This was my first book by Olivie Blake and I very much enjoyed it. It has been quite a while since I have read an anthology of short stories, so I was excited to start this.

I read them in small bites between other books and liked the small break it gave me.

The thing that struck me the most about Blake’s writing is the combination of whimsy and frankness. Her writing is not flowery or overly descriptive, but poignant and even profound at times.

Out of all of them I think my favorite story was The Wish Bridge. I loved the humor in the story, and the way that it showed the fickleness of humankind.

This book would be perfect for readers who enjoy literary fictions, short stories, and a good dose of dry, sarcastic humor mixed with sometimes bleak circumstances.

This book is so fun!! Olivie Blake as usual is a beautiful story teller!!

These short stories are all vibrant and full of magical elements, definitely recommend for short story lovers!

Liked this collection of short stories. This was my first collection of short stories and now I want to pick up more.

I read this over the course of a month and a half, reading one story in a full sitting and waiting a few days in between.

The stories at the beginning of the collection were really good. They had just enough development to them that I felt satisfied. (Which is not always the case for me with short stories) But the stories toward the end felt less satisfying, and I'll be honest that I skimmed the final story. But the good stories were really really good and worth trying out each one to find the good ones.

As with any short story collection, I enjoyed some stories more than others, but most of the stories in Januaries definitely entertained me or made me think. I love Olivie Blake's sense of humor and wit, as well as her endless depictions of love and relationships of all kinds. There's much to enjoy in this collection, and it's definitely worth a read.

I wasn’t able to review this book before it’s publish date but now that I have read it I am giving it 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC!

Average rating of all stories: 3.5 stars rounded up to 4

The writing of the stories was very good and all of the premises were great, just some of them fell flat. The beginning and ending of the book was amazing but the middle wasn’t very memorable for me.

Favorites: The Wish Bridge, Sucker for Pain, Fates and Consequences, Sous Vide, Chaos Theory

The Wish Bridge (5)
– this was insanely good. For the most part, it was actually pretty emotional, with Nile and Lila being separated by her job as the guarding of the river, but there was often humor due to the side plot of people asking for wishes. I would love to have a full sized book inspired by this story.

The Audit (3.5)
– super interesting premise! The actual story wasn’t as good as the beginning though. It kinda fell apart for me

Sucker for Pain (4)
– I was not expecting this to turn into a vampire story at all but it was pretty good! I liked the complexity of the characters and how they interacted with each other

The Animation Games (3.5)
– The premise of them murdering each other over and over was very unique and I enjoyed reading, but it got very repetitive

The House (2)
– The metaphor of a house as a marriage was cool, but there was no story. I found out after that this was based on wedding vows, although that doesn’t change my opinion, my feelings make sense about it

To Make a Man (3)
– I didn’t really like this until the very last scene where the Greek mythology came in. I thought that was an interesting spin on the Cassandra story

Preexisting Condition (2)
– I was confused at the beginning then everything made sense and I liked it but then I didn’t like the ending :/

Monsterlove (1)
– I don’t understand anything about this

How to Dispel Friends and Curse People (3)
– This was a change in format from the rest of the book since it was poetry and it was very interesting

Fates and Consequenses (5)
– This was so nice to read after several short stories that I didn’t like. I love Greek mythology inspired stories and this was a unique twist of the underworld!

Sous Vide (5)
– this story was amazing. I don’t really know how to describe it but it was about cooking and demons and it was very interesting

Sensual Tales for Carnal Pleasures (4)
– I wasn’t really sure where this was going but I like how the ending connected really well to the beginning

Chaos Theory (5)
– I loved this one so much. It started off with 5 different povs. All of them had different stories and I wasn’t sure where it was going, although I liked each of the povs a lot, and then it turned into multiverse which made it even cooler

A Year in January (3)
– I think January is an interesting character but I didn’t really care about the plot

An amazing collection of stories that had me loving Blake's writing more and more. A great opportunity to see her write other genres even if she always manages to succeed better in terms of immortality and its portrayal (The Animation Games)

Januaries is a collection of 14 short stories or novellas featuring love, magic, and betrayal.

SPRING
The Wish Bridge – 5⭐️
The Audit – 1⭐️
Sucker for Pain – 4⭐️

SUMMER
The Animation Games – 4.25⭐️
The House – 3.5⭐️
To Make a Man – 3.5⭐️
Preexisting Condition - 3⭐️

AUTUMN
Monsterlove – 4.75⭐️
How to Dispel Friends and Curse People – 4⭐️
Fates and Consequences – 4.25⭐️
Sous Vide – 4.5⭐️

WINTER
Sensual Tales for Carnal Pleasures – 2.5⭐️
Chaos Theory – 4⭐️
A Year in January – 2⭐️

Overall rating – 3.5⭐️ (rounded up to 4)

I really enjoyed a few stories quite thoroughly (The Wish Bridge, Monsterlove, Sous Vide, and Chaos Theory). This was a unique reading experience for me, as I tried to read one short story per day. Some days, it felt like a pleasant surprise! While there were some stories that I rated low, it may have been because I didn’t understand them and may need to re-read for better understanding (but I don’t have that kind of time unfortunately).

Thank you to Tor Publishing Group for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader’s Copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest opinion and review. Since reading the first several stories digitally, I have also gone out and purchased a physical copy for myself since I enjoyed them so much.

screaming this is just so. good. Olivie Blake's writing makes me feel like a peeled grape and like. My insides have been yanked out.

I liked this. But I ultimately decided that this authors writing style isn't for me. I did enjoy this but I found the writing style to be difficult and I feel it could have been done bettr

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book to review.

Once upon a time in a land far, far away, a wish-granting spirit rapidly approaches burnout. Meanwhile, a banished fairy answers a Craigslist ad, a Victorian orphan navigates an occult situationship, and a multiverse assassin contemplates the one who got away.

With both iconic fan-favorite stories and entirely original pieces, Januaries features modified fairy tales, contemporary heists, absurdist poetry, and at least one set of actual wedding vows. Escape the slow trudge of mortality by diving into these enchanting new worlds with a master of imagination.

I really enjoyed Januaries and Blake’s exploration of love, magic and betrayal. Her storytelling is a favorite because of her intention both laying out the groundwork and the profound nature of her messages. I especially enjoyed The Wish Bridge, To Make a Man and Chaos Theory. Thank you so much for this advanced copy. I’ve linked my review that I shared with my community below.

Honestly, everything l've read by Olivie has been SO GOOD. I was so excited when I heard about this one, but it exceeded my expectations.

I am such a sucker for stories and this collection was everything I could have wanted. I love how everything came together. The thought that went into everything is SO 🤯

Blurb:
Once upon a time in a land far, far away, a wish-granting spirit rapidly approaches burnout. Meanwhile, a banished fairy answers a Craigslist ad, a Victorian orphan navigates an occult situationship, and a multiverse assassin contemplates the one who got away.

With both iconic fan-favorite stories and entirely original pieces, Januaries features modified fairy tales, contemporary heists, absurdist poetry, and at least one set of actual wedding vows. Escape the slow trudge of mortality by diving into these enchanting new worlds with a master of imagination.

Thank you for much to @torbooks @coloredpagesbt and @olivieblake for a copy

THANK YOU so much to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.
I'm writing this after reading it a couple of months ago, but school and life got in the way and I'm slow to catch up.
Olivie Blake is one of my all time, forever favorite authors, so this book was everything I was hoping for and then some. With the classic style that Olivie brings to her writing, this book was perfect, especially as we ring in that cold, cozy, slightly creepy feel to the year.
I wish my ADHD brain didn't suck the details from my memory, but I'm going off vibes here, and the vibes were immaculate.

First of all, if you like weird, magical, creative short stories that will leave you with wow-what-did-i-just-read and I-want-more feelings, then don't wait , just pick this up!!
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This is my second book by Olivie Blake, I love this one as much as the first one Twelfth knight. This one has a very different writing style while also splashes of romance, humor as in the other one.
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Januaries is a collection of short stories, which made me feel emotional and seen at times. It has stories of desire, betrayal and magic. It was so entertaining and a perfect read when you need something so weird and the need to be seen. It has stories that deals with mental health, depression, motherhood, queerness, loneliness.
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Some of my personal favourites are wish bridge, Animation games, chaos theory and How to Dispel Friends and Curse People. Not to mention the artworks, it is so beautiful, but also creepy. I am definitely going to reread some of these stories over and over.

I feel like anthologies are so hard to give a star rating to. There are short stories in here that I technically DNF’d (skipped to the end), and there are stories that I got to the end and just asked “why is there not a full version if book with this plot concept.” Either way, Olivie’s writing has such a way to pull you in. Each story was beautifully written, even if I personally didn’t vibe with it.

Overall Rating: 4/5 Stars

“We could be free,” he whispered as she traced her finger along his lips. “Nobody’s free, Guy,” she told him. “But damn if I don’t want to see you try.”

Fairytales and the macabre and magic. That’s what this anthology felt like to me.

I adored being transported to all sorts of different realms during the reading of this: from brutal to fantastical to beautiful.

“Once upon a time there was a small, unassuming village by the name of Camlann’s Strife.”

My favourite story in the collection was The Wish Bridge, because I am a hopeless romantic and endlessly in love with happy ending fairytales, followed quickly by The Audit as a lover and student of philosophy, though I don’t think I could say that any of the stories were my least favourite.

“What are you looking for?” He stares at me. “Myself, for a while,” he says slowly, and then, even slower, “But I think since I met you, I’ve been looking for you.”

Every single story in this anthology was ridiculously clever and sharp and raw, the way Olivie Blake’s writing always is. This is one of those authors who could write the phone book and I would read it.

“Part of me wonders if this is a complex psychological thriller, if he’s meant to represent some part of my inner psyche, he’s too weird to be real. Seems a highly congratulatory thing to think about yourself, he says, and goes back to writing.”

It was shockingly funny and unquestionably deep, a work of art that made you think and rethink your beliefs and truths.

““Will you kill me?” she asks in a tone so polished with false bravado it practically gleams in the dark.”

Each story seemed to put me in a trance, to truly transport me into the book and the wonderfully whimsical situations and characters. Macabre and magical fairytales that never failed to delight or thrill.

“The world will drain you, Guy, if you let it.”

It held lines that absolutely shattered my perceptions and broke my heart, as every truly good book does.

“I have a tendency to intellectualize my emotions, he says, and also lately I’ve been writing about you.”

If you are a fan of strange fairytales and stories full of, once again, magic and the macabre, or if you are a fan of Olivie Blake’s then I implore you to read this book. You will not be disappointed.

“I don’t know what I’m doing, only that if I’m lucky it will hurt.”

Thank you to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Enchanted beautiful unique stories they out
Loved the cover the writing and the worlds and people we meet through out
Easy reading and keeps your brain working and taken to another place