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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
We would have been overjoyed to have found this anthology, filled with characters with skin and hair and names more like ours, in our beloved libraries. It’s the book that was missing in our lives for far too long.
I have been so excited about this collection ever since I first heard about it. Ellen Oh is a wonderful woman (you may know her as one of the co-founders of the #WeNeedDiverseBooks movement!), and I knew that her co-editing efforts would lend to a perfectly wonderful anthology. I love retellings, but more than anything, I was obsessed with the idea of this collection being written singlehandedly by Asian authors, writing Asian stories. Honestly, this is the kind of diverse representation we need more of in the bookish world!
It’s hard to narrow down my favorites to just a few, but if I had to pick a top 3, it would go to:
Olivia’s Table by Alyssa Wong
The Crimson Cloak by Cindy Pon
Eyes Like Candlelight by Julie Kagawa
→ Forbidden Fruit — Roshani Chokshi ★★★★★ ←
They were beautiful in their fragility, disappearing as fast as a bloom of ice beneath sunlight.
What a stunning introduction to the collection! I’ve never read any of Roshani’s work before, but this made me immediately wish to do so. It’s the retelling of an old myth about Maria Makiling, a goddess associated with Mount Makiling in the Philippines, and her mortal lover. The writing felt so reminiscent of a classic, old myth or legend, in all the best ways, and I only wish it could have been longer!
Origin: Filipino
→ Olivia’s Table — Alyssa Wong ★★★★★ ←
“If you honor everything I’ve taught you, then I promise that I will never leave you.”
Alyssa Wong is probably my singular favorite short story author, and she always writes these gorgeous, haunting tales (typically with some horror-esque or death-related vibes, and often a queer protagonist, which this story features both of). This did not disappoint at all. It’s about a Chinese-American teen who takes over preparing the Yu Lan (Hungry Ghost Festival) meal at a hotel in Arizona, after her mother—who had spent many years holding the task—has passed away. It not only displays the importance of remembering and honoring your ancestors and culture, but it also offers a brutally honest look into how it feels to mourn a lost loved one. I cried through probably half of this story, and now I just want to go hug my mom, but kudos to Alyssa for breaking my heart in the sweetest possible way, as usual.
Origin: Chinese
→ Steel Skin — Lori M. Lee ★★★☆☆ ←
Yer’s father was an android.
This sci-fi piece is a retelling of a children’s story, and in this rendition, Yer is a young girl who believes her father has been replaced by a coldhearted, emotionless android. I didn’t have any complaints about the story, but I wasn’t particularly sucked in, either—it was an interesting concept, but I thought the ending was kind of predictable, and it isn’t a story that I think will stick with me in any way.
Origin: Hmong
→ Still Star-Crossed — Sona Charaipotra ★★★☆☆ ←
“You don’t know how to choose until you’re right there, on the precipice, giving you’re your everything for something that may be real or may be a shadow, a ghost you’re chasing.”
Unfortunately, this piece didn’t work well for me, either. It’s a very loose retelling, and depicts a young woman who’s trying to learn how to press her parents’ boundaries through partying and letting loose, when she meets a young man who swears he knows her, though she can’t fathom why. There isn’t much I can say without spoiling the ending, but this was an odd story with an ending that I honestly found slightly disturbing (and not in a good way). I didn’t hate it, but I can’t say I enjoyed it much, either.
Origin: Punjabi
→ The Counting of Vermillion Beads — Aliette De Bodard ★★★☆☆ ←
But nothing gets through the wall. Not leaves, not birds, not girls—not the sister of her heart, the one who’s always had enough fire for both of them, dragging her into scrapes and trouble as if there were no other way to live.
Two young women have been taken to live in the Emperor’s Palace, working as accountants, but the Palace is surrounded by a massive wall that nobody can overcome, and they desperately want to go home to their families. I loved the bond between these two sisters, but the story itself didn’t hold a lot of interest for me. I thought it was a little bit jumpy and would have benefited from being about twice as long and having room for more explanation of what was happening to the girls.
Origin: Vietnamese
→ The Land of the Morning Calm — E. C. Myers ★★★★★ ←
I don’t believe in ghosts in the real world, but that’s the joy of the Three Kingdoms.
This story was so sweet, and sad, and precious. Sun’s mother passed away when she was 11 years old, and her biggest tie to her mother’s life is The Land of the Morning Calm, an MMORPG, which is scheduled to be shut down in just over a week. Sun revisits the game and finds a familiar spirit trapped therein. Not only is it a sweet reunion story, and a gorgeously modernized folklore retelling, but it also presented an interesting view into both sides of a popular debate: video games can be bonding experiences and create wonderful memories for families who play together, but all hobbies have to be kept in moderation, as we see through Sun’s lamenting over the times she didn’t get to spend with her parents because of their gaming habits.
Origin: Korean
→ The Smile — Aisha Saeed ★★★★★ ←
Belonging is not love. It never was.
This reads so beautifully like old folklore, with a brilliant young dancer who has found herself trapped in an unhappy relationship with a jealous prince. The depiction of the courtesan was so brave and empowering, and there was an incredibly authentic feeling in the darkness of the tale as she was forced to choose between her freedom or her life.
Origin: South Asian
→ Girls Who Twirl and Other Dangers — Preeti Chhibber ★★★☆☆ ←
Let the gods have their battles of good and evil. We were here to dance.
This installment was fun in that it paralleled the original story and the retelling, one piece at a time; on the one hand, we had the infamous Hindu legend of the battle between Durga and Mahishasura, while on the other, we had a story of three young girls celebrating Navaratri and seeking revenge on a rude boy from their community. I enjoyed how heavily inspired the story clearly was by the legend, and I liked how heavy-handed the Hindu references were (I had to look some of them up, admittedly, but it was a great opportunity to learn more about the religion and celebration). Unfortunately, my complaint is just that the writing felt so young—I think this story would’ve been better suited as middle grade than YA. It almost felt like a modern parable, which isn’t what I expected.
Origin: Gujarati
→ Nothing into All — Renée Ahdieh ★★★★☆ ←
But in truth the brother and sister were searching for something else entirely. Something they’d sworn to keep secret. Something they’d caught sight of only once, eight years ago: Goblins.
It’s no secret that I love stories relating to all manner of feyfolk, including coldhearted, greedy little goblins, so I knew I would like this one. I strongly believe whimsical fantasy is where Renee’s writing niche is, and I felt so sucked into this retelling of these siblings seeking goblins—one for simple magic in her life, the other for gold.
Origin: Korean
→ Spear Carrier — Rahul Kanakia ★☆☆☆☆ ←
But a hero wouldn’t be so lonely and so afraid. A hero wouldn’t shout for help, and then, hearing only silence, go back to his trench and cry.
I genuinely hoped that I would not be 1-starring a single story in this collection, but this was awful. It’s about a kid who dreams his whole life of becoming a hero, so when a god randomly appears and asks him to join in some celestial warfare, he agrees without knowing what he’s signing up for. The stream-of-consciousness writing is not well done, the narrator comes across as very juvenile, and there are some downright insensitive quips about people who die for others or for the furthering of knowledge and science.
Origin: South Asian
→ Code of Honor — Melissa de la Cruz ★☆☆☆☆ ←
I almost murdered a girl yesterday. Literally.
I recently read a short story by this author that I adored, so I hoped I would love this, too, but this was definitely not my cup of tea. It’s hard to root for a narrator who feels this much like a mid-2000s Mary Sue protagonist, much less when she’s busy slaughtering poor baby animals to calm herself down from her “rages”. This story also just felt so weird and out of place to me, and after I learned that this story apparently ties into the author’s Blue Bloods series, it felt too self-serving for me to give it much merit.
Origin: Filipino
→ Bullet, Butterfly — Elsie Chapman ★★★★★ ←
The commanders keep telling us we’re so close to finishing the way, that it’s almost the end—but whose end?
This story was breathtakingly beautiful, and so sad. A retelling of “The Butterfly Lovers”, a two-thousand-year-old Chinese legend of star-crossed lovers, it depicts a China in which war has ravaged everyone, forcing young women to work in factories creating weapons for young men to utilize. When Liang is awaiting his station, he dresses as a girl to visit the factory, and falls in love with a young woman therein. The writing in this piece is so powerful, and I loved every word of it.
Origin: Chinese
→ Daughter of the Sun — Shveta Thakrar ★★★★★ ←
Savitri Mehta’s parents had named her for light.
I enjoyed this story so much, as it portrays a young woman—born with the light of the sun in her chest—who seeks a companion, finding it in a boy full of moonglow—a boy who’s been doomed to die in one year. This is such a gorgeous story, but more than anything, I loved the fact that, despite having been inspired by a mix of two stories instead of one, I could absolutely feel the resemblance to the Mahabharata. My favorite stories in this collection have mostly been the ones that felt like folklore to me, and this one is a shining example of that.
Origin: South Asian
→ The Crimson Cloak — Cindy Pon ★★★★★ ←
All the storytellers get it wrong.
I have never read Cindy Pon’s work before, but after this story, I absolutely must, because this was astoundingly beautiful. In the original story of “The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl”, despite the Weaver Girl being a goddess, she is given no real autonomy or dialogue; in Cindy Pon’s retelling, however, she is the one who makes the first move, who plays her charms, who gets her way. It is so empowering and sweet, and the bits regarding how fast her mortal loved ones’ lives flash before her eyes was tremendously poignant. Throughout the story, I kept thinking about how much I would adore a full novel or even novella extension of this little masterpiece.
Origin: Chinese
→ Eyes Like Candlelight — Julie Kagawa ★★★★★ ←
Takeo never saw the fox again. But sometimes, on warm evenings when he was outside, he could almost imagine he was being watched.
Julie Kagawa is another author in this collection whose work had been on my TBR for a while, so I was particularly excited about this story, and it definitely did not disappoint. I’ve always loved Japanese lore and stories about kitsune in particular, and I thought this piece had such a sweet, sad little twist to it. I especially loved the ending; even though it was sad, it went above and beyond to display the depth of emotions that Japan’s most infamous trickster spirits are capable of. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to scurry off and read Julie’s entire bibliography.
Origin: Japanese
FINAL AVERAGE RATING: 3.87/5
Normally, I’d round this up to a solid 4/5, but honestly, there are so many gems and this collection feels so important that I didn’t hesitate to give this 5 stars. ♥
All quotes come from an advance copy and may not match the final release. Thank you so much to Greenwillow Books for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
You can find this review and more on my blog, or you can follow me on twitter, bookstagram, or facebook!
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Stand out stories:
Olivia's Table
Steel Skin
The Land of the Morning Calm
I think this was a really interesting collection, based on Asian myths and legends. I really appreciated the fact that, after every story, there is an author's note. I appreciated the context given for each retelling, as well as the author's personal connection to it.
Olivia's Table
Steel Skin
The Land of the Morning Calm
I think this was a really interesting collection, based on Asian myths and legends. I really appreciated the fact that, after every story, there is an author's note. I appreciated the context given for each retelling, as well as the author's personal connection to it.
A Thousand Beginnings and Endings is an anthology featuring fifteen different stories reimagining classic folktales and mythology from different asian cultures. They range from modern day contemporary settings to otherworldly fantastical tales. Asia is diverse place in itself, and as such I really appreciated that the stories in this collection reflected that. It featured tales from many different cultures and mythologies and was told by authors who shared those identities to ensure they were authentic and sensitively done.
➽Forbidden Fruit
by Roshani Chokshi ★★★★.5
This was the perfect story to begin this collection. Roshani Chokshi truly excels at writing mythological retellings, perhaps because of her gorgeous prose and descriptions. This was inspired by the Filipino myth of Maria Makiling, which I had previously never heard of. You will see that this is a trend for the entire anthology, as I quickly realised that I was nowhere near as familiar with Asian mythos as I am with nordic, greek, roman etc. That is something I want to change, though! This story in particular was so rich and vibrant that it made me wonder what else I am missing out on.
➽Olivia's Table
by Alyssa Wong ★★★.5
This story was centred in China at the Hungry Ghost Festival. I don't typically enjoy stories about ghosts, but this one proved to be the exception! Perhaps it is just that I don't like western books about ghosts- I will have to do further research. Olivia's Table did a brilliant job at transporting me to the scene. It described the customs of the festival in a clear, yet intricate way. Everything was described perfectly, from the food to feelings of grief and loneliness, to the ghosts themselves. An overall solid addition to this collection.
➽Steel Skin
by Lori M. Lee ★★.5
This was a sci-fi retelling of The Woman and the Tiger, a common children's folktale in the Hmong culture. Perhaps because I haven't read the original, I couldn't fully appreciate the Easter eggs and nods to it in this reimagining. It was a fine story in its own right, but wasn't quite as fleshed out as I would have liked it to be. I prefer my sci-fi to have a more complex world and deeper layers to it, but that is probably just a me problem.
➽Still Star-Crossed
by Sona Charaipotra ★★
unfortunately this was one of least favourites in the anthology. As a whole, I didn't jive as much with the contemporary settings some of these were written in, and this was no exception. It almost felt to me as if this was written for white readers, and conformed to a more western style to achieve this, with the odd Hindi word thrown in to remind readers of the setting. I could be completely wrong on this, but it just felt more flat and lifeless than others in the collection and I feel that could be a major reason why. That being said, it was well written (especially the descriptions of food!)
➽The Counting of Vermillion Beads
by Aliette De Bodard ★★★.75
This Vietnamese tale was gorgeously written and fixed the issue I had with the previous story, but in doing so made a little too confusing for me. Now obviously, this is not the fault of the author. My unfamiliarity with the original Tâ'M Cám is my fault and my fault alone. However, I cannot pretend that it didn't make the process of reading this less enjoyable. I was quite confused at times, particularly because I listened to the audiobook and couldn't easily reread passages to get a better idea of what was happening. All that being said, I can appreciate its qualities while also not fully understanding everything that is happening, and I still enjoyed the ride.
➽The Land of the Morning Calm
by E. C. Myers ★★
This story seems to be many people's favourite of the anthology, but unfortunately I found it to be just okay. The Land of the Morning Calm drew heavily from Korean mythology but transposed it into a modern day setting using a video game. I enjoyed the different inclusions of mythological creatures throughout, but wish that we had spent more time on a few of them, rather than short cameos of many that led to a vague idea of them with not as much depth as I would have liked. I loved the mother-daughter relationship in here, too!
➽The Smile
by Aisha Saeed ★★★★.5
The Smile was an absolutely gorgeous retelling of Anarkali, a South Asian tale. Aisha Saeed's writing fit so perfectly with the tone and atmosphere of the story that it felt complete standing on its own. I thought the message behind it was important, but not preachy. Overall, one of my favourites in this entire collection.
➽Girls Who Twirl and Other Dangers
by Preeti Chhibber ★.5
This was... not my thing. I feel bad for rating it so low, but just based on my enjoyment I couldn't justify giving it any higher. Honestly, I think this story wasn't the best fit for this particular anthology. It read too young and simplistic, especially when bookended by such mature and complex works. The only redeeming quality I found was the mythological section and the author's note. I think this could work better for younger readers, but I definitely found it to be one of the weaker stories in this collection.
➽Nothing into All
by Renée Ahdieh ★★★★★
I adored this story, but what else could I have expected from Renee Ahdieh? It felt like one of the most fairy-tale like out of the anthology, a parable told with the backdrop of Korean mythology and goblins. It had a complex sibling dynamic and discussions of what it means to be good or evil, and if we are ever just one of the two.
➽Spear Carrier
by Rahul Kanakia ★.5
This was yet another reminder that I don't like the contemporary-set stories as much as the others. the pop-culture references felt out of place and jarring to read. The first person perspective also didn't quite work for me. It was overall a forgettable and sub-par story.
➽Code of Honor
by Melissa de la Cruz ★★.5
Say it with me: the modern day settings were not my thing. This had the potential to be an amazing story of badass vampires, but instead it felt like a CW show. The juvenile tone brought down what could have been a mature and nuanced story. Overall, not the worst of the anthology- but far from being the best.
➽Bullet, Butterfly
by Elsie Chapman ★★★★★
This. This story was what I wanted from the anthology. A beautiful reimagining of the Butterfly Lovers, a Chinese legend. The themes were brilliant, setting vivid and characters complex. Perfection!
➽Daughter of the Sun
by Shveta Thakrar ★★★★.5
Daughter of the Sun was Shveta Thakrar's take on two of the stories in The Mahabharata, the longest epic poem. This one hit the mark with gorgeous atmospheric prose that weaved the stories together effortlessly. I don't have much else to say other than I loved it!
➽The Crimson Cloak
by Cindy Pon ★★★★.25
The penultimate story in A Thousand Beginnings and Endings, The Crimson Cloak was a feminist take on the Chinese legend 'Cowherd'. It is retold through the goddess's eyes, which I think was the perfect choice to refresh and modernise the story, while allowing it to stay true to its roots. An emotional and romantic story that you won't want to miss out on!
➽Eyes like Candlelight
by Julie Kagawa ★★★★
The final story, Eyes Like Candlelight drew from Japanese mythos and involved Kitsunes. We view the mythological creatures from the eyes of a human boy, allowing us to see their majesty, but also their flaws. This has made me reconsider whether I might actually want to pick up her 'Shadow of the Fox' trilogy, if it is anything like this.
All in all, this anthology was a mixed bag of stories good and bad, modern and traditional, from folklore all over south and east Asia. I would definitely recommend if you are looking to broaden your horizons and learn more about eastern mythology. Or if you already know a lot, I am sure it can be equally, if not more enjoyable. If I could only recommend a few, I would say to read Forbidden Fruit, Bullet Butterfly and Nothing Into All.
➽Forbidden Fruit
by Roshani Chokshi ★★★★.5
This was the perfect story to begin this collection. Roshani Chokshi truly excels at writing mythological retellings, perhaps because of her gorgeous prose and descriptions. This was inspired by the Filipino myth of Maria Makiling, which I had previously never heard of. You will see that this is a trend for the entire anthology, as I quickly realised that I was nowhere near as familiar with Asian mythos as I am with nordic, greek, roman etc. That is something I want to change, though! This story in particular was so rich and vibrant that it made me wonder what else I am missing out on.
➽Olivia's Table
by Alyssa Wong ★★★.5
This story was centred in China at the Hungry Ghost Festival. I don't typically enjoy stories about ghosts, but this one proved to be the exception! Perhaps it is just that I don't like western books about ghosts- I will have to do further research. Olivia's Table did a brilliant job at transporting me to the scene. It described the customs of the festival in a clear, yet intricate way. Everything was described perfectly, from the food to feelings of grief and loneliness, to the ghosts themselves. An overall solid addition to this collection.
➽Steel Skin
by Lori M. Lee ★★.5
This was a sci-fi retelling of The Woman and the Tiger, a common children's folktale in the Hmong culture. Perhaps because I haven't read the original, I couldn't fully appreciate the Easter eggs and nods to it in this reimagining. It was a fine story in its own right, but wasn't quite as fleshed out as I would have liked it to be. I prefer my sci-fi to have a more complex world and deeper layers to it, but that is probably just a me problem.
➽Still Star-Crossed
by Sona Charaipotra ★★
unfortunately this was one of least favourites in the anthology. As a whole, I didn't jive as much with the contemporary settings some of these were written in, and this was no exception. It almost felt to me as if this was written for white readers, and conformed to a more western style to achieve this, with the odd Hindi word thrown in to remind readers of the setting. I could be completely wrong on this, but it just felt more flat and lifeless than others in the collection and I feel that could be a major reason why. That being said, it was well written (especially the descriptions of food!)
➽The Counting of Vermillion Beads
by Aliette De Bodard ★★★.75
This Vietnamese tale was gorgeously written and fixed the issue I had with the previous story, but in doing so made a little too confusing for me. Now obviously, this is not the fault of the author. My unfamiliarity with the original Tâ'M Cám is my fault and my fault alone. However, I cannot pretend that it didn't make the process of reading this less enjoyable. I was quite confused at times, particularly because I listened to the audiobook and couldn't easily reread passages to get a better idea of what was happening. All that being said, I can appreciate its qualities while also not fully understanding everything that is happening, and I still enjoyed the ride.
➽The Land of the Morning Calm
by E. C. Myers ★★
This story seems to be many people's favourite of the anthology, but unfortunately I found it to be just okay. The Land of the Morning Calm drew heavily from Korean mythology but transposed it into a modern day setting using a video game. I enjoyed the different inclusions of mythological creatures throughout, but wish that we had spent more time on a few of them, rather than short cameos of many that led to a vague idea of them with not as much depth as I would have liked. I loved the mother-daughter relationship in here, too!
➽The Smile
by Aisha Saeed ★★★★.5
The Smile was an absolutely gorgeous retelling of Anarkali, a South Asian tale. Aisha Saeed's writing fit so perfectly with the tone and atmosphere of the story that it felt complete standing on its own. I thought the message behind it was important, but not preachy. Overall, one of my favourites in this entire collection.
➽Girls Who Twirl and Other Dangers
by Preeti Chhibber ★.5
This was... not my thing. I feel bad for rating it so low, but just based on my enjoyment I couldn't justify giving it any higher. Honestly, I think this story wasn't the best fit for this particular anthology. It read too young and simplistic, especially when bookended by such mature and complex works. The only redeeming quality I found was the mythological section and the author's note. I think this could work better for younger readers, but I definitely found it to be one of the weaker stories in this collection.
➽Nothing into All
by Renée Ahdieh ★★★★★
I adored this story, but what else could I have expected from Renee Ahdieh? It felt like one of the most fairy-tale like out of the anthology, a parable told with the backdrop of Korean mythology and goblins. It had a complex sibling dynamic and discussions of what it means to be good or evil, and if we are ever just one of the two.
➽Spear Carrier
by Rahul Kanakia ★.5
This was yet another reminder that I don't like the contemporary-set stories as much as the others. the pop-culture references felt out of place and jarring to read. The first person perspective also didn't quite work for me. It was overall a forgettable and sub-par story.
➽Code of Honor
by Melissa de la Cruz ★★.5
Say it with me: the modern day settings were not my thing. This had the potential to be an amazing story of badass vampires, but instead it felt like a CW show. The juvenile tone brought down what could have been a mature and nuanced story. Overall, not the worst of the anthology- but far from being the best.
➽Bullet, Butterfly
by Elsie Chapman ★★★★★
This. This story was what I wanted from the anthology. A beautiful reimagining of the Butterfly Lovers, a Chinese legend. The themes were brilliant, setting vivid and characters complex. Perfection!
➽Daughter of the Sun
by Shveta Thakrar ★★★★.5
Daughter of the Sun was Shveta Thakrar's take on two of the stories in The Mahabharata, the longest epic poem. This one hit the mark with gorgeous atmospheric prose that weaved the stories together effortlessly. I don't have much else to say other than I loved it!
➽The Crimson Cloak
by Cindy Pon ★★★★.25
The penultimate story in A Thousand Beginnings and Endings, The Crimson Cloak was a feminist take on the Chinese legend 'Cowherd'. It is retold through the goddess's eyes, which I think was the perfect choice to refresh and modernise the story, while allowing it to stay true to its roots. An emotional and romantic story that you won't want to miss out on!
➽Eyes like Candlelight
by Julie Kagawa ★★★★
The final story, Eyes Like Candlelight drew from Japanese mythos and involved Kitsunes. We view the mythological creatures from the eyes of a human boy, allowing us to see their majesty, but also their flaws. This has made me reconsider whether I might actually want to pick up her 'Shadow of the Fox' trilogy, if it is anything like this.
All in all, this anthology was a mixed bag of stories good and bad, modern and traditional, from folklore all over south and east Asia. I would definitely recommend if you are looking to broaden your horizons and learn more about eastern mythology. Or if you already know a lot, I am sure it can be equally, if not more enjoyable. If I could only recommend a few, I would say to read Forbidden Fruit, Bullet Butterfly and Nothing Into All.
Overall: 🌟🌟🌟
Forbidden Fruit: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Olivia’s Table: 🌟🌟🌟
Steel Skin: 🌟🌟🌟
Still Star-Crossed: 🌟🌟
The Counting of Vermillion Beads: 🌟🌟
The Land of the Morning Calm: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
The Smile: 🌟🌟✨
Girls Who Twirl and Other Dangers: 🌟🌟
Nothing into All: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spear Carrier: 🌟🌟🌟
Code of Honor: 🌟🌟🌟
Bullet, Butterfly: 🌟🌟🌟✨
Daughter of the Sun: 🌟🌟✨
The Crimson Cloak: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Eyes Like Candlelight: 🌟🌟🌟✨
Forbidden Fruit: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Olivia’s Table: 🌟🌟🌟
Steel Skin: 🌟🌟🌟
Still Star-Crossed: 🌟🌟
The Counting of Vermillion Beads: 🌟🌟
The Land of the Morning Calm: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
The Smile: 🌟🌟✨
Girls Who Twirl and Other Dangers: 🌟🌟
Nothing into All: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spear Carrier: 🌟🌟🌟
Code of Honor: 🌟🌟🌟
Bullet, Butterfly: 🌟🌟🌟✨
Daughter of the Sun: 🌟🌟✨
The Crimson Cloak: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Eyes Like Candlelight: 🌟🌟🌟✨
4.75/5 Stars
A Thousand Beginnings and Endings is an anthology collection that retells different stories across Asian mythology.
Wow I really enjoyed this short story collection. I am always hesitant when I pick up anthologies as I usually don't like a majority of the stories in them. This was the expecting to that rule. I loved a good majority of these stories and it made me interested in a good majority of these authors other works. I thought that this was a fantastic anthology that retold these myths in such a fascinating way. All my individual ratings are below and you can find my mini reviews on each story on my update feed. I would also encourage seeking out own voices reviewers for this book.
Forbidden Fruit by Roshani Chokshi - 4.75/5
Olivia's Table by Alyssa Wong - 4.75/5
Steel Skin by Lori M. Lee - 3/5
Still Star-Crossed by Sona Charaipotra - 2.75/5
The Counting of Vermillion Beads by Aliet Te De Bodard - 5/5 Stars
The Land of the Morning Calm by E.C. Myers - 4.5/5 Stars
The Smile by Aisha Saeed - 4.5/5 Stars
Girls Who Twirl and Other Dangers by Preeti Chhibber - 4/5 Stars
Nothing into All by Renée Ahdieh - 5/5 Stars
Spear Carrier by Rahul Kanakia - 1.5/5 Stars
Code of Honor by Melissa De La Cruz - 4/5 Stars
Bullet, Butterfly by Elsie Chapman - 4.75/5 Stars
Daughter of the Sun by Shveta Thakrar - 4.5/5 Stars
The Crimson Cloak by Cindy Pon - 5/5 Stars
Eyes Like Candlelight by Julie Kagawa - 5/5 Stars
A Thousand Beginnings and Endings is an anthology collection that retells different stories across Asian mythology.
Wow I really enjoyed this short story collection. I am always hesitant when I pick up anthologies as I usually don't like a majority of the stories in them. This was the expecting to that rule. I loved a good majority of these stories and it made me interested in a good majority of these authors other works. I thought that this was a fantastic anthology that retold these myths in such a fascinating way. All my individual ratings are below and you can find my mini reviews on each story on my update feed. I would also encourage seeking out own voices reviewers for this book.
Forbidden Fruit by Roshani Chokshi - 4.75/5
Olivia's Table by Alyssa Wong - 4.75/5
Steel Skin by Lori M. Lee - 3/5
Still Star-Crossed by Sona Charaipotra - 2.75/5
The Counting of Vermillion Beads by Aliet Te De Bodard - 5/5 Stars
The Land of the Morning Calm by E.C. Myers - 4.5/5 Stars
The Smile by Aisha Saeed - 4.5/5 Stars
Girls Who Twirl and Other Dangers by Preeti Chhibber - 4/5 Stars
Nothing into All by Renée Ahdieh - 5/5 Stars
Spear Carrier by Rahul Kanakia - 1.5/5 Stars
Code of Honor by Melissa De La Cruz - 4/5 Stars
Bullet, Butterfly by Elsie Chapman - 4.75/5 Stars
Daughter of the Sun by Shveta Thakrar - 4.5/5 Stars
The Crimson Cloak by Cindy Pon - 5/5 Stars
Eyes Like Candlelight by Julie Kagawa - 5/5 Stars
I really liked this book, I like mythology so learning about Asian mythology was really cool! Some of the stories I didn’t find as good as the others, but I liked that there was a good mix of different cultures!
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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