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bookwyrmknits's review against another edition
challenging
dark
2.5
On the book as a whole: it is well crafted, and those who are fans of horror and dark fantasy should enjoy it a LOT more than I did. I don't know why I was expecting more "fantasy" from this collection and less "horror"... but please know going in that with very few exceptions these are dark stories, and closer to the horror genre than anything else. If you like that kind of story, this book might be right up your alley... it just wasn't my preferred genre. This is definitely a case of "it's not you it's me."
A few thoughts on the individual stories, written as I read the book:
"Good Girls" ~ Odd. Creepy. Body horror. If this is a good example of what I will find in this collection (as I personally expect and want from the first story in a collection) then I will have trouble with the book as a whole.
"A Cup of Salt Tears" ~ This one is also odd. It feels very horror-adjacent, and I'm not entirely sure how to react to the conclusion. I don't know much about kappas in Japanese folklore, but based on this story they don't feel like they're supposed to be good guys. ~ CW: drowning, suicide, illness
"Milagroso" ~ Neat take on how we might react to "real" food once everything is lab-grown and designed.
“A Spell for Foolish Hearts” ~ This is hands down my favorite so far. It is sweet and queer, and the characters feel real. I loved this story, but compared to the ones that came before it, this felt out of place for being so sweet. This was the first story in the volume that had no horror elements or tone to it.
"Have You Heard the One About Anamaria Marquez?" ~ At the center of this is a classic ghost story like the ones my friends used to tell at sleepovers. The fun kind of creepy—this is the kind of horror-adjacent story I actually enjoy.
"Syringe" ~ This feels like the bones of an interesting science fiction story, but it's really short. Too short, I feel.
"Asphalt, River, Mother, Child" ~ For all that this is definitely a fantasy story about the afterlife, it feels the most REAL of the stories so far. Granted, it's the sad and depressing kind of real, but it feels real. It's too depressing for me to say that I "like" it, but it's certainly well crafted. ~ CW: gun violence
"Hurricane Heels (We Go Down Dancing)" ~ A story about superheroes/magical anime girls as they get older and want to live normal lives! I love this concept. My only issue is that just as I started to really get into it, the story ended.
"Only Unclench Your Hand" ~ This is another body horror-adjacent story that is just not to my taste. Fans of horror and dark folklore will probably enjoy it more than I did. ~ CW: vomit, bugs
"How to Swallow the Moon" ~ Interesting story that feels like a folktale with a little bit of Rapunzel thrown in. It has a sapphic twist that I expected based on the start of the story, though I still didn't quite manage to predict the ending.
"All the Best of Dark and Bright" ~ Neat to see a glimpse at folklore I'm unfamiliar with, but—probably BECAUSE I'm unfamiliar—the story didn't seem to have an end.
"Misty" ~ Horror again. And a young girl telling a story that might hint at child abuse? Not for me.
"A Canticle for Lost Girls" ~ This feels like one of those teen girl paranormal horror/dark fantasy movies, something like "The Craft." While I like the theme of friendship and forgiveness underneath the plot, the plot itself was a little too dark for my tastes. ~ CW: teacher/student sexual abuse
A few thoughts on the individual stories, written as I read the book:
"Good Girls" ~ Odd. Creepy. Body horror. If this is a good example of what I will find in this collection (as I personally expect and want from the first story in a collection) then I will have trouble with the book as a whole.
"A Cup of Salt Tears" ~ This one is also odd. It feels very horror-adjacent, and I'm not entirely sure how to react to the conclusion. I don't know much about kappas in Japanese folklore, but based on this story they don't feel like they're supposed to be good guys. ~ CW: drowning, suicide, illness
"Milagroso" ~ Neat take on how we might react to "real" food once everything is lab-grown and designed.
“A Spell for Foolish Hearts” ~ This is hands down my favorite so far. It is sweet and queer, and the characters feel real. I loved this story, but compared to the ones that came before it, this felt out of place for being so sweet. This was the first story in the volume that had no horror elements or tone to it.
"Have You Heard the One About Anamaria Marquez?" ~ At the center of this is a classic ghost story like the ones my friends used to tell at sleepovers. The fun kind of creepy—this is the kind of horror-adjacent story I actually enjoy.
"Syringe" ~ This feels like the bones of an interesting science fiction story, but it's really short. Too short, I feel.
"Asphalt, River, Mother, Child" ~ For all that this is definitely a fantasy story about the afterlife, it feels the most REAL of the stories so far. Granted, it's the sad and depressing kind of real, but it feels real. It's too depressing for me to say that I "like" it, but it's certainly well crafted. ~ CW: gun violence
"Hurricane Heels (We Go Down Dancing)" ~ A story about superheroes/magical anime girls as they get older and want to live normal lives! I love this concept. My only issue is that just as I started to really get into it, the story ended.
"Only Unclench Your Hand" ~ This is another body horror-adjacent story that is just not to my taste. Fans of horror and dark folklore will probably enjoy it more than I did. ~ CW: vomit, bugs
"How to Swallow the Moon" ~ Interesting story that feels like a folktale with a little bit of Rapunzel thrown in. It has a sapphic twist that I expected based on the start of the story, though I still didn't quite manage to predict the ending.
"All the Best of Dark and Bright" ~ Neat to see a glimpse at folklore I'm unfamiliar with, but—probably BECAUSE I'm unfamiliar—the story didn't seem to have an end.
"Misty" ~ Horror again. And a young girl telling a story that might hint at child abuse? Not for me.
"A Canticle for Lost Girls" ~ This feels like one of those teen girl paranormal horror/dark fantasy movies, something like "The Craft." While I like the theme of friendship and forgiveness underneath the plot, the plot itself was a little too dark for my tastes. ~ CW: teacher/student sexual abuse
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror and Gun violence
Minor: Sexual assault, Suicide, and Vomit
madarauchiha's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
❤️ 🧡 💛 💚 💙 💜 my about / byf / CW info carrd: uchiha-madara 💜 💙 💚 💛 🧡 ❤️
Fave stories are:
Hurricane Heels (We Go Down Dancing)
I have a soft spot for villains and superheroes--IF it' done by black people or people of color. I'd love to see a good villain story, or continuation in this universe, from Yap.
A Spell for Foolish Hearts
Oh I love a good office romance, and this was adorable! It's pretty lighthearted and a fun read!
Though honestly I loved all the stories included here. Yap is a fantastic writer and I'm looking forward to reading the read of her works.
◆ Good Girls
minor domestic violence, arson, stalking, domestic abuse, child abuse, emetophobia, drugs, overdose, death,
medium cannibalism, arranged marriage?, suicide ideation, child abuse, unsanitary,
major gore, body horror,
◆ A Cup of Salt Tears
medium drowning
major stalking, body horror, sexual harassment, NSFW,
◆ A Spell for Foolish Hearts
minor q slur, alcohol, menstruation,
medium homophobia,
◆ Have You Heard the One About Anamaria Marquez?
medium pedophilia, rape, csa, child death, murder, bullying, peer abuse, suicide, child death, religion catholicism,
major child death, suicide,
◆ Syringe
medium death, medical scenarios,
◆ Asphalt, River, Mother, Child
minor body horror, emetophobia,
major police brutality, police murder, child death, police, pro police propaganda, gun violence, transmisogyny, hate crime, misgendering,
◆ Hurricane Heels (We Go Down Dancing)
minor emetophobia,
medium body horror, child death, fire, suicide ideation,
major demolition, death,
◆ Only Unclench Your Hand
medium animal death, gore, lesbophobia, lesbophobic slurs, medical situations, gore,
major emetophobia, vomit, unsanitary,
◆ How to Swallow the Moon
minor fatphobia, pregnancy,
major confinement / prison, violence, body horror, slavery, human trafficking,
◆ All the Best of Dark and Bright
minor emetophobia, medical scenarios,
medium death,
◆ Misty
medium paranoia, violence, unsanitary,
major parental death, child abuse, toxic relationships, asphyxiation, child abuse,
◆ A Canticle for Lost Girls
minor lesbophobia, racism,
medium menstruation, misogyny, slut shaming, NSFW, emetophobia, unsanitary, blood,
major rape, sexual abuse, pedophilia, csa, teacher student relationship, peer abuse, bullying, religion catholicism, gore, body horror, sexual harassment, revenge porn, pregnancy, childbirth,
Fave stories are:
Hurricane Heels (We Go Down Dancing)
I have a soft spot for villains and superheroes--IF it' done by black people or people of color. I'd love to see a good villain story, or continuation in this universe, from Yap.
A Spell for Foolish Hearts
Oh I love a good office romance, and this was adorable! It's pretty lighthearted and a fun read!
Though honestly I loved all the stories included here. Yap is a fantastic writer and I'm looking forward to reading the read of her works.
◆ Good Girls
minor domestic violence, arson, stalking, domestic abuse, child abuse, emetophobia, drugs, overdose, death,
medium cannibalism, arranged marriage?, suicide ideation, child abuse, unsanitary,
major gore, body horror,
◆ A Cup of Salt Tears
medium drowning
major stalking, body horror, sexual harassment, NSFW,
◆ A Spell for Foolish Hearts
minor q slur, alcohol, menstruation,
medium homophobia,
◆ Have You Heard the One About Anamaria Marquez?
medium pedophilia, rape, csa, child death, murder, bullying, peer abuse, suicide, child death, religion catholicism,
major child death, suicide,
◆ Syringe
medium death, medical scenarios,
◆ Asphalt, River, Mother, Child
minor body horror, emetophobia,
major police brutality, police murder, child death, police, pro police propaganda, gun violence, transmisogyny, hate crime, misgendering,
◆ Hurricane Heels (We Go Down Dancing)
minor emetophobia,
medium body horror, child death, fire, suicide ideation,
major demolition, death,
◆ Only Unclench Your Hand
medium animal death, gore, lesbophobia, lesbophobic slurs, medical situations, gore,
major emetophobia, vomit, unsanitary,
◆ How to Swallow the Moon
minor fatphobia, pregnancy,
major confinement / prison, violence, body horror, slavery, human trafficking,
◆ All the Best of Dark and Bright
minor emetophobia, medical scenarios,
medium death,
◆ Misty
medium paranoia, violence, unsanitary,
major parental death, child abuse, toxic relationships, asphyxiation, child abuse,
◆ A Canticle for Lost Girls
minor lesbophobia, racism,
medium menstruation, misogyny, slut shaming, NSFW, emetophobia, unsanitary, blood,
major rape, sexual abuse, pedophilia, csa, teacher student relationship, peer abuse, bullying, religion catholicism, gore, body horror, sexual harassment, revenge porn, pregnancy, childbirth,
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Transphobia, Suicide, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Hate crime, Gun violence, and Gore
kellshelf's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Suicide, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Gun violence, and Death
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