aominechichi's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

doolinerin's review

Go to review page

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

cbags's review

Go to review page

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

4.75

gabalodon's review

Go to review page

3.0

Historical fiction isn't my usual genre and I don't read short fiction often so this was an interesting collection of stories for me. The quality was uneven, though I imagine that's typical in short story collections with a mix of authors. It was fun exploring different time periods and places with which I'm not so familiar. There were a lot of sweet and fun stories, one was excellent but felt unfinished, one was...truly incomprehensible, and the last one got me in my feels.

laurenkara's review

Go to review page

5.0

Rosa was a summer girl and I was a winter girl, but that fall we made magic.

My only complaint about this anthology is that I wish it had some aromantic rep (my identity keeps getting ignored that's cool lmao) and that the stories weren't so westernised (there was some latinx & chinese-american rep though which was cool) otherwise it was INCREDIBLE !!!

Also heads up that labels aren't really used at all which isn't necessarily a bad thing because I don't like using them for myself but I know how important they can be for others!!!!

Individual Ratings:

Roja by Anna-Marie McLemore ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Sweet Trade by Natalie C. Parker ⭐️⭐️⭐️
And They Don't Kiss at the End by Nilah Margruder ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Burnt Umber by Mackenzi Lee ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Dresser & The Chambermaid by Robin Talley ⭐️⭐️⭐️
New Year by Malinda Lo ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Molly's Lips by Dahlia Adler ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 STARS ISN'T ENOUGH I LOVED THIS SO MUCH OH MY LORD)
The Coven by Kate Scelsa ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Every Shade of Red by Elliot Wake ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Willows by Scott Tracey ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Girl with the Blue Lantern by Tess Sharpe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 STARS ISN'T ENOUGH AGAIN !!!!! from now on the only fae/human inspired stories allowed are f/f were they have a pet dog)
The Secret Life of A Teenage Boy by Alex Sanchez ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Walking After Midnight by Kodi Keplinger ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The End of the World as We Know It by Sara Farzian ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Three Witches by Tessa Granton ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Inferno & The Butterfly bu Shaun David Hutchinson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Healing Rosa by Tehlor Kay Meja ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

sweetrosegirl76's review

Go to review page

4.0

Good short story! I really liked the author's note with the herstory of Leonarda Emilia! It made me enjoy the story was bit more. It started of a bit confusing but then I understood the setting and time period.

Merged review:

I want to give it a solid 3.5 and I'm struggling with which way to lean towards. Idk why I like books complied of short stories when I know I'll end up not LOVING the short stories. I liked most of them! But none were something that was like omg this is amazing, exceptional! Except Every Shade of Red which I loved all the way to the end. The ending was so extremely disappointing and heart breaking I feel I can't be unbiased with it.

I think I feel accomplished when I read short stories. I feel like I'm reading so much when really it's just one book. I think I like the exposure I get to different authors, the fact that I'm consuming so many stories.

sabraerob's review

Go to review page

5.0

I love that I read Last Night at the Telegraph Club and Before We Disappear before so that I could read their beginnings in short story form here. Super bummed that Elliot Wake hasn’t written a full-length version of Every Shade of Red and seems to have dropped off the face of the literary world since 2018. Amazing collection, there wasn’t really a story I didn’t like.

graciemarie95's review

Go to review page

inspiring slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

tiahie's review

Go to review page

challenging lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

abbymorris13's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

This was a decently enjoyable read, the quality of the writing varies between stories as is expected. This is definitely a book aimed at teens, the stories are also fictional rather than a retelling of historical figures which now includes their queerness (as I had thought from the description).