4.5/5

I loved the stories for the most part, like, 99.9% of them.

I do wish there had been a few more scifi but each story brought a beacon of diversity that we so sorely need in the bookish/publishing world. I loved the different characters and seeing more diversity in the pages. It's always great when authors come together to champion characters that look more like ALL of their readers instead of just some. After all, it's not just characters that look like Harry Potter that's able to save the day.

Great anthology, thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC of this.

This was my first ever anthology in the fantasy genre! As with all anthologies, some stories I LOVED, some I really enjoyed, and some were just okay. I loved being exposed to the work of authors I was not familiar with and I ended up adding several books to my TBR! The representation in these stories, as expected, was OUTSTANDING. And the social commentary?! SPOT. ON.

This anthology was FANTASTIC! I’ll break down the individual stories below. All together this is my new favorite anthology. There were so many interesting stories and characters that were executed perfectly in such a short amount of time. I enjoyed most of these stories which is pretty unheard of for me. They all share that ache and urge for more and the risks they are willing to take to make it come true. These were achingly beautiful stories that I think everyone should read.

A Universe of Wishes by Tara Sim 5
This is story sets the tone for this whole book and it set it off with a bang. The magic of it all isn’t even magic.

The Silk Blade by Natalie C. Parker 3
If the bachelor and bachelorette played with knives in order to gain the hand of the empire.

The Scarlet Woman a Gemma Doyle Story by Libba Bray 3
Ah,,, It’s been well over a decade since I read this series and it hurts to be back with these characters. Also this felt very Diviners with the occult in NY.

Cristal y Ceniza by Anna- Marie McLemore 5
My favorite Cinderella retelling by far. This was exceptionally written and I need it to be a full length novel.

Liberia by Kwame Mbalia 4
This is the first science fiction story. We are introduced to our character who is trying to preserve a garden while transporting to their planet. This story builds on itself and the preservation of several generation’s hard work.

A Royal Affair by V.E. Schwab
I’m going to be real honest, I skimmed. I don’t like this series anymore. In fact I forgot I read it. I just don't care about these characters or world.

The Take back Tango by Rebecca Roanhorse 5
National Treasure meets Ocean’s 11 but make it watchable. LOL But seriously if you’ve ever wanted to see all those artifacts put back in their country with sarcastic characters and spies. This is the story for you. This is another I need a Full length novel, asap. Thnx.

Dream & Dare by Nic Stone 5
This was a beautiful story about finding yourself, love, and daring to do that despite others & society.

Wish by Jenni Balch 2
Umm, this was forgettable. sorry

The Weight by Dhonielle Clayton 5
LOVED this story! I don’t want to spoil but if that was real women would want it but most men wouldn’t want to do it.

Unmoor by Mark Oshiro 3
We’ve all been here. You want to erase all existence of your cheating ex from your memories. But remember that old adage “be careful” what you wish for.

The Coldest Spot in the Universe by Samira Ahmed 5
This one is my favorite of the bunch. Many come close but this one punched me in the face. I loved the use of juxtaposition with our two characters. It’s bittersweet but hopeful given our current Climate Change efforts or lack thereof.

The Beginning of Monsters by Tessa Gratton 2
This one just confused me which was frustrating. This has major Tim Burton aesthetic.

Longer than Threads of Time by Zoraida Córdova 5
I need to read more of her books! I love her take on Rapunzel and I believe this is set in the same world as her Bruja series.

Habibi by Tochi Onyebuchi 5
We end this book on a painful resounding sound that will forever reverberate in my soul. This was so damn hard to read yet I couldn’t look away. Hope is always the last to leave.

Many Thanks to Random House and Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

These stories were very fun to read! It was great revisiting Rhy and Alucard, and getting to see more of their history. It was nice to read from other authors that I've been interested in reading as well. This anthology was very solid, and I would recommend it for those who like any of the authors in this lineup!

This anthology was so refreshing. Seeing diverse characters and so many reps was amazing and I thank every single author who participated in this. Loved how the stories were of all genres, and each of them brought a pinch of themselves into the mix to make an amazing anthology.

I liked all stories, but some were pretty rushed in the ending and left me wanting for more. One was part of a series so without knowing the background story I couldn't appreciate it 100%.

My favorite stories were the ones by Tara Sim, V.E. Schwab, Mark Oshiro, and Tochi Onyebuchi. First and last stories were the best for me. Love love love!

A Universe of Wishes is a collection of YA fantasy-based short stories, in partnership with We Need Diverse Books, written by fifteen of today’s top best own-voices children's authors. This compilation offers readers a diverse cast of characters, which may not always be equally represented in society, in the hopes of connecting the reader with a protagonist or setting with which they might identify.

Universe of Wishes, edited by Dhonielle Clayton (The Belles), is the second anthology in collaboration with WNDB that I have had the privilege of reading; the first being Fresh Ink. The beautiful cover immediately grabbed my attention but after seeing the list of award-winning YA novelists who collaborated on this collection I just had to get my hands on it. I was familiar with and have read books from several of the authors who collaborated on this collection but many were "new to me" authors. In my experience with anthologies I find I will usually like some of the stories but not as many as I would hope...that was not the case with this collection. After finishing this novel, I can honestly say I loved almost every single story but among them there were several that really shined for me including:
A Universe of Wishes by Tara Sim- A young man seeking wishes from the dead finds something else instead.
The Silk Blade by Natalie C. Parker- A competition to become the royal consort takes an unexpected turn.
Cristal y Ceniza by Anna-Marie McLemore- A unique retelling of Cinderella in which a young woman seeks refuge in another kingdom for those denied same-sex relationships in her kingdom.
A Royal Affair by V.E. Schwab- The tragic affair between Rhy Maresh and Alucard Emery (Set in the world of Shades of Magic)
Dream and Dare by Nic Stone- A tale of a young woman and a misunderstood monster.
Unmoor by Mark Oshiro- A tale of heartbreak and the ability to erase memories with a spell.
This beautifully written collection is a must read for 2020!

A Universe of Wishes is an anthology dedicated to the power, and influence, of seeing ourselves in the stories. Of the necessity of writing ourselves into stories and spaceships. The contributor to this anthology is an actual dream come true. Almost all of these are on my top tier author list! It's a diverse anthology that celebrates the difference a wish can make. Whether it be a wish to see ourselves amongst the stars, to be the one rescuing the kingdom, or having the power to save our loved ones.

Some of the stories fall into already existing fantasy worlds, but you can definitely read them alone. Although the fantasy worlds of A Darker Shade of Magic and the Brooklyn Brujas series are great, so you should read them. It's an anthology full of stories from writers who have created the stories that house themselves. That champion the power to choose new paths and futures. Reading each of the stories, I was captivated, especially from my favorite authors.

This is a well curated collection of stories. There is a good balance of Sci Fi and Fantasy stories and I appreciate the range of tone and magic systems. Some of the stories are fully immersed in magical worlds while others are magical realism. There are so many amazing settings throughout the book. I particularly loved that there are a couple of fairy tale retellings which are a personal favorite of mine. I absolutely loved Longer then the Threads of Time. I also really appreciated the mix of romantic interests and LGBTQ representation in the book. Dream and Dare was my favorite love story in the book, I loved the surreal vibes. The Silk Blade was another stand out love story for me too, I was really impressed with how much communication passed between the characters without words.

I was also really excited for Libba Bray’s The Scarlet Woman I am a huge fan of the Gemma Doyle series so that was an obvious favorite. I suggest any reader who is curious about this anthology because they see one of their favorite authors contributed pick it up. Overall there wasn’t a story I didn’t enjoy and I am certainly going to look up more of the books by the authors I was less familiar with.

Firstly, I want to express how ecstatic I was to see that (nearly?) every entry in this anthology was exceptionally inclusive! Trans characters, non-binary characters, disabled characters, queer characters, POC characters! I am so very happy to see the diversity throughout the entire collection.

As with any anthology, some entries I personally enjoyed more than others, though I did enjoy all of them in one way or another. However, some of them felt more like excerpts from longer works than self-contained short stories. While I enjoyed "The Scarlet Woman" (I'm always a sucker for anything involving Sekhmet), it didn't really fit the theme of hope and optimism for a better future like the others, and it read like a section from a full novel. I understand it and another piece are part of larger established universes, but that one in particular didn't feel like a whole story on its own. "The Coldest Spot in the Universe", "Liberia", and "A Universe of Wishes" were all very nicely contained and could easily be expanded for full books, but those also don't *need* more to feel complete.

The overall theme of hope and magic is a good one, and one that doesn't always necessarily mean a happily ever after for everyone involved. "The Coldest Spot in the Universe" and "Longer Than the Threads of Time" end with a different sort of hope, one that requires a bit more than just magic. The former especially is more of hope on a grander scale, honoring the past and the sacrifices made in order to get to a better place of existence. I thought that was very touching. I also appreciated the open ending of "The Weight". Maybe everything ended very happily with no complications, maybe it didn't. Make your own judgment.

So this is the first Anthology that I've read and I really enjoyed it! I liked how all the authors came together and pieced the stories together and everything like that! While I completely loved some of the stories and even read them a second time, some of the stories I could have left them but they were still entertaining.
This anthology covered witches, retellings, the matters of the heart and even falling for the enemy types of stories!
Two of them that I absolutely adored were The Silk Blade and A Royal Affair!
The Silk Blade starts out with a fight to win the heart of the prince but as things progress it's no longer the heart of the prince she's after! I was really engrossed with this story and it was beautifully written!
Now, Royal Affair is by none other than V. E. Schwab. Now, coming clean I have not read anything by this author but, her reputation follows her and if you purchase this book just to read her story of Prince Rhy then you're in for a definite treat! I loved that one! Now, I've added her series to my never ending TBR!
There are several other great stories in this Anthology that are such a treat that I would recommend this to anyone who loves fantasy! Definitely a reread possible in the future, I loved it!

I was so VERY excited when Netgalley gave me the opportunity to read this book. I am always a sucker for a short story collection, and especially if these stories were written by some pretty awesome authors (I am especially obsessed with all things written by V.E. Schwab and Zoraida Cordova). As such, I was sinking my teeth into this anthology because of all the potential it was brimming with.

Of course, I was not disappointed. From the very first page, you are being taken hostage to a new world. For the most part, every story felt like this like you were being taken somewhere new each and every time. And you were discovering a particular kind of magic with each new entry and its characters.

With that being said, as it goes for anthologies, not every story is going to be your cup of tea. You are going to like some more than others, and that's okay. My issue with this collection of shorts is that some stories feel like an excerpt, spinoff, or continuation of previous stories written by certain authors. And that sort of dimmed the magic of it; not because they weren't good, rather that I found myself being pulled out of these universes because you needed the set up of it to understand.

I am a sucker for a short story collection. Because, I mean - multiple stories by so many of my favorite authors???? Yes, please, thank you. This collection, in particular, was one I was really interested in since it had not only a story by Dhonielle Clayton, but also V.E. Schwab and Anna-Marie McLemore.

The stories all feel magical in some way and are centered around a wish of some type; a hope of something better. I particularly loved Kwame Mbalia's story about Nana and the story of the monster who is also a girl. There were so many amazing and magical stories in this collection, and I do think that there is something for everyone here. I didn't like all of the stories, but it's rare that anyone loves ALL stories in a short story collection equally. And the stories that weren't for me were still well written and beautiful - just either not my thing or a challenge based on my own personal biases/preconceptions. To the right person, I think that they would resonate far more than they do with me, which is a good thing! Honestly, I think it's incredible to have a collection where there are stories that are this diverse and showcase such a wide array of perspectives.

For the most part, the stories are well written and engaging. There are a few that connect to other series and, in certain cases, I felt like I was missing something (since I haven't read or haven't finished all series by these authors). Standout stories are "Liberia" by Kwame Mbalia, "Dream and Dare" by Nic Stone, "A Royal Affair" by V.E. Schwab, and "Crystal y Ceniza" by Anna-Marie McLemore.

One-off the things I love most about anthologies is that they always leave me wanting more, this however did not.

“A Universe of Wishes” brings us a collection of diverse reads tackling a variety of subjects from climate change and heartbreak as well as reimagining some classic fairytales with lgbtq leads.

I have a few issues with this read but the biggest is the two short stories that are included that are tied to their respected series. As someone who did not read Gemma Doyle I was lost, normally with anthologies we get these snapshots into a story which I enjoy but here I felt like I was doing more catch-up than I should and even though I read ADSOM I believe that short story would have the same effect on someone who doesn’t know that world either.

That being said I had some soft favorites here with the only real stand out belonging to Zoraida Córdoba in a fantasy retelling of Rapunzel with a darker twist that I would happily read a full length book for as both characters jumped off the pages and I was sad to see the chapter end.

There are moments in the others that I think carry real weight but they don’t quite reach the level of intrigue and curiosity that that story summoned within me but the beauty of anthologies is that each reader will come into this book and be able to connect with a story as there is so much representation and I hope that some of these stories and their authors will get a chance to be explored or appreciated further.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

Loved all the diversity and characters in this anthology. Favorites were by Zoraida Córdova, Tessa Gratton and, Anna-Marie McLemore.

This was SO GOOD. Witches, retellings, space thieves, the weighing of hearts, Schwab returns to the world of A Darker Shade of Magic, and Libba Bray returns to the world of Gemma Doyle... What. A. Showstopper.

Writing: ★★★★★
Concepts: ★★★★★
Originality: ★★★★★

A Universe of Wishes comes out on January 5, 2021!

As this is an anthology, I've reviewed each story individually and given a one sentence sales pitch of sorts below. Quick take, my favorites were: The Weight by Dhonielle Clayton, A Royal Affair by V.E. Schwab, Unmoor by Mark Oshiro, Liberia by Kwame Mbalia, and The Scarlet Woman by Libba Bray.

Tara Sim - A Universe of Wishes (3.5 stars)
Thorn harvests wishes from the dead and gets caught red-handed by the morgue boy—what now?

Natalie C. Parker - The Silk Blade (4 stars)
Lushly described, beautifully colored—a bisexual female warrior competes to win the heart of the Bloom prince and may or may not fall for her beautiful rival instead.

Libba Bray - The Scarlet Woman(5 stars)
Gemma Doyle has been in New York for a while now, but the world's magical community isn't done with her yet and someone's determined to reel her back in with grisly gifts.

Anna-Marie Mclemore - Cristal y Cerisa (3.5 stars)
A transgender prince, a Mexican girl attends a ball with a pair of fated glass slippers and a desperate plea for her people.

Kwame Mbalia - Liberia (4.5 stars)
Kweke is the primary research officer on the spacecraft Liberia growing plants with ancestral ties to the crew's abandoned homeland, deep roots.

V.E. Schwab - A Royal Affair (5 stars)
Sure to be a fan-favorite for series readers, this behind-the-scenes take on Alucard's origin romance with Prince Rhy was such a treat.

Rebecca Roanhorse - The Takeback Tango (4 stars)
An intergalactic thief is on a mission to steal back her people's treasures from the republic... and she might not be the only one with a conquered people to avenge.

Nic Stone - Dream and Dare (2.5 stars)
Dream escapes her family's expectations to help a monster in the woods. (This story did not resonate with me, so apologies for the bland description.)

Jenni Balch - Wish (3 stars)
A "granter" in a LAMP device is summoned to a set of very bizarre circumstances: a spaceship, a girl, and a dream for space travel.

Dhonielle Clayton - The Weight (5 stars)
A deep cut, damn. Marcus and Grace know they love each other, and they're going to get their hearts weighed to prove it... that's good, right?

Mark Oshiro - Unmoor (5 stars)
Urban fantasy, Felix wants to "unmoor" his painful memories of his lost love, Arturo—no matter the cost.

Samira Ahmed - The Coldest Spot in the Universe (unrated)
No sentence pitch for this one... I'll be honest, I could NOT get into this one and therefore did not complete it. Told in diary entries, some sort of apocalyptic natural disaster mixed with the dead? Confused.

Tessa Gratton - The Beginning of Monsters (3 stars)
High fantasy in miniature—Crystal-taloned Elir designs a new body for King Insarra, who is tired of their female one. Add in one snarky heir and some political intrigue and you get...

Zoraida Cordova - Longer Than the Threads of Time (4 stars)
A truly sensational Rapunzel retelling. There's a Tower in Central Park and every magic user knows those inside are deserving of their prison sentence—too bad one young brujo is curious enough to get close enough to find out the truth.

Onyebuchi - Habibi (3.5 stars)
Told in diary entries, an American Black prisoner and a Middle Eastern protestor behind bars strike up a magical and unworldly pen pal situation with heart-wrenching and emotional results.

i really enjoyed this anthology, it has great stories and all the stories flowed super well together. I loved the topic of this anthology and I really enjoyed reading this.

In the fourth collaboration with We Need Diverse Books, fifteen award-winning and celebrated diverse authors deliver stories about a princess without need of a prince, a monster long misunderstood, memories that vanish with a spell, and voices that refuse to stay silent in the face of injustice. This powerful and inclusive collection contains a universe of wishes for a braver and more beautiful world.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

These stories were amazing. Heartfelt and full of adventure, I saw perspectives on things that I would never be able to get. We do need diverse books, and this is a fantastic one. People will see themselves in these characters and in the struggles they face. What made it especially enjoyable for me was the recognizable authors and some familiar settings. A Universe of Wishes was an utterly enchanting way to practice inclusivity and give voices to those who are marginalized. The writing was great, and I could feel the magic leaping off the page.

I am glad these stories exist because as someone who can easily find a representation of myself in popular culture, many people don't. Those people have stories to tell and voices to be heard, and I feel glad to have read these different perspectives.

This anthology brings a breath of fresh air to the fantasy genre. Over the last 5-10 years we have seen an uptick in diversity throughout the genre - authors, characters, worlds. And this anthology did not disappoint in bringing a lot of it together in one nice little package. This anthology did a great job of challenging our biases in fantasy writing - we shouldn’t always think of a medieval England type kingdom with brave knights, there should be all manner of peoples, relationships, environments. This book didn’t even stop there, there were also big differences in story format - some were typical short story layout, some were a series of letters, some diary/log entries.
Another thing most of the stories in this anthology succeeded at - short stories require quick attention grabs, many of the stories succeeded very well with this, but there were a few that never grabbed my attention.
Thanks @NetGalley for the ARC!

Writing a review for a story anthology is always a bit tricky. Do I say something about all of the stories or just the ones I liked? Do I just say what I liked about the whole in general terms or keep to the specifics? I think in this case I will do a little bit of both. This is a very nice anthology of stories filled with diverse characters and story lines. For the most part I enjoyed all of them, although there were a few that left me wanting more, and a few that just didn’t quite do it for me. But on the whole a very nice collection.

I am going to pick out a few of my favorites and tell a little about them and why I liked them.

A Universe of Wishes by Tara Sim
This story centered around a boy who could draw magic out of dead people so that he could make or grant wishes. Such a wonderful concept which I would love to see a whole book dedicated to. I loved the characters, both Thorn and Sage, and how their relationship developed. I also very much enjoyed the ending.

The Scarlet Woman: A Gemma Doyle Story by Libba Bray
I have not yet read the Gemma Doyle series, but after reading this, I have moved it up the TBR pile a bit. I really enjoyed the characters, although I was a bit lost in the plot. It felt a bit unfinished, so not sure where it falls in the sequence of the series. But I still liked it, although the ending was open-ended.

Cristal y Ceniza by Anna-Marie Mclemore
This was an excellent Cinderella retelling with a latinx bruja twist to it. This is another one that I would love to see more of the story, or maybe more fairytales told through this world’s diverse lens. I have not read anything by this author before, but I really liked her style and will certainly be keeping an eye out for other works by her.

The Takeback Tango by Rebecca Roanhorse
This was a great science fiction story that takes place in space. I loved how the characters were both so interested in saving their ancestor’s history from the victors. Great little heist story and I certainly could get behind more stories about these two.

Wish by Jenni Balch
I loved this science fiction twist on the Jinn mythology. I really liked Lane and his issues with being a Jinn, but also his desire to help Ariadne. Ariadne was also a delightful character, so full of loss and loneliness. The way they solved the wish issue was also very lovely.

I could probably go on about a few of the other stories, but that is enough to hopefully entice you into picking up the wonderful anthology of stories.

I really liked the idea of this short story collection and I did really enjoy it. Honestly, I was shocked by my average rating. I think this is a great collection. There is a whole lot of diversity in it. I also haven't read anything yet from most of these authors and I this collection made me super excited about checking out those authors. I kind of had a problem with some of the stories because they just didn't feel like a full story and more like an introduction to something larger. There were also some stories that overall weren't my cup of tea but I think other people will really like. There were also two stories that I really liked. Both were by authors I hadn't read anything from before and now I can't wait to read something by them. This was my first real fiction anthology and it has made me really excited to check out more.