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A review by harukoreads
Color Outside the Lines: Stories about Love by Sangu Mandanna
4.0
I was interested in this book as soon as I heard it was about interracial relationships, because not only am I in one myself, but I grew up in a mixed family. Add to that the fact that this collection contains a lot of authors of color I enjoy (Anna-Marie McLemore! L.L. McKinney! Adam Silvera!) and I couldn't wait for this to come out. Overall I think this collection was a fun, light read. Individual reviews below:
Turn the Sky to Petal by Anna-Marie McLemore ★★☆☆☆
McLemore's writing is always so lyrical and poetic, it feels like you're in a dream. Unfortunately, this one felt so dreamlike I had a hard time following the story or the point. Not my favorite of theirs.
Prom by Danielle Paige ★★☆☆☆
This one was so short and unmemorable I had to flip back through my copy of the book to refresh my memory before writing this review - and I read this story just this week. Points for creative narrative choices, but underwhelming.
What We Love by Lauren Gibaldi ★★★☆☆
Very cute and nerdy!
Giving Up the Ghost by Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas ★★★★☆
This was SO FUN. Set in a world where everyone is haunted by their own personal ancestor ghost, the main character is a boy with a famous pirate ghost who really wants to set him up. Very original and funny.
Your Life Matters by L.L. McKinney ★★★★☆
MAN I wish this was full length novel. I actually did a little dance when the superhero reveal happened. I do think the conflict was resolved a little quickly to be believable, but hey, who doesn't like a happy ending.
Starlight and Moondust by Lori M. Lee ★★☆☆☆
I'll be honest, this one felt very slow for me. I had a hard time focusing on it, and considering it's a short story, that's pretty unfortunate. I think Lee's writing might just not be for me.
Five Times Shiva Met Harry by Sangu Mandanna ★★★★☆
I really appreciated the pragmatic, honest message in this story about an Indian girl meeting a White boy: in order for interracial relationships to be authentic and successful, they often need examinations of privilege. Short but satisfying.
The Agony of a Heart’s Wish by Samira Ahmed ★★☆☆☆
I appreciate what this story was trying to do, but I have to say, for a collection meant to celebrate interracial relationships, I don't think this fit the bill.
The Cowards’ Guide to Falling in Love by Caroline Tung Richmond ★★☆☆☆
Similar to the story above, this felt like it didn't quite fit for a collection about interracial romantic relationships.
Death and the Maiden by Tara Sim ★★★★★
Probably my favorite of the collection - a sapphic, interracial retelling of Hades and Persephone! I adored this.
Faithfull by Karuna Riazi ★★☆☆☆
I had a really hard time getting into this one.
Gilman Street by Michelle Ruiz Keil ★★★★☆
I really enjoyed this one! Great discussion of what it means to be biracial, Latinx American, and queer.
“The Boy Is” by Elsie Chapman ★★☆☆☆
I sympathized with the main character but felt that the story was underdeveloped.
Sandwiched in Between by Eric Smith ★★★☆☆
The discussions of transracial adoption, microaggressions, and interracial dating were front and center in this story, which I appreciated, but I felt it lacked some conclusion. The ending felt a bit too much like "it is what it is" as opposed to saying "this is complicated but I'm going to be better".
Yuna and the Wall by Lydia Kang ★★☆☆☆
I gotta say, I'm wary of a lot of "racism as metaphor" stories in fantasy, and this did not do anything to make me feel better about that storytelling mechanism. This story was about prejudice against a poisoner's daughter and a boy marked by a pox. I think it missed the mark for a collection about interracial relationships.
Something Gay and Magical by Adam Silvera ★★★☆☆
Extremely short but pretty cute. Can't find fault with Silvera!
My average rating for this collection is 2.8, but I'm going to round up to 4. Even if some of these stories missed the mark for me, I really enjoyed this collection and recommend it to anyone who likes lighthearted YA romance.
Turn the Sky to Petal by Anna-Marie McLemore ★★☆☆☆
McLemore's writing is always so lyrical and poetic, it feels like you're in a dream. Unfortunately, this one felt so dreamlike I had a hard time following the story or the point. Not my favorite of theirs.
Prom by Danielle Paige ★★☆☆☆
This one was so short and unmemorable I had to flip back through my copy of the book to refresh my memory before writing this review - and I read this story just this week. Points for creative narrative choices, but underwhelming.
What We Love by Lauren Gibaldi ★★★☆☆
Very cute and nerdy!
Giving Up the Ghost by Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas ★★★★☆
This was SO FUN. Set in a world where everyone is haunted by their own personal ancestor ghost, the main character is a boy with a famous pirate ghost who really wants to set him up. Very original and funny.
Your Life Matters by L.L. McKinney ★★★★☆
MAN I wish this was full length novel. I actually did a little dance when the superhero reveal happened. I do think the conflict was resolved a little quickly to be believable, but hey, who doesn't like a happy ending.
Starlight and Moondust by Lori M. Lee ★★☆☆☆
I'll be honest, this one felt very slow for me. I had a hard time focusing on it, and considering it's a short story, that's pretty unfortunate. I think Lee's writing might just not be for me.
Five Times Shiva Met Harry by Sangu Mandanna ★★★★☆
I really appreciated the pragmatic, honest message in this story about an Indian girl meeting a White boy: in order for interracial relationships to be authentic and successful, they often need examinations of privilege. Short but satisfying.
The Agony of a Heart’s Wish by Samira Ahmed ★★☆☆☆
I appreciate what this story was trying to do, but I have to say, for a collection meant to celebrate interracial relationships, I don't think this fit the bill.
The Cowards’ Guide to Falling in Love by Caroline Tung Richmond ★★☆☆☆
Similar to the story above, this felt like it didn't quite fit for a collection about interracial romantic relationships.
Death and the Maiden by Tara Sim ★★★★★
Probably my favorite of the collection - a sapphic, interracial retelling of Hades and Persephone! I adored this.
Faithfull by Karuna Riazi ★★☆☆☆
I had a really hard time getting into this one.
Gilman Street by Michelle Ruiz Keil ★★★★☆
I really enjoyed this one! Great discussion of what it means to be biracial, Latinx American, and queer.
“The Boy Is” by Elsie Chapman ★★☆☆☆
I sympathized with the main character but felt that the story was underdeveloped.
Sandwiched in Between by Eric Smith ★★★☆☆
The discussions of transracial adoption, microaggressions, and interracial dating were front and center in this story, which I appreciated, but I felt it lacked some conclusion. The ending felt a bit too much like "it is what it is" as opposed to saying "this is complicated but I'm going to be better".
Yuna and the Wall by Lydia Kang ★★☆☆☆
I gotta say, I'm wary of a lot of "racism as metaphor" stories in fantasy, and this did not do anything to make me feel better about that storytelling mechanism. This story was about prejudice against a poisoner's daughter and a boy marked by a pox. I think it missed the mark for a collection about interracial relationships.
Something Gay and Magical by Adam Silvera ★★★☆☆
Extremely short but pretty cute. Can't find fault with Silvera!
My average rating for this collection is 2.8, but I'm going to round up to 4. Even if some of these stories missed the mark for me, I really enjoyed this collection and recommend it to anyone who likes lighthearted YA romance.