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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.
whitreadslit's review against another edition
3.0
This was an interesting short story anthology. I have never read one that was all sci-fi/fantasy, and definitely not one that is all diverse characters. I enjoyed many of the stories, though there were a few that I really didn’t care for. All in all, it was an interesting read and introduced me to some new authors. ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
theresab93's review against another edition
4.0
Did I buy this mainly for the Alucard short story from Schwab? Yeah
Am I little disappointed that it wasn't consistent with the story from the main trilogy? Yeah
Am I little disappointed that it wasn't consistent with the story from the main trilogy? Yeah
theburninglibrary's review against another edition
Story #1 ~ A Universe Of Wishes; Tara Sim
My rating: 5 / 5 stars
From beginning to end, this short story was fantastic. It took me off guard when I started reading and the story had such a forlorn tone, yet as this progressed it became something beautiful. That differentiation is what made this so fantastic in my mind, that something looked at as grotesque and disturbing - death and dying and corpses in all their many forma - is something that could be beautiful in the right setting, with the right characters, with the right story. In this story, thorn is a young boy stealing magic from the corpses in graveyards and morgues, until sage, the son of a mortician, catches him in the act, and they spend their nights using the magic they collect from those lost to make their own little universe of wishes. These two quiet and soft boys stole my heart and I will definitely be returning to their story many times. I have never read a short story before that had the ability to make me fall so immediately in love with the characters as I did while reading this, and it was (excuse my god awful pun) a wish come true.
Magic, he realized, took so many forms.
Story #2 ~ The Silk Blade; Natalie C. Parker
My rating: 4 / 5 / stars
This story was very beautifully written in a much different way than A Universe Of Wishes. Willador is fighting to prove she can be the strength to the grace of the prince (the 'Bloom'). What I loved about this story is how the gender roles were so totally reversed. The men were in dresses and heels, with painted nails and lips, but it all fit within the confines of the story naturally. The Bloom wore flowering skirts because he represented the flower of the nation. Willador wore armor reminiscent of flowers because she is fighting to be the Sword to his Bloom. I interpreted her to have equal attraction to men and women, as one of the other contestants (who is female) is attractive to her, and yet she is also attracted to the Bloom. Another fantastic thing about this story is that there is a male contestant fighting to be the Sword to the Bloom. This was a good little story with lots of flower visuals and botanical settings. I took one star off for the instalove, which is sometimes unavoidable in the short story format, but it was more noticeable to me here.
But I do not choose him.
My rating: 5 / 5 stars
From beginning to end, this short story was fantastic. It took me off guard when I started reading and the story had such a forlorn tone, yet as this progressed it became something beautiful. That differentiation is what made this so fantastic in my mind, that something looked at as grotesque and disturbing - death and dying and corpses in all their many forma - is something that could be beautiful in the right setting, with the right characters, with the right story. In this story, thorn is a young boy stealing magic from the corpses in graveyards and morgues, until sage, the son of a mortician, catches him in the act, and they spend their nights using the magic they collect from those lost to make their own little universe of wishes. These two quiet and soft boys stole my heart and I will definitely be returning to their story many times. I have never read a short story before that had the ability to make me fall so immediately in love with the characters as I did while reading this, and it was (excuse my god awful pun) a wish come true.
Magic, he realized, took so many forms.
Story #2 ~ The Silk Blade; Natalie C. Parker
My rating: 4 / 5 / stars
This story was very beautifully written in a much different way than A Universe Of Wishes. Willador is fighting to prove she can be the strength to the grace of the prince (the 'Bloom'). What I loved about this story is how the gender roles were so totally reversed. The men were in dresses and heels, with painted nails and lips, but it all fit within the confines of the story naturally. The Bloom wore flowering skirts because he represented the flower of the nation. Willador wore armor reminiscent of flowers because she is fighting to be the Sword to his Bloom. I interpreted her to have equal attraction to men and women, as one of the other contestants (who is female) is attractive to her, and yet she is also attracted to the Bloom. Another fantastic thing about this story is that there is a male contestant fighting to be the Sword to the Bloom. This was a good little story with lots of flower visuals and botanical settings. I took one star off for the instalove, which is sometimes unavoidable in the short story format, but it was more noticeable to me here.
Spoiler
I open my mouth, my heart thrashing wildly against my ribs, unsure about what will happen next. Because the Bloom has chosen me.But I do not choose him.
luckies_universe's review against another edition
4.0
This collection of short stories came at the right time for me, because I had just finished reading the Shades of Magic trilogy and was desperate for some Rhy and Alucard fan-fiction, and V. E. Schwab SERVED. Not to mention the anthology included stories by a vast majority of my favourite authors, including Zoraida Cordova and Anna-Marie McLemore.
This is a great collection of YA short fiction all written by queer and/or BIPOC authors. The stories are mostly fantasy or sci-fi, and although I wasn't really into the sci-fi stories, the fantasy ones were great. My favourite story ended up being The Coldest Spot in the Universe by Samira Ahmed (it made me bawl my eyes out and it was so beautiful!)
All in all, it's a really good range of stories, and as someone who doesn't usually look for anthologies, this was an enjoyable read.
This is a great collection of YA short fiction all written by queer and/or BIPOC authors. The stories are mostly fantasy or sci-fi, and although I wasn't really into the sci-fi stories, the fantasy ones were great. My favourite story ended up being The Coldest Spot in the Universe by Samira Ahmed (it made me bawl my eyes out and it was so beautiful!)
All in all, it's a really good range of stories, and as someone who doesn't usually look for anthologies, this was an enjoyable read.
giulay's review
3.0
Mini Rather Random Reviews™️
A Universe of Wishes by Tara Sim: 2.5 ⭐️
TW: death
Ridiculously short synopsis: What if I were to tell you magic is present in all of us? And what if this magic could make all your wishes come true? What would you wish for, then?
Ridiculously short personal comment: This was so incredibly cheesy I am surprised my teeth did not fall out of my mouth. If you know me, you know I like my stories a bit dark, and this short story was not that, sadly. It had a good starting point (i.e., the idea of the wishes and magic living inside us) but it got sappy way too quickly, and I was just not a fan. Moreover, the writing style was not precisely to my taste as I found the descriptions of the characters to be a bit childish and over-the-top (also, there was an overly mentioned dimple and…yeah, cannot stand that). Furthermore, the romance came out of literal nowhere and was just too rushed and insta-love. Overall, I was not impressed.
The Silk Blade by Natalie C. Parker: 2.5 ⭐️
Ridiculously short synopsis: “The Bachelor” but make it violent (physically, I mean). Ah, and make it sapphic, too.
Ridiculously short personal comment: Again, the overall idea was amazing and thrilling, but the execution was lackluster, in my opinion. And I say that mainly because I found the romance to be just too immediate and coming out of literal thin air. And since the romance was, after all, the main focus of this short story, I cannot say I was a fan.
The Scarlet Woman by Libba Bray: 2 ⭐️
Ridiculously short synopsis: A “Gemma Doyle” Story. What’s that, you ask? Who is she, you ask? And who the hell knows.
Ridiculously short personal comment: This was a short story connected to a trilogy I did not read. So, if you experienced said trilogy (first book is A Great and Terrible Beauty, fyi) then you’ll like this one. Otherwise, you’ll be like me: fucking clueless and bored. Everything just flew past my head since I had no knowledge of the characters and the story, thus I simply did not care. The writing style was good, though.
Cristal y Cenzia by Anna-Marie McLemore: 3.5 ⭐️
TW: homophobia, transphobia
Ridiculously short synopsis: Cinderella but make it queer.
Ridiculously short personal comment: This was actually very enjoyable. Which is not surprising since Anna-Marie McLemore was the author. Leave it to them to actually enchant me and gift me a lovely short story. They made me enjoy Cinderella – my least favourite Disney Princess – that says a lot about their talent.
Liberia by Kwame Mbalia: 3 ⭐️
Ridiculously short synopsis: The life, adventures and perils of a botanist in space.
Ridiculously short personal comment: Enjoyable but nothing extraordinary. I liked the sci-fi aspect, but I also felt strangely detached. Nothing truly fascinated me; it was an alright, forgettable (unfortunately) story.
A Royal Affair by V.E. Schwab: 4 ⭐️
TW: abuse
Ridiculously short synopsis: A “A Darker Shade of Magic” Story about how Alucard and Rhy met. What’s that, you ask? Who are they, you ask? It’s two dramatic gays and their relationship, that’s what – we love to see it.
Ridiculously short personal comment: “A Royal Affair” AKA the only reason why I ever even wanted to read this anthology. And it did not disappoint.
The Takeback Tango by Rebecca Roanhorse: 3 ⭐️
TW: slavery, colonialism
Ridiculously short synopsis: Space thieves fighting colonialism.
Ridiculously short personal comment: Yet again an average story. The plot was easy and predictable but enjoyable nonetheless. However, it was also nothing special or remarkable.
Dream and Dare by Nic Stone: 2 ⭐️
TW: transphobia
Ridiculously short synopsis: A monster in the woods, a Princess going after it. But nothing is as it seems.
Ridiculously short personal comment: I am not going to lie. For as much as I appreciated the discussion around gender and gender roles, I was not a fan of this short story. I did not enjoy the writing style – and that was a deal breaker since, thus, I also did not like the characters. I found the writing style to be too childish and full of parenthesis that broke the flow and simply not clear enough. Hence the characters seemed flat and childish. Yikes :/
Wish by Jenni Balch: 3 ⭐️
Ridiculously short synopsis: Once you find the LAMP, you have one (1) wish that can be granted. What would it be?
Ridiculously short personal comment: Very similar concepts to the first short story (i.e., granting wishes and whatnot) but I liked this a tad bit more. There was no insta-love for starter, and I enjoyed how simple and entertaining the story was. Actually, now that I think about it, maybe it was a bit too simple. In fact, the characters were a bit two-dimensional, in my opinion, and I found the storyline to be jumpy and unclear. All in all, though, this was a fun, easy read.
The Weight by Dhonielle Clayton: 4.5 ⭐️
Ridiculously short synopsis: Every heart tells a story. Find yours at the Heart Scale Center, if you dare. Who do you love and who have you stopped loving? Find it out at the Heart Scale Center… if you dare.
Ridiculously short personal comment: This
A Universe of Wishes by Tara Sim: 2.5 ⭐️
TW: death
Ridiculously short synopsis: What if I were to tell you magic is present in all of us? And what if this magic could make all your wishes come true? What would you wish for, then?
Ridiculously short personal comment: This was so incredibly cheesy I am surprised my teeth did not fall out of my mouth. If you know me, you know I like my stories a bit dark, and this short story was not that, sadly. It had a good starting point (i.e., the idea of the wishes and magic living inside us) but it got sappy way too quickly, and I was just not a fan. Moreover, the writing style was not precisely to my taste as I found the descriptions of the characters to be a bit childish and over-the-top (also, there was an overly mentioned dimple and…yeah, cannot stand that). Furthermore, the romance came out of literal nowhere and was just too rushed and insta-love. Overall, I was not impressed.
The Silk Blade by Natalie C. Parker: 2.5 ⭐️
Ridiculously short synopsis: “The Bachelor” but make it violent (physically, I mean). Ah, and make it sapphic, too.
Ridiculously short personal comment: Again, the overall idea was amazing and thrilling, but the execution was lackluster, in my opinion. And I say that mainly because I found the romance to be just too immediate and coming out of literal thin air. And since the romance was, after all, the main focus of this short story, I cannot say I was a fan.
The Scarlet Woman by Libba Bray: 2 ⭐️
Ridiculously short synopsis: A “Gemma Doyle” Story. What’s that, you ask? Who is she, you ask? And who the hell knows.
Ridiculously short personal comment: This was a short story connected to a trilogy I did not read. So, if you experienced said trilogy (first book is A Great and Terrible Beauty, fyi) then you’ll like this one. Otherwise, you’ll be like me: fucking clueless and bored. Everything just flew past my head since I had no knowledge of the characters and the story, thus I simply did not care. The writing style was good, though.
Cristal y Cenzia by Anna-Marie McLemore: 3.5 ⭐️
TW: homophobia, transphobia
Ridiculously short synopsis: Cinderella but make it queer.
Ridiculously short personal comment: This was actually very enjoyable. Which is not surprising since Anna-Marie McLemore was the author. Leave it to them to actually enchant me and gift me a lovely short story. They made me enjoy Cinderella – my least favourite Disney Princess – that says a lot about their talent.
Liberia by Kwame Mbalia: 3 ⭐️
Ridiculously short synopsis: The life, adventures and perils of a botanist in space.
Ridiculously short personal comment: Enjoyable but nothing extraordinary. I liked the sci-fi aspect, but I also felt strangely detached. Nothing truly fascinated me; it was an alright, forgettable (unfortunately) story.
A Royal Affair by V.E. Schwab: 4 ⭐️
TW: abuse
Ridiculously short synopsis: A “A Darker Shade of Magic” Story about how Alucard and Rhy met. What’s that, you ask? Who are they, you ask? It’s two dramatic gays and their relationship, that’s what – we love to see it.
Ridiculously short personal comment: “A Royal Affair” AKA the only reason why I ever even wanted to read this anthology. And it did not disappoint.
The Takeback Tango by Rebecca Roanhorse: 3 ⭐️
TW: slavery, colonialism
Ridiculously short synopsis: Space thieves fighting colonialism.
Ridiculously short personal comment: Yet again an average story. The plot was easy and predictable but enjoyable nonetheless. However, it was also nothing special or remarkable.
Dream and Dare by Nic Stone: 2 ⭐️
TW: transphobia
Ridiculously short synopsis: A monster in the woods, a Princess going after it. But nothing is as it seems.
Ridiculously short personal comment: I am not going to lie. For as much as I appreciated the discussion around gender and gender roles, I was not a fan of this short story. I did not enjoy the writing style – and that was a deal breaker since, thus, I also did not like the characters. I found the writing style to be too childish and full of parenthesis that broke the flow and simply not clear enough. Hence the characters seemed flat and childish. Yikes :/
Wish by Jenni Balch: 3 ⭐️
Ridiculously short synopsis: Once you find the LAMP, you have one (1) wish that can be granted. What would it be?
Ridiculously short personal comment: Very similar concepts to the first short story (i.e., granting wishes and whatnot) but I liked this a tad bit more. There was no insta-love for starter, and I enjoyed how simple and entertaining the story was. Actually, now that I think about it, maybe it was a bit too simple. In fact, the characters were a bit two-dimensional, in my opinion, and I found the storyline to be jumpy and unclear. All in all, though, this was a fun, easy read.
The Weight by Dhonielle Clayton: 4.5 ⭐️
Ridiculously short synopsis: Every heart tells a story. Find yours at the Heart Scale Center, if you dare. Who do you love and who have you stopped loving? Find it out at the Heart Scale Center… if you dare.
Ridiculously short personal comment: This
someonetookit's review against another edition
4.0
Some stories were great, others not so much. All tied together through the notion of wishing in its various forms, this anthology has so many stories there's guaranteed to be something to tickle your fancy.
Props to the tales of the great defiler of corpses, the genie with a twist and the weighing of the hearts.
Props to the tales of the great defiler of corpses, the genie with a twist and the weighing of the hearts.
thestoriedblog's review against another edition
3.0
I definitely needed a change from the lengthy reread I had of the ACOTAR series and then reading ACOSF and this just hit the spot. Like all short story collections, this is a mix of hits and misses. This was a total cover buy that I stumbled upon when I was bookshopping randomly last month. Some of my favourites were A Universe of Wishes, The Scarlet Woman, Liberia, A Royal Affair, Unmoor, The Coldest Spot in the Universe, and The Beginning of Monsters. I also now have a slew of new authors to check out and I hope to add some of their work to my TBR.
For more reviews, check out https://www.thestoriedblog.com/
For more reviews, check out https://www.thestoriedblog.com/