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mle11's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The world-building is very adventurous in these short stories, sometimes to the point where I couldn't tell what was going on. At its best, these stories are imaginative and very immersive and read like a mystery we're unraveling. At worst, they were kind of nonsense that would only make sense on a second or third read. My favorite stories were The Summer People and Two Houses.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Misogyny, Self harm, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Fatphobia, Sexual content, Medical content, and Abandonment
Minor: Animal death, Homophobia, Incest, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment
cheye13's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I liked the premise of a lot of these stories, and the writing style was immersive and engaging. I enjoyed the cross-genre playing, but I think most stories fell on just the wrong side of trying to do too much at once. There was also a bit more focus on superhero stories than I expected, which just aren't my thing. I liked the stories in general, just wish the worlds they're set in were a smidge less ideologically cluttered.
★★★★: The New Boyfriend, Two Houses
★★★: Secret Identity, Valley of the Girls, The Lesson, Light
★★: The Summer People, I Can See Right Through You, Origin Story
★★★★: The New Boyfriend, Two Houses
★★★: Secret Identity, Valley of the Girls, The Lesson, Light
★★: The Summer People, I Can See Right Through You, Origin Story
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Blood, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Gore, Sexual content, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Child death
Not sure that this list is comprehensive, I'm having trouble remembering details.