If you are a fan of twisted tales and fantasy, look no further than ‘All the Broken Blades’ by Y. M. Pang. Within the pages of this novel, you will wander amongst 16 fascinating tales that will take you to a variety of differing fantasy worlds. You will delve straight into the hearts and minds of characters you have never dreamed of before and some you may have thought you’d known. There will be heroes who are seen as villains and villains from the past who are perhaps not so evil after all. Within these tales are dragons and Gods, knights of old and mirrors with poisoned apples. You will meet characters who live to protect the ones that they love, and those who die for the very same reason. Heroines who have never known love and find the need to create their own in the most intriguing of places.
Reading from one story to the next, it is easy to get lost between the differing worlds, as you struggle to leave one story for the next. Best, perhaps, to let each story rest for a little while, before moving on to the next. Much like a good cup of tea, you should let each story sit with you so that you can soak in its world, before delving into the next exciting fantasy adventure.

Each tale is beautifully written. I'm so glad that these stories have all been placed in a book together otherwise I never would have come across them since I haven't read any of the publications they were originally featured in.

Each tale ranges in length from quite short (5 minutes or so) to a bit longer (30 .minutes) which is perfect for reading when you only have a short break or when you're waiting at the doctor's office etc.

I loved the nods to some traditional fairy tales like Cinderella but with different character dynamics, plot etc. You had the poor mistreated step-daughter but with a step sister who cared about her and tried to get her family to embrace her. Beautifully written.

All The Broken Blades is a delightful collection of short stories that span the genres of high fantasy, fairytale retellings, and an Arthurian legend parody to boot!
There’s a satisfying blend of love, death, betrayal, grief, and duty. I thoroughly relished ‘Dress of Ash’ and ‘The Lady of Butterflies,’ both set in the same world. I’m hopeful for more from this setting in the future!

An additional bonus that I particularly enjoyed was the story commentary at the end of the book, which offers valuable insights into Pang’s thought process as she wrote and compiled her stories.

I’ll be looking out for more of Pang’s work in the future!
Thank you to NetGalley and Myriad Flames for the opportunity to read this title.

4.5/5

This collection of short stories and poems is one that takes you on an emotional ride. Y.M. Pang does a great job at using poetic language to paint vivid feelings and emotions throughout their writing. If you want to read something that makes you FEEL, then this is it. Beautiful fantasy worlds and dark fairy tales. I really love that you can truly read anything in no order and get so much from these short writings. The writing style is impressive. The world building is immersive. The stories and poems are captivating. Truly a beautiful collection.

This book was an absolute highlight of my evenings after long shifts. I took my time reading it as it's a collection of short stories, perfect reads for a bookish escape when you dont have time for a full-blown book.

It felt like it literally had everything. Retellings, fairytales, sword fights and just a hint of darkness. An emotional deep sea at some points that I found myself emerged in. Thank you for writing such a capturing book Y. M. Pang and I cannot wait to see what else you got tucked away in your beautiful intriguing mind.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with this advanced copy.

First off, this is a short story anthology. It's a bunch of new worlds with stories twisted just enough to give reminders of the "classic" European tales. I ate it all up. My favorite story was Palace of the Silver Dragon and I want that to be a full-length novel. It was dark and mysterious and weirdly magical. It's dark and it twists the emotions and I needed that. I needed to not have super peppy, bubbly, bright MCs. I wanted some darkness. I wanted less feels. This one has sea dragons and a palace under the sea with very dark secrets and a dragon prince who is separated from his brothers and cursed by his own song. It's about a girl who tries to escape and find him instead. I. WANT. MORE.

My second favorite story was the Bride of Blue Manor and I would also read a full-length novel of this story. It is a spin on the Bluebeard lore with a man whose wives keep mysteriously dying or disappearing. A girl gives herself up to this man and attempts to take him out. On their wedding night, she discovers that he is harboring a secret and they strike a deal... It's soft and clear until it isn't.

I would absolutely read more from this author! I do find it very difficult to rate individual stories/poems in an anthology. So my rating is an overall one.

Rating: 4.75 stars

'Even when the mountains are worn to plains, when every lake and river runs dry, I'll be here. And I'll remember you.'

I absolutely, categorically, from the bottom of my heart, adored this book. I haven't read a short story fantasy anthology like this before, and it was not only such a unique experience but also SUCH a wonderful way to be introduced to this narrative framework!

All the Broken Blades encompasses 16 short stories (including two poems) which range from fairytale retellings to snapshots from an epic fantasy world. Each story is unique and different to the point where it's sometimes difficult to remember they're all written by the same author! You can really see YM Pang's range, especially since all the stories were written over the course of 10+ years, The fairytale retellings are vibrant and exciting; the epic story snapshots have just enough action and character development to make each short story worthwhile, and the poems are beautifully written. It takes real skill to be able to worldbuild in a fantasy short story in a way that is both elegant and satisfactory, and YM Pang knocks it out of the park every time. My favorite three stories were definitely Lace, Comb, Apple; The Mountains My Bones, the Rivers My Blood; and Little Inn on the Jianghu.

Honestly, I only have two real reasons why this wasn't 5 stars: firstly, as with all short story collections, I wasn't a huge fan of every single story; secondly, some of the stories were so interesting I really wanted to see more of the world and felt a tad dissatisfied when the stories eventually came to an end.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book to any fans of fantasy and fairytale retellings, who maybe feel overwhelmed by massive fantasy books and want a little break from extensive worldbuilding. I look forward to reading whatever else this author puts out!

This book is full of short stories, fairytales and poems, Y.M Pang's writing is extraordinary. I've not been someone that reads a lot of short stories but her writing wraps me into the stories so quickly.
I particular loved Blood and Desert Dreams and loved the Dual POV of the story Fall From the Heavens.

I'm not normally a big short stories fan but this collection is mind-blowingly good. Each one hits a fresh note and characters come to life within a matter of pages. Taking influence from all sorts of folk stories and fantasy areas, it's an excellent start to the fantasy genre but also well suited to those wanting a flavour of magic without dipping into a lengthy series. Some of these stories will stay with me for a long time, can't recommend enough!