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A review by jamgrl
Love in Colour: Mythical Tales from Around the World, Retold by Bolu Babalola
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
I have to admit I was bit underwhelmed by this collection. I would have loved more information about the myths the stories were based on, more of an exploration of different stages or types of love, and more development in each story. I know they are meant to be short, but I felt like the stories kept ending right when I was getting invested! For a lot of them, I felt like I would have enjoyed them more if there was more interaction between the love interests/dialogue, more back story/world building, and a greater feeling of time/relationship building between love interests.
That being said, there is a lot going on in this collection. It was really cool to see mostly stories based on non-western mythology and with mostly black protagonists. Each story had the start of something pretty interesting, and though I didn’t feel all the stories were fully realized, they span a huge variety of settings with a lot of potential and got me wanting to explore what a longer story from Bolu Babalola is like. She published a romance novel two years after this anthology, Honey & Spice, so I will have to check that out!
That being said, there is a lot going on in this collection. It was really cool to see mostly stories based on non-western mythology and with mostly black protagonists. Each story had the start of something pretty interesting, and though I didn’t feel all the stories were fully realized, they span a huge variety of settings with a lot of potential and got me wanting to explore what a longer story from Bolu Babalola is like. She published a romance novel two years after this anthology, Honey & Spice, so I will have to check that out!