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moonrivernotes's review against another edition
4.0
a very beautiful collection of short stories, like dark tangled vines that shine with a poisonous gleam in the night. i really enjoyed marjorie m. liu's writing and cannot wait to read more from her !
ohclaire's review against another edition
3.0
I read this around trips so I barely remember it...oops
spinecorset's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.0
delightful_lilac's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.0
pbraue13's review against another edition
4.0
A pretty darn solid collection of short stories! My favorites include, "Sympathy for the Bones", "The Briar & the Rose", "The Last Dignity of Man", and the titular story, "The Tangleroot Palace". For my official ratings of each story see below, but otherwise this collection was full of some great fantasy treats that I am so glad I picked up and read per a coworkers recommendation.
- "Sympathy for the Bones" 4.5/5 stars
- "The Briar & the Rose" 5/5 stars
- "The Light & the Fury" 2.5/5 stars
- "The Last Dignity of Man" 5/5
- "Where the Heart Lives" 3/5
- "After the Blood" 2/5
- "The Tangleroot Palace" 4.5/5
- "Sympathy for the Bones" 4.5/5 stars
- "The Briar & the Rose" 5/5 stars
- "The Light & the Fury" 2.5/5 stars
- "The Last Dignity of Man" 5/5
- "Where the Heart Lives" 3/5
- "After the Blood" 2/5
- "The Tangleroot Palace" 4.5/5
aranafyre's review against another edition
5.0
Usually with short story collections I like some hopefully love some and unfortunately feel meh about some. But with this I loved them all. I was drawn into every world and loved every tale. I often wanted to spend even more time with the characters and the worlds. (Though the length of the stories was masterful.) I am a huge fan of Monstress and there are many similar themes and tones and characters between these tales and that comic series. That was not a bad thing per say but it did distract me a little from the current story I was reading if I was thinking of Monstress too much. In short I loved this and I want to read her other novels.
amandathebookworm's review against another edition
4.0
The stories waver as hits and misses for me, but throughout each I enjoyed the atmospheric and descriptive language Liu uses to set each story. It has a modern Grimm fairy tale vibe that fans of Neil Gaiman and Holly Black will enjoy.
palomagrl's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
needmoreflerken's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
amybraunauthor's review against another edition
5.0
Marjorie Liu is such a powerful voice in fantasy, and these stories prove it. They’re an inventive collection of urban and dark fantasy, all created with beautiful prose and imagination.
It’s hard to pick a favourite when each story is unique and original. I think the Tangleroot Palace and The Briar and The Rose will take the top spots, but every story is worth reading.
I loved the themes and messages in this anthology, and Liu has such romantic prose. I can’t wait to read more of her works!
It’s hard to pick a favourite when each story is unique and original. I think the Tangleroot Palace and The Briar and The Rose will take the top spots, but every story is worth reading.
I loved the themes and messages in this anthology, and Liu has such romantic prose. I can’t wait to read more of her works!