Reclaim the Stars is a collection of science fiction and fantasy Latinx short stories. The compilation by Zoraida Cordova is wonderfully put together and includes stories by a number of well-known Latinx authors. Stories ranged from setting in space to setting in magical realism alternate universes of the Caribbean and Latin America. Claribel Ortega's story of witches killing El Chivo is set in an alternate Domincan Republic during the Trujillo era while others take place in post-apocalyptic space. The stories tell tales of love, magic, power and strength. This was a truly enjoyable anthology.

Gr 10 Up—Justice, prison reform, polyamorous love, feminism, toppling dictators, and other timely topics populate the pages of this collection of short stories set in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Argentina, magical realms, and distant planets. While the characters in each of these stories are children coming of age, the apocalyptic and magical settings force them to become wise before their time. "The Tin Man" puts Alida in the desperate position of either remaining on Earth where she has memories of her family or getting into an ark destined for unknown parts and beginning again. In "Killing El Chivo," Yesenia, Zaria, and Milagros are left to fend for themselves under a dictatorship that kidnapped and killed their parents. The teens becoming adults in this short story have to grapple with the difference between justice and revenge, and how both still twist the survivors into something they don't want to be. Yesenia learns that to destroy a monster, one must become a monster as well. "Leyenda" by Romina Garber revisits the domain of werewolves and witches, and in it, the main character, Zaybet, tackles patriarchal systems of oppression. In each of these entries a sacrifice is negotiated in order for the protagonist to evolve into a hero and a survivor.

RECLAIM THE STARS is by far my favorite anthology I've ever read. Sharp, witty stories that made me laugh and pretend I wasn't crying. The most invested I've ever been in short-form writing.

The unexpectedly strong political themes made for the most incredible reading and the fresh perspectives renewed my first love for science fiction.

Only while reading RECLAIM THE STARS does it occur to me how much people of color have been cut out of science fiction. Inclusion in fantasy has increased, perhaps because we ourselves are exotic, like magic. But science fiction? It is too close to the truth, to our reality or future reality, for us to be included.

Reading stories that lift up culture and identity reminds us unique perspectives are necessary for truly impactful (and entertaining) narratives.

The writing throughout all the stories was wonderful. Even if I didn't connect with the story, I cannot deny how magical they were. Each author was able to completely engulf me and wrap me up in this whole new world. As with all anthologies, there are some stories that I would have loved to see stretched out a little longer, especially here as these were sci-fi and fantasy stories which sometimes do need a while to build the world and the setting. But, some of them were well rounded out in their shortness.

Reclaim the Stars is one of the best anthologies that I have read to date and one I'll be returning back too to dive into these worlds all over again.

This is a collection of sci-fi short stories. I was excited to try something new for me, as I don’t usually read short stories or much general sci-fi.

I had a hard time getting into this collection. I’d tell myself I could just get through one short story a night but even that was a challenge. I found many of the stories confusing and in the end DNF the collection. I think it just wasn’t for me.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Reclaim the Stars: 17 Tales Across Realms and Space by Zoraida Cordova, 432 pages. SHORT STORIES. Wednesday Books, 2022. $ CENTERING ME LGBTQIA
Language: R (60 swears, 3 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Seventeen stories with protagonists who don’t usually get time in the spotlight. These scifi and fantasy stories go beyond my imagination and include new cultures and ideas to amaze each reader.
The variety of culture and characters and stories included here makes me wish I knew what prompt was given to spark their creation. A lot of Spanish is used in the text, and the usage ranged in stories from being cool to being a little irritating because I don’t know Spanish. I liked over half the stories, but I loved stories 6 and 17 – they are simply beautiful.
True to the mission of the authors, the characters depicted are not White, coming from a variety of backgrounds. The mature content rating is for innuendo, harassment, scary descriptions, partial nudity, abortion, and mentions of sex. The violence rating is for blood, gun use, and murder.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

This one really wasn't for me. I have some issues with some of the authors that have been brought to my attention, and I just couldn't get into it. Not necessarily bad, just not for me.

A very solid anthology with a few fantastic stories. Reclaim the Stars features sci-fi (just a few) and fantasy (mostly this) stories from 17 Latinx YA authors. Overall I had a good time with this collection, though as with most anthologies some stories were more of a hit than others. Some standouts for me were...

- Reign of Diamonds by Anna-Marie Mclemore about fighting space princesses
- White Water, Blue Ocean by Linda Raquel Nieves Perez about a family curse and a non-binary young person seeking acceptance
- Leyenda by Romina Garber (because it's a story set in the world of Lobizona and I'm a huge fan of the series!)
- Rogue Enchantments by Isabel Ibanez about a young woman trying to carve a space for herself in a magical market
- Sumaiko y La Sirena by Vita Ayala about an enslaved young woman who longs to return to the sea and falls in love with a siren
- Tame the Wicked Night by Zoraida Cordova a romantic story with a mythological feel to it

There's a lot of diversity, and (unsurprisingly) a lot of magical realism. If this sounds up your alley give it a try! I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Reclaim the Stars is a collection of science fiction and fantasy filled with unapologetically Latine stories!

I was so excited to read this collection! It was full of so many great story ideas and authors who I’ve been wanting to read from! Sadly, I was disappointed and couldn’t finish this book.

First, I just want to say that I really enjoyed the stories The Tin Man by Lilliam Rivera and This is Our Manifesto by Mark Oshiro! I gave both of those stories four stars individually. That being said, I got through eight stories in this collection and those are the only two I enjoyed at all. For the other six I read, I gave them either two stars or below or I just couldn’t make myself finish them.

I spent almost every story confused. Nothing was explained. The world building was just not there. I don’t expect the same amount of world building that would be in a 500 page fantasy novel, but I do expect to be able to picture what is going on in the story. Most of the stories I read were just not fleshed out very well at all. I’ve been trying to read this since January and I just don’t think I can try anymore.

I am not at all trying to discourage anyone from reading this collection. I think people should at least give it a try because I absolutely love the idea of a collection of SFF Latine stories. The execution wasn’t for me, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not for everyone. So give this a try if you don’t mind less explanation in your stories and more vibes and atmosphere! And don’t forget, I did really enjoy Lilliam Rivera and Mark Oshiro’s stories! I’ll definitely be reading more from them in the future!

1.5 stars rounded up to 2.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this arc. All opinions are my own.

This book was an interesting blend of fantasy and sci-fi stories. I would love to see many of them as fleshed out novels! I loved learning about the many different cultures of the protagonists and I liked many of the worlds that were built in a very short time!

This is a very strong anthology of short (mostly) fantasy stories with a vibrant cover. I was wowed by several stories and liked them all. I would read more of these authors.

These short stories were captivating and very thought provoking. As i often do with short stories, I always find myself wanting more. Each story was gripping and when it ended you were like “wait a minute”. I found myself thinking of the characters long after the story was over. I tried to listen to this slowly so I wouldn’t get the different stories mixed up but overall a great anthology that is perfect to introduce you to new authors!

Who can resist an anthology full of magical realism and stars? I certainly can't. Reclaim the Stars consists of seventeen short stories, all of which are centered around one main subject: space and the stars beyond. That is not the only element tying these stories together, as they all feature the Latin American diaspora. In other words – this is an absolute must-read!

There are so many talented authors involved in this project, including ita Ayala, David Bowles, J.C. Cervantes, Sara Faring, Romina Garber, Isabel Ibanez, Anna-Marie McLemore, Circe Moskowitz, Maya Motayne, Linda Raquel Nieves Perez, Daniel Jose Older, Claribel A. Ortega, Mark Oshiro, and Lilliam Rivera. I'm going to try a slightly different review format down below and just stick to my immediate reactions to every short. We'll see how I like this format going forward?

Reign of Diamonds by Anna-Marie Mclemore
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Reign of Diamonds is a classic sapphic and enemies-to-lovers story, which is always a delight in my book. It's a solid start to the anthology and helps set the tone for what is to come. In other words, it's perfect.

Flecha by Daniel Jose Older
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Flecha is apparently a prequel to Daniel Jose Older's Flood City, so now I'm going to be adding that book to my TBR. As if I wasn't already drowning in books. But I want to see how the story develops from here.

The First Day of Us by David Bowles
Rating: ★ ★ ★
I found The First Day of Us to be mildly confusing, mostly due to the perspectives. I don't normally have an issue following along with this style though, so it might have been the mood/tiredness level I was in?

The Tin Man by Lilliam Rivera
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
The Tin Man is super sweet, and quickly became one of my favorites from this anthology. It stands out a bit in my mind even now, so I would really make a point of reading this short story if you get the chance.

This is Our Manifesto by Mark Oshiro
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Ohh, if you love tales of rebellions and the like, then you're really going to enjoy This is Our Manifesto.

Creatures of Kings by Circe Moskowitz
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Dark and twisted – just the way I like it. I honestly would do just about anything to get more of this story. No seriously, what do I need to do?

Eterno by J.C. Cervantes
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Okay, Eterno is another contender for top shorts in this anthology. I would read a thousand more pages if they existed if only to get a chance to see more of the world and mythos within.

White Water, Blue Ocean by Linda Raquel Nieves Perez
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Family curses and acceptance? This is my jam. I really enjoyed White Water, Blue Ocean – the writing was strong and the themes even stronger.

Leyenda by Romina Garber
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
There are a lot of tropes in Leyenda – but that actually made it a lot of fun for me. I could totally see this one getting extended, though I'm happy with what was already made available.

Color-Coded by Maya Motayne
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Okay, I love the core concept of Color-Coded. It's quite clever. We have obvious tropes/elements such as puberty and teens, but we also have magical realism. The two merge together in surprising ways, making for an entertaining read.

Magical Offerings by Nina Moreno
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Luz is a fantastic leading character for this story, and honestly? I'm saying it a lot with this anthology, but I mean it: I want more.

Rogue Enchantments by Isobel Ibanez
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Another really sweet short story. Rogue Enchantments is basically set to steal all our hearts, and you can't convince me otherwise.

Sumaiko Y La Sirena by Vita Ayala
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Fairytales and romance blend together (again) to create the foundation for Sumaiko Y La Sirena. It worked really well here, especially as Vita Ayala's writing is phenomenal (as always).

River People by Yamile Saied Mendez
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
The title is quite indicative of this tale, and there is SO much depth hidden within this one. I honestly was sad when it ended.

Moonglow by Sara Faring
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Moonglow is an extremely strong and powerful read. However, it is definitely not for everyone. Trigger warnings include abortions, detailed medical issues, emotional abuse/trauma.

Killing El Chivo by Claribel A. Ortega
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Avenging witches! Assemble? But seriously, once again I love the core concept of this tale. Killing El Chivo made for a tense but great read, one that wasn't afraid to toy with my anxiety.

Tame the Wicked Night by Zoraida Cordova
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Tame the Wicked Night is essentially a retelling of Beauty and the Beast – and I LOVE it. It's so much richer than the original, and I want more.

Reclaim the stars if full of beautifully written short stories. Each one grabbed my attention and I was kind of sad when it had to end. I was so happy to see that a whole group of Latin writers were getting together to write this book. As a fellow Latina it made he so excited to see people like me share their stories.
The characters that were introduced has so much depth and the settings were so magical.

Thank you netgalley for sharing this copy with me.

These stories by Latinx authors spanned sci-fi, contemporary fantasy, and high fantasy and often drew from the authors' respective cultures. I did not read all of the stories (there were several authors who are known for being anti-Indigenous) but I enjoyed most of the stories I did read. The speculative elements were almost always well-integrated. My favorite stories were Eterno by JC Cervantes, Color-Coded by Maya Motayne, Magical Offerings by Nina Moreno, and River People by Yamile Saied Méndez.

I enjoyed these stories! The break up of three parts made it a little more understandable, however I wonder if that's the reason I compared stories that where in the same section.

There where some that I very much enjoyed (Tame the Wicked Night by Zoraida Cordova!), but some that I wish were longer and more fleshed out. I think some of them can stand to be full novels in their own right vs this shortened version of what we received.

I've recently discovered that I love short story collections, so when this one came up, I couldn't resist giving it a go, and boy am I glad I did. I do wish it had less of a "young adult feel", though I do still love YA. The collection was really interesting and, as always with this type of work, some stories I lvoed and others I could have done without. Tame the Wicked Night, Reign of Diamonds, and Creatures of Kings were definitely my favorites, but I still found myself entertained by most of the stories here. Despite them all being different, they still flowed together rather nicely and made for a really unique and exciting collection.

Reclaim the Stars is an anthology of seventeen unique science fiction and fantasy short stories that are all rooted in Latin American mythology, language, and existence. I have featured three select pieces from the different sections of the collection that highlight the wide variety of settings, relationships, and magic systems at play throughout. I personally recommend them all because they are unforgettable and left me hoping for more.

“Even with telescopios, no one could have seen through the swirling atmosphere that I was still breathing. They could not have seen the shape of Ignacia’s lips, how many times she said my name.”
The first piece within Reclaim the Stars, “Reign of Diamonds,” is a beautiful introduction to the Latin American-inspired sci-fi and fantasy stories that await. With a wonderful mix of detailed storytelling and realistic characters, I was rooting for a happy ending from the first page. Anna-Marie McLemore weaves together a literal star-crossed love story as the heroine must fight to the death to maintain her family’s control over the La Ruta interstellar trade route. However, it will not come easily as her rival is another woman who has become more familiar than an enemy kept close.

“Reign of Diamonds” was possibly my favorite story in the collection, partially because of the undeniable queer representation. Mainly, though, it’s because of the way that McLemore seamlessly integrates the futuristic and cosmic storytelling with the very realistic, central romance between two brokenhearted but ultimately warring women. Spanish is also intermixed with great care, so that English-only readers, like myself, are able to understand. This ultimately grounded the relationships and worldbuilding beyond the science fiction elements. I found myself constantly returning to this sapphic, galactic Romeo and Juliet with a much happier ending.

“Panic urged me away, the usual reaction to the cursed foam that was slowly pouring from her eyes and ears, surrounding both of us in a bubble of rotten clouds.”
If the women in your family are cursed to rot from the inside out with every lie, and the men are destined to never love, how can you live any semblance of a normal life as a nonbinary person? Gabriel carries with them the generational, maldición eterna, which began when a female ancestor was forced by her family to lie and deny her love for a goddess. This fantasy story is based in the real world, allowing Gabriel’s mother and father to have freedom of choice and love far away from their family’s whispering ocean shore and the cloying stench of relatives pretending to accept you.

This piece entitled “White Water, Blue Ocean” by Linda Raquel Nieves Pérez primarily explores traditional familial expectations, and how for many young queer people, your very identity can break apart those relationships. Gabriel’s relationship with their father is a particularly bright spot in this story. Gabriel’s mother’s family holds the curse, and Gabriel’s father can sympathize with not fitting in with the dysfunctional family. The lore within Pérez’s story is very well integrated between the trauma, but I will warn any potential readers that Gabriel is deadnamed and intentionally misgendered by their family multiple times. It is overall a realistic (and magical) examination of the repercussions of ancestral lying and broken family dynamics.

“This is the story about the boy who would unleash an ancient power for the sweet sin of a banished god’s love.”
The final story of the anthology, “Tame the Wicked Night,” by collection editor Zoraida Córdova is an interesting fusion of historical fiction, Latin American mythology, and transformative romance. Aurelio Saturnelio becomes the head of his family’s house when his older brother goes to war. With his immense abilities to influence the growth of plants, he finds more solace in nature and with the animals around him than with any other human. When Aurelio must enter the deadly Midnight Mountains to slay a beast called the wicked night as penance for rejecting a marriage proposal, he is met with a fascinating monster-woman, who is perhaps the true love that Aurelio has been searching for.

I chose to include this concluding piece from the anthology because it encapsulates the magic, romance, and self-identity that each story within Reclaim the Stars searches for. Aurelio and the monster goddess, Solana, quickly fall in love because they are able to relate to each other as outcasts. I really enjoyed the unique dynamic of a man willing to leave his entire world behind for the one woman who makes him happy. The writing is superb with quick and funny dialogue and very detailed depictions of the fictional country. Zoraida Córdova’s final story echoes back to her introduction about the impossible magic that readers once believed in through beautiful Latin-American stories of love, violence, magic, and healing.

(Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing us with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)

PRR Writer and Editor, Kayla Chandler

This is a great selection of SFF short stories from Latinx authors - I really loved the range of worlds and styles within. I found it a bit jarring to jump from world to world, but that was a "me as a reader" problem, not a problem of this book. I love Cordova's work and this book is no exception. What an excellent collection!

“For many people in Latin America, and those living in the diaspora, science fiction and fantasy is the now. Communities ravaged by climate change. Myths that live in our islands and rivers and seas. Violence that leaves the imprint of ghosts through generations and into the future. And yet, when it comes to our literature, there are a million stories that have yet to be told. Let’s start with these seventeen.” — Zoraida Córdova

Split into three sections (To the Stars, The Magical Now, and Other Times, Other Realms), Reclaim the Stars is full of young adult speculative fiction from the Latin American diaspora.

I allowed myself to DNF the one story I really didn’t vibe with, and otherwise had an average rating of 3.45. My absolute favorite story was This Is Our Manifesto by Mark Oshiro (despite my deep dislike of his 2021 Each of Us a Desert).

Rounding up to 4 stars because I enjoyed many of the stories.