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parksnotrec's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
rtc
ipastrana's review against another edition
medium-paced
5.0
Amazing collection, consistently wonderful throughout :’) my favorites were Asphalt, River, Mother, Child and How to Swallow the Moon
rominadelap's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
yuck1209's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
I was looking forward to reading another Filipino author, and thought a short story collection would be a good change in pace. I’m Filipino American, though I identify more with the latter since I grew up in the US, don’t speak Tagalog, and have only visited once. In a way, the stories made me sad/wistful since there were so many tidbits in the characters’ experiences, dialogues, and so on that I couldn’t relate to. Some stories reminded me of my mom and her offhand references to school, batchmates, family history… how little I know of her childhood and teenage years.
Anyway, I enjoyed this collection overall. There was a darker tone, with themes around family and girlhood. Lots of references to Filipino mythology, too. Some standouts for me:
Anyway, I enjoyed this collection overall. There was a darker tone, with themes around family and girlhood. Lots of references to Filipino mythology, too. Some standouts for me:
- A Spell for Foolish Hearts
- Asphalt, River, Mother, Child
- How to Swallow the Moon
- A Canticle for Lost Girls
christopherwilson13's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyed this mix of fairy tales, folklore and horror quite a bit, blend of very spooky and very sweet. “Only Unclench Your Hand," “How to Swallow the Moon," “Have You Heard the One About Anamaria Marquez?” and “Asphalt, River, Mother, Child” among favorites. I didn't love the first novella featured but really enjoyed the concluding one.
sil3nos's review against another edition
This short story collection was recommended to me by a reddit user when I asked for horror recommendations. And not all stories in here fit that bill, but I still highly enjoyed most of them. Now, one thing I am missing here is a sort of glossary with all of the Filipino terms the author uses that most readers from the west will be unfamiliar with, but then, I could just Google most (it's just that in german trains, that's mostly impossible) and it was more my problem than the stories', I'll have to admit. Another issue I had with some of the stories was how ambiguous the endings were (I mean, the author's website literally says that she likes ambiguous endings and it is true). Most of the time, I couldn't fathom what had just happened and would've liked a little debriefing.
What I really liked here was the spin on tropes that I found really interesting: What if your college roommate was a monster and killed people but you were actually fine with it? What if the person from that creepy urban legend you once heard was real and she's actually happy she gets remembered at all? What if magical girls were getting older and tired of fighting monsters? There were always a few things in story that made me go "Oh, so this is where this came from" or "This is an interesting idea". And I really liked that.
My favourites were (in that order)
- How to swallow the moon: Kind of felt like six crimson cranes and the priory of the orange tree, but make it good.
- A cup of salt tears: Really got me into the atmosphere
- Have you heard the one about Anamaria Marquez?: Really spooked me out and then took a very interesting twist at the end
- Misty: Similarly to a cup of salt tears, I really appreciated the atmosphere. Plus, I liked the open ending in this one.
What I really liked here was the spin on tropes that I found really interesting: What if your college roommate was a monster and killed people but you were actually fine with it? What if the person from that creepy urban legend you once heard was real and she's actually happy she gets remembered at all? What if magical girls were getting older and tired of fighting monsters? There were always a few things in story that made me go "Oh, so this is where this came from" or "This is an interesting idea". And I really liked that.
My favourites were (in that order)
- How to swallow the moon: Kind of felt like six crimson cranes and the priory of the orange tree, but make it good.
- A cup of salt tears: Really got me into the atmosphere
- Have you heard the one about Anamaria Marquez?: Really spooked me out and then took a very interesting twist at the end
- Misty: Similarly to a cup of salt tears, I really appreciated the atmosphere. Plus, I liked the open ending in this one.