manji's review

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emotional inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

sara_m_martins's review

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medium-paced

3.0

 Rating based on the average of all stories together.

In Our Words is a collection of short stories that have central queer characters of colour. Most had fantastical elements, but mostly very low-/soft-fantasy, which i prefer.
There were some amazing stories, but the best was Sweet Potato, with a strong runner-up in Granddaughter of the Dragon! I also really enjoyed Depth of Love and Her Mother’s Love, both of which touch on grief, which is something i like to read about.
While most had good concepts, in many the issue i had mainly was the writing style, which affected how i felt about the characters, or the writing pace of the story - a few stories would have benefited from a bit more breathing space. Stories usually deal with the family and/or a romantic partner.
Overall, I think it's worth a read, even if just for a couple of these, because when they are good, they are really good!

Stories I enjoyed: (star rating out of 5; small comment)
  • Sweet Potato - 5. Brilliant, great opener; fierce mother defending their child
  • Last Call for Lovers - 4; just a little bit fantastical (creeps up on you/ the story)
  • Depth of Love - 4; really good tale about grief, and how to heal after tragic loss
  • A Revolution of Masks - 2,5; the plot idea was interesting and could be great if a bit longer - i was just starting to get onboard when it ended
  • Her Mother’s Love - 4; another great tale on the subject of grief, now from the mother losing daughter perspective - heart-wrenching.
  • Butch Jeans - 4; a heart-touching tale from a man in NYC during the AIDS epidemic age and his relationship with his mother.
  • Granddaughter of the Dragon - 5; recommend for fans of Nghi Vo’s Singing Hills Cycle
  • Barbara in the Frame - 3,5; interesting supernatural elements that involved food, recommend for lovers of With the Fire on High