After a fairly shaky first half, I adored the second half of this. All the characters are the best, basically.

★☆☆☆☆: 0
★★☆☆☆: 1
★★★☆☆: 2
★★★★☆: 5
★★★★★: 4

My average rating for this anthology was a surprisingly high... 4.0. Did you expect that? Because I totally did not. Halfway through this anthology, I was prepared to give it a big old three, and then i hit three five stars in a row and this happens.

Okay, so here’s my really big gripe with this anthology. It is marketed as being about radical girls, which at least some of the anthology editors have implied means more marginalized girls, and that is really untrue. There has still been no Native American MC in twenty-five stories that are about American history, which is honestly pretty disappointing. It also feels at times a little lacking in intersectionality—a bunch of the stories have MCs of Exactly One Marginalization and it feels vaguely weird. And in this whole book, none of the stories are sapphic; only four even have queer characters, two of whom are side characters and two of whom have it mentioned once. Not to be this person, but I’m gonna say it: this could have been gayer.

But I also love the focus on girl power, the diverse characters [there’s a lot of diversity in representation for girls of color], and a bunch of these stories were just really good . Let’s get started!

→ Daughter of the Book by Dahlia Adler ← ★★★☆☆
✔ 1838 Savannah, GA | Jewish MC
Can’t decide on a three or a four, but I think this one was overall quite solid. It’s a story of being a Jewish woman in an era where society rejects both, and wanting to fit into your strongest faith. I guess I just felt it was a bit tell-not-show and didn’t do much until the ending?

→ You're a Stranger Here by Mackenzi Lee ← ★★★★☆
✔ 1844 Nouvoo, Illinois | Mormon MC
Taking place just after Mormon prophet Joseph Smith is killed, this one focuses on the idea of persecution of faith and the different outlets we find, be they positive or negative. I just really liked how faith was talked about in this story. A very strong four.

→ The Magician by Erin Bowman ← ★★★★☆
✔ 1858 Colorado River, NM | nonbinary MC
A story of a trip up the river into Utah and Mormon territory [the placement directly after Mackenzi’s story fits perfectly.] Dressed as a boy, Ray is a . I thought the ending of this one was lovely, going in a direction I did not expect and also making it pretty clear that Ray actually would ID as nonbinary today.

→ Lady Firebrand by Megan Shepherd ← ★★★★☆
✔ 1863 Charleston, SC | disabled MC and black girl side
A solid story about a pro-union spy team of girls, one in a wheelchair and one her black maid. I support them and would die for them.

→ Step Right Up by Jessica Spotswood ← ★★★☆☆ | sapphic MC
✔ 1905 Tulsa, Indian Territory | sapphic abuse survivor MC
This one was a lot of fun, but again, not amazing. It’s a very self-contained character piece without really having anything special, and I admit I didn’t really love the main character? I don’t tend to be attracted to wild child leads, I guess. But certainly not bad.

→ Glamour by Anna-Marie McLemore ← ★★★★★
✔ 1923 Central Valley, CA | brown Mexican MC, disabled trans boy LI
I think McLemore just has very consistent quality writing and characters and very consistently plays with themes I LOVE. Here, it’s about the masks we put on to hide things we may not be ashamed of, but others will be, and how that affects us. The best one in the first half of the collection, honestly.

→ Better For All The World by Marieke Nijkamp ← ★★★★★
✔ 1927 Washington, DC | autistic MC
THERE WAS A STORY THAT WAS EXPLICITLY ANTI EUGENICS. Okay, so I got really passionate about this historical era this year because I did a paper on post-World-War-II eugenics. So this story and its discussion of the way society treated “different” people was so amazing. The main character, Carrie, is very clearly autistic and written so well and I basically adore her [an icon!!!!!] I hope she gets the lawyer job she deserves. Spoilery note: I kind of wished in the first half that the love interest had figured out that he was wrong, if only so the lead could get a happy relationship? But the way the story actually went was better on another level by validating the lead’s need for someone who actually treated her well, so I guess that wish was pretty irrational.

→ When the Moonlight Isn't Enough by Dhonielle Clayton ← ★★★★★
✔ 1943 Oak Bluffs, MA | black MC
Uh, wow, three fives in a row just as I was readying to write this collection off? Lead character Emma has been alive for 200 years and is just now deciding whether to break free. This story is primarily focused on the continuity between earlier black history and later black history. The other main concept explored here is the question of how black people can be patriotic in a culture that has offered them so little, and how they can find their own communities. It’s just an excellent story with very sound writing.

→ The Belle of the Ball by Sarvenaz Tash ← ★★★★☆
✔ 1952 Brooklyn, NY | Latino LI
Rosemary wants to write comedy, her friend Sandra wants to be the next Lucille Ball, and there’s a cute boy, Tomás, on her street. This was really sweet and felt very ‘50s — love the side friendship and the ending is perfect.

→ Land of the Sweet, Home of the Brave by Stacey Lee ← ★★★★★
✔ 1955 Oakland, CA | biracial Chinese, Japanese, and Hawaiian MC
A story about Lana Lau dragging everyone to hell and back. Every line of this was the most savage thing I’d ever read and I love it. Also love the mentions of American imperialism in Hawaii and the taking-back of that narrative.

→ The Birth of Susi Go-Go by Meg Medina ← ★★☆☆☆
✔ 1972 Queens, NY | Cuban MC
This was… really disappointing? I don’t know. It’s really long and doesn’t really have an ending. I liked the bits about being an immigrant from Cuba, but they felt crammed into something quite long and rambly for a short story. And the lead had a very lacking voice.

→ Take Me with U by Sara Farizan ← ★★★★☆
✔ 1984 Boston, MA | Iranian MC, sapphic Japanese side char
Ooooh, this was amazing. A story of an Iranian immigrant in a girl band, and a story deeply entrenched in ‘80s vibes. As Sara Farizan says in her final note, the ‘80s was the decade that began to give us today — the cell phone, the computer, many of today’s global conflicts, the end of the Cold War, and above all, a feeling of change. The perfect ending for this collection and very very close to a five.

all in all: despite an underwhelming first half, this got really excellent and was a worthwhile read. I would definitely recommend Land of the Sweet, Home of the Brave by Stacey Lee, When the Moonlight Isn't Enough by Dhonielle Clayton, Glamour by Anna-Marie McLemore, and my absolute favorite, Better For All The World by Marieke Nijkamp. This was a great anthology and I’m happy to have read it!

My second DNF in a week. It might look like I’m unlucky in books right now, but don’t be deceived. I have been reading some really wonderful books lately and have reviews planned that I’m holding for closer to their release date. I’ve been getting a few approvals from TOR on Netgalley lately, and I’m hoping that they will make it a habit. I love them so much. I want them to be my boyfriend. 😍

Back to the business at hand. I love books by women, about women, with women, everything women. I LOVE them. So I was excited to get my hands on this anthology of short stories. At first I thought it was going to be historical fiction based on actual people, it turned out that this … was not that. It is short stories about women. An “anthology of revolution and resistance“. Resist?! To which I thought, hell yeah!

Unfortunately, I found the stories to be lackluster. They were not particularly inspiring. While most were well written they lacked a spark. I grew increasingly disinterested and eventually stopped reading. I think I expected a little more fire. However, I must be in the minority because this series of books is very popular! So don’t let my glum attitude lead you astray if you’re interested. I just won’t be along for the ride.

This was a fantastic collection of historical fiction stories about girls rebelling against the status quo. Whether they're taking jobs, joining movements, or just defending themselves and their rights, all of the girls in these tales are symbols of strength, bravery, and the ability to triumph over adversity. My favorite story was Dhonielle Clayton's "when the Moon wasn't enough", but they were all quite good. A rarity for story collections, none of the stories were boring or unreadable. There's always a variety of interest levels in a collection, but this one was, on average, much better than some others I've read.

Daughter of the Book by Dahlia Adler - 3 stars.
This story is about a Jewish education. I really enjoyed our main character Rebekah Wolf, but didn't care for the love interest or the plot that much.

You're a Stranger Here by Mackenzi Lee - 3.5 stars.
This story focuses on the Mormon history. I enjoyed the writing style but wasn't fully invested in the plot.

The Magician by Erin Bowman - 5 stars.
I really enjoyed this story. Ray is an amazing character, and I was very invested in her story. I felt that the author hinted that Ray might be gender fluid, but it was never fully discussed. I'm very interested in reading more of her work.

Lady Firebrand by Megan Shepherd - 5 stars.
This was soooo good. The story is set in South Carolina and deals with racism. Our main characters consists of a white girl in a wheelchair and a free black girl. Both of them were amazing badass characters and I was super invested in their story. I'm very interested in picking up more from this author.

Step Right Up by Jessica Spotswood - 4 stars.
This story is about a girl and her wish to join the circus. I enjoyed the descriptions of the circus, and the fact that the main character was a lesbian. Trigger warning for abuse.

Glamour by Anna-Marie McLemore - 3.5 stars.
I really enjoyed the writing of this one. The concept was very interesting, I would love to see this story as a whole novel. The ending was a big let down for me, it felt a bit rushed. This story has a lot of diversity including a Mexican-American main character and a transgender side character with a disability.

Better For All the World by Marieke Nijkamp - 5 stars.
I loved everything about this. Our main character Carrie was amazing, the story was great, the writing was good and I feel like I learned something after reading this. It definitely made me think.

When the Moonlight Isn’t Enough by Dhonielle Clayton - 3 stars.
I liked the main character, but I felt disconnected to the story. I liked the concept, but I wish things were explained a bit more.

The Belle of the Ball by Sarvenaz Tash - 2 stars.
I finished this book a few days ago, and I struggled to remember what this story was about. There was a lot of references to Love Lucy, and I don't know what that is. I did like our main character, but I felt the story overall was forgettable.

Land of the Sweet, Home of the Brave by Stacey Lee - 4.5 stars.
The main character in this story was amazing, I would have loved to be her friend. The writing was good and funny, I would love to read more from this author. I got to learn about the aftermath of Japanese internment and the history of Asian-Americans in Hawaii, which I really enjoyed.

The Birth of Susi Go-Go by Meg Medina - 2.5 stars.
This just wasn't for me. It dragged on a bit, and everything felt predictable.

Take Me With U by Sara Farizan - 3 stars.
I liked the Iranian aspect of this story, but the music part just wasn't for me. I think a lot of people will like this one, but to me it was just ok.

That brings my average rating to about 3.67, so I'm rounding it up to a 4.

I really enjoyed the first collection of short stories, but I found this one really hard to get engaged with. Maybe I just wasn’t in the right mood to read it, but I didn’t particularly enjoy any of the stories I read - I know it’s hard to fully develop a world and characters in such a short space of time, but I didn’t connect with the chaaracters / story

I recently answered the PARKS AND REC book tag (and had THE MOST FUN doing so), wherein I featured this collection for Tom Haverford's A character who likes to dream big.

Here is what I wrote taken directly from the tag:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2250563316

The Radical Element, much like it’s predecessor A Tyranny of Petticoats, is an anthology of strong, female characters throughout America’s history. There is not a single story where the female characters are not front and centre of any and all action taking place, and that is a glorious thing. Tackling all facets of diversity - from religion, to skin colour, to sexual diversity - there is something that everyone can relate to on some level, and it highlights that though the times might have been different, women have thrived all throughout history (perhaps just not in the limelight).

There were some stories that absolutely delighted me, and others that were simply entertaining, but the high quality of the writing style of each story is undisputed. Anna-Marie McLemore, Mackenzie Lee and Dhonielle Clayton were familiar authors to me, but new-found favourites include Dahlia Adler and Erin Bowmen.

This is a great read - for both women and men - celebrating who we are and where we’ve come from.

While some of these were actually quite interesting, I found most to be boring or just over used tropes for empowered females. Near the end I just got really bored of what I was reading.

This is the second book in a series. The first being A Tyranny of Petticoats, which sadly I have not read yet. All of these books feature strong, fearless, diverse females making their own path. I really enjoyed that each story was around 100 pages making it easy to finish one story in a sitting. I also loved that each author included information about the historical time period that they were writing about, thus tying the story to historical events. Of all the stories, Lady Firebrand by Megan Shepherd was my favorite.

These are such lovely stories! They’re all about complex, interesting women in history and there’s so much representation. There are trans characters and disabled characters and women of color and much more. When most of these stories came to an end, I was left wanting more. I was surprised to find them over. They’re not really tied up in neat little bows, they mostly end with you feeling like you’re at the precipice of a greater story. Any one of these feel like they could be effectively made into a full-fledged novel, and it was hard for me to forget that they were short stories.

My rating for each story:

Daughter of the Book by Dahlia Adler ⭐⭐⭐
You’re a Stranger Here by Mackenzi Lee ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Magician by Erin Bowman ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Lady Firebrand by Megan Shepherd ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Step Right Up by Jessica Spotswood ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Glamour by Anna-Marie McLemore ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Better For All the World by Marieke Nijkamp ⭐⭐⭐⭐
When the Moonlight Isn’t Enough by Dhonielle Clayton ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Belle of the Ball by Sarvenaz Tash ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Land of the Sweet, Home of the Brave by Stacey Lee ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Birth of Susi Go-Go by Meg Medina ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Take Me With U by Sara Farizan ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

My average rating was 4.16 stars, rounded down to 4. I’m thinking I’ll have to go back and read Jessica Spotswood’s first edited collection of short stories, which I hadn’t gotten around to yet. I’d definitely recommend this to historical fiction readers, lovers of YA, and anyone excited to see diverse women in fiction.

Noteworthy experiences while reading this book: I think that for the most part anthologies are just not for me.

Check out author's other books? YES
Recommend this book? If you like anthologies yes

Notes and Opinions: Well for me this one didnt work out so well. But for you that might not be the case so I say totally give it a try. If you like short stories or anthologies then totally check this one out becuase just because I didn't care for it doesn't mean you wont. I did like some of the stories that I looked at but over all it just didn't work for me.

Go Into This One Knowing: If you like anthologies then this is for you!

I thought i would love this book way more than i ended up doing. But on the other hand i honestly expected this anthology collection to be a bit more... science based? Maybe that is my mistake from taking the title to literally.

All 12 stories in this book are good. They are interesting, they show great parts of American history that should be mentioned more often, especially in the points of views that this book shows them in. But not one story was great for me. They all where okay, or good. But non of them stood out to me in the way that i can even now, seconds after finishing the book, say that one specific story was the best one for me.
And that is kind of sad, even if its one of my most common problems with reading anthologies or short story collections in general and one of the reasons i stopped reading them for years.

What i do have to say that i LOVED in this book are the authors notes after each story.
I loved getting a little snipped on why the author decided on that specific moment in time, on that character, on that little section of history. And honestly those are the "stories" that i can actually remember from this book.

So either those where better written, or i just found those background infos way more interesting than the actual stories.

take from that what you will.

Also i have to mentioned again that i am so disappointed that there is basically non science girl power in this book!
Which makes me a huge fallen on the frosting kind of disappointed cupcake!
The title screams to me that at least half of the stories in this book should be all about females going strong in chemistry, physics, engineering or anything else that is related to science! I can't remember if even one story had actual science elements in them. If they didn't it clearly wasn't very memorable to me personally.
Now for some that might be nit-picking or complaining about nothing. BUT i honestly think that too few stories share the women that fought for their place in the science world -still have to today.
And if you are naming an anthology about strong woman "radical element" i expect something Science-y in it! (could just be me, still disappointing to me)


Overall its not a bad anthology.
But i think it lacks the stand out part, especially in comparison to the first anthology that is said to be "part one" to this second book.

The title is misleading, which i always hate, and while i think that all authors did a good job and had great reasons for the stories they picked... i just wasn't not taking with this book overall.

Still its a good book and worth a try.

Actual rating: 3,7 stars.

If you're interested to read historical fiction that doesn't tell the same old stories over and over again, then look no further. Twelve authors told twelve stories about girls who defy society's expectations and fight for their place in the world. The stories are arranged chronologically and they all take place in America from 1838 - 1984, but they couldn't be any different from each other. Some play with magical realism (Dhonielle Clayton, Anna-Marie McLemore), other stories talk about religion (Mackenzi Lee, Dahlia Adler) or let autistic protagonists (Marieke Nijkamp) or queer characters take the lead. I love that the cast of authors was diverse as well and appreciate them sharing their own experiences. Because many of the stories talk about lesser-known historical events, I oftentimes found myself reading more literature on certain topics, thus learning quite a bit. Are all of the stories flawless? No. But this anthology really features some treasures.
My favourite stories were:
- Step Right Up by Jessica Spotswood, which tells the story of Ruby, who wants to become a member of the circus, not only fleeing from her abusive uncle but rather following her biggest dream.
- Better for all the World by Marieke Nijkamp, which tells the story of an autistic girls who wants to become a lawyer, so that she can fight for other women who have no one to fight for their rights.
- The Belle of the Ball by Sarvenaz Tash, which tells the story of Rosemary who wants to be a screen writer – and who gets a thrill from defying her mother's expectations.

Overall, I highly recommend this anthology!

The Radical ELement is a collection of stories who rebelled against their time. The stories span up to the 1980s and take place all across the United States.While it is heartwarming to read stories about women overcoming being different in the world (religion, sexuality, nationality are all explored). the majority of stories are just that: fluff. There are two or three really good stories hidden inside that tell a full story and evolved the characters but many are just snippets of lives. The variety of the snippets is enjoyable and allows the reader to slip into different times and places.
Overall, I enjoyed reading most of them but only truly connect to a few stories.

<i>Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.</i>

I still have not been able to get my filthy little fingers on a copy of A Tyranny of Petticoats, so I was a bit hesitant about this at first; what if I'd missed something vital? Bless my slowness, because The Radical Element is 12 entirely new stories about badass ladies doing badass things (written by badass ladies doing badass things, too!) and seem to have no connection to ATOP. In case anyone was wondering. Which they're probably not because everybody but me seem know what an anthology is. ANYWAY.

So, the thing, for me, about rating collections of short stories like this one is that you never know what you're gonna get. And if you're gonna like it. Or if you're gonna life half of them and abhor the rest. And I was worried about that until I'd read the first and moved on to the second, and then that worry was put to shame. And it continued to be put to shame throughout, because at no point did I read any of these little stories and think, "gosh, what was the purpose of this?". Nuh uh. More often than not I made it to the end and sat glaring at my screen screen because I was not ready to let go of these characters. Sure, there were some that I enjoyed more than others, but overall, this was just a fantastic read.

Also, it has to be mentioned, the little author's notes at the end of each story? Wonderful. The little insight they gave in the author's reasons for writing this particular character in this particular setting were invaluable in my later digestion of the stories, and led me on several research-adventures for things that I never realised I needed to know more about. So, dear authors, thank you all for that.

A great fast-paced anthology of young adult historical fiction. The diversity in time, location, and character was incredible,; none of the stories felt out of place from the others. I learned a lot about different cultures during significant eras of US history that I never would have learned when I was that age. I loved that each author picked an era that meant something more to them than if they were presented with the era they were going to be writing about. It was a huge relief that romance wasn't the driving force of the any story if it was a theme and that the driving force these girl's desires to be 'different' from what every one expected them to be.

I was introduced to Jessica Spotswood through her first anthology project A Tyranny of Petticoats, which featured 15 stories about badass women. I don’t remember much of it, but I know I gave it a 3/5 rating because the stories were good and fantastical, but nothing special or memorable for me. I decided to give this one a go since I’m into anthologies lately, and to see if these are better than the first collection. I wasn’t disappointed, but neither was I thrilled.

The stories range from early 19th to late 20th century, all set in USA, and each one featuring a girl or a woman who makes a radical change in her life, be it for her personal gain or the greater good. Each of these women is trodden down by misogyny, racism, religious bigotry, or simply her parents’ strict and cultural views, but each one wins, or gets what she wants in a certain way.

These stories are equally good as in the first collection, but unfortunately (for me) there’s much, much less magical and supernatural in this one – almost none.


The Stories

Daughter of the Book (1838, Savannah, Georgia) – Dahlia Adler

An interesting story about the challenges Jewish women faced in their closed community, not allowed to learn and do as much as men. 4/5



You’re a stranger here (1844, Nauvoo, Illinois) – Mackenzi Lee

A portray of the terrible ordeal Mormons went through around the time their leader, Joseph Smith, was murdered, and how difficult it was to preserve their belief and persevere through constant persecution. 3/5



The Magician (1858, Colorado River, New Mexico Territory) – Erin Bowman

A young orphan girl cheats in cards and poses as a boy to get a better pay, trying to collect enough money to go search for her family. 3.5/5



Lady Firebrand (1863, Charleston, South Carolina) – Megan Shepherd

This one was my favorite. Rose, a rich white girl in a wheelchair, and Pauline, her African American friend posing as a maid travel to south in the middle of the Civil War, where they become Union spies, duping the Confederates by destroying their weapon supplies. 5/5



Step right up (1905, Tulsa, Indian Territory) – Jessica Spotswood

This one is about a girl who dreams of becoming a tightrope walker and joining the circus, while coping with her abusive stepfather and indifferent mother. 4/5



Glamour (1923, Los Angeles, California) – Anna-Marie McLemore

During the golden age of Hollywood, a Latina girl tries her best to change herself, her roots, and her skin so she can fit in with the American belles and become a star. 3/5



Better for all the world (1927, Washington, D.C.) – Marieke Nijkamp

This one is about mental illness, at the time still not researched enough, and even feared of, which drove the people and the state to commit some horrible and unforgiving acts like convicting a girl to sterilization so she can’t spread the illness by reproduction. 3/5



When the moonlight isn’t enough (1943, Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts) – Dhonielle Clayton

African American family of three persists for 200 years by preserving and drinking moonlight. They spend several years in one place, then run away in fear of people uncovering their secret. They plan to do so again, as WW2 is raging over the Atlantic, but their daughter is tired of running and being 16 for two consecutive centuries. 4/5



The belle of the ball (1952, Brooklyn, New York) – Sarvenaz Tash

The 1950s in USA weren’t known as a place equal for men and women, which Rosemary feels on her own skin as she struggles to become a comedy script writer against the conservative and bigoted mind of her family and elders. 3/5



Land of the sweet, home of the brave (1955, Oakland, California) – Stacey Lee

A Japanese girl competes at a talent show where the main prize is to have your image featured on the sugar packaging, and she beats some racial prejudice ass along the way. 4/5



The birth of Susi go-go (1972, Queens, New York) – Meg Medina

An interesting story of Susana, a Cuban refugee, struggling between her religious and prejudiced parents’ approval and the desire to fit in with an entirely different culture. 4/5



Take me with U (1984, Boston, Massachusetts) – Sara Farizan

Sohelia was sent by her parents from Iran to her cousins’ home in Boston to escape the war. She copes with her longing and loss by making friends and joining a punk band against the wishes of her prejudiced aunt. 3.5/5



While these stories were diverse regarding the characters (which was the point of this anthology), this one didn’t feel as particularly diverse with settings and the stories as was the first collection. Because of that I was bored while reading a few entries, they simply lacked something. Nevertheless, I still plan to read Spotswood’s next collection, Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft, because I prefer supernatural stories, and that one seems more suitable for me.

This book will revolutionize the YA genre.

The Radical Element is an anthology of short stories that all center around one thing: powerful and strong women. Not only that, but each story is a piece of historical fiction that aims to highlight voices that are often forgotten in many modern-day stories.

I could not get over how much I loved this collection of stories. Some of my favorites included: "When the Moonlight Isn't Enough" by Dhonielle Clayton, "Land of the Sweet, Home of the Brave" by Stacey Lee, and "The Magician" by Erin Bowman. The stories within this anthology each did an amazing job painting a portrait of the characters, the setting, and their daily lives. I would love to pick up the companion novel to this!

Oh man was this anthology fantastic! I heard so many good things about the previous anthology Jessica Spotswood edited (which I haven't read yet but definitely plant to soon), and was so excited to read this one. All the stories follow ambitious women throughout history as they strive for more than is expected of them. Many of the stories were own voices, and followed a diverse cast of characters, and there was religious, racial, cultural, and diversity of ability throughout the stories. Like all anthologies, there were some stories I enjoyed more than others, but overall I thought this was a fantastic book and definitely recommend!

Daughter of the Book by Dahlia Adler (3.5 stars)
This story follows a Jewish main character who is interested in learning more about her religion even though it is not appropriate for a woman to learn about it. I enjoyed seeing the young woman persevere when everyone around her told her know, and I enjoyed learning more about the Jewish religion.

You're a Stranger Here by Mackenzi Lee (4 stars)
This follows a Mormon main character soon after the prophet Joseph Smith is killed, and the church is being driven out of town. My one critique of the story is that the main character is written with an accent, and it was difficult to understand some of what was being said. I also think it's really relatable that unlike everyone around her, the main character is struggling with her religious beliefs.

The Magician by Erin Bowman (2 stars)
Bowman's story is a Western, and follows a crossdressing female. Honestly this story was one of my least favorites of the anthology, and I know it's because I don't enjoy reading Westerns. If you've read and enjoyed Bowman's other works, or if you like reading Westerns, then you'll probable enjoy this one.

Lady Firebrand by Megan Shepherd (3 stars)
Follows a disabled white young woman and a free black woman who are spies during the Civil War. I don't have much to say about this one, it was okay but not one of my faves.

Step Right Up by Jessica Spotswood (3.5 stars)
A girl wants to run away with the circus because she feels more at home with the group than she does at home with her abusive uncle and a town that stifle's her interests. This was a fun story to read, and I'm glad that at the end of the story the author acknowledges the animal cruelty that's been part of the circus.

Glamour by Anna-Marie McLemore (4.5 stars)
I hadn't read anything by McLemore before, but now I definitely want to read more of her work! This story has magical realism and focuses on racism against Mexicans, as well as the struggles LGBTQ+ and disabled individuals faced during old Hollywood. I really enjoyed the setting and the writing of the story.

Better for All the World by Marieke Nijkamp (5 stars)
I LOVED this story. It has own voices autism representation, and follows a young woman who is interested in becoming a lawyer. The main character is staying with family in DC and following the eugenics case about Carrie Bucks, who was sterilized for being "feeble minded". I loved that the character had the support of her aunt, who wanted to help her but never pushed her to do anything she was comfortable with. Such a good story, I would definitely want to read a whole book about this.

When the Moonlight Wasn't Enough by Dhonielle Clayton (3 stars)
Another magical realism story, one that's set during WWII and follows a black family who drinks moonlight to stay young. While her parents plan to stay out of events that are happening around them, the main character wants to help her country. I loved the premise of the story and the emotions, but the pacing felt off which led to some confusing about what was going on.

The Belle of the Ball by Sarvenaz Tash (4 stars)
A fun story about a young girl who is obsessed with Lucille Ball and wants to be a comedy writer. I enjoyed reading about her struggle standing up to her mother who's biggest dream for her is being a debutant. I also really enjoyed how she wanted to prove everyone wrong about women being funny. In the story there's a Latino love interest who was super supportive of her comedy, which I thought was pretty great.

Land of the Sweet, Home of the Brave by Stacey Lee (5 stars)
An Asian-American girl is trying out to be the new face of a sugar company. She has to put up with many micro-aggressions (and straight up aggression) from people around her that don't believe she should. I love the character's attitude and how she didn't let any of the negative people and events get her down.

The Birth of Susi Go-Go by Meg Medina (5 stars)
I was immediately hooked when the first thing that happens is girls are taking turns reading a banned book. This story follows Susi, a Cuban-American who is straddling two cultures. Her parents expect her to retain her Cuban culture, but she struggles to be herself which means including parts of American culture into her life. I think this is a great story that any multicultural individual can understand, especially immigrants.

Take Me With You by Sara Farizan (4 stars)
This is set in America after the Islamic Revolution. The main character recently moved to the US to stay with extended family and doesn't speak or understand English very well. I loved the emphasis of music in this story, and how she made friends and learned to stand up for herself.