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A review by catmeme
And Her Smile Will Untether the Universe by Gwendolyn Kiste
3.0
Solid storytelling, if expected and uncomplicated. Kiste's command of atmosphere is the collection's strongest selling point.
Something Borrowed, Something Blue - Woman gives birth to birds. The similes, so many similes, were overkill.
Ten Things To Know About Ten Questions - Straightforward fable about conformity and nonconformity. You can quiz yourself along with the story. A bit gimmicky, I guess, but the prose draws you in. It's the implicit, lesser thematic iteration of the tower princess story.
The Clawfoot Requiem - Sister's suicide triggers woman's newfound understanding of death. Silly, predictable ending. It should have been shattering; it wasn't.
All the Red Apples Have Withered to Gray - Snow White/Sleeping Beauty remix. I think I've reached my limit for abusive fathers in dark fantasy fiction; possibly why I didn't care for this in proportion to its prose quality.
The Man in the Ambry - Girl's childhood imaginary friend may hold the answer to her adult problems. Cute, insofar as this kind of story can be cute, but tired and intensely predictable. You know how this one ends one page in. I gave it a pass because Kiste subverts tropey cat violence (and I would have stopped reading if she hadn't).
Find Me, Mommy - Mother's grief over losing her child.
Audrey at Night - Newlywed haunted by former best friend. The earliest story in the collection; less polished than the others.
The Five-Day Summer Camp - Two sisters vs. dystopian system.
Skin Like Honey and Lace - A vaguely Beauty & The Beast wlw retelling.
By Now I'll Probably Be Gone - I had to grab the book to remember what this one was about, and now that I have, I know why: it is a dumb story. Woman kills herself over husband's affair. My eyes are rolling so hard I may never retrieve them.
Through Earth and Sky - Hmm... Unspecified Native American woman avenges herself on sister's killer.
The Tower Princesses - Walls, real and metaphorical. Imaginative take on the titular trope with two girls instead of a prince and princess. Should have a content warning for sexual assault and attempted rape.
And Her Smile Will Untether the Universe - Nope. It untethered nothing. Modern day admirer of a thinly disguised Sharon Tate tracks down secret fifth film.
The Lazarus Bride - Man's love has consequences (tho tbh it never really read like love to me, but that feels like a deliberate authorial choice).
Something Borrowed, Something Blue - Woman gives birth to birds. The similes, so many similes, were overkill.
Ten Things To Know About Ten Questions - Straightforward fable about conformity and nonconformity. You can quiz yourself along with the story. A bit gimmicky, I guess, but the prose draws you in. It's the implicit, lesser thematic iteration of the tower princess story.
The Clawfoot Requiem - Sister's suicide triggers woman's newfound understanding of death. Silly, predictable ending. It should have been shattering; it wasn't.
All the Red Apples Have Withered to Gray - Snow White/Sleeping Beauty remix. I think I've reached my limit for abusive fathers in dark fantasy fiction; possibly why I didn't care for this in proportion to its prose quality.
The Man in the Ambry - Girl's childhood imaginary friend may hold the answer to her adult problems. Cute, insofar as this kind of story can be cute, but tired and intensely predictable. You know how this one ends one page in. I gave it a pass because Kiste subverts tropey cat violence (and I would have stopped reading if she hadn't).
Find Me, Mommy - Mother's grief over losing her child.
Audrey at Night - Newlywed haunted by former best friend. The earliest story in the collection; less polished than the others.
The Five-Day Summer Camp - Two sisters vs. dystopian system.
Skin Like Honey and Lace - A vaguely Beauty & The Beast wlw retelling.
By Now I'll Probably Be Gone - I had to grab the book to remember what this one was about, and now that I have, I know why: it is a dumb story. Woman kills herself over husband's affair. My eyes are rolling so hard I may never retrieve them.
Through Earth and Sky - Hmm... Unspecified Native American woman avenges herself on sister's killer.
The Tower Princesses - Walls, real and metaphorical. Imaginative take on the titular trope with two girls instead of a prince and princess. Should have a content warning for sexual assault and attempted rape.
And Her Smile Will Untether the Universe - Nope. It untethered nothing. Modern day admirer of a thinly disguised Sharon Tate tracks down secret fifth film.
The Lazarus Bride - Man's love has consequences (tho tbh it never really read like love to me, but that feels like a deliberate authorial choice).