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A review by egbella
Aliferous: A Collection of Fairy Tales, Adventure, Romance & Whimsy by Alissa J. Zavalianos
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
5.0
5 stars!
I was thrilled to receive an ARC copy of this beautiful collection, and I can't say enough good things about it. This is the first collection of short stories and poetry that I've read in years so I was a little worried that I might not enjoy it, just because of the change in style from my usual reads. But that wasn't the case at all, and I'm definitely going to be snagging a paperback copy of this book for rereads!
This collection is comprised of four sections, as the title shares: Fairy tales, Adventure, Romance, & Whimsy/Poetry. Because of how it's broken up, I'm going to review this a little differently than I typically do, but I can honestly say I enjoyed every section in the book. Each one held strong stories, inspiring lessons, and charming prose, and I would feel comfortable loaning this to absolutely anyone, thanks to it being 100% clean.
In the Fairy Tales section, my absolute FAVORITE story was Coal of Smith-Harrow. By the end, it nearly made me cry with the touching reminders of worth and belonging that I - and I'm sure many others - can relate to. It was such a fun spin on the Cinderella story, but delivered in a charming new setting, with likable and mysterious new characters, and again, precious and inspiring themes. The romance was sweet and completely clean. I would gladly read an entire series around those characters. I'll continue with the rest of the review now, but I had to gush about that story first <33
As for the other stories in that section, each one held its own special lesson, theme, and meaning. Anna Belle and the Seed was immediately intriguing, and contained some thought-provoking questions amidst the cute and silly storytelling. Crescent was cute, imaginative, and whimsical, and left me wanting more. And The Legend of the Lighthouse Keeper hooked me from the start with its poetic and mythical style of storytelling.
My favorite story in the Adventure section of the book would probably have to be The Tale of Markhus Roder. While short, there are so many deep questions and themes packed inside, and they're delivered with lots of heart. I love Robin Hood themed stories anyway, and this one is one of my favorites now. I called one of the twists, but loved it all the same, and I admire how the author explored the nuances of both good and bad in people.
Enjoy this gorgeous line from that story <33
<i> "Sunshine and talons. Joy and grief. Perhaps life was a mixture of the two." </i>
As for the many other stories in the Adventure section, I again enjoyed each and every one of them. Stories in the Dark got my attention right away because, well, pirates AND Irish influences? What's not to love? Especially with a healthy dose of adorable children and vivid imagination. Storm-Crow was fast-paced with great foreshadowing, a clear and interesting setting, and a puzzling predicament for the protagonist. I also love the moral that the author included at the end.
Like Stars in the Sky started with an intriguing conflict, and ended with some truly touching character change, with fun connections, creative names, and sad backstories in between. I enjoyed the twist on Peter Pan, and how unique the elements that the author added were. This is another story I'd absolutely read an entire series about (hint hint). And lastly, Captain Maverick of Tarkin left me contemplating my life, but in a good way. The steampunk setting was fun and new to me, and the worldbuilding and backstories were both heartbreaking and well-written. I liked that, while not perfect for the characters, the ending still contained hope.
When I reached the Romance section, I was more hesitant. I love fairy tales and adventure, but I tend to be more picky with my fictional romances. If that's you too, I'm happy to say that I enjoyed all of the romances that the author included in this section. They were clean, sweet, engaging, and reminded me of my husband, which is always a good thing, haha. <3
My favorite story in the Romance section would be The Swan and the Masquerade. I could relate to the protagonist form the start, and between the well-timed jumps in time (flashbacks to present), and the adorable end couple, I finished the story smiling. I disliked a couple of the characters that I was definitely supposed to dislike, but otherwise it was an all-around adorable story with good themes. The setting was also very fun, because who doesn't like period masquerade balls?
The other two stories in that section were also cute. Second Chance Robin was a fun little glimpse into a story (that felt like it could easily be developed into a longer series) with an amusing ending, and fun, mostly likable characters. Parched Sands made my heart hurt for the main character and his family, but it ended with a much needed glimmer of hope. The worldbuilding for that story and the sad flashbacks kept me invested, and I would (again, this is a recurring theme) read an entire book about that storyworld.
And finally, for the Whimsey/Poetry section. Though I've written poetry and read a bunch of old poems, it's been a long time since I read a significant amount of others' poetry. I didn't realize how much I missed it! The poems in this section were so sweet and beautiful. I'm not going to go through them individually because there were quite a few and I have the same comments on nearly all of them: they're hopeful, cute, full of good reminders, inspirational, and TRUE. Some of the poems were lighthearted and made me smile, others made me tear up, and still others just left me feeling motivated to be a better person - which is something I admire in writing. The author has a beautiful style of poetry.
So all of that to say, I highly recommend this collection. What expectations I had were blown away and I know this is going to be a comfort read when I'm looking for some fun, quick, and hopeful stories, and/or when I want to gift someone a book and be sure they'll enjoy it. If you're on the fence, go ahead and give it a try! I can guarantee you'll find at least one story you love (if not more).
Themes: True love, family, hope, light overcoming darkness, friendship, forgiveness, humility, grace, strength in hard situations, trust, acceptance, and true beauty.
Content warning: G-rated. Rare use of d*rn and h*ck, and one use of h*ll (to describe a situation). Non-described kisses. Mention of a drunk and of a character that smokes. Fairy tale magic. Loss, grief, fighting, and mentions of characters dying in the past. In my opinion, everything was tactfully covered, and I would feel comfortable with my young siblings reading the material.
**I received a free copy of this book from the author. I was not required to leave a review and all thoughts are my own.**
I was thrilled to receive an ARC copy of this beautiful collection, and I can't say enough good things about it. This is the first collection of short stories and poetry that I've read in years so I was a little worried that I might not enjoy it, just because of the change in style from my usual reads. But that wasn't the case at all, and I'm definitely going to be snagging a paperback copy of this book for rereads!
This collection is comprised of four sections, as the title shares: Fairy tales, Adventure, Romance, & Whimsy/Poetry. Because of how it's broken up, I'm going to review this a little differently than I typically do, but I can honestly say I enjoyed every section in the book. Each one held strong stories, inspiring lessons, and charming prose, and I would feel comfortable loaning this to absolutely anyone, thanks to it being 100% clean.
In the Fairy Tales section, my absolute FAVORITE story was Coal of Smith-Harrow. By the end, it nearly made me cry with the touching reminders of worth and belonging that I - and I'm sure many others - can relate to. It was such a fun spin on the Cinderella story, but delivered in a charming new setting, with likable and mysterious new characters, and again, precious and inspiring themes. The romance was sweet and completely clean. I would gladly read an entire series around those characters. I'll continue with the rest of the review now, but I had to gush about that story first <33
As for the other stories in that section, each one held its own special lesson, theme, and meaning. Anna Belle and the Seed was immediately intriguing, and contained some thought-provoking questions amidst the cute and silly storytelling. Crescent was cute, imaginative, and whimsical, and left me wanting more. And The Legend of the Lighthouse Keeper hooked me from the start with its poetic and mythical style of storytelling.
My favorite story in the Adventure section of the book would probably have to be The Tale of Markhus Roder. While short, there are so many deep questions and themes packed inside, and they're delivered with lots of heart. I love Robin Hood themed stories anyway, and this one is one of my favorites now. I called one of the twists, but loved it all the same, and I admire how the author explored the nuances of both good and bad in people.
Enjoy this gorgeous line from that story <33
<i> "Sunshine and talons. Joy and grief. Perhaps life was a mixture of the two." </i>
As for the many other stories in the Adventure section, I again enjoyed each and every one of them. Stories in the Dark got my attention right away because, well, pirates AND Irish influences? What's not to love? Especially with a healthy dose of adorable children and vivid imagination. Storm-Crow was fast-paced with great foreshadowing, a clear and interesting setting, and a puzzling predicament for the protagonist. I also love the moral that the author included at the end.
Like Stars in the Sky started with an intriguing conflict, and ended with some truly touching character change, with fun connections, creative names, and sad backstories in between. I enjoyed the twist on Peter Pan, and how unique the elements that the author added were. This is another story I'd absolutely read an entire series about (hint hint). And lastly, Captain Maverick of Tarkin left me contemplating my life, but in a good way. The steampunk setting was fun and new to me, and the worldbuilding and backstories were both heartbreaking and well-written. I liked that, while not perfect for the characters, the ending still contained hope.
When I reached the Romance section, I was more hesitant. I love fairy tales and adventure, but I tend to be more picky with my fictional romances. If that's you too, I'm happy to say that I enjoyed all of the romances that the author included in this section. They were clean, sweet, engaging, and reminded me of my husband, which is always a good thing, haha. <3
My favorite story in the Romance section would be The Swan and the Masquerade. I could relate to the protagonist form the start, and between the well-timed jumps in time (flashbacks to present), and the adorable end couple, I finished the story smiling. I disliked a couple of the characters that I was definitely supposed to dislike, but otherwise it was an all-around adorable story with good themes. The setting was also very fun, because who doesn't like period masquerade balls?
The other two stories in that section were also cute. Second Chance Robin was a fun little glimpse into a story (that felt like it could easily be developed into a longer series) with an amusing ending, and fun, mostly likable characters. Parched Sands made my heart hurt for the main character and his family, but it ended with a much needed glimmer of hope. The worldbuilding for that story and the sad flashbacks kept me invested, and I would (again, this is a recurring theme) read an entire book about that storyworld.
And finally, for the Whimsey/Poetry section. Though I've written poetry and read a bunch of old poems, it's been a long time since I read a significant amount of others' poetry. I didn't realize how much I missed it! The poems in this section were so sweet and beautiful. I'm not going to go through them individually because there were quite a few and I have the same comments on nearly all of them: they're hopeful, cute, full of good reminders, inspirational, and TRUE. Some of the poems were lighthearted and made me smile, others made me tear up, and still others just left me feeling motivated to be a better person - which is something I admire in writing. The author has a beautiful style of poetry.
So all of that to say, I highly recommend this collection. What expectations I had were blown away and I know this is going to be a comfort read when I'm looking for some fun, quick, and hopeful stories, and/or when I want to gift someone a book and be sure they'll enjoy it. If you're on the fence, go ahead and give it a try! I can guarantee you'll find at least one story you love (if not more).
Themes: True love, family, hope, light overcoming darkness, friendship, forgiveness, humility, grace, strength in hard situations, trust, acceptance, and true beauty.
Content warning: G-rated. Rare use of d*rn and h*ck, and one use of h*ll (to describe a situation). Non-described kisses. Mention of a drunk and of a character that smokes. Fairy tale magic. Loss, grief, fighting, and mentions of characters dying in the past. In my opinion, everything was tactfully covered, and I would feel comfortable with my young siblings reading the material.
**I received a free copy of this book from the author. I was not required to leave a review and all thoughts are my own.**