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queeneallie's review against another edition
5.0
I would willingly give this book to any BIPOC, LGBTQ+ young adult. I loved the stories. They’re so varied! Crafter, gamer, aliens….
pageturnervic's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
eponineeurydice's review against another edition
4.0
This was delightful, heart-warming and incredibly needed. It was an anthology that spanned so many different voices and I really think that's so vital. It was such a joy to read.
"Our Joy, Our Power"—5 stars. I really loved this one! The writing was lyrical, the romance was adorable and the Fan-Con setting was so cool!
"The Book Club"—3 stars. This one felt a little generic/young for me, unfortunately, but I did enjoy that it was a story about books!
"Nina Evans, In the Round"—5 Stars. My theater kid heart is so happy! As somebody who is disabled, I know that the theater industry can sometimes be difficult with casting, but this story was so beautiful and I adored it.
"Earth is Ghetto"—4 stars. This one was really interesting. I thought it had a very unique tone, and I don't usually read Sci-fi like that, so it was a nice step out of my comfort zone.
"Initiative Check"-4 stars. I LOVE D&D! This one was really cute and creative.
"Corner Booth"—5 stars. The grumpy/sunshine vibes and the incorporation of spelling... impeccable.
"Betty's Best Craft"—4 stars. This was cute but I found myself a little confused throughout.
"The Panel Shows the Girl"—4.75 Stars. This one was incredibly innovative, cool, and fun to read!
"Spirit Filled"—4 stars. This one hit a little close to home for me... it was really sweet and very emotionally evocative.
"Cole's Criuse Blues"—4.5 stars. What a fun time! I wanna go on a cruise now. This had a great message.
"Hich Strangeness"—4 stars. This one was beautifully-written. The vibes were en pointe!
"Catalyst Rising"—3 stars. I'm not a big science fan... I was sad I didn't like this more but it just didn't work for me.
"Requiem of Souls"—5 stars. AHHH! This was so creepy-cool! The music and the ghosts and the whole vibe... it was just fascinating.
"Honor Code"—4 stars. This one was interesting; I enjoyed the social media aspect.
"Drive Time"—4 stars. This was cute and funny! I had a great time reading.
"Wolf Tracks"—5 stars. This concept was incredible and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time!
"The Hyo's Journey"—3.5 stars. This had some interesting aspects but fell a little flat for me.
"Abyss"—3 stars. This was cool and action-packed, as well as having an interesting format.
Overall, this was truly such a cool experience and a great way to start Black History Month. My heart is full!
"Our Joy, Our Power"—5 stars. I really loved this one! The writing was lyrical, the romance was adorable and the Fan-Con setting was so cool!
"The Book Club"—3 stars. This one felt a little generic/young for me, unfortunately, but I did enjoy that it was a story about books!
"Nina Evans, In the Round"—5 Stars. My theater kid heart is so happy! As somebody who is disabled, I know that the theater industry can sometimes be difficult with casting, but this story was so beautiful and I adored it.
"Earth is Ghetto"—4 stars. This one was really interesting. I thought it had a very unique tone, and I don't usually read Sci-fi like that, so it was a nice step out of my comfort zone.
"Initiative Check"-4 stars. I LOVE D&D! This one was really cute and creative.
"Corner Booth"—5 stars. The grumpy/sunshine vibes and the incorporation of spelling... impeccable.
"Betty's Best Craft"—4 stars. This was cute but I found myself a little confused throughout.
"The Panel Shows the Girl"—4.75 Stars. This one was incredibly innovative, cool, and fun to read!
"Spirit Filled"—4 stars. This one hit a little close to home for me... it was really sweet and very emotionally evocative.
"Cole's Criuse Blues"—4.5 stars. What a fun time! I wanna go on a cruise now. This had a great message.
"Hich Strangeness"—4 stars. This one was beautifully-written. The vibes were en pointe!
"Catalyst Rising"—3 stars. I'm not a big science fan... I was sad I didn't like this more but it just didn't work for me.
"Requiem of Souls"—5 stars. AHHH! This was so creepy-cool! The music and the ghosts and the whole vibe... it was just fascinating.
"Honor Code"—4 stars. This one was interesting; I enjoyed the social media aspect.
"Drive Time"—4 stars. This was cute and funny! I had a great time reading.
"Wolf Tracks"—5 stars. This concept was incredible and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time!
"The Hyo's Journey"—3.5 stars. This had some interesting aspects but fell a little flat for me.
"Abyss"—3 stars. This was cool and action-packed, as well as having an interesting format.
Overall, this was truly such a cool experience and a great way to start Black History Month. My heart is full!
araeofsushine's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
3.75
jpluff2334's review against another edition
4.5
I thoroughly enjoyed these stories that center nerdy Black teen joy. There were magical book clubs in magical book stores, a family where all the boys turn into werewolves including trans men, a corner booth in a restaurant that turns into a safe place to play an online scrabble game, and a repaired friendship after doing a craft for a school project. Some of these got really deep even though most of the premises were pretty wholesome.
tbailey23's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
sophiesometimesreads's review
adventurous
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
3.75 was roughly the average of all the ratings I gave the individual stories, and that seems like a nice place to sit. This was my first short story collection that I read, though, so keep that in mind when reading my review and looking at my rating.
This was a mixed bag of stories, in terms of enjoyment (in my personal opinion), genre and topics. There were some standouts for me, including Nina Evans, in the Round by Kalynn Bayron, Corner Booth by Leah Johnson, Cole's Cruise Blues by Isaac Fitzsimmons, High Strangeness by Desiree S Evans and Requiem of Souls by Terry J Benton-Walker. There were also a few that didn't do much to me.
I felt that a lot of these could've done with more. Maybe that's a feeling I'm supposed to get from a short story but multiple times, particularly in the more fantastical stories, I was left feeling like the background or the story was incomplete. I felt a few would've made excellent novellas, just to have that bit more detail and exploration of themes and world building.
Overall though, I did enjoy my experience with this anthology and look forward to reading a more in the future, as well as some full-length novels from authors in this collection.
This was a mixed bag of stories, in terms of enjoyment (in my personal opinion), genre and topics. There were some standouts for me, including Nina Evans, in the Round by Kalynn Bayron, Corner Booth by Leah Johnson, Cole's Cruise Blues by Isaac Fitzsimmons, High Strangeness by Desiree S Evans and Requiem of Souls by Terry J Benton-Walker. There were also a few that didn't do much to me.
I felt that a lot of these could've done with more. Maybe that's a feeling I'm supposed to get from a short story but multiple times, particularly in the more fantastical stories, I was left feeling like the background or the story was incomplete. I felt a few would've made excellent novellas, just to have that bit more detail and exploration of themes and world building.
Overall though, I did enjoy my experience with this anthology and look forward to reading a more in the future, as well as some full-length novels from authors in this collection.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
idlereader's review
adventurous
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? N/A
3.5
gggina13's review against another edition
4.0
Find my bookstagram tour stop for this book here :)
A wonderful anthology that's not just inclusive - it shows Black nerds carving out their own spot in fandom and geekdom, places where they are not always welcomed or represented. It's a really important book for teens seeking that representation, and important to share with non-Black teens too, so they grow to understand that diversity alone isn't enough and that a space needs to be truly inclusive to be welcoming.
I love the spread of authors and blend of genres in this anthology. I recommend for basically anyone, and I think reluctant readers will like the 20-page(ish) stories.
A wonderful anthology that's not just inclusive - it shows Black nerds carving out their own spot in fandom and geekdom, places where they are not always welcomed or represented. It's a really important book for teens seeking that representation, and important to share with non-Black teens too, so they grow to understand that diversity alone isn't enough and that a space needs to be truly inclusive to be welcoming.
I love the spread of authors and blend of genres in this anthology. I recommend for basically anyone, and I think reluctant readers will like the 20-page(ish) stories.
livinginthepagesofbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0