This gets three stars simply because of how he treats her at the very end. It made me so f***king angry!

Other than that, this was my “well I’ve read Stephen King so let’s dive into other horror” intro into horror. I couldn’t have picked a better, or worse?, book.

While I’m not one for YA fantasy (or much YA at all), I loved this.

I loved the subversion of so many tropes and the not so subtle references to religious texts being held as standard for law, Cinderella’s edited story is definitely held in the same regards as American politics view the Christian Bible.

The queer representation was amazing. You had an obviously lesbian or bisexual main character and the love interest feels demi/greysexual. Oh, and it’s implied another character is gay. There was not really a hint of sexual attraction but the two obviously fell in love.

And the plot twist about the king? If that isn’t political commentary, I’ve never read any. Overall, I really enjoyed the queer and POC representation.

My only complaint is how her family never seemed to truly accept her “difference” and viewed her queer attractions as something to be fixed. There was a missed opportunity.

I typically don't like anthologies, but I have been making it a goal to read more LGBTQ+ content, both authors and stories.

I enjoy the quickness of the stories and the range of them. While some of the I could guess the ending, a few caught me off guard. Welcome to Hotel Paranoia was one of them. I loved the twist at the end, though if I had read this one more than half awake, I would have put a few things together quicker! The book started on a high note and that's what kept me reading.

I binge-read this one, and am actually rereading it so I can more enjoy the content. It is a perfect palette cleanser between more intense horror.

(I was given an eARC for the purpose of review. All opinions are my own. I was not monetarily compensated for this review)

A beautifully written sapphic tale. Carved through time, with countless little Easter eggs to our own human past.

A times this felt like a dance between Picard and the Borg, a bit of a romantic way of looking at what it means to both belong and be stubbornly your own. It’s just long enough to be satisfying and just short enough to want more.

And the little twist at the end felt just right.

I’m not one for anthologies but I loved this!

Sapphic stories abound and the collection highlights many gender identities and sexualities. There isn’t a bad story in this anthology, but my favorite is ST Gibson’s little peek from Dowry of Blood.

This is more queer and fantasy than horror, so I’d recommend it for anyone looking for queer representation. There are a few stories that verge on more horrorish but nothing is too extreme. I’d recommend it as a book for teenagers looking to get into both gothic fantasy and horror.

This is a fantastic primer on LGBTQ* history and the issues they have affected the community over the last several centuries.

It is colorful and written in simple language to be understood by everyone, with plenty of sectioning and diagrams to aid in learning.

It is a deeper dive into LGBTQ* issues than I’ve seen in college curriculum, but is friendly enough for older teens and young adults to understand.