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A review by izzatiidrus
Hungry Hearts: 13 Tales of Food & Love by Elsie Chapman
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
As usual, a compilation of short stories, particularly written by different authors, is a mixed bag of good and not-so-good stories. This one is truly a mixed bag because I've rated most of them either 1 - 2 stars or 5 stars.
My 5 star reads are:
Rain by Sangu Mandanna
The Slender One by Caroline Tung Richmond ❤️
The Missing Ingredient by Rebecca Roanhorse
Bloom by Phoebe North ❤️
A Bountiful Film by S.K. Ali ❤️
With the ones marked ❤️ being my top 3 favourites.
Overall, I love the idea of the stories being interconnected and that they take place in a place called Hungry Hearts Row where all sorts of cuisines from almost every culture are available. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of stories talking about grief and a few that took me to the fantasy realm. Not to mention the ones that dared to go where you wouldn't think short stories would go to.
That being said though, despite featuring many cultures, I feel like the stories still mostly highlighted Chinese cuisine and pork-based food. It's lacking European, African and Middle Eastern food. I also did not expect for there to be too much romance, which I should have expected considering the title of the book.
Still, I'd recommend this book for food lovers who enjoy reading YA stories that feature different cultures.
My 5 star reads are:
Rain by Sangu Mandanna
The Slender One by Caroline Tung Richmond ❤️
The Missing Ingredient by Rebecca Roanhorse
Bloom by Phoebe North ❤️
A Bountiful Film by S.K. Ali ❤️
With the ones marked ❤️ being my top 3 favourites.
Overall, I love the idea of the stories being interconnected and that they take place in a place called Hungry Hearts Row where all sorts of cuisines from almost every culture are available. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of stories talking about grief and a few that took me to the fantasy realm. Not to mention the ones that dared to go where you wouldn't think short stories would go to.
That being said though, despite featuring many cultures, I feel like the stories still mostly highlighted Chinese cuisine and pork-based food. It's lacking European, African and Middle Eastern food. I also did not expect for there to be too much romance, which I should have expected considering the title of the book.
Still, I'd recommend this book for food lovers who enjoy reading YA stories that feature different cultures.