Thanks to Edelweiss and Harper for the E-ARC!

Overall, I really loved this anthology and can't wait to start recommending it to people when it comes out. A couple of the stories weren't my favourite and didn't feel cohesive enough to be a short story. Which is tricky, because there were also some that I loved and thought worked well as a short story and would read a whole novel about! Short stories are tricky, but part of my major is creative writing and I have written more than my fair share of them, so I think I may be a bit harder when it comes to them in a way a casual reader would not be.
I loved that the author got to write a little blurb after their story outlining the tale they've based their narrative off of and what they changed and why, which I loved and as a white person with basically no culture, I loved getting to hear some new stories. Many of the stories had a feminist twist to them as well - which a few author mentioned they did purposely, as some of the tales paint the woman in a bad light - which is fitting for an anthology with a majority of woman writers.

My rating averages 3.6 stars across the 15 stories, but here are my ratings broken down:
Forbidden Fruit - Roshani Chokshi
5/5 - I love Chokshi's writing a lot, and I love the way this was told like an actual fairytale in its tone.
Olivia’s Table - Alyssa Wong
5/5 - I cried. Reminded me a bit of Man, by Kim Thuy because of the heavy presence of food in it's main theme (though that novel Vietnamese, where this story is Chinese).
Steel Skin - Lori M. Lee
3/5 - Super interesting, but I felt like it was too disconnected to be a short story.
Still Star-Crossed - Sona Charaipotra
3/5 - The plot wasn't enough for me. Not sure if this makes sense, but it felt loose? I still enjoyed it, though.
The Counting of Vermillion Beads - Aliette De Bodard
3/5 - I was kinda bored by this one, but I liked the depth of the story.
The Land of the Morning Calm - E.C. Myers
3.5/5 - Good, but I wish it was richer, like the what the author describes in their blurb at the end. World-building is difficult in a short story, but I think it could have been incorporated, had we not been given so much extra family fluff.
The Smile - Aisha Saeed
5/5 - That’s how you write a flushed out short story! Love the feminist vibes, too. I really want to read her other works, now!
Girls Who Twirl and Other Dangers - Pretti Chhibber
2/5 - this one was super boring to me, and I kinda hated the plot, it just felt super juvenile.
Nothing into All - Renee Ahdieh
4/5 - Love the depth to this story, and it’s a perfect tale for a story this size.
Spear Carrier - Rahul Kanakia
2/5 - Maybe it’s just cause I hate the style of narrative that addresses the reader directly, but this was so boring to me. There is so much more of a world that needs to be flushed out here, and there wasn’t enough room. And minimal character development.
Code of Honor - Melissa De La Cruz
4/5 - THAT’S FUCKING COOL! A great short story, cohesive enough, and god damn do I want to read her blue blood series now!
Bullet, Butterfly - Elsie Chapman
4/5 - Love the world chapman created around the two characters. Super interesting! Normally, I hate a plot based around gender-bending. But it redeems itself!
Daughter of the Sun - Shveta Thakrar
4/5 - a bit of a higher rating after reading the author’s blurb afterwards. Knowing the way she twined the two epics together makes me appreciate the story a bit more.
The Crimson Cloak - Cindy Pon
3/5 - Not much plot to make me want more, where was the conflict? I liked the tale, nonetheless.
Eyes Like Candlelight - Julie Kagawa
4/5 - Love the complexity of the characters. I would love to read a whole novel about Yuki!

This is a fantastic anthology and I learned a lot of cool new stories from it, so I totally recommend picking it up in June!