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literary_hazelnut's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
sevireads's review
5.0
Thank you to BookSirens for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Song of the Mango and Other New Myths was an absolute pleasure to experience, from start to finish. Each short story is so vivid, the prose flows so smoothly that you feel fully immersed in a world of fantasy and whimsy.
It gets off to a very strong start with the titular story, Song of the Mango, and draws you in completely step by step. It was a brilliant choice to have the first three stories be so different to one another - a myth, a letter, and a newspaper article - the variety means that the reader is never bored. Granted, not all article-style stories worked equally well - for example, In the Shadow of the Typhoon, Humans and Mahiwaga Cooperate for Survival felt a bit disjointed, like many little ideas that weren't fully explored in separate short stories, the overall impression the short story collection leaves is overwhelmingly positive - commendably, it is more than the sum of its parts.
Having such a strong line-up of stories means that it's especially hard to pick a favorite - almost all of these stories found a special place in my heart, from Chosen Mother, a tale told from the perspective of the mother of a Chosen One, to Call of the Rimefolk, a love letter to the wildlife conservation efforts.
The inclusion of content warnings was great too, I was only left wishing for an addendum with a little more information of the mythological creatures mentioned in the story. Unfortunately, in most cases Wikipedia is severely lacking in information on them, and while there are some sources on the internet overall, an addendum would make for an even more immersive experience.
Song of the Mango and Other New Myths was an absolute pleasure to experience, from start to finish. Each short story is so vivid, the prose flows so smoothly that you feel fully immersed in a world of fantasy and whimsy.
It gets off to a very strong start with the titular story, Song of the Mango, and draws you in completely step by step. It was a brilliant choice to have the first three stories be so different to one another - a myth, a letter, and a newspaper article - the variety means that the reader is never bored. Granted, not all article-style stories worked equally well - for example, In the Shadow of the Typhoon, Humans and Mahiwaga Cooperate for Survival felt a bit disjointed, like many little ideas that weren't fully explored in separate short stories, the overall impression the short story collection leaves is overwhelmingly positive - commendably, it is more than the sum of its parts.
Having such a strong line-up of stories means that it's especially hard to pick a favorite - almost all of these stories found a special place in my heart, from Chosen Mother, a tale told from the perspective of the mother of a Chosen One, to Call of the Rimefolk, a love letter to the wildlife conservation efforts.
The inclusion of content warnings was great too, I was only left wishing for an addendum with a little more information of the mythological creatures mentioned in the story. Unfortunately, in most cases Wikipedia is severely lacking in information on them, and while there are some sources on the internet overall, an addendum would make for an even more immersive experience.
balkeyeston's review
5.0
What an AMAZING book! As someone who loves magical realism, folklore, and mythology encroaching on realistic worlds in fiction, this has by far been the best short story collection I've read that incorporates all these things and demands the reader to challenge their inherent points of view and subvert our expectations of how stories can be told. I'm also quite jealous that this author has such a following from her mentors and peers in the SFF world. As someone who is struggling through my own short fiction of Filipino folklore and stories of hybridity and colonialism, I find this book to be a master class on genre craft that I look forward to coming back to.
fallingdownrabbitholes's review
4.0
The ‘Song of Mango and Other New Myths” was a collections of stories that crosses many genres including fantasy, myth/legend and science-fiction. I enjoyed the stories that combined contemporary society with fantasy. There were also mythology from the Philippines that influenced many of the stories. I enjoyed learning about this mythology throughout the stories and how the author connected it to human experiences. I also wanted to give some appreciation for the list of trigger warnings that this book included near the end of the book. This helps readers navigate through the book more comfortably.
My favorite story overall was ‘Chosen Mother’ as it had a lot of adventure and humour. It made me laugh out loud a couple times. I also really enjoyed ‘How the Jungle Got It’s Spirit Guardian’. These stories remind me of the books I used to read as a kid. Filled with legends that can be read over and over.
Overall, these stories all pair well together as they tackle similar themes of human connection and connections with the divine realm. I found some of the stories hard to follow at times but I enjoyed almost all of the stories. I think my main issue was that I wished some of the stories could have been a whole book themselves. They felt like they could offer so much more as full length books. I wanted to be able to stay in these worlds a little bit longer.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
My favorite story overall was ‘Chosen Mother’ as it had a lot of adventure and humour. It made me laugh out loud a couple times. I also really enjoyed ‘How the Jungle Got It’s Spirit Guardian’. These stories remind me of the books I used to read as a kid. Filled with legends that can be read over and over.
Overall, these stories all pair well together as they tackle similar themes of human connection and connections with the divine realm. I found some of the stories hard to follow at times but I enjoyed almost all of the stories. I think my main issue was that I wished some of the stories could have been a whole book themselves. They felt like they could offer so much more as full length books. I wanted to be able to stay in these worlds a little bit longer.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
onetwomanybooks's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-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? No
4.0
stitching_ghost's review
4.0
I really enjoyed how the stories were sometimes intertwined and formed something more intricate but there is a couple of stories where I had to back track and reread because I wasn't sure what was going on this is the only reason it's not getting a 5 stars rating from me.
This collection exists at the intersection of something that feels both familiar and new, at least for me (I have only a very passing acquaintance with Filipino culture and folklore), like I've known these characters before, and I've known their circumstances, but I can't quite put my finger on where I've seen them before.
There are a few stories that would fit squarely into the urban fantasy genre with a Filipino twist, and I was particularly fond of these. Some of the stories left me wanting more and I would have definitely liked to spend more time in the universe Cruz has built.
Disclosure: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher through Booksirens in exchange for an honest review.
This collection exists at the intersection of something that feels both familiar and new, at least for me (I have only a very passing acquaintance with Filipino culture and folklore), like I've known these characters before, and I've known their circumstances, but I can't quite put my finger on where I've seen them before.
There are a few stories that would fit squarely into the urban fantasy genre with a Filipino twist, and I was particularly fond of these. Some of the stories left me wanting more and I would have definitely liked to spend more time in the universe Cruz has built.
Disclosure: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher through Booksirens in exchange for an honest review.
missmansanas's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
rebeccazh's review
4.0
A nice find on KU. This is a collection of short stories based on Filipino mythology. I connected with some stories more than others.
everbooked's review
5.0
As with collections, this had stories that I absolutely loved and few that I don't but still enjoyed. If you enjoy fairy tales and folktales as much as I do, you would definitely love this collection! The way modern-day issues were also discussed in the stories was brilliant. Bought an e-book of this but I will be buying a physical copy for my collection. ✨️