mikkiokko's reviews
53 reviews

The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2023 by John Joseph Adams, R.F. Kuang

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring 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

This is the first short story collection I've read where EVERY SINGLE ONE of them was a hit! All of the authors featured are extremely talented and R.F Kuang, as always, knows what she is doing. She picked such great stories that were so confident, imaginative, and reignited my love for sci-fi and fantasy.  

While they were all great here are my top stories in no particular order:

1. Air to Shape Lungs - Great and creative immersion for the complexities of displacement, and all somehow done in 3 pages. Incredible work!
2. Beginnings – If you've read that first sentence, you know. This one also ended up shocking me in the end. The pains of being a women are felt so hard in this one and fuck those extremely American-suburban-white-men-murderer-dumbass-losers King & Prince. 
3. Sparrows - I have never felt so heart-warmed by an apocalypse! This was also a shockingly great read during finals week, not only because it helped coax the "never stop" mentality of higher education, but also because it made me feel like maybe there is a point to all of this stress. I am working toward a goal despite all the chaos of my life and I am fulfilling my want to learn no matter how futile it might be. 
4. The Six Deaths of the Saint - Holy fricking shirt balls. I actually have no words, just go read it! It IS one of the best short stories you will ever read, hands down, pack up your bags, flip the sign to "Closed".
5. Rabbit Test - The different perspectives and timelines was so vital to effectively communicating the necessity for bodily autonomy in this story, and I am thrilled to report it was done expertly here. I love this story so much. Yes. Yes. And oh yeah, yes!
6. Murder by Pixel: Crime and Responsibility in the Digital Darkness - So well written that it honestly felt real. I love how it focused on AI, but also the companies involved and society as a whole. Just made me think a lot and I like that :)
7. In the Beginning of Me I Was a Bird - First of all, AMAZING title. Secondly, wow, I love when people use the English language like this! Minus the stalking, a pretty story too. 
8. The Difference Between Love and Time - Yeah I giggled my ass off and bawled my bug-looking eyes out, are you going to pretend like you didn't?

On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

Such an awesome, cool, and fascinating world! I could live in this book forever!!! The characters are so lovable, what a great book! 

Ms Ice Sandwich by Mieko Kawakami

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I feel so cozy and my heart has been greatly warmed! I've never quite understood the appeal of a book that deals with the mundane, but this book made me understand that completely. I loved the simplicity and felt really immersed. The narration was also amazing! It really felt like a fourth grader boy was narrating and his nervousness was something I could absolutely relate to when I was his age. This healed my younger self. LOVE LOVE LOVE this book!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

adventurous dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

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

The writing in this book–especially at the end–is SUBLIME! I need more of it!!! And look, please don't kill me, but the ending of this book is what made me like this book so so much. It was exactly what the ending should have been, and a part of it did genuinely surprise me and flip my thinking on its head. And for so long I was just in an out of body experience of existential dread until the last paragraph. Again, SUBLIME! This is the second mythology retelling I've read and oh my god do I need more!!!!! I love it! 

Finally–screw that Pyrrhus kid. I don't care that he's twelve, that little shit is a murderous egotistical sociopath and is easily the most terrifying part of this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Murder, Violence, and Death

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I will be thinking about this book forever. 

Garlic & the Witch by Bree Paulsen

adventurous hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

My cheeks hurt from smiling the whole time I was reading this! Garlic, Carrot, Agnes, Count, and all the other vegetable folk have a hold on my heart!

Garlic & the Vampire by Bree Paulsen

adventurous hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

I have never felt so happy and cozy from a book 🥹

The art is so cute and the story so warm! Great for kids, but also so needed if you're an adult who has been pummeled by the world and needs your faith in existence restored.

They Called Us Enemy by Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, George Takei

challenging emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

Fantastic! The exact type of book that should be utilized in places like school to help teach American History and it's malicious parts. Takei's voice was great (I'll be honest I don't have the nostalgia for him like many others but he seems like the greatest guy!) and the art was simple but great. Highly recommend as a learning tool for teens and up.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Racial slurs, and Racism

The Night Eaters, Book 2: Her Little Reapers by Marjorie Liu

dark emotional funny mysterious tense 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

5.0

Liu and Takeda have my heart! They are such an amazing duo and managed to make this second installment in The Night Eaters possibly even better than the first (which was amazing!!!). I LOVED the world and magic building in this book, it's left me with such excitement and so many questions for the third book. I mean y'all, cosmic-plant-doll horror?!?! Yes please! I'll take double! The relationship dynamics were fucking fantastic!!! I love how everyone was trying to grapple with some moral dilemmas. Ugh, I loved it all! Such a great way to spend a day in October! And as always, Takeda's art is out of this damn world. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Violence

Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed

emotional funny inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

This was so good! The stories were so heart-felt, the art was stunning, and the world/magic building was out of this world! Absolutely recommend for a good little read! (Also that last part 🥲)