This was honestly a goddamn good short story collection. The stories here had a lot of heart, with good substance, like a good short story should, witThis was honestly a goddamn good short story collection. The stories here had a lot of heart, with good substance, like a good short story should, with a lot packed into it without ever feeling like a longer story that got squeezed down. I like the threads that connect characters across the different stories, without ever feeling like the shift story couldn’t stand on its own. I think the last one with the mom and the kid may have been the most impactful one in tire collection, but I honestly had a good time throughout. ...more
An enjoyable mixed bag of stories. The best story in this collection, in my opinion, was the titular story because it combined brevity with impact – iAn enjoyable mixed bag of stories. The best story in this collection, in my opinion, was the titular story because it combined brevity with impact – it was short, yes, but the little amount of plot that occurred really deftly communicated the ideas the author was going for. It was a really strong start for the collection but I also don't think any other story in the collection affected me as deeply. Like, I will keep thinking about that first story and how well done it was.
I think the interesting thing about short stories is sometimes they're like putting the lens on a scene and their success kind of depends on how interesting the thing is that you are framing. A certain number of these stories fall into the kind of just introduce a character and their circumstances, rather than really having much in terms of plot happening. This isn’t always bad, but sometimes it feels like there isn't an engine to the story. For instance, with the story “Paris” I felt like the author was reaching for something at the end but not enough had really happened, we had just kind of learned about this character’s life, so I was so thrown off by what it was trying to do.
But I do feel like this was an interesting look into the tensions of immigration and generational difference and the strain that living in a different country with different values can put on relationships - I didn't know much about Laos or Laotian immigrant experience, so this was a interesting first initial peek into something new. ...more
I’m used to the BL collection of stories being a thing so I knew that it wasn’t one narrative but lowkey this was sometimes less stories and more justI’m used to the BL collection of stories being a thing so I knew that it wasn’t one narrative but lowkey this was sometimes less stories and more just ~moments~ and it seemed like a missed opportunity to flesh out some of the more interesting ideas. Tamekou’s art remains extremely pretty. After reading vol 2, I’d say your time is best spent reading the chapters of “You’re My Sex Star” here and then jumping right to vol 2 to get more of their story. ...more
An enjoyable collection. Occasionally falls into the world building trap, where the short story just consists of setting up a world or scenario but doAn enjoyable collection. Occasionally falls into the world building trap, where the short story just consists of setting up a world or scenario but doesn’t really have a plot (“Never” and “Toad Words” we’re both guilty of this), but even when she did, she retained her brevity and purpose. I think “Boar and Apples” was my favorite, just because of how fleshed out it was. Not as strong a collection as “Jackalope Wives” but has Kingfisher’s distinctive voice, which any fan of hers will enjoy....more
I did enjoy reading this collection of stories. The strongest by far was The Long Past, the novella and first story in the book. Dinosaurs? Magic? TheI did enjoy reading this collection of stories. The strongest by far was The Long Past, the novella and first story in the book. Dinosaurs? Magic? The Wild West? Queer romance? Lots of diversity? All really good stuff. The other two stories were a little weaker. The second story was a solid tale, but without the dinosaurs or Wild West setting - the elements I really enjoyed about the novella - it seemed more generic steam punk. I don’t think it would have stuck out if the collection has more stories in different settings or if it was in a different collection, but in this one it seemed discordant. The third story also wasn’t too bad, but it was packed and I think the plot and characterization would have benefited from a higher word count. Despite these critiques, I definitely would recommend this collection!...more
Absolutely lovely. I’ve been following Catelyn Winona on tumblr for a while and have been reading her stuff for even longer, so reading this collectioAbsolutely lovely. I’ve been following Catelyn Winona on tumblr for a while and have been reading her stuff for even longer, so reading this collection felt like sinking into something wonderfully familiar. Some of the stories were ones I’d read before or reworked versions which I did definitely enjoy. Favorite had to be Madame Science - that’s a short story that was basically crafted for me in a lab. ...more
Before getting into it, I recommend right off the bat reading “Duende” first, even though “A Matter of Disagreement” is first in the collection. WhileBefore getting into it, I recommend right off the bat reading “Duende” first, even though “A Matter of Disagreement” is first in the collection. While “Duende” may be a weaker story (the conflict is much slighter than the other two), it works better as the first in terms of chronology and character introduction.
In general, enjoyed this! Conceptually, the world created is really interesting - it can scratch that historical romance itch, but has magic and queerness (that is part of the world as opposed to something taboo). I liked the diversity in the stories, in terms of gender and race and physical ability. My favorite story was probably “Winter’s Bees.”
It does need a solid edit, though. There were a lot of little mistakes, of word choices and grammar where obviously spellcheck had been done but nobody had given it a good read thru with a red pen. It wasn’t enough to make the story unreadable but for a little know it all like me who relished finding mistakes in books as a children, they were definitely noticeable. ...more
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