I love how Parrish finds the cover and then writes around it. It reminds me of the prompts and bingos that pop up occasionally. I found the majority of these strong female stories inspiring but sadly, unmemorable.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poise and Pen Publishing for a review copy of this book. The below opinions are my own.

Hear Me Roar is an anthology edited and curated by Rhonda Parrish. The stories focus on strong female leads and dragons. Each story has a different writing style as how anthologies generally are.
The stories were a mixed bag. Some were a hit and some were a miss for me.

Blacktooth 500 by Gwen C. Katz is my favorite amongst this collection. A mother and daughter get together to win a dragon chariot and also reconnect along the way.

I wish the stories were a bit more diverse though. A lukewarm collection to be precise!

I received a copy of this book to review from Netgalley. Thank you for the opportunity.
I found the idea behind this book unique and I liked that the author wanted to support other unpublished writers. The stories were lighthearted and fun, but lacked some depth. More could have been done with this anthology.

Hear Me Roar is a compilation of stories that I think it wasn't that exciting. I was expecting a lot of some but it just brought me down and I didn't wanted that so I think that a solid two stars for tish book, I don't have a lot to say of this book.

Hear Me Roar Anthology compiled by Rhonda Parrish

Reading that the cover inspired what the compilation of stories would be about was interesting. That the author chose predominately unpublished authors from a group she belongs to after running a competition also sounded intriguing. Knowing that some writers were in elementary school and other more seasoned also had me thinking that this might be an interesting read. I knew that empowered women and dragons would be the focus and that sounded like a great combination. Then, I started reading and found that my attention was not being held. The writing styles were as varied as the stories presented. I am glad that the stories were printed and given a chance but found that they were not my cup of tea and that perhaps I prefer stories that have more in common within anthology. I have a feeling that some readers will love this tome but I found that it was “okay” and did not read all of the stories but did skim most of them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poise and Pen Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review.

2-3 Stars

Hear Me Roar is the latest short story collection edited and curated by Rhonda Parrish. This time around, the focus is all about strong female leads, and dragons. Of course, there had to be dragons involved.

Naturally, anything focused on dragons is enough to get my attention. So here I am. This collection contains sixteen short stories, all with unique twists and takes on classic dragon tropes. I'll review each story below, but the stories included are: The Princess of Dragons by Aurora B.C. Donev, Light Chaster, Dark Hunter by Joseph Halden, Defend Us in Battle by Jennifer R. Donohue, Blacktooth 500 by Gwen C. Katz, Father Christmas, Mother Hubbard, The Dragon (And Other Selected Scenes From the End of the World) by Damascus Mincemeyer, The Naga's Mirror by Amanda Kespohl, Madam Librarian by M.D.L. Curelas, Of Dragon Genes and Pretty Girls by Jennifer Lee Rossman, Blackout by JB Riley, Ginny and the Ouroboros by Stephanie Loree, Red in Tooth and Maw by Laura Vanarendonk Baugh, Serpent in Paradise by Megan Engelhardt, Tia Time by Kevin Cockle, For the Glory of Gold by Krista D. Ball, The Rise of the Dragonblood Queen by Blake Jessop, and A Night in the Philosopher's Cave by Candas Jane Dorsey.

“The stories which fill these pages span spectrum. They vary in voice and genre. Some of the dragons are easily recognized as such, some not so much but each story has a unique and interesting take on the 'empowered women and dragons' theme.”

The Princess of Dragons by Aurora B.C. Donev
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
The Princess of Dragons is an absolutely adorable short story, and believe it or not, it's written by an elementary school student. I can honestly tell you that I wasn't expecting to find something like this inside!
It's a tale of a princess, her love of dragons, and the scuffles she finds herself in with her fellow sisters (all of whom belong to their own fantasy creature). It's quick, it's sweet, and it's entertaining.
“The princess of the dragons grabbed a screwdriver. Whistle, clink, screech, click. 'Phew,' she said. 'Done.'”

Light Chaster, Dark Hunter by Joseph Halden
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
Choices. Life is full of them, though sometimes they catch us when we're least prepared. This is the story of one prison guard, and the decision she has to make. Help a little old woman tend to her baby dragons, or turn away from the injustice all around her.
“Eventually, they will have to accept a woman in their ranks.”
This was an interesting take on the whole dragon trope, and probably one of the most unique ones I've seen, at that. I almost wish that this had been the first story in the collection, as I think it would have set the tone quite nicely.

Defend Us in Battle by Jennifer R. Donohue
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
Ah, the classic tale of dragon/monster hunters and the lineage they leave behind. One father is teaching his daughter the ropes, despite all the risks that may come with hunting dragons.
“I'm thirteen the next time we kill a dragon.”
I honestly think I would have liked this one more if it hadn't felt so...done (?) before. Also, I tend to lean towards the stories that don't hunt and kill dragons, no matter how justified it may be. That's just my personal preference though. Still, it was well-written and interesting.

Blacktooth 500 by Gwen C. Katz
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
Dragons exist, and not only that, but they're now actively used in the world of racing. One mother and her daughter are about to join a race that changes their lives – and the way they regard one another (for the better).
“Mindless of the forbidding landscape, the dragons strain against their harnesses, held back only by their carts' claw brakes.”
This was a sweet mother/daughter story, one that I honestly hadn't thought to expect from a collection about dragons. It had a lot of fun twists, and wasn't afraid to simply be itself.

Father Christmas, Mother Hubbard, The Dragon (And Other Selected Scenes From the End of the World) by Damascus Mincemeyer
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
Two explorers survive together after the world has fallen apart. All things considered, they're doing pretty well for themselves, that is, until they get a new mission, which takes them on a very unexpected adventure.
“You know, when it was all said and done, the apocalypse kinda sucked.”
I like the premise of this story, though I feel like I've seen it somewhere else as well (not that this is a bad thing, mind you). The title does get a bit funnier, once you've read the story (as suddenly it makes sense!).

The Naga's Mirror by Amanda Kespohl
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
This is the story of one girl, and the journey she found herself on. She literally swam through the waters of her memories, and in doing so made the most unique friend ever – a dragon.
“In a moment, I am quite literally drowning in my own memories.”
What a unique premise! I really enjoyed this short, though I regret that it wasn't longer. Not just in an 'oh, it's a short story' sense, but because it felt like something was missing towards the end. I would have liked to see where the rest of the story led.

Madam Librarian by M.D.L. Curelas
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
Miriam has been the librarian in her town for a very long time. Longer than most people would realize, come to think of it. As such, she takes the banning of books quite personally. Though perhaps that part isn't so surprising.
“An anger like nothing she'd felt in decades burned in her belly. The nerve of these people, making decisions about her books.”
Madam Librarian is easily my favorite of this whole collection. A female dragon whose hoard is a library? Yes please! I could read about this character all day, no joke.

Of Dragon Genes and Pretty Girls by Jennifer Lee Rossman
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
The twelve animals of the Zodiac are being placed together in order to race. Why? Well, it's the best way to decide the order of the new calendar, naturally. It's all brought together by one brilliant character, who had to go to great lengths to find her dragon.
“So I need a dragon”
This was an interesting story, though I'll admit that I struggled to get into it at first. Once I did, I enjoyed the premise well enough, and would have happily read more, had it gone on longer.

Blackout by JB Riley
Rating: ⋆ ⋆
Warnings: Sexual harassment, sexual assault (intent)
What if the imaginary dragon you had as a child wasn't exactly imaginary? What if they showed up again one day, when you needed them the most? How would they fit in with a modern world? This short story asks all those questions, and more.
“You never go into caves alone.”
I really wanted to like this short, as I love the core concept of an imaginary creature popping up again later in life (I know it's been done, but I still like it). Unfortunately, I found the other core concept of this story to be a bit off-putting, especially in a collection that is supposed to be all about empowerment. Maybe that's just me though? That or perhaps the author did too good of a job describing the antagonist, because he made my skin crawl.

Ginny and the Ouroboros by Stephanie Loree
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
Warnings: Drugs
Two sisters. Two paths in life. One dragon egg – and the change it brings about. This is the story of Virginia Washington and her sister, and the story they found themselves in the center of.
“She's never seen so many beautiful things in one place.”
This story is a little bit weird, a little bit sweet, and very sad. I really enjoyed it, though it does require a bit of an emotional investment from the readers. Consider yourself warned.

Red in Tooth and Maw by Laura Vanarendonk Baugh
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
In a world where dragons exist, you'd think that the media (and the public) would go crazy for any and all updates. But apparently that is not the case in this story, as wildlife preserves fight to keep their dragons happy and healthy.
“Dragon conservation should have been a shoo-in for public support, but it seemed information overload and queasy politics had rendered everyone jaded these days.”
I love it. I absolutely love the idea of a wildlife preserve taking charge of dragon care. While I'd like to argue the point about the public not caring enough to fund the project...I can't. It's a little too real for comfort, in that sense. Otherwise, it's a delightful diversion, blending fact and fiction.

Serpent in Paradise by Megan Engelhardt
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
Two ladies (scientists, of course) head off to an island in hopes of getting a vacation. Instead, they get the adventure of a lifetime. And absolutely no time to relax, though the cost was surely worth it.
“'I never look for trouble!' I protested.”
This was another fun addition to the collection, though I might be biased thanks to the inclusion of two awesome female scientists. Oh, and a cat. That probably swayed my opinion a little bit as well. Still, it was funny and charming.

Tia Time by Kevin Cockle
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
Tia Time is probably the hardest to describe short story of the whole collection. It's unique, bringing technology into a world of dragons (or is it the other way around?) in brilliant fashion. All while pulling in lots of referential humor and the like.
“And you're going to think that I'm screwing with you, but I want you to sit there, and listen, okay? Listen right to the end.”
This one admittedly took me a bit to get into, and by the time I did, it was basically over. The trials of short stories, right? Though seriously, it does have quite a lot of potential. It's funny and quirky, which I appreciate.

For the Glory of Gold by Krista D. Ball
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
Ah, dragons and their gold, a classic tale, no? Well, For the Glory of Gold twists that expectation on its head, once again. The Duchess of Toronto, a famous female dragon tells her story of how she got her hands (erm, claws) on even more gold.
“Personally, she loathed the term humanity. How human-centric.”
This was a hilarious addition to this story collection. It took the whole obsession dragons have about gold and really ran with it – straight to a surprising twist.

The Rise of the Dragonblood Queen by Blake Jessop
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
It's time to take the classic tale of the damsel in distress and flip it on it's head. This is a princess who has never been afraid to speak her mind, even while her family continued their generation-long feud against a dragon.
“If I told you what I really think of you, my father, this kingdom, and your stupid war with my family, your scales would fall off.”
I really enjoyed this one. Actually, I'd argue that it's in my top two favorites from the collection. It was funny and sassy, and not at all what I expected. It's basically everything I would have wanted from this collection of short stories.

A Night in the Philosopher's Cave by Candas Jane Dorsey
Rating: ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
Two sworn enemies, brought together by the ceaselessness of time. It's a classic tale of how two enemies can become friends (or almost that), if put in the right situation for long enough.
“Some day I can't lift my own bones either. It's not annoying, it's entropy. But today's a good day.”
This was an interesting story, one with a lot of potential. I would love to see it worked up into something more. Though I'll confess that I didn't feel as much for the characters as I would have liked – maybe that's something that could be fixed in a longer version? Either way, I'd read it!

I wanted to love this book because female fantasy and dragon sounds like something that I would absolutely adore. However many of the short stories fell flat for me. I do believe that some of the stories with more detail and more meat on the bone would have made a really good short story collection however as they are right now are not as good. To my understanding there were not as many people that submitted for this short story collection so it was very limited so please keep that in mind.

I had high hopes for this anthology, as I love fantasy stories about strong women and about dragons, so combining the two seemed like an amazing idea. Unfortunately, the quality of this collection was incredibly hit and miss for me - the editor acknowledged in her intro that she limited submissions to authors who were on her mailing list, and it shows, as the stories were lacking the diversity that I think would have come from a more carefully curated collection. There were a few solid stories that I enjoyed, and a few with concepts that I might have loved as a full-length novel, but a lot of them felt rather flat for me.

Story reviews:

1. The Princess of Dragons by Aurora B.C. Donev - N/A. I'm not going to rate this story as it was written by an elementary school student (though she definitely would have gotten an A if this was English class and I was her teacher), but... it was definitely a bold choice to open with this story, as it didn't set the mood well at all.

2. Light Chaser, Dark Hunter by Joseph Halden - 3/5. This was an interesting story about a female prison warden who helps a prisoner smuggle out some baby dragons. I think this would make a fascinating novel as there was lots of world-building that bogged such a short story down, but that I wanted to know more about.

3. Defend Us in Battle by Jennifer R. Donohue - 3/5. A charming but somewhat cliche story about a teen girl who grows up to follow in her father's footsteps as a dragon hunter.

4. Blacktooth 500 by Gwen C. Katz - 3.5/5. One of my favourites, since it was so wholesome - a mother and daughter team pair up to win a dragon chariot race and get the opportunity to connect along the way.

5. Father Christmas, Mother Hubbard, The Dragon (And Other Selected Scenes From the End of the World by Damascus Mincemeyer - 1.5/5. I really didn't enjoy this one, mostly since the narrative voice was so cringey; every single sentence was overwhelmed by a combination of cussing and nonsensical pop-culture references.

6. The Naga's Mirror by Amanda Kespohl - 2.5/5. A girl visits a reflective pool where you can literally swim through your memories, and befriends the dragon who lives there. I initially thought this would be among my favourites, but then it came to a sudden, abrupt stop before it really capitalised on the premise.

7. Madam Librarian by M.L.D. Curelas - 2/5. A dragon librarian defends YA readers' rights to read whatever they want... but why? I honestly just had so many questions about the premise.

8. Of Dragon Genes and Pretty Girls - 2/5. This was an interesting idea - the premise is that the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac will race to determine the order of the calendar for a new outer space colony - but the delivery fell flat for me, mostly because I found the MC's relationship way too cheesy.

9. Blackout by J.B. Riley - 2/5. The low rating for this one is probably all on me, since I really wasn't in the mood to read a story where the entire plot conflict revolves around violence against women.

10. Ginny and the Ouroboros by Stephanie Lorée - 3.5/5. A young girl and her troubled sister find a dragon egg. This was both uplifting and heartbreaking, and definitely one of my favourites of the collection.

11. Red in Tooth and Maw by Laura Vanarendonk Baugh - 2.5/5. Another great concept (how do you safely perform life-saving surgery on a dragon), but I found this one lacking in any kind of real suspense or intrigue.

12. Serpent in Paradise by Megan Engelhardt -3.5/5. Two lady scientists go on holiday to an island... but there's not a lot of opportunity to relax. This story reminded me a lot of the Memoirs of Lady Trent series in tone, which I love, and also included an adorable cat called Strawberry.

13. Tia Time by Kevin Cockle - 1.5/5. I honestly couldn't even tell you what this story was about, because there was just way too much jargon for me to even care.

14. For the Glory of Gold by Krista D. Ball - 3/5. A female dragon (The Duchess of Toronto) who swindles The Duke of Scotland is exactly the kind of thing I like to read about, and this was a lot of fun, though I didn't think the broader framing that the Duchess was being interviewed for an article about her life really added much to the story.

15. The Rise of the Dragonblood Queen by Blake Jessop - 3/5. This story turned the trope of the damsel in distress on its head, which I loved, though I wasn't a big fan of the ending.

16. A Night in the Philosopher's Cave by Candas Jane Dorsey - 1.5/5. I found this story completely unengaging, and found it particularly odd that none of the characters were even granted names.

That incredibly loud guttural sound is a dragon, the main focus of another interesting compilation from editor Rhonda Parrish. If you’ve read any of her previous collections, you already sense these beasts are not going to be your run-of-the-mill, knights-in-shining-armor types of dragons. Those tired creations have been left at the door. Only the odd, the quirky, the never thought of before are gathered here.

Sixteen tales are presented, and even those featuring dragons that at first glance appear to be recognizable still have a unique twist that separates them from the past. While everyone’s tastes are different, these are a few of the stories that stood out for me:

Krista D. Ball’s “For the Glory of Gold” uses the age-old dragon thirst for riches as a background, mixing in a generous helping of the desire for revenge. “Light Chaser, Dark Hunter” is one of the most inventive tales, as Joseph Halden mixes in the clash of two cultures with its unexpected dragons. Laura Vanarendonk Baugh mixes science with fantasy in “Red in Tooth and Maw,” presenting a problem, a time limit, and the danger that comes when pioneers pursue something new.

My favorite? With this many offerings, I couldn’t decide between two of them. “Blacktooth 500” by Gwen C. Katz takes us on a wild ride, detailing an Iditarod-type race with teams of humans and dragons. For sheer brashness and just good old fun, I have to include with Damascus Mincemeyer’s story (coincidentally, the one featuring the longest title in the book), “Father Christmas, Mother Hubbard, The Dragon (and Other Selected Scenes from the End of the World).” The title alone should give you a good indication of where Mr. Mincemeyer is going to take us.

Overall, a very enjoyable read. The mixture of styles from the various authors kept the book interesting throughout. Five stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and Poise and Pen for a complimentary electronic copy of this title.