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A review by paperbackd
Three Sides of a Heart: Stories about Love Triangles by Natalie C. Parker
4.0
The love triangle. it’s possibly caused more fandom drama, broken friendships and teenage heartache than any other trope in existence. I remember spending hours typing out lengthy essays passionately supporting my ‘Team’ back in 2008 when love triangle fandoms were all the rage. The internet seemed to collectively breathe a sigh of relief when the tide turned and love triangles dwindled out of popularity. When I first heard about Three Sides of a Heart, I was skeptical - why would anyone want to read an anthology centred around one of the most universally hated tropes?
Turns out, when done well, love triangles can be pretty fantastic. Reading Three Sides of a Heart, I quickly forgot all the reasons why people dislike triangles. What I liked most about this collection was that it showed off just how versatile the love triangle trope can be - some stories were romances, some were about dealing with unrequited love, some were about learning to love yourself, and one or two were even about navigating polyamorous relationships. Some were set in space, some in the past, some in our world, some in a fantasy world. Many were queer love stories. No one author used the love triangle in the same way, and each brought something new to the trope.
Like all anthologies, some stories in this collection shine a little brighter than the others; in particular I loved Katie Cotugno, Justina Ireland, Rae Carson and E.K. Johnston’s contributions. This collection has put a lot of authors on my radar, but I’m especially looking forward to reading more from these four.
Many thanks to HarperTeen for providing a copy of Three Sides of a Heart. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Publisher: HarperTeen
Rating: 4 stars | ★★★★✰
Review cross-posted to Paperback'd Reviews
Turns out, when done well, love triangles can be pretty fantastic. Reading Three Sides of a Heart, I quickly forgot all the reasons why people dislike triangles. What I liked most about this collection was that it showed off just how versatile the love triangle trope can be - some stories were romances, some were about dealing with unrequited love, some were about learning to love yourself, and one or two were even about navigating polyamorous relationships. Some were set in space, some in the past, some in our world, some in a fantasy world. Many were queer love stories. No one author used the love triangle in the same way, and each brought something new to the trope.
Like all anthologies, some stories in this collection shine a little brighter than the others; in particular I loved Katie Cotugno, Justina Ireland, Rae Carson and E.K. Johnston’s contributions. This collection has put a lot of authors on my radar, but I’m especially looking forward to reading more from these four.
Many thanks to HarperTeen for providing a copy of Three Sides of a Heart. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Publisher: HarperTeen
Rating: 4 stars | ★★★★✰
Review cross-posted to Paperback'd Reviews