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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
As with all anthologies, I liked some stories more than others but overall it was a good read throughout
My favourite stories were the ones by Alyssa Wong and EC Myers. Alyssa Wong's has a lesbian protagonist but all the others are completely nonqueer.
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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 really enjoyed reading all of these different stories and then reading the myth or legend that inspired them. Really well done
Loved reading these reimagined short stories based off Asian fairy tales, legends, and myths. Each story had its own flavor, theme, and vibe, but the whole anthology still felt cohesive. When I started a tale, I never knew what I was going to get, but I was not disappointed by any of the stories. Now I've gotta save a ton of new authors to my "to read" lists!
popsugar reading challenge 2020: an anthology
01 → forbidden fruit - roshani chockshi | 5 ★
02 → olivia's table - alyssa wong | 5 ★
03 → steel skin - lori m. lee | 4 ★
04 → still star-crossed - sona chiraipotra| 3.5 ★
05 → the counting of vermillion beads - aliette de bodard| 3 ★
06 → the land of the morning calm - e.c myers | 5 ★
07 → the smile - aisha saeed | 4 ★
08 → girls who twirl and other dangers - preeti chibber | 4 ★
09 → nothing into all - renee ahdieh | 5 ★
10 → spear carrier - rahul kanakia | 4 ★
11 → code of honor - melissa de la cruz | 5 ★
12 → bullet, butterfly - elsie chapman | 4 ★
13 → daughter of the sun - shveta thakrar | 3.5 ★
14 → the crimson cloack - cindy pon | 5 ★
15 → eyes like candlelight - cindy pon | 5 ★
01 → forbidden fruit - roshani chockshi | 5 ★
02 → olivia's table - alyssa wong | 5 ★
03 → steel skin - lori m. lee | 4 ★
04 → still star-crossed - sona chiraipotra| 3.5 ★
05 → the counting of vermillion beads - aliette de bodard| 3 ★
06 → the land of the morning calm - e.c myers | 5 ★
07 → the smile - aisha saeed | 4 ★
08 → girls who twirl and other dangers - preeti chibber | 4 ★
09 → nothing into all - renee ahdieh | 5 ★
10 → spear carrier - rahul kanakia | 4 ★
11 → code of honor - melissa de la cruz | 5 ★
12 → bullet, butterfly - elsie chapman | 4 ★
13 → daughter of the sun - shveta thakrar | 3.5 ★
14 → the crimson cloack - cindy pon | 5 ★
15 → eyes like candlelight - cindy pon | 5 ★
emotional
hopeful
informative
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
Average rating: 3.6, rounded up to 3.75 (and so 4 stars visually).
I really enjoyed reading through all these stories, and I now have more authors I need to look into! I’ve always loved short stories, but sometimes I forget how much I enjoy anthologies. True, it’s hit or miss (as was this collection), but I loved the experience of reading all the stories. I especially appreciated the author’s note at the end of each, detailing their inspiration and changes and sometimes what they loved about the original tale. My two favorites were Olivia’s Table by Alyssa Wong and The Land of the Morning Calm by E.C. Myers. Apparently, I enjoy Asian ghost stories?? Lol. I took some notes while reading, and I’ll leave them below. I’m so glad I finally read this! The Asian readathon is the best thing to happen to my reading, haha. I want allllllllll the Asian inspired books. (Also, apologies if I typed any names incorrectly. I'm just a dumbass white girl, lol)
......
1. Forbidden Fruit – Roshani Chokshi. 3. Beautiful writing, weird ending.
2. Olivia’s Table – Alyssa Wong. 5! A meaningful and complete story!
3. Steel Skin – Lori M. Lee. 2.5. Androids and scifi! But the characters sucked.
4. Still Star-Crossed – Sona Charaipotra. 4.5. I would read this as a full-length novel.
5. The Counting of Vermillion Beads – Aliette De Bodard. 4. I like the changes to the original!
6. The Land of the Morning Calm – E.C. Myers. 5! Exceptional! Gaming, ghosts, and mythology!
7. The Smile – Aisha Saeed. 2. Not awful, but I didn’t care at all.
8. Girls Who Twirl and Other Dangers – Preeti Chhibber. 3.5. Vibrant story that didn’t tie together well.
9. Nothing Into All – Renee Ahdieh. 4. A more traditional fairytale with goblins and magic!
10. Spear Carrier – Rahul Kanakia. 4. Very introspective and contemplative.
11. Code of Honor – Melissa de la Cruz. 2. Vampires?! Meh. Abrupt ending. Boring but too short.
12. Bullet, Butterfly – Elsie Chapman. 3.5. A surprisingly beautiful love story.
13. Daughter of the Sun – Shveta Thakrar. 3. Good but not great. Although I’m now convinced I need to read the Mahabharata.
14. The Crimson Cloak – Cindy Pon. 4. “I am left with pieces of remembering though I loved him whole.”
15. Eyes like Candlelight – Julie Kagawa. 4. I love kitsune!
I really enjoyed reading through all these stories, and I now have more authors I need to look into! I’ve always loved short stories, but sometimes I forget how much I enjoy anthologies. True, it’s hit or miss (as was this collection), but I loved the experience of reading all the stories. I especially appreciated the author’s note at the end of each, detailing their inspiration and changes and sometimes what they loved about the original tale. My two favorites were Olivia’s Table by Alyssa Wong and The Land of the Morning Calm by E.C. Myers. Apparently, I enjoy Asian ghost stories?? Lol. I took some notes while reading, and I’ll leave them below. I’m so glad I finally read this! The Asian readathon is the best thing to happen to my reading, haha. I want allllllllll the Asian inspired books. (Also, apologies if I typed any names incorrectly. I'm just a dumbass white girl, lol)
......
1. Forbidden Fruit – Roshani Chokshi. 3. Beautiful writing, weird ending.
2. Olivia’s Table – Alyssa Wong. 5! A meaningful and complete story!
3. Steel Skin – Lori M. Lee. 2.5. Androids and scifi! But the characters sucked.
4. Still Star-Crossed – Sona Charaipotra. 4.5. I would read this as a full-length novel.
5. The Counting of Vermillion Beads – Aliette De Bodard. 4. I like the changes to the original!
6. The Land of the Morning Calm – E.C. Myers. 5! Exceptional! Gaming, ghosts, and mythology!
7. The Smile – Aisha Saeed. 2. Not awful, but I didn’t care at all.
8. Girls Who Twirl and Other Dangers – Preeti Chhibber. 3.5. Vibrant story that didn’t tie together well.
9. Nothing Into All – Renee Ahdieh. 4. A more traditional fairytale with goblins and magic!
10. Spear Carrier – Rahul Kanakia. 4. Very introspective and contemplative.
11. Code of Honor – Melissa de la Cruz. 2. Vampires?! Meh. Abrupt ending. Boring but too short.
12. Bullet, Butterfly – Elsie Chapman. 3.5. A surprisingly beautiful love story.
13. Daughter of the Sun – Shveta Thakrar. 3. Good but not great. Although I’m now convinced I need to read the Mahabharata.
14. The Crimson Cloak – Cindy Pon. 4. “I am left with pieces of remembering though I loved him whole.”
15. Eyes like Candlelight – Julie Kagawa. 4. I love kitsune!
3.5 but rounding up a little because some of the stories were really lovely and one or two made me cry. Highly enjoyed Olivia’s Table by Alyssa Wong, easily my favourite of the bunch. Definitely aimed towards a more YA reading audience, a fact exacerbated by the fact that I'm reading it alongside New Suns which is on me.
Beautiful work with the editing though, I really enjoyed how this was structured with the stories and author's notes featuring the myths that inspired the stories.
Beautiful work with the editing though, I really enjoyed how this was structured with the stories and author's notes featuring the myths that inspired the stories.
This is a great anthology of adapted folklore and myths from Across Asia.
I started it in May for Asian & Pacific Heritage month (asianathon readathon too) but just finished it.
Most were 5 ⭐️ for me with a 3 🌟, a 2 🌟 & a couple 4-4.5 🌟 s.
My favorites were: Bullet Butterfly, the land of the morning calm, & Code of Honor.
If someone knows of a latinx anthology like this hit me up with your recommendation!!
I started it in May for Asian & Pacific Heritage month (asianathon readathon too) but just finished it.
Most were 5 ⭐️ for me with a 3 🌟, a 2 🌟 & a couple 4-4.5 🌟 s.
My favorites were: Bullet Butterfly, the land of the morning calm, & Code of Honor.
If someone knows of a latinx anthology like this hit me up with your recommendation!!
I actually really loved this anthology. I loved not only the stories, but also how we got to learn about the author’s inspiration behind each of the stories and we got to learn a lot about Asian mythology and culture and I really enjoyed that and thought that was a really interesting decision to make. That said, there were some stories that I found… a bit ??? just because I didn’t really understand the point they were trying to make or the themes they were attempting to convey, but I do think that that is 100% on me and I could genuinely see someone enjoying all of these stories because, objectively speaking, I think they’re all really good. My favorite story, though, absolutely has to be Roshani Chokshi’s, just because of the beautiful writing and the characters that had my heart from page one. I really loved that one.