seahorsemojinow's review against another edition
4.0
This was pretty okay. I don't think I'm good at reading short fiction; my attention wanders too quickly. My very favorite story was called 'The Sixth World.'
kig's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
olives_and_lilies's review
5.0
You have to sit with this one, like, really let the stories hit you and sit with them. I was doing about two stories a week, really letting them resonate. Trying to read them while juggling school felt sacreligious. It felt like a betrayal to the tales. That’s, not a normal feeling for me. I had to wait for the term to finish before I could pick it back up and give it the attention it deserves. But I cannot begin to describe the scope of stories here, how often I laughed and cried and bled and related to it all. The emotions are recognizable, even when the situation is not. Take your time, some stories are confusing on the first pass, and maybe the second too. Not all of them will sit with you, but some of them will carve a new spot for themselves in your skin. I still can’t get the mental image of the ending of The Sixth World out of my head, and I read it months ago. It will catch me randomly at times, as I go about my day. I hope you find a story like that too, in these pages. I really do.
f18's review
- 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
4 - No More Secrets (excerpt) by Michelle Evans (would prob end up rating full story higher)
3 - Retrospect by Vita E.
cw:
3.5 - Silk, Not Cashmere by Carla Aparicio
cw:
4 - The Witches Grey: A Prelude to the Anthem of Trees by Dane Figueroa Edidi
cw:
4.5 - A Lantern is Lit on the Grave of a Cleric by Olive Machado
4 - Apocryphal by DM Rice
cw:
5 - The Sixth World by Kylie Ariel Bemis
cw:
4 - Metropocalypse by Venus Selenite
cw:
5 - The Root of Echoes by Serena Bhandar
cw:
3 - The Ice Princess (excerpt) by Emmy Morgan
cw:
4.5 - The Girl and the Apple by Jasmine Kabale Moore
cw:
5 - Lord, be a Femme by Joss Barton
cw:
4 - Lisa's Story: Zombie Apocalypse by Gillian Ybabez
cw:
5 - Three Fragments: 1 by Jamie Berrout
4.5 - Three Fragments: 2 by Jamie Berrout
cw:
5 - Three Fragments: 3 by Jamie Berrout
5 - Fidelity by Catherine Kim
cw:
2.5 - Collecting by manuel arturo abreu
cw:
5 - Two Stories: Untitled by Jeffery Gill
cw:
4 - Two Stories: A Short Work of Fiction on the Nature of Daylight by Jeffery Gill
cw:
4 - Back Home: Don't Go by Libby White
cw:
2.5 - Back Home: Mike Lee by Libby White
5 - Back Home: Under the Lights by Libby White
cw:
3 - Space Hunters by Lulu Trujillo
3.5 - Untitled by Saki
3 - Retrospect by Vita E.
cw:
Spoiler
transphobia, implied rape, implied murder3.5 - Silk, Not Cashmere by Carla Aparicio
cw:
Spoiler
suicidal ideation4 - The Witches Grey: A Prelude to the Anthem of Trees by Dane Figueroa Edidi
cw:
Spoiler
sexual assault, death, parent death4.5 - A Lantern is Lit on the Grave of a Cleric by Olive Machado
4 - Apocryphal by DM Rice
cw:
Spoiler
mention of transphobia, implied self-harm5 - The Sixth World by Kylie Ariel Bemis
cw:
Spoiler
mention biphobia, dysmorphia4 - Metropocalypse by Venus Selenite
cw:
Spoiler
sexual harassment, transphobia5 - The Root of Echoes by Serena Bhandar
cw:
Spoiler
medical content, parent death3 - The Ice Princess (excerpt) by Emmy Morgan
cw:
Spoiler
mention rape, violence4.5 - The Girl and the Apple by Jasmine Kabale Moore
cw:
Spoiler
transphobia, sexual harassment5 - Lord, be a Femme by Joss Barton
cw:
Spoiler
mature language, sexual content, sexual violence, underage mention, drugs mention, religious bigotry mention4 - Lisa's Story: Zombie Apocalypse by Gillian Ybabez
cw:
Spoiler
violence, blood5 - Three Fragments: 1 by Jamie Berrout
4.5 - Three Fragments: 2 by Jamie Berrout
cw:
Spoiler
murder, transphobia, police violence, gun violence, racism5 - Three Fragments: 3 by Jamie Berrout
5 - Fidelity by Catherine Kim
cw:
Spoiler
parent death2.5 - Collecting by manuel arturo abreu
cw:
Spoiler
slur5 - Two Stories: Untitled by Jeffery Gill
cw:
Spoiler
schizophrenic episode, dysphoria, slur4 - Two Stories: A Short Work of Fiction on the Nature of Daylight by Jeffery Gill
cw:
Spoiler
dubcon, sexual content4 - Back Home: Don't Go by Libby White
cw:
Spoiler
infidelity2.5 - Back Home: Mike Lee by Libby White
5 - Back Home: Under the Lights by Libby White
cw:
Spoiler
hate crime, murder3 - Space Hunters by Lulu Trujillo
3.5 - Untitled by Saki
havelock's review
emotional
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
teelight's review
5.0
There are stories in this anthology that shouldn't be missed. It kills me that many of these authors aren't published else where in addition to this anthology. There are multiple stories that I desperately wish were extended out into full novels, but those novels are no where to be found. That is a shame. An absolute shame.
One story that will stick with me is Libby White's "Under the Lights". It is only a couple of pages long, but it speaks volumes. It does a great job of showing how transwomen are presented in interviews and why it is wrong. I've read plenty of much longer articles that didn't handle it nearly as well.
That is the story that sticks out the most to me personally, but that by no means is to say its the only one. There's also a powerful story about the dangers of dating, one about a senator dealing with the murder of his transdaughter, and a great zombie story.
Not only are these great stories, but they're from a perspective that doesn't get nearly enough of a voice in society. Transwomen of color need to be listened to and published more. If another one of these books is published I would pre-order it in a heart beat. I would also like to purchase books from the authors whenever they get published. I was able to find books by Dane Figueroa Eddi and Emmy Morgan, but I'm drawing a blank on the other authors. If anyone knows where their books might be published I would be happy to read them.
One story that will stick with me is Libby White's "Under the Lights". It is only a couple of pages long, but it speaks volumes. It does a great job of showing how transwomen are presented in interviews and why it is wrong. I've read plenty of much longer articles that didn't handle it nearly as well.
That is the story that sticks out the most to me personally, but that by no means is to say its the only one. There's also a powerful story about the dangers of dating, one about a senator dealing with the murder of his transdaughter, and a great zombie story.
Not only are these great stories, but they're from a perspective that doesn't get nearly enough of a voice in society. Transwomen of color need to be listened to and published more. If another one of these books is published I would pre-order it in a heart beat. I would also like to purchase books from the authors whenever they get published. I was able to find books by Dane Figueroa Eddi and Emmy Morgan, but I'm drawing a blank on the other authors. If anyone knows where their books might be published I would be happy to read them.
syuff's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is all over the board in terms of tone, genre, and style; there are apocalypses and slice of life, fantasy and scifi and realism, poetry and prose, happy endings and trauma and ambiguity. Which, to be clear, I think is fantastic; I mention it partly because I loved the variety and partly to say that for any given reader, this almost definitely includes at least one piece they're going to love and at least one piece they have a hard time with. (I tried to tag for overarching moods, but I'd say all of the mood tags are present at least some of the time.) On the whole, an incredibly powerful collection, by turns sharp and beautiful and both at once.
More...