I am not a usual fan of short stories but this collection was thoroughly enjoyable to read. It is so beautiful to see Pacific wahine sharing their stories, especially when our histories and mythologies are told by our own people.

I especially enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about Hawaiian culture through the references in this collection. It was really interesting to draw the constant connections, between these stories and words, of our various islands that are distinct but ever interlinked.

sittingwishingreading's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

bibliomich's review against another edition

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dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This was a solid collection of short stories. As expected, there were some that I enjoyed more than others (the first story in the collection was a standout for me), but overall I found the writing to be consistently strong. I also appreciated the dark humor and magical elements woven in throughout the stories.

archiebb's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This collection was a lot of realistic stories mingled with some magical realism (favorite genre for me).
I felt very strongly for many of these characters and the stories were interesting and nuanced.

Some topics explored

Sexual awakening for a young lesbian
Being treated like a mad person
Beauty standards
Taking seriously boundaries laid out in your culture or otherwise seeing the surreal consequences
The complexity of sex work, class struggle, and friendship among women.
Grief (surreal elements)

matirika's review against another edition

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The collection felt unbalanced to me. High highs low lows

stitching_ghost's review against another edition

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5.0

I don't remember who told me that I wasn't going to like this book but I started it with low expectations on account of it and ended up really liking it, found it quite delightful actually.

It has a touch of the weird, a touch of the dark (if you enjoyed the blend of weird and dark in the Never Whistle at Night collection you will probably like this one) and it centers women characters, if you're familiar with my reviews you probably know that I'm absolutely here for the weird, unhinged and/or angry girlies. Also, there's an Elvis impersonator infestation in one of the stories so you know, that kind of weird that's not afraid to be a tad ridiculous or over the top.

The imagery was great and the stories were smart without pretention and nothing came across as trying too hard.

4.5 rounded up.

mollyturlington's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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