xalrynne's review against another edition
2.5
I only read one story from this collection, and I don’t have any intention to read any others.
“Roadside Attraction” by Alix E. Harrow—2.5/5 stars
This time travel story was very mid. It’s a short queer story about finding your destiny, and how maybe you don’t need to travel back in time to find it because it’s right here in your present all along. I read this story solely because I am trying to read everything Alix Harrow has published, but this one is rather forgettable, unfortunately. I’m also not a short story fan in general though. I don’t really recommend it, but if you enjoy time travel short fiction then you may still enjoy this story and possibly this collection as a whole.
“Roadside Attraction” by Alix E. Harrow—2.5/5 stars
This time travel story was very mid. It’s a short queer story about finding your destiny, and how maybe you don’t need to travel back in time to find it because it’s right here in your present all along. I read this story solely because I am trying to read everything Alix Harrow has published, but this one is rather forgettable, unfortunately. I’m also not a short story fan in general though. I don’t really recommend it, but if you enjoy time travel short fiction then you may still enjoy this story and possibly this collection as a whole.
mssarahmorgan's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
hbraith's review against another edition
slow-paced
3.0
A couple of the stories were really enjoyable, but most were not.
marneyjane's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
starbuck2233's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
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? Yes
3.75
wanwanorange's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
bananafishpie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
kimu23's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.0
1. Alix E. Harrow : 3.5* (Nice and the writing is good. Made me want to try her other books)
2. Zen Cho : 5* (I want more!!! Literally has the exact thing that I came for)
3. Seanan McGuire : 1* (Despite that Alix E. Harrow also has white MCs, this story managed to feel so white, it kinda feels racist. Also it lost me when they mentioned Taylor Swift)
4. Sarah Gailey : 3.5* (Very solid. Love that she didn't abandon her job but still gets the girl)
5. Jeffrey Ford : 2.5* (Feel like it focused more about how time travel work instead of the story. The time traveler's wife seems like a bitch)
6. Nina Allan : 1* (The writing isn't for me, I'm afraid)
7. Elizabeth Hand : 1.5* (Feels more like a poem but at least it's short)
8. Lavanya Lakshminarayan : 4.5* (Now this has a potential to be a really interesting sci fi novel. Oru and Enre have a lot of chemistry for the few scenes they have)
9. Catherynne M. Valente : 5* (Oh I love this. I love how everything is connected and the writing is also good. This is one of the few non-human x human romance that I enjoy)
10. Sam J. Miller : 4* (Short but did it job)
11. Rowan Coleman : 1* (I like the 'love across time' romance and the writing is good but the whole "I preferred to live in 1914 because it suited me better than living in the modern time" from the protagonist annoyed me so much that I gave this a 1 star. Fucking white people)
12. Margo Lanangan : 2* (It's... confusing. The cheater stans would love this)
13. Sameem Siddiqui : 2* (I'm clearly not smart enough for this because I found it confusing. It's another story for the cheater stans)
14. Theodora Goss : 3.5* (I love a story in letters format and this is very romantic. The writing itself feels lovely and romantic)
15. Carrie Vaughn : 3* (Short and pretty writing. Love for poets, nice)
16. Ellen Klages : 1* (Sorry but I'm pretty sure the author is not Roma?? Why is she throwing around the G slur?? Skip)
Final Thoughts :
- My Favourites : Zen Cho and Catherynne M. Valente
- Way too many white people in this thing
- I know this is an anthology but there are way too much authors in this thing. I got tired reading all about their takes on time travel. Actually I think the reason why I felt like that is because most of these authors are too focused on the time travel part when they should have focused on the romance. The reason people are interested in this work is not because we want to read about how time travel would work but because we want to read about romance that transcended time.
- Final Score for The Book : 3*
2. Zen Cho : 5* (I want more!!! Literally has the exact thing that I came for)
3. Seanan McGuire : 1* (Despite that Alix E. Harrow also has white MCs, this story managed to feel so white, it kinda feels racist. Also it lost me when they mentioned Taylor Swift)
4. Sarah Gailey : 3.5* (Very solid. Love that she didn't abandon her job but still gets the girl)
5. Jeffrey Ford : 2.5* (Feel like it focused more about how time travel work instead of the story. The time traveler's wife seems like a bitch)
6. Nina Allan : 1* (The writing isn't for me, I'm afraid)
7. Elizabeth Hand : 1.5* (Feels more like a poem but at least it's short)
8. Lavanya Lakshminarayan : 4.5* (Now this has a potential to be a really interesting sci fi novel. Oru and Enre have a lot of chemistry for the few scenes they have)
9. Catherynne M. Valente : 5* (Oh I love this. I love how everything is connected and the writing is also good. This is one of the few non-human x human romance that I enjoy)
10. Sam J. Miller : 4* (Short but did it job)
11. Rowan Coleman : 1* (I like the 'love across time' romance and the writing is good but the whole "I preferred to live in 1914 because it suited me better than living in the modern time" from the protagonist annoyed me so much that I gave this a 1 star. Fucking white people)
12. Margo Lanangan : 2* (It's... confusing. The cheater stans would love this)
13. Sameem Siddiqui : 2* (I'm clearly not smart enough for this because I found it confusing. It's another story for the cheater stans)
14. Theodora Goss : 3.5* (I love a story in letters format and this is very romantic. The writing itself feels lovely and romantic)
15. Carrie Vaughn : 3* (Short and pretty writing. Love for poets, nice)
16. Ellen Klages : 1* (Sorry but I'm pretty sure the author is not Roma?? Why is she throwing around the G slur?? Skip)
Final Thoughts :
- My Favourites : Zen Cho and Catherynne M. Valente
- Way too many white people in this thing
- I know this is an anthology but there are way too much authors in this thing. I got tired reading all about their takes on time travel. Actually I think the reason why I felt like that is because most of these authors are too focused on the time travel part when they should have focused on the romance. The reason people are interested in this work is not because we want to read about how time travel would work but because we want to read about romance that transcended time.
- Final Score for The Book : 3*