g_a_denholm's review against another edition
3.0
Unfortunately I hit a slump when I started this book. Like most anthologies, there were some REALLY good stories in here that I would give 5 stars and look forward to the young authors next work...which I still will do that. Others were not my cup of tea.
Regardless, I'm all about this project. Love to see young authors write their story and incorporate fantasy and sci-fi with appropriate handling of issues concerning race and sexuality in the Coming-of-Age story trope.
Regardless, I'm all about this project. Love to see young authors write their story and incorporate fantasy and sci-fi with appropriate handling of issues concerning race and sexuality in the Coming-of-Age story trope.
dragongirl271's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery, Racism, Death, and Mental illness
Minor: Body horror
girlreading's review against another edition
4.0
3.5* As it usually goes with anthologies, there was a mix of hits and misses within this collection but overall this was a very solid collection of fantasy short stories.
However, The necessity and importance of this being collection of stories exploring the Black experience (with many stories also starring LGBTQIAP+ characters) is paramount and Patrice's indroduction only solidified this.
My favourite story from the collection has to be Justina Irelands, which filled me with so much joy. But I also adored Patrice Caldwell, Charlotte Nicole Davis and J. Marcelle Corrie's stories.
Here are a few of my thoughts and star ratings for each story:
When Life Gives You a Lemon Fruitbomb by Amerie: 2 Stars.
Overall the writing felt a little clunky and the plot was a bit all over the place. It felt as though it was trying to cram far too much into a short story.
Gilded by Elizabeth Acevedo: 4 Stars.
I dare Elizabeth Acevedo to try and write something bad, just once, because I swear it’s the only thing she can’t do.
Wherein Abigail Fields Recalls Her First Death by Rebecca Roanhorse: 3.5 Stars.
A short but powerful story of revenge, justice, police brutality featuring a subtle but adorable f/f romance.
The Rules of the Land by Alaya Dawn Johnson: 1.5 Stars.
There was just... a lot going on in this, (possibly too much?) for such a short story.
A Hagiography of Starlight by Somaiya Daud: 2 Stars.
This was unfortunately too high fantasy for me but I have no doubt highly fantasy fans will love it!
Melie by Justina Ireland: 5 Stars.
This was EVERYTHING. It had dragons, fat mermaids, a fat witch MC and murderous unicorns, aka everything you could possibly want in a fantasy. It was perfectly paced for a short story and honestly? I just want a full length novel now please and thank you.
The Goddess Provides by L.L. McKinney: 1.5 Stars.
I want to love high fantasy and I wanted to love this but I just didn’t and I don’t know why but I’m mad at myself for it.
Hearts Turned to Ash by Dhonielle Clayton: 3.5 Stars.
Despite its melancholy story, this was such a joy to read. It was descriptive, mystical and heart wrenching with a lovely message.
Letting the Right One In by Patrice Caldwell: 4.5 Stars.
This was SO GREAT.
Tender-Headed by Danny Lore: 4 Stars.
This was such a lovely, subtly magical and moving story.
Kiss The Sun by Ibi Zoboi: 3 Stars.
A unique, creative and powerful exploration of colourism.
The Actress by Danielle Paige: 3 Stars.
This felt very 2008 YA in it’s writing and plot but honestly? It was so much fun, super cute and very nostalgic.
The Curse of Love by Ashley Woodfolk: 3 Stars.
I’m not 100% sure I loved this but also, it was so interestingly written and unique that I definitely enjoyed it.
All the Time in the World by Charlotte Nicole Davis: 4.5 Stars.
This was FANTASTIC. There was so much depth and discussion in such a short story but it worked brilliantly? The superpower aspect was such a great way to explore very real issues (clean water crises and racism) and romance was really lovely.
The Witch’s Skin by Karen Strong: 3 Stars.
This was such an interesting concept and I have a feeling it would have made an amazing full length novel but I didn’t totally love it as a short story.
Sequence by J. Marcelle Corrie: 5 Stars.
THIS WAS SO GOOD AND I WOULD LIKE FULL LENGTH NOVEL NOW PLEASE AND THANK YOU.
TW: homophobia, ableist language, racism
However, The necessity and importance of this being collection of stories exploring the Black experience (with many stories also starring LGBTQIAP+ characters) is paramount and Patrice's indroduction only solidified this.
My favourite story from the collection has to be Justina Irelands, which filled me with so much joy. But I also adored Patrice Caldwell, Charlotte Nicole Davis and J. Marcelle Corrie's stories.
Here are a few of my thoughts and star ratings for each story:
When Life Gives You a Lemon Fruitbomb by Amerie: 2 Stars.
Overall the writing felt a little clunky and the plot was a bit all over the place. It felt as though it was trying to cram far too much into a short story.
Gilded by Elizabeth Acevedo: 4 Stars.
I dare Elizabeth Acevedo to try and write something bad, just once, because I swear it’s the only thing she can’t do.
Wherein Abigail Fields Recalls Her First Death by Rebecca Roanhorse: 3.5 Stars.
A short but powerful story of revenge, justice, police brutality featuring a subtle but adorable f/f romance.
The Rules of the Land by Alaya Dawn Johnson: 1.5 Stars.
There was just... a lot going on in this, (possibly too much?) for such a short story.
A Hagiography of Starlight by Somaiya Daud: 2 Stars.
This was unfortunately too high fantasy for me but I have no doubt highly fantasy fans will love it!
Melie by Justina Ireland: 5 Stars.
This was EVERYTHING. It had dragons, fat mermaids, a fat witch MC and murderous unicorns, aka everything you could possibly want in a fantasy. It was perfectly paced for a short story and honestly? I just want a full length novel now please and thank you.
The Goddess Provides by L.L. McKinney: 1.5 Stars.
I want to love high fantasy and I wanted to love this but I just didn’t and I don’t know why but I’m mad at myself for it.
Hearts Turned to Ash by Dhonielle Clayton: 3.5 Stars.
Despite its melancholy story, this was such a joy to read. It was descriptive, mystical and heart wrenching with a lovely message.
Letting the Right One In by Patrice Caldwell: 4.5 Stars.
This was SO GREAT.
Tender-Headed by Danny Lore: 4 Stars.
This was such a lovely, subtly magical and moving story.
Kiss The Sun by Ibi Zoboi: 3 Stars.
A unique, creative and powerful exploration of colourism.
The Actress by Danielle Paige: 3 Stars.
This felt very 2008 YA in it’s writing and plot but honestly? It was so much fun, super cute and very nostalgic.
The Curse of Love by Ashley Woodfolk: 3 Stars.
I’m not 100% sure I loved this but also, it was so interestingly written and unique that I definitely enjoyed it.
All the Time in the World by Charlotte Nicole Davis: 4.5 Stars.
This was FANTASTIC. There was so much depth and discussion in such a short story but it worked brilliantly? The superpower aspect was such a great way to explore very real issues (clean water crises and racism) and romance was really lovely.
The Witch’s Skin by Karen Strong: 3 Stars.
This was such an interesting concept and I have a feeling it would have made an amazing full length novel but I didn’t totally love it as a short story.
Sequence by J. Marcelle Corrie: 5 Stars.
THIS WAS SO GOOD AND I WOULD LIKE FULL LENGTH NOVEL NOW PLEASE AND THANK YOU.
TW: homophobia, ableist language, racism
becandbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Trigger warnings:
The tagline "Stories of Black Girl Magic, resistance and hope" sums up the nature and attitude of the stories within this collection. Each story speaks with an amount of ferocity and being one's own queen, through the lens of magical realism, fantasy and science fiction.
This anthology has an impressive lineup of fantastic and stand-out authors of colour. Thus it is no surprise that there were some great stories within the pages. However, as is the story with almost every anthology, there were some stories that were lacking, felt underdeveloped or really needed a full-length novel to reach the full potential of the story being told.
Individual ratings
When Life Hands You a Lemon Fruitbomb by Amerie 4/5
Gilded by Elizabeth Acevado 3.5/5
Wherein Abigail Fields Recalls Her First Death and, Subsequently, Best Life by Rebecca Roanhorse 3.5/5
The Rules of the Land by Alaya Dawn Johnson 3.5/5
A Hagiography of Starlight by Somaiya Daud 4/5
Melie by Justina Ireland 4/5
The Goddess Provides by L. L. McKinney 3/5
Hearts Turned to Ash by Dhonielle Clayton 5/5
Letting the Right One In by Patrice Caldwell 2.5/5
Tender-Headed by Danny Lore 2.5/5
Kiss the Sun by Ibi Zoboi 4.5/5
The Actress by Danielle Paige 2.5/5
The Curse of Love by Ashey Woodfolk 2.5/5
The Witch's Skin by Karen Strong 4/5
Sequence by J. Marcelle Corrie 3/5
Spoiler
death of a father, death of a guardian/uncle, slavery, confinement, blood depiction, captivity, gun violence, hunting mentioned, alcohol abuse, domestic abuse, parental abuse, physical abuse, fat-shaming, police brutality, genocide, racism & colourism, homomisia, ableism, mention of skin bleaching, attempted rape mentionedThe tagline "Stories of Black Girl Magic, resistance and hope" sums up the nature and attitude of the stories within this collection. Each story speaks with an amount of ferocity and being one's own queen, through the lens of magical realism, fantasy and science fiction.
This anthology has an impressive lineup of fantastic and stand-out authors of colour. Thus it is no surprise that there were some great stories within the pages. However, as is the story with almost every anthology, there were some stories that were lacking, felt underdeveloped or really needed a full-length novel to reach the full potential of the story being told.
Individual ratings
When Life Hands You a Lemon Fruitbomb by Amerie 4/5
Gilded by Elizabeth Acevado 3.5/5
Wherein Abigail Fields Recalls Her First Death and, Subsequently, Best Life by Rebecca Roanhorse 3.5/5
The Rules of the Land by Alaya Dawn Johnson 3.5/5
A Hagiography of Starlight by Somaiya Daud 4/5
Melie by Justina Ireland 4/5
The Goddess Provides by L. L. McKinney 3/5
Hearts Turned to Ash by Dhonielle Clayton 5/5
Letting the Right One In by Patrice Caldwell 2.5/5
Tender-Headed by Danny Lore 2.5/5
Kiss the Sun by Ibi Zoboi 4.5/5
The Actress by Danielle Paige 2.5/5
The Curse of Love by Ashey Woodfolk 2.5/5
The Witch's Skin by Karen Strong 4/5
Sequence by J. Marcelle Corrie 3/5
Note: Review copy received from NetGalley. This does not impact opinions within this review.
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vroniwinter's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
5.0
jordb1213's review against another edition
4.0
I really wanted to love this, and some stories were incredible, but I overall wasn't super impressed by many of the stories, and find the authors' standalone works to be much much better.
briannarengland's review against another edition
It doesn't feel right to rate this. Despite how many times I try, anthologies just really aren't my thing. I really enjoyed two of the stories but I couldn't remember which ones they were by the time I finished.
kayleigh_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I love short story collections but I really don’t read a whole lot of them. However I love the concept of getting to read multiple stories with the same basic theme by different authors. I loved getting to read from multiple authors some that I’ve heard of before and some I haven’t. I really loved some of the stories in this collection but I also really didn’t like some and I felt like the majority were just ok. But, I would pay good money to have some of these stories turned into full length novels, I just loved them so much. Overall I think this a really good collection and you should definitely read it if you want to!
crooked_wonderland's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
phoenix_7's review against another edition
4.0
Great, great collection. A true mix of influences and styles, all of them expanding my tiny perception of the world as it is, has been, and could be. My favorites are the stories from Amerie (future/scifi/postapocalyptic), Elizabeth Acevedo (fantasy/folklore/historical fiction) and Justina Ireland (magical fantasy).
I've seen this categorized separately as YA in one place and SciFi in another, but I'd say it's a mix of those plus fantasy, of what I think we're calling 'urban fantasty,' folklore, myth, speculative fiction, queer fiction and fantasy, magic... For young adults and old adults and middle adults. I could see teaching some of these in a lot class, and would argue that these are more fruitful and relevant than a lot of short stories/excerpts that end up in the teaching canon, whatever the topic.
Some of these stories were fantastic and I wanted more (Karen Strong's piece); some were just perfect, fully developed short stories (Amerie; Justina Ireland); some (the more overtly YA-'urban fantasy') weren't my jam but were still high quality (Patrice Caldwell, Danielle Paige).
I've seen this categorized separately as YA in one place and SciFi in another, but I'd say it's a mix of those plus fantasy, of what I think we're calling 'urban fantasty,' folklore, myth, speculative fiction, queer fiction and fantasy, magic... For young adults and old adults and middle adults. I could see teaching some of these in a lot class, and would argue that these are more fruitful and relevant than a lot of short stories/excerpts that end up in the teaching canon, whatever the topic.
Some of these stories were fantastic and I wanted more (Karen Strong's piece); some were just perfect, fully developed short stories (Amerie; Justina Ireland); some (the more overtly YA-'urban fantasy') weren't my jam but were still high quality (Patrice Caldwell, Danielle Paige).