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ninetalevixen 's review for:

Nevertheless, She Persisted: Flash Fiction Project by Catherynne M. Valente, Maria Dahvana Headley, Jo Walton, Nisi Shawl, Carrie Vaughn, Brooke Bolander, Alyssa Wong, Diana M. Pho, Amal El-Mohtar, Seanan McGuire, Charlie Jane Anders, Kameron Hurley
3.0

Honestly, I'm not really sure I "get" flash fiction. Conceptually it's an interesting medium, but it's hard to really develop and convey a complete story in so short a space. And as always with anthologies, the results were mixed.

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"Our Face, Radiant Sisters, Our Faces Full of Light!" by Kameron Hurley
★★★☆☆
This one was fine, a solid enough opening for the collection. It's a bit heavy-handed, but I like the imagery of statues and the symbolism of monsters.

"God Product" by Alyssa Wong
★★☆☆☆
Although I appreciate the Asian rep, I wasn't really sure what was going on. And it was a bit more gruesome than I was prepared for.

"Alchemy" by Carrie Vaughn
★★★★☆
Deceptively straightforward yet compelling.

"Persephone" by Seanan McGuire
★★★✯☆
I would've liked more ... something in the ending, but the scenario is emotionally-loaded. Also, implied WLW rep!

"Margot and Rosalind" by Charlie Jane Anders
★★☆☆☆
This one just seemed meandering? There was a premise but just a bare hint of plot.

"Astronaut" by Maria Dahvana Headley
★★★✯☆
Oh, this was funny.

"More than Nothing" by Nisi Shawl
★★☆☆☆
When I sat down to quick-review these stories, this was the only one on the list that I had already forgotten all about. It's a nice enough tableau, but so many threads that didn't go anywhere.

"The Last of the Minotaur Wives" by Brooke Bolander
★★★★☆
I absolutely love the depiction of the generational struggle and of the labyrinth itself.

"The Jump Rope Rhyme" by Jo Walton
★★★✯☆
Not totally sure about some of the lines, but some of the others resonated with me.

"Anabasis" by Amal El-Mohtar
★★✯☆☆
Lovely prose but I have no idea what was going on.

"The Ordinary Woman and the Unquiet Emperor" by Catherynne M. Valente
★★★★☆
This story does so much in so few words and I am in awe.