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A review by maraieth
All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens throughout the Ages by Saundra Mitchell
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Overall score taken as an average of the individual stories. As a whole I quite enjoyed this, although I an no longer quite the target audience, I think I would have loved this even more if I'd had it 10-15 years ago when I was starting to come out and understand my own identity.
Roja - 3.5
Thought this was interesting with potential to be great as a longer story. The short form didn't help this one for me
The Sweet Trade - 3
A cute enough story, but I would have liked to see some actual lesbian pirate adventures
And they don't kiss at the end - 3.5
Great to see some ace rep, and a lot of it definitely resonated with my experience, just the setting wasn't so much to my taste
Burnt Umber - 2.5
Not sure why, but this one didn't really interest me as much, although it did have some humour
The dresser and the chambermaid - 4
This just made me smile, I liked it more than I thought I was going to
New Year - 3
Had some potential, but ultimately didn't really seem to go anywhere
Molly's lips - 3.5
Thought this was quite sweet
The Coven - 2
Don't know what it was about this that didn't work for me, but definitely not as good as the rest so far
Every shade of red - 5
I need a full novel of this version of Robin Hood immediately! I need to know what happens next and just full details of this world. Just amazed how much a short story could capture. Very engaging and absolutely the stand out of this collection so far.
Willows - 3
Found this one hard to get into and sometimes confusing, but I liked how it ended
The girl with the blue lantern - 4.5
Loved this, how the romance developed and always a fan of fae vibes
The secret life of a teenage boy - 2
Not so keen on the age difference, when the younger is a minor & still at school - not so much that the younger boy is interested (it happens, particularly at that sort of age) but the fact that the older boy, who is at a completely different state of life, is absolutely willing to take this kid with him is a bit iffy to me.
Walking after midnight - 4
A really sweet story, I would definitely read more about them
The end of the world as we know it - 3
Sweet enough, but pretty forgettable.
Three Witches - 3.5
There was a lot I liked about this, but it left me a little confused (particularly part 3) - I feel like if they had stuck to the first 2 parts and maybe expanded them slightly it might have been a better story.
The inferno and the butterfly - 4
While there was a romance, I liked how there was a lot more to it than that, and how I think both came to realise their own value not just as what they can provide their masters by the end.
Healing Rosa - 4.5
I really like the atmosphere and the use of magic here. It was sweet and I really enjoyed it. Definitely ended the anthology on a high.
Roja - 3.5
Thought this was interesting with potential to be great as a longer story. The short form didn't help this one for me
The Sweet Trade - 3
A cute enough story, but I would have liked to see some actual lesbian pirate adventures
And they don't kiss at the end - 3.5
Great to see some ace rep, and a lot of it definitely resonated with my experience, just the setting wasn't so much to my taste
Burnt Umber - 2.5
Not sure why, but this one didn't really interest me as much, although it did have some humour
The dresser and the chambermaid - 4
This just made me smile, I liked it more than I thought I was going to
New Year - 3
Had some potential, but ultimately didn't really seem to go anywhere
Molly's lips - 3.5
Thought this was quite sweet
The Coven - 2
Don't know what it was about this that didn't work for me, but definitely not as good as the rest so far
Every shade of red - 5
I need a full novel of this version of Robin Hood immediately! I need to know what happens next and just full details of this world. Just amazed how much a short story could capture. Very engaging and absolutely the stand out of this collection so far.
Willows - 3
Found this one hard to get into and sometimes confusing, but I liked how it ended
The girl with the blue lantern - 4.5
Loved this, how the romance developed and always a fan of fae vibes
The secret life of a teenage boy - 2
Not so keen on the age difference, when the younger is a minor & still at school - not so much that the younger boy is interested (it happens, particularly at that sort of age) but the fact that the older boy, who is at a completely different state of life, is absolutely willing to take this kid with him is a bit iffy to me.
Walking after midnight - 4
A really sweet story, I would definitely read more about them
The end of the world as we know it - 3
Sweet enough, but pretty forgettable.
Three Witches - 3.5
There was a lot I liked about this, but it left me a little confused (particularly part 3) - I feel like if they had stuck to the first 2 parts and maybe expanded them slightly it might have been a better story.
The inferno and the butterfly - 4
While there was a romance, I liked how there was a lot more to it than that, and how I think both came to realise their own value not just as what they can provide their masters by the end.
Healing Rosa - 4.5
I really like the atmosphere and the use of magic here. It was sweet and I really enjoyed it. Definitely ended the anthology on a high.