tbrwarriors_87's review
4.0
This book is a collection of short fantasy stories written by talented authors. What's even more, is these authors wanted their book to stand for something bigger and so, since their stories were based around magical forests and mystical beings they choose the charity Rainforest Foundation to aid their organization with their wonderful work and awareness in Rainforest conservation.
These stories were honestly so precious, once I picked the book up it was hard to put it down. In the evenings I could not wait to get to reading. Each story was so original, tackling both light-hearted innocent issues to slightly bigger heavier topics. Some stories were dark and moody while others were light and adventurous. I can tell you that a book hasn't been this much of a page-turner in a while. I have discovered that I enjoy anthologies/collections of short stories (although I suppose depending on the genre) but there is something to be said for knowing something completely different is coming after the story you are currently reading. I highly recommend this book
I will say, there were one or two stories that really left me wanting more, the ending didn't resolve the conflict in total for me and therefore I was left feeling a little disappointed.
Below is a very short description of each story for you :)
Gems of Fae and Foolery - By Alice Ivinya
Two enslaved dwarfs ban together with an unthinkable ally in order to escape their current life.
The Lucky Tortoise - By Ben Lang
A kind Prince in a horrible world befriends and finds solace in a Tortoise in the kingdom.
Feather green - By Jennifer Kropf
A young girl with a strong magical connection to the forest loses everything as a result of the Royal family.
Apple and the dead forest - By Xander Cross
In a post-apocalyptic world, we follow three teenagers as they decide to investigate the myth of the dragon that might be able to help the world heal.
To snare a prince - By Sky Sommers
An almost retelling of Hansel and Gretel. Gretel takes over her grandmother's "apothecary" in her cabin in the woods until she returns. Only to have animals and dragons appear at her door.
Blood of the Unicorn - By N.D.T Casale
A sweet orphaned Princess who wants nothing more than to work with her plants for the rest of her existence is told she will be Queen soon. Innocently in anger she makes a wish that ends up coming true and changes everything.
Dimension of the Sasquatch - By Donna White
A futuristic story following a "dimension walker" as she sets out to retrieve a seed from a tree in one of the dimensions but runs into some narrowing trouble along the way.
The Fern Flower - By Elena Shelest
Orphaned and traumatized Miray promises her adoptive mother that she will join the annual festival this time. She collides with a mischievous gentleman and they end up on an adventure they never bargained on.
Willow Daughter - By Astrid V.J
An old soul tells a story of his youth. Strolling through the forest he came across the Willow's daughter and gets tricked into freeing her. This leads to a war he never wanted to be a part of.
One Fair eve - By Lyndsey Hall
A young man and wonderful Pianist gets rejected to his dream Conservatory. Eager to fix it and not work on the mines with his father he declares he is willing to do anything for a chance at another audition. His declaration is heard and he signs away his soul
I highly recommend this collection of beautiful stories.
These stories were honestly so precious, once I picked the book up it was hard to put it down. In the evenings I could not wait to get to reading. Each story was so original, tackling both light-hearted innocent issues to slightly bigger heavier topics. Some stories were dark and moody while others were light and adventurous. I can tell you that a book hasn't been this much of a page-turner in a while. I have discovered that I enjoy anthologies/collections of short stories (although I suppose depending on the genre) but there is something to be said for knowing something completely different is coming after the story you are currently reading. I highly recommend this book
I will say, there were one or two stories that really left me wanting more, the ending didn't resolve the conflict in total for me and therefore I was left feeling a little disappointed.
Below is a very short description of each story for you :)
Gems of Fae and Foolery - By Alice Ivinya
Two enslaved dwarfs ban together with an unthinkable ally in order to escape their current life.
The Lucky Tortoise - By Ben Lang
A kind Prince in a horrible world befriends and finds solace in a Tortoise in the kingdom.
Feather green - By Jennifer Kropf
A young girl with a strong magical connection to the forest loses everything as a result of the Royal family.
Apple and the dead forest - By Xander Cross
In a post-apocalyptic world, we follow three teenagers as they decide to investigate the myth of the dragon that might be able to help the world heal.
To snare a prince - By Sky Sommers
An almost retelling of Hansel and Gretel. Gretel takes over her grandmother's "apothecary" in her cabin in the woods until she returns. Only to have animals and dragons appear at her door.
Blood of the Unicorn - By N.D.T Casale
A sweet orphaned Princess who wants nothing more than to work with her plants for the rest of her existence is told she will be Queen soon. Innocently in anger she makes a wish that ends up coming true and changes everything.
Dimension of the Sasquatch - By Donna White
A futuristic story following a "dimension walker" as she sets out to retrieve a seed from a tree in one of the dimensions but runs into some narrowing trouble along the way.
The Fern Flower - By Elena Shelest
Orphaned and traumatized Miray promises her adoptive mother that she will join the annual festival this time. She collides with a mischievous gentleman and they end up on an adventure they never bargained on.
Willow Daughter - By Astrid V.J
An old soul tells a story of his youth. Strolling through the forest he came across the Willow's daughter and gets tricked into freeing her. This leads to a war he never wanted to be a part of.
One Fair eve - By Lyndsey Hall
A young man and wonderful Pianist gets rejected to his dream Conservatory. Eager to fix it and not work on the mines with his father he declares he is willing to do anything for a chance at another audition. His declaration is heard and he signs away his soul
I highly recommend this collection of beautiful stories.
hannieadler's review
5.0
This was a book I enjoyed reading every night at bedtime. There are some books that I devour in 2-3 days, and books that I take my sweet time to enjoy, like a chocolate truffle, I want it to last longer. This anthology was one of the latter.
Unicorns, fairies, dwarves, elves, dragons, yetis... did I mention unicorns? There´s a little for everyone: kingdoms at war, good witches, magic trees and dimension travelers. Every story has its little charm, and a lesson to learn.
The illustrations are beautiful. This is a plus that isn't common to see inside an e-book nowadays.
I expected some short stories, almost a chapter-like tale, it was a delightful surprise to see that they were bigger, and I could delve deeper inside those little worlds.
There's always hope on the journey many characters are taking either to save a relative or their own life, and there´s a helping hand if they know where to look for. There were loads of exciting happenings there that kept me awake past my bedtime hour.
I'm amazed by the quality of those short stories, reading that many of them are part of the sagas that the authors have written makes me want to read more of their books. I hope one day to purchase all their stories, meanwhile, I'll added to my ever-growing TBR list. Highly recommended for fantasy lovers.
See the full review of this anthology at: https://steampunkcowunicorn.wordpress.com/2022/06/30/arc-review-of-enchanted-forests-a-magical-collection-of-short-stories/
Unicorns, fairies, dwarves, elves, dragons, yetis... did I mention unicorns? There´s a little for everyone: kingdoms at war, good witches, magic trees and dimension travelers. Every story has its little charm, and a lesson to learn.
The illustrations are beautiful. This is a plus that isn't common to see inside an e-book nowadays.
I expected some short stories, almost a chapter-like tale, it was a delightful surprise to see that they were bigger, and I could delve deeper inside those little worlds.
There's always hope on the journey many characters are taking either to save a relative or their own life, and there´s a helping hand if they know where to look for. There were loads of exciting happenings there that kept me awake past my bedtime hour.
I'm amazed by the quality of those short stories, reading that many of them are part of the sagas that the authors have written makes me want to read more of their books. I hope one day to purchase all their stories, meanwhile, I'll added to my ever-growing TBR list. Highly recommended for fantasy lovers.
See the full review of this anthology at: https://steampunkcowunicorn.wordpress.com/2022/06/30/arc-review-of-enchanted-forests-a-magical-collection-of-short-stories/
lolloreads's review
4.0
I was so glad when I received an ARC to this one and can truly say, I really enjoyed it!! As someone who doesn’t read a lot of fantasy this truly has something for everyone one. The short story format really worked for me. It was a great reintroduction to the genre and I’m looking forward to reading more of these authors books. And fantasy in general.
All of the stories were really good but one of them really stuck out to me. The Lucky Tortoise by Ben long, a very thought provoking story. It’s about the concept of luck and why it sometimes seems to be lacking. Others that stood out to me were Willow Daughter by Astrid VJ and The fern flower by Elena Shelest.
It also going to support a good cause, all profits from this anthology will be donated to Rainforest Foundation who support indigenous and traditional peoples of the world’s rainforests. Which is amazing!
I would highly recommend this to any fantasy lover that’s looking for short stories but also fantasy newbies.
All of the stories were really good but one of them really stuck out to me. The Lucky Tortoise by Ben long, a very thought provoking story. It’s about the concept of luck and why it sometimes seems to be lacking. Others that stood out to me were Willow Daughter by Astrid VJ and The fern flower by Elena Shelest.
It also going to support a good cause, all profits from this anthology will be donated to Rainforest Foundation who support indigenous and traditional peoples of the world’s rainforests. Which is amazing!
I would highly recommend this to any fantasy lover that’s looking for short stories but also fantasy newbies.
intomybookshelf_'s review
4.0
This book is a collection of short stories written by fantasy writers. All profits gained from the sale of this book will be donated to the Rainforest Foundation. It is an organisation that supports indigenous and traditional peoples of the world’s rainforests in their efforts to protect their environment and fulfill their rights.
darrahsteffenwrites's review
5.0
This is a great collection of stories with all the proceeds going to support a great cause. My favorite story has to be Apple in the Dead Forest about a world where the land is dead and they are looking for a seed bank. It takes the Enchanted Forest idea and turns it on its head
miss__laris's review
4.0
A few months ago, @astrid.v.j_author_official, who has teamed up with nine other fantasy authors to produce a charity anthology supporting rainforest conservation, kindly reached out to me, sent me a free e-book advanced review copy of the fully illustrated anthology, and gave me the opportunity to review it!
Enchanted is a series of charity anthologies to support environmental conservation. The book that I got to read, Enchanted Forests, is a collection of ten short illustrated fantasy stories about magical forests and the creatures living in them. All profits from this anthology will be donated to Rainforest Foundation who supports support indigenous and traditional peoples of the world’s rainforests in their efforts to protect their environment and fulfill their rights!
Enchanted is a series of charity anthologies to support environmental conservation. The book that I got to read, Enchanted Forests, is a collection of ten short illustrated fantasy stories about magical forests and the creatures living in them. All profits from this anthology will be donated to Rainforest Foundation who supports support indigenous and traditional peoples of the world’s rainforests in their efforts to protect their environment and fulfill their rights!
romance_matcha_andpaperbacks's review
5.0
***(This review is only for Willow Daughter by author Astrid V.J.)***
Willow Daughter by Astrid V.J. is one of 10 stories in the Enchanted Forest anthology. It's about an old man who is recounting the story of a lifetime adventure he had when he was younger and foolish. How he ended up venturing deep into the magical forest and meeting a beautiful maiden sitting in a tall willow tree. The events that unravel after meeting her are magical and full of power. It ends with a small cliffhanger (which I very much liked by the way). I guess we will have to wait and see if the story continues in another short story.
It's a very lovely fantasy short story that I really enjoyed and most likely anyone who reads it will too. Much different from anything I've ever read this year and I'm very curious to know if the beautuful maiden will make a comeback. If this was great, I can only imagine the other 9 stories that are included in this book collection.
Thank you to Ms. Astrid V.J. for providing me with an ARC of her short story.
Willow Daughter by Astrid V.J. is one of 10 stories in the Enchanted Forest anthology. It's about an old man who is recounting the story of a lifetime adventure he had when he was younger and foolish. How he ended up venturing deep into the magical forest and meeting a beautiful maiden sitting in a tall willow tree. The events that unravel after meeting her are magical and full of power. It ends with a small cliffhanger (which I very much liked by the way). I guess we will have to wait and see if the story continues in another short story.
It's a very lovely fantasy short story that I really enjoyed and most likely anyone who reads it will too. Much different from anything I've ever read this year and I'm very curious to know if the beautuful maiden will make a comeback. If this was great, I can only imagine the other 9 stories that are included in this book collection.
Thank you to Ms. Astrid V.J. for providing me with an ARC of her short story.
bookishbeanbag's review
5.0
This is a fantastic book! Considering that all the stories are written by different authors, each with their own writing style and storyline, each story was great! I love that all proceeds go to charity!
pandarina42's review
4.0
This collection is amazing. It has several short stories, some are complete and others lead to other stories. I truly enjoyed the anthology, some of them took me a while to get into, but became more engaging as I read. It definitely offered a lot of styles, not all of them were for me while others I truly enjoyed. All of the stories are so unique. My favorite was a young queen trying to save her grandmother who got turned into a unicorn. I also enjoyed the dwarves and fae kiss the frog story. I highly recommend this collection of stores if you enjoy fantasy. It is definitely a good way to find new authors. I received a copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.