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3.32 AVERAGE
3.32 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Slightly disappointed in this one - it's clearly aimed at a younger audience than I thought, although that doesn't excuse the rushed pace and editing errors that appeared in far too many of these pieces. Nonetheless, I know that several of the authors featured here do much better when writing full-length stories so I wouldn't let this put me off checking out more of their work, and it's great to see so much representation of neurodiverse, disabled, and non-white main characters - more of this, please!
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I always struggle to rate short story collections as you are bound to love some more than others. Short stories arenโt really my thing but this looked great, hence picking it up. I loved how diverse the stories were and I just wish they were longer ๐๐
The book promised wintery mysteries and that's largely what you get, though more than one of the authors has a somewhat loose definition of 'mystery'.
As is inevitably the case with any anthology by multiple authors, there's a mix of quality here, with some stories I really liked, some I was ambivalent about, and sadly one I outright disliked (that one frankly sent a terrible message to kids, that stealing is apparently okay if you don't like the people you're stealing from).
I liked that the anthology occasionally delved into fantasy. There are also a very diverse group of characters in the stories, which is always great to see.
The illustrations inside the book are lovely, and the cover and naked hardcover are both gorgeous.
Overall a cosy, fun wintery read which I had a good time with. I just wish there was a bit more actual detecting going on in a few of the stories.
As is inevitably the case with any anthology by multiple authors, there's a mix of quality here, with some stories I really liked, some I was ambivalent about, and sadly one I outright disliked (that one frankly sent a terrible message to kids, that stealing is apparently okay if you don't like the people you're stealing from).
I liked that the anthology occasionally delved into fantasy. There are also a very diverse group of characters in the stories, which is always great to see.
The illustrations inside the book are lovely, and the cover and naked hardcover are both gorgeous.
Overall a cosy, fun wintery read which I had a good time with. I just wish there was a bit more actual detecting going on in a few of the stories.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced