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romancelibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
As with any anthology ... Some of these stories are great, some are meh. I think that I liked Rae Carson’s story the best. #brutal.
ophelia95ae4's review against another edition
4.0
A very enjoyable reading experience. Loved the concept. Although some of the stories fell flat, good > bad.
Neah:
Omega Ship by Rae Carson – cliché + grating prose + paper doll characters => YA's darkest timline
La Revancha del Tango by Renee Ahdieh – this would’ve been in the ‘good’ category if not for that joke of a love interest; MC has a great voice, but the existence of whatshisface ruins literally all the good parts; that guy probably invented negging [I thought YA was getting over toxic masculinity and gaslighting love interests]
Triangle Solo by Garth Nix– infantile, pointless, boring; made me never want to pick up any of Nix's books
Meh:
Lessons for Beginners by Julie Murphy – premise was great and the tension between the characters was very well written, but that ending soured things for me
Work in Progress by E.K. Johnston – not bad, but also not good either?; I love second person narrative, but here it didn’t work; there weren’t enough differences in language/voice for the different characters => needless confusion + wasn’t that interesting/mind-blowing and there wasn’t an actual conclusion – felt more like an exercise than a full story
Waiting by Sabaa Tahir – this teeters on the edge between ‘meh’ and ‘good’, so it’s more like ‘meh and a half’; the prose was really engaging and the MC wasn’t bad, but it felt shallow at times, the characters’ motivations paper-thin; could’ve probably done more as a novella/novel
Good:
Riddles in Mathematics by Katie Cotugno – warm, soft, excellent character building
Dread South by Justina Ireland – whaaaaaat; need 6 books and a movie + single funniest reaction to the ‘end’ of a relationship
Vim and Vigor by Veronica Roth – I’m weak for anything involving fandom + friendship is 90% of the time the most important ship; really impressed by Miss Roth [more like this and less like..the past, please]
Hurdles by Brandy Colbert – I’m a fan of open endings, but this is an instance where I would’ve liked a concrete ending; solid prose and character work; will definitely look up the author’s other works
The Historian, the Garrison, and the Cantankerous Cat Woman by Lamar Giles – how incredibly satisfying; great subversion of popular fantasy tropes; loved how unapologetic it was [oh my god I just realised the author's surname is Giles and I'm giggling]
Unus, Duo, Tres by Bethany Hagen – noice; loved the relationships and their love; the ending was predictable, but it felt needed
Great:
Cass, An and Dra by Natalie C. Parker – brilliant; excellent premise, beautiful writing; believable
Vega by Brenna Yovanoff – aaaahhh; probably my favourite from this anthology; dreamy, wavy, cotton candy sweet prose filled with beautifully sharp knives; loved Elle so much, I’d eat up an entire novel from her POV; I cared about all of them with my whole heart
A Hundred Thousand Threads by Alaya Dawn Johnson – look, I love Alaya Dawn Johnson. I’ve loved her ever since I read ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ and The Summer Prince is one of my favourite books so I’m pretty biased when it comes to her; languid prose, characters who make themselves hard, but still feel so good and soft, lovely subversion of genre and reader expectations; extremely excellent
Before She Was Bloody by Tessa Gratton – a complete surprise; beautiful and savage; Tessa Gratton reaaally knows how to write sensual and romantic tension and really make you feel it – hot; I’ll take at least a duology about Safiya, please
Neah:
Omega Ship by Rae Carson – cliché + grating prose + paper doll characters => YA's darkest timline
La Revancha del Tango by Renee Ahdieh – this would’ve been in the ‘good’ category if not for that joke of a love interest; MC has a great voice, but the existence of whatshisface ruins literally all the good parts; that guy probably invented negging [I thought YA was getting over toxic masculinity and gaslighting love interests]
Triangle Solo by Garth Nix– infantile, pointless, boring; made me never want to pick up any of Nix's books
Meh:
Lessons for Beginners by Julie Murphy – premise was great and the tension between the characters was very well written, but that ending soured things for me
Work in Progress by E.K. Johnston – not bad, but also not good either?; I love second person narrative, but here it didn’t work; there weren’t enough differences in language/voice for the different characters => needless confusion + wasn’t that interesting/mind-blowing and there wasn’t an actual conclusion – felt more like an exercise than a full story
Waiting by Sabaa Tahir – this teeters on the edge between ‘meh’ and ‘good’, so it’s more like ‘meh and a half’; the prose was really engaging and the MC wasn’t bad, but it felt shallow at times, the characters’ motivations paper-thin; could’ve probably done more as a novella/novel
Good:
Riddles in Mathematics by Katie Cotugno – warm, soft, excellent character building
Dread South by Justina Ireland – whaaaaaat; need 6 books and a movie + single funniest reaction to the ‘end’ of a relationship
Vim and Vigor by Veronica Roth – I’m weak for anything involving fandom + friendship is 90% of the time the most important ship; really impressed by Miss Roth [more like this and less like..the past, please]
Hurdles by Brandy Colbert – I’m a fan of open endings, but this is an instance where I would’ve liked a concrete ending; solid prose and character work; will definitely look up the author’s other works
The Historian, the Garrison, and the Cantankerous Cat Woman by Lamar Giles – how incredibly satisfying; great subversion of popular fantasy tropes; loved how unapologetic it was [oh my god I just realised the author's surname is Giles and I'm giggling]
Unus, Duo, Tres by Bethany Hagen – noice; loved the relationships and their love; the ending was predictable, but it felt needed
Great:
Cass, An and Dra by Natalie C. Parker – brilliant; excellent premise, beautiful writing; believable
Vega by Brenna Yovanoff – aaaahhh; probably my favourite from this anthology; dreamy, wavy, cotton candy sweet prose filled with beautifully sharp knives; loved Elle so much, I’d eat up an entire novel from her POV; I cared about all of them with my whole heart
A Hundred Thousand Threads by Alaya Dawn Johnson – look, I love Alaya Dawn Johnson. I’ve loved her ever since I read ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ and The Summer Prince is one of my favourite books so I’m pretty biased when it comes to her; languid prose, characters who make themselves hard, but still feel so good and soft, lovely subversion of genre and reader expectations; extremely excellent
Before She Was Bloody by Tessa Gratton – a complete surprise; beautiful and savage; Tessa Gratton reaaally knows how to write sensual and romantic tension and really make you feel it – hot; I’ll take at least a duology about Safiya, please
readtoinfinity's review against another edition
3.0
There were some stories that were a 5 star and others a 1 star. I guess it depends on your preference. I think there is a story for everyone in this book. From historical romance, to the typical monster story, and the vampire story. I think it's a fun read for anyone because you get a mix of genres and a little spice along with every tale. I gave it a 3 star because that was the average for all stories combined, however, there were many 5 star stories. Recommend.
dan_the_conqueress's review against another edition
4.0
14 stories in I was prepared to give this 3* like most reviewers; but then I read the last two and holy mother of Jesus! I just had to upgrade to 4* ;)
This collection of stories is nothing if not diverse. A colourful mix of genres, worlds, and approaches to the love triangle. I was often pleasantly surprised at the unique ideas and unexpected roads some stories would take. As neither a fan nor a hater of the love triangle trope I think most authors did a good job at bringing something new and unexpected to it.
My favourites that got my heart racing, my soul soaring, and my mind spinning are
15 Before She Was Bloody by Tessa Gratton 5* I read this with my mouth hanging open from the beginning to the end. Never have I read such skilled and thorough world building in so little time. Full-on Arabian Nights feeling from the first page on. This is not a story to quickly read through in half an hour. This is a story to lose yourself in, to revel in, to by astounded, shocked, moved by.
16 Unus, Duo, Tres by Bethany Hagen 5*
5 Cass, An, and Dra by Natalie C. Parker 4,5*
Review tbc
This collection of stories is nothing if not diverse. A colourful mix of genres, worlds, and approaches to the love triangle. I was often pleasantly surprised at the unique ideas and unexpected roads some stories would take. As neither a fan nor a hater of the love triangle trope I think most authors did a good job at bringing something new and unexpected to it.
My favourites that got my heart racing, my soul soaring, and my mind spinning are
15 Before She Was Bloody by Tessa Gratton 5* I read this with my mouth hanging open from the beginning to the end. Never have I read such skilled and thorough world building in so little time. Full-on Arabian Nights feeling from the first page on. This is not a story to quickly read through in half an hour. This is a story to lose yourself in, to revel in, to by astounded, shocked, moved by.
16 Unus, Duo, Tres by Bethany Hagen 5*
5 Cass, An, and Dra by Natalie C. Parker 4,5*
Review tbc
shimauchiha's review against another edition
4.0
Anthologies tend to be a mix of the wonderful and the terrible. This is, however, a rare case of the great and the mostly good.
There was however something missing in this. Unlike most anthologies, there were no little notes from the authors about their stories. I found that quite disappointing. Not only is it always fun to read a little about the inspiration behind the story or why the author decided to interpret the theme the way they did, the notes also work as a good transition between stories. After all, the stories in anthologies tend to be completely different in pretty much everything, the voice, the writing, the genre, the setting, etc. Reading one after the other without anything in between was jarring, it made it harder and slower to get into every new story.
My absolute favourites:
The Historian, the Garrison, and the Cantankerous Cat Woman (Lamar Giles)
At first, this looks like a typical and somewhat rushed paranormal fantasy, perfect fun for fans of Teen Wolf (Which I'm one of) and not much more. Clearly, that doesn't remain the case.
Omega Ship (Rae Carson)
I'm surprised by how much I loved this, considering I hate "crashing spaceship" and "Sole surviving human" stories. This one, however, with its delightfully selfish main character, is different from the rest.
Vim and Vigor (Veronica Roth)
Love triangles are often (rightly) criticized for weakening female leads in YA, I found this touching story of friendship and grief to be the best response to that kind of love triangles.
A Hundred Thousand Threads (Alaya Dawn Johnson)
There is a lot happening in this story with its multiple narrative devices, plays with time and hidden character identities, yet it manages to pull it off, all the while telling a complicated story, building a world with political conflict and introducing intriguing characters in a creative triangle.
Cass, An, and Dra (Natalie C. Parker)
You'd think the ability to actually see the consequences of your choices would make them easier to make. Turns out, that's not the case.
The ones I really liked:
Waiting (Sabaa Tahir)
This one, with its contemporary boy/girl/boy love triangle, wasn't particularly original or new. Yet it had its own charm with the two boys both being genuinely lovable and the final choice remaining pretty hidden until the end.
Before She Was Bloody (Tessa Gratton)
It took a little bit to get into, but in the end, I liked the backstory of the bloody barbarian queen and her two lovers.
Unus, Duo, Tres (Bethany Hagen)
I find the writer brave for doing a vampire love triangle story, after all, it has become somewhat of an obvious choice. However, this isn't your average vampire story and I found the ending surprisingly touching.
The average:
Riddles in Mathematics (Katie Cotugno)
Just throwing a gay couple into the mix isn't enough to make a story about love triangles feel particularly inspired.
Dread South (Justina Ireland)
It's kind of like Gone with the wind and zombies. (and maybe it's slightly better than average)
Memorable moment: You don't deserve to be with me.
Lessons for Beginners (Julie Murphy)
Just throwing a gay couple into the mix isn't enough to make a story about love triangles feel particularly inspired. (though I do like the idea of kissing lessons, it's still not enough)
Triangle Solo (Garth Nix)
Just setting a story on mars isn't enough to make it stand out.
Hurdles (Brandy Colbert)
My least favourites:
Work In Progress (E. K. Johnston)
I would have prefered only to have the last part instead of three stories, each with three POVs (which all sounded exactly the same by the way) and not really anything bringing them together.
Vega (Brenna Yovanoff)
There wasn't anything about this I particularly liked or thought was worth mentioning.
La Revancha del Tango (Renée Ahdieh)
It looked like there were two different love triangles in the early draft of this stories, then the author ended up not liking either, scraped all but the faintest impressions of them and said fuck it. That being said, it wasn't a bad story. Just average and not fit for the anthology.
There was however something missing in this. Unlike most anthologies, there were no little notes from the authors about their stories. I found that quite disappointing. Not only is it always fun to read a little about the inspiration behind the story or why the author decided to interpret the theme the way they did, the notes also work as a good transition between stories. After all, the stories in anthologies tend to be completely different in pretty much everything, the voice, the writing, the genre, the setting, etc. Reading one after the other without anything in between was jarring, it made it harder and slower to get into every new story.
My absolute favourites:
The Historian, the Garrison, and the Cantankerous Cat Woman (Lamar Giles)
At first, this looks like a typical and somewhat rushed paranormal fantasy, perfect fun for fans of Teen Wolf (Which I'm one of) and not much more. Clearly, that doesn't remain the case.
Spoiler
I have to say, I'm somewhat surprised this is the only story in which the love triangle is resolved with bloodshed.Omega Ship (Rae Carson)
I'm surprised by how much I loved this, considering I hate "crashing spaceship" and "Sole surviving human" stories. This one, however, with its delightfully selfish main character, is different from the rest.
Vim and Vigor (Veronica Roth)
Love triangles are often (rightly) criticized for weakening female leads in YA, I found this touching story of friendship and grief to be the best response to that kind of love triangles.
A Hundred Thousand Threads (Alaya Dawn Johnson)
There is a lot happening in this story with its multiple narrative devices, plays with time and hidden character identities, yet it manages to pull it off, all the while telling a complicated story, building a world with political conflict and introducing intriguing characters in a creative triangle.
Cass, An, and Dra (Natalie C. Parker)
You'd think the ability to actually see the consequences of your choices would make them easier to make. Turns out, that's not the case.
The ones I really liked:
Waiting (Sabaa Tahir)
This one, with its contemporary boy/girl/boy love triangle, wasn't particularly original or new. Yet it had its own charm with the two boys both being genuinely lovable and the final choice remaining pretty hidden until the end.
Before She Was Bloody (Tessa Gratton)
It took a little bit to get into, but in the end, I liked the backstory of the bloody barbarian queen and her two lovers.
Unus, Duo, Tres (Bethany Hagen)
I find the writer brave for doing a vampire love triangle story, after all, it has become somewhat of an obvious choice. However, this isn't your average vampire story and I found the ending surprisingly touching.
The average:
Riddles in Mathematics (Katie Cotugno)
Just throwing a gay couple into the mix isn't enough to make a story about love triangles feel particularly inspired.
Dread South (Justina Ireland)
It's kind of like Gone with the wind and zombies. (and maybe it's slightly better than average)
Memorable moment: You don't deserve to be with me.
Lessons for Beginners (Julie Murphy)
Just throwing a gay couple into the mix isn't enough to make a story about love triangles feel particularly inspired. (though I do like the idea of kissing lessons, it's still not enough)
Triangle Solo (Garth Nix)
Just setting a story on mars isn't enough to make it stand out.
Hurdles (Brandy Colbert)
Spoiler
I'm glad the ending was open. I would have gone into a rage if I thought she left with Bobby. In my mind, she came to her senses.My least favourites:
Work In Progress (E. K. Johnston)
I would have prefered only to have the last part instead of three stories, each with three POVs (which all sounded exactly the same by the way) and not really anything bringing them together.
Vega (Brenna Yovanoff)
There wasn't anything about this I particularly liked or thought was worth mentioning.
La Revancha del Tango (Renée Ahdieh)
It looked like there were two different love triangles in the early draft of this stories, then the author ended up not liking either, scraped all but the faintest impressions of them and said fuck it. That being said, it wasn't a bad story. Just average and not fit for the anthology.
sentunderscore's review against another edition
3.0
I listened to this on audiobook and some of the stories have gotten a lower rating most likely because they don't work very well (at least with my brain) as audio. I usually stop a book if I think this is going to be the case, but I didn't with this one since the stories were so short. Apologies to those stories/authors if that is the case with your score.
Average Rating: 3.1
Riddles & Mathematics by Katie Cotugno: 3
Simple but kinda cute.
Dread South by Justina Ireland: 4
Really like the concept of this one and the girl badassery.
Omega Ship by Rae Carson: 3
This one was interesting and a little icky? This is one of the stories that makes this collection a bit more mature.
La Revancha el Tango by Renee Ahdieh: 2.5
A pretty weak story that didn't seem to have much of a love triangle.
Cass, An, and Dra by Natalie C. Parker: 5
I LOVE split decision stories and this one was no exception. I love the idea of being so compelled by someone you've never technically met yet.
Lessons for Beginners by Julie Murphy: 4
This is definitely more of a classic love triangle that pulls at the heartstrings. Very good.
Triangle Solo by Garth Nix: 1.5
I didn't feel like there was a lot of substance to this one and the interactions between the characters felt off.
Vim & Vigor by Veronica Roth: 3
A decent story but the love triangle didn't even seem prevalent. The collective grief over their friend's death was a good touch and it was another good split decision story.
Work In Progress by E.K. Johnston: 1
This is one of the stories that I'm sure I gave a lower rating because it was really hard to follow in audio format. I was very confused and it almost made me quit listening to the book entirely.
Hurdles by Brandy Colbert: 3.5
Nothing super spectacular about this story but the characters and the ambiguous ending were really enjoyable.
The Historian, The Garrison, and The Cantakerous Catwoman by Lamar Giles: 3.5
Really good questionable main character and twist.
Waiting by Sabaa Tahir: 3
Another classic love triangle made more interesting by the fact that it shows you don't always pick what's best on paper.
Vega by Brenna Yovanoff: 2
This was another story that was hard to follow in audio format. Especially since the 3rd point in the love triangle was the city itself. Very interesting concept though.
A Hundred Thousand Threads by Alaya Dawn Johnson: 4
A little hard to follow in audio format but I loved the beautiful writing.
Before She Was Bloody by Tessa Gratton: 3.5
This was another more mature story that was a bit strange but I do love the poly aspect of it.
Unus, Duo, Tres by Bethany Hagen: 5
This was my favorite of the entire collection. I know people tend to cringe over vampire romances, but this was done SO WELL.
Average Rating: 3.1
Riddles & Mathematics by Katie Cotugno: 3
Simple but kinda cute.
Dread South by Justina Ireland: 4
Really like the concept of this one and the girl badassery.
Omega Ship by Rae Carson: 3
This one was interesting and a little icky? This is one of the stories that makes this collection a bit more mature.
La Revancha el Tango by Renee Ahdieh: 2.5
A pretty weak story that didn't seem to have much of a love triangle.
Cass, An, and Dra by Natalie C. Parker: 5
I LOVE split decision stories and this one was no exception. I love the idea of being so compelled by someone you've never technically met yet.
Lessons for Beginners by Julie Murphy: 4
This is definitely more of a classic love triangle that pulls at the heartstrings. Very good.
Triangle Solo by Garth Nix: 1.5
I didn't feel like there was a lot of substance to this one and the interactions between the characters felt off.
Vim & Vigor by Veronica Roth: 3
A decent story but the love triangle didn't even seem prevalent. The collective grief over their friend's death was a good touch and it was another good split decision story.
Work In Progress by E.K. Johnston: 1
This is one of the stories that I'm sure I gave a lower rating because it was really hard to follow in audio format. I was very confused and it almost made me quit listening to the book entirely.
Hurdles by Brandy Colbert: 3.5
Nothing super spectacular about this story but the characters and the ambiguous ending were really enjoyable.
The Historian, The Garrison, and The Cantakerous Catwoman by Lamar Giles: 3.5
Really good questionable main character and twist.
Waiting by Sabaa Tahir: 3
Another classic love triangle made more interesting by the fact that it shows you don't always pick what's best on paper.
Vega by Brenna Yovanoff: 2
This was another story that was hard to follow in audio format. Especially since the 3rd point in the love triangle was the city itself. Very interesting concept though.
A Hundred Thousand Threads by Alaya Dawn Johnson: 4
A little hard to follow in audio format but I loved the beautiful writing.
Before She Was Bloody by Tessa Gratton: 3.5
This was another more mature story that was a bit strange but I do love the poly aspect of it.
Unus, Duo, Tres by Bethany Hagen: 5
This was my favorite of the entire collection. I know people tend to cringe over vampire romances, but this was done SO WELL.
emilygrn's review against another edition
4.0
A cycle of laughing, smiling, and crying on repeat. I did not enjoy only one story.
kitastrophic's review against another edition
4.0
riddles in mathematics: 4 stars
dread south: 4.5 stars
omega ship: 3 stars
la revancha del tango: 3.5 stars
cass, an, and dra: 4.5 stars
lessons for beginners: 5 stars
triangle solo: 5 stars
vim and vigor: 5 stars
work in progress: 1 star
hurdles: 3.5 stars
the historian, the garrison, and the cantankerous cat woman: 3 stars
waiting: 4 stars
vega: 4 stars
a hundred thousand threads: 2 stars
before she was bloody: 2 stars
unus, duo, tres: 3.5 stars
average rating: about 3.5 stars
dread south: 4.5 stars
omega ship: 3 stars
la revancha del tango: 3.5 stars
cass, an, and dra: 4.5 stars
lessons for beginners: 5 stars
triangle solo: 5 stars
vim and vigor: 5 stars
work in progress: 1 star
hurdles: 3.5 stars
the historian, the garrison, and the cantankerous cat woman: 3 stars
waiting: 4 stars
vega: 4 stars
a hundred thousand threads: 2 stars
before she was bloody: 2 stars
unus, duo, tres: 3.5 stars
average rating: about 3.5 stars
bria_jones's review against another edition
5.0
This book was so fun to read because I never got bored with a story. The stories were short and interesting. They had a ton of different genres and storylines but were all about love triangles. Some of my favorite authors had stories in this book so it was fun to read those. This reminds me of the book Meet Cute because it has a ton of small stories about love. In meet-cute, love is only between two people whereas Three Sides of a Heart is between three people. The reason I love these books is that romance is my favorite category of books. Although it takes a while to get through all the stories it was worth it. My favorite one was about the last three people on the planet because it was unlike any of the stories I have read. I would recommend this book.
coffeeandtea46's review against another edition
3.0
Short story collections are always a little dicey, because there were definitely parts of this book that I loved and others I was less excited about. But I think it’s definitely worth a try as they’re is so much variety I would say there’s something for everyone!