Review of Common Bonds 2: An Aromantic Speculative Anthology by Claudie Arseneault, RoAnna Sylver, Em Ishii

This is the successor anthology to the original Common Bonds, and it is a worthy one! This collection comprises nineteen stories and poems, all of which have an arospec protagonist or arospec themes of some kind.

As always, I struggle to review anthologies, especially when it’s a collection of works by multiple authors. It’s hard to single any one out, either for praise or criticism! In the case of Common Bonds 2, however, there were definitely a few standouts from my perspective.

“Flurries and Flames” was such a cute and cheerful little piece of fiction by Sophie A. Katz. I imagine it portrays the anxieties of a new pet owner (or even a new parent) really well, and I love the relationship between the protagonist and her parents as well: it’s so wholesome and supportive!

Similarly, “Behold! These Are the Pastries That Were Prophesied!” by Matthew Taber-Hanson is so fun and also funny. It features baking, an oddball duo, and even a little fetch quest.

Some of the stories were much sadder, of course, and even made me tear up—“PastPort to Franchesca and Luna of Brooklyn” with its meditations on growing old as a single aro person, and “The Hunger Who Wears His Skin” with its commentary on escaping family and societal expectations to be with your queerplatonic soulmate … oof. These stories hit hard, in a good way.

All in all, if you want to read queer stories that are about friendship, about sex, about all types of love, about family, about life and death … it’s all here. This is a great selection of stories from across the aromantic spectrum.