I was determined to read this anthology after I read Tochi Onyebuchi's tweet about his story connecting Palestine and BLM. I'm glad I read "Habibi," and I hope to read more stories like this.

Thank you very much for the ARC We Need Diverse Books!

Although short story collections aren't often my favourite, I thought I'd give this one a go. The premise of all these stories featuring some element of magic, with the added bonus of Diverse Authors, I was intrigued. And for the most part, entertained. Some stories were interesting, despite lacking the development I usually crave from stories. A few of them felt a tad too short and I would have enjoyed much more. In particular, I enjoyed the last one and the form it was written in. Overall, I think this collection is wonderous and I'm sure appeals to those who enjoy short stories.

I requested this mostly for the short story by VE Schwab - Being a Darker Shade of Magic obsessive, I NEEDED to know how Rhy and Alucard began their romance. I will absolutely go back and read the rest of the short stories ESPECIALLY since this volume is so focused on LGBTQ+, POC, etc

As always with anthologies, there will be stories people enjoy and stories that people don't. It's a matter of story telling and writing and characters. Some of these stories are linked to already existing universes - like VE Schwab's story and Libba Bray's. Overall, it was an anthology that I thoroughly enjoyed and was glad to read most of the stories.

This SF/F anthology was a gorgeously diverse read - diverse authors, themes, characters. A blend of well-known authors/worlds with newer voices. Usually, when reading an anthology, there are at least a few stories that just don't do it for me. Not this time!

Favorite authors Libba Bray (Gemma Doyle) and VE Schwab (Shades of Magic) delighted me with new glimpses into their beloved worlds.

This book shows how diversity and inclusion should always be done - as a given. Even when it's fantastical fiction, reflect our world. All of the stars!

These stories are well cut stones, carved down to gems, giving glimpses of very different worlds, all with a shared value of the worth of every person.

I really loved this collection of stories. It might be my favorite anthology I've read. There were some stories I liked more than others, but I didn't dislike any of them. Even the stories that weren't my favorites were still really great and really well written. I had a great time reading this book. I wasn't able to read Dhonielle Clayton's story as it wasn't included in this early copy. Full of really complex, sweet and diverse characters, this collection is not to be missed by everyone who likes short stories.

I really, really loved this!
There’s so much diversity and representation.
We have short stories that are set in well known worlds like The Scarlet Women by Libba Bray (Gemma Doyel), A Royal Affair by V.E. Schwab (Shades of Magic) and Longer Than The Threads of Time by Zoraida Cordova (Brooklyn Brujas). I rated most of the short stories in this collection 4 stars, only a few got a 3. We have a science fiction heist story, a magical realism male/male breakup story, a modernized genie story, etc..
I did get an early NetGalley e-arc and unfortunately Dhonielle Clayton’s story wasn’t included but I’m definitely buying a copy when this releases and will read it then!

This book was received as an ARC from Random House Children's - Crown Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have been waiting for a collaboration like this in a very long time. Each story was grasping to the eye and you could not help but to read all of them in a short time. This book really takes you away and makes you part of the stories and along for the ride. Learning that this is the fifth installment from these brilliant authors featured makes me more excited to read these collaborations and be on the journey too. I know our teen book club will have a blast talking about this book and I can't wait to be a part of it.

We will consider adding this title to our YA collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.