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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
This is a gorgeous collection of stories. I loved all of them! Some of the folklore/epics/fairy tales I was familiar with, most I wasn't, so now I get to do more reading.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was a really nice book. It made me crave lots of different Asian foods. I find that rating short difficult, because I find that there are some fantastic stories, okay stories and some not so good stories. My favorite of these tales include: Forbidden Fruit by Roshani Chokshi, Olivia's table by Alyssa Wong and The Crimson Cloak by Cindy Pon. My least favorite was hands down Spear Carrier by Rahul Kanakia. The rest I thought were pretty good.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Violence, Grief, War
3.5. There were some stories in here I really enjoyed, and there were others I felt were very weak. I’m not Asian-American and didn’t grow up with the stories retold in here, so I can’t really comment further, but here are the stories I felt were the strongest:
- Olivia’s Table by Alyssa Wong
- The Counting of Vermillion Beads by Aliette De Bodard
- The Land of the Morning Calm by E.C. Myers
- The Smile by Aisha Saeed
- Nothing Into All by Renee Adieh
- Code of Honor by Melissa de la Cruz
- Olivia’s Table by Alyssa Wong
- The Counting of Vermillion Beads by Aliette De Bodard
- The Land of the Morning Calm by E.C. Myers
- The Smile by Aisha Saeed
- Nothing Into All by Renee Adieh
- Code of Honor by Melissa de la Cruz
Rating anthologies is tricky.. some stories I would give 5 stars and some 1. Overall, I loved the stories that were more traditional mythologies. The more modern parts weren't as appealing to me.
Avg. Rating: 3.25
1. Forbidden Fruit: 4.5 stars
2. Olivia's Table: 3.5 stars
3. Steel Skin: 2 stars
4. Still Star-Crossed: 1 star (very forgettable)
5. The Counting of Vermillion Beads: 3 stars
6. The Land of Morning Calm: 2.5 stars
7. The Smile: 3 stars
8. Girls Who Twirl and Other Dangers: 2 stars
9. Nothing Into All: 4 stars
10. Spear Carrier: 1 star (DNF, writing was horrible)
11. Code of Honor: 3.5 stars
12. Bullet, Butterfly: 4 stars
13. Daughter of the Sun: 4.5 stars
14. The Crimson Cloak: 5 stars
15. Eyes Like Candlelight: 5 stars
Avg. Rating: 3.25
1. Forbidden Fruit: 4.5 stars
2. Olivia's Table: 3.5 stars
3. Steel Skin: 2 stars
4. Still Star-Crossed: 1 star (very forgettable)
5. The Counting of Vermillion Beads: 3 stars
6. The Land of Morning Calm: 2.5 stars
7. The Smile: 3 stars
8. Girls Who Twirl and Other Dangers: 2 stars
9. Nothing Into All: 4 stars
10. Spear Carrier: 1 star (DNF, writing was horrible)
11. Code of Honor: 3.5 stars
12. Bullet, Butterfly: 4 stars
13. Daughter of the Sun: 4.5 stars
14. The Crimson Cloak: 5 stars
15. Eyes Like Candlelight: 5 stars
All-Time Favorite: "Olivia's Table" by Alyssa Wong --> I thought this was super creative and wonderful. I love the uniqueness of ghost story mixed with food, which is weird because I hate cooking and yet I'm a sucker for food stories.
Most Surprising Like: "Steel Skin" by Lori M. Lee --> I'm not a huge fan of sci-fi, so when it started with androids, I was like :( , but then I read it and it was good and surprising and impactful. It was all around very fun to read.
Least Liked: "Still Star-Crossed" by Sona Charaiportra --> I wouldn't say I disliked this one, I just felt that it didn't feel complete to me. I felt like something was missing. Some reviews say the guy was creepy, which he was, but that didn't really bother me, it was more that I wasn't sure why this was happening and that bothered me.
Honorable mention (fantasy): "The Smile" by Aisha Saeed --> This felt like one of the books I read as a teenager, but with a twist. It was great to see this story from a different perspective and I'm so happy with this story and the conclusion. I was a little concerned for a moment that it was going to end tragically, but it was nice.
Honorable mention (Contemporary) "Girls who Twirl and Other Dangers" by Preeti Chhibber --> This one was just so cute. I absolutely loved it. Every part of it. So good.
Note: I noticed that all the books I mentioned were in the first half, so if I had to pick which half was my favorite, I would say the beginning stories were better. But, I will say that I liked all the stories in this book on some level or another.
Most Surprising Like: "Steel Skin" by Lori M. Lee --> I'm not a huge fan of sci-fi, so when it started with androids, I was like :( , but then I read it and it was good and surprising and impactful. It was all around very fun to read.
Least Liked: "Still Star-Crossed" by Sona Charaiportra --> I wouldn't say I disliked this one, I just felt that it didn't feel complete to me. I felt like something was missing. Some reviews say the guy was creepy, which he was, but that didn't really bother me, it was more that I wasn't sure why this was happening and that bothered me.
Honorable mention (fantasy): "The Smile" by Aisha Saeed --> This felt like one of the books I read as a teenager, but with a twist. It was great to see this story from a different perspective and I'm so happy with this story and the conclusion. I was a little concerned for a moment that it was going to end tragically, but it was nice.
Honorable mention (Contemporary) "Girls who Twirl and Other Dangers" by Preeti Chhibber --> This one was just so cute. I absolutely loved it. Every part of it. So good.
Note: I noticed that all the books I mentioned were in the first half, so if I had to pick which half was my favorite, I would say the beginning stories were better. But, I will say that I liked all the stories in this book on some level or another.
As with all anthologies, some stories are better than others. My personal favourites were:
Olivia's Table by Alyssa Wong
The Land of the Morning Calm by E.C. Myers
Bullet, Butterfly by Elsie Chapman
The Crimson Cloak by Cindy Pon
Eyes like Candlelight by Julie Kagawa
Unsurprisingly, these all feature the Chinese, Japanese and Korean folklores and legends that I grew up knowing, but I certainly appreciated the authors' notes after each story detailing the original folklore and how they took inspiration from it.
Olivia's Table by Alyssa Wong
The Land of the Morning Calm by E.C. Myers
Bullet, Butterfly by Elsie Chapman
The Crimson Cloak by Cindy Pon
Eyes like Candlelight by Julie Kagawa
Unsurprisingly, these all feature the Chinese, Japanese and Korean folklores and legends that I grew up knowing, but I certainly appreciated the authors' notes after each story detailing the original folklore and how they took inspiration from it.
THAT WAS AMAZING! I loved all of the stories and I honestly cannot pick a favorite though I am excited to read more Asian myths and legends! Full review to come!
Thank you to Edelweiss and Greenwillow Books for providing me a copy to review.
My Thoughts:
I knew that I was going to love this book and I was not disappointed. If you don't know, I LOVE mythology, legends, fairy tales, and this collection was right up my alley. I would finish one and go okay that one was my favorite and then I would read another and say nope that one is. This is unique for me as there is usually in a collection like this one, only one or two stories that I like. I also loved the little author's notes at the end of every story that talked about the original story and how the author changed the story.
I am going to break down my review by each story, but in total this collection is fantastic and I can't wait to read more about these legends and the cultures that they come from!
Forbidden Fruit by Roshani Chokshi
I loved how this story showed how when we are young we think that we are invincible even when a prophecy tells us otherwise. Also the writing is gorgeous! It reminds me that I really need to read The Star-Touched Queen.
Olivia's Table by Alyssa Wong
This story was so endearing and I love how it came full circle. I also loved how Olivia worked so hard for all the ghosts but what she put in she got back tenfold in from all of the ghosts that she served.
Steel Skin by Lori M. Lee
I am still not okay with how this story ended. I can't believe that that character was going to do that to the other character (I would put names but that would ruin the fun) and I originally thought that it was going to be the other way around but I enjoyed being pleasantly surprised. At first, I was not really into the story because I had lots of questions and I was not really sure where it was going but in the end, wow. I definitely want to read more.
Still Star-Crossed by Sona Charaipotra
I think that this is really cool how Charaipotra made this a modern retelling of Mirza and Sahida, as they are considered "immortalized lovers" so by having them now in modern times it shows how their love can stand the test of time. Though I do wish that this was a longer book because there seems to be a whole expanse of the story that the author couldn't touch on.
The Counting of Vermillion Beads by Aliette De Bodard
When I had first read this story, I didn't really care for it but I was also distracted by calculus. So for the second time reading it, I enjoyed it a lot more as I could focus on the story. I like that Bodard doesn't go with the dramatic ending of the original tale but instead makes one that unites the sisters.
The Land of the Morning Calm by E. C. Myers
Okay, this story takes Sword Art Online and LifeAfter and Korean legend and smashes them together in a superconductor so they form this beautiful story. I also loved how Myers took multiple Korean legends to form the story. Definitely one of my top three stories and I definitely wish there was more!
The Smile by Aisha Saeed
If you want a story of true fragile masculinitly well here it is. This story which is a version of the story of Anarkali, who is a dancing girl, in this story named Naseem Begum, for Prince Kareem and long story short, he, instead of giving her to a merchant, who fell in love with her (it is more like lust), decides to bury her alive as he thinks that she could never could live without him. When I read this I was like but you are a Prince why can't you just tell him no but that is not how the tale goes so I can't complain about it too much. Also can we please mention that Naseem doesn't really have a say in how she acts around him. Of course, she wants him to think that she loves the Prince for he is extremely powerful and you know has the power to kill her. Now, I do think that Calix, Boris and him would along quite nicely but that is besides the point. I do find Saeed's ending far more enjoyable then reading about an innocent women who is buried alive.
Girls Who Twirl and Other Dangers by Preeti Chhibber
First, I want to go to a celebration of Navrātri as it sounds like so much fun! Second, I liked how Chhibber included the original tale of Mashishāsur and Ma Durgā along side with the story. It helped create a parallel with the two stories and gave background about Ma Durgā, who is celebrated during Navrātri. This story was humorus as it follows three girls and there plan to get revenge on a cocky boy, and it doesn't go at all how they planned. So think funny teen comedy with a major splash of Hindu culture.
Nothing into All by Renée Ahdieh
Spoilers, and considering that this is my first, and only, review with spoilers I think that is pretty good.
This story is a little messed. I love it. I love Ahdieh's work (can't wait to read Smoke!!) so I was really looking foward to this. So the Goblins I were expecting to kill Charan after she feel into their hole/lair/mine and I was really happy they didn't and for that I think they are really cool. So to explain, Charan gets this magic club and she gets two chances to turn whatever she wants into gold. But her brother takes it because he thinks that she is not worthy of and tries destorying the Goblin Tree but then one of the Goblins turns him into a pebble. (Don't worry, Ahdieh does so much better with the story, then I can explain). What I was not expectin was Charan to take the club and use it on the pebble and that is where the story ends. So when I first read it I thought that Charan used the magic to turn her brother back. But then after reading the author's note and reading the story again, I am thinking that well maybe she did turn him into gold. So now I want to talk to someone else who has read the story and get there opinion on it!
Spear Carrier by Rahul Kanakia
This story was weird but in a good way as we were just as confused as the main character as to why she was in an army with a whole bunch of other weird creatures! It was also refreshing as it was one of the few stories that did not have a love interest.
Code of Honor by Melissa de la Cruz
THIS STORY!!! I can't believe she just ended it like that! How can you end a short story on a cliffhanger?! Do you know how cruel that is?! I really do hope that Melissa is planning on finishing this story as it has an awesome beginning and a lot of potential for being a full-length novel.
Bullet, Butterfly by Elsie Chapman
I loved this story but I do have one question: What was up with the sickness? Chapman does not really go into detail as to what is going on other than the fact that there is a war... But to the overall story, the sickness is just a minor detail.
Daughter of the Sun by Shveta Thakrar
Insta-love, is it really bad when you are prophesied to basically know your true once you gaze upon them? For this story, in the beginning, it was a little annoying but as the story continued and lovers got to know each other and I got to know the characters, I did, in fact, start to ship them.
The Crimson Cloak by Cindy Pon
I walked away from this story in total awe. And it might have been my favorite of them all but then again there are so many other stories that I love that it is hard to pick the number one. I loved how Pon changed the story to make it feminist and I feel in that aspect that it made it even more sincere. I also loved how Hongyun was talking directly to the reader.
Eyes Like Candlelight by Julie Kagawa
This was the only story that I actually had background knowledge of which is shocking because I have read a lot of mythology, but if these stories have taught me anything, it is that I have a whole new world of mythology to explore. Now to the story, it involved Kitsunes from Japanese legends which I do love and they were portrayed in a well-favored light even though they are usually seen as conniving and distrustful, which is refreshing as they are such cool creatures.
And that concludes my longest review to date! (Clocking in at around 1,800 words!!!) And if you haven't guessed I loved this story and I really hope you get the chance to read it soon!
Thank you to Edelweiss and Greenwillow Books for providing me a copy to review.
My Thoughts:
I knew that I was going to love this book and I was not disappointed. If you don't know, I LOVE mythology, legends, fairy tales, and this collection was right up my alley. I would finish one and go okay that one was my favorite and then I would read another and say nope that one is. This is unique for me as there is usually in a collection like this one, only one or two stories that I like. I also loved the little author's notes at the end of every story that talked about the original story and how the author changed the story.
I am going to break down my review by each story, but in total this collection is fantastic and I can't wait to read more about these legends and the cultures that they come from!
Forbidden Fruit by Roshani Chokshi
I loved how this story showed how when we are young we think that we are invincible even when a prophecy tells us otherwise. Also the writing is gorgeous! It reminds me that I really need to read The Star-Touched Queen.
Olivia's Table by Alyssa Wong
This story was so endearing and I love how it came full circle. I also loved how Olivia worked so hard for all the ghosts but what she put in she got back tenfold in from all of the ghosts that she served.
Steel Skin by Lori M. Lee
I am still not okay with how this story ended. I can't believe that that character was going to do that to the other character (I would put names but that would ruin the fun) and I originally thought that it was going to be the other way around but I enjoyed being pleasantly surprised. At first, I was not really into the story because I had lots of questions and I was not really sure where it was going but in the end, wow. I definitely want to read more.
Still Star-Crossed by Sona Charaipotra
I think that this is really cool how Charaipotra made this a modern retelling of Mirza and Sahida, as they are considered "immortalized lovers" so by having them now in modern times it shows how their love can stand the test of time. Though I do wish that this was a longer book because there seems to be a whole expanse of the story that the author couldn't touch on.
The Counting of Vermillion Beads by Aliette De Bodard
When I had first read this story, I didn't really care for it but I was also distracted by calculus. So for the second time reading it, I enjoyed it a lot more as I could focus on the story. I like that Bodard doesn't go with the dramatic ending of the original tale but instead makes one that unites the sisters.
The Land of the Morning Calm by E. C. Myers
Okay, this story takes Sword Art Online and LifeAfter and Korean legend and smashes them together in a superconductor so they form this beautiful story. I also loved how Myers took multiple Korean legends to form the story. Definitely one of my top three stories and I definitely wish there was more!
The Smile by Aisha Saeed
If you want a story of true fragile masculinitly well here it is. This story which is a version of the story of Anarkali, who is a dancing girl, in this story named Naseem Begum, for Prince Kareem and long story short, he, instead of giving her to a merchant, who fell in love with her (it is more like lust), decides to bury her alive as he thinks that she could never could live without him. When I read this I was like but you are a Prince why can't you just tell him no but that is not how the tale goes so I can't complain about it too much. Also can we please mention that Naseem doesn't really have a say in how she acts around him. Of course, she wants him to think that she loves the Prince for he is extremely powerful and you know has the power to kill her. Now, I do think that Calix, Boris and him would along quite nicely but that is besides the point. I do find Saeed's ending far more enjoyable then reading about an innocent women who is buried alive.
Girls Who Twirl and Other Dangers by Preeti Chhibber
First, I want to go to a celebration of Navrātri as it sounds like so much fun! Second, I liked how Chhibber included the original tale of Mashishāsur and Ma Durgā along side with the story. It helped create a parallel with the two stories and gave background about Ma Durgā, who is celebrated during Navrātri. This story was humorus as it follows three girls and there plan to get revenge on a cocky boy, and it doesn't go at all how they planned. So think funny teen comedy with a major splash of Hindu culture.
Nothing into All by Renée Ahdieh
Spoilers, and considering that this is my first, and only, review with spoilers I think that is pretty good.
This story is a little messed. I love it. I love Ahdieh's work (can't wait to read Smoke!!) so I was really looking foward to this. So the Goblins I were expecting to kill Charan after she feel into their hole/lair/mine and I was really happy they didn't and for that I think they are really cool. So to explain, Charan gets this magic club and she gets two chances to turn whatever she wants into gold. But her brother takes it because he thinks that she is not worthy of and tries destorying the Goblin Tree but then one of the Goblins turns him into a pebble. (Don't worry, Ahdieh does so much better with the story, then I can explain). What I was not expectin was Charan to take the club and use it on the pebble and that is where the story ends. So when I first read it I thought that Charan used the magic to turn her brother back. But then after reading the author's note and reading the story again, I am thinking that well maybe she did turn him into gold. So now I want to talk to someone else who has read the story and get there opinion on it!
Spear Carrier by Rahul Kanakia
This story was weird but in a good way as we were just as confused as the main character as to why she was in an army with a whole bunch of other weird creatures! It was also refreshing as it was one of the few stories that did not have a love interest.
Code of Honor by Melissa de la Cruz
THIS STORY!!! I can't believe she just ended it like that! How can you end a short story on a cliffhanger?! Do you know how cruel that is?! I really do hope that Melissa is planning on finishing this story as it has an awesome beginning and a lot of potential for being a full-length novel.
Bullet, Butterfly by Elsie Chapman
I loved this story but I do have one question: What was up with the sickness? Chapman does not really go into detail as to what is going on other than the fact that there is a war... But to the overall story, the sickness is just a minor detail.
Daughter of the Sun by Shveta Thakrar
Insta-love, is it really bad when you are prophesied to basically know your true once you gaze upon them? For this story, in the beginning, it was a little annoying but as the story continued and lovers got to know each other and I got to know the characters, I did, in fact, start to ship them.
The Crimson Cloak by Cindy Pon
I walked away from this story in total awe. And it might have been my favorite of them all but then again there are so many other stories that I love that it is hard to pick the number one. I loved how Pon changed the story to make it feminist and I feel in that aspect that it made it even more sincere. I also loved how Hongyun was talking directly to the reader.
Eyes Like Candlelight by Julie Kagawa
This was the only story that I actually had background knowledge of which is shocking because I have read a lot of mythology, but if these stories have taught me anything, it is that I have a whole new world of mythology to explore. Now to the story, it involved Kitsunes from Japanese legends which I do love and they were portrayed in a well-favored light even though they are usually seen as conniving and distrustful, which is refreshing as they are such cool creatures.
And that concludes my longest review to date! (Clocking in at around 1,800 words!!!) And if you haven't guessed I loved this story and I really hope you get the chance to read it soon!
Not bad, very interesting. I focused on several Chinese folk tales and I like how these young contemporary writers’ retold. I like it a lot.