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A Universe of Wishes: A We Need Diverse Books Anthology by Dhonielle Clayton
6 reviews
aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Overall, solid anthology. Would def read more "We Need Diverse Books" anthologies in the future. Some stories were meh and I had to kind of force myself to finish one in particular, but the good ones were GOOD. My faves that I would consider 5star are: Liberia (Kwame Mbalia never misses I swear), Unmoor, The Coldest Spot in the Universe (I actually cried a little reading it), and Habibi (I bawled by the end of this one. Oof my heart). Other ones that were good but not great were A Universe of Wishes, Longer than the Threads of Time, and The Weight. This anthology had a lot more queer stories than I was expecting which was a nice surprise. I personally would've like a little less romance heavy stories in this anthology though. There was a lot of magical and sci-fi which I would've liked the stories more if they focused on those plots instead of so many stories with heavy focused romance storylines. But that's entirely preference. If you like romance heavy stories, you might love that there are so many in this anthology. If you aren't big on romance, I'd say probably skip this anthology.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Sexism, Grief, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, and Colonisation
Minor: Racism, Violence, Police brutality, and War
emily_mh's review against another edition
4.0
Overall, this was a pretty solid anthology with a lot of perfectly fine stories, a few complete disasters, and a few outstanding narratives. My least favourite was A Royal Affair. My favourite was The Coldest Spot in the Universe. I’ve reviewed each story individually below.
A Universe of Wishes, Tara Sim: This world had such a cool magic system. I also grew super attached to Sage and Thorn even though it was only a short story. This was my first experience with Sim’s work, and I can’t wait to read more.
The Silk Blade, Natalie C. Parker: This was too instalove for my liking. I had a hard time believing the MC would want to throw all her dreams away for someone she met half an hour ago, and has had less than a conversation with. It would have worked better if the two had already known each other, and the MC had already begun experiencing her conflicting feelings.
The Scarlet Woman, Libba Bray: Let it be known that I hate when short stories that are part of a separate series are included in unrelated anthologies, and this is one of them. There is a lack of depth and context which is impossible to get past. I also didn’t understand how it qualified as diverse. On top of that, it just suddenly ended?? I thought I was missing part of my audiobook or something. Definitely one of my least favourites.
Cristal Y Ceniza, Anna-Marie McLemore: I liked the Cinderella vibes. However, the worldbuilding was a little plain and I thought the narrative would have worked better in a longer format.
Liberia, Kwame Mbalia: One of my favourites from this anthology. It worked so well in a short story format. The characters and their dynamics were well illustrated, and I could really feel the tension of the situation our MC was in.
A Royal Affair, V.E. Schwab: Again, I don’t like short stories that are part of a separate series being included in unrelated anthologies. There is no context or depth, which means the story itself feels boring and insignificant. On top of this, I felt like both main characters could have fought harder for each other so I had a hard time feeling sorry for them. My least favourite from this anthology.
The Takeback Tango, Rebecca Roanhorse: I loved the premise of a space heist to take back stolen culture from an imperial force. I really want to read a full length book that furthers this idea! As for this story, I felt that the pacing was a bit unbalanced, but otherwise it was thoroughly enjoyable.
Dream and Dare, Nic Stone: I genuinely still don’t understand what this story was about. Maybe I missed something, but it felt like most of the narrative was actually just Dream reflecting on her memories, and there was no actual explanation of what happened to Dare and why. One of my least favourites for this reason.
Wish, Jenni Balch: This was over before I realised it had begun. It was fine overall, nothing wrong with it but nothing particularly captivating either.
The Weight, Dhonielle Clayton: This had a really interesting Black Mirror-style concept! Great execution as well.
Unmoor, Mark Oshiro: This was another sort of Black Mirror-esque narrative, but with a fantasy twist. It was tragic and poetic and really made me think about the two-way nature of relationships. Definitely one of my favourites.
The Coldest Spot in the Universe, Samira Ahmed: My favourite story from this anthology! It had an absolutely fascinating format. It made me so emotional and sentimental that I cried, but also left me feeling weirdly hopeful??
The Beginning of Monsters, Tessa Gratton: This is kind of reminiscent of Scott Westerfeld’s “Uglies.” However, I did not care about the characters, their attraction felt very superficial, and I had no idea what the plot was supposed to be. One of my least favourites for sure.
Longer Than the Threads of Time, Zoraida Córdova: I simply cannot get behind an adult/minor relationship that is disguised as the immortal/mortal trope, especially when the narrative itself points out its true nature!! Totally eclipses the otherwise intriguing Rapunzel retelling.
Habibi, Tonyi Onyebuchi: This was unlike anything I’ve ever read before. My heart was broken and made whole at the same time. A close overall favourite behind The Coldest Spot in the Universe!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Death of parent, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Slavery, Suicide, Transphobia, Violence, Excrement, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism
Graphic warnings for global warming/climate change and imprisonment. Moderate warnings for loss of a loved one, nuclear bombs and bombs. Minor warnings for drowning and menstruation.leahlovesloslibros's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
This is the first We Need Diverse Books Anthology I've read. It was refreshing to see a whole book with stories based on diverse characters. The uniqueness mostly included race, gender, and sexual orientation, although there were other aspects of diversity as well. Stories were written by Own Voices authors, which made it that much more special to read.
I liked reading a variety of fantasy/sci-fi stories, though truly I liked the fantasy more (personal preference). There were stories by some authors with whom I was already familiar, as well as some with whom I was unfamiliar. Being able to sample their styles of writing was able to give me a sneak peek into whether or not I may enjoy reading their books. While there were a few stories that I didn't really enjoy, overall this book was a win for me. If you are a fan of YA fantasy and science fiction, I definitely recommend reading this anthology of short stories.
I liked reading a variety of fantasy/sci-fi stories, though truly I liked the fantasy more (personal preference). There were stories by some authors with whom I was already familiar, as well as some with whom I was unfamiliar. Being able to sample their styles of writing was able to give me a sneak peek into whether or not I may enjoy reading their books. While there were a few stories that I didn't really enjoy, overall this book was a win for me. If you are a fan of YA fantasy and science fiction, I definitely recommend reading this anthology of short stories.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Cannibalism, and Murder
ceallaighsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
5.0
“Also, foreigners who came to Gaza would bring books. And we would sometimes fight over them. They were portals to different worlds. And in them you could sometimes see yourself. Even though they were rarely about Arabs, and rarely about young Arab boys like me, if I squinted, I could see in the contours of their heroes something of my shoulders and my hair and my hands and feet. If I closed my eyes, I could imagine myself as the main character. And I was a hero who did not destroy things but saved them.” — from “Habibi”, by Tochi Onyebuchi
TITLE—A Universe of Wishes
AUTHOR—edited by Dhonielle Clayton
PUBLISHED—2020
GENRE—YA Fantasy / Sci Fi
SETTING—fantasy worlds; spaceships; the future; alternate contemporary worlds
MAIN THEMES/SUBJECTS—lgbtqia+ themes, feminist themes, environmental themes, oppression, incarceration, human nature, love
WRITING STYLE—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
CHARACTERS—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️; Quincy (Tochi Onyebuchi’s “Habibi”); Dare & Dream (Nic Stone’s “Dream and Dare”); Sage (Tara Sim’s “A Universe of Wishes”).
PLOT—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️; none of these stories were really about plot, which I thought was interesting? mostly about character development, worldbuilding, and philosophy—the only story whose plot kind of shook me was Zoraida Córdova’s Rapunzel retelling (“Longer Than the Threads of Time”)—there was a twist that made me sit up straight in my seat. Waiting for the full-length book for this one *for* *sure*.
BONUS ELEMENT/S—Samira Ahmed’s story, “The Coldest Spot in the Universe” was an archaeology story!! And it was philosophically *fantastic*.
PHILOSOPHY—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️; especially “Habibi”, “The Coldest Spot in the Universe”, and “Liberia” (Kwame Mbalia).
This was such a great collection of stories—a very good mix with every story being completely different from each of the others in all respects. It also lives up to its description of “diverse” with trans rep, An/Ans pronoun rep, queer themes, BIPOC-centered stories, etc. Maybe would have liked to see a story featuring explicit Neurodivergent rep but I appreciate what was accomplished nevertheless. Short story anthologies are also such a great way to discover new authors!
To be honest I was going to give this book a 4.5 star rating until I read Tochi Onyebuchi’s “Habibi”, which is the last story in the collection, and that story alone bumped this anthology up to an easy five stars. 😂<3 I’ve already reread it seven times. 🙈 If you were only going to read three stories out of this collection I’d recommend that one, “Liberia”, and “The Coldest Spot in the Universe”. “Dream and Dare” by Nic Stone was also a personal favorite of mine because the writing, characters, and setting felt like an actual dream I’ve had and I was just obsessed with it.
“Please write me back.
Even if you aren’t real."
— from “Habibi”
I also thought the worldbuilding was particularly cool in Tessa Gratton’s “The Beginning of Monsters”—I didn’t quite follow the storyline of this one (it was gorgeously complex and my brain wasn’t following, will need to reread) but I definitely think that the author’s vision deserved many many more pages and I would 100% read a full novel/series based on this premise. It would make for an extremely interesting and unique high-fantasy series. The worldbuilding was also pretty cool in Natalie C. Parker’s “The Silk Blade”.
“We study the ancient ones to learn about ourselves. They are not a monoculture, not a song with a single note. They are a collection of stories, an endless symphony, a galaxy of stars.” — from Samira Ahmed’s “The Coldest Spot in the Universe”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
TW // physical abuse, domestic abuse, violence, blood, genocide, incarceration, torture, racism, police brutality, starvation, death, murder
Further Reading—
- A Phoenix First Must Burn, ed. by Patricia Caldwell
- How Long ’Til Black Future Month, by N. K. Jemisin
- Riot Baby, by Tochi Onyebuchi
- Black Sun, by Rebecca Roanhorse
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, and Police brutality
Graphic descriptions of incarceration.melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-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
I absolutely loved this compilation of diverse short stories! There wasn't a single one I didn't like, though I personally enjoyed the ones that were standalones a little better than the ones that were connected to previously written books. So many of my favorite authors are a part of this anthology, and I also discovered some new authors that I definitely need to try.
This book has a range of science fiction and fantasy stories and many different voices, but I loved them all!
This book has a range of science fiction and fantasy stories and many different voices, but I loved them all!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Racism, Violence, Grief, and Death of parent
booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
*I received a free review copy in exchange for an honest review of this book.
A Universe of Wishes is a well-balanced and fantastic collection of emotional and thought-provoking stories with excellent pacing as a whole and individually.
I'm in awe of the editor who curated this. Stories with more stressful topics are placed with more relaxing ones between them, but in a way that (for me at least) never felt like mood whiplash. I read this slowly over several days, pausing to let some stories linger in my mind a while longer before moving on to the next one. There's a lot of them, so I've listed one or two sentence reactions with CWs for each. I loved some more than others, but that's just because heists stole my heart long ago and I've never minded since. The whole collection works really well together and while I suppose some other arrangement was possible, this one feels right.
A Universe of Wishes: Funny and sweet with just the right amount of darkness. CW for violence (backstory), gore, parental death (backstory).
The Silk Blade: I’m absolutely blown away, this feels like a perfectly chosen snapshot of much longer book. I’d happily read anything in this style, it conveys so much emotion and context in such few pages. I’m dazzled by the ending, my goodness. CW for violence.
The Scarlet Woman: I haven’t read the trilogy that this story is tied to, but it was engaging and I enjoyed it. It’s definitely made to be read in connection with the original series, as it does great job of introducing the characters but leaves a lot unresolved. As a kind of teaser for the main trilogy it’s pretty perfect. Their personalities are obvious and engaging, their dynamic is interesting, and there’s hints at some pretty dark events that happened before (presumably in the novels). CW for sexism (examined), gore, death.
Crystal y Cenzia: This gracefully handles a setup and payoff in addition to the main plot in just a few pages. I had time to notice a story element, forget about it, then have it circle back around to surprise me and be even better. It’s a small thing but I really appreciate it. CW for queerphobia, racism, classism.
Liberia: Gripping and tense, making me quickly invested in the solution to the crisis which dominates the story.
A Royal Affair: A prologue for a series I haven’t read. It definitely feels like it’s best read in connection with the main series, but I enjoyed it. It’s complete and understandable, but its nature as backstory means it packs a lot of trauma into very few pages. CW for violence (brief), homophobia, abuse.
The Takeback Tango: So good that for a few minutes I forgot I was reading short stories and felt like I was about to dive into a long and heist-filled saga. I already knew I liked this author’s writing, but I love the feel of this particular story and I want more. CW for colonialism (backstory).
Dream and Dare: Packing the feel of a slow-burning mystery into a walk in the woods with an uncertain outcome. CW for queerphobia (backstory).
Wish: Perfectly balanced between what to show and what to imply about the setting, conveying a story which feels deeply impactful to the characters without getting caught up in minutiae.
The Weight: Plays with the tension and uncertainty inherent in desperately needing a question answered but dreading almost every possible outcome. CW for surgery.
Unmoor: A perfectly wound story of the ragged edges of grief and the lingering echoes of heartbreak. I felt winded just from reading it, the ending is very powerful. CW for memory loss.
The Coldest Spot in the Universe: The end and the remnants, and who carries their stories. CW for mass death (backstory), death.
The Beginning of Monsters: Establishes then reframes possibilities for moving and existing. I love stories like this which convey the way it feels to think about a technical topic one knows well, but without the exact details mattering to the audience. CW for child death (not depicted).
Longer Than the Threads of Time: This fits within the world of some of author’s other books, but it works really well by itself if you’re new to this setting. I hope I meet these characters again because I need to know what happens next, and it feels like there's a chance they'll show up later if the author continues setting books here. CW for imprisonment.
Habibi: A pretty perfect way to end the collection. The story touches on a lot of tough topics and ends in way that teeters between hope and despair. CW for imprisonment, suicide (not depicted), war (not depicted), starvation, death (not depicted).
A Universe of Wishes is a well-balanced and fantastic collection of emotional and thought-provoking stories with excellent pacing as a whole and individually.
I'm in awe of the editor who curated this. Stories with more stressful topics are placed with more relaxing ones between them, but in a way that (for me at least) never felt like mood whiplash. I read this slowly over several days, pausing to let some stories linger in my mind a while longer before moving on to the next one. There's a lot of them, so I've listed one or two sentence reactions with CWs for each. I loved some more than others, but that's just because heists stole my heart long ago and I've never minded since. The whole collection works really well together and while I suppose some other arrangement was possible, this one feels right.
A Universe of Wishes: Funny and sweet with just the right amount of darkness. CW for
The Silk Blade: I’m absolutely blown away, this feels like a perfectly chosen snapshot of much longer book. I’d happily read anything in this style, it conveys so much emotion and context in such few pages. I’m dazzled by the ending, my goodness. CW for
The Scarlet Woman: I haven’t read the trilogy that this story is tied to, but it was engaging and I enjoyed it. It’s definitely made to be read in connection with the original series, as it does great job of introducing the characters but leaves a lot unresolved. As a kind of teaser for the main trilogy it’s pretty perfect. Their personalities are obvious and engaging, their dynamic is interesting, and there’s hints at some pretty dark events that happened before (presumably in the novels). CW for
Crystal y Cenzia: This gracefully handles a setup and payoff in addition to the main plot in just a few pages. I had time to notice a story element, forget about it, then have it circle back around to surprise me and be even better. It’s a small thing but I really appreciate it. CW for
Liberia: Gripping and tense, making me quickly invested in the solution to the crisis which dominates the story.
A Royal Affair: A prologue for a series I haven’t read. It definitely feels like it’s best read in connection with the main series, but I enjoyed it. It’s complete and understandable, but its nature as backstory means it packs a lot of trauma into very few pages. CW for
The Takeback Tango: So good that for a few minutes I forgot I was reading short stories and felt like I was about to dive into a long and heist-filled saga. I already knew I liked this author’s writing, but I love the feel of this particular story and I want more. CW for
Dream and Dare: Packing the feel of a slow-burning mystery into a walk in the woods with an uncertain outcome. CW for
Wish: Perfectly balanced between what to show and what to imply about the setting, conveying a story which feels deeply impactful to the characters without getting caught up in minutiae.
The Weight: Plays with the tension and uncertainty inherent in desperately needing a question answered but dreading almost every possible outcome. CW for
Unmoor: A perfectly wound story of the ragged edges of grief and the lingering echoes of heartbreak. I felt winded just from reading it, the ending is very powerful. CW for
The Coldest Spot in the Universe: The end and the remnants, and who carries their stories. CW for
The Beginning of Monsters: Establishes then reframes possibilities for moving and existing. I love stories like this which convey the way it feels to think about a technical topic one knows well, but without the exact details mattering to the audience. CW for
Longer Than the Threads of Time: This fits within the world of some of author’s other books, but it works really well by itself if you’re new to this setting. I hope I meet these characters again because I need to know what happens next, and it feels like there's a chance they'll show up later if the author continues setting books here. CW for
Habibi: A pretty perfect way to end the collection. The story touches on a lot of tough topics and ends in way that teeters between hope and despair. CW for
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, and Violence
Minor: Child death and Suicide
CW for colonialism (backstory), mass death (backstory), child death (backstory), suicide (not depicted), war (backstory), gore, parental death, violence, sexism, death, queerphobia, racism, classism, homophobia, abuse, surgery, memory loss, imprisonment, starvation.