Reviews

I honestly struggled with whether to give this 2 or 3, so consider it a a 2,5
This was such a mixed bag of stories, and whilst some of them were incredible, others I really struggled to get through and couldn’t retain my focus on.
If you’re thinking you’re going to get old world magic, I would look elsewhere. A few of them do contain that take on it, and some of the modern world tellings bring the old magic in beautifully, but others seem, to me anyway, to have lost and forgotten the magic all together.

It took me way too long to work my way through this tbh, considering the length of it, but sure, pick it up if you have a weekend to yourself and nothing else immediately at the top of your to-read list. The few good ones does make it worth the read.

cakehatwombat's review against another edition

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3.0

The stories are pretty hit and miss, but that's not uncommon in a collection of short stories and poetry. It's p hard to make a collection that hits precisely everyone's tastes in just the right way, so like, shrug. Check it out of the library and decide for yourself! Read it outside, also. Helps set the mood.

rubyskies's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed the variety in stories. Some were confusing or not as well written but the ones that were good were excellent.

nairam1173's review against another edition

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4.0

I was so pleasantly surprised by this anthology.

It was one of those books that I kept seeing at the library and wanting to check out but kept reminding myself "hey, you don't like short stories that much."

I was incorrect. (Well, the half of me saying "don't bother" was incorrect, and fortunately overruled by the other half that kept saying: "but forests.")

While I didn't like every single entry, I did like a lot of them and loved a few. For some reason /Grounded/ is probably my favorite, even though it was also very weird. I took note of several of the authors.

Worth noting that all of these are *original* stories, not retellings (although inspired by myths/folktales), and generally by fantasy/sci-fi authors. I thought originally there might be some more strict retellings and maybe some historical. I'd still like to read something more like that, but having the mostly-modern fantasy vibe did make it a very cohesive read.

heidipolkissa82's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

sixofravensreads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging funny inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

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