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A review by zquill
The Anatomy of Curiosity by Brenna Yovanoff, Tessa Gratton, Maggie Stiefvater
5.0
I regret how long I left this book to linger on my real life to-be-read shelf. I'm so impressed by how how of the authors worked to create stories that are fascinating and charming in their own write, and then to document their processes so that aspiring writers could see how each story evolved and became what it is.
Yovanoff took the most literal approach to this, and I appreciate how it changes things up from the first two novellas, though it took a few pages to adjust to.
Stiefvater always has a place on my shelves, and I love her take on an arguably more "domestic" situation. Her notes on having characters' arcs mirror and satisfy each others' were inspiring.
But Gratton stole my heart with "Desert Canticle." I was shattered and enriched from the story itself, and then her margin notes breathed an extra dimension into the work, showing clearly but magically how a "simple" idea of magical IEDs grew into an interrogation of cultures and gender (roles) and war and more. She was the author I'd had the least exposure to, and she's going to be the one I pursue most ardently after reading this.
Yovanoff took the most literal approach to this, and I appreciate how it changes things up from the first two novellas, though it took a few pages to adjust to.
Stiefvater always has a place on my shelves, and I love her take on an arguably more "domestic" situation. Her notes on having characters' arcs mirror and satisfy each others' were inspiring.
But Gratton stole my heart with "Desert Canticle." I was shattered and enriched from the story itself, and then her margin notes breathed an extra dimension into the work, showing clearly but magically how a "simple" idea of magical IEDs grew into an interrogation of cultures and gender (roles) and war and more. She was the author I'd had the least exposure to, and she's going to be the one I pursue most ardently after reading this.