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momacpac22's review
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
therese_nook68's review
I ended up DNF-ing this book at around 76%
I really didn't know what I was expecting with this book. Overall, there were some stories that stood out to me and that I enjoyed, but there was still a lot going on with this anthology that made it difficult for me to get immersed in the different stories. I wanted to finish the book, but I wasn't able to since, like I said, there was a lot going on and it was hard to really get in the flow anthology with the different stories and even poetry.
I really didn't know what I was expecting with this book. Overall, there were some stories that stood out to me and that I enjoyed, but there was still a lot going on with this anthology that made it difficult for me to get immersed in the different stories. I wanted to finish the book, but I wasn't able to since, like I said, there was a lot going on and it was hard to really get in the flow anthology with the different stories and even poetry.
greymalkin's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
A pretty decent anthology with some good stories and a few poems that I liked. Tons of authors that I really like contributed to this and it was really fun to see them write to a prompt, even if I didn't always fall in love with the results.
achay91's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
ezwolf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Forced institutionalization
paintedgiraffe's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0
Giving this the equivalent of a B- because while I did enjoy the majority of the stories/poems, a couple of them ended in a WTF or just plain disappointing way. There was only one I very much disliked from start to finish, and that was "Dragon Slayer" -.- You'd think in this day and age they wouldn't put in a story that REEKS of misogyny. I can't believe we're supposed to care about a protagonist that enslaves a prepubescent kid, finds out she's a girl, and marries her as soon as she comes of age. The ex-Mafia character had more sympathy than this guy.
On the positive side, I think my favorite entries were:
A Whisper of Blue
Nidhog
Where the River Turns to Concrete
I Make Myself a Dragon
The Long Walk
We Continue
Maybe Just Go Up There and Talk to It
On the positive side, I think my favorite entries were:
A Whisper of Blue
Nidhog
Where the River Turns to Concrete
I Make Myself a Dragon
The Long Walk
We Continue
Maybe Just Go Up There and Talk to It
drone232's review
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-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
4.5
It's very difficult to give any collection of stories a five out of five but this does come close. There are no stories that I dislike. There are those that I appreciate better than others. Ones that are more memorable and ones that stick in my mind. Then there are those that I probably will not read again. Some of these are about dragons as the main points of the plot and others the dragon only appears at the end. For a few of the dragon is metaphorical. The dragons come in all shapes and sizes and temperaments. My favorites were Lucky's dragon and the long walk.
mhockenson's review
3.0
A short story anthology about dragons? Yes please!! Overall not a bad anthology. There were a lot of really good stories here but I wanted more.
rachel_faerie's review
4.0
3.75 ⭐️ MOST of the stories were good, the poems were ok I’m not really a poetry person so I’m not a good judge lol. Some of the stories were fantastic and some were horrible but most of them fell in that middle area for me. Overall I loved the anthology and really appreciated this book for what it was.
The dragon in the barn one made me sob unexpectedly so there’s that.
The dragon in the barn one made me sob unexpectedly so there’s that.
ghostboyfields's review
2.0
DNF 70%
Some beautiful stories in here, but mostly found myself annoyed throughout the reading.
Maybe I'm just biased against fantasy that stuffs itself so full of in-world jargon that every sentence's meaning has to be guessed at. Better to show instead of tell, but many of these works failed to do either. Nearly a more consistent throughline within the anthology than even the dragons.
Highlights:
Ken Liu's "A Whisper of Blue"
Ellen Klages's "Pox"
R.F. Kuang's "The Nine Curves River"
Amal El-Mohtar's "A Final Knight to Her Love and Foe"
Some beautiful stories in here, but mostly found myself annoyed throughout the reading.
Maybe I'm just biased against fantasy that stuffs itself so full of in-world jargon that every sentence's meaning has to be guessed at. Better to show instead of tell, but many of these works failed to do either. Nearly a more consistent throughline within the anthology than even the dragons.
Highlights:
Ken Liu's "A Whisper of Blue"
Ellen Klages's "Pox"
R.F. Kuang's "The Nine Curves River"
Amal El-Mohtar's "A Final Knight to Her Love and Foe"