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ameserole's review against another edition
4.0
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Not sure why I waited so long to dive into this beauty.. but I'm disappointed in myself. It is filled with about 15 short stories that you will either like or love. For me, I think I was confused about one story because I never read the series before and then there's two other books that were okay but I wasn't completely invested.
So out of all the books, a lot were easy to devour and gave me some interesting characters to fall in love with. I think some of my favorites were the retellings. Or maybe the ones that I got retelling vibes (i.e., Cinderella, Rapunzel, Mulan, etc.). I think it's because of my love for all things Disney, which includes all the movies that I grew up with.
Other than all of that, I loved the LGBTQIA+ representation throughout these stories. I feel like I don't dive into enough books like that and I think all the characters were written really well. Another interesting thing was some of the novellas are making me want to dive into certain series next year - like Shades of Magic, and I'm beyond excited!
In the end, definitely loved this book and I will try to get more Anthologies in the new year!
Not sure why I waited so long to dive into this beauty.. but I'm disappointed in myself. It is filled with about 15 short stories that you will either like or love. For me, I think I was confused about one story because I never read the series before and then there's two other books that were okay but I wasn't completely invested.
So out of all the books, a lot were easy to devour and gave me some interesting characters to fall in love with. I think some of my favorites were the retellings. Or maybe the ones that I got retelling vibes (i.e., Cinderella, Rapunzel, Mulan, etc.). I think it's because of my love for all things Disney, which includes all the movies that I grew up with.
Other than all of that, I loved the LGBTQIA+ representation throughout these stories. I feel like I don't dive into enough books like that and I think all the characters were written really well. Another interesting thing was some of the novellas are making me want to dive into certain series next year - like Shades of Magic, and I'm beyond excited!
In the end, definitely loved this book and I will try to get more Anthologies in the new year!
milkteaful's review against another edition
3.0
My first anthology, and I'm happy it was this one!
A Universe of Wishes: 5/5
The Silk Blade: 4/5
The Scarlet Woman: 2/5
Cristal y Ceniza: 3/5
Liberia: 3/5
A Royal Affair: 5/5
The Takeback Tango: 3.5/5
Dream and Dare: 3/5
Wish: 4/5
The Weight: 3.5/5
Unmoor: 5/5
The Coldest Spot in the Universe: 4.5/5
The Beginning of Monsters: 2/5
Longer Than the Threads of Time: 4/5
Habibi: 5/5
A Universe of Wishes: 5/5
The Silk Blade: 4/5
The Scarlet Woman: 2/5
Cristal y Ceniza: 3/5
Liberia: 3/5
A Royal Affair: 5/5
The Takeback Tango: 3.5/5
Dream and Dare: 3/5
Wish: 4/5
The Weight: 3.5/5
Unmoor: 5/5
The Coldest Spot in the Universe: 4.5/5
The Beginning of Monsters: 2/5
Longer Than the Threads of Time: 4/5
Habibi: 5/5
s_nebulosa's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-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? It's complicated
3.0
I discovered short stories aren’t really my thing. Some stories were really good, others were less my taste but I never really got into a story because they would end before I had a chance. I prefer longer stories that I can get dragged into.
the61stbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
Overall really enjoyed this, the stories were interesting and compelling. I especially enjoyed the stories like Cristal y Ceniza (a retelling of Cinderella set in a Latin America inspired fantasy world, featuring LGBT characters) that were set in fantasy/sci-fi worlds that are not white; it really made me aware of how Euro/Anglocentric the fiction I generally read is. However, it is 4 rather than 5 stars because for a book aiming to be diverse, I was disappointed by the lack of diversity it showed in certain areas. It was great on racial diversity and LGB representation, but there was only one trans, one nonbinary and one disabled/chronically ill character (none of whom are protagonists), and no neurodiverse, indigenous, ace-spec, ... representation. Please do more next time, I wanted more non-cis stories!
zookie_b's review
adventurous
medium-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
4.0
A fun collection of short fantasy novels with queer, disabled, or POC protagonists. I was engaged for all but two of the stories and of course my favorite was VE Schwab’s glance into the relationship between Rhy and Alucard.
nutbug's review against another edition
5.0
so good man. finished it in 2 days and loved every bit of it. such talented authors who write incredibly creative and mind melting stories. 10/10 would recommend
adelheid's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
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? N/A
3.75
astravars_thrubooks's review against another edition
3.0
*Only read A Royal Affair because AluRhy <3
I mean young Kell and Alucard headbutting has always been the funniest. It was nice getting a bit more context for Alucard's character. And I love his wit, ex :
'I will not let you ruin our name.'
'Oh, I assure you,' growled Alucard. 'I haven't ruined it at all. The prince uses it quite fondly.'
I mean young Kell and Alucard headbutting has always been the funniest. It was nice getting a bit more context for Alucard's character. And I love his wit, ex :
'I will not let you ruin our name.'
'Oh, I assure you,' growled Alucard. 'I haven't ruined it at all. The prince uses it quite fondly.'
postitsandpens's review against another edition
3.0
This had some hits, and some misses, as any anthology is going to have. I didn't like this as much as others seem to, and when I averaged all of my ratings together, this came out at a 3 star read, so that's what I'm going with. You can see my status updates for the individual story ratings, but the two standouts for me were The Coldest Spot in the Universe by Samira Ahmed and Habibi by Tochi Onyebuchi, both of which earned 5 stars.