Scan barcode
A review by thousand_page_dreams
[dis]connected, Volume 2: Poems & Stories of Connection and Otherwise by Wilder, Tyler Knott Gregson, Noah Milligan, Michelle Halket, K.Y. Robinson, Courtney Peppernell, Raquel Franco, N.L. Shompole, Caitlyn Siehl, Alicia Cook, Komal Kapoor
4.0
I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This review was originally published on my blog, Megan Reads.
https://megansreviewingjourney.tumblr.com
One afternoon at school, I played a game with my friends: one person would write a poem and the next person had to add to it. It was fun to see our different styles and interpretations. This anthology is somewhat similar. In [Dis]connected, each of the ten authors write a poem and another author writes a story based on it.
I liked this collection, though I think the latter half of the short stories was superior.
“Wrapped in Distance” by Komal Kapoor is the crown jewel of this anthology. The protagonist is relatable and dynamic.
I like the writing style of the majority of the poems and prose. Most of the protagonists are interesting. There’s a variety of genres here, from fantasy to magical realism to romance. Since part of the fun of anthology is not knowing what comes next, I won’t discuss the plot of any story in particular. But some of the themes include grief, gender roles, and disillusionment.
A few stories resemble first chapters of books. These feel incomplete because there’s no resolution or growth at the end. Interesting concepts and characters are squandered.
The weakest story of the collection is “What the Wild Gave Me” by Wilder. None of the characters are interesting. Despite the short length, this story dragged because of slow pacing and pointless scenes. The protagonist’s realization at the end of the story comes out of the blue, because her motivations are vague.
As a content warning, the story “Make Choices a Bit Crooked” by Noah Milligan contains a lengthy, detailed description of a medical procedure gone wrong.
Despite a few weaker offerings, the rest of the stories are of a high caliber. I recommend this anthology.
This review was originally published on my blog, Megan Reads.
https://megansreviewingjourney.tumblr.com
One afternoon at school, I played a game with my friends: one person would write a poem and the next person had to add to it. It was fun to see our different styles and interpretations. This anthology is somewhat similar. In [Dis]connected, each of the ten authors write a poem and another author writes a story based on it.
I liked this collection, though I think the latter half of the short stories was superior.
“Wrapped in Distance” by Komal Kapoor is the crown jewel of this anthology. The protagonist is relatable and dynamic.
I like the writing style of the majority of the poems and prose. Most of the protagonists are interesting. There’s a variety of genres here, from fantasy to magical realism to romance. Since part of the fun of anthology is not knowing what comes next, I won’t discuss the plot of any story in particular. But some of the themes include grief, gender roles, and disillusionment.
A few stories resemble first chapters of books. These feel incomplete because there’s no resolution or growth at the end. Interesting concepts and characters are squandered.
The weakest story of the collection is “What the Wild Gave Me” by Wilder. None of the characters are interesting. Despite the short length, this story dragged because of slow pacing and pointless scenes. The protagonist’s realization at the end of the story comes out of the blue, because her motivations are vague.
As a content warning, the story “Make Choices a Bit Crooked” by Noah Milligan contains a lengthy, detailed description of a medical procedure gone wrong.
Despite a few weaker offerings, the rest of the stories are of a high caliber. I recommend this anthology.