A review by beccaontheinternet
A Spoonful of Malaysian Magic: An Anthology by Anna Tan

adventurous emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

Overall, this anthology was really beautiful. Readers should know that there are some stories here that are more accessible to a general audience than others, but that's not necessarily a bad thing - it's important for authors to write authentically. Like all anthologies, there were some truly wonderful stories and some I wasn't as enthusiastic about. The ones I loved most were Kampar and the Kings of Kedah by Joshua Lim, The Rivers and Lakes by Collin Yeoh, The Fiery Tale of Embun and the Prince by Julia Alba, and The Dahlia of Hutan Kilat by Hamizah Adzmi. They all had incredibly cool world building and a sense that while they could be longer, they were finished pieces. My favorite was The Fiery Tale of Embun and the Prince by Julia Alba - I thought it was such a cool imaginative story and I'm absolutely going to read more of her work. The largest critique I had of many of the other stories were that they felt like the first chapter of a longer novel - they didn't feel complete or satisfying. That didn't mean they were bad - they just weren't my favorites. Overall, I'm really happy I read this book. It exposed me to a culture I'm not very familiar with and stories that will live in my head for a long time. I can't wait to explore some of these authors in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review