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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
I was very excited to read this, and the stories that I didn't like were made up for by the rest. I've been getting more into fairy tales, myths and legends that aren't from Europe the last couple of months and noticing tale types that I recently learned about was very fun
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
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:
No
I thoroughly enjoyed this anthology and highly recommend it for people of any age looking for short retellings and reimaginings of East and South Asian mythologies. I really liked the author's notes that followed each story, telling us a bit about the original myth, their connections to it and why they decided to write the stories they did.
The range of emotion throughout the book is so compelling, with an excellent balance of lighthearted and sad tales. I can already tell a couple of these stories are going to stick with me for a long time to come, and am excited to read more from the new-to-me authors included here, both for YA and Adult titles.
The range of emotion throughout the book is so compelling, with an excellent balance of lighthearted and sad tales. I can already tell a couple of these stories are going to stick with me for a long time to come, and am excited to read more from the new-to-me authors included here, both for YA and Adult titles.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Minor: Body horror, Violence
I've individually rated the stories below and then given the average for the collection as a whole since there was such a variety in here! 3.5 rounded up
Overall, I really enjoyed this collection. As an Asian American, I love seeing this celebration of Asian cultures and, in a many of the stories, a depiction of what it means to be part of the Asian diaspora. I started this almost a year ago, and I am so happy I finally had the time to finish it. I do think the strongest stories leaned into the legend/mythology inspiration as I also think that the cadence of folktales and myths lend itself to the short story format, but some of the modern retellings were very creative and fun to read. I also really appreciated the explanations at the end of each story about the folktales they come from. I feel like it gave me a greater appreciation of the stories themselves, and I learned a little about the different cultures. Finally I wish there was some more representation from South East Asian Cultures and minority groups within larger places like China, but hopefully we'll get more stories celebrating those cultures.
Full Review
Full Review
Retelling of beloved myths. Some will haunt me.
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
This was a really delightful anthology. All the stories were very enjoyable and I especially liked the short pieces after each story by the author talking about the original myth and why they chose it. Myth retellings like this are some of my favorite stories and I am so glad I picked this up.
Reading anthologies is always an iffy experience for me. I just can’t seem to enjoy them as much as I like traditional novels. My ratings for anthologies almost always sit around three stars. I loved the inspiration for this anthology, but I didn’t enjoy all of the writing. This is definitely a five stars for rep but three stars for the actual stories situation. My favorite part was the authors' notes after each story explaining the myth/folklore that inspired their tales. I could read those in-depth explanations all day. I love when people explain their culture and give me the inside meaning to things.
Also, special thanks to Melanie for including the origins of the stories in her review. Since I don’t own a copy and I listened to this on audio, I couldn’t remember all the details of each author’s background. I’ve followed her example and included them below so that you may know the representation for each story. Please check out her review! She’s always 100000x more eloquent than me anyway.
1. FORBIDDEN FRUIT by Roshani Chokshi - ✮✮✮
Filipino
I really liked this opening. It felt very much like a folk tale and I liked the story. I found it quite pleasant and Roshani’s writing is always very poetic.
2. OLIVIA’S TABLE by Alyssa Wong - ✮✮✮✮
Chinese
This was one of the stories I liked the most. The concept of the ghosts and loss was very interesting. It made me very hungry for Chinese food!
3. STEEL SKIN by Lori M. Lee - ✮✮
Hmong
I’m not a big fan of sci-fi so this retelling didn’t really work for me. I also kind of predicted the twist. I enjoyed the author’s note much more than the actual story.
4. STILL STAR-CROSSED by Sona Charaipotra - ✮✮
Punjabi
This story made me a bit uncomfortable due to the nature of how the male character keeps stalking the girl. The descriptions of food were the best part of the story. I wanted to immediately eat all the the things. Another case where the author’s note was better than the story.
5. THE COUNTING OF VERRMILLION BEADS by Aliette De Bodard - ✮✮✮✮
Vietnamese
I discovered that the stories I liked best in this book were the ones that still felt like folklore. The more modern stories just didn’t click with me as much as the ones like this. I liked that the author put her own spin on the original story and made the sisters supportive of one another.
6. THE LAND OF THE MORNING CALM by E. C. Myers - ✮✮
Korean
I liked the sentiment of this story but I didn’t connect with it as much as I would’ve liked. I didn’t love the writing style and I’m not very familiar with online role-playing games so the concept didn’t click with me.
7. THE SMILE by Aisha Saeed - ✮✮✮✮
South Asian
This was one of my favorite stories in the book. I loved the main character’s resolve and how she chooses herself over everything.
8. GIRLS WHO TWIRL AND OTHER DANGERS by Preeti Chhibber - ✮✮✮
Gujarati
I liked the parts of the story that were actually describing the Hindu mythology but didn’t love the present day perspective as much.
9. NOTHING INTO ALL by Renée Ahdieh - ✮✮✮✮
Korean
This story was very whimsical and I enjoyed the middle grade feeling it had. It felt like a traditional fairytale.
10. SPEAR CARRIER by Rahul Kanakia - ✮
South Asian
My least favorite story in the book. I think it explored some interesting themes, but the actual story and writing missed the mark entirely for me.
11. CODE OF HONOR by Melissa de la Cruz - ✮
Filipino
The writing in this reminded me of vampire books I used to read in high school. I just was not into it at all. This might’ve been the weakest writing in the whole anthology.
12. BULLET, BUTTERFLY by Elsie Chapman - ✮✮✮✮✮
Chinese
This was my favorite story in the anthology. It actually made me cry and was quite beautiful. It felt very Romeo & Juliet and I’d love to know more about the Chinese legend it originated from.
13. DAUGHTER OF THE SUN by Shveta Thakrar - ✮✮✮
South Asian
One of the more interesting retellings in this anthology. I would like to read a longer version of this. I think I’d like a full novel even more.
14. THE CRIMSON CLOAK by Cindy Pon - ✮✮✮
Chinese
This story was nice and romantic. The writing was decent.
15. EYES LIKE CANDLELIGHT by Julie Kagawa - ✮✮✮✮✮
Japanese
Actually, this might’ve been my real favorite of the anthology. I now would like to read more of Julie Kagawa’s writing. This was super interesting and heartbreaking.
Also, special thanks to Melanie for including the origins of the stories in her review. Since I don’t own a copy and I listened to this on audio, I couldn’t remember all the details of each author’s background. I’ve followed her example and included them below so that you may know the representation for each story. Please check out her review! She’s always 100000x more eloquent than me anyway.
1. FORBIDDEN FRUIT by Roshani Chokshi - ✮✮✮
Filipino
I really liked this opening. It felt very much like a folk tale and I liked the story. I found it quite pleasant and Roshani’s writing is always very poetic.
2. OLIVIA’S TABLE by Alyssa Wong - ✮✮✮✮
Chinese
This was one of the stories I liked the most. The concept of the ghosts and loss was very interesting. It made me very hungry for Chinese food!
3. STEEL SKIN by Lori M. Lee - ✮✮
Hmong
I’m not a big fan of sci-fi so this retelling didn’t really work for me. I also kind of predicted the twist. I enjoyed the author’s note much more than the actual story.
4. STILL STAR-CROSSED by Sona Charaipotra - ✮✮
Punjabi
This story made me a bit uncomfortable due to the nature of how the male character keeps stalking the girl. The descriptions of food were the best part of the story. I wanted to immediately eat all the the things. Another case where the author’s note was better than the story.
5. THE COUNTING OF VERRMILLION BEADS by Aliette De Bodard - ✮✮✮✮
Vietnamese
I discovered that the stories I liked best in this book were the ones that still felt like folklore. The more modern stories just didn’t click with me as much as the ones like this. I liked that the author put her own spin on the original story and made the sisters supportive of one another.
6. THE LAND OF THE MORNING CALM by E. C. Myers - ✮✮
Korean
I liked the sentiment of this story but I didn’t connect with it as much as I would’ve liked. I didn’t love the writing style and I’m not very familiar with online role-playing games so the concept didn’t click with me.
7. THE SMILE by Aisha Saeed - ✮✮✮✮
South Asian
This was one of my favorite stories in the book. I loved the main character’s resolve and how she chooses herself over everything.
8. GIRLS WHO TWIRL AND OTHER DANGERS by Preeti Chhibber - ✮✮✮
Gujarati
I liked the parts of the story that were actually describing the Hindu mythology but didn’t love the present day perspective as much.
9. NOTHING INTO ALL by Renée Ahdieh - ✮✮✮✮
Korean
This story was very whimsical and I enjoyed the middle grade feeling it had. It felt like a traditional fairytale.
10. SPEAR CARRIER by Rahul Kanakia - ✮
South Asian
My least favorite story in the book. I think it explored some interesting themes, but the actual story and writing missed the mark entirely for me.
11. CODE OF HONOR by Melissa de la Cruz - ✮
Filipino
The writing in this reminded me of vampire books I used to read in high school. I just was not into it at all. This might’ve been the weakest writing in the whole anthology.
12. BULLET, BUTTERFLY by Elsie Chapman - ✮✮✮✮✮
Chinese
This was my favorite story in the anthology. It actually made me cry and was quite beautiful. It felt very Romeo & Juliet and I’d love to know more about the Chinese legend it originated from.
13. DAUGHTER OF THE SUN by Shveta Thakrar - ✮✮✮
South Asian
One of the more interesting retellings in this anthology. I would like to read a longer version of this. I think I’d like a full novel even more.
14. THE CRIMSON CLOAK by Cindy Pon - ✮✮✮
Chinese
This story was nice and romantic. The writing was decent.
15. EYES LIKE CANDLELIGHT by Julie Kagawa - ✮✮✮✮✮
Japanese
Actually, this might’ve been my real favorite of the anthology. I now would like to read more of Julie Kagawa’s writing. This was super interesting and heartbreaking.
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Overall this was a really solid anthology! As with any anthology there were some I really enjoyed and some I didn’t love as much. My absolute favorite was Olivia’s Table by Alyssa Wong, which I loved for so many reasons. The story itself was beautifully written and heartwrenching. It was also amazing to see a story about a queer Asian woman’s relationship with her mother and legacy that wasn’t all about trauma and the burdens of tradition and homophobia. This kind of representation just doesn’t exist on a broad scale. (Full disclosure – I’m white and happen to be passionate about this topic because my girlfriend is Chinese-American. If you’re interested in learning more about this topic I’d recommend looking up ownvoice writers.) I also very much enjoyed Steel Skin by Lori M. Lee; one of my favorite kinds of short story is the one where you come to a conclusion at the end that ranges from surprising to horrifying, and this one scratched that metaphorical itch for me. One thing I think this anthology suffered from is the fact that these myths are not widely known among Western and non-Asian audiences. This is obviously not the fault of the authors of these stories and is because of my own relative cultural insularity, but because I was unfamiliar with the stories, I’m sure I missed some of the details woven in by the authors and was left with a less rich reading experience for some of the stories. Overall, though, this was an enjoyable read and I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys mythology.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated