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lexyg's review
2.0
I think this book had a few stories that actually got my attention and the narration on most of them was amazing, but it was just not for me. It was a little too bizarre and had a fixation with touching some important matters with food and cannibalism that I just couldn’t get. If another book is released about this subject, I think I might skip it.
wanderlustlover's review
3.0
Thank you to Octavia Cade (editor), A. R. Henle, Alyssa Wong, Amelia Gorman, Anahita Eftekhari, Betsy Aoki, Caroline M. Yoachim, Catherynne M. Valente, Chikodili Emelumadu, Crystal Lynn Hilbert, D. A. Xiaolin Spires, Damien Angelica Walters, Erin Horáková, H. Pueyo, Jasmyne J. Harris, Joyce Chng, Katharine Duckett, Kathleen Alcalá, Kathryn McMahon, Penny Stirling, Rachael Sterling, Rem Wigmore, Sabrina Vourvoulias, Upper Rubber Boot Books, and NetGalley for allowing me the extreme pleasure of access to an advanced reader copy of “Sharp & Sugar Tooth: Women Up To No Good” for an honest review.
I was so excited to hear about this anthology when I stumbled over it seeking new, upcoming releases by Cat Valente. There's such a wonderful way that one came play on the idea of appetites in a people and how that can relate to food, sex, death, and truly almost any part of what someone puts their focus on/passion into. That this was a book on women's appetited, and it was going to be the sweet ones and sharp ones, I was over the moon and had to have it immediately.
Sadly, I feel this whole book came off as trying too hard, as being an amazing concept but one lacking in execution.
I was so excited to hear about this anthology when I stumbled over it seeking new, upcoming releases by Cat Valente. There's such a wonderful way that one came play on the idea of appetites in a people and how that can relate to food, sex, death, and truly almost any part of what someone puts their focus on/passion into. That this was a book on women's appetited, and it was going to be the sweet ones and sharp ones, I was over the moon and had to have it immediately.
Sadly, I feel this whole book came off as trying too hard, as being an amazing concept but one lacking in execution.
karajay's review
3.0
I received this as a download on Book Sirens for my honest review.
I really enjoyed this book. The stories were all so unique and engaging. There were twists on classics and many fully new tales. Some stories were upsetting and made me really uncomfortable, in the best way possible. This dark collection all tied together by a common theme. My absolute favorite was The Honey Witch. It was beautiful and haunting. If you pick up this book and only have time for one read this is the one I would recommend.
There were unfortunately a couple stories I couldn't get into. The language was just difficult to connect with. I felt compelled to skip these stories, but read through them anyway. This isn't a book I could see myself rereading (with the exception of a few stories). But, if anthologies that are dark are something you enjoy, give it a shot.
It's also worth looking more into all of the authors included in this book.
I really enjoyed this book. The stories were all so unique and engaging. There were twists on classics and many fully new tales. Some stories were upsetting and made me really uncomfortable, in the best way possible. This dark collection all tied together by a common theme. My absolute favorite was The Honey Witch. It was beautiful and haunting. If you pick up this book and only have time for one read this is the one I would recommend.
There were unfortunately a couple stories I couldn't get into. The language was just difficult to connect with. I felt compelled to skip these stories, but read through them anyway. This isn't a book I could see myself rereading (with the exception of a few stories). But, if anthologies that are dark are something you enjoy, give it a shot.
It's also worth looking more into all of the authors included in this book.
catsluvcoffee's review
3.0
I typically love anthologies. I love that different authors have the ability create such diverse stories with just a premise to go on. Sharp & Sugar Tooth should have been one of those loves. A dark horror anthology revolving around food? Sounds like a lot of fun, right? The introduction of the book tells of "...we eat or we die. And that makes food ripe for exploitation and power." (Can't argue with that.) Food then becomes a "tool of empowerment within horror, and consumption is a two-way process". The many stories are set up as a look into the relationship between food and women, and how women are often consumed, with or without their consent, for the benefit of others. After such a thought-provoking introduction, I was excited to read this anthology.
Read more at Cats Luv Coffee
Read more at Cats Luv Coffee
octavia_cade's review
5.0
I am clearly utterly biased, as I'm the one who picked the stories that ended up in this anthology, but I love them all to bits. Consumption is such an interesting theme, especially when it's tied into issues of sex and gender, and the stories in here have all approached the issue of women and food and horror in a variety of creepy, compelling ways. I love that while some of the stories in here depict women as victims, as consumable objects, others subvert that expectation by making women predatory consumers themselves. I love that some of these stories navigate and survive horror by relying on friendship and family and shared experiences and sticking together. I love that so many of them have a bone-deep streak of kindness that turns monstrosity into something generous and wonderful. And I love that they're about choosing to act, and choosing not to act, because so often objects of consumption aren't expected to have a choice.
readswithdogs's review
2.0
I loved the introduction to this book!
I believed I'd find engaging stories about women/ people who are nonbinary or identify as women and their relationships around food and power struggles with their gender identity, but the majority of the stories missed the mark for me. They were too food-focused for me and read like food fetish porn.
I really appreciate a collection put together featuring only female, non-binary, marginalized sex or gender identities though and really hope they continue doing this!
I believed I'd find engaging stories about women/ people who are nonbinary or identify as women and their relationships around food and power struggles with their gender identity, but the majority of the stories missed the mark for me. They were too food-focused for me and read like food fetish porn.
I really appreciate a collection put together featuring only female, non-binary, marginalized sex or gender identities though and really hope they continue doing this!
elna17a9a's review
3.0
Received via NetGalley for review.
The premise for this anthology is interesting, if not revolutionary: women through the lens of food and consumption. The introduction, written by Octavia Cade, brings up some wonderful points about how women are often the consumable in relationships of any type, offering themselves up for the enrichment of others in their lives.
Unfortunately, and as has been stated, the stories that follow don't really live up to the examining and thought-provoking introduction. Only a few of the stories collected has a strong connection to the theme (such as "Candy Girl," the first one, and whichever one features two lovers combining their boy parts into one), and the others didn't really hold my attention. The very last story was the best, so I'm glad it started and ended strong. But, overall, a very uneven collection.
These are listed alphabetically by author, not story order (since I don't remember off the top of my head and this is how the publisher listed them):
“The Doll’s Eye” - ... I literally don't even remember this one. So I guess that means 1 star.
“And When We Die They Will Consume Us” - 5 stars. My favorite! An abandoned crew on a space station finds themselves colonized and changed by some unexplained organism. Delightfully creepy and atmospheric.
“Dear Son” - 2 stars. An idea done better in"A Year Without the Taste of Meat."
“Gimme Sugar” - 2.5 stars. A man going through a breakup finds a bakery that promises to recreate your loved one through baked goods. An interesting premise, but could have delved deeper into the anger felt by those seeking out the bakery once they find themselves confronted with this implacable being.
“The Fool’s Feast” - 2.5 stars. It seems to be a failing of these stories that they're almost good. Almost interesting, almost living up to their potential, but not quite. "The Fool's Feast" has a great ending, but not enough lead-up.
“Candy Girl” - 4 stars. One of the few stories that seems to fit perfectly into the anthology. A woman finds herself turning into chocolate after an ex-boyfriend mispronounces a love spell. A meditation on how women are seen as object to certain men.
“She Makes the Deep Boil” - 4 stars. Doesn't quite fit the theme, but a creepy, atmospheric, and tragic tale of a woman who cooks up an unidentifiable mass from the ocean and unleashes something strange.
“What the Bees Know About Discarded Girlish Organs” - 5 stars. Another of my favorites, and one of the best in the collection, theme-wise. A tale of how fraught modern relationships are, and how women are generally the ones who suffer.
“Strong Meat” - 4 stars. Interesting and thought-provoking, but lacking a little something.
“Soul of Soup Bones” - 2 stars. An alchemist discovers that the key to memory (or something) is cooking (or food, or bones, or something).
“A Year Without the Taste of Meat” - 3 stars. Another almost good one. A woman comes home for a funeral, where in her culture it's customary to eat the dead once they've passed. Would have been better focusing on that aspect, rather than the journey to the funeral.
“The Honey Witch” - 2 stars. Another tale of attempting to reconstruct something after a loss, only to prove the futility of such a quest.
“I Eat” - 4 stars. I believe this is the one about post-apocalyptic survival, and what had to be done to get there. Heart-wrenching, sad, but ultimately hopeful in a twisted way.
“Bristling Skim” - 1 star. A young girl who feels alienated from her Japanese culture buys a can of skim milk that was distributed as rations after WWII. Once she drinks it, she has dreams of being in that time period. But we don't actually get to experience her dreams or what they mean to her, so it's actually kind of pointless.
“Alice Underground” - 4 stars. A good story, but one that doesn't fit into the theme at all. Alice is now a grown-up, and it turns out Wonderland was a truly traumatizing and horrifying experience for her that she nonetheless capitalizes on. But when she accidentally sends a girl down there, she has to return to get her back. I wanted more!
“Red, From the Heartwood” - 2 stars. A tale about love, new relationships, and belonging. The scale of time/immortality plays a big role here, and it feels a little distant.
“The Lily and the Horn” - 3 stars. Another almost good one, which is killing me, all the stories I could have really liked. Women are the stewardesses of poison, and wars are now entirely between men trying to survive the longest through a poisoned meal. Could have done with a little more focus on that, rather than on the lost love angle.
“A Fish Tale” - 2 stars. Doesn't fit the theme and is too obtuse to be interesting.
“A Lie You Give, And Thus I Take” - 2 stars. A kind of breaking-down of fairy tales, where the captive realizes that she's the one in charge.
“Who Watches” - 3 stars. A day-in-the-life of the sole survivor of a lichen-infested zombie apocalypse. A little slow, but not bad.
“Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers” - 3 stars. One I had already read and so skipped over for this review.
“The Carnival Was Eaten, All Except the Clown” - 2 stars. Could have been a wonderful existential horror story, but didn't live up to the potential.
The premise for this anthology is interesting, if not revolutionary: women through the lens of food and consumption. The introduction, written by Octavia Cade, brings up some wonderful points about how women are often the consumable in relationships of any type, offering themselves up for the enrichment of others in their lives.
Unfortunately, and as has been stated, the stories that follow don't really live up to the examining and thought-provoking introduction. Only a few of the stories collected has a strong connection to the theme (such as "Candy Girl," the first one, and whichever one features two lovers combining their boy parts into one), and the others didn't really hold my attention. The very last story was the best, so I'm glad it started and ended strong. But, overall, a very uneven collection.
These are listed alphabetically by author, not story order (since I don't remember off the top of my head and this is how the publisher listed them):
“The Doll’s Eye” - ... I literally don't even remember this one. So I guess that means 1 star.
“And When We Die They Will Consume Us” - 5 stars. My favorite! An abandoned crew on a space station finds themselves colonized and changed by some unexplained organism. Delightfully creepy and atmospheric.
“Dear Son” - 2 stars. An idea done better in"A Year Without the Taste of Meat."
“Gimme Sugar” - 2.5 stars. A man going through a breakup finds a bakery that promises to recreate your loved one through baked goods. An interesting premise, but could have delved deeper into the anger felt by those seeking out the bakery once they find themselves confronted with this implacable being.
“The Fool’s Feast” - 2.5 stars. It seems to be a failing of these stories that they're almost good. Almost interesting, almost living up to their potential, but not quite. "The Fool's Feast" has a great ending, but not enough lead-up.
“Candy Girl” - 4 stars. One of the few stories that seems to fit perfectly into the anthology. A woman finds herself turning into chocolate after an ex-boyfriend mispronounces a love spell. A meditation on how women are seen as object to certain men.
“She Makes the Deep Boil” - 4 stars. Doesn't quite fit the theme, but a creepy, atmospheric, and tragic tale of a woman who cooks up an unidentifiable mass from the ocean and unleashes something strange.
“What the Bees Know About Discarded Girlish Organs” - 5 stars. Another of my favorites, and one of the best in the collection, theme-wise. A tale of how fraught modern relationships are, and how women are generally the ones who suffer.
“Strong Meat” - 4 stars. Interesting and thought-provoking, but lacking a little something.
“Soul of Soup Bones” - 2 stars. An alchemist discovers that the key to memory (or something) is cooking (or food, or bones, or something).
“A Year Without the Taste of Meat” - 3 stars. Another almost good one. A woman comes home for a funeral, where in her culture it's customary to eat the dead once they've passed. Would have been better focusing on that aspect, rather than the journey to the funeral.
“The Honey Witch” - 2 stars. Another tale of attempting to reconstruct something after a loss, only to prove the futility of such a quest.
“I Eat” - 4 stars. I believe this is the one about post-apocalyptic survival, and what had to be done to get there. Heart-wrenching, sad, but ultimately hopeful in a twisted way.
“Bristling Skim” - 1 star. A young girl who feels alienated from her Japanese culture buys a can of skim milk that was distributed as rations after WWII. Once she drinks it, she has dreams of being in that time period. But we don't actually get to experience her dreams or what they mean to her, so it's actually kind of pointless.
“Alice Underground” - 4 stars. A good story, but one that doesn't fit into the theme at all. Alice is now a grown-up, and it turns out Wonderland was a truly traumatizing and horrifying experience for her that she nonetheless capitalizes on. But when she accidentally sends a girl down there, she has to return to get her back. I wanted more!
“Red, From the Heartwood” - 2 stars. A tale about love, new relationships, and belonging. The scale of time/immortality plays a big role here, and it feels a little distant.
“The Lily and the Horn” - 3 stars. Another almost good one, which is killing me, all the stories I could have really liked. Women are the stewardesses of poison, and wars are now entirely between men trying to survive the longest through a poisoned meal. Could have done with a little more focus on that, rather than on the lost love angle.
“A Fish Tale” - 2 stars. Doesn't fit the theme and is too obtuse to be interesting.
“A Lie You Give, And Thus I Take” - 2 stars. A kind of breaking-down of fairy tales, where the captive realizes that she's the one in charge.
“Who Watches” - 3 stars. A day-in-the-life of the sole survivor of a lichen-infested zombie apocalypse. A little slow, but not bad.
“Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers” - 3 stars. One I had already read and so skipped over for this review.
“The Carnival Was Eaten, All Except the Clown” - 2 stars. Could have been a wonderful existential horror story, but didn't live up to the potential.
isobelsnotesss's review
2.0
Advanced reading copy supplied from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.
I have no clue how a collection of short stories was this hard to get through, but I really struggled with this one. The introduction set things up for a lot of introspective, critical commentary on how food can be used as a metaphor for how women are treated in society. I really liked everything discussed in that introduction and I thought it drew some interesting comparisons I wouldn't have otherwise considered.
The stories however.... I think there were perhaps three that I actually enjoyed. The majority of them didn't reflect the purposeful nature of the introduction, didn't really have room to interpret much. They were just kind of there. While a few of the stories were good, the general writing quality for the majority was quite poor and all in all the whole thing felt like a waste of time.
I have no clue how a collection of short stories was this hard to get through, but I really struggled with this one. The introduction set things up for a lot of introspective, critical commentary on how food can be used as a metaphor for how women are treated in society. I really liked everything discussed in that introduction and I thought it drew some interesting comparisons I wouldn't have otherwise considered.
The stories however.... I think there were perhaps three that I actually enjoyed. The majority of them didn't reflect the purposeful nature of the introduction, didn't really have room to interpret much. They were just kind of there. While a few of the stories were good, the general writing quality for the majority was quite poor and all in all the whole thing felt like a waste of time.
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