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A review by giulay
A Universe of Wishes by Dhonielle Clayton
3.0
Mini Rather Random Reviews™️
A Universe of Wishes by Tara Sim: 2.5 ⭐️
TW: death
Ridiculously short synopsis: What if I were to tell you magic is present in all of us? And what if this magic could make all your wishes come true? What would you wish for, then?
Ridiculously short personal comment: This was so incredibly cheesy I am surprised my teeth did not fall out of my mouth. If you know me, you know I like my stories a bit dark, and this short story was not that, sadly. It had a good starting point (i.e., the idea of the wishes and magic living inside us) but it got sappy way too quickly, and I was just not a fan. Moreover, the writing style was not precisely to my taste as I found the descriptions of the characters to be a bit childish and over-the-top (also, there was an overly mentioned dimple and…yeah, cannot stand that). Furthermore, the romance came out of literal nowhere and was just too rushed and insta-love. Overall, I was not impressed.
The Silk Blade by Natalie C. Parker: 2.5 ⭐️
Ridiculously short synopsis: “The Bachelor” but make it violent (physically, I mean). Ah, and make it sapphic, too.
Ridiculously short personal comment: Again, the overall idea was amazing and thrilling, but the execution was lackluster, in my opinion. And I say that mainly because I found the romance to be just too immediate and coming out of literal thin air. And since the romance was, after all, the main focus of this short story, I cannot say I was a fan.
The Scarlet Woman by Libba Bray: 2 ⭐️
Ridiculously short synopsis: A “Gemma Doyle” Story. What’s that, you ask? Who is she, you ask? And who the hell knows.
Ridiculously short personal comment: This was a short story connected to a trilogy I did not read. So, if you experienced said trilogy (first book is A Great and Terrible Beauty, fyi) then you’ll like this one. Otherwise, you’ll be like me: fucking clueless and bored. Everything just flew past my head since I had no knowledge of the characters and the story, thus I simply did not care. The writing style was good, though.
Cristal y Cenzia by Anna-Marie McLemore: 3.5 ⭐️
TW: homophobia, transphobia
Ridiculously short synopsis: Cinderella but make it queer.
Ridiculously short personal comment: This was actually very enjoyable. Which is not surprising since Anna-Marie McLemore was the author. Leave it to them to actually enchant me and gift me a lovely short story. They made me enjoy Cinderella – my least favourite Disney Princess – that says a lot about their talent.
Liberia by Kwame Mbalia: 3 ⭐️
Ridiculously short synopsis: The life, adventures and perils of a botanist in space.
Ridiculously short personal comment: Enjoyable but nothing extraordinary. I liked the sci-fi aspect, but I also felt strangely detached. Nothing truly fascinated me; it was an alright, forgettable (unfortunately) story.
A Royal Affair by V.E. Schwab: 4 ⭐️
TW: abuse
Ridiculously short synopsis: A “A Darker Shade of Magic” Story about how Alucard and Rhy met. What’s that, you ask? Who are they, you ask? It’s two dramatic gays and their relationship, that’s what – we love to see it.
Ridiculously short personal comment: “A Royal Affair” AKA the only reason why I ever even wanted to read this anthology. And it did not disappoint.
The Takeback Tango by Rebecca Roanhorse: 3 ⭐️
TW: slavery, colonialism
Ridiculously short synopsis: Space thieves fighting colonialism.
Ridiculously short personal comment: Yet again an average story. The plot was easy and predictable but enjoyable nonetheless. However, it was also nothing special or remarkable.
Dream and Dare by Nic Stone: 2 ⭐️
TW: transphobia
Ridiculously short synopsis: A monster in the woods, a Princess going after it. But nothing is as it seems.
Ridiculously short personal comment: I am not going to lie. For as much as I appreciated the discussion around gender and gender roles, I was not a fan of this short story. I did not enjoy the writing style – and that was a deal breaker since, thus, I also did not like the characters. I found the writing style to be too childish and full of parenthesis that broke the flow and simply not clear enough. Hence the characters seemed flat and childish. Yikes :/
Wish by Jenni Balch: 3 ⭐️
Ridiculously short synopsis: Once you find the LAMP, you have one (1) wish that can be granted. What would it be?
Ridiculously short personal comment: Very similar concepts to the first short story (i.e., granting wishes and whatnot) but I liked this a tad bit more. There was no insta-love for starter, and I enjoyed how simple and entertaining the story was. Actually, now that I think about it, maybe it was a bit too simple. In fact, the characters were a bit two-dimensional, in my opinion, and I found the storyline to be jumpy and unclear. All in all, though, this was a fun, easy read.
The Weight by Dhonielle Clayton: 4.5 ⭐️
Ridiculously short synopsis: Every heart tells a story. Find yours at the Heart Scale Center, if you dare. Who do you love and who have you stopped loving? Find it out at the Heart Scale Center… if you dare.
Ridiculously short personal comment: This
A Universe of Wishes by Tara Sim: 2.5 ⭐️
TW: death
Ridiculously short synopsis: What if I were to tell you magic is present in all of us? And what if this magic could make all your wishes come true? What would you wish for, then?
Ridiculously short personal comment: This was so incredibly cheesy I am surprised my teeth did not fall out of my mouth. If you know me, you know I like my stories a bit dark, and this short story was not that, sadly. It had a good starting point (i.e., the idea of the wishes and magic living inside us) but it got sappy way too quickly, and I was just not a fan. Moreover, the writing style was not precisely to my taste as I found the descriptions of the characters to be a bit childish and over-the-top (also, there was an overly mentioned dimple and…yeah, cannot stand that). Furthermore, the romance came out of literal nowhere and was just too rushed and insta-love. Overall, I was not impressed.
The Silk Blade by Natalie C. Parker: 2.5 ⭐️
Ridiculously short synopsis: “The Bachelor” but make it violent (physically, I mean). Ah, and make it sapphic, too.
Ridiculously short personal comment: Again, the overall idea was amazing and thrilling, but the execution was lackluster, in my opinion. And I say that mainly because I found the romance to be just too immediate and coming out of literal thin air. And since the romance was, after all, the main focus of this short story, I cannot say I was a fan.
The Scarlet Woman by Libba Bray: 2 ⭐️
Ridiculously short synopsis: A “Gemma Doyle” Story. What’s that, you ask? Who is she, you ask? And who the hell knows.
Ridiculously short personal comment: This was a short story connected to a trilogy I did not read. So, if you experienced said trilogy (first book is A Great and Terrible Beauty, fyi) then you’ll like this one. Otherwise, you’ll be like me: fucking clueless and bored. Everything just flew past my head since I had no knowledge of the characters and the story, thus I simply did not care. The writing style was good, though.
Cristal y Cenzia by Anna-Marie McLemore: 3.5 ⭐️
TW: homophobia, transphobia
Ridiculously short synopsis: Cinderella but make it queer.
Ridiculously short personal comment: This was actually very enjoyable. Which is not surprising since Anna-Marie McLemore was the author. Leave it to them to actually enchant me and gift me a lovely short story. They made me enjoy Cinderella – my least favourite Disney Princess – that says a lot about their talent.
Liberia by Kwame Mbalia: 3 ⭐️
Ridiculously short synopsis: The life, adventures and perils of a botanist in space.
Ridiculously short personal comment: Enjoyable but nothing extraordinary. I liked the sci-fi aspect, but I also felt strangely detached. Nothing truly fascinated me; it was an alright, forgettable (unfortunately) story.
A Royal Affair by V.E. Schwab: 4 ⭐️
TW: abuse
Ridiculously short synopsis: A “A Darker Shade of Magic” Story about how Alucard and Rhy met. What’s that, you ask? Who are they, you ask? It’s two dramatic gays and their relationship, that’s what – we love to see it.
Ridiculously short personal comment: “A Royal Affair” AKA the only reason why I ever even wanted to read this anthology. And it did not disappoint.
The Takeback Tango by Rebecca Roanhorse: 3 ⭐️
TW: slavery, colonialism
Ridiculously short synopsis: Space thieves fighting colonialism.
Ridiculously short personal comment: Yet again an average story. The plot was easy and predictable but enjoyable nonetheless. However, it was also nothing special or remarkable.
Dream and Dare by Nic Stone: 2 ⭐️
TW: transphobia
Ridiculously short synopsis: A monster in the woods, a Princess going after it. But nothing is as it seems.
Ridiculously short personal comment: I am not going to lie. For as much as I appreciated the discussion around gender and gender roles, I was not a fan of this short story. I did not enjoy the writing style – and that was a deal breaker since, thus, I also did not like the characters. I found the writing style to be too childish and full of parenthesis that broke the flow and simply not clear enough. Hence the characters seemed flat and childish. Yikes :/
Wish by Jenni Balch: 3 ⭐️
Ridiculously short synopsis: Once you find the LAMP, you have one (1) wish that can be granted. What would it be?
Ridiculously short personal comment: Very similar concepts to the first short story (i.e., granting wishes and whatnot) but I liked this a tad bit more. There was no insta-love for starter, and I enjoyed how simple and entertaining the story was. Actually, now that I think about it, maybe it was a bit too simple. In fact, the characters were a bit two-dimensional, in my opinion, and I found the storyline to be jumpy and unclear. All in all, though, this was a fun, easy read.
The Weight by Dhonielle Clayton: 4.5 ⭐️
Ridiculously short synopsis: Every heart tells a story. Find yours at the Heart Scale Center, if you dare. Who do you love and who have you stopped loving? Find it out at the Heart Scale Center… if you dare.
Ridiculously short personal comment: This