Scan barcode
neens_m's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
87_launchpad's review against another edition
2.0
i’m starting to realize magical realism just isn’t my bag
j0rdan0fjupit3r's review against another edition
3.0
reading these stories felt a bit like learning about the lives of the background characters of a movie. there’s magic just at the edges of their lives, but outside of that brief peripheral experience it’s not particularly engaging. I quite liked Amorometer, Cram Island, Ash and Rooey out of this collection though.
stacialithub's review against another edition
4.0
Even though I'm not normally a fan of short stories, I found this collection quite enchanting. I absolutely loved the story "Wisher" -- just incredibly touching & wonderful. Also really enjoyed the story "Amorometer" -- fun & hopeful. The author is American, but the stories all revolve around Japan in some way & most contain elements of magical realism. Definitely recommended.
taylor_made_library's review against another edition
5.0
Loved, loved, loved. Legit getting the cover art tattooed on my arm
jlewr's review against another edition
4.0
Several flashes of brilliance are contained in this lovely collection of short stories - Rooey and Ms Yamada's Toaster to name two - but I feel the best is yet to come from Kelly Luce.
leaflinglearns's review against another edition
3.5
I'm not sure why I expected this collection of short stories to be creepy, but I did and I was slightly misled by that. Though certainly strange, they're often delightful or beautifully haunting. Bizarre things happen, like people growing tails or a toaster predicting how people will die, but these are fully stories about reality and humans' relations to one another.
All of these stories are based in or focused on Japan, where Luce lived for three years. What was so lovely about these stories was how they were all told by or about outsiders, be they gaijin (foreigners) or Japanese people who feel like they are on the outskirts of their communities. I was startled by the appearance of demons and magical karaoke machines just as much as I was by how gently Luce could break my heart and tenderly stitch it back together again with her hope for our world.
FAVORITE STORIES: The Blue Demon of Ikumi, Ash, Rooey, Cram Island
Full review: Outlandish Lit - 3 Startling Short Story Collections
All of these stories are based in or focused on Japan, where Luce lived for three years. What was so lovely about these stories was how they were all told by or about outsiders, be they gaijin (foreigners) or Japanese people who feel like they are on the outskirts of their communities. I was startled by the appearance of demons and magical karaoke machines just as much as I was by how gently Luce could break my heart and tenderly stitch it back together again with her hope for our world.
FAVORITE STORIES: The Blue Demon of Ikumi, Ash, Rooey, Cram Island
Full review: Outlandish Lit - 3 Startling Short Story Collections
_marinareads_'s review
The stories make no sense. They start out pretty good and by the end nothing makes sense and is, tbh, dumb.