Scan barcode
etev's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lyra_brie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
lisathepoetlibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
A wonderful, rich collection of short stories. I love how they are accompanied with author and editor statements on the craft of writing. Wonderful for independent reading and creative writing. groups.
smittenforfiction's review against another edition
4.0
Hey book lovers! I'm here with a book review for Foreshadow: Stories to Celebrate the Magic of Reading & Writing YA, a serial YA anthology edited by Emily X.R. Pan and Nova Ren Suma. It's not just a collection of fantastic short stories, this also provides practical writing advice and even prompts. They were originally released on an online platform called Foreshadow. I received a digital arc from Netgalley.
About The Book
alongreader's review against another edition
4.0
What an amazing collection. These stories cover all genres and feature several well known authors as well as some new ones.
Every story I read, I thought 'Ok, this one is my favourite, actually.' They're all so different, I can't even really compare them to each other. The analysis at the end of each one made me think about them much more deeply than normal (and I picked up some great tips for fanfic!) and I liked the challenges scattered here and there as well.
This is a great way to try out some genres you normally might not, and it's added a few authors to my watchlist. Perfect!
Every story I read, I thought 'Ok, this one is my favourite, actually.' They're all so different, I can't even really compare them to each other. The analysis at the end of each one made me think about them much more deeply than normal (and I picked up some great tips for fanfic!) and I liked the challenges scattered here and there as well.
This is a great way to try out some genres you normally might not, and it's added a few authors to my watchlist. Perfect!
breedawnwriter's review against another edition
I had to return it to the library and life got crazy. Nothing against the book, though. I may even pick it back up at some point.
notinjersey's review against another edition
4.0
At first I was concerned that all of the stories were fantasy stories, and I don’t love reading fantasy, but then I realized that only some of them are and others are romance, family drama, and more, sometimes containing elements of fantasy and mythology as well. The stories in this book are as unique and diverse as their authors.
The addition of introductions of each story by a well-known author is appreciated, as are the discussion of the stories by the editors that follow. It is hard to rate a short story collection as every story is different, but here are some of what you can find in this book:
Flight by Tanya S. Aydelott is a mythological fantasy about a mother / daughter relationship.
Risk by Rachel Hylton is about a girl who becomes a lobster, so another fantasy type story.
Sweetmeats by Linda Cheng is a retelling of Hansel and Gretel featuring two friends who are taken by a witch and escape, but no one believes them.
Glow by Joanna Truman is about two girls who are headed out to end the world, until they realize there are reasons not to do so.
Escape by Tanvi Berwah was another fantasy type story with a magical possession that unites and separates a family.
Pan Dolce by Flor Salcedo features and group of friends who live in El Paso but head out to party in Mexico. The story is about the journey and only hints at the danger of border crossings that lurks in the future, as this story takes place in 1998.
My favorite story was Break by Sophie Meridien which was about two high schoolers getting to know each other in brief “seven minutes in heaven” / spin the bottle experiences. I loved the two characters and getting to know them in this story.
The story that made me feel the most was Resilient by Mayra Cuevas which tells the story of two young women who leave Puerto Rico after hurricane Maria hoping to make a new life by working for a turkey packing plant in South Dakota. It made me sad for what happened after the hurricane as well as for what kind of work has to be done in meat packing plants.
There are 13 stories in total, most with a sense of culture and of hope, and if any of the above interest you, I suggest you grab this one and read them all!
The addition of introductions of each story by a well-known author is appreciated, as are the discussion of the stories by the editors that follow. It is hard to rate a short story collection as every story is different, but here are some of what you can find in this book:
Flight by Tanya S. Aydelott is a mythological fantasy about a mother / daughter relationship.
Risk by Rachel Hylton is about a girl who becomes a lobster, so another fantasy type story.
Sweetmeats by Linda Cheng is a retelling of Hansel and Gretel featuring two friends who are taken by a witch and escape, but no one believes them.
Glow by Joanna Truman is about two girls who are headed out to end the world, until they realize there are reasons not to do so.
Escape by Tanvi Berwah was another fantasy type story with a magical possession that unites and separates a family.
Pan Dolce by Flor Salcedo features and group of friends who live in El Paso but head out to party in Mexico. The story is about the journey and only hints at the danger of border crossings that lurks in the future, as this story takes place in 1998.
My favorite story was Break by Sophie Meridien which was about two high schoolers getting to know each other in brief “seven minutes in heaven” / spin the bottle experiences. I loved the two characters and getting to know them in this story.
The story that made me feel the most was Resilient by Mayra Cuevas which tells the story of two young women who leave Puerto Rico after hurricane Maria hoping to make a new life by working for a turkey packing plant in South Dakota. It made me sad for what happened after the hurricane as well as for what kind of work has to be done in meat packing plants.
There are 13 stories in total, most with a sense of culture and of hope, and if any of the above interest you, I suggest you grab this one and read them all!
neglet's review against another edition
5.0
Not only is this a collection of outstanding stories, it provides little essays on craft that will be useful to anyone interested in writing YA. So much to enjoy!
readingwithmygoldens's review against another edition
5.0
Anyone who follows me on here knows that I struggle a lot with YA. I pretty much avoid the genre entirely with a few exceptions here and there. Ultimately, the unique nature of this book is what told me to throw my concerns aside and dive in. I am so glad that I ignored my YA issues and gave this a chance.
Here are the reasons why this might interest you:
1) It's a short story collection
2) Ownvoices!!
3) Editors break down the prompt of the story and techniques used (so you get an intro and summary after each story that helps tie everything together)
4) Did I mention ownvoices?
5) Different genres - fantasty, romance, straight fiction - love that too
I loved everything about this book. I thought it was also really neat to get an inside look at some writing techniques used. I never really thought about it before, but this really made me think about how hard it is to write a short story. You have to grab the reader and keep them interested, all the while making it very clear the time period and place the story it set in. If its a fantasy short story, you have a lot of world building to do in a short period of time. The other great thing about this book was how it promoted new, ownvoices authors, whose stories were introduced by well known YA authors.
A fantastic read that I highly recommend! Thank you so much to Algonquin YA for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Review Date: 11/5/2020
Publication Date: 10/20/2020
Here are the reasons why this might interest you:
1) It's a short story collection
2) Ownvoices!!
3) Editors break down the prompt of the story and techniques used (so you get an intro and summary after each story that helps tie everything together)
4) Did I mention ownvoices?
5) Different genres - fantasty, romance, straight fiction - love that too
I loved everything about this book. I thought it was also really neat to get an inside look at some writing techniques used. I never really thought about it before, but this really made me think about how hard it is to write a short story. You have to grab the reader and keep them interested, all the while making it very clear the time period and place the story it set in. If its a fantasy short story, you have a lot of world building to do in a short period of time. The other great thing about this book was how it promoted new, ownvoices authors, whose stories were introduced by well known YA authors.
A fantastic read that I highly recommend! Thank you so much to Algonquin YA for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Review Date: 11/5/2020
Publication Date: 10/20/2020
bookishlifetime's review against another edition
5.0
This book is truly unique. One of a kind. The 13 short stories are not only all amazing, but the comments that Pan and Suma make are so refreshing! I never read a book like this but I learned a lot and found it fascinating! I believe that both readers and authors can really learn something from this book! The analysis of a story is so interesting to see and giving out writing advice at the same time… amazing!