A review by kitvaria_sarene
The Alchemy of Sorrow by Sarah Chorn, Levi Jacobs, M. L. Wang, Carol A. Park, Krystle Matar, Angela Boord, Intisar Khanani, Virginia McClain, Rachel Emma Shaw, K.S. Villoso, Madolyn Rogers, Quenby Olson, Clayton W. Snyder, Sonya M. Black
4.0
Being someone who fully believes that sharing grief and sorrow is the best, if not even only, way to help the soul to heal, I was looking forward to this anthology immensely.
Sometimes you need a break from your sorrows, and escapism and distraction is the way to go. Other days diving in the deep end, touching the bottom and just letting go is what is needed.
This book is for those later days. When you want to look the sadness in the eye, embrace it as a part of you, have a good cleansing cry and feel like you lost a boulder of emotional weight once you're done and come back to the surface.
Obviously, with topics as highly emotional as these, not every story will work for every reader. I'll try to say a little bit about all of these, in the book's order. Overall most stories were 4-5 star reads for me, which is a great balance for an anthology!
LULLABY - K.S. VILLOSO
I liked the twisted idea of this story, that took me a while to figure out what was even happening. A fascinating idea, but one that doesn't resonate with actual life experience with me personally (thankfully!), so this didn't leave as big of a mark on me.
SKIES ON FIRE-SONYA M. BLACK
I loved this so much. The different perspective of not just losing "someone", but losing parts of yourself, your life, your health. It was written in a really gripping way, and I especially adore how it very clearly states "This is not gonna change", while still giving you some sort of hope, as you can only move onward and try to adjust as best as you can. I felt this in my bones.
A MATTER OF TRUST - ANGELA BOORD
Boord I believe, is a word wizard. She writes books that sound like the opposite of my cup of tea, and then make me fall in love with them. This worked in Fortune's Fool, where she somehow managed to hook *me* of all people on a slow burn romance, and she did it again here. Using a character slate that I normally abhor, and making me care. How? I do not know. But feel it, I did!
A RECURRENCE OF JASMINE - LEVI JACOBS
I instantly cared about the main character, and was intrigued by the world and mystery in it. What does it really mean to be alive, and what makes life worth living in the end? Two very different perspectives clashing, which hopefully will make things better for everyone involved.
TWICE-DOMESTICATED DRAGONS - INTISAR KHANANI
I loved the topics and the hard truths in here, especially as they are so important right now. I definitely enjoyed the perspective I don't have much direct exposure to! For me the leap from funny gnomes to heart wrenching problems was a bit too big, but others might love it all the more for this exact blend.
THE WITCH IN THE WOODS - QUENBY OLSON
A fascinating tale about mothers and daughters, sacrifice, love and loneliness. I really enjoyed it, though it didn't manage to grip me as much as some of the others.
THIEF - VIRGINIA MCCLAIN
This didn't hurt, no it made me calm. Why? Because it felt so much like my own experience. A few glimpses, a few moments might not actually make a difference for the world, but it might be the tiny difference that manages to allow you to get to grips with what is happening. The one moment that turns something you just can't understand into a fact you can start to live around. This might not touch others nearly as much, but it was the one that mirrored my experiences so closely, it felt like it was written for me.
THICKER THAN WATER - CAROL A. PARK
I really loved to see how hate can be bred in those who did not hate before. How demonising someone can be the thing that actually turns someone to go down the wrong path. The balance of perspectives in here definitely put it's hooks in me all the way. I don't think I'd have enjoyed it as much if I hadn't read a book in the main series before though, which gave me a lot more insight into the world than this short story did.
DEATH IN THE UNCANNY VALLEY-M.L. WANG
I liked the sibling relationships in here, and how not everything went the way I expected. Seeing how differently people react to a hard loss, and how they struggle on their own to adjust, when maybe trying to stand together might be the way to ease the pain.
SUMMER SOULS - CLAYTON SNYDER
This was one of the stories that didn't resonate so well written me. I liked the world building and the main character, but I don't think I really "got" the deeper meaning behind this one.
RELIQUARY OF THE DAMNED RACHEL EMMA SHAW
The thought of my emotions and mental scars being visible to everyone is really scary to me. While I'm happy to share my mental health problems with people I know, or who have similar problems, I still like to look "strong" to total strangers. So I found this concept both immediately gripping and creepy. I think it would make life much easier if people could just see someone isn't fine on the inside. But weakness also means vulnerability, and this started a good thought process about it all for me...
THE QUIET-MADOLYN ROGERS
Another story I could really fall into. The quiet and calm that comes when it was all too much, and you just kind of shut down. Just function. It helps you keep going, but it also keeps you away from actual life. This felt so real and was written so compellingly, I lived it. (Wanted to say loved it, but this autocorrect typo is actually quite correct as well.)
THE PAPERWEIGHT WATCH-KRYSTLE MATAR
This hurt. In a good way, coming full circle to my intro. Nose dive to the ground, leave the emotional baggage on the ocean floor, salt the water even more, but come back up lighter.
This story about the loss of not just your family, but also your anchor, your safety, and in a way your home sucker punched me. The audio narration for this was also top notch and made it even more raw. I felt this so much, all the stages is grief, and the relief when you finally find some acceptance, despite the pain. So hard to read, but so good to have read it.
Sometimes you need a break from your sorrows, and escapism and distraction is the way to go. Other days diving in the deep end, touching the bottom and just letting go is what is needed.
This book is for those later days. When you want to look the sadness in the eye, embrace it as a part of you, have a good cleansing cry and feel like you lost a boulder of emotional weight once you're done and come back to the surface.
Obviously, with topics as highly emotional as these, not every story will work for every reader. I'll try to say a little bit about all of these, in the book's order. Overall most stories were 4-5 star reads for me, which is a great balance for an anthology!
LULLABY - K.S. VILLOSO
I liked the twisted idea of this story, that took me a while to figure out what was even happening. A fascinating idea, but one that doesn't resonate with actual life experience with me personally (thankfully!), so this didn't leave as big of a mark on me.
SKIES ON FIRE-SONYA M. BLACK
I loved this so much. The different perspective of not just losing "someone", but losing parts of yourself, your life, your health. It was written in a really gripping way, and I especially adore how it very clearly states "This is not gonna change", while still giving you some sort of hope, as you can only move onward and try to adjust as best as you can. I felt this in my bones.
A MATTER OF TRUST - ANGELA BOORD
Boord I believe, is a word wizard. She writes books that sound like the opposite of my cup of tea, and then make me fall in love with them. This worked in Fortune's Fool, where she somehow managed to hook *me* of all people on a slow burn romance, and she did it again here. Using a character slate that I normally abhor, and making me care. How? I do not know. But feel it, I did!
A RECURRENCE OF JASMINE - LEVI JACOBS
I instantly cared about the main character, and was intrigued by the world and mystery in it. What does it really mean to be alive, and what makes life worth living in the end? Two very different perspectives clashing, which hopefully will make things better for everyone involved.
TWICE-DOMESTICATED DRAGONS - INTISAR KHANANI
I loved the topics and the hard truths in here, especially as they are so important right now. I definitely enjoyed the perspective I don't have much direct exposure to! For me the leap from funny gnomes to heart wrenching problems was a bit too big, but others might love it all the more for this exact blend.
THE WITCH IN THE WOODS - QUENBY OLSON
A fascinating tale about mothers and daughters, sacrifice, love and loneliness. I really enjoyed it, though it didn't manage to grip me as much as some of the others.
THIEF - VIRGINIA MCCLAIN
This didn't hurt, no it made me calm. Why? Because it felt so much like my own experience. A few glimpses, a few moments might not actually make a difference for the world, but it might be the tiny difference that manages to allow you to get to grips with what is happening. The one moment that turns something you just can't understand into a fact you can start to live around. This might not touch others nearly as much, but it was the one that mirrored my experiences so closely, it felt like it was written for me.
THICKER THAN WATER - CAROL A. PARK
I really loved to see how hate can be bred in those who did not hate before. How demonising someone can be the thing that actually turns someone to go down the wrong path. The balance of perspectives in here definitely put it's hooks in me all the way. I don't think I'd have enjoyed it as much if I hadn't read a book in the main series before though, which gave me a lot more insight into the world than this short story did.
DEATH IN THE UNCANNY VALLEY-M.L. WANG
I liked the sibling relationships in here, and how not everything went the way I expected. Seeing how differently people react to a hard loss, and how they struggle on their own to adjust, when maybe trying to stand together might be the way to ease the pain.
SUMMER SOULS - CLAYTON SNYDER
This was one of the stories that didn't resonate so well written me. I liked the world building and the main character, but I don't think I really "got" the deeper meaning behind this one.
RELIQUARY OF THE DAMNED RACHEL EMMA SHAW
The thought of my emotions and mental scars being visible to everyone is really scary to me. While I'm happy to share my mental health problems with people I know, or who have similar problems, I still like to look "strong" to total strangers. So I found this concept both immediately gripping and creepy. I think it would make life much easier if people could just see someone isn't fine on the inside. But weakness also means vulnerability, and this started a good thought process about it all for me...
THE QUIET-MADOLYN ROGERS
Another story I could really fall into. The quiet and calm that comes when it was all too much, and you just kind of shut down. Just function. It helps you keep going, but it also keeps you away from actual life. This felt so real and was written so compellingly, I lived it. (Wanted to say loved it, but this autocorrect typo is actually quite correct as well.)
THE PAPERWEIGHT WATCH-KRYSTLE MATAR
This hurt. In a good way, coming full circle to my intro. Nose dive to the ground, leave the emotional baggage on the ocean floor, salt the water even more, but come back up lighter.
This story about the loss of not just your family, but also your anchor, your safety, and in a way your home sucker punched me. The audio narration for this was also top notch and made it even more raw. I felt this so much, all the stages is grief, and the relief when you finally find some acceptance, despite the pain. So hard to read, but so good to have read it.