This collection of short stories was a mixed bag, as most collections are. I loved some of the tales and others missed the mark for me.

Initially, I was drawn to this collection to read Romina Garber's Wolves of No World short Story, Leyenda. I ended up really enjoying reading about Zaybet's origins, however this did not end up being my favorite of the collection. The two others I enjoyed the most were Rogue Enchantments and Tame the Wicked Night.

If you are looking for Latin American fantasy and Sci-Fi stories that you can devour in quick bites, this book is for you. The short story format makes this a great book to pick up and put down at your leisure.

This is a fantastic YA sci-fi/fantasy anthology full of queer joy, rage against unjust systems and hope for a better future, and Latinx cultures and perspectives, written by many well-known writers and a few new ones. It deserves all the buzz it's getting and more.

Title: Reclaim The Stars

Authors: Zoraida Córdova, Vita Ayala, David Bowles, Daniel José Older, J.C. Cervantes, Sara Faring, Romina Garber, Isabel Ibañez, Anna-Marie McLemore, Yamile Saied Méndez, Nina Moreno, Circe Moskowitz, Maya Motayne, Linda Raquel Nieves Pérez, Claribel A. Ortega, Mark Oshiro, Lilliam Rivera.

Publication Date: Feb 15, 2022

Publisher: St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books

Suggested Reader Age: 14+

Genre: Anthology, SciFi, Fantasy, Young Adult, Magical Realism, LGBT
Reign of Diamonds by Zoraida Córdova ★★★★★
Hunger Games meets Cinder
The livelihood of two planets depends on their two princesses fighting to the death to retain control of La Ruta (a safe route between the two planets - a shortcut to avoid a dangerous asteroid field). Everyone is watching. What they don't know is that the princesses have a secret romantic relationship. Will love conquer all? Or is all fair in love and war?

Flecha by Daniel José Older ★★★
"How do you mourn someone who's not dead yet?" Left earth at 12 years old. Taya is like a young Han Solo with an epic sidekick named Grengaf.

The First Day of Us by David Bowles ★★★
Mar Mostrenco + Atzimba Sainz + Diego Quispe = ♥ ?

The Tin Man by Lilliam Rivera ★★★
It's been a year since La Gran Fuga. All Alida has left of her family is three recordings. The Tin Man shows up inviting her to return with it to a group of survivors because in five days the earth will shift and a massive earthquake will destroy her home.

This Is Our Manifesto by Mark Oshiro ★★★
Ramona misses pupusas (a traditional Salvadoran dish made of a thick, handmade corn tortilla). She hasn't had solid food in over a year. They don't use her name. They call her 981. Then, she receives an email message with the subject line: "This is our manifesto."

The Creatures of Kings by Circe Moskowitz ★★
"Vada Rivera is fifteen when she dies for the first time."

Eterno by J.C. Cervantes ★★★
"The prison where my older brother locked me away all because I broke the cardinal rule - never get involved with a human."
"I'm a devourer of the Dark. I'm a memory thief. I am Eterno."
"How can I tell her that my sole purpose, like my brother and sister, is to consume the Dark that humans grow inside them like weeds?"

White Water, Blue Ocean by Linda Raquel Nieves Pérez ★★
A family curse. Beautiful women who can't lie. Boys that "shine like the sun", but can't fall in love.

Leyenda by Romina Garber ★★★★★
Zaybet is the most powerful water witch since her mother.
"You guys define chivalry as pulling out a girl's chair, but what we actually want from you is a bigger table. We'll pull up our own damn chair." GOOSEBUMPS

Color-Coded by Maya Motayne ★★

Magical Offerings by Nina Moreno ★★★
"One day you'll open a door you don't know how to close."

Rogue Enchantments by Isabel Ibañez ★★★★★

Sumaiko Y La Sirena by Vita Ayala ★★

River People by Yamile Saied Méndez ★★★★
"...the river god could speak in actual words. The first one he said was her brother's name: Miguel."

Moonglow by Sara Faring ★★
"Pedro never took anything seriously when he was alive, so of course, he doesn't take things seriously when he's dead."

Killing El Chivo by Claribel A. Ortega ★★★★★ WOW!
"The last time I had tried to conjure my powers by invoking his name, I'd nearly blown up our house and everyone in it, then been sick for weeks - my bones breaking, stretching, coming back into place."
Creepy, and horror...My fav story in the book.

Tame the Wicked Night by Zoraida Córdova ★★★★★
"...this is the story about the boy who would unleash an ancient power for the sweet sin of a banished god's love."
1.1-2.2 = ★
2.3-4.5 = ★★
4.6-6.9 = ★★★
7-8.9 = ★★★★
9-10 = ★★★★★

My Rating 3.4 ★★

› Final Thoughts
• Although I didn't love all of the stories, I did find some new authors to check out.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review.


*Quotes taken from an ARC copy and subject to change*

This was interesting take on tales about different places filled with magic and intrigue centering around science fiction. Now normally I’m not a fan of those stories, but this book really didn’t have as much as I thought.

The stories were middle of the road for me, but I really enjoyed Nina Moreno’s story because I love a good swamp magic themed story and Isabel Ibanez’s because it was a good story about believing in yourself.

All in all, I liked the mash up of stories this book has to offer. It’s refreshing to read a couple short stories to give you a taste of the authors talents.

This collection of stories by YA Latinx writers largely follows magical themes, with a few sci-fi tales thrown in at the beginning. I really enjoyed Zoraida Cordova's other works, and was excited to read not only her short story, but the others included. There were some really enjoyable short stories that I would love to see expanded, which I know is not the point of a -short- story collection, but I hated to see them end. Some of my favorites included Reign of Diamonds, Creatures of Kings, Rogue Enchantments, Sumaiko y La Sirena, and Tame the Wicked Night. Not all the stories appealed to me, and some were average but didn't stand out as memorable. The stories with a magical element were by far the biggest appeal to me, and overall made the collection worth the read. I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley.

This anthology of short stories by 17 Latinx YA authors lets readers sample a variety of subgenres within science fiction and fantasy. The stories, which can be read in any order, are a well-curated mix of themes, tones, voices, and Latinx cultures. If I had to pick a favorite, I'd lean toward Isabel Ibañez's Rogue Enchantments, which is about a girl coming into her own in a magical marketplace. Within this book are magical, star-crossed space princesses from rival houses, bad-assed spaceships, the daughter of Death, sirens, ghost-talkers, curses, post-apocalyptic timelines, giant stuffed bunnies, and a very loyal goat.

[Thanks to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an opportunity to read an advanced reader copy of this book.]

Short story collections are hard to review as a whole because there's always a mix of stories I liked and disliked.

I didn't really enjoy any of the stories in the first two sections because I find it really difficult to understand what's happening in science fiction stories with unique world-building in just a few pages. Others will probably enjoy those stories more than me, but I just couldn't get into them.

However, I really enjoyed the last section ("Other Times, Other Realms"). This section had more of a fairy-tale-esque vibe to it. These stories flowed nicely and worked nicely as short stories.

17 authors across the Latin America diaspora come together in this anthology of speculative fiction short stories. The cover, with its gorgeous and bright colors, was an immediate draw for me, and I’m so glad I requested this!

The stories are separated into two major sections of science fiction and fantasy. There are examples of post apocalyptic, urban fantasy, horror, and epic fantasy. These stories vary wildly in style, setting, point of view, and emotional resonance. And I enjoyed every single one of these stories. The worlds all felt established, if not as fleshed out as I would have liked. And I wouldn’t have minded more of each story.

The main reason I’m not rating this a full five stars is the endings of some of the stories. There were some that were meatly tied up, some left more open ended but still with some resolution. And then there were a few that felt incomplete. As if the authors had written past the max word count and decided to delete the last page or two of a story. There’s a difference between an open ending and an unfinished one. And if I hadn’t seen such excellent examples of ending a short story within this same collection, it wouldn’t bother me as much.

This also needed one last run through with an editor who is not a spell check program. There were instances of wrong words used, words completely missing from sentences, and poor punctuation. I understand this is an uncorrected proof, so I’m sure these minor errors will be corrected.

This collection was a genuine joy to read through, and now I have a list of new to me authors to search out for! Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for this advance copy.

A little content warning, The Tin Man deals with the after effects of a global pandemic.

“For everyone who’s ever dreamt about magic and space.”

Reclaim the Stars: Seventeen Tales Across Realms & Space edited by Zoraida Córdova is a collection of young adult science fiction and fantasy short stories written by leading authors in the Latin American diaspora that take the diaspora to the stars, to the magical now, and to other times, other realms (which happen to be the three sections that the anthology is divided into). From fighting space princesses, to magical markets, to girls who can understand rivers, and to boys who can communicate with plants, the anthology explores all sorts of stories that cross the realms of science fiction and fantasy as well as the Latin America diaspora. This was my first time reading a short story anthology with stories written by multiple authors and I greatly enjoyed being able to experience the various voices, genres, and takes on Latinx culture and traditions that the authors were able to explore and depict on the page. While there were some hits and misses for me within the collection overall, I greatly enjoyed being able to navigate the various science fiction and fantasy tales that the authors wrote, exploring the variety of worlds, plots, characters, and histories that they penned and brought to life on the page.

“Reign of Diamonds” by Anna-Marie McLemore – ★★★★
An overall solid start to the anthology, the story tells the tale of two warring space princesses forced to battle each other… and their hearts. I greatly enjoyed the lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers vibes (I love being able to witness the various shifts in a relationship and this particular combination is not one that I have read a whole lot of, although I love it!), the worldbuilding (different planets with different magical abilities, such an interesting concept; I love how McLemore was able to give us amazing worldbuilding over so few pages), and our fierce female leads.

“Flecha” by Daniel José Older – ★★★ ½
A pretty decent story about a girl’s return to Earth after being sent away by her mother five years prior. While I really liked the first half of the story and witnessing the dynamic between our narrator, Taya, and her friend/travel companion, Grengraf, the second half seemed to progress too quickly and I wish that we got more background on and development of the antagonists, the Chemical Barons.

“The First Day of Us” by David Bowles – ★★ ½
Probably one of my least favorites in this collection about our narrator, Diego’s, blooming (polyamorous) relationship with his friends, Mar and Atzimba. The story was difficult to follow in terms of the writing style, namely due to the use of the pronoun “you” referring to either Mar or Atzimba depending on the circumstances (like Diego was recapturing the story of himself, Mar, and Atzimba directly to them), which vastly diminished my enjoyment of it. Additionally, the story did not really have a lot going on plot-wise and the ending seemed to progress and develop too quickly and kind of out of nowhere.

“The Tin Man” by Lilliam Rivera – ★★★ ½
A heartfelt tale of a girl living alone in a post-apocalyptic future with only the memories of her family to carry her. I really enjoyed the message of the story about moving on and living despite the grief of losing someone, which I think that the post-apocalyptic setting was perfect for.

“This Is Our Manifesto” by Mark Oshiro – ★★★
A manifesto about rebellion that is bookended by the narrative of an imprisoned girl named Ramona. I found the format of the story to be very unique, consisting largely of the manifesto of a group of children and teenagers imprisoned for standing up for what is right and for being themselves and fighting against the injustices dealt to them. I do wish, however, that we got to explore more of Ramona’s narrative in addition to the manifesto, especially when it comes to the ending.

“Creatures of Kings” by Circe Moskowitz – ★★★ ½
An interesting story about a girl’s ties to Death and the unknown destiny that she was born for. I found the plot of this story to be really intriguing (and that opening line!) and I liked seeing the story progress and witnessing Vada, our narrator, begin to learn about who she truly is and her destiny. However, while I really loved the first half of the story, the latter half got kind of confusing.

“Eterno” by J.C. Cervantes – ★★★★
An emotional story about an otherworldly memory thief named Sebastián and the human girl named Layla whom he falls in love with despite the cardinal rule of his kind to never become involved with a human. I found the relationship between Sebastián and Layla to be super sweet and I liked the glimpses of their life together that the story depicted. I also really enjoyed the mythology presented in this story about Sebastián and his siblings and their relationship to death. And the ending! A tragic and sad end to Sebastián and Layla’s story and the story overall.

“White Water, Blue Ocean” by Linda Raquel Nieves Pérez – ★★★ ½
A story about family and acceptance, revolving around Gabriel and the curse that has been placed on their family. I really liked Gabriel’s strong sense of self, despite their family’s opinions and views of them as well as their parents. I also found the curse placed on Gabriel’s family to be really interesting, although I do wish that it was explored a little bit more. The ending was a little difficult to follow, namely Gabriel’s conversation with the Ocean, although I did like the resolution between Gabriel and their abuela.

“Leyenda” by Romina Garber – ★★★
An interesting story about a bruja named Zaybet and her fight against the patriarchal system surrounding her. I found the world of the story to be very interesting and I could sense that there was a lot more of it than existed on the page (which I think comes from the fact that this short story is apparently set in the same world as Garber’s Wolves of No World series). I also liked Zaybet’s fight against the system surrounding her and how she never stood down from her beliefs despite those surrounding her not possessing the same beliefs.

“Color-Coded” by Maya Motayne – ★★★★
I really liked this story about a girl named Flor’s experiences going through the Change, a magical change that occurs to girls that involves a shift in hair color and a development of magical abilities. I found the Change to be a very interesting take on magic and I liked being able to explore this magic alongside Flor. I also loved the relationship between Flor and her father as well as that between Flor and her friend, Mateo (they are so sweet). The ending (namely the last two paragraphs), however, kind of came out of nowhere.

“Magical Offerings” by Nina Moreno – ★★★ ½
A story about Luz, a girl sent to stay with her grandfather and her discovery of a magical being/huntsman with whom she shares a past. I loved the relationship between Luz and her grandfather (I also loved Luz’s grandfather in general) and their entire dynamic overall. I do wish, however, that we got to learn more about Luz’s past with the huntsman and the magical world that she entered as a child, especially since this plays such a major role in the end.

“Rogue Enchantments” by Isabel Ibañez – ★★★★ ½
Probably one of my favorite stories of the entire anthology about a girl trying to find a place for herself at a magical outdoor market. I greatly enjoyed the overall plot and the world of the story (between the various types of encantos and spells, I really wish that we got to explore this world and its magic more because I loved what we were able to see and learn about on the page). Likewise, I really liked our main character/narrator, Graciela, and witnessing her navigate the various challenges that were thrown at her throughout the story. While I found the ending a bit predictable at a certain point, I still really loved the story overall and I wish that there was more of it!

“Sumaiko Y La Sirena” by Vita Ayala – ★★★ ½
A fairytale-esque story about a siren named Suma who is trapped on land at a plantation and her desire to return to the sea. As a lover of fairytales, I loved the fairytale vibes that this story gave off in terms of the overall plot, writing style, and how the story was told/narrated. I also found the romance between Suma and la sirena to be super sweet.

“River People” by Yamile Saied Méndez – ★★★ ½
The unique tale of Malena, a girl who can speak to ghosts and understand the river Paraná, who seeks to save her brother, Miguel, from his dealings with the devil that the ghost of her brother Tomás and the river have foretold. I found the plot to be very interesting, although I wish that Malena’s connection to Paraná was fleshed out more, and I enjoyed the overall writing style. I also liked the relationship that was explored between Malena and her brothers and the importance of family that was stressed throughout the story.

“Moonglow” by Sara Faring – ★★
This story, about a pregnant girl, her mother, and her siblings being cast out of their family home by her father and his mistress and their subsequent return home, was probably my least favorite of the collection simply because it was kind of confusing and hard for me to follow, namely the latter half. The ending also seemed to progress too quickly and I was very confused as to what was going on.

“Killing El Chivo” by Claribel A. Ortega – ★★★ ½
A decent story about a trio of sister witches out to kill El Chivo, the cruel leader of their island who is responsible for the death of their parents. I really liked the bond between our narrator, Zaria, and her sisters Yesenia and Milagros, seeing them rely on each other and witnessing their various types of magic (magic which I wish that we got to explore more). This story also featured another strong beginning and an ending that I felt as though progressed too quickly and I believed should have been explained and developed more.

“Tame the Wicked Night” by Zoraida Córdova – ★★★★ ½
Another one of my favorites and a strong ending to the anthology overall, the story tells the tale of Aurelio, a boy who possesses the ability to make things grow and who prefers to talk to plants and his goat more than people (I mean, relatable), who is tasked with killing the beast known as the Wicked Night, only to discover that the beast is not what he originally thought. I loved just about everything about this story. I loved Aurelio and his entire character, especially his desire to stay true to himself. I loved Aurelio and Solana’s relationship and witnessing it grow (no pun intended) on the page. I loved Aurelio’s goat, Rigoberto. I loved the writing style (I have never read one of Córdova’s books, although most of them are on my TBR, but that might have to change now because the writing style is beautiful!). I loved the ending, although it was a little predictable.

Conclusion

Overall, Reclaim the Stars is an enjoyable anthology of science fiction and fantasy tales. Between the various stories that featured mythical worlds; magical spells and powers; monsters, sirens, and otherworldly beings; and a diverse cast of characters and tales, I greatly enjoyed all of the stories that this collection included and I liked being introduced to some new (to me) authors whose books I will definitely be picking up in the future.

Reclaim the Stars is an Anthology of sci-fi and fantasy from Latine authors. Zoraida Cordova and the other authors bring together an immaculate collection of stories that are centered on everything from romance, to tragedy, to lighthearted stories. As these stories are so disparate it's hard to give notes on them individually, but altogether I thought the flow of stories was arranged very tastefully.

The visual elements of each other were very striking, and they seem to flow together well without there being too much jarring between each story. The pacing of each was also done well, I felt happy and sated by the end of the book and enjoyed the bittersweet feeling that was pervasive throughout the story.

While there is a wide variety of diversity in this book, I think that anyone who enjoys good storytelling could benefit from picking up a copy.

I'm downright thankful that I found this incredible collection because not only did I truly enjoy every single story but I now have a ton of new authors to go find more of to read!

Reclaim The Stars is a solid anthology. Every story stands strong on its own but they also blend together to create a new beautiful look at sci-fi / fantasy through the eyes of characters and cultures who so often take a back seat, if they're featured at all. What intrigued me and led me to picking it up was the promise of different, unique, exciting worldbuilding and magic systems and BOY I was not disappointed. The imagery and imagination in this collection is so filled to the brim that I honestly think it's one I'll have to read a second time just to make sure my brain didn't miss some delicious tidbit or detail along the way.

Each story was perfect as a short but there were plenty as well that I desperately wanted more of, like a whole novel of please. To pick some of my favorites: "Flecha" by Daniel Jose Older, "This Is Our Manifesto" by Mark Oshiro, "Creatures of Kings" by Circe Moskowitz, "Eternal" by J.C. Cervantes, "Leyenda" by Romina Garber, "Color-Coded" by Maya Motayne, "Rogue Enchantments" by Isabel Ibanez, and (of course the one who brought me here in the first place) "Tame the Wicked Night" by Zoraida Cordova.

And mind you, these are only my favorites, the ones that I spent time thinking about for days after reading, but ALL of the stories are wonderful. Also before anyone asks, I really can't pare it down more than this though I will say I think "Color-Coded" and "Leyenda" had so much story left for their protagonists that I'd love a book (you know, if I can wish a thing into being). That's the beauty of short stories that I always come back to; they can be truly great without feeling incomplete or like you need more as the reader. An incredible short has it all right there, all distilled to its essence in those few words.

I cannot recommend this collection enough. I can barely stop reviewing it, I loved it so much. Please get your hands on it because I need more people in this world to talk about it with! And, I need a hardcover copy as soon as it's out in the world. All the stars for Reclaim The Stars!

Note: I received a free electronic edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank them, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to do so.

This book, a collection of seventeen (17) short stories was a fantastic read. None of them left me wanting, I didn't dislike any of them. I can't read seventeen books in a year and absolutely adore every single one. I adored every single one of these stories.

Seeing these stories in space, in the past, magic blending, polyamory--where do I start? Each story was a small world that I fully inhabited thanks to the skill of each writer.

The book is broken down into sections and each section contains stories that have some similarity. All the stories involving science fiction are together, for example. And we get a POV that is usually absent from traditionally published works. Second Person pov. You, you're your. It actually makes you part of the story in a way that a lot of stories don't. And I've only read this point of view in one other author's work. N.K. Jemisin.

There's also queer rep which I couldn't get over.

It also gave me a small glimpse into a culture that's not my own. I was invited into it by these authors and it was great to see these stories written in a genuine way. It wasn't watered down, the culture got to be the star and that alone makes this book worth reading.

I can't pick a favorite story, I really can't. What I can say is I will be recommending this book to everyone I know who reads, including my younger sibling.

I give this compilation five (5) stars.

I received this eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.

I'm not sure if I've just been reading the wrong anthologies for years or if I've just been in a mood for them lately or something, but this is the second one I've read recently and loved! While I do think that the sci-fi portion of the anthology wasn't as strong as the other two (it just felt short? Idk maybe because it was first), for the most part I really enjoyed all of the stories in Reclaim the Stars. However, I'm also aware that there are some authors I don't want to support, and highly recommend that you look into before you so as well. I'm not going to go into details here because I just don't have time to explain it all sufficiently (search it yourself though please!), but the three authors I'm talking about are: David Bowles, Isabel Ibañez and Sara Faring.
Anyway, I'll be rating each story on it's own, but the three from the authors above will just get no rating or a bad one if I didn't enjoy their story.

To the Stars

Reign of Diamonds - Anna-Marie Mclemore

5/5 stars. Princesses with powers who have to fight to the death but are in love? *chef's kiss*

FLECHA - Daniel José Older

4/5 stars. I loved the characters' dynamics in this one! I felt like it balanced out all of it's emotions really well too.

The First Day of Us - David Bowles

This was just a mess. The polyamorous aspect is something seriously lacking in YA but everything about the narration was hard to follow and I had no idea what was happening until like the last few paragraphs.

The Tin Man - Lilliam Rivera

3/5 stars. Interesting story, it just wasn't my taste.

This Is Our Manifesto - Mark Oshiro

4/5 stars. Loved the concept and the story's message. The narration was a little rough at times but I feel like that's part of it's charm.


The Magical Now

Creatures of Kings - Circe Moskowitz

5/5 stars. I'm going to be honest here - the main reason I requested this anthology was just so I could read Circe's story. I've been following Circe on Twitter for years now and have been impatiently waiting for the day she debuted, and it was SO worth it. I adored this story, it was everything I wanted and more.

Eterno - J. C. Cervantes

5/5 stars. Beautiful writing and filled with angst. Left me teary eyed.

White Water, Blue Ocean - Linda Raquel Nieves Peréz

3.5/5 stars. I loved the concept to this so much, the writing just didn't really vibe with me? Maybe it should actually be 4 stars

Leyenda - Romina Garber

3/5 stars. Interesting story, but I feel like I would've cared more if I had read the book/series it tied into. I feel like including a story without content to the rest of the series was a but of an odd decision, though I do think it's got it's merits without full context (some is given in the story).

Color-Coded - Maya Motayne

2/5 stars. It just wasn't my cup of tea. Maybe because it felt more like how old YA used to (aka it was aimed at a teen audience instead of the older one YA is aimed at now) and I am just Old now, but it just didn't seem that developed or unique? IDK.

Magical Offerings - Nina Moreno

5/5 stars. Made me want to go outside and look for some magic (This takes effort. I am an indoor human, the outdoors and I are not friends). Moreno's writing was just as fun as I remembered, even in a different genre. Wish it was longer.


Other Times, Other Realms

Rogue Enchantments - Isabel Ibañez
Wish she wasn't problematic. Kind of predictable. 
Sumaiko Y La Sirena - Vita Ayala
5/5 stars. While the story felt familiar, it was still interesting and had some fresh twists to it. Also I'm just a sucker for mermaids/sirens.
River People - Yamile Saied Méndez
4/5 stars. Loved the ghost aspect of this, and the river itself of course. 

Moonglow - Sara Faring

This quickly spiraled into me becoming completely lost. I'd have liked a bit more world building because just telling me that her sister eats dust without explanation was a decision. Maybe I'm missing something here culturally/mythology wise?  But I'm pretty sure I'm not.

Killing El Chivo - Claribel A. Ortega

3/5 stars. Not going to lie, I was kinda let down by this. It was my first time reading Ortega's work, and while I liked the writing, the story just fell kind of flat for me? Definitely try it, I think I just didn't vibe with it as much as I wanted to.

Tame the Wicked Night - Zoraida Cordova

5/5 stars. Okay this was ROMANTIC. This is what I'm talking about when I say I want an epic romance.

Anthology books, as said by many others already, are really hard to "rate" because there will always be some stories that are good or great, and others that maybe aren't so much. For me, I think the stories were all just middle-of-the-road stories, not really memorable, with the exception that I remember one story where a girl makes out with a tree.

Most of these stories, for me, were a bit of a slog to get through because they kept making me sleepy and I kept nodding off, idk. Might be a me thing, but there wasn't really anything dynamic going on, and some stories I felt like I was being preached at about something.

Also, I understand that my Kindle copy is an unedited proof, so errors and typos are to be expected, but the amount of errors and typos, words left out of sentences, weird run-on sentences, etc. that I encountered when reading this were numerous and it took me out of almost every story consistently.

I will say, though, that one thing I did live about this book is getting a peek into the different Latines diaspora via cultures, myths, and things like that. If nothing else, the diaspora is at least one thing this anthology does right.

This is a sci-fi/fantasy short story collection focusing on the Latin American diaspora. 17 stories by 17 Latin American Authors.

I basically enjoyed every single story in this anthology. They were all well written and interesting. Some were sad, some where happy but all of them were magical. The only thing that kept this from being a 5 star was the editing. I didn't like how the stories were divided. There are 3 sections, one sci-fi, one low fantasy (happens on earth), and one high fantasy (no earth). I would rather alternate between the types of stories instead of reading the types in chunks. Also the first two stories in the Low Fantasy section were extremely similar and I wish they were more separated.

Highly recommend this to anyone who likes short story collections. This is a good one.

RECLAIM THE STARS edited by Zoraida Cordova is a wonderful collection of inventive, fresh stories that (to quote the back cover) "takes the Latin American diaspora to places fantastical and out of this world." Each time I read one of the stories, I'd think that one was going to be my favorite, yet the next one would surprise and engage me in a whole new way. My creative writing students are going to love this book and I can't wait to introduce them to it. My three favorite stories (because I could not chose just one) are "Reign of Diamonds" by Anna-Marie McLemore (who is such a great short story writer), "River People" by Yamile Saied Mendez, and "The Tin Man" by Lilliam Rivera, which features such exquisite, sly humor. I highly recommend RECLAIM THE STARS!

To date, there has been a dearth of representation in Sci-fi/Fantasy for the Latinx community, and I personally have always felt the lack deeply. Reclaim the Stars was such a gift, in reading fantastical tales reflecting the vast Latinx diaspora, but also introducing me to new authors. I think readers from all backgrounds will love this anthology, and be treated to stories like "Reign of Diamonds" by Anna-Marie McLemore, "Eterno" by JC Cervantes, and "Tame the Wicked Night" by Zoraida Córdova. There are stories for everyone, and I hope to see this representation continue, after all, we aren't going anywhere.

Reclaim the Stars is a book containing seventeen Science Fiction and Fantasy short stories by Latinx authors representing Latin America diaspora and includes stories full of sexual diversity, Latinx culture, lore, and unique magic systems. I enjoyed the fantasy stories a bit more than the science fiction ones, but that might be because I love magic systems, especially ones that are unique to me.
I noted three standouts, in particular, that left me wanting an entire novel based in the fictional world: Color-Coded by Maya Montayne, Rogue Enchantments by Isabel Ibañez, and Tame the Wicked Night by Zoraida Córdova (who is the editor of this anthology). The magic system in Color-Coded is a world where the hair of females changes color when they become of age (usually around 16). That color represents their particular magic, which also develops at that point. Rogue Enchantments reminded me, in minimal parts, of the movie Encanto, which I adored, and the magic system is very individualized and seems to rely on encantos (or spells/charms). Lastly, Tamed the Wicked Night reminded me (and perhaps is) of a retelling of a folklore story with gods and goddesses and a love-conquers-all theme.
Just as these three were standouts for me, the wide range of tales truly has something for everyone, such as space battles, different reflections on death and the meaning of life, following your path, and even a few reflections on environmental concerns. If this appeals to you, then this collection is one you won't want to miss.

Reclaim the Stars is a collection of seventeen science fiction and fantasy short stories by Latinx authors.

Like any anthology, it is challenging to speak about the book more generally. As a whole, this book was beautifully written, with many of the stories having a poetic feel.

Since this collection is entirely science fiction and fantasy, many of the stories involved at least some level of world-building. Building a world in a short story can be challenging, as there is limited space, and while most of the stories contained in this collection succeed in their world-building, there are a few stories that fall a bit short.

While some stories are more engaging than others, one of the joys of reading any anthology is seeing the different voices of the different authors. The is the greatest strength of this book. Even if I was less engaged in the story itself, it was wonderful to see each author's unique voice come through.

Stand-out stories include White Water, Blue Ocean, Magical Offerings, Rogue Enchantments, Sumaiko Y La Sirena, River People, and Tame the Wicked Night.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book.

Thank you Netgalley for this incredible read!

Reclaim the Stars features 17 short stories all by different Latin American authors! These stories are scifi/fantasy focusing on the diaspora of the Latin people. I can honestly say that I loved every single story in this collection and I couldn't pick a favorite if I tried.

What is so spectacular about these stories are the connections found and forged. Whether family or finding a new community that accepts someone as family. Also, these tales are full of universal feelings that define us all... love, friendship and more than anything else, hope!

I cannot recommend this enough and it's hard for me to see anyone disliking this gorgeous short story collection. Do yourself a favor and grab this book!

Comes out February 15th!