Of course the stories with Damen and Laurent are my favourite, but I really enjoyed the others as welThis is the epilogue I needed after Kings Rising.
Of course the stories with Damen and Laurent are my favourite, but I really enjoyed the others as well for various reasons. The hijinks with Charls made me laugh. Summer Palace was completely swoon-worthy and also healing. I think I was least interested in the one with Aimeric because fuck him, but even then Pacat manages to intrigue me....more
I picked this up because I loved How We Met, which is the autCWs:(view spoiler)[sexual assault, death, infidelity, grief, miscarriage (hide spoiler)]
I picked this up because I loved How We Met, which is the author's memoir, but her fiction didn't quite hit the mark for me. Because it's a collection of short stories, it quickly struck me that one common theme is that all her female main characters are POC and Muslim born, and the majority of them are in a romantic relationship with a non-Muslim man. Maybe this is because of the author's circumstances—some of the stories did feel like they came from a very personal place. I guess I was just hoping for more diverse stories and voices. I also noticed that she never calls the characters Muslims, or refers to Islam by name. She talks around the religion by using descriptors like "the holy book" when she clearly means the Quran. I personally dislike this because it feels like she's trying to make being Muslim more palatable to a white, Western audience.
There are a lot of common themes here, like the struggles between mothers and daughters. Some of the stories really hit the hard way—The Jammaker is a definite standout for me, but I also really liked Superstitious. I still appreciated her writing, but I'm not sure her fiction is for me....more
It doesn’t matter that he loves her. It doesn’t matter. It’s never mattered.
The synopsis says this is a collection of scenes, but there's no real separation between the scenes so it reads a bit like stream of consciousness. I like Nezha's voice, though, and am glad to read a couple of scenes from his perspective....more
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The title of the book is a little bit of a misnomer, because most of the short stories ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The title of the book is a little bit of a misnomer, because most of the short stories deal with villains and I didn't notice a lot of misunderstandings (maybe a couple). Overall, this was a pretty fun anthology. There are 22 very different stories (some of them are poems), written by a variety of authors. Some worked better for me than others, but there were definitely a few standouts.
Time Lock by James Rogers (5⭐) This was a really good story if you like (view spoiler)[time loops (hide spoiler)].
The Healer by Luke Hannon (5⭐) I really liked the concept. The story was pretty short, but the execution was well done and very effective.
City of Rot by Josh Clayton (5⭐) Great reveal at the end.
Practice and Preach by Jeannie Marschall (4⭐) This one was just a fun read.
6 Principles for a Stronger Relationship with Your Undead Minions by Merdhin Wylde (4⭐) Another fun one, very cohesive....more
I had a major sense of déjà vu while reading the last part of this, so it's possible I've encountered it somewhere before. Saiman is an interesting chI had a major sense of déjà vu while reading the last part of this, so it's possible I've encountered it somewhere before. Saiman is an interesting character, and it was nice to see how he and Kate met and why he thinks so highly of her. I really liked the ending too....more
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really loved the theme of this anthology that focuses on 3.5 stars
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really loved the theme of this anthology that focuses on older characters being the Chosen One and saving the world. Some were more epic in scale than others, where I think the author interpreted the theme very loosely. Most of the stories would fall within fantasy, but there are a couple that are more scifi.
Lean In: The Lord of Hell Is Coming by Ericka Kahler (4⭐) I liked this take on the Chosen One refusing violence. Not very subtle and a bit repetitive, though.
Big Momma Saves the World by Maurice Broaddus (2⭐) The idea behind this was interesting, but I was just very confused.
A Legacy of Ghosts by Sarah Hans (4⭐) I liked the drama of this one. It did a lot for a short story.
The M.A.M.I. Incident by Guadalupe Garcia McCall (2⭐) The idea behind this was interesting, but the story itself felt chaotic and unhinged, with a plot twist that came out of nowhere.
Adya and the Messengers by Jaymie Wagner (5⭐) This was really sweet, and I loved the fairytale vibes.
Soccer Mom Saves the World by Addie J. King (3⭐) It got a bit chaotic at one point, but was fun overall.
My Roots Run Deep by John F. Allen (1⭐) This was a mess. The plot was nonsensical, and words were used that don't mean what the author apparently thinks they mean.
It's My Nature by JD Blackrose (4⭐) Enjoyed this overall, some of the dialogue was really good.
Truthteller by Linda Robertson (5⭐) Really liked the premise and execution. A lot of worldbuilding packed into this one without making it feel like an infodump.
Utopia by Vaseem Khan (4⭐) I enjoyed this but the ending was very abrupt.
Jackalope Wives by Ursula Vernon (5⭐) This is the reason I picked up this anthology, and I was not disappointed. Vernon's prose and stories always hit. Love the dark fairytale vibes.
Granny by R.J. Sullivan (2⭐) There was nothing wrong with this, it just wasn't very memorable and had some cheesy dialogue.
Launch Day Milkshakes by Jim C. Hines (3⭐) This was mostly a conversation between 2 characters, which is a shame because the concept was interesting, it just felt underutilized/underdeveloped.
The Sunspear by Alexandra Pitchford (2⭐) This was very vague and very chaotic, and I never really got a handle on what was going on.
Once a Queen by Alana Joli Abbott (4⭐) Even though not much happens, this was still cute. Wish there had been more time to explore the portal world.
By the Works of Her Hands by LaShawn M. Wanak (5⭐) Loved the writing and the idea of a social worker going to a portal world and helping different creatures from that world find better places in our own.
All the World's Treasures by Kimberly Pauley (4⭐) Por por was a force to be reckoned with. Loved reading about her.
Strange Wings by Kathryn Ivey (2⭐) This was description-heavy, and then there was a lot of walking, and when we finally got to the good part, the story ended.
The Mountain Witch by Lucy A. Snyder (3⭐) Discusses how history is historically rewritten to suit what men want/need....more
This is such a brilliant short story/thought experiment. I'm in awe of Morrison's attention to detail in truly stripping both main characters of anythThis is such a brilliant short story/thought experiment. I'm in awe of Morrison's attention to detail in truly stripping both main characters of anything that might identify their race. As the reader, I found myself constantly guessing and changing my opinion after a few minutes because of something in the text, which then begs the question, why does it matter? Why do I need to know? Very thought-provoking.
I'd actually recommend reading the story first and then going back to read the introduction by Zadie Smith, since it reads a little bit like a review/deconstruction of the story....more
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
CWs: death, violence
This anthology sets out to make the voices of AfARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
CWs: death, violence
This anthology sets out to make the voices of Afghan women heard, and it absolutely accomplishes that. The short stories in this book are all very different from each other in tone, concept and also quality. No doubt everyone reading this will have a different set of favourites. But all of them show different facets of what life is like in Afghanistan. Some of the stories deal with violence, while others take more of a "slice of life" approach. They're all important and illuminating, and I hope more people pick this book up.
The afterword is very enlightening about the circumstances surrounding the writing and compilation of this book, and I highly recommend reading that as well....more
I was pleasantly surprised by the structure of the anthology when I started. Instead of each story standing on its own, the stories were all part of a single narrative: a murder mystery. Reading this felt like reading a regular novel, which made it easier for me (usually anthologies take me a long time because I try to leave space between different short stories), but ultimately I don't think it quite came together.
The pacing of the murder mystery is slow because of this structure. It makes sense that each author wants to use their short story to flesh out their character, and put their stamp on this shared space. However, this means a lot of repetition, like the text of a letter that is introduced in one of the first stories, and then reiterated over the next 5 or so. There are also flashbacks within some of these (again, this makes sense from a character development perspective), but it means that there is no urgency whatsoever to the plot, even though they're supposedly looking for a killer. And even the bigger threads woven throughout this never really come to fruition. One of the stories introduces a character from another dimension who gets embroiled in the investigation, but that just kind of fizzles out towards the end, and her story is never resolved. There is mention of a prophecy and a chosen one, but this is another element that was ultimately underutilized, even though it could have been an interesting part of the project.
I did like all the representation this book offers, and how each author managed to put their own spin on what magic is like for their specific character and their background/culture. It made the magical school feel so diverse, and I loved that....more
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Tropes: second chance romance
For all that this is a short story, I dARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Tropes: second chance romance
For all that this is a short story, I didn't feel unsatisfied with it. It didn't feel rushed or like more words were needed to get the point across. Even though there is a history between Emmitt and Ayesha that we're not privy to, I didn't need that information to understand the feelings they were grappling with. Ultimately I would say this is about grief and family, and how losing a loved one can make you lose parts of yourself without even realizing it.
I wasn't expecting the story to unfold the way it did, but the author managed to take the well-used meddling mom trope and give it a nice tweak. ...more
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
A story that starts off cute and sweet, and then somehow manages to pack a punch within 3ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
A story that starts off cute and sweet, and then somehow manages to pack a punch within 31 pages. Having 2 cats, I think about what animals are thinking quite a lot, but I never considered the perspective of a plant. The Houseplant takes us into the mind of George, a fern who never wanted to be owned by a human, but grows to love one quite despite himself. At its heart, this is a story about friendship and caring, and how treating someone (or something) well and doing the right thing will bring about surprising benefits. This was well-executed and just the right length, which is something short stories can easily get wrong. A delightful read for when you have a short break....more
Short stories are often a hard sell for me. I've tried a few anthologies and short story collections, and while there are a couple of authors that havShort stories are often a hard sell for me. I've tried a few anthologies and short story collections, and while there are a couple of authors that have managed to really impress me, I don't often feel much more about short stories than, "it was okay".
This collection was a very mixed bag. I really liked the first and last stories, as well as most of the ones featuring Shev and Javre. The rest felt like a rehashing of events that were already explored in the first 6 First Law books, and I don't think they added anything new.
Shev and Javre actually had a pretty solid plot throughout this, and I'm curious to see if and how what they did here has an impact on Age of Madness.
If you're thinking about picking this up but weren't a huge fan of the standalone books, I recommend reading only the following: * A Beautiful Bastard * Small Kindnesses * Skipping Town * Two's Company * Three's a Crowd * Tough Times All Over * Made a Monster...more
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I am now kicking myself for not having picked up Monstress yet, becaARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I am now kicking myself for not having picked up Monstress yet, because if this short story collection is any indication, I'm going to absolutely love it.
The collection consists of six short stories and one novella. The writing is absolutely stunning and it hit me from the first paragraph. Liu's style is one I really love; that mix of beautiful descriptions, dark storylines and emotion, and giving you just enough hints of information about the story that your mind starts to race ahead thinking about all the possibilities. It made it really easy to enjoy reading this, even the stories my imagination didn't latch onto that much. The characters are also really diverse; there's plenty of queer rep and PoC rep.
Sympathy for the Bones ★★★★★ Appropriately creepy, and I loved how this story slowly built up to its conclusion. There's definitely a feeling of something ominous coming throughout.
The Briar and the Rose ★★★★★ This one was my favourite. Everything in this just worked for me. The fairytale feeling, the romance, the characters. Spot on. It's a twist on Sleeping Beauty and I loved it.
Call Her Savage ★★½ I think I could have liked this more if it had been a bit longer. This one tries to do a lot of world building for a short story, and I have to admit it lost me in the details.
The Last Dignity of Man ★★★★ This one could also have been a bit longer, but I just loved the characters. The relationship in this one really worked for me too, and parts of it were so melancholy they made my heart ache.
Where the Heart Lives ★★★ I don't know if it's because this book had one too many creepy woods stories, or because I just spent a week on a creepy woods story I didn't really enjoy, but for some reason none of them quite did it for me. This is another one that could've benefitted from a bit more meat, and the ending felt pretty sudden.
After the Blood ★★½ Just wasn't interested in the setting or the characters. It's post-apocalyptic with vampires but I don't feel like any of it is explained well. Lots of insinuations that are never fully clarified.
The Tangleroot Palace ★★★★ More dark woods, but I did really enjoy the romance in this one, even though I saw it coming. The conclusion that relates to the mystery behind the woods felt a bit weird though; maybe a bit too in the vein off "the power of positive thinking" for me. Still really enjoyed it overall....more
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I have somewhat mixed feelings about this anthology. Some of the shoARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I have somewhat mixed feelings about this anthology. Some of the short stories were average, some I really didn't enjoy, but there were a few that I absolutely loved, and it makes rating this as a single book an absolute nightmare. One thing that's good to know is that the anthology is pretty heavy on the romance.
A UNIVERSE OF WISHES by Tara Sim ★★★★ There is magic in corpses, if you know where to look for it. Thorn does, and there are plenty of corpses in the morgue to harvest from. Until he gets caught. This was pretty sweet and a solid story overall.
THE SILK BLADE by Natalie C. Parker ★★★ Three warriors must compete for the hand of the Bloom, but what happens when two of them fall for each other instead? I enjoyed this, even though I'm not a fan of insta-love, but I liked the world and the premise.
THE SCARLET WOMAN: A Gemma Doyle Story by Libba Bray ★ Maybe if you've read the Gemma Doyle series you'd enjoy this, but I just felt lost. This definitely can't be read as a standalone short story. It ends on a cliffhanger and feels like it contains spoilers for the series, so beware if you pick this book up.
CRISTAL Y CENIZA by Anna-Marie McLemore ★★★★ In a world where corrections take place to break up non-hetero couples, the daughter of two women decides to sneak into the Prince's royal ball and beg the King and Queen for sanctuary. McLemore has a way with words, and I loved the twists in this take on Cinderella.
LIBERIA by Kwame Mbalia ★★★ A group of young scientists is sent off into space to inhabit a new world. It's Earth's last hope, and they carry the memories of their ancestors with them. Really enjoyed this scifi story.
A ROYAL AFFAIR by V. E. Schwab ★★★ This one deals with how Rhy and Alucard fell out. I haven't read the Shades of Magic trilogy yet, but I liked this and didn't feel like I was missing a lot of background information.
THE TAKEBACK TANGO by Rebecca Roanhorse ★★★★ A fun heist story. Anything Roanhorse writes is gold in my opinion, would love to read a longer version of this.
DREAM AND DARE by Nic Stone ★ What if the monster in the story needs to be saved instead of the princess? This was fairly predictable and I didn't like how modern the speech was, especially because there was nothing in the story to suggest that this was set in our world. That's something that's very much personal preference, but it always yanks me out of the story and setting.
WISH by Jenni Balch ★★ The next time someone activates the LAMP, Lane finds himself on a different planet, and has to figure out a way to make a difficult wish come true. Nice scifi twist on the genie and the lamp, but the wish part felt very rushed.
THE WEIGHT by Dhonielle Clayton ★★ Each heart has a weight, and it can show one's biggest love. But the answer isn't always what people expect it to be. I really liked the idea behind this, but it was kind of wishy-washy and the ending was abrupt.
UNMOOR by Mark Oshiro ★★★★★ When memories prevent you from visiting specific places, Unmoor can disconnect the memories from the physical space. This was brilliant. I wasn't sure about it, but the end blew me away.
THE COLDEST SPOT IN THE UNIVERSE by Samira Ahmed ★★★★★ Archaeologists from another world come to Earth to find out what happened to its people, and the youngest member of the team finds a connection with a young girl who once lived there. This was beautiful and emotional. I loved the dual perspectives in this one.
THE BEGINNING OF MONSTERS by Tessa Gratton ★★★ A small king wants a new body, but the designer assigned to her has plans of her own. This was fine, but I think I would've liked this more without the romantic element.
LONGER THAN THE THREADS OF TIME by Zoraida Córdova ★★★.5 Everyone with a touch of magic knows about the girl imprisoned in the tower. Fabian plans to rescue her. This definitely didn't go the way I expected it to. Still has insta-love elements.
HABIBI by Tochi Onyebuchi ★★★★★ Two young men, both in prison. One is in the US, the other is in Gaza. Pen pals only by virtue of magic, this is a heartbreaking story of what it means to not be free. It's my favourite by far. I don't get emotional often, but this story did a number on me. Absolutely amazing.
Would honestly recommend it based on Habibi alone....more
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
If you've ever been curious about the exact events that caused the sARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
If you've ever been curious about the exact events that caused the situation with Alyrra and her family at the beginning of Thorn, look no further. This short story takes us back to that period, when Alyrra was 12 and she and Valka were still on friendly terms. When a precious item is stolen from a visiting family, Alyrra must make a difficult choice. Does she protect the thief and, by doing so, protect her mother's allies, or does she stand up for what is right?
It really is a very short story but I had fun returning to this world. I went back and started Thorn again right after I finished this. Intisar Khanani's writing style is one I've always enjoyed, and Brambles gives you a pretty good taste of it....more
She glances away, pictures her body as a kind of Death Star. Glamorous, attention grabbing, and impervious to attack. Brushing aside compliments and glances, collecting emojis, indestructible.
An interesting short story that tackles content moderation on social media platforms, inequality, discrimination, and the exploitation of workers. I liked the prose, the plot itself was just fine for me....more
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