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axel_p's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
My Ranking of the Short Stories
Bride-Heart by Marie Rutkoski
Katrine and Rowan's Exit Interview by Sarah Gailey
Who Will Save Me by Julian Winters
Undead Ghoul Meet-Cute by Kendare Blake
Bloody, Lovely by Casey McQuiston
A Thousand More by Chloe Gong
Once Upon a Time in Charleston by Melissa de la Cruz
Kiss the Boy by Adib Khorram
Banes and Blessings by Hafsah Faizal
If You Give an Asura a Cookie by Akshaya Raman
In the Eyes of Angels by Alexis Henderson
Piano Sonata No. 13 by Kalynn Bayron
Pierce My Soul by Kat Cho
My Demon Prince Charming by Sandhya Menon
La Bruja y la Sirena by Anne-Marie McLemore
Bride-Heart by Marie Rutkoski
Katrine and Rowan's Exit Interview by Sarah Gailey
Who Will Save Me by Julian Winters
Undead Ghoul Meet-Cute by Kendare Blake
Bloody, Lovely by Casey McQuiston
A Thousand More by Chloe Gong
Once Upon a Time in Charleston by Melissa de la Cruz
Kiss the Boy by Adib Khorram
Banes and Blessings by Hafsah Faizal
If You Give an Asura a Cookie by Akshaya Raman
In the Eyes of Angels by Alexis Henderson
Piano Sonata No. 13 by Kalynn Bayron
Pierce My Soul by Kat Cho
My Demon Prince Charming by Sandhya Menon
La Bruja y la Sirena by Anne-Marie McLemore
Content Warnings
Minor: Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Sexual harassment, Slavery, War, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal death, Body horror, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Stalking
pagebypaigebks's review
relaxing
medium-paced
3.0
Undead Ghoul Meet Cute by Kendare Blake (4/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
This was a great story to start off the anthology! It was super cute and the background story was well thought out. Kendare Blake does not disappoint when it comes to spooky stories!
A Thousand More by Chloe Gong (4/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
I've never read a book before with reincarnated main characters but now I definitely need to! This trope is so cute and so was this story! I liked the dynamic between the main character and her love interest and their shared history was fun to learn about. The idea of a school project was a great way to incorporate this into the story!
Who Will Save Me by Julian Winters (2.5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️✨)
I've been meaning to read more books about angels so I was excited to read this. Unfortunately this story needed more explanation of the magic system and world. Especially at the end, I felt like I didn't understand why certain things took place like they did.
In the Eyes of Angels by Alexis Henderson (2/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️)
This story had a good concept but left me confused. I would have liked more descriptions about the magic system of this world.
My Demon Prince Charming by Sandhya Menon (2.5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️✨)
The idea of summoning a demon for your date to a party sounded like a fun idea. Unfortunately, this story was very cliched and had the insta love trope which I'm not a fan of. The ending also felt unrealistic and worked out a bit too nicely.
Katrine and Rowan's Exit Interview by Sarah Gailey (2/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️)
Another story where I wasn't 100% sure exactly what was going on. The island setting was interesting to read about and I was intrigued by the mystery of what was happening to the stranded sailors. However, I would have liked more explanation of what happened at the end.
Bride-Heart by Marie Rutkoski (2.5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️✨)
This story started out strong but lost momentum by the end. It had me wanting to try a strawberry pretzel pie for a while after finishing 😂. I would have liked for some scenes to be more drawn out (like the end).
If You Give an Asura a Cookie by Akshaya Raman (3.5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨)
I was excited to read a story about an asura because I haven't read much about them before! This story's romance was also cute but predictable. I appreciated the message of self love!
Kiss the Boy by Adib Khorram (3/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Our mermaid story! At first I was worried this story would also feature insta love but it wasn't as much as I thought. I enjoyed reading about the merpeople culture and community. My favourite character in this story was the love interest's sister, she was adorable and so supportive of her brother!
Piano Sonata No. 13 by Kalynn Bayron (4/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Another great story! I recommend this short story to everyone that just wants to read a book where the villain gets what they want. This one was definitely more on the creepy side and it had a moral dilemma aspect as well.
Once Upon a Time in Charleston by Melissa de la Cruz (2.5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️✨)
I really enjoyed the set up and descriptive writing style of this story but felt that it ended too soon. There was a lot of potential and I would have liked to read more about the characters and the café.
Pierce My Soul by Kat Cho (2/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️)
The idea of a world that knows about vampires was interesting to read about. Unfortunately this story felt a bit cliched and there was miscommunication between the main characters that took away from the plot.
Banes and Blessings by Hafsah Faizal (3/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️)
The beginning of this story intrigued me right away. However, as time went on I couldn't understand why there was a romance between the main character and the love interest. I also felt the ending could have been more developed.
Bloody, Lovely by Casey McQuiston (4/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
This was another great story! It was very cute and I enjoyed the romance element, but what I also enjoyed was the character development! I had a lot of fun following the main character's journey towards self love. This story also had the most satisfying ending.
La Bruja y La Sirena by Anna-Marie McLemore (2/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️)
Unfortunately, the writing style of this story made it hard to follow. I was confused while reading but was able to piece together what happened at the end.
My favourite short stories of this collection would have to be Undead Ghoul Meet Cute by Kendare Blake, A Thousand More by Chloe Gong, Bloody Lovely by Casey McQuiston, and Piano Sonata No .13 by Kalynn Bayron. Undead Ghoul Meet Cute, Bloody Lovely and A Thousand More were very cute and had fun supernatural/spooky elements. Both stories were fun to read and left me wishing they were full length books. Piano Sonata No. 13 was more on the creepy side but I really enjoyed it! I recommend it for people who love stories where the villain wins.
All in all there were some stories I found confusing or wished there was more development, but others I had a lot of fun reading. Overall I gave the anthology 3/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️.
This was a great story to start off the anthology! It was super cute and the background story was well thought out. Kendare Blake does not disappoint when it comes to spooky stories!
A Thousand More by Chloe Gong (4/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
I've never read a book before with reincarnated main characters but now I definitely need to! This trope is so cute and so was this story! I liked the dynamic between the main character and her love interest and their shared history was fun to learn about. The idea of a school project was a great way to incorporate this into the story!
Who Will Save Me by Julian Winters (2.5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️✨)
I've been meaning to read more books about angels so I was excited to read this. Unfortunately this story needed more explanation of the magic system and world. Especially at the end, I felt like I didn't understand why certain things took place like they did.
In the Eyes of Angels by Alexis Henderson (2/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️)
This story had a good concept but left me confused. I would have liked more descriptions about the magic system of this world.
My Demon Prince Charming by Sandhya Menon (2.5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️✨)
The idea of summoning a demon for your date to a party sounded like a fun idea. Unfortunately, this story was very cliched and had the insta love trope which I'm not a fan of. The ending also felt unrealistic and worked out a bit too nicely.
Katrine and Rowan's Exit Interview by Sarah Gailey (2/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️)
Another story where I wasn't 100% sure exactly what was going on. The island setting was interesting to read about and I was intrigued by the mystery of what was happening to the stranded sailors. However, I would have liked more explanation of what happened at the end.
Bride-Heart by Marie Rutkoski (2.5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️✨)
This story started out strong but lost momentum by the end. It had me wanting to try a strawberry pretzel pie for a while after finishing 😂. I would have liked for some scenes to be more drawn out (like the end).
If You Give an Asura a Cookie by Akshaya Raman (3.5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨)
I was excited to read a story about an asura because I haven't read much about them before! This story's romance was also cute but predictable. I appreciated the message of self love!
Kiss the Boy by Adib Khorram (3/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Our mermaid story! At first I was worried this story would also feature insta love but it wasn't as much as I thought. I enjoyed reading about the merpeople culture and community. My favourite character in this story was the love interest's sister, she was adorable and so supportive of her brother!
Piano Sonata No. 13 by Kalynn Bayron (4/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Another great story! I recommend this short story to everyone that just wants to read a book where the villain gets what they want. This one was definitely more on the creepy side and it had a moral dilemma aspect as well.
Once Upon a Time in Charleston by Melissa de la Cruz (2.5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️✨)
I really enjoyed the set up and descriptive writing style of this story but felt that it ended too soon. There was a lot of potential and I would have liked to read more about the characters and the café.
Pierce My Soul by Kat Cho (2/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️)
The idea of a world that knows about vampires was interesting to read about. Unfortunately this story felt a bit cliched and there was miscommunication between the main characters that took away from the plot.
Banes and Blessings by Hafsah Faizal (3/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️)
The beginning of this story intrigued me right away. However, as time went on I couldn't understand why there was a romance between the main character and the love interest. I also felt the ending could have been more developed.
Bloody, Lovely by Casey McQuiston (4/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
This was another great story! It was very cute and I enjoyed the romance element, but what I also enjoyed was the character development! I had a lot of fun following the main character's journey towards self love. This story also had the most satisfying ending.
La Bruja y La Sirena by Anna-Marie McLemore (2/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️)
Unfortunately, the writing style of this story made it hard to follow. I was confused while reading but was able to piece together what happened at the end.
My favourite short stories of this collection would have to be Undead Ghoul Meet Cute by Kendare Blake, A Thousand More by Chloe Gong, Bloody Lovely by Casey McQuiston, and Piano Sonata No .13 by Kalynn Bayron. Undead Ghoul Meet Cute, Bloody Lovely and A Thousand More were very cute and had fun supernatural/spooky elements. Both stories were fun to read and left me wishing they were full length books. Piano Sonata No. 13 was more on the creepy side but I really enjoyed it! I recommend it for people who love stories where the villain wins.
All in all there were some stories I found confusing or wished there was more development, but others I had a lot of fun reading. Overall I gave the anthology 3/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Death, Animal death, Gore, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Cancer and Alcoholism
emily_mh's review against another edition
4.0
This anthology was definitely out of my comfort zone, considering I generally don’t like paranormal romances. But I’m so glad I picked it up! It ended up being a really solid read with lots of creativity. My favourites were A Thousand More and If You Give an Asura a Cookie. My least favourite was Once Upon a Time in Charleston. As a side note, the audiobook was great, apart from for the last story, which I’ll explain.
My individual reviews for each story are as follows:
Undead Ghoul Meet-Cute by Kendare Blake: the age gap was kind of weird and unnecessary. The concept was good though, similar to the movie Before Sunrise. I appreciated that the focus was more on Marie coming to terms with her existence, with the emotions she had about her life being cut short before she had the adventures she wanted.
A Thousand More by Chloe Gong: I love the soulmates trope so this was an instant hit with me. Couple it with demisexual rep and a boarding school setting and it’s understandable why this was one of my favourites! The devotion between Tally and Nate was wonderful, and I loved the glimpses of Chinese history we got through the narration of their past love stories.
Who Will Save Me by Julian Winters: this was another story with a slightly odd and unnecessary age gap. But I liked that even though it was from an angel’s perspective the angel wasn’t stereotypically brooding or something. The romance was fairly cute but the best part was the queer found family, the support Eli, Micah and Zion gave one another. There was also some quick and clever world building regarding fallen angels and The Guide.
In the Eyes of Angels by Alexis Henderson: in terms of editing, I don’t think this should have been placed directly after another fallen angel story. But this was a great instalment in the anthology! I loved the writing style. It was melancholy but the actual story didn’t end that way at all. It had a hopeful and regenerative ending.
My Demon Prince Charming by Sandhya Menon: this was sweet and fun! A very classic YA demon romance vibe. I don’t think it needed the “we were meant to be together” thing, that felt a little forced, and I think it could have done with more plot direction.
Katrine and Rowan’s Exit Interview by Sarah Gailey: okay this was fascinating but I also have no idea what happened. I did think that the love story between Katrine and Rowan was nice though! It seemed very caring. Rowan was also a great character to follow.
Bride-Heart by Marie Rutkoski: Rutkoski is a problematic author in my view, so I’m not reviewing this story.
If You Give an Asura a Cookie by Akshaya Raman: I loved this one. It has a wonderful You’ve Got Mail kind of storyline, and I’m a sucker for secret identity twists! I loved how much the MCs taught each another and grew together. Their connection, built as it was over years, was super believable.
Kiss the Boy by Adib Khorram: I think this would have worked better as a full-length novel because while I loved the concept, I had a hard time believing in their MCs’ connection considering it was only built over two short dates!
Piano Sonata No. 13 by Kalynn Bayron: I thought the ending was kind of abrupt but I loved Bayron’s creativity. I loved how sapphic women were centred and had so much power over predatory men.
Once Upon a Time in Charleston by Melissa de la Cruz: you know the drill. I don’t think stories that build off an author’s other work belong in an unrelated anthology, and that is what this story was. It was also kind of meh and lacking in the supernatural department, although I did appreciate that the narrative showed how you don’t have to stick with tradition for tradition’s sake.
Pierce My Soul by Kat Cho: in terms of editing, this shouldn’t have been place after another vampire story (not that the previous story was particularly supernatural, as aforementioned). But this was nice!! I like a second-chance romance and this was one well done, the supernatural element being central to the story.
Bones and Blessings by Hafsah Faizal: I like Faizal’s writing style, and appreciated that the story didn’t feel rushed in any way. The ending is hopeful but also doesn’t try to assert that the two MCs, who have just met each other, are desperately in love, which I liked. A standout quote for me was: “…the word man was never meant to be synonymous with monster.”
Bloody, Lovely by Casey McQuiston: This is the third and final story with a slightly weird and unnecessary age gap. But it had a really original twist on the Bloody Mary story and a super satisfying conclusion. I liked how the MC underwent character development in figuring out they were trans.
La Bruja and La Sirena by Anna-Marie McLemore: unfortunately this story was ruined for me by the poor audiobook narration. I genuinely did not realise this was dual POV until about halfway through the story, by which point I was utterly confused. And realising the format of the story actually didn’t end up helping, as the issue was that the narrator didn’t audibly differentiate between the two POVs. From what I can gather, this story gave a new take on the siren/sea witch relationship (i.e. reconceptualising the dynamics of Ariel and Ursula), which I thought was cool. I also liked the idea of rapidly switching dual POVs, even if I couldn’t enjoy it here.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Death, Gaslighting, Violence, Domestic abuse, Murder, Cursing, and Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity, Alcohol, Sexual assault, Fire/Fire injury, Cancer, Classism, Grief, War, Transphobia, Slavery, Car accident, Child abuse, Stalking, Gore, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Deportation, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Rape, Sexism, Animal death, Cannibalism, Colonisation, Physical abuse, Drug use, Racism, Misogyny, Body horror, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Suicide, and Vomit
Minor: loss of a loved one, epidemic, mention of foster care, explosion, self injury, menstruation, divorce, drought, childbirth
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