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ciuli's review against another edition
3.0
Giving this book 3,5/5 stars because every single story in this book was really nice and pleasant to read. But I can't give it more because short stories are really not my cup of tea. I know what I was getting into when I bought this books but still, I tried anyway. Some stories were funny and made me smile and crack up, while others were deeper and faced more complicated issues. however, my problem is that I get too attached to characters and short stories won't do it for me because once I finished one I wanted to know more about the hracaters and their lives, like my brain didn't catch the part were 'there is no "more"'.
lyndsayscan's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? N/A
4.0
eponineeurydice's review against another edition
5.0
This was really really good! I loved almost all of these stories, there was just such a cool variety of stories and I loved them! Such a talented group of writirs, and I also loved that it was all historical! This was just a very lovely, refreshing read.
ashley_heuser's review against another edition
1.0
I wanted to like this book, and for a time I thought this had to be at least a four star review. I loved the piece from Mackenzie Lee and I am a fan of all of her work. However, this book is saturated with ableism to a shameful extent. There is a story about a Deaf boy who falls in love with Robin Hood. Unfortunately, this character is written by a Hearing author who plays into all of the stereotypes. The character has abnormally good eyesight. Oftentimes, authors pit blind and Deaf people against each other, and this author did the same thing by having writing, "how could we, especially me, have been so blind?" Even using disability as a metaphor is offensive because disability is always used as a negative connotation. The Hearing author did not address his privilege at all and lazily relied on overused and offensive stereotypes. Additionally, so many other stories focus on finding cures for characters' disabilities rather than simply letting them live and thrive with their disabilities. "Every Shade of Red" and the repeated Cure Narrative's inclusion and Mitchell's inability to understand who this could impact disabled and Deaf readers really begs the question "Is this collection for all queer teens or just the able-bodied ones?"
This is slightly tangential, but one of the stories also hinted at the dangers of dealing with darkness (magic) and said something to the effect, "Just look what happened with Roanoke" alluding to the so called "lost colony of Roanoke." This was also lazy story telling because most colonial historians believe that an indigenous tribe took in the colonists after particularly harsh winters. By playing into the idea of a "lost colony" being associated with "darkness," the author conflates indigenous Americans with darkness which, again, is shameful.
This is slightly tangential, but one of the stories also hinted at the dangers of dealing with darkness (magic) and said something to the effect, "Just look what happened with Roanoke" alluding to the so called "lost colony of Roanoke." This was also lazy story telling because most colonial historians believe that an indigenous tribe took in the colonists after particularly harsh winters. By playing into the idea of a "lost colony" being associated with "darkness," the author conflates indigenous Americans with darkness which, again, is shameful.
dreaming_ace's review against another edition
5.0
This is simply a wonderful collection of stories. And there were even a few about us aces which were amazing. (Even in Queer stories there is typically a lack of ace representation which why it was s0 cool we were included in this collection). These stories cover many different time periods and countries so whatever type of stories you enjoy you will be able to find one to enjoy in this collection. If you believe in Love this collection is for you.
bookwyrm76's review against another edition
3.0
Quality of writing was just as high, but I just was not into most of the stories. I think even the strong writing couldn't overcome my lack of enthusiasm for historical fiction.
leo_gurl's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
thefantasticalworldofsara's review against another edition
3.0
This is exactly the book I needed while working on finals! I could dip in out of stories and most of them were really cute!!
alexan13's review against another edition
4.0
Very strong anthology overall. My personal favorite stories were Nilah Magruder's, Mackenzi Lee's, Malinda Lo's, Dahlia Adler's, and Elliot Wake's. My number one favorite of the collection was Tehlor Kay Mejia's, which moved me to tears.
scarlett24's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
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? No
3.5