Member Reviews
The good
I havent read that many Latin American fantasy , but I always expect it to be a good read and this anthology did not disappoint. I loved some stories, I liked some and all things considered l enjoyed the book. Even the stories I didn’t like so much kept me thoroughly entertained. In every tale you could sense the care the author put into the story and why they were selected. If you don’t speak Spanish you might need to keep a translator on hand, even if you know Spanish you might also need a translator because these stories come from all over Latin communities, and you might get (at least I got a little) confused with the variety of idioms and slang.
The bad
Some of the stories are uneven in terms of quality, the best way I can describe it is that some of the authors are more experienced in terms of writing and some aren´t, and it really shows in the quality of the plot and especially the worldbuilding. Some feel like they could have used a few rewrites, the themes are kind of clumsy and the characters feel flat.
In conclusion, even with my caveats the book is worth it if. If you like fantasy you are going to enjoy this book.
Really love this collection. There's a great variety in the short stories, both in terms of voice and genre, and in terms of the Latinx characters and culture they celebrate and explore. I think my favourite was This Is Our Manifesto, but there were a lot of other gems in there too. And even though not every story was a hit for me personally, I can absolutely see how other readers would enjoy and find value in them. Definitely worth checking out.
A great collection of sci-fi and fantasy stories! I’m not sure if I have a favorite, because they’re all really good! (Okay so I think Isabel Ibañez’s might *actually* be my favorite if I *had* to pick one, but they’re all great!) I’d definitely recommend it to a friend.
Reign of Diamonds by Anna-Marie Mclemore- 3/5
Flecha by Daniel Jose Older- 3.5/5
The First Day of Us by David Bowles- 3/5
The Tin Man by Lilliam Rivera- 5/5
This is Our Manifesto by Mark Oshiro- 5/5
Creatures of Kings by Circe Moskowitz- 4.5/5
Eterno by J.C. Cervantes- 4/5
White Water, Blue Ocean by Linda Raquel Nieves Perez- 3.5/5
Leyenda by Romina Garber- 4/5
Color-Coded by Maya Motayne- 3/5
Magical Offerimgs by Nina Moreno- 3/5
Rogue Enchantments by Isobel Ibanez- 4/5
Sumaiko Y La Sirena by Vita Ayala- 5/5
River People by Yamile Saied Mendez- 4/5
Moonglow by Sara Faring- 4/5
Killing El Chivo by Claribel A. Ortega- 4/5
Tame the Wicked Night by Zoraida Cordova- 5/5
Reclaim the Stars is a short story compilation by Latin American authors. Each story has something to do with space, the stars, or magical realms, or fantasy. For the most part, I enjoyed the stories, some interested me more than others, which is the norm for a short story book done by different authors. I enjoyed it for the most part!
This is a great selection of short stories that all readers will enjoy! I requested it because I proctor a student and teacher book club at the high school that I work at and this seemed very up my students alley! It delivered and gave me a few different authors to explore.
Thank you to Netgalley for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book for my honest review.
So many stories! Some were better than others, but every story had heart and took me on a journey. I think I was hoping for a little more than I got, but some authors truly captured the soul of their story. Lots of contemporary messages in these shorts.
The stories included in this book are written with social messaging as well as entertainment in mind. Easy to read, short stories in the science fiction genre that capture your attention and immerse you in unknown realms.
This book of short stories was provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley.com
This is a bit of a mixed bag of SFF by Latine/Latinx writers. Some of the stories were solid, well-crafted with compelling characters and storylines, but quite a few were just middling. Check it out from your library, and dip in and out to find the stories that you like best.
This is an excellent short story collection of various Latin oriented science fiction and fantasy. Among the stories, Anna-Marie McLemore settles a power struggle between space families and their daughter representatives, Romina Garber expands on her Lobizona universe of werewolves and witches, and Nina Moreno tells of a young magic vendor taking over the family business. It is wrapped up with a fairy tale type story by editor Zoraida Cordova. I was impressed by the variety and quality of stories told. I am interested in exploring more of each writer.
I am not a short story reader. I much prefer novels. I like the time the authors get to take to set the story, environment and characters. But every now and then a collection of short stories comes my way that gives me the opportunity to see another point of view. These stories, and there are 17 of them, definitely provide another way of seeing things.
There are 17 stories divided into three sections. One section is more science fiction, one with more magic and one more fantasy. All of the stories follow the anthology's viewpoint: examining the Latinx diaspora. All of the authors are published Latin America writers of note, so this book will give you a taste of their skills as well. I liked the stories. Some I read twice so I could enjoy them again. Some I read twice so I could better understand the magic.myth presented. There truly is something here for every taste.
I read the copy of this book for my review on from the publisher on Netgalley.
DNF. I was excited to read fantastical Latinx short stories, but ended up skipping a bunch of stories based on authors's past history with problematic books. I'm not the best audience for reviewing those stories as I am unfairly biased against the author.
The Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction (2021)
[Blurb goes here]
These stories are great. For some of them the word "great" falls short. Just 'Magical Offerings' makes the anthology worth your while.
Thank you for the free copy!
This anthology is what the world needed. It brings a diverse range of voices filled with rich stories that are truly magical. I loved the story White Water, Blue Ocean and I can't wait to read more about its author.
Reclaim the Stars by Zoraida Cordova is a great short story collection! I loved all the writing from the different writers, they were so original and a fun read.
I was immediately drawn into the premise of Reclaim the Stars, its a really wonderful and fantastical collection. Reclaim the Stars is really magical and other worldly.
Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of Reclaim the Stars in exchange for an honest review.
What an absolutely fantastic anthology! Normally with anthologies some stories end up feeling like filler, but I enjoyed every single one in this in at least some capacity. My personal favourite was probably the first story but whether that's because it's genuinely the strongest or because I love all things friends to lovers to enemies and back again (also this time it was Sapphic!??!)
If you're looking for a diverse, fantastic, fantastical anthology, give this one a go.
My favorite stories were by Daniel José Older, Mark Oshiro, Circe Moskowitz, Nina Moreno, and Zoraida Córdova. And I liked the collection on a whole.
This was a great collection of short stories all written by authors of Latin descent! All sci fi stories and well developed and leaving you wanting more!
I thoroughly enjoyed these short stories. They were well written and left me immersed in each of their worlds. My favorites were The First Day of Us, Eterno and Color-Coded. Eterno broke my heart and left me wishing it was a full book. Color-Coded was so imaginative that I didn’t want it to end. It was a good read and I would suggest others check it out. Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.