jarshi's Reviews (189)

M Is for Magic

Neil Gaiman

3.5

funny lighthearted mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

We all know that Gaiman can write a good whimsical or mysterious fantasy story with both his hands tied behind his back. I don’t need to tell anyone that. And like all short story collections, there were stories within this collection that stood out more than others.

Best stories (in my opinion of course):

Troll Bridge: I really enjoyed the tone of this book. It read like a… very depressing children’s book. As I’m writing this I’m trying to figure out if the meaning I get from this story is positive or negative. Does the story end with the narrator succumbing to the self-destruction of his own life? Or does it end on the notion that even if your life is ruined—destroyed by your own bad decisions—it is stilled lived and unique and more than what many others have? Maybe it’s about the futility of running away from the inevitable. Am I thinking too much into this? Probably.
October in the Chair: MY FAVORITE ONE! There was so much sadness and suspense. A friendship between two unlikely children was formed from the mutual feeling of loneliness and a longing for understanding. And it ends on a cliffhanger that implies child murder. Cool.
The Price: Good kitty.
How to Talk to Girls at Parties: Can’t believe I read a story about a teenager nearly getting consumed by an alien… again.
I don’t count The Witch’s Headstone because it’s a chapter pulled straight from The Graveyard Book, and anyone who knows me knows I’m COMPLETELY NORMAL ABOUT THAT BOOK.

Magic's Pawn

Mercedes Lackey

2.75

adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

If you aren’t a fan of the Bury Your Gays trope, maybe skip this one. I mean, it WAS the 80s. My expectations weren't that high.

Content Warnings

Witchlight

Jessi Zabarsky

3.25

adventurous emotional lighthearted sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Nimona

ND Stevenson

4.5

adventurous emotional lighthearted fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Sword Stone Table: Old Legends, New Voices

Jenn Northington, Swapna Krishna

4.5

adventurous emotional funny inspiring mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

This book is a swirl of really, really good stories and ones that I wouldn't feel bad about forgetting. Below I will include a few notes that I made about my favorite stories from this collection:

The Once and Future Qadi by Ausma Zehanat Khan: What an ingenious idea to have an outsider observe and comment on the disintegration of Arthur and Guinevere's relationship.
Passing Fair and Young by Roshani Chokshi: Beautifully written with an ending that honestly made me a bit teary.
MayDay: The use of found objects to piece together an overall narrative is honestly one of my favorite forms of story-telling in writing.
Black Diamond by Alex Seguro: If you can make me care about any sport in any capacity, I count that as a win. I think this was the first story in this collection that legitimately had me screaming, and by the end of it, I was cheering for Arturo. Good work.
Flat White by Jessica Plummer: Arthur/Guinevere/Lancelot should've been the endgame for this one, I'm not kidding. Lancelot being a messy bisexual and a shitty boyfriend isn't something that I knew I needed, but I greatly appreciate being fed. GOOD FOR ELAINE! She deserves all the happiness!
Once (Then) and Future (Us) by Preeti Chhibber: The very fact that you had me sobbing over an Arthur/Merlin romance in FUCKING 2022 is a fucking crime! CHHIBBER YOU WILL BE HEARING FROM MY LAWYERS! AAAAAAAH I AM IN SO MUCH PAIN! THIS WAS TOO SHORT FUCK YOU! 10000/10 STARS!

I would also like to add that a Ki no Tsurayuki poem is dropped in one of these stories like it was NOTHING! I was so fucking shocked. I will always vote high for any reference to the Kokinshu!

Assassin's Apprentice

Robin Hobb

4.25

adventurous emotional tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This is 300+ pages of Fitz being manipulated and fucked over by every adult he has ever known and at the end, he’s just like, “Should I kill myself? Nah, let's not.”