Scan barcode
A review by elna17a9a
Sharp & Sugar Tooth by Catherynne M. Valente, Octavia Cade, Sabrina Vourvoulias, Betsy Aoki, H. Pueyo, Erin Horakova, Anahita Eftekhari, Caroline M. Yoachim, Jasmyne J. Harris, Alyssa Wong, D.A. Xiaolin Spires, Rem Wigmore, Chikodili Emelumadu, Kathleen Alcalá, Penny Stirling, Rachael Sterling, A.R. Henle, Joyce Chng, Katharine Duckett, Crystal Lynn Hilbert, Amelia Gorman, Kathryn McMahon, Damien Angelica Walters
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.