Community Reviews
Oh i loved this!!
As of any collection of short stories, some were less to my taste than others, but i still enjoyed each one in a way or another <3
There's also quite a bit of lgbt rep in here which i enjoyed thoroughly, and another reason for my enjoyment is that some stories had this fairy tale vibe to them that works wonders for me :3 Specifically : The Dubious Ladies of Mirador; The King's Witch; Bamboo, Ink, Paper, Clay and Rosebud.
Here are my short reviews for each story:
- The Fall Guy by Olivie Blake : one of my favorites! i already knew from reading Januaries that I could enjoy this author's short stories but this one stood out to me. I was so immersed in the story and the characters. But what made it stood out the most to me is the overall tone of mischief in the writing itself.
- The Dubious Ladies of Mirador by Melissa Marr: i liked this one enough, loved some parts of it but the premise being kinda insta love (which is the point here) is not really for me, especially in so few pages it's hard to execute well imo. I would loooove to read more of Mirador's story though, and this was still very fun to read.
- Until December by Kelly Andrew: this was really good to me, which confirms the already strong belief that i need to read this author's other books! She managed to accomplished quite a lot in this format, i was as immersed as when i read I am Made of Death.
- The King's Witch by Tasha Suri: a favorite, the pacing of the romance and the plot were 10/10, and how the romance is therefore developed really made my heart ache. The world and descriptions were lovely as well. I did read this one twice, because the first time i didn't read it in one sitting which impacted the emotional aspect of the reading experience in a weird way. So i don't know if it's a me problem or if the overall pacing was off. Either way still loved it and i will definitively think about these characters often <3
- Designated Virgin Sacrifice by Kelly Armstrong: another favorite, which came as a surprise this time since I've never read anything from this author. It was so fun AND a very well executed story with fun characters to follow.
- Second Class Magic by Kamilah Cole and Slay the Princess, Save the Dragon by A. C. Wise: a bit of a miss, still enjoyable though.
- Bamboo, Ink, Paper, Clay by Eliza Chan: read this right after rewatching kpop demon hunters, it was a great choice 10/10 would recommend.
- San’t Marten’s Book od Mild Melancholy by A. G. Slatter: loved the writing and the world, enjoyed following the MC, but this one suffered from the "short story that feels like an introduction to a longer work" thing, which is not systematically an issue for me. Like gimme more this does not feel like enough >:(
- Good Deeds and Their Magical Punishments by Hannah Nicole Maehrer: this one made me mad because the fun was there like 10/10, but the writing was a sloppy at times and the icky “oh she looks so innocent that turns me on” is a big nono. And then the insta love is still not my fave so yea a miss :/
- The Larkspur by Megan Bannen: Immersive writing, characters were endearing, and loved this introduction to this world! (Which is the same one as this author’s book The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy).
- Rosebud by Katherine Arden: Made me think of House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig because of The Twelve Dancing Princesses feel to it. Lovely writing, makes me consider finally reading The Bear and the Nightingale.
As of any collection of short stories, some were less to my taste than others, but i still enjoyed each one in a way or another <3
There's also quite a bit of lgbt rep in here which i enjoyed thoroughly, and another reason for my enjoyment is that some stories had this fairy tale vibe to them that works wonders for me :3 Specifically : The Dubious Ladies of Mirador; The King's Witch; Bamboo, Ink, Paper, Clay and Rosebud.
Here are my short reviews for each story:
- The Fall Guy by Olivie Blake : one of my favorites! i already knew from reading Januaries that I could enjoy this author's short stories but this one stood out to me. I was so immersed in the story and the characters. But what made it stood out the most to me is the overall tone of mischief in the writing itself.
- The Dubious Ladies of Mirador by Melissa Marr: i liked this one enough, loved some parts of it but the premise being kinda insta love (which is the point here) is not really for me, especially in so few pages it's hard to execute well imo. I would loooove to read more of Mirador's story though, and this was still very fun to read.
- Until December by Kelly Andrew: this was really good to me, which confirms the already strong belief that i need to read this author's other books! She managed to accomplished quite a lot in this format, i was as immersed as when i read I am Made of Death.
- The King's Witch by Tasha Suri: a favorite, the pacing of the romance and the plot were 10/10, and how the romance is therefore developed really made my heart ache. The world and descriptions were lovely as well. I did read this one twice, because the first time i didn't read it in one sitting which impacted the emotional aspect of the reading experience in a weird way. So i don't know if it's a me problem or if the overall pacing was off. Either way still loved it and i will definitively think about these characters often <3
- Designated Virgin Sacrifice by Kelly Armstrong: another favorite, which came as a surprise this time since I've never read anything from this author. It was so fun AND a very well executed story with fun characters to follow.
- Second Class Magic by Kamilah Cole and Slay the Princess, Save the Dragon by A. C. Wise: a bit of a miss, still enjoyable though.
- Bamboo, Ink, Paper, Clay by Eliza Chan: read this right after rewatching kpop demon hunters, it was a great choice 10/10 would recommend.
- San’t Marten’s Book od Mild Melancholy by A. G. Slatter: loved the writing and the world, enjoyed following the MC, but this one suffered from the "short story that feels like an introduction to a longer work" thing, which is not systematically an issue for me. Like gimme more this does not feel like enough >:(
- Good Deeds and Their Magical Punishments by Hannah Nicole Maehrer: this one made me mad because the fun was there like 10/10, but the writing was a sloppy at times and the icky “oh she looks so innocent that turns me on” is a big nono. And then the insta love is still not my fave so yea a miss :/
- The Larkspur by Megan Bannen: Immersive writing, characters were endearing, and loved this introduction to this world! (Which is the same one as this author’s book The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy).
- Rosebud by Katherine Arden: Made me think of House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig because of The Twelve Dancing Princesses feel to it. Lovely writing, makes me consider finally reading The Bear and the Nightingale.
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