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fantasynovel's review
4.0
The stories were written with varying level of skill, but that makes sense for a book of debut short stories. In fact, I'd say a lot of the pleasure of reading this collection comes from seeing authors at the very beginning of their careers. I especially liked the last story, "The First Time I Said It".
bookofcinz's review
3.0
This is a collection of 12 debut short stories. Some I LOVED and I cannot stop thinking about and others I found were a little meh.
These are my stand out stories:
Force, Mass, Acceleration by Heather Aruffo
Mandy's Mary Sue by Qianze Zhang
The List by Stanley Patrick Stocker
Transit by Khaddafina Mbabazi
For me the strongest story in this collection is Transit by Khaddafina Mbabazi it literally embodies how I feel as a Black woman travelling. It is nuanced and layered and I shook that the author did so much with such little pages.
Honestly, if you buy this book to read just this story, it is well worth it!
These are my stand out stories:
Force, Mass, Acceleration by Heather Aruffo
Mandy's Mary Sue by Qianze Zhang
The List by Stanley Patrick Stocker
Transit by Khaddafina Mbabazi
For me the strongest story in this collection is Transit by Khaddafina Mbabazi it literally embodies how I feel as a Black woman travelling. It is nuanced and layered and I shook that the author did so much with such little pages.
Honestly, if you buy this book to read just this story, it is well worth it!
cmstein's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
readingrosie's review
4.0
The stories were written with varying level of skill, but that makes sense for a book of debut short stories. In fact, I'd say a lot of the pleasure of reading this collection comes from seeing authors at the very beginning of their careers. I especially liked the last story, "The First Time I Said It".
rexpostfacto's review
5.0
An amazing collection! Some of the stories I was totally riveted by, and some only sort of riveted by...meaning that they're all great, there's just a few that are excellent.
chiaralovespink's review
dark
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
nini23's review
challenging
emotional
tense
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Outstanding: Transit by Khaddafina Mbabazi
Excellent:
Taxi by Pardeep Toor
The Strong Strong Winds by Mathapelo Mofokeng
The Math of Living by Nishanth Injam
Frankie by Mckenzie McGee
A very strong collection of short stories, they arrested my attention and held my imagination. It's difficult to believe these are debut authors, I will definitely check out their upcoming full length novels.
Excellent:
Taxi by Pardeep Toor
The Strong Strong Winds by Mathapelo Mofokeng
The Math of Living by Nishanth Injam
Frankie by Mckenzie McGee
A very strong collection of short stories, they arrested my attention and held my imagination. It's difficult to believe these are debut authors, I will definitely check out their upcoming full length novels.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Genocide, Racial slurs, Racism, and Suicide