I love short stories and these were fantastic..
Some whimsical, some gothic, others sci-fantasy ..
About love, about desire, about betrayal, about magic..
Each story well crafted .. with different writing..
My favorites are the wish bridge, the audit, fate and consequences and monsterlove
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Thank you Netgalley, Author, Publisher, for this arc in excange of my honest opinion

Given that this a collection of stories, there were some that were appealing to me and some that were not. I think this is worth reading around the fall season as most of the stories have a spook or gothic feel to them. Others are more whimsical! Overall, this is like bedtime stories but for adults and I like that concept despite usually preferring a longer book.

Thank you Netgalley for the E-Arc of this book!!

Olivie Blake did it again you guys! I just love this woman’s writing style so much. Usually I’m not the biggest fan of short story collections, but this one was so well done (and I’m not saying this because I’m biased). This was so well thought out. The vibes and themes throughout the collection were immaculate. I can’t wait to see the physical copy of this book so I can reread and annotate accordingly!!

Olivie ilyy and you can do no wrong!! <33

Thank you for giving me this arc!

3.5/5⭐️

I absolutely loved the concept of this book. I’m a sucker for short stories. The writing of course is stunning and every story has its own twist to it.
I will say it was hard to get into some of the stories and felt a bit confused but my favorite one is The Wish Bridge.

Januaries by Olivie Blake - review

3.75⭐️

Thank you so much Netgalley and Tor for the e-arc of the Januaries by Olivie Blake
I have only read Masters of Death by Olivie Blake and loved that one, so I was really curious to read more…

Januaries is a short stories collection by Olivie Blake the stories are divided into 4 parts, each part named after a season.

Normally I don’t read that many short stories, because I prefer to read a longer story or book. So I am more immersed into the story and plot and more invested into the characters.
That is also something I noticed with these anthologies, because some were really short I just found myself less invested.
And I would have preferred some to be a bit longer.

However, they are written soo beautifully and whimsical. I just loved them. Especially reading a short story on holiday was just the perfect way to end the day.

Olivie Blakes writing is just so immersive and spellbinding. The lyrical and evocative writing really made the fairytales come to live.

The collection really expresses how broad the imagination and storytelling talents of Olivie Blake reach. Some of these stories were beautiful fairytales while others were a bit gruesome, while again another took you on a multiverse adventure.

My favourite stories were:
- The Wish Bridge
- The Audit
- Monsterlove
- Fates and Consequences

I definitely recommend this one if you want to read a lot of different short stories with amazing whimsical, and immersive writing.
This would definitely be a great book if you are in a reading slump because you can just read a short story.

Release date: 8th of October

i've been a big fan olivie blake for a few years now and can definitely say her strong suit is full length novels compared to short stories. her writing is the kind that needs to be fleshed out and lets the readers get to the nitty gritty to really be invested. i found myself drifting away from this read during these stories but i can still appreciate blake's writing which is astounding no matter the length.

Actual rating: 2,5 stars

I have always had a love/hate relationship with Olivie Blake’s books. I find their premise very intriguing and original, but each time I end up disappointed by their execution. This collection of short stories was no exception to the rule. Some were very good discoveries that I would have liked more of, but most were simply too long or too far-fetched for me. I also accepted the fact that Olivie Blake’s writing was simply not for me. My favourite story by far was Chaos Theory!

Rating for each story:
The Wish Bridge: 4 stars
The Audit: 2,5 stars
Sucker For Pain: 3,5 stars
The Animation Games: 2 stars
The House: 3 stars
To Make A Man: 3 stars
Preexisting Condition: 2 stars
Monsterlove: 2 stars
How To Dispel Friends and Curse People: 2 stars
Fates and Consequences: 4 stars
Sous Vide: 2,5 stars
Sensual Tales for Carnal Pleasures: 2 stars
Chaos Theory: 5 stars
A Year In January: 2 stars

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

🅐 🅡 🅒 • 🅡 🅔 🅥 🅘 🅔 🅦

There is not a single thing that Olivie Blake could right that I wouldn’t read. I love her writing style, the world she brings us into and this book was just as wonderful as all of her other works. We have a collection of short stories in which I enjoyed each of them for their own reasons. I really loved, if we need to mention a few, A Year In January, Sucker For Pain and Fates & Consequences. If you love anthologies and are looking for something to reach for in that department, I would pick up this great read when it releases in October 2024.

Thank you @netgalley , @torpublishinggroup and author for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 ★

I don’t believe there are any limits to the elegance which Olivie Blake writes with. Her words, her lyrical constructed sentences, the messages behind the stories, but at the same time she’s one of those authors where her writer is very subjective amongst readers, and that’s what this anthology felt like for me! Subjective.

There were quite a few stories I did enjoy, but there were some that put me in a slump and I ended up just skipping them altogether. I do love seeing the creative mind that Olivie Blake has and all the different stories she has created over the years come together in this anthology, but subjectively some just weren’t my taste (and that’s okay!).

The ones I did enjoy were:

the wish bridge
the audit
sucker for pain
to make a man
fates and consequences
chaos theory
a year in january

In each of these I found I resonated with the messages (or at least found them far more interesting than the ones I disliked), as well as connected with the characters. Grammatically, some were interesting to read because they didn’t follow a typical grammatical layout, but that’s what made them more intriguing!

Overall, this was a great anthology of unique stories from a creative writer, and I wish I enjoyed more of the stories, but not every one is for every reader so I’m sure there will be some that I disliked that others will love! 💕

I was honestly not expecting to like this book nearly as much as I did! I soft DNFed the atlas six a few years ago & I don’t typically read short stories, so I wasn’t expecting to love this, but I truly did. These short stories were SO well done. To have such well fleshed out characters & plots in so few pages is a huge feat & Olivie Blake did it so beautifully. These stories were funny, enchanting, mysterious, risqué, & so entertaining to read. Each story had such an interesting message too. I was really really impressed by this book.

Thank you so very much to NetGalley & the publisher for the eARC, this was such a treat to read!!

With any short story collections there are highs and lows. there were some stories I really liked like the first and last ones, but especially towards the middle, the stories needed more development.

Short story collections can really vary, right? When you pick one up, you never know if the stories are going to be mostly good, mostly bad with one stand out, or utterly forgettable. I've read some great short story collections and some terrible ones, and I'm thrilled to say that "Januaries" by Olivie Blake belongs to the former category. I loved this book because each story was memorable and distinct, with rich worldbuilding and intriguing characters. It reminded me of a cross between Neil Gaiman's stories and Kelly Link's, with the subject matter ranging from toxic couples to heartwarming ruminations on marriage. Highly recommend if you love fantasy and horror!

I have adored all of Olivie Blake’s books. Especially Alone With You in the Ether. So needless to say I was so excited for this book.
And it did not disappoint, I loved the collection of stories and the range of subjects they encompassed. Especially those related to mental health and love. I deeply related to a lot of the short stories and loved Olivie Blake’s writing style. I especially loved:
-The Wish Bridge
-A Year in January
-Fates and Consequences


Thank you to Tor for the ARC
Release Date: October 15, 2024

So happy about receiving this arc. Olivia Blake never disappoints. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this gifted arc.

This collection of stories was definitely not what I expected it to be. Some of these stories were incredible and drew me right into the depths of them. Others were really long and took far too much time to get to the point of what they were trying to say. You can check out my star rating for each story below this review as well. My two favorites from the collection were hands down The House and Sensual Tales for Carnal Pleasures. A close third place would be given to The Wishing Bridge. If each of these had been their own book I would have DEVOURED them.

I will say though, don’t go into this book with the standard understanding of short stories. Some of these stories were (according to my kindle) 5-10 minutes to read, whereas other stories were anywhere from 40-65 minutes to read. Which led to some of the stories dragging a bit, but that’s just my opinion.

Overall, this anthology of works by Olivie Blake was very much a work of love for her and for that alone I respect her a ton. I will have to check out the printed version once it’s out because the acknowledgments mention all of the artwork within the book and unfortunately my early copy does not have those pieces available.

The Wish Bridge ⭐️4
The Audit ⭐️2
Sucker For Pain ⭐️2
The Animation Games ⭐️2
The House ⭐️5
To Make A Man ⭐️3
Preexisting Condition ⭐️2
Monsterlove ⭐️3
How To Dispel Friends and Curse People ⭐️3
Fates and Consequences ⭐️3
Sous Vide ⭐️2
Sensual Tales for Carnal Pleasures ⭐️5
Chaos Theory ⭐️2
A Year In January ⭐️4

Overall Average Rating: ⭐️3

Thank you so much to Tor Publishing for this advanced copy on NetGalley! 🤍

This is my first book by Olivie Blake and let me just say, I love! No wonder why people give her books so much hype! It’s because she is actually really good! I will tell you that this book explores so intense topics and gets your brain WORKING!!! But I couldn’t get enough. Thank you so much to Blake’s team and NetGalley for allowing me this ARC!

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this but I was pleasantly surprised! Each story was different, unique and captivating! If I had to describe the book in one word it would be “unexpected” (in a good way) and I would recommend for fans of Blake as well as new readers, give it a go and see which story speaks to you the most! If I had to choose, I would say that I probably loved The Wish Bridge the most. Charming, enchanting, and magical.

This was surprisingly delightful. I’m generally not a big fan of anthologies, but I did enjoy this. Every story stands on its own nicely, and of course there were some and loved and some I didn’t.

There were even a few that I wish were complete novels (Sucker for Pain, I’m looking at you!!!) But overall, this blends together myths, existentialism, and magic in a variety of ways that feel relatable.

If I were to describe this book in one word, it`d just be "enchanting." I loved it!

Olivie Blake - Januaries Review

Januaries is an anthology of short stories, categorized into the four different seasons, which is a thoughtful touch that I loved. I was a little hesitant going into this as I usually prefer my books on the chunkier side, but after reading I`m converted!

Blake`s imaginative storytelling shines in this collection and every story is captivating, yet completely different. Common things that run through them all are dry wit, a certain sensuality and interesting characters. I was surprised at how much I came to be invested in the characters, despite the short story format.

I could never predict what was going to happen, which is unusual for me, and also why it took me back to that feeling of being joyfully surprised to find out what happens when reading in childhood. Although, the themes in this book are definitely adult!

I enjoyed the whole anthology but my favorite stories that I`d like to highlight are:
- The Wish Bridge (mythical and melancholy)
- Sucker for Pain (mysterious and satisfying)
- The Animation Games (funny and surprising)
- The House (beautiful and insightful)

I absolutely recommend this book for anyone who likes imaginative, thought-provoking stories.

Thank you to Tor Publishing Group, Olivie Blake, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. Januaries will be published on October 15th, 2024!

If Olivie Blake writes it, I'll read it. That's it.

I was a little bit preoccupied with this anthology mostly because I tend not to be fond of them. I don't usually like all the stories, and it's hard to get into them. But I shouldn't have doubted the power of Olivie's writing.

I liked that every story was so different from the others, but at the same time, some had a similar vibe. They cover themes such as love, magic, betrayal (as the title announces), life and death, motherhood, desire, mental health, morality, etc., offering a wide selection of different genres. They were all beautiful and unique, exploring the human experience in a brutally honest, but poetic way, being deeply personal at times (and pretty relatable in a lot of things).

My favorite stories were:
• Sucker for Pain
• Chaos Theory
• How to Dispel Friends and Curse People
• The Animation Games
• To Make a Man
• The Wish Bridge
• The Audit

Thank you NetGalley and Tor for the ARC!