1. Daughter of the Book (Dahlia Adler) - 3.5/5 stars
2. You're a Stranger Here (Mackenzi Lee) - 2/5 stars
3. The Magician (Erin Bowman) - 2.5/5 stars
4. Lady Firebrand (Megan Shepherd) - 3.75/5 stars
5. Step Right Up (Jessica Spotswood) - DNF
6. Glamour (Anna-Marie McLemore) - DNF
7. Better For All The World (Marieke Nijkamp) - 4/5 stars
8. When the Moonlight Isn't Enough (Dhonielle Clayton) - DNF
9. The Belle of the Ball (Sarvenaz Tash) - 4/5 stars
10. Land of the Sweet, Home of the Brave (Stacey Lee) - 4/5 stars
11. The Birth of Susi Go-Go (Meg Medina) - 2.5/5 stars
12. Take Me with U (Sara Farizan) - 3/5 stars

Actual rating: 3.83 stars (you do get weird ratings when you read anthologies)

I received this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Reviewing and rating anthologies is usually tricky, because you can't always love all of the short stories they are made of; yet, for The Radical Element, I can say that I enjoyed all of them and that the messages the anthology was trying to get through were executed well. The Radical Element is an empowering read that focuses on young women who didn't fit within the norms of society, who were marginalized and learnt to respect and step up for themselves.

The short stories manage to make you learn historical details you might not have suspected, especially since the stories of those young women would be stories erased from the records of history. In a way, it puts the stress that history was made as much by women than by men, even though so many of them had to work in the shadows (for that, I'm considering Lady Firebrand, which was one of my favourite stories) and thanks to some of the authors' notes, you might even get recommendations for non-fiction history books on women.

As I'm more interested in the 19th century than in the 20th century, I have to confess that I loved the short stories set from 1838 to 1927 more, because those are set in time periods that compel me, but that's personal preference and they all were pretty good. My personal favourites were Lady Firebrand by Megan Sheperd, Glamour by Anna-Marie McLemore and Better for all the world by Marieke Nijkamp. Some of them include fantasy elements, which I really loved, considering mixing history and fantasy is one of my favourite things. I discovered several new authors through this anthology and will make sure to check some of their novels out.

Another thing I loved was that it didn't have a lot of romance, it was sometimes hinted, it was sometimes shown, but it wasn't the focus of the story, it was more about growing on your own. I would have liked to see more f/f romances though, it was hinted once in Step Right Up and there was a f/f romance between secondary characters in Take Me With U, but I wanted a bit more.

Now, I have to say that if you read the stories one after the other without reading anything else on the side, the endings of most of them must feel a bit repetitive, but it goes along with the main message of this anthology: it's about getting through obstacles that prevent you to be who you are and embracing your difference and that's such an important idea. I believe that this anthology should be read by as many young women as possible, to show them that they got this and that they can dare dreaming and fighting for what they want.

The representation in this book is fantastic – or that's what I felt, but for that, it's important to check out what #ownvoices reviewers have to say – and quite a few of those short stories were #ownvoices. This anthology is an accurate representation of what it is to be American when you feel like you're not wanted, when you're different from what the norm wants you to be: it tells the stories of women of colour, disabled women, women from different religions. It is an amazing example of the diversity young adult literature has been getting and what it deserves.

Overall, The Radical Element is one of the best YA anthologies I got to read, alongside A Tyranny of Petticoats which is its close second (it makes sense, considering A Tyranny of Petticoats was edited by Jessica Spotswood and focused on similar themes). It delivers such important messages and might have a lasting impact on young adults who will read it, as its heroines were relatable and might make you want to fight harder to defend what you believe in.

**I received an Advanced Reader Copy from NetGalley for review**

I may not be the right person for this book. I agree with a lot of what was being said in this book, however I do not think it should be so heavy handed. I understand that they need to convey their theme and meaning in a shorter amount of words, but I really did not connect with the way things were being portrayed in these short stories. Overall, I was not overly enchanted or entertained with this book, but I think someone who really loves short stories would enjoy.

Disappointed by this one. Writing seems very amateurish and stories all follow similar patterns.

I really enjoyed A Tyranny of Petticoats, so I was delighted to be approved for an ARC of The Radical Element (which in no way swayed my opinion because hello, I would have read this anyway). Once again, this is a fascinating collection of historical short fiction featuring young women pushing the boundaries of what is expected of them. The range of topics means that there's something for everyone interested in some feminist YA, and it was nice to see care taken to represent people from different racial and religious backgrounds as well as characters who are trans, queer, or disabled.

There were a few stories that I really didn't care for (which I won't call out), but I adored Lady Firebrand (a paralyzed young Northerner and her free black companion sabotaging Confederate supplies during the Civil War), Land of the Sweet, Home of the Brave (a girl of Japanese/Chinese heritage trying to win a sugar company contest in the '50s), and Take Me With U (an Iranian refugee becoming obsessed with Prince and joining a punk band in the '80s). Even as an adult, these stories felt empowering, so I can only imagine their impact on a younger audience.

I'm not a huge fan of short story collections. To me, they either don't give you enough of the story to feel it was worth your time, or they get you hooked and then leave you wanting more. I decided to request this arc from Netgalley because I am a fan of Jessica Spotswood's writing. Overall, I ended up liking this more than I expected. It was extremely diverse and feminist. Here's my individual ratings for each story:

Daughter of the Book by Dahlia Adler: 2.5/5
You’re a Stranger Here by Mackenzi Lee: 2/5
The Magician by Erin Bowman: 3.5/5
Lady Firebrand by Megan Shepherd: 2/5
Step Right Up by Jessica Spotswood: 4/5 (kinda wish this one would have been a full novel)
Glamour by Anna-Marie McLemore: 4/5 (beautiful writing, maybe my fave out of all the stories, have a hankering to read more from this author now)
Better for all the World by Marieke Nijkamp: 3/5
When the Moonlight isn’t Enough by Dhonielle Clayton: 4/5 (really good, has me excited to read The Belles)
The Belle of the Ball by Sarvenaz Tash: 2.75/5
Land of the Sweet, Home of the Brave by Stacey Lee: 3/5
The Birth of Susi Go-Go by Meg Medina: 2/5
Take Me With U by Sara Farizan: 2/5

Overall rating: 2.9/5 rounded up to 3 stars

One other the things that I love about this anthology is all the stories have a great message. Each and every one of them show you a better understanding of what the characters are going through. Some of the stories characters fell a little flat to me. As well as the writing.

I'm really happy NetGalley approved this one for me since I really enjoyed A Tyranny of Petticoats.
And The Radical Element did not disappoint either.
I learned something with every story! They were all great and some were even better. My favourites were Megan Shepard's one about female spies in the American Civil War, and Marieke Nijkamp's about the horrors of eugenics.
I love the diversity of each story. It is so wonderful to see it in a historical fiction anthology since historical fiction is not always as diverse as it could be.

I loved the first book in this series so I was so excited when I read there was going to be a sequel (of sorts). This was well worth the wait. So many kick-ass women kicking ass and taking names. It makes you feel really empowered. As with any anthology I did like some stories more than others, but this was, overall, well worth the read. I would recommend it. 4 out of 5 stars.

Twelve stories giving a new lens on history. Each story comes from a different feminine and minority point of view. As in many collections, I liked some more than others. But all are important stories to hear juxtaposed on the mainstream whitewashed versions of history.

The Radical Element is a historical fiction anthology about radical and dauntless young women throughout American history. It follows girls ahead of their times, marginalized girls, girls who were in some way unconventional.

It’s the second book in a series. The first, A Tyranny of Petticoats, followed brave and “badass” girls; I read it more than a year ago, and I remember having mixed feelings on it. I liked this one a bit more, though it had its low points too.

Overall, this didn't disappoint. The Radical Element shines a spotlight on people who are often forgotten, erased in historical records, and who were considered outcasts because they didn't fit the norms.

One thing didn’t convince me: these two anthologies about the history of the USA didn’t include, as far as I know, any Native American authors. There were barely any native characters (Yakone in the first book, and one of the characters from this one vaguely mentions she has “indian blood” and lives in a “half-Creek and half-Cherokee” territory); since this is a otherwise fairly diverse anthology, this absence stood out to me.
Also: unlike A Tyranny of Petticoats, this didn’t have any f/f stories.

Daughter of the Book by Dahlia Adler (1838: Savannah, Georgia): 3.5 stars.
I had already read a book by this author – it was Under the Lights, a f/f contemporary novel I recommend – so I knew I really liked her writing style.
This is the story of a Jewish girl who wants to receive a full education and maybe become a teacher, which was something radical for her time period. I loved the many (not only historical) details.

You’re a Stranger Here by Mackenzi Lee (1844: Nauvoo, Illinois): 3 stars.
I knew nothing about Mormon history, so this was interesting. I loved the setting and what the Eliza says to Vilatte about faith near the end of the story. I like Mackenzi Lee’s writing style; this story didn’t have the humor or tone of The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue, but it worked just as well.

The Magician by Erin Bowman (1858: Colorado River, New Mexico): 3 stars
This was really interesting for a crossdressing story; at the end of it it’s hinted that Ray may be a person who would today identify as genderfluid/non-binary. That’s uncommon in historical books, but people like Ray have always existed, so I liked this. However, the actual plot was kind of boring at times.

Lady Firebrand by Megan Shepherd (1863: Charleston, South Carolina): 3.5 stars.
This was more interesting than I expected. A free black girl and a disabled white girl are union spies. Chemistry! Explosions! Of course, TW: racism.

Step Right Up by Jessica Spotswood: 4 stars
This was fun! A girl wants to run away from her abusive uncle with the circus. I really liked the main characters and the writing. The first scene drew me in immediately, and the descriptions of the circus were my favorite part.

Glamour by Anna-Marie McLemore (1923: Los Angeles and the Central Valley, California): 5 stars
I will read everything Anna-Marie McLemore writes. This was just… so much better than all the other stories in the book. It’s a magical realism story about the racism, queerphobia and ableism in Hollywood, and it follows a Mexican girl who is able to whitewash herself to fit in and a disabled trans boy. Both of them live afraid of being found out, but find each other instead. I loved how this story approached a scene which could have been harmful (Graciela sees Sawyer half naked) in a really sensitive way. Graciela never questions Sawyer’s identity.
Glamour reminded me of When the Moon Was Ours because of its symbolism, and in a good way – now I have a lot of feelings.

Better for all the World by Marieke Nijkamp (1927: Washington, DC): 4.5 stars.
TW: eugenics
I had never read an ownvoices story about an autistic girl before; it’s difficult to find them, especially in historical fiction or SFF.
Better for all the World follows an autistic girl who wants to become a lawyer. She is following the Carrie Buck case – who was sterilized because she was “feeble-minded” (that’s how they called people who had mental illnesses/developmental disabilities). The worst part is that some people argue that this should happen today too. It was infuriating to read, painful, but great. At the end of the story, the main character finds out that some friendships just aren’t worth it, especially when the other person doesn’t value you as you really are, or claims to like you while advocating for the oppression of other people like you.

When the Moonlight isn’t Enough by Dhonielle Clayton (1943: Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts): 3.5 stars
A magical black family drinks moonlight to be immortal, but their daughter wants to grow up and help her country win the war – a country that doesn’t value her at all. A really interesting concept, and the writing was lovely, but overall the story felt disjointed.

The Belle of the Ball by Sarvenaz Tash (1952: Brooklyn, New York): 3 stars.
I had never read anything by this author before. While the writing didn’t impress me, I can say I loved the main character’s voice. Rosemary is a girl who is struggling because her mother’s expectations do not include becoming a comedy writer.

Land of the Sweet, Home of the Brave by Stacey Lee (1955: Oakland, California): 4.75 stars
An Asian-American girl (Chinese father, biracial Japanese mother who was born in Hawaii) decides to participate in a contest to be the new “Sugar Maiden” – the girl whose face will be on the sugar boxes. I have loved everything I’ve read by Stacey Lee, and this was no exception.
Lanakila Lau was one of my favorite main characters, and reading about the aftermath of Japanese internment and the history of Asian-Americans in Hawaii was really interesting.

The Birth of Susi Go-Go by Meg Medina (1972: Queens, New York): 2 stars
A Cuban-American girl is coming to terms with her past (her and her parents were exiled from Cuba), family expectations and who she wants to be in the future. The grandparents she hasn’t seen in 12 years are coming to visit her, and she isn’t sure how she feels about that. I didn’t love this one; it meandered and it was far too long.

Take Me With U by Sara Farizan (1984: Boston, Massachusetts): 2.5 stars
I had never read anything by Sara Farizan before. Take Me With U is about an Iranian girl, her immigrant family in the 80s, and her love for music. It was short and I don’t have any thoughts about it – it was just ok.

My average rating was 3.52.

Interesting selection of story, some better than others. Not something I was eager to read and I struggled to finish.