Supporting indie publishing on Kickstarter is a good thing, right? This anthology sounded like a cool project to support. So I did. And then I started reading – almost six months ago now. The majority of the stories were mediocre at best, imo – there were the “so what?”, stories, there was uninspired writing, there were fragments instead of stories, there were the “you think you’re funny, but you are not” stories…

I ended up using the book as a palate cleanser when I couldn’t decide what to read next.

There was just one memorable story:

“Meteorites” by Anjali Patel – a retelling of Ray Bradbury’s “Kaleidoscope”. It was wise and heartbreaking, delightfully written. Why couldn’t the rest of the book be the same?

Well, at least I am done now.
… (meer)

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Alexandra_book_life | Dec 15, 2023 |

Never Too Old to Save the World: A Midlife Calling… door John F Allen

*I received an advance review copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.*

Oh boy did I enjoy this book! Are you tired of teenage heroines? Why do the underage protagonists get to have all the fun? Do you like the chosen one trope but are tired of all the same old stories getting played out? Then, this book is for you. As a woman who most people think is past her prime it's nice to read a story with a protagonist that I could relate to that isn't a second chance romance. Don't get me wrong I love them but women past the age of 30 are able to do amazing things.

In most anthologies, there is always a couple of stories that miss their mark but in Never too Old to Save the World I enjoyed every single one. There were times I wished that a particular story would have kept going or that I hope would turn into a series, but that's one of the downfalls of reading short story anthologies. Each writer was able to put their own unique twist on the chosen one trope and no two stories felt the same, it was a breath of fresh air each time. I was so sad when I got to the last story because that meant that the book was going to end. Here's me holding out hope for a second anthology soon.

Overall, I absolutely enjoyed this book.… (meer)

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latteslipsticklit | 1 andere bespreking | Nov 16, 2023 |

Knaves: A Blackguards Anthology door Melanie R. Meadors (Editor)

An interesting collection of fantastical short stories. The introduction suggests that they will not have happy endings, but this isn't entirely true. The ones that don't are the most interesting however, to my eye at least. And the story narrated by the cate takes the cake. well worth the read.

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TomMcGreevy | Feb 11, 2023 |

Never Too Old to Save the World: A Midlife Calling… door Alana Joli Abbott

This is a great anthology, with pieces by the two editors and several other authors—notably Jim C. Hines and Ursula Vernon. My favorites among the lot were "Launch Day Milkshakes" (Jim Hines), "Jackalope Wives" (Ursula Vernon), "as well as "Ayda and the Messengers" (Jaymie Wagner), "By the Works of Her Hands" (LaShawn M. Wanak), and "All the World's Treasures" (Kimberly Pauley). I really appreciated the older MCs in this volume, and the racial and LGBTQ+ inclusion as well. Highly recommended!

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ca.bookwyrm | 1 andere bespreking | Dec 5, 2022 |

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