A review by musicalreader25
Reclaim the Stars: 17 Tales Across Realms & Space by Zoraida Córdova

4.0

This bold and mystical short story collection, showcasing voices from the Latinx diaspora through the lens of speculative fiction (á la A Phoenix First Must Burn) made me so thankful for stories and magic. The atmosphere was impeccable. I so appreciated the broad range of voices in this story; there were feminist stories and love stories and tales of standing up for what is right. Not only was it diverse in voices, but it was sprawling in scope, touching on magical realms and unique ideas while also interweaving issues from everyday teenage life. It was such a unique collection, and with many of the stories, I found myself spellbound, my spirits lifted as I absorbed these much-needed messages and enchanting backdrops. A few stand-outs for me were Leyenda by Romina Garber—a true picture of strong females in YA that we need so much more of—Color-Coded by Maya Motayne—a wholesome story about the transition between child and adolescent, with a very creative quirk—and Tame the Wicked Night by Zoraida Cordova—a riveting story that gave gender-flipped Beauty and the Beast vibes. As for every anthology, there were a few stories that I enjoyed less, but overall I was so happy with the execution of this wonderful idea. We can never have enough of these stories and voices in YA, and I so appreciate the people who promote them. (Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced review copy.)