Overall: Such a BEAUTIFUL, touching, and inspiring collection of stories! These are the kinds of stories I cannot wait to read more of in the future! Stories change lives, and it is so important to see a representation of all different people and perspectives to grow into someone who is able to love themselves and others!

PS: I don't read many anthologies, but reading these short stories during finals week has been a lifesaver! It's an easy and quick way to relax without the stress of fully diving into a long story or series.

FIVE STARS:
A Royal Affair by VE Schwab (5/5): I missed this world of magic so much and was SO excited to get back into this world! This brought up so many emotions and I definitely want to reread the series!

Unmoor by Mark Oshiro (5/5): Need something sad? This is a heartbreaking story about a heartbreak that makes you want to look away, but you probably won't.

The Coldest Spot in the Universe by Samira Ahmed (5/5): A story featuring the frightening possibilities of if climate change is not tackled. I didn't expect a story about climate change in this anthology, but I could not be more excited to see it! Although I think this story could be construed as focusing on pretending to feel better it is definitely more about the consequences of doing just that. In other words, positive thinking only gets so far without action

FOUR & A HALF STARS:
A Universe of Wishes by Tara Sim (4.5/5): Such a beautiful story that is full of magic and romance. As someone who isn't the biggest fan of dead bodies and graveyards, I still found so much beauty in this story. I can imagine this being a beautiful animated short.

Longer Than the Threads of Time by Zoraida Córdova (4.5/5): Love coming back into this world of brujas and magic! This is a really interesting retelling of Rapunzel with a twist. I definitely want to know what happens afterward!

FOUR STARS:
The Silk Blade by Natalie C. Parker (4/5): A fun, playful read about a gorgeously written battle, both physical and emotional. Somewhat predictable, but still a satisfying ending.

The Takeback Tango by Rebecca Roanhorse (4/5): A fun intergalactic story of thieves. Great for fans of Cinder and The Guardians of the Galaxy.

The Weight by Dhonielle Clayton(4/5): Would make such a cool animated short, possibly even silent?! Somewhat predictable, but sweet all the same. A lovely story about what love means.

THREE & A HALF STARS:
Cristal y Ceniza by Anna-Marie Mclemore (3.5/5): A beautiful Cinderella retelling that is both fresh and powerful.

Liberia by Kwame Mbalia (3.5/5): An emotional sci-fi story about familial love and one's connection to one's roots, in this case, literally.

Wish by Jenni Balch (3.5/5): A sweet story about a genie and finding perspective.

THREE STARS:
The Scarlet Woman (A Gemma Doyle Story) by Libra Bray (3/5): This was a story that I actually enjoyed, but having not read the series this is connected to, I was left pretty confused. For those who loved the Gemma Doyle universe, I am sure you will enjoy this story, but personally, I was simply left with so many questions.

Dream and Dare by Nic Stone (3/5): A little too obvious and predictable, but still an important message to share.

The Beginning of Monster by Tessa Gratton (3/5) An absolutely beautiful story, but I found some of the world-building confusing to follow. I wanted to like it more.

Habibi by Tochi Onyebuchi (3/5): Definitely a personal and emotional story told in letter form. There is a lot to glean from these words

This was a delightful collection of stories. As with any collection, some were more captivating than others. But I think the themes tied together nicely, even among stories of different genres. There's truly something for everyone in this book!

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Not sure why I waited so long to dive into this beauty.. but I'm disappointed in myself. It is filled with about 15 short stories that you will either like or love. For me, I think I was confused about one story because I never read the series before and then there's two other books that were okay but I wasn't completely invested.

So out of all the books, a lot were easy to devour and gave me some interesting characters to fall in love with. I think some of my favorites were the retellings. Or maybe the ones that I got retelling vibes (i.e., Cinderella, Rapunzel, Mulan, etc.). I think it's because of my love for all things Disney, which includes all the movies that I grew up with.

Other than all of that, I loved the LGBTQIA+ representation throughout these stories. I feel like I don't dive into enough books like that and I think all the characters were written really well. Another interesting thing was some of the novellas are making me want to dive into certain series next year - like Shades of Magic, and I'm beyond excited!

In the end, definitely loved this book and I will try to get more Anthologies in the new year!

A huge thanks to PRH International for sending this review copy over! All opinions are my own!

I’m not usually someone who reads a lot of anthologies. I prefer novels to short stories, and series to standalones. I have always been someone who gets overly attached to characters, so I want to spend more and more time with them. But, when A Universe of Wishes was first announced, I got super excited, because the authors that are a part of this anthology are all absolutely amazing!! So, I was incredibly happy when I got sent an ARC from PRH, and then I started reading it and every story was just better than the one before and it was such an incredibly rewarding experience, reading this anthology! And I would totally recommend it to everyone!!

Now, I thought a bit about how I’d like to go about reviewing this, and I figured just a list of all the stories and why I liked them would do? Maybe? I don’t know but let’s try!

A Universe of Wishes by Tara Sim - 4/5 :
This is the first story in the anthology, and it was so perfectly placed! It kind of set up the vibe for the anthology really, really well and it helped that it was also just incredibly beautiful, writing-wise, and absolutely adorable, story-wise! Really enjoyed it, and it’s the first piece of writing of Tara Sim’s that I’ve read, and I hear a lot about her steampunk series so I’m really excited to pick it up now because I absolutely loved this!
The Silk Blade by Natalie C. Parker - 4/5 :
This was SUCH a weird story!!! I really liked it, but it really took me a minute to get into, and I really couldn’t read the atmosphere that well! It was really….kind of ethereal, in a way, but it also stretched my suspension of disbelief just a tiny bit! That’s why I knocked off a star. Literally everything else about this story is perfect like ma’am, there’s sapphic longing and it is intense even if it only for a short time and I truly do not ask for much more.
The Scarlet Woman by Libba Bray - 4/5 :
I have not read The Diviners series yet (BLASPHEMY, I know), so I really did not have much of an attachment to any of the characters here. I debated not reading this story for a good minute, because I am pretty sure it’s spoiled me for a few things, but then I was like “fuck it” and read it anyway! From what I could gather of the universe, I was really intrigued! I love the whole 1890s New York vibe, I love the supernatural in the real world and the secret societies and the hunting and the murder mysteries tied into all that!! If this is a small taste of the Diviners for me, it definitely worked in building an appetite for more! I’m really looking forward to eventually being able to pick up the series as a whole!
Cristal y Ceniza by Anna-Marie McLemore - 4/5 :
Okay, I know everyone is surprised I gave an A-M story 4 instead of five, but that’s mostly only because I want more and this felt a little rushed because of there not being more so shut up. Also, yes writing. Fabulous. Would swim in it forever. We’ve been through this. I love A-M and their craft! This story, though, was so interesting because they took Cinderella and then they rewrote it completely differently and it was very very interesting to see the direction they took with the retelling! Like, I said, my only trouble was that I wanted more!
Liberia by Kwame Mbalia - 3.5/5 :
This was such a beautiful story! I truly, truly adored the concept behind it, and I loved the way the author brought the whole “we must not lose the value of community and nature even when we must scientifically advance” thing into the story. The only reason I’m rating it slightly lower is because I didn’t connect with the voice of the main character. I didn’t feel that emotion from him. I’m also not much of a Sci-Fi reader so that could also be it. Either way, it was more of a “it’s definitely not the story, it’s me” thing.
A Royal Affair by V E Schwab - 5/5 :
This story is like half the reason I picked this book up and omg it did not disappoint!!! MY HEART WAS BROKEN BUT I LOVE IT! V E Schwab basically emotionally abuses all her readers with these stories, but we keep going back for more and that’s that. This one’s a Rhy/Luc story! More like… a backstory. Read ADSOM and then read this and just… read Schwab!
The Takeback Tango by Rebecca Roanhorse - 5/5:
I recently read another Roanhorse story in another anthology and loved that too! And I have Black Sun on audio with me!!! I really should just suck it up and read it lmao. Anyway, this one’s a sci-fi story about a thief who sneaks into colonizer museums and takes back all the artefacts that they steal and obviously, such a banger concept, would read a whole book about this lady doing this forever and ever. 10/10!
Dream and Dare by Nic Stone - 3.5/5 :
Another story where EVERYTHING was perfect, but I just didn’t find that emotional connection with the voice of the character. I still loved the aesthetic of this story! And I looooove the sapphics in it and I love the whole monster thing. Like there’s a lot of stuff to thematically unpack that’s amazing, but enjoyment-wise, I didn’t get it all so I knocked off a bit IM SORRY!
Wish by Jenni Balch - 4/5:
This was SO WEIRD, dude!! Like so fucking weird. It’s another Sci-Fi that plays with the idea of like Aladdin and his genie and stuff and like it’s very well-written, but it’s also just super weird. Also, I did not understand what happened in that ending but hey, I vibed with it. I guess? SO WEIRD!
The Weight by Dhonielle Clayton - 4/5 :
Another really weird one! Reminded me a bit of Adam Silvera’s “More Happy Than Not,” simply because the Heart Scale Center existed in a very similar way to Leteo Institute- in that it just sorta exists and it’s kinda insane but no one says anything about it, you know. I loved the way love was presented in this story and while I didn’t understand the characters all that well, I still managed to emotionally connect to them. I also loved how open-ended the whole thing was! Definitely a weird one, but like super good weird!
Unmoor by Mark Oshiro - 3/5:
This was so stupid lmao. I’m sorry for being rude, but I just couldn’t handle this one!! I liked the magic system, and I liked the angst and the whole weirdness in it, but it completely fell apart when the motivations of the character became clear like come ON, MY GUY! It was all very miscommunication-leads-to-drastic-af-measures, but worse somehow. I just..nope. Sorry, nope.
The Coldest Spot In The Universe by Samira Ahmed - 100/5:
This story was my favourite of this anthology. This was just like my favourite piece of fiction that I’ve read in a while, period. DUDE, like it was SO SO SO GOOD!! I really don’t want to say anything, because I want y’all to experience it, but I’ll tell you this - It’s Sci-Fi, it plays with the question of what it means to exist as a human being and what legacies are and all that, and it has one of my favourite, FAVOURITE tropes in all of fiction : profound destiny! JUST...even if you don’t read the whole book, read this story! And thank me later!
The Beginning of Monsters by Tessa Gratton - 3/5:
This story made me feel so damn stupid oh my god. Credit where credit is due, the author did a great job with the romance and I also liked how they used neo-pronouns in the story and brought forth the idea of a society where four genders were the norm instead of two. Like all that was fine. It just felt like the author was trying to do too much in too little time. There was not enough time to build this really complex world with its complex political and social structures in the span of a short story! There just wasn’t! And this really overshadowed the good for me. All these weird names were thrown in out of nowhere and like I didn’t understand them at all, and it just pulled me out of the story to the point where I just wanted to skip it! I liked the concept a lot, but I think it just wasn’t one for a short story!
Longer Than Threads of Time by Zoraida Cordova - 4/5:
This one’s another twisted retelling of a fairytale! Rapunzel, this time! And it was super entertaining! It’s set in the same universe as the Brooklyn Brujas series, so that was a fun touch! It’s been a while since I read the first book tho, so I don’t know where this story would fit in the timeline, but wherever it was, it was super fun and I really hope there’s an easter egg in books two and/or three!
Habibi by Tochi Onyebuchi - 4.5/5:
This story is kind of an epistolary where two kids who are imprisoned in different parts of the world somehow end up communicating with each other. It’s actually fantastic, and the only reason I’m knocking off half a star is because the way these two characters get those letters to each other in this story is D I S G U S T I N G! But other than that, man, it was such a heart-wrenching tale and it was so beautiful and my heart was thudding and it brought up these really important issues in the world, too, and ahhhh it was perfect and I loved it very much!

I got a little rambly, but HEY, I am like this and you know it! Anywhooo, absolutely fantastic short story collection, overall!! Loved how beautifully Dhonielle curated it and I simply can’t wait for more from this imprint!! Definitely pick this one up, y’all!!

I received an e-arc of A Universe of Wishes from Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own!

A Universe of Wishes is a collection of diverse short stories that include LGBTQ+ and diverse characters throughout the novel. There were several different genres represented ranging from science fiction to contemporary short stories.

I really enjoyed all of the short stories, but there were three I loved the most. VE Schwab, being one of my favorite authors, wrote an amazing back story to Alucard and Rhy's relationship. While there are spoilers if you haven't read the second book in the A Darker Shade of Magic Series, it was still very enjoyable to learn more about the characters. The second short story I really enjoyed was set in the world of Gemma Doyle by Libba Bray. I haven't read the Gemma Doyle series yet, but the story really made me interested in reading it. The series sounds like one I would enjoy as it has historical elements and mystery to it. The third short story I loved was 'The Takeback Tango' by Rebecca Roanhorse. The short story features space, pirates, and revenge plots. What more could you want in a story? I loved how in such a short story, Roanhorse was able to make you want to know more about her characters.

I do have books from a fair amount of these authors on my TBR, so I'm hoping to get to them next year!

ARC was provided by NetGalley and Random House Children’s in exchange for an honest review.

This review is being published on the release date (December 8th, 2020, Happy Release Day!)


Content/Trigger Warnings: Brief desecration of the dead (A Universe of Wishes), death and talk of death (A Universe of Wishes, The Coldest Spot in the Universe & Habibi), loss of a loved one (A Universe of Wishes, The Takeback Tango, The Weight, The Coldest Spot in the Universe, & Longer Than the Threads of Time), grief (A Universe of Wishes, Liberia, The Takeback Tango, & Wish, The Weight) trauma/PTSD (A Universe of Wishes, Unmoor, & Longer Then the Threads of Time), physical violence (The Silk Blade & A Royal Affair), murder (The Scarlet Woman & The Takeback Tango), mentions of human sacrifice (The Scarlet Woman), homophobia (Cristal y Ceniza, A Royal Affair, & Dream and Dare), kidnapping/abduction (A Royal Affair), talk of colonization (The Takeback Tango & The Coldest Spot in the Universe), mentions of slavery (The Takeback Tango), mentions of genocide (The Takeback Tango), sexism (Dream and Dare), bullying (Dream and Dare), minor themes of misandry (Dream and Dare), chronic illness (Wish), brief mentions of infidelity (The Weight), mentions of cheating (The Weight & Unmoor), manipulation (Unmoor), depictions and talk of acrophobia (Longer Than the Threads of Time), talk of suicide (Habibi), mentions of physical abuse (Habibi)


I feel so blessed that I received an arc of this book. Truly, I fell in love with so many stories within these pages and I can’t wait to see other readers to fall in love with them as well. And can we take a moment to pause and praise the diverse cast of authors this anthology brought together to make this book happen? This line up is absolutely beautiful and there’s so much representation in that fact alone! There’s also a wide diversity within the stories from characters of color to characters not fitting the mold of society, all the way to the diverse relationships. Truly, a plethora of wonderful blessings within this book. This book itself is a blessing that so many readers have waited for. I really loved this book and I’m excited to share my thoughts with you a little more.

As usual, with any anthologies, bind-ups, etc… that find their way into my personal library, I like to do a break down with a mini review for each story that shares my thoughts and feelings! I hope you enjoy!


➵ A Universe of Wishes by Tara Sim ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I loved this story so much! If I could give this 4.5 stars then I would have. There were so many beautiful themes that were laced throughout this book and I think many reader are going to resonate with it. For myself, I was crying for the remainder on the story once I hit one-third of the way through. I also loved the way Thorn and Sage were falling for each other. It felt very slow burn, but with underlying themes of intensity. The only reason I didn’t give this a five star is due to wanting more. It felt short and I feel that if the author wanted to, they could turn this into a true novella or even a full book because there was so much that could be explored, the world sounds incredible and I want to know more about it, and I think readers are really going to want more backstory from both of the characters (though we do get brief backstories within this book).

“It’s sacred, what we do. The dead are to be respected.”


➵ The Silk Blade by Natalie C. Parker ⭐⭐⭐
I enjoyed this story. It’s very slow burn with themes of discovering ones sexuality/sexual interests underneath. And I love reading stories that have those two elements within it. Also, I loved how the romance between the two female competitors felt very unexpected especially due to the tournament that happens within this short story. However, though I loved these elements, I really wanted more details and the fact that this is a short story, some things felt rushed. The pacing felt quick and for my personal taste, I would have liked a little more world building. If this had been a bit longer, I think I would have enjoyed it more because it truly feels like there’s so much more that needed to be explored or details that needed to be given. However, I really hope this gets turned into it’s own novella because the way it ends makes you wonder what will happen next.

“Something has changed for both of us since crossing the Silk Bridge this morning.”


➵ The Scarlet Woman: A Gemma Doyle Story by Libba Bray ⭐⭐
I know there are some of you who are pulling your pitchforks out right now, but hear me out first. I have never read anything by Libba Bray before. I know, I know! Truly, I loved the writing and I loved what pieces of the world building we received in this book. However, this short story feels like it’s part of a bigger series, a bigger world, or a continuation of a story that has already been created. And that doesn’t sit well with me especially when I read an anthology. Personally, I’m not a fan of novellas or short stories from series that get added into an anthology because it feels like it doesn’t belong, depending on the details more details may need to be added because of a lack of context, characters are harder to connect with if there’s backstories already established, but not included in the story, etc… There were a lot of things that influenced my choice on rating this so low and I will honestly say, that in my opinion, many readers will rate this story low if they’ve never read anything by this author before. I think those who have read works by this author will love this short story, but unfortunately for me, this wasn’t my cup of tea. I think this would have done better if it had it’s own physical novella.

“Like a cat, I am insatiably curious. And, probably, like a cat, my curiosity will be the death of me one day. I do not intend for that day to be today.”


➵ Cristal y Ceniza by Anna-Marie McLemore ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I love retelling and when I say this feels like a Cinderella retelling, you will know what I mean once you read it. I loved this a lot. If I’m being honest, I would rate this 4.5 stars because I really loved so much about this short story. I loved how the story is about a daughter who’s trying to save her mothers and her family, as a whole, from being torn apart. I love that the love interest is transgender and the way they connect with our main character. I just loved it so much. I wish this would have been longer and I wish we would have received the name of our main character for this story. Aside from those two things, I loved this short story so much!

➵ Liberia by Kwame Mbalia ⭐⭐⭐
I loved a lot about this short story. I love the way the main character is so connected to their family and the way grief is represented in this short story. And I love that I was surprised to find our story follows a research officer for agriculture. I really loved that about this whole story. However, what I didn’t love was how often the main character was treated poorly or seen a lesser, because of their job title, not only by some crew members, but also by their leader. It’s never challenged except for one scene where the main character is pushed to a break point and risks their own life to same something that should of had a higher priority to the crew as a whole. I really wanted our main character to challenge others more on how they were treated, but we never really see that. Aside from that, I would have liked to have seen more of this story because this ends on such a heavy note. I didn’t feel good after this story ended and I think for many readers, it’s going to be a heavy for them as well especially since grief is a theme that’s heavily tied in with the story and main character.

➵ A Royal Affair by V.E. Schwab ⭐⭐
Once again, I loved the writing in this short story and this is my first time reading anything written by this author. However, this feels like another short story or novella that should’ve had it’s own physical book and shouldn’t have been included in this anthology. As I mentioned with a previous short story, I feel like many readers who haven’t read anything by this author are going to give this a low rating because it’s obvious this is a short story/backstory from a series and if they’re not familiar with the characters, the backstories, the world, etc… then this can lead to a poor reading experience. For me personally, I had so many questions that I wasn’t getting answers to that it felt almost impossible to focus on the story and it wasn’t the best reading experience for me. I think those who are familiar with the characters, world, series etc… this author created, they will fall in love with it or enjoy this a lot more than someone who hasn’t read the series this comes from.

➵ The Takeback Tango by Rebecca Roanhorse ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This short story had me in my feelings the whole dang time I was reading it. There are a lot of themes of grief woven through this short story, but what I love most is the theme of reclaiming oneself in the mist of that grief and finding a place for oneself again. This short story reminds me of a mission from Mass Effect 2 with Kasumi Gato and I love everything about this. I think the author did a beautiful job with this short story, the world building, the bits of backstory, and I’m really hoping this gets turned into it’s own novella because I’d love to see more. I would really love to know what happens with Vi and Valerian. It was an all around great short story to read. Definitely wanted it to be longer.

➵ Dream and Dare by Nic Stone ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I think this will be a story that resonates with a lot of readers. I know it made me feel a certain kind of way. The writing was so beautiful and the story line is very captivating, but what I loved most was the love that blooms between the main character and the love interest. I really wish this had been a bit longer because I loved these characters so much and I wasn’t ready to say goodbye when this ended. There’s also a lot of themes of how some women get looked down upon or treated poorly by their friends, family, other women, just for enjoying or wearing more masculine couture. And I think many readers are going to appreciate how this story addresses it and I love how the main character addresses it as well. Overall, I really enjoyed this, but I wish it was a tad longer.

“Dream knows Dare doesn’t need to be rescued. Not in the least.
The monster does.”


➵ Wish by Jenni Balch ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Every person with a chronic illness is going to be hit in the feels when they read this short story and I say that confidently, with my whole damn chest. If I could, this story would have gotten 4.5 or even 5 stars because any story that can pull emotions out of me, right from the gate, deserves all my love and appreciation. I loved this, I loved it so much. Oh, I wish I could go into details with this one, but I truly think going in with very little detail is the best way to read this short story. However, I will say that I can’t speak on the chronic illness (immune thrombocytopenic purpura or ITP) representation in this short story. But, if you’re reading my review and you have an ownvoice review or you know someone with an ownvoice review for ITP, then please link it so I can direct others to that review.

“I can do things; I can’t change people. Because Wishing another person different is never the right answer. Even if you figured out some way to make it happen, it doesn’t end well.”


➵ The Weight by Dhonielle Clayton ⭐⭐⭐
This is an interesting short story. I had a bit of a mixed bag about how I originally felt about this short story, but decided that genuinely I enjoyed the majority of this story. I have to admit, the opening of this short story made me think of something similar to Bioshock or something that felt very steampunk and I loved that. I loved that from the first impression, I was able to feel an atmosphere that was different compared to a lot of the other short stories in this anthology. Also, I thought the concept of how hearts were read was very unique. This is the first time I’ve ever read a book that takes the heart and uses it with a unique concept like the way it tells if you relationship is meant to last or not. It’s incredibly unique. However, my biggest issue with this short story was being unable to connect with either of the characters. Nothing drew my attention to their personalities, Grace’s character felt like it was too much while Marcus faded to the background , and despite the details of both characters’ pasts, I simply didn’t care what would happen to them. As a whole, this short story was enjoyable. I would love to see this world explored further and I would love to know what’s going to happen next because the ending left me curious.

➵ Unmoor by Mark Oshiro ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This short story is truly a gem and the only short story that resonated with me so much, had me crying the entire time, that there was no way I couldn’t give this story five stars. Mark Oshiro has been an author that has snuck up on me and has recently become a new favorite author of mine. So I might be a little bias with giving this short story five stars, but Oshiro has such a powerful way of drawing the emotions out of a reader with their writing. I remember a lot of details from a lot of the short stories in this anthology, but I remember everything that happened this is particular story the most. Truly, this short story is a treasure and this has me eager to read more books by this author.

➵ The Coldest Spot in the Universe by Samira Ahmed ⭐⭐⭐⭐
If this short story doesn’t make you appreciate your life or make you want to live it to the fullest, I don’t know what will. When I finished this short story, I had to take a huge pause from continuing my reading of this anthology because this short story left an impact with me. I think the author did an amazing job with the writing of this story because you can feel the encouragement radiating throughout this entire thing. It also has a unique way at looking at humanity and history, and I really loved that about this story. And, the way this short story is written is in voice log form. I have no doubt, that if this were an audiobook novella, it would sound beautiful because it’s one thing to be able to convey hope and encouragement, but it’s another to hear it from someone’s lips. My only complaint is I wish this was longer because I wanted more, so much more and I wasn’t ready for this story to end.

“Somewhere along the way, we decided telling lies to ourselves was the easiest way to live.”


➵ The Beginning of Monsters by Tessa Gratton ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Tessa Gratton has such a unique way of writing. Even this short story is so unique, but it’s something you can picture this author writing. There’s very much an essence of the author in throughout this story and I thought it was absolutely beautiful. Not only the writing, but the world building is so beautifully crafted. Though this is a short story, the author really conveys the image of this world very well. And the amount of diversity we read throughout this story is absolutely perfection. Truly, another fantastic short story, but it only needed to be longer!


➵ Longer Than the Threads of Time by Zoraida Cordova ⭐⭐⭐⭐
When I said I wanted retellings, Zoraida Cordova said, “Let me show you a retelling!” and put this beautifully written, gut wrenching Rapunzel retelling smack dab in this anthology. This was absolutely everything I wanted in a Rapunzel retelling and I’m a bit upset that this doesn’t have it’s own book. I have always loved the concept of a magical world living alongside the mundane world and I wanted so much more of this world. I want to know what our main character did to get locked up in the tower, I want to know what will happen to this beautiful romance, I have so many questions and not enough answers! Also, this is my first time reading anything by this author and I’m impressed. I really want to read more and experience this writing more. My only complaint is this felt too short and I wanted at least five more pages because it was too good.

➵ Habibi by Tochi Onyebuchi ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is another one of those short stories that I would have given 4.5 to because it so well written and I have no doubt that this will bring out strong emotions with many readers. I loved the way that this short story is written in letters between two inmates. Not only is this written between two inmates, this short story brings out so many emotions, shows the importance of having a connection with another person, and how people can save one another whether they realize it or not. Personally, I just wanted a few more pages because I needed to know if these two character got the happy ending they deserved. Truly, this author has a very powerful, moving way of writing and I’m so glad this anthology concluded with this short story.

“If I closed my eyes, I could imagine myself as the main character. And I was the hero who did not destroy things but saved them.”


Overall, I gave A Universe of Wishes four stars because out of a possible 75 stars (5 stars possible for each of the 15 stories) this collection accumulated 54 stars (72%)! Technically this should be a three star rating (3.5 stars actually, if half stars were a thing), but I decided that since I really enjoyed reading this book that I would give it four stars because I truly feel this is a wonderful book to read especially during this time of year.


The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

This fourth anthology produced by the We Need Diverse Books campaign features 15 new stories by 15 diverse YA authors, including Samira Ahmed, Jenni Balch, Libba Bray, Dhonielle Clayton, Zoraida Córdova, Tessa Gratton, Kwame Mbalia, Anna-Marie McLemore, Tochi Onyebuchi, Mark Oshiro, Natalie C. Parker, Rebecca Roanhorse, V. E. Schwab, Tara Sim, and Nic Stone. While the three previous volumes have been primarily contemporary realistic fiction, this collection of short stories are all fantasy or science fiction, ranging from deep space to near future dystopian, fairy tale retellings to magical communication via toilet. Some of these authors I had read before, and some were new to me.

After finishing, I went back through to narrow down my favorites, see which stories had spoken most to me, and was surprised and thrilled to find myself highlighting more than half the stories in this book! I could list all these story titles for you, but instead, I'll just mention two, and leave you to discover your favorites on your own.

"The Coldest Spot in the Universe" by Samira Ahmed was the story that left me the most unsettled. Set in dual timelines, one far in the future (though how far is a little unclear due to their different calendar year), and one just ten years from now. In 2031, we are hearing from the journal of Razia, a teenage girl who has seen the devastation of our planet and a cold age set in due to a horrendous miscalculation of a nuclear solution. Later, we hear the voice log of another teenage girl, many many years in the future, who has returned to our planet as part of an archeological mission to determine what happened to humanity and if the planet is stable to return. The horrifying and tragic picture of our planet painted by Ahmed is disturbing to say the least, and not that unrealistic, and the connection between these girls many generations apart was incredibly powerful.

The last story of the collection, "Habibi" by Tochi Onyebuchi, is an epistolary story between two young men trapped in solitary confinement across the globe from each other. While their cultures, languages, and environments are about as far as they could be from each other, their experience is startlingly the same. Somehow, through some mysterious magic involving bodily processes (yes: through their poop.), they are able to send each other letters. Through their communication, they find connection where they had none, hope where they had none, love where they had none. It's beautiful and devastating.

I'm only now seeing, through discussing each of these stories, how many similarities there are between them. I guess I know what themes were speaking to me this week.

This beautiful book comes out tomorrow and should appeal to any YA speculative fiction lover you know! Once again, I find myself loving these anthologies and seeing the need to include more of them on my tbr. I will be posting this review on my blog at the link listed below and my bookstagram account (@shecantstopreading) tomorrow morning. Thank you to Crown and Netgalley for the early review copy!

This ARC was provided for review, but in no way affects the following impartial and unbiased review:
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4,5*
A truly fantastic collection of short stories from various authors, featuring different ethnicities, cultures, sexual orientations, genders, and beliefs. From historical fiction, to fantasy, to sci-fi, we have a thoughtfully curated selection of beautiful stories written by many of our favourite authors. However, many are connected to their ongoing series and existing books, and therefore contain spoilers. But they are still enjoyable to read regardless, without needing much context.

I wish I had the forethought to rate each story in this anthology, because it was a very mixed collection. Some stories were amazing 5 star reads, some average, others left me wondering how they made it through the editing process... For now, “A Universe of Wishes” gets three stars for me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
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If you are looking for new authors, want to support a favorite author, or add lgbt and other rep to spice up your shelves, I would recommend this anthology.
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Although I didn’t like each story in this collection, I can say that they blended nicely. This book had a vibe, and all of the stories fit together well.
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Thank you NetGally and Random House for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Releases Dec 8th, 2020!
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I am still new to reading anthologies, but this one wowed me for sure. Each story felt like a precious gem I read, then paused to savor. I love fantasy and was amazed how each story had its own voice and world that stood out to me. I read a lot of this genre but each of these stories felt like something new.

This collection put out by We Need Diverse Books truly has something for everyone. Boasting that it "contains a universe of wishes for a braver and more beautiful world" is exactly what this story collection accomplishes. There are some stories that I was more attached to than others; however, this collection, overall, is a winner.

A Universe of Wishes is my first ever anthology, and I am so excited to say it was amazing. I definitely want to read more anthologies after reading this spectacular book full of so many amazing stories. I really was interested in reading this because I knew almost all of the authors and have absolutely loved their books. While some of the short stories may not have hit the mark with me, most of them were really spectacular and was making me wish they were full length books.

I don’t really know how to really go into detail because they’re so many short stories. I will say this book had a little bit of everything. Every emotion was felt and everything magical was included. My favorites from A Universe of Wishes were: A Universe of Wishes by Tara Sim, Liberia by Kwame Mbalia, A Royal Affair by VE Schwab, and The Coldest Spot in the Universe by Samira Ahmed.

I wanted to give a rating to each short story as well and to showcase how many amazing authors are included in this wonderful anthology. Going in order from the first story to the last.
A Universe of Wishes by Tara Sim 5/5
The Silk Blade by Natalie Parker 3/5
The Scarlet Woman: A Gemma Doyle Story by Libba Bray 2/5
Cristal y Ceniza by Anna-Marie McIemore 5/5
Liberia by Kwame Mbalia 5/5
A Royal Affair by VE Schwab 5/5
The Takeback Tango by Rebecca Roadhouse 4/5
Dream and Dare by Nic Stone 2/5
Wish by Jenni Balch 4/5
The Weight by Dhonielle Clayton 3.5/5
Unmoor by Mark Oshiro 4/5
The Coldest Spot in the Universe by Samira Ahmed 5/5
The Beginning of Monsters by Tessa Gratton 2/5
Longer Than The Threads of Time by Zoraida Cordova 4/5
Habibi by Tochi Onyebuchi 3.5/5

I really connected with a lot of these stories, and even the ones that I didn’t necessarily enjoy I know a lot of other people will. I am so glad I decided to read this because it was a beautiful collection. I truly wouldn’t mind at all if these all became full books.

This is the best anthology I have read in a long time. Every story sucked me in to some degree, and some left me completely captivated and obsessively googling authors. My top three were "A Universe of Wishes" by Tara Sim, "The Silk Blade" by Natalie C. Parker, and "The Beginning of Monsters" by Tessa Gratton. "The Coldest Spot in the Universe" by Samira Ahmed was up there too. Highly recommend.

1. "A Universe of Wishes" by Tara Sim ☆☆☆☆ - Everyone has magic within them and its just a matter of learning how to harness it. One boy learns the secret, but some will stop at nothing to keep it from getting out. I loved the magical elements in this story and the relationship development between the two boys. Could have done without the organ harvesting. The boy's wish was a little cliché but really resonated with me.

2. "The Silk Blade" by Natalie C. Parker ☆☆☆☆☆ - This story is beautiful. Like the whole aesthetic is amazing and the descriptions are rich and full. A young girl sets out to prove her strength to the Bloom and bring honor to her family. On her way to the contest, she meets another competitor and immediately falls for her, making the contest now a bit...complicated. She wants to protect her rival, but she also wants to win. She wants to prove herself worthy to the Bloom and bring honor to her family, but she also wants to explore her feelings for her fellow competitor. This tug and pull between familial responsibility and duty and love stood out in the best way here.

3. "The Scarlet Woman" by Libba Bray ☆☆ - I will freely admit I have never read a Gemma Doyle story. I have heard of the Gemma Doyle stories, but never actually picked one up. I think this story is really hard to get into if you aren't familiar with her stories, because the hook is the whole "the gang is getting back together again" thing. The story doesn't even really get started until the very end. It reads like a teaser, but one where I didn't feel like I had enough context to get into it. And, being very honest, reading a story centering stuck up rich white girls in the late 1800s is not what I expected in this anthology (one of the girls is attracted to another girl which takes up about a page in this story and that's the extent of the diversity as far as I can tell). Idk, unless you're excited about Gemma Doyle, I might skip this one.

4. "Cristal y Ceniza" by Anna-Marie McLemore ☆☆☆ - A girl lives in the countryside where her community is being oppressed and queer people are having their families separated. She sneaks into a ball in the next kingdom over (hints of a Cinderella story) to ask the prince for sanctuary for her people. The prince himself is trans and the girl is mystified by the ease with which he can be himself and exist in his own body in his kingdom. They click instantly, even as the other nobles at the ball are clearly only just slightly more than low-key tolerant of the prince's identity, let alone of her people. But he gives a very affirming speech and welcomes her people into his kingdom--personally. Heartwarming, just a bit cliché for my tastes.

5. "Liberia" by Kwame Mbalia ☆☆☆ - I don't know if it was the hour of the day or what, but I had trouble getting into this one. It kind of felt like turning on a Star Trek episode 20 minutes in. Took a while to get my bearings. By the end I liked it, but was still confused about what I had just read. From what I could gather, there is an agricultural researcher on a ship on its way to settling a new colony in space. He is responsible for the plants that will grow the food for the colony, but the First Officer (for reasons I could not quite discern...room on the lander?) doesn't think it is practical for him to bring all of the plants to the surface and thinks he has overly personified the plants. He is insistent he needs all of them or the colony will starve. By the end, he only gets to bring the one cultivar, but it is the plant that holds the essence of his ancestors that have made this journey possible--all of the farmers and ag researchers in his family before him, and he has to honor them by bringing the plant to the surface. I totally dig that, just wish it could have been clearer from the beginning? Maybe I should try this one again.

6. "A Royal Affair" by V.E. Schwab ☆☆☆ - Ok, so I have since learned about Shades of Magic and have an even greater appreciation for this story. This one did feel rushed and like something was missing when I read it, but didn't feel completely out of context like "The Scarlet Woman" did. You have a noble magician who falls for a prince, but the magician's family is very homophobic and his brother makes him break off the relationship, which he does in the harshest of ways. I mean, ouch, my heart was really hurting for both of them in that moment. The prince's family is very protective and won't let the magician apologize. The magician's family sells him to a ship captain to break him, but then he gets picked up by pirates. Eventually he makes his way back to the kingdom, but the king is in no mood to see him and gives him a ship and sends him on his way. It made me want to read Shades of Magic!

7. "The Takeback Tango" by Rebecca Roanhorse ☆☆☆☆ - A thief commands her own spaceship and flies around rescuing artifacts from planets that have been colonized and returning them to their rightful people. She begins with her own planet and sneaks into a ball full of Imperium nobility. She meets a young man she thinks is a prince, but is in fact a thief like herself. They team up for the greater good. This one is pretty fun and full of action.

8. "Dream and Dare" by Nic Stone ☆☆ - I just wasn't that into it. It felt a little simplistic to me. Dream is a tomboy at heart, but she loves wearing elaborate gowns--which she treks through trees and mud, much to her mother's dismay. Despite this, she is seen as the "dream girl," the perfect wife. But is not interested in courting anyone. Dare is a princess who has run away from society's expectations. She prefers trousers and archery to her pretty princess lifestyle. Obviously she and Dream are made for each other. So Dream sets off into the woods to find Dare, who may or may not have been eaten by a monster. Whatever.

9. "Wish" by Jenni Balch ☆☆☆☆ - A wish granter steps out of his lamp to find himself not on Earth, where he is accustomed, but on Venus. Even more frustratingly, the girl who called upon him seems to have no idea how this wish things works and wants to talk to him about her wish first. He just wants her to make her wish so he can be on his way. But as they start talking, he find himself actually caring and willing to do anything in his power to make her wish possible.

10. "The Weight" by Dhonielle Clayton ☆☆☆ - Two young lovers go in to have their hearts weighed and their imprints read so they know if they love each other enough to stay together. The boy loves the girl deeply, but he can't help but wonder who else is out there and what a relationship with someone else might be like. Not that he wants to leave her, he loves her tremendously, he just can't not wonder. The girl has never considered a life with anyone else and seems taken aback by the nurse's revelation that most people who have their hearts weighed do so multiple times, with multiple people. Everyone seems to be cautioning the young loves against having their hearts weighed, but they just want an easy answer. Will the readings be enough to give it to them?

11. "Unmoor" by Mark Oshiro ☆☆☆ - Imaginative and engaging, but just not for me. Two boys are young and in love, but one keeps stealing glances at other boys, liking their pictures on social media, and scrolling through dating apps. He doesn't seem present in the relationship and they break up. The other boy is devastated and spends all the savings he had to take a trip to Europe with his young lover on a process to lift the memories of the boy out of all of the places where they made them so that he can roam his city again. Each stop is more draining than the last, and yet he seems to be coming to a realization about his ex as he goes along -- a realization he isn't quite ready to face.

12. "The Coldest Spot in the Universe" by Samira Ahmed ☆☆☆☆ - A family is dying in the wake of severe climate change and lamenting how they have no legacy and no one will remember them. A cold, hungry, slow, and lonely death. Humanity had just recently launched some space ships, hoping that they would find somewhere to settle and carry on the human race. 1,000+ years into the future, a young girl is part of a crew investigating the planet and finds this family and others frozen solid, perfectly preserved in their last moments. She has felt called to remember them, to tell their story so their legacy can live on.

13. "The Beginning of Monsters" by Tessa Gratton ☆☆☆☆☆ - A fascinating story about human design and imagining something better for ourselves. A small king calls upon a designer to change his body from a feminine-forward aesthetic to a more masculine one, as he has "tired" of being a woman. The designer is incredibly talented and impeccably detail-oriented. But she has a secret motive. While designing the small king's new body, she meets the king's only child and develops a tremendous appreciation for ans design. They begin to fall for each other, but the small king must never know. An opens up the designer's worldview to the possibility of a world beyond four genders, four forces, and human limitation. The designer is intrigued, but also knows that the bounds of human imagination are limitless and crossing them with design is immeasurably hazardous. But is it worth it?

14. "Longer Than the Threads of Time" by Zoraida Córdova ☆☆☆☆ - In this Rapunzel reboot, a witch is sealed into a prison tower, but decades later, no one seems to recall why. A young wizard gets curious and stops to talk to her from the base of the tower one night. She invites him up by lowering her hair, and he is fascinated by her. They talk about magic and the past. They start to fall for each other and they kiss, but not even the kiss of true love can free her. While the young man's mother continues to warn him of staying out late and getting stuck in a dangerous magical situation he cannot get out of, he pays her no heed and continues to try to find a way to free the young witch.

15. "Habibi" by Tochi Onyebuchi ☆☆☆ - I don't typically mind epistolary stories, but this one was hard for me to get into. A Black prisoner in Long Beach locked up at a young age and a Palestinian protestor in Gaza, both in solitary, find an...unconventional way of communicating with each other. But their letters inspire each other to find the heroes within themselves and transform the world around them.

Overall, really superb reading. Much thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's for the eARC in exchange for the review.

A Universe of Wishes is an upcoming YA Fantasy Anthology from We Need Diverse Books, edited by the talented, Dhonielle Clayton. Featuring fifteen diverse stories from some of the best OwnVoices authors currently writing in the YA genre, this collection has something for everyone.

As I read this collection, I kept track of my rating for each story, as well as a short description. The following are my initial notes:

1. A Universe of Wishes by Tara Sim, ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I really enjoyed this one, surprisingly moving for such a short story. Buzzwords: m/m romance, dark magic, family tragedy, hope, justice, wishes.

2. The Silk Blade by Natalie C. Parker, ⭐⭐⭐.5
The Bloom of Everhart is ready to choose his consort. A competition ensues. One contestant feels more drawn to another than she does to her stated prize.

3. The Scarlet Woman: A Gemma Doyle Story by Libba Bray, ⭐⭐⭐
New York City, 1897. I feel like I am missing something? Am I supposed to know Gemma Doyle?

4. Cristal y Ceniza by Anna-Marie Mclemore, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A Cinderella retelling where a peasant girl sneaks into the kingdom during a ball, hoping for an audience with the King and Queen, to plead for the rights of her two mothers, their relationship and others like them. She meets the trans-Prince and he changes everything.

5. Liberia by Kwame Mbalia, ⭐⭐⭐.5
Following a crew on a futuristic mission. One of the characters is attached to the plants they are cultivating from their long distant homeland. I don't think I got as much out of this as I should have, but Mbalia's writing is so strong.

6. A Royal Affair by V.E. Schwab, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Now I definitely need to read the Shades of Magic trilogy!! I loved this. Following Alucard Emery, his relationship with Ray Marshall, and how he came to Captain the Night Spire.

7. The Takeback Tango by Rebecca Roadhouse, ⭐⭐⭐.5
A solo space Captain who has lost everything sets out to steal back artifacts stolen from her people and housed in a museum. She discovers an unlikely and charming ally along the way.

8. Dream and Dare by Nic Stone, ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
The story of two misunderstood girls being crushed by traditional gender roles and societal expectations. Remember girls, to always Dare to Dream!

9. Wish by Jenni Balch, ⭐⭐⭐.5
A wish granter from a lamp is surprised when he is summoned to find he is no longer on Earth, but a colony on Venus. The wisher has very special circumstances and he is determined to help her, no matter the cost.

10. The Weight by Dhonielle Clayton, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Every heart tells a story. Futuristic and odd, this story of a young couple secretly questioning love gave me chills!

11. Unmoor by Mark Oshiro, ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
In a world where magic exists, young Felix uses a very different method for ridding himself of heartache. This was powerful.

12. The Coldest Spot in the Universe by Samira Ahmed, ⭐⭐⭐⭐
An uninhabitable Earth left behind. An abandoned wasteland. A futuristic archeologist finds record of a girl who once lived. Sadly too realistic.

13. The Beginning of Monsters by Tessa Gratton, ⭐⭐.5
An architect who redesigns human form begins a relationship with the heir of a King whose body she is redesigning. Enjoyed the commentary on gender and gender fluidity, but other than that, I found this one quite slow.

14. Longer Than the Threads of Time by Zoraida Cordova, ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Boy meets girl. Danae and Fabian. A girl from the DR, locked in a tower for decades. A brujo with the power to save her. A delightfully dark Rapunzel retelling.

15. Habibi by Tochi Onyebuchi, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A powerful closing story for this collection. Two young men, a world apart, are each held in solitary confinement. One, from Long Beach, California, the other from the Gaza Strip in Palestine. They develop a channel for corresponding and build a deep and binding connection.

This is a really well-rounded collection. Obviously, there were stories that I connected with more than others, but that is always the way with anthologies. Every person who reads this will have a different experience with these stories, and that's okay. That's what it's all about.

I think all of the contributors to this collection should be proud of their work. I am so happy that this book, and others like it, exist. I highly recommend this anthology and hope that We Need Diverse Books continues to produce materials like this for a long time to come.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Crown Books for Young Readers, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review.

It was one of my most anticipated anthologies of the year and it definitely did not disappoint!!

Such a great collection! I really loved reading this. Fun and interesting stories by amazing authors.

Thank you so much, Random House Children's, Crown books for young readers and NetGalley, for the chance to read this book!

From We Need Diverse Books, the organization behind Flying Lessons & Other Stories, A universe of wishes is a collection of short stories written by so many amazing authors, like Ve Schwab, Nic Stone, Tara Sim, Mark Oshiro and so on.

I absolutely loved this book, the stories are amazing and some are definitely my favourites! Stories about love, family, friendship, justice, connections, fighting for one's freedom and so many peculiar kind of magic it's so intense!

A royal affair, by Ve Schwab, is an Alucard story, about how Rhy and Alucard started their relationship, what made them separated and how Alucard became the captain of the Night Spire and it's heartwrenching and beautiful. Definitely one of my favourite stories, it was so amazing getting to know Rhy and Alucard when they were younger and in love with one other, to see a family's injustice and brutality and the power of love and connections.

A universe of wishes by Tara Sim opens the collection and gives its name and it's about love, wishes, family, justice, a sweet and intense queer love between two young men, fighting for justice and looking for magic and wishes. I'd love to read a whole book about them. The magic was amazing. I need a book set in that universe.

Crystal y Ceniza is one of my favourite short stories, about a young woman fighting to keep her mothers together against men who want to separate lgbt couples and family and impose their “order”, forcing woman and man together, disrespecting their wishes and loves. Amazing the presence of a trans prince, ready to do what it takes for people from another countries, to fight for people like him. And, OMG, the magic glass slippers! A mix between Cinderella and Dorothy!

Dream and Dare by Nic Stone is so incredible, a story about society's expectations, or, to be more honest, what men thought women should do or act, how they should dress and talk and people defying their "rules" and impositions to be free to be themselves, with whatever dress they want to wear and whoever they want to be.

Unmoor by Mark Oshiro is a story about heartbreak, the difficulty of moving on after an hard break up and a magic made for helping these people. It was so intense and heartwrenching I couldn't not be moved!

These are only few of the collection's short stories, but I loved them all. It was such a pleasure reading them. Some are perfect in their being short stories, while I definitely need something more from others, I want to know more and more about these characters!

I recommend this book to those who want to travel in different places and in space too, meeting amazing characters, strong- willed and incredible in their desires and fights to be themselves, for justice, for family and friendships!

4 STARS


In these new universes, anything can happen.

We Need Diverse Books is behind A Universe of Wishes, and at its heart, this anthology is specifically meant to center marginalized voices doing marvelous things, outlandish things, world-altering things. Whether it's traveling to new planets or old ones, or making impossible wishes, every story centers a voice that publishing typically underrepresents. Queer characters, disabled characters, and characters of color take the stage, each for no more than a brief moment at a time, but each of them makes an impact.

In this anthology, in some 400 pages, there are entire universes to get lost in. I can't think of a better way to spend my time.


"Close your eyes. Make a wish. The universe is yours for the taking."

I absolutely cannot get enough of these new worlds. I tried to take it slow, one story at a time, but ending up devouring the anthology because of all these bright new spins on familiar stories and genres. My personal favorites far and away were Natalie C. Parker and Rebecca Roanhorse's contributions.

Parker crafted a story with a courtship tournament, pitting three warriors against one another to win the hand of royalty, but she infused with with rich floral imagery and a budding sapphic romance I would pay to read more of. Willador Mayhew owns my heart now, and I want to see the aftermath of her decisions.

Meanwhile, Roanhorse smashed together sci-fi and thieves while critiquing the museum practices that steal from other cultures and put their heritage on display like quirky little oddities rather than important cultural artifacts. I can never get enough of thieves, and if someone is going to write a story that's effectively a reverse Indiana Jones, without a doubt, I'm in! Plus, I loved the easy relationship between Vi and Evie, thief and AI. More benevolent AI, please, since malevolent AI feels so...tired by now.


Whatever you're dreaming of, this anthology has it.

That's the true joy of A Universe of Wishes: with so many voices and so many stories, there's something for everyone. More than that, it's wonderful to see these underrepresented voices put at the forefront, made the heroes of the story. The anthology truly lives up to the We Need Diverse Books mission, and I'm going to have to check out the three anthologies that came before this at this rate!

Really, my only disappointment is the way some of these stories require background knowledge. I got through V.E. Schwab's story just fine since I know the Shades of Magic series, but I floundered through Libba Bray's, which centers on Gemma Doyle. It's convinced me to look into her Gemma Doyle series, sure, but the lack of background knowledge makes it hard to really sink into the story. I got too distracted by questions and felt unable to connect fully to the characters. Really, stories like these feel better for bonus material pertaining to the series in question, like in the back of softcover editions. Putting them in an anthology leaves some readers without a starting point to really get the most out of it.


A Universe of Wishes is headed to our universe soon!

Hitting shelves on December 8th, A Universe of Wishes is nearly here. If you haven't already pre-ordered a copy or placed a request at your library (or put it on a holiday wishlist!), now is definitely the time. These are brilliant stories ready to make a home in your heart, and they deserve a home on your shelf.

Plus, that cover is outrageously gorgeous, and if nothing else, it's going to look really, really good as the crown jewel of your TBR pile. Trust me on this.



CW: loss of a loved one, gore, body horror, homophobia, racism, slavery, genocide, sexual harassment, smoking, child death, animal death mention, violence (including gun violence), suicide, police brutality

[This review will go live on Hail & Well Read at 12pm EST on 12/6/20.]

A Universe of Wishes edited by Dhonielle Clayton is an exceptional YA fantasy anthology. There are a lot of great authors that have contributed to this We Need Diverse Books collection of short stories. My favorite story hands down was easily "A Royal Affair" by V.E. Schab. I didn't know exactly how much I needed to the world of the Shades of Magic series. It was brilliant to see Rhy, Alucard, Kell, and Lila again. Kell reminds me of myself when it comes to how protective he is over his family and friends. Otherwise my favorite stories were "The Takeback Tango" by Rebecca Roadhouse, "Cristal y Ceniza" by Anna-Marie Mclemore, "Dream and Dare" by Nic Stone, and "Unmoor" by Mark Oshiro. The only story I wasn't invested in was "The Scarlet Woman: A Gemma Doyle Story" by Libba Bray. I usually love Bray's style, but the Gemma Doyle Trilogy just wasn't for me. Overall, this imaginative collection is well worth reading through even if you're mostly only interested in V.E. Schwab's new short story. Have I mentioned how much I'm looking forward to the upcoming Threads of Power trilogy?

A Universe of Wishes: A We Need Diverse Books Anthology is an amalgamation of the voices of many diverse authors. Each contributing author has written a new story that explores aspects of diversity, acceptance, and bravery for a young adult audience. Contributing authors include V.E. Schwab, Libba Bray, Tara Sim, Anna-Marie Mclemore, Dhonielle Clayton, and more. Stories include aspects of fairy tales, fantasy, science fiction, and/or adventure.

This anthology has a little something for everybody, including me! Fans of the Shades of Magic or Gemma Doyle series will feel right at home with this anthology, as V.E. Schwab and Libba Bray respectively return to those universes to expand them. Jenni Balch, winner of the WNDB 2019 Young Adult Short-Story contest, makes her debut in this anthology with a story about a magical lamp on Venus. The contents of the other great stories include dark magic, fairy re"tale"ings, space gardeners, disappearing memories, and remnants of youth in a distant future. With such interesting and diverse subject (and character) matter, there's bound to be something to spark your imagination and interest, and you may discover a new favorite author among these stories. Let A Universe of Wishes envelop your senses sooner than later!

Wow, this was definitely worth the read! I requested this book by mistake on Netgalley because I didn't think I would like a short story anthology but I was wrong!! This was so good. So if you're like me and used to ignore anthologies, take a chance on this one. It had really good representation and I was really excited about that.

I liked a lot of the stories but my favorites were #2 The silk blade by Natalie C Parker and #6 A royal affair by V.E. Schwab ... I'm shocked at how much I loved them ahah. Some of the others I didn't love but discovering the ones I enjoyed was really worth it. Many times, I found myself wishing for a longer story because I didn't want to leave the characters already.

Overall, this was really interesting and I'll have to pay more attention to anthologies from now on!
To finish this review, I'll just make a quick list of the stories starting from the one I loved most to the ones I liked less.