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A review by crlyhairedbibliophile
Love in Color: Mythical Tales from Around the World, Retold by Bolu Babalola
5.0
*Thanks to William Morrow and Hear Our Voices Book Tours for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes included may change in final publication.*
"Time was constructed with love in mind. It is why the moments before a desired kiss stretch, why when your lips are finally introduced with another pair, it feels as if they have wanted to meet for some time, and why a day with your loved one can feel like an eternity on turbo-speed." ~ from Alagomeji
I've always been drawn to retellings. There's something about seeing how someone can breathe new life into something known or familiar, made more intriguing if I can place myself within pages of a place I couldn't imagine taking up space in previously, so I tend to pay extra attention anytime a retelling or alternate history crosses my radar. I'm more of a sci-fi and fantasy reader, but I knew I had to read this from the moment I saw the beautiful cover and read the premise for a few of the reworked tales. Short story collections also grant the opportunity to get more pieces of work in one place so I was even more excited to jump in.
One of the first things I noticed and loved immediately was the centering of the female characters. So many of these older tales, both in and outside of this collection, either have them playing a backseat role, completely dependent on others for a sense of worth, or not even deemed important enough for a name that it was really refreshing to see them take top billing and have their own agency. With powerful goddesses and warriors, business women, and even those still finding their footing in the world, there was such a wide variety of characters to get behind and I was happy to not only see myself in them, but that they also had sweet and hopeful endings.
Another aspect of this collection that grabbed my attention was the writing. Whether it was the description of a character, their surroundings or an inner or outer emotion, the detail that went into it was lyrically beautiful. I could picture everything right off of the page, which made it that much more engaging and easy to get lost in the stories themselves. This carried over well into the plots of the stories, each with its own set of rules in terms of formatting and the way they were reworked into something new. I loved the different twists on the old tales, especially seeing Nefertiti in such a powerful position and reimagining Psyche and Eros in a Devil Wears Prada environment. These elements are what draw me to the idea of retellings, and I was glad to see it done so well here.
All in all, this was a great collection and I had fun diving into each of the tales. The characters stuck with me well after I'd got to the last line of their stories, and I would gladly be in for extended versions as I loved following them in the short time I got to spend in their worlds.
HIGHLIGHTS: Ọṣun, Scheherazade, Nefertiti, Attem, Siya, Psyche, Naleli, Thisbe, Orin & Alagomeji
"Time was constructed with love in mind. It is why the moments before a desired kiss stretch, why when your lips are finally introduced with another pair, it feels as if they have wanted to meet for some time, and why a day with your loved one can feel like an eternity on turbo-speed." ~ from Alagomeji
I've always been drawn to retellings. There's something about seeing how someone can breathe new life into something known or familiar, made more intriguing if I can place myself within pages of a place I couldn't imagine taking up space in previously, so I tend to pay extra attention anytime a retelling or alternate history crosses my radar. I'm more of a sci-fi and fantasy reader, but I knew I had to read this from the moment I saw the beautiful cover and read the premise for a few of the reworked tales. Short story collections also grant the opportunity to get more pieces of work in one place so I was even more excited to jump in.
One of the first things I noticed and loved immediately was the centering of the female characters. So many of these older tales, both in and outside of this collection, either have them playing a backseat role, completely dependent on others for a sense of worth, or not even deemed important enough for a name that it was really refreshing to see them take top billing and have their own agency. With powerful goddesses and warriors, business women, and even those still finding their footing in the world, there was such a wide variety of characters to get behind and I was happy to not only see myself in them, but that they also had sweet and hopeful endings.
Another aspect of this collection that grabbed my attention was the writing. Whether it was the description of a character, their surroundings or an inner or outer emotion, the detail that went into it was lyrically beautiful. I could picture everything right off of the page, which made it that much more engaging and easy to get lost in the stories themselves. This carried over well into the plots of the stories, each with its own set of rules in terms of formatting and the way they were reworked into something new. I loved the different twists on the old tales, especially seeing Nefertiti in such a powerful position and reimagining Psyche and Eros in a Devil Wears Prada environment. These elements are what draw me to the idea of retellings, and I was glad to see it done so well here.
All in all, this was a great collection and I had fun diving into each of the tales. The characters stuck with me well after I'd got to the last line of their stories, and I would gladly be in for extended versions as I loved following them in the short time I got to spend in their worlds.
HIGHLIGHTS: Ọṣun, Scheherazade, Nefertiti, Attem, Siya, Psyche, Naleli, Thisbe, Orin & Alagomeji