahir is an Eldrich who is studying for a xenopsychology degree.  He finds an unexpected roommate in Vasiht'h, a small centaur-like Galeash.  The Galeash speak mostly mind to mind.  They are aromantic and asexual-spectrum.  Vasiht'h takes Jahir under his wing to show him around the university.  They start to develop a bond that Vasiht'h has only heard about in stories - a mindline.  It is a very deep platonic bond between two soul mate empaths.  What will this mean for their lives?  Should they let this form if Jahir is going to live for centuries after Vasiht'h dies?This book reads like a sweet romance novel without the romance.  Not much actually happens.  They make friends, go to school, volunteer, bake cookies, and eat ice cream.  I loved it though.  I've never read a book that celebrates aromantic relationships.  They are deciding if they are going to be life partners.This is the most action packed of the books.  They have started to get an idea of what they can do to help mental health while working with dreaming patients.  Now there is a series of comatose patients who present to the emergency department where Jahir is working.  No medical intervention is helping and they all die.  He is determined to help them but touching them when they are dying is draining the life from Jahir.This book does a good job of addressing the need for self-care in healing professions. He is sick and working with these patients is harming him but what is his responsibility?I hadn't noticed until I wrote this review that this book was just published.  I guess I picked the right time to binge read the series!One cute touch in this book is a novel that Vasiht’h's sisters give him to read.  It is supposedly a romance story between an Eldrich woman and a Pelted man.  They make fun of it through the novel for being poorly written.  The story was actually one of the first stories the author wrote as a teenager when she was imaging this universe.  It was never published because of the all the huge problems that the characters make fun of.  It was a funny touch. More ice cream in this book and now there are scones in different flavors every day!  This is still a quiet series where not a lot happens but it is fun to just learn about these characters and the people who they help. This review was originally posted on Based On A True Story