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A review by poisonenvy
Songs of Love and Death: All-Original Tales of Star-Crossed Love by Gardner Dozois, George R.R. Martin
adventurous
3.25
Last year, I read a short story nearly every day of the year. This year, I have the same goal, but my year got off to a rough start so it hasn't quite turned out that way, which is why this anthology took so much longer to read than it should have.
My rating is taken from an average of all the short stories I read. I skipped three of them because they're a part of series that are on my TBR, and I'll read them once I get to that point in their respective series.
Overall, I did... not enjoy a lot of the stories in this anthology? I picked it up initially for Robin Hobb's "Blue Boots" which did not disappoint, but I was lukewarm on most of the rest of them. Anyway, on to my individual reviews:
The Marrying Maid by Jo Beverly 2*
Frankly, I did not love this story. The whole forceful, cajoling nature of the relationship didn't set right with me, and I felt like the leads had no chemistry.
Rooftops by Carrie Vaughn 4*
One of my favourites in the anthology. That might just be because I'm an absolute sucker for superhero stories though. The slow build of the relationship and the slow reveal of her relationship with her boyfriend were both very satisfying.
Hurt Me by M.L.N. Hanover 3.5*
I actually don't know how I feel about this one, and it's been too long since I initially read it to properly deconstruct whatever feelings I had.
Demon Lover by Cecelia Holland 2*
Yet another story that I didn't care for with a romance that makes me cringe. Nothing like "You can't do better than me, I'm the only one who wants you" to really set the tone of a relationship.
The Wayfarer's Advice by Melinda M. Soodgrass 3.5*
This story was not for me, I can admit that much. I actually liked it a fair amount despite that, and I both like and loathed the ending.
Blue Boots by Robin Hobb 5*
Am I biased because Hobb is my favourite author, RotE my favourite series, and this story the reason I picked up this anthology? Maybe. But even without all that, this was an extremely well-written story that I loved a lot, and probably would've been my favourite of the anthology even without all my implicit biases.
The Thing About Cassandra by Neil Gaiman 3*
I just don't care much for Gaiman's writing style, ever, even if I normally like his plots. Though, I didn't especially care for this one's plot, and the ending seemed forced.
After the Blood by Marjorie M. Liu 2.5*
This story was extraordinarily difficult for me to get into, and even once I started, it struggled to hold my attention.
His Wolf by Lisa Tuttle 3*
I almost loved this story. It had a strong start and I was riveted. But the second half of the story has major pacing issues. It would have been better served as a novella (or even a full-length novel) than as a short story.
Courting Trouble by Linnea Sinclair 3.5*
I'm not much of a sci fi fan, and so I didn't love this one as much as others might have. It's another case of this story is just not for me. But it was punchy and fun and action packed, and I still enjoyed my time with it.
The Demon Dancer by Mary Jo Putney 2*
I didn't enjoy the prose. I didn't much love the story.
Under/Above The Water by Tanith Lee 4*
The prose was lovely and the story was unique and interesting, but perhaps overly complicated. I think it will benefit from a second read, but I was pretty lost at times. Still, this was one of the better stories in this collection.
Kaskia by Peter S. Beagle 3*
The prose was good, the pacing was good and consistent, and I probably would have loved it if I enjoyed this type of story. Alas.
Man in the Mirror by Yasmine Galeriorn 4*
This Ii actually enjoyed. The prose and the pacing were both alright, though I would've liked to see more of Galen's changing feelings. I was left with questions, but short stories don't always answer all your questions, and I was pretty satisfied regardless.
My rating is taken from an average of all the short stories I read. I skipped three of them because they're a part of series that are on my TBR, and I'll read them once I get to that point in their respective series.
Overall, I did... not enjoy a lot of the stories in this anthology? I picked it up initially for Robin Hobb's "Blue Boots" which did not disappoint, but I was lukewarm on most of the rest of them. Anyway, on to my individual reviews:
The Marrying Maid by Jo Beverly 2*
Frankly, I did not love this story. The whole forceful, cajoling nature of the relationship didn't set right with me, and I felt like the leads had no chemistry.
Rooftops by Carrie Vaughn 4*
One of my favourites in the anthology. That might just be because I'm an absolute sucker for superhero stories though. The slow build of the relationship and the slow reveal of her relationship with her boyfriend were both very satisfying.
Hurt Me by M.L.N. Hanover 3.5*
I actually don't know how I feel about this one, and it's been too long since I initially read it to properly deconstruct whatever feelings I had.
Demon Lover by Cecelia Holland 2*
Yet another story that I didn't care for with a romance that makes me cringe. Nothing like "You can't do better than me, I'm the only one who wants you" to really set the tone of a relationship.
The Wayfarer's Advice by Melinda M. Soodgrass 3.5*
This story was not for me, I can admit that much. I actually liked it a fair amount despite that, and I both like and loathed the ending.
Blue Boots by Robin Hobb 5*
Am I biased because Hobb is my favourite author, RotE my favourite series, and this story the reason I picked up this anthology? Maybe. But even without all that, this was an extremely well-written story that I loved a lot, and probably would've been my favourite of the anthology even without all my implicit biases.
The Thing About Cassandra by Neil Gaiman 3*
I just don't care much for Gaiman's writing style, ever, even if I normally like his plots. Though, I didn't especially care for this one's plot, and the ending seemed forced.
After the Blood by Marjorie M. Liu 2.5*
This story was extraordinarily difficult for me to get into, and even once I started, it struggled to hold my attention.
His Wolf by Lisa Tuttle 3*
I almost loved this story. It had a strong start and I was riveted. But the second half of the story has major pacing issues. It would have been better served as a novella (or even a full-length novel) than as a short story.
Courting Trouble by Linnea Sinclair 3.5*
I'm not much of a sci fi fan, and so I didn't love this one as much as others might have. It's another case of this story is just not for me. But it was punchy and fun and action packed, and I still enjoyed my time with it.
The Demon Dancer by Mary Jo Putney 2*
I didn't enjoy the prose. I didn't much love the story.
Under/Above The Water by Tanith Lee 4*
The prose was lovely and the story was unique and interesting, but perhaps overly complicated. I think it will benefit from a second read, but I was pretty lost at times. Still, this was one of the better stories in this collection.
Kaskia by Peter S. Beagle 3*
The prose was good, the pacing was good and consistent, and I probably would have loved it if I enjoyed this type of story. Alas.
Man in the Mirror by Yasmine Galeriorn 4*
This Ii actually enjoyed. The prose and the pacing were both alright, though I would've liked to see more of Galen's changing feelings. I was left with questions, but short stories don't always answer all your questions, and I was pretty satisfied regardless.