*I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
This was definitely one of the better short story collections I've read! It doesn't hurt that I enjoy several of the authors' other works.

A Universe of Wishes from Random House Children's

“The universe is better because we are here. Because you are here”

A strong anthology to round out any collection!

(* marks my favorites stories in this collection)

*A Universe of Wishes by Tara Sim -

“...wishes could not be made on innocent things, innocuous things, like stars and coins and clovers. Because wishes were granted only by the dead.” A sentiment both beautifully poetic and only partially true. This is a story about revenge and despair and love and magic. It is at turns beautiful and grisly and I loved it so very much, this universe held in a handful of pages. A three wishes story about making the world better and making things right.


The Silk Blade by Natalie C. Parker -

An unusual go at love at first sight on a world that rests on the balance of delicacy and strength. Three warriors compete for the role of consort to the Bloom.


The Scarlet Woman: A Gemma Doyle Story by Libba Bray -

This starts off feeling like a fairly typical period piece before diverting into a mystery full of murder, magic, and intrigue. I enjoyed it, but it reads more like an excerpt from a novel than a complete story in its own right—though, to be fair, I have never read any other Gemma Doyle stories.


*Cristal y Ceniza by Anna-Marie McLemore -

Glass slippers that act as seven league boots and a girl heads to a Cinderella-style ball whikle trying to save her mothers from a homophobic inquisition force that would rip her family apart. It is a fairy tale that speaks to the present as much as it echoes a classic form. She finds “a prince who had once endured a wrong name and now had a true one,” who is diplomatic and kind and willing to help. This is a parable of tolerance and sanctuary, and speaks in favor of acceptance wherever possible. “I know it’s your home.” He cleared his throat, as though the words came hard. “But they’re my family too. All those like us, we belong to each other.”


Liberia by Kwame Mbalia -

A teenager gardening in space to survive. Things get worse from there. (Harry seems like a completely incompetent leader if he truly can’t understand that people need food to survive)


A Royal Affair by V.E. Schwab

This one is set in the world of Shades of Magic, which I have not read. I think I would have gotten more mileage from it if I had. Mostly what I got instead was a story about an abusive brother and a relationship too fragile to weather an obvious falsehood.


*The Takeback Tango by Rebecca Roanhorse -

A heist! Let’s steal back artifacts from a museum that celebrates intergalactic colonialism! Some excellent vibes here


Dream and Dare by Nic Stone -

A “loathly lady” fairy tale retelling. Dream and Dare are two very different girls, but neither of them fit the social ideals they are expected to live up to.


*Wish by Jenni Balch -

I’ve enjoyed this entire collection, but <i>this</i>? This is the story that makes the entire collection. It’s a magic lamp story, unexpectedly set on Venus. And, it is perfect in every way.


The Weight by Dhonielle Clayton -

“The goal was to have your heart weighed. To have the organ plucked from your chest like a swollen cherry and placed on a set of golden scales. To goad the blood-soaked flesh into exposing its imprints, the names of those you’d loved scrawled along striated muscle. To have a machine divulge whom you loved the most, whether you wanted to admit it or not.”


*Unmoor by Mark Oshiro -

This is at heart a fairly standard high school breakup drama. It is also a story with absolutely fascinating everyday magic — Felix has hired someone to “unmoor” his memories of his failed relationship with Arturo. This has a creeping sense of overreacting to the point of horror. I read Mark Oshiro’s <i>Each of Us a Desert</i> last year and loved it; they are an author to watch for.


The Coldest Spot in the Universe by Samira Ahmed -

Apocalyptic dystopia, where climate change destroyed the life on earth.


The Beginning of Monsters by Tessa Gratton -

Really interesting approach to gender! Weird display of how to politically radicalize youth. But also, extremely complicated and difficult to follow world-building that would suit a novel better than it suits a short story.
The genetic engineering at play reminds me a bit of Borne, by Jeff Vandermeer.


*Longer Than the Threads of Time by Zoraida Córdova -

A princess-in-a-tower story, of a sort. Rapunzel in Central Park.


Habibi by Tochi Onyebuchi -

Shit penpals? Two imprisoned boys may or may not be exchanging letters.
“Shoes dangling from power lines like some kinda ballet over this potholed street with cracks makin a spiderweb from one small crater to another, and they was gettin made bigger from the wheels of Camaros and Hondas and beat-to-shit Subarus, all these worndown four-doors takin kids to and from school or this local park with a green-and-orange jungle gym for a afternoon where they’ll learn how to ride bicycles and where they’ll fall while speeding down that hill by the parking lot and realize that the natural way to deal with pain is to cry.”

A Universe of Wishes is a YA Fantasy/Sci-Fi Anthology featuring 15 diverse stories. I was so thankful that I enjoyed the majority of the stories in this collection. Scfi-Fi is not really my go-to genre so I think that says a lot.

A Universe of Wishes by Tara Sim - A great story to start this anthology. This one is compelling and I really loved the m/m romance. 5 stars

The Silk Blade by Natalie C. Parker - I enjoyed the premise and worldbuilding in this one but the romance felt too fast for me. 3 stars

The Scarlet Woman by Libba Bray - This was interesting and quite confusing for me. I would probably have enjoyed it if I'm familiar with Bray's Gemma Doyle trilogy. 2 stars

Cristal y Ceniza by Anna-Marie McLemore - This is a Cinderella retelling. A peasant girl meeting the trans-Prince! I loved it! 5 stars

Liberia by Kwame Mbalia - The writing and Kweku's relationship with his grandmother were my favorite in this one! Also, there are so many plants in this one. 3 stars

A Royal Affair by V. E. Schwab - This tells the story of Alucard Emery (Shades of Magic series) before he becomes the captain of the Night Spire. This made me love him even more. 5 stars

The Takeback Tango by Rebecca Roanhorse - A space captain on a heist. Her plan is to steal back the artifacts that were stolen from her people. I would love to read more from this story. 4 stars

Dream and Dare by Nic Stone - The story is about a girl named Dream and a monster (I think) named Dare. I didn't really connect with the characters and the story. 3 stars

Wish by Jenni Balch - A girl with an autoimmune disease finds a LAMP and a boy who meant to grant her wish. This was a hopeful story. - 3 stars

The Weight by Dhonielle Clayton - A couple who have their hearts removed from their bodies to weigh and see who they truly love. The concpet is really interesting in this one. It's unique and very intriguing. 4 stars

Unmoor by Mark Oshiro - A guy who wants to unmoor the memories he has with his ex-boyfriend he loved the most. This book is about memories and how they affect us. This one made me cry! 5 stars

The Coldest Spot in the Universe by Samira Ahmed - A dystopian story focuses on climate change. I enjoyed the dual timelines. This is haunting and powerful. 4 stars

The Beginning of Monsters by Tessa Gratton - I had a hard time on this one. It's slow and I couldn't figure out what's happening. 2 stars

Longer than the Threads of Time by Zoraida Cordova - A Rapunzel retelling set in modern day New York. A girl locked up in a tower for years and a brujo who wants to save her. I was so naive and didn't see that ending coming. I would love to know how the story continues though. 5 stars

Habibi by Tochi Onyebuchi - A story about a prisoner and a protester, both in prison, exchanging letters and eventually build a deep connection with each other. This was a heart-wrenching and very powerful story. 5 stars

Overall, this is an excellent collection of stories that are both entertaining and empowering. Definitely worth the read.

A very solid short story collection. The stories set in existing fictional universes didn't work quite as well for me as the standalones but overall this was very enjoyable. Already added to the purchase list for the library where I work.

I liked it, but a few of the authors continued in an established world which left me confused, as I was unfamiliar with the character and the world they inhabit. Normally in a short story, this lack of familiarity is provided some amount of context, but in the stories that are continuations of a known story, that context is not necessary to all readers, and I found a little lost in a few of the stories. I also felt the theme of this anthology was not as strong as other We Need Diverse Books anthologies, which left the theme of a few individual stories unclear.

As usual with short story collections though, I can't find one where I enjoy all the stories equally, but I've come to realize that it's not the purpose of this book. Because if I would love all of them it would mean that they would somehow share similar traits which would make them attractive to a target group with preferences like I have them. It is way more beneficial to include the wide range of stories that are so different that they would appeal to a greater audience in the bigger picture.

Next for Sophie was an anthology. A Universe of Wishes is a sci-fi and fantasy anthology from the We Need Diverse Books project and includes stories by many popular names including V.E. Schwab, Rebecca Roanhorse, Samira Ahmed, and Mark Oshiro. Sophie had been looking forward to diving into this due to loving books by many of the authors included here but instead, found herself feeling disappointed.

Sophie has been making a point of reading more diversely of late and has come across many great stories by doing so, but the stories here often felt that the authors were under so much pressure to make them Diverse with a capital D that they ended up feeling forced. A few were so bad that Sophie found herself DNFing them and moving onto something else with a sigh of relief. Several of the stories felt derivative or were set within other, established universes and so made little or no sense to someone unfamiliar with that world. Worse, they often simply stopped what felt like halfway through with the expectation that those familiar with the characters would be able to fill in the gaps.

There were, of course, some exceptions. ‘The Coldest Spot in the Universe’ by Samira Ahmed was probably Sophie’s favorite from the collection – a dual timeline with two characters living 1000 years apart but brought together by the same tragedy. Its climate change message was a little heavy-handed, but it’s becoming increasingly evident that even such OTT messages are often not enough to get through to those who need to hear them most. ‘Liberia’ by Kwame Mbalia was another standout – a beautifully written piece of afro-futurism set on a spaceship crewed by teens transporting part of their heritage to a new world.

Hopefully, others will find more to enjoy here but for Sophie, A Universe of Wishes was filled with more misses than hits, and she doubts it’s one she will pick up again in the future.

I enjoyed this book for what it was. I enjoy witchy books and while this wasn't my favorite I did enjoy it still.

This collection of short stories is breathtaking. The representation found within them is so refreshing and very much needed. I truly enjoyed this magical & mystical anthology. These stories will stay with you for a long time. Every single teen should read this. I cannot sing its praises highly enough.

If I had to pick, my favorite story was Cristal y Ceniza, a retelling of Cinderella by Anne Marie-McLemore.

Thank you to Netgalley for this gifted e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was so good! There were a lot of fantastic stories in this! All of them, even the ones I didn't particularly like, were very atmospheric and the magic was so so cool. Also, for a lot of these stories, I want more. I want full novels, or at least novellas. MORE give me more!

Favorite stories were by these authors: Natalie C Parker, V.E. Schwab, Jenni Balch, Mark Oshiro, and most of all Zoraida Cordova.

I've never read anything by Zoraida Cordova before, though I was familiar with her name, but her story was EXCELLENT. I loved the world in it so much, the modern fairytale reimagining of rapunzel set in NYC with lots of magic creatures and witches and brujos. More than any other story, I want this to be a novel. I really really want to know what happens next and live in this world longer.

So glad I read this collection. Like all collections, not every story was great for me, but this had more winners than most. Amazing!

I love short story collections, and I had very high hopes for this one.

Unfortunately, I think I got my hopes raised too much. There were a few absolutely wonderful short stories in this collection. Stories that I desperately wanted more from their universe. There were also a few stories that I just did not connect to. And there were two stories that you had to have read the prior books in order to really get anything meaningful out of them; and sadly I have no interest in reading the other books in that series.

I think for the YA fantasy reader this is a great collection of short stories. And I would highly recommend the authors that make up this collection. However, as an adult reader who has not read some of these series, mostly it just didn't work for me.

I always find it really hard to rate books like this, that collect together a group of short stories from a variety of authors. There's always the stories that stick with you which probably deserve 5 stars, and those that are more forgettable or that you outright didn't enjoy, that don't. I've gone with 3 stars as an average rating.

I've been reading a story every now and again for such a while now, that I'm cursing myself for not writing mini reviews or ratings for each stories as I went along. I did really, really enjoy that I could pick this up sporadically and still enjoy it, as someone who normally likes to read just one book at any given time. And it was also wonderful to discover a couple of new authors, there are plenty included that I knew already, but I have some new favourites to check out!

Instead of going through and giving brief summaries of each individual story, I am going to give my individual ratings for the stories and my thoughts on the anthology as a whole.

- "A Universe of Wishes" by Tara Sim ~ 3/5
- "The Silk Blade" by Natalie C. Parker ~ 3/5
- "The Scarlet Woman" by Libba Bray ~ 4/5
- "Cristal y Ceniza" by Anna-Marie McLemore ~ 5/5
- "Liberia" by Kwame Mbalia ~ 3/5
- "A Royal Affair" by V. E. Schwab ~ 5/5
- "The Takeback Tango" by Rebecca Roanhorse ~ 4/5
- "Dream and Dare" by Nic Stone ~ 4/5
- "Wish" by Jenni Balch ~ 3/5
- "The Weight" by Dhonielle Clayton ~ 3/5
- "Unmoor" by Mark Oshiro ~ 4/5
- "The Coldest Spot in the Universe" by Samira Ahmed ~ 4/5
- "The Beginning of Monsters" by Tessa Gratton ~ 4/5
- "Longer than the Threads of Time" by Zoraida Cordova ~ 4/5
- "Habibi" by Tochi Onyebuchi ~ 3/5

When I averaged all of the ratings, it rounded out to being a 3.7/5 rating overall. I thought that a lot of these stories were really enjoyable, and the ones that I did not enjoy as much had a different vibe than the rest of them or it was more of a style that I am not always a fan of.

Overall, if you are looking for a diverse anthology, or looking to find ways to learn more about diverse characters and the issues they experience, then I would give this book a shot and see how you like it.

A Universe of Wishes by Tara Sim
This was such a beautiful story with an amazing and unique premise. It manages to make you root for the characters in a few short pages. The message that everyone has magic in them is so beautiful. I would read a 500-page book about this concept.
5 Stars

The Silk Blade by Natalie C. Parker
I didn’t enjoy this one as much. While the worldbuilding was amazing, I didn’t connect with the characters at all. For a short story, the romance happened way too fast and I didn’t believe that Willador would throw away her duty like that.
3 Stars

The Scarlet Woman by Libba Bray
I don’t want to be one of those people, but this story is definitely missing some context. I assume it’s part of Libba Bray’s Gemma Doyle series, or connected to it. Some key world-building elements are needed, and I was mostly just confused. Because this is not an original story (but one connected to an already published series) I will not give it a rating so that it doesn’t affect the rating of the overall book.

Cristal y Ceniza by Anna-Marie McLemore
A wonderful story that I would also read 500 pages of. My only gripe was with the writing. It was a bit disjointed in places, which pulled me out of the story. Other than that it was beautiful. The world-building was done very well and I loved the main character and the prince.
4 Stars

Liberia by Kwame Mbalia
I absolutely hated Harry. What kind of person in their right mind thinks food isn’t an important thing to take to a space colony? Kweku should have punched him. But other than a thoroughly unlikeable antagonist, I loved this short sci-fi story. It’s about space, our connection to home, and an amazing plant dad. I highly recommend it.
5 Stars

A Royal Affair by V.E. Schwab
Schwab’s writing is hit or miss for me. Unfortunately, ADSOM was a miss, so I didn’t particularly feel for these characters. As I have read ADSOM I will rate this one. I just felt disconnected from the characters and the story, and the ending was just confusing.
3 Stars

Take Takeback Tango by Rebecca Roanhorse
Yessir. Yup. Yes. 5 Stars
Think Indiana Jones in space. Where is my 500-page space opera Ms Roanhorse?
5 Stars

Dream and Dare by Nic Stone
We need more queer beauty and the beast retellings, stat. Well, this isn’t entirely a retelling, but the premise is a bit the same (minus the hostage situation). Either way, give me queer.
4 Stars

Wish by Jenni Balch
Such a sweet story that I desperately need more of. I love space and I love magic, put them together and I love this story.
5 Stars

The Weight by Dhonielle Clayton
The premise of this story is just amazing. I would love to have my heart weighed, I wonder what it would say. This one was definitely too short, and I would have loved to read more of it.
4 Stars

Unmoor by Mark Oshiro
This is a great premise, I just wish the world had been a little more fleshed out. The ending also seemed a little rushed, and I would have liked some more character building. All that to say, this one HURT.
4 Stars

The Coldest Spot in the Universe by Samira Ahmed
An immensely tragic and scary story, but beautiful all at once.
5 Stars

The Beginning of Monsters by Tessa Gratton
I didn’t enjoy this story. The world was entirely too complicated (and strange) to be a short story and the characters voices seemed so stilted.
2 Stars

Longer than the Threads of Time by Zoraida Córdova
A modern twist on the Rapunzel story and I need more of it, please.
4 Stars

Habibi by Tochi Onyebuchi
A beautiful and heart-wrenching story about how love can find us even in the most unusual places. A stark reminder of the privilege we have just to be born in a country at (relative) peace.
3 Stars

Overall rating = 56

Average rating = 4 Stars

Rating: 5/5

Format: E-book. I’d like to thank Dhonielle Clayton and Random House Children’s for a copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review!

To sum up:
This is a collection of stories, most with some fantasy or sci-fi element woven in, by a diverse set of authors featuring a just as diverse set of characters. Every author gives voice to elements of their culture, their myths, and their identities.

What I enjoyed:
This was such a beautiful collection! I absolutely loved how different, beautiful and whimsical each story was. All different voices, different experiences, and different cultures illustrated, but with the thread of something fantastic woven through them all. This collection is a celebration of diverse voices. There are stories set in space, and stories set in long beach California (oh hi, that’s where I live!), but in every story is the beating heart of why we tell stories in the first place. Every story is a celebration of the wonder of seeing something new, or something old and loved told in a new way. Every story is a reminder that we need diverse books and diverse voices to better understand each other and to grow.

I could go through and say something about every story in this collection, but I’ll stick to my favorites for brevity. All the stories were great but a few shone out for me! Of course, I loved hearing from my faves V.E. Schwab (ADSOM story!) and Libba Bray (A Gemma Doyle story!), but I was also blown away by Anna-Marie McLemore (a fresh twist on Cinderella that I am still dying over), Mark Oshiro (a story about the burden of memories that left me heartbroken), and Tochi Onyebuchi (a story told in letters between two prisoners that made me see their worlds in a new way).

Overall, I thought this was a beautiful collection of stories. I loved them all and anyone that enjoys speculative fiction, fantasy, and sci-fi is bound to enjoy these as well!

JUST LOOK AT THAT BEAUTIFUL COVER.
I will list a few of my favorites and least favorites.

Loved:
A Royal Affair by V.E. Schwab, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I am a pretty simple girl.... I see V.E. Schwab and immediately know I need to read it. I absolutely loved this. This story follows Alucard Emery ( Shades of Magic series), his relationship with Ray Marshall, and how he came to Captain the Night Spire. M/M Romance

The Weight by Dhonielle Clayton, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Every heart tells a story. This one gave me chills.

Habibi by Tochi Onyebuchi, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I found this story to be a powerful closing for this collection and my second favorite. It follows two young men, a prisoner and a protester, who build a deep and binding connection by exchanging letters. It was so powerful and I loved this story so much.

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

A Universe of Wishes by Tara Sim, ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A surprisingly moving M/M romance. A story about two boys and magic whispered into the bones of humans.

Least Favorite:
The Silk Blade ⭐⭐⭐ a bit rushed. F/F Romance

The Scarlet Woman by Libba Bray ⭐⭐ I did not enjoy this as much because I have not yet read The Gemma Doyle books. If you are like me and haven't, I suggest skipping this one.

The Beginning of Monsters by Tessa Gratton, ⭐ I found this one quite slow and couldn't really figure out the plot.

We Need Diverse Books is so important. This is a well-rounded collection. Obviously, there were stories that I connected with more than others, but that is always the way with anthologies. These stories are not only diverse with their characters, but their experiences as well.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed every story in this collection. Of course, there were some that I liked way more than others, but they were all excellent and I believe I've found some new authors to pick up. All of these stories have a sci-fi or fantasy aspect to them, which may turn some people off.

Familiar authors like Anna-Marie McLemore, V.E. Schwab, Zoraida Córdova brought me back to worlds that I've explored before or left their easily identifiable touch amongst the pages.

It's hard to choose an absolute favorite, but "Liberia" by Kwame Mbalia made me cry a little. It focuses on a young man on a spaceship to a new world. He left all of his friends and family behind; his only connection to them is their recorded voices and the plants he tends.

"The Coldest Spot in the Universe" by Samira Ahmed goes back and forth between the 'near future' and 100 years later. The world attempts to "fix" climate change and it goes awry. A young girl leaves a record of her experiences as people she loves and cares about go missing, struggle to survive, or just are never heard from again. Another young person goes on a mission to explore Earth and wonders about the people who lived there. It was emotional on a different level than "Liberia," to think about what 'solutions' may appear to combat climate change and how it will affect others.

There were a few stories that I didn't connect with for one reason or another. Sometimes I felt like they ended too abruptly or the concept didn't quite get itself across well. However, I highly suggest reading this collection, especially if you're struggling to get through any books.

I loved this book and I can't wait to read another book from this author in the future. All the stories were great and I hope to read more Our Own Voices books in the future.

Universe of Wishes encompasses 15 short diverse short stories wrote by some well known authors. Each are unique in their own. This is the first anthology that I have read and it didn't disappoint. Some days you just want quick reads and this fills that role. Because each story is different, you can read one and come back to the collection later. This is a great way to get to know authors you've been wanting to read.

I had this book on my to-buy list as soon as I saw it, the others in the series were so wonderful, and Clayton is such a powerhouse herself, which is lucky because there were three requests for it before I could even place the order! These stories are masterfully curated, with some of the biggest names in YA #ownvoices. I just wish I had this collection when I was a kid, but I'm so glad I have it now.

Thank you to netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! 4/5 stars.

I think that this collection of short stories made me a better writer. I'm obsessed. I loved each of the stories on their own, and the hope they inspired. I had been hearing about this collection since V.E. Schwab had posted on her timeline that she was doing an early Rhy/Alucard story and I knew I had to get my hands on it for that alone, But when I opened it and actually started reading, I was blown away by the variety and the diversity in the stories. A particular favorite was Dream and Dare by Nic Stone, I loved the transformation of Dare and the way Dream was so drawn to her, it was beautiful. I also really really enjoyed the Takeback Tango by Rebecca Roanhorse, the setting was absolutely fabulous, and was like Firefly, but 1000x cooler. Naturally some of the stories took a little longer to really pull me in, one of which being the Libba Bray story, which was particularly frustrating as I was greatly looking forward to reading more from Gemma's point of view. It just felt a little bit rushed and hard to follow. Over all, I loved this collection and I will definitely be recommending these stories to my friends in the future!