Reviews

Eat the Sky, Drink the Ocean by Margo Lanagan, Mandy Ord, Vandana Singh, Lily Mae Martin, Annie Zaidi, Payal Dhar, Alyssa Brugman, Justine Larbalestier, Kate Constable, Manjula Padmanabhan, Nicki Greenberg, Anita Roy, Penni Russon, Kuzhali Manicakavel, Kirsty Murray, Samhita Arni, Amruta Patil, Priya Kuriyan, Isobelle Carmody

knod78's review against another edition

2.0

This completes Task 10: Read an SFF anthology edited by a person of color of Book Riot’s Read Harder Challenge. This task was the task I dreaded. So, my rating is based on my dislike for short stories compilations. This will officially be my last one. I just don’t like them.

This book was really hit or miss. It was the only one on the recommended reading list that got my attention…taking myths and stories and place them into a Sci-fi setting with domestic violence/women’s issues as an underlying theme. In theory, that’s what I got. But meh. Lots of the stories I didn’t really understand what they were trying to say. Even reading the Notes on Collaboration helped, but I was like, I didn’t get that at all. Some of the stories just ended. I really liked Little Red Suit (like Little Red Riding Hood) until it ended with her in a house not knowing if she made it back alive.

I loved Cast Out (favorite), Arctic Light, What a Stone Can’t Feel, and Memory Lace. I would read more from these authors, but not any short stories.

wordwound's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense

3.5

jess64au's review against another edition

challenging inspiring mysterious

3.5

I've scored this book a bit lower because it took me a long time to read it.  I wanted to enjoy it more than I did.  I found most of the stories a bit more confusing and engaging. 

katiegrrrl's review against another edition

5.0

Authors from India and Australia collaborated in writing the short stories. There are sci-fi and fantasy stories, stories of girls finding their voice, all so interesting and engaging.

lindsayb's review against another edition

4.0

Absolutely stunning collection of short stories, short comic stories, and one play, written as collaborations between Indian and Australian authors and artists in response to rash of violence against young women. The stories all touch on feminist themes (though "Cool" felt a little out of place, though I liked it still!) with strong female protagonists and are so vivid, at times I forgot which ones were the comics and which were the written stories. I lost myself in the whole collection. Time to go back and re-read my favorites, which include:

-"Little Red Suit"
-"Cooking Time"
-"Cast Out"
-"Cat Calls"
-"Appetite"
-"Mirror Perfect"
-"What a Stone Can Feel"
-"Memory Lace"

But seriously, they're all pretty great.

*******

Counting as my indie press for the Read Harder challenge.

brandypainter's review against another edition

4.0

I saw this at the library and decided it looked interesting. I had not heard about it before seeing it on display. It is a fascinating combination of narrative short stories and graphic shorts created by Australian and Indian authors and illustrators. The point of the book is to highlight struggles of teen girls with harassment. The book came out of a series of events that occurred close together in both countries where teen girls were the victims. Many of the stories depict a future where girls are still having to deal with the every day terrors of misogyny. All of them are empowering. The art in the graphic stories is all excellent. There were stories I enjoyed more than others, but they were all incredibly good.

magnetarmadda's review against another edition

5.0

Filled to the brim with sci-fi and strong women, this book was incredible. I'm still processing the beauty of the stories here, but I have to say: highly recommend.

wondertwinc's review against another edition

2.0

I really, really wanted to like this book. Some of the stories I really enjoyed. Others felt like a pain to get through.

desterman's review against another edition

2.0

A short story/graphic collection of dystopian and fantasy stories with a feminist bent. Like all collections of this nature, some are better than others, but the target audience of young adults should enjoy. I found many of the graphic short stories the better of the collection.

anouk90's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0