You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
read as part of the 2020 Asian readathon!
I'm a big fan of folklore so I was very excited to read this. I went in expecting retellings of these myths, not modern adaptations or story twists, and would have preferred to hear the myths as it was. Otherwise a good collection of short stories with a beautiful cover.
I'm a big fan of folklore so I was very excited to read this. I went in expecting retellings of these myths, not modern adaptations or story twists, and would have preferred to hear the myths as it was. Otherwise a good collection of short stories with a beautiful cover.
An amazing collection of stories, re-tellings, and re-imaginings from many different Asian myths and legends. From Filipino, Hmong, South Asian, Korean, Japanese writers come stories that reflect the myths of their cultures and the tales they heard while growing up told reinterpreted through new lenses.
Forbidden fruit: 3.5 stars
Olivia's tabke: 5 stars
Steel skin: 3 stars
Still star crossed: 4 stars
The counting of vermillion beads: 3 stars
The land of the morning calm: 4.5 stars
The smile: 4.5 stars
Girls who twirl and other dangers: 4 stars
Nothing into all: 5 stars
Spear carrier: 2 stars
Code of honor:2.5 stars
Bullet, Butterfly:3 stars
Daughter of the sun:3.5 stars
The crimson cloak: 5 stars
Eyes like candlelight: 4.5 stars
Carp, calculus and the leap of faith: 4 stars
Average rating: 3.8 stars
Olivia's tabke: 5 stars
Steel skin: 3 stars
Still star crossed: 4 stars
The counting of vermillion beads: 3 stars
The land of the morning calm: 4.5 stars
The smile: 4.5 stars
Girls who twirl and other dangers: 4 stars
Nothing into all: 5 stars
Spear carrier: 2 stars
Code of honor:2.5 stars
Bullet, Butterfly:3 stars
Daughter of the sun:3.5 stars
The crimson cloak: 5 stars
Eyes like candlelight: 4.5 stars
Carp, calculus and the leap of faith: 4 stars
Average rating: 3.8 stars
A fantastic anthology!
Some brief, more specific thoughts, in case you're interested (and to help myself remember for my wrap up):
Forbidden Fruit by Roshani Chokshi: 4 stars
Enjoyed the writing and tone; it truly felt like an old, beautiful, unworldly legend someone was telling you.
CW: Suicide (off-page)
Olivia’s Table by Alyssa Wong: 5 stars
Took me a bit to sink into this one but ending up LOVING it. Love the emphasis on the comfort and healing of food and how that interacts with family and culture. And the ending was really, really beautiful.
Steel Skin by Lori M. Lee: 4 stars
Really good! Ending up enjoying the sci-fi elements, despite not enjoying the set-up initially.
Still Star-Crossed by Sona Charaipotra: 4 stars
Another really good one! Clever use of character relationships.
The Counting of Vermilion Beads by Aliette de Bodard: 3.75 stars
Really impressed at how well de Bodard could depict this sister relationship in such a short page span.
The Land of the Morning Calm by E.C. Myers: 5 stars
I'm not normally interested in virtual reality/video game stories but I LOVED the emotional heart of this one. An unexpected favorite.
The Smile by Aisha Saeed: 5 stars
Beautiful writing, and I loved the exploration of agency and power dynamics in romance. So short but it still felt like a complete and satisfying story to me.
Girls Who Twirl and Other Dangers by Preeti Chhibber: 4.5 stars
Really funny! Very believable (and enjoyable) friendship between the girls.
Nothing Into All by Renée Ahdieh: 3.5 stars
Good, but not my favorite? I liked the writing and messages though.
Spear Carrier by Rahul Kanakia: 2.75 stars
Really cool concept, but it felt like just that: a concept rather than a story.
Code of Honor by Melissa de la Cruz: 2 stars
Honestly, enjoyment-wise this is closer to 1 star, but I try to save those for outright harmful books/stories.
CW: Brief descriptions of body horror and animal gore
Bullet, Butterfly by Elsie Chapman: 3.5 stars
Wasn't wild about the setting, but the emotional pull won me over, despite not feeling like I got to know the characters as much as I'd like.
Daughter of the Sun by Shveta Thakrar: 4 stars
Gorgeous writing and imagery! And I loved the ending scenes. I really believed the romance too, which to me is always impressive in a short story format.
The Crimson Cloak by Cindy Pon: 5 stars
Oooh I loved this one. Again, lovely writing, but mixed with a dash of humor. Absolutely adored Pon's way of interpreting the story in a way that gave both characters more agency, ESPECIALLY the female lead. Beautiful blend of joy and bittersweetness. And what an amazing character arc!
Eyes Like Candlelight by Julie Kagawa: 4 stars
Liked the writing and atmosphere of this one. Hard to explain why it worked for me so well, but it did. Maybe after loving Shadow of the Fox, I'm primed to love Kagawa's kitsune stories!
CW: Brief description of animal death
Average star rating: 4 stars exactly
Some brief, more specific thoughts, in case you're interested (and to help myself remember for my wrap up):
Forbidden Fruit by Roshani Chokshi: 4 stars
Enjoyed the writing and tone; it truly felt like an old, beautiful, unworldly legend someone was telling you.
CW: Suicide (off-page)
Olivia’s Table by Alyssa Wong: 5 stars
Took me a bit to sink into this one but ending up LOVING it. Love the emphasis on the comfort and healing of food and how that interacts with family and culture. And the ending was really, really beautiful.
Steel Skin by Lori M. Lee: 4 stars
Really good! Ending up enjoying the sci-fi elements, despite not enjoying the set-up initially.
Still Star-Crossed by Sona Charaipotra: 4 stars
Another really good one! Clever use of character relationships.
The Counting of Vermilion Beads by Aliette de Bodard: 3.75 stars
Really impressed at how well de Bodard could depict this sister relationship in such a short page span.
The Land of the Morning Calm by E.C. Myers: 5 stars
I'm not normally interested in virtual reality/video game stories but I LOVED the emotional heart of this one. An unexpected favorite.
The Smile by Aisha Saeed: 5 stars
Beautiful writing, and I loved the exploration of agency and power dynamics in romance. So short but it still felt like a complete and satisfying story to me.
Girls Who Twirl and Other Dangers by Preeti Chhibber: 4.5 stars
Really funny! Very believable (and enjoyable) friendship between the girls.
Nothing Into All by Renée Ahdieh: 3.5 stars
Good, but not my favorite? I liked the writing and messages though.
Spear Carrier by Rahul Kanakia: 2.75 stars
Really cool concept, but it felt like just that: a concept rather than a story.
Code of Honor by Melissa de la Cruz: 2 stars
Honestly, enjoyment-wise this is closer to 1 star, but I try to save those for outright harmful books/stories.
CW: Brief descriptions of body horror and animal gore
Bullet, Butterfly by Elsie Chapman: 3.5 stars
Wasn't wild about the setting, but the emotional pull won me over, despite not feeling like I got to know the characters as much as I'd like.
Daughter of the Sun by Shveta Thakrar: 4 stars
Gorgeous writing and imagery! And I loved the ending scenes. I really believed the romance too, which to me is always impressive in a short story format.
The Crimson Cloak by Cindy Pon: 5 stars
Oooh I loved this one. Again, lovely writing, but mixed with a dash of humor. Absolutely adored Pon's way of interpreting the story in a way that gave both characters more agency, ESPECIALLY the female lead. Beautiful blend of joy and bittersweetness. And what an amazing character arc!
Eyes Like Candlelight by Julie Kagawa: 4 stars
Liked the writing and atmosphere of this one. Hard to explain why it worked for me so well, but it did. Maybe after loving Shadow of the Fox, I'm primed to love Kagawa's kitsune stories!
CW: Brief description of animal death
Average star rating: 4 stars exactly
Definitely a great book to read. I truly enjoyed most of them. There were at least 3 or 4 that weren't my favorite, but nevertheless I recommend this book to those of you who are interested in myths. It will capture your attention.
I really liked this book. I liked the stories and how most of them were very feministic. I listened to it and the narrators were kind of annoying so that’s why I gave it a four out of five stars.
I really enjoyed reading this book! Mythology has always been one of my favorite things to read about so I love that this anthology exists and contains such amazing stories about Asian myths and legends. 💜💜💜
I loved the diverse tales and the modern retellings! Wonderful book. :-)
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Book #5 for the Asian Readathon! And the buddy read. I enjoyed this for the most part! Leaning closer to a 3.5 or a far but not quite.