A Universe of Wishes is such a beautiful and compelling anthology! It feels like there is something for everyone, ranging from fantasy to sci-fi settings. One of my favorite things about this anthology was the absolutely delightful LGBTQ representation. Whether the story featured a main or side character, almost every story had a thread of LGBTQ rep woven in. This made me so incredibly happy! Reading stories with positive and well-written LGBTQ rep is not as easy to find in fantasy or sci-fi as one might think, much less in such a lovely collection of short stories.

While some stories brought me to tears, others made me smile, and several sparked creative inspiration. I wished that many of these short stories would become full books! Every story is woven by a master storyteller. You can feel the writing craft and strength in these words, making it a joy to read. A Universe of Wishes contains retellings, sci-fi, fantasy, modern twists, and nods to stories that we assume we know.

However, trying to pick a favorite is an impossible task on par with some of the tasks posed to protagonists in this book! I will say that Habibi (Tochi Onyebuchi), Longer Than the Threads of Time (Zoraida Córdova), and Cristal y Ceniza (Anna-Marie McLemore) were three of my very favorites! The raw emotion in Habibi, the bewitching modern retelling of Rapunzel, and the acceptance found in Cristal y Ceniza stole my heart. I truly treasured and enjoyed each story. I would highly recommend this anthology to anyone!

A Universe of Wishes releases on December 8, 2020. Thank you so very much to Dhonielle Clayton, all the participating authors, Crown Books for Young Readers, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.