Januaries by Olivie Blake is a stunning collection of short stories that beautifully blends fantasy and real-world emotions. Each story feels like its own universe, filled with magical elements that enhance the deeply human experiences at their core.

One standout story for me was A Year in January. the subtle but profound transformations, both for January and the story’s narrator. The way Blake navigates themes of love, loneliness, and healing is incredibly moving. The narrator's quiet struggles with what feels like depression are depicted with such authenticity that it resonated deeply with me. Meanwhile, January’s wisdom brings warmth and a sense of hope, as they both learn from each other in unexpected ways. The story’s exploration of connection and understanding between two lost souls is heartwarming and filled with tender moments.

Overall, Januaries is a must-read for fans of fantasy who also appreciate stories rooted in emotional depth. Olivie Blake has crafted a collection that feels both otherworldly and deeply relatable, and I can’t recommend it enough.

Man, I love Olivie Blake's writing, and her collection of short stories is no exception! These stories were whimsical, magical, emotional, twisted, and fun.

My favorites were:

🩸 Sucker for Pain - A young girl becomes ward to a mother and son Witch duo. As an adult, she's not sure if she's in love with the son, or if she's just been manipulated her whole life into thinking she should be. I WISH THIS WERE A FULL BOOK it was so good.

👩‍🍳 Sous Vide - A young woman gets a job cooking for a demon. Even though she's not supposed to interact with the demon, she ends up relying on them to work through her romantic relationship with her older professor.

🌌 Chaos Theory - Five women caught in different relationships, living in different times and spaces, find out they are interconnected in a way that will change them forever. This is another one that absolutely could have been its own book, but it was the most substantive and longest of the stories in this collection.

⏳ A Year in January - A young woman finds a roommate off Craigslist who may or may not be from this world. It was a moving account of navigating being bipolar and the effect that has on friendships.

Most stories really worked for me, but a couple didn't. For instance, I should have connected with Monsterlove, a stream-of-consciousness story about motherhood and maintaining one's identity without falling victim to the pressure of perfection. But it was just too chaotic and cerebral for me to find its rhythm.

This collection fits right into and compliments Blake's body of work. I think it would be great for established fans of hers, as well as people just trying her out. I can't wait for her next book!

I've been hearing a lot about Olivia Blake for a while and meaning to read something, and it seemed like a good idea to start with a short story collection. I was really blown away from the beginning, and I'm going to be reliving the feelings I got from the stories for a while. I knew it was going to be great when I fell in love with the characters in the first story, and didn't want to leave that world.
Thanks to NetGalley, I got to listen to the audiobook, which is fantastic. If you enjoy audiobooks, this one is excellent and very well done.

Anthologies are always a crapshoot, since there are some high points and low points in every collection. This one was surprising in that there were very few I didn't particularly enjoy ("Monster Love" was just a bit TOO out there for me), and a number that I genuinely would have read whole books about rather than the short stories we got, with "The Wish Bridge" being my personal favorite.

The audiobook was a lovely way to experience this book - including getting to hear Olivie Blake read a story!

"The Wish Bridge" 5 stars! i love it!
"The Audit" 2 stars... weirdddd.
"Sucker for Pain" 5 stars! LOVE!
"The Animation Games" 3 stars
"The House" Im lost.
"To Make a Man" 4 stars, interesting!
"Preexisting Condition" 2.
"Monsterlove" idk what is going on,
"How to Dispel Friends and Curse People" stalker poetry?
"Fates and Consequences" i don't remember this at all.
"Sous Vide" Skipped.
"Sensual Tales for Carnal Pleasures"
"Chaos Theory" I loved this one! 5 stars!
"A Year in January" Why is a man narrating this one?

Thanks to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for the ALC of this book!

Januaries
Stories of Love, Magic & Betrayal
By: Olivie Blake
Narrated by: Alexandra Palting, Daniel Henning, David Monteith, Ferdelle Capistrano, Olivie Blake, Stephanie Németh-Parker, Steve West
Length: 15 hrs and 4 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 10-15-24
Language: English
Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Give me alllll the Olivie Blake short fiction!

I’ve had a bit of an unusual reader experience with this author because I really did not like Atlas Six (which surprised me, as I’m a huge Dark Academia fan), so I had kind of figured her work was just not for me.

And then I ran into a short story she wrote for the In These Hallowed Halls collection, which I thought was absolutely wonderful and both the best of the whole collection (all of which was quite good) and also an all-timer short story in general.

So I was excited to try Januaries, Blake’s new short story collection, and I wasn’t disappointed.

There are a few duds in the collection and a few stories that were just okay, but I got eight that I thought were terrific, which is more than half the stories in the collection.

The best of the lot was Cahaos Theory (unclear why the alternative spelling was used, but no matter), which was another all-timer short story that I’ll remember well beyond the confines of this book.

Also excellent: The Wish Bridge, The Audit, Sucker for Pain, Animation Games, How to Dispel Friends and Amuse People, Sensual Tales for Carnal Pleasures, and A Year in January.

The stories are organized by season, though I found no connection between the contents of most stories and the season they were attached to. This has no impact on the reader experience, but I did waste a fair amount of time trying to make a connection that clearly wasn’t there.

If you’re able to read on audio I highly recommend this collection in that format. It’s a delightful listen and the narrators really enhance the reader experience.

Olivie Blake and the narrators did the dang thing with this one. This was FANTASTIC. Do NOT skip out on the audiobook because it is EVERYTHING I wanted and MORE. If Olivie Blake writes it, I'm buying it.

This anthology was a fabulously whimsical ride. The very first story, the wish bridge, really got me excited for the rest of the stories to come. While on the surface a story about a mythical guardian of a bridge that appears at every full moon, allowing those who find it to make a wish, it has us wishing the guardian who grants everyone else’s wishes to wish for herself for once!

My favorite story was Sucker for Pain though I liked it mostly just for the story and how invested I was in Nora’s story - not so much that there were any thoughtful takeaways for me.

My least favorite was Monsterlove, mainly because I didn’t even know what was happening the entire time. However, it was beautifully written if the purpose was to confuse the heck out of everyone! And I really felt the emotion of the FMC, for what it’s worth.

In total, I think this was well worth the read, and further exemplifies the wonder that is Olivie Blake!

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for the eARC of this anthology in exchange for my honest review.

A dark, whimsical and at times poignant set of short stories that captivate the imagination

Disclaimer: I tandem read this novel with a psychical arc from the publisher as well as an audiobook via NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

It is very rare that I read a collection of short stories where I liked more of the stories than I didn't like. This is one of those cases. There were only two or three stories that I did not feel any real connection to. The rest, I found absolutely mesmerizing and could not put them down.

I feel like this collection had a wide range of genres and feels associated with the stories. One minute you were reading something whimsical and fairytale-like only to be met with something dark and twisted the next story. I really liked the wide range that was available here. I felt like it really captivated my attention and kept me pushing further along in the book.

I usually straight away from short story collections, but I am really glad that I picked this one up. It was absolutely a lot of fun and I felt like I got a little bit for all sides of me as a reader.

While I appreciate the depth of imagination of dark twists of Blake's short stories in this volume, I found myself getting lost and disinterested through most of these. As always, I am impressed with writers who are able to pack a punch and create such depth in such a short length of pages, but this volume didn't peak my interest enough.

I am new to Blake's works and this might be a stylistic choice. I found the variety of narrations useful in helping me know when a new story began, but I found some of the voices easily grating.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audiobook!

Review will be shared to goodreads and Instagram stories and links will be updated here.

I’m relatively new to the short story world, and I’m thrilled that Januaries was one of the first to introduce me to collections like these. While not all of the stories were big wins for me individually, the ones I loved will live rent-free in my head (even the ones I didn’t love have continued to make me think).

If you’ve tried Olivie Blake in the past and didn’t fall under her spell, I highly recommend giving her a second chance with this one. In short story format, her writing shines its brightest.

Writing and Editing – 5
Narration – 5
Personal Bias – 5
Final Score – 5

Thank you to Olivie Blake and @tordotcompub for my gorgeous copy! Also, thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my audio copy! My opinions are my own.

This book started off really strong with “The Wish Bridge.” I loved this short story so much, and it made me even more excited to continue with the book. However, the other stories just didn’t resonate with me. I kept expecting each one to be as lovely as the first, but it never happened. Some were better than others, but nothing can top “The Wish Bridge.” That’s a story I’ll revisit over and over, for sure. I listened to this on audio, and the narrators were great.

This is the second anthology I’ve read this year, so I’m feeling my short story era! Januaries was a Macmillan Audio pick and it did not disappoint–I absolutely love Olivie Blake!

Short stories are fun because they often pack a punch and are easy to digest. I also appreciate that if there was a story that was not for me, I have something to look forward to after it’s over, which was the case for Monsterlove–definitely an interesting take, but it was not for me.

All of the short stories in this book center around love, magic, and/or betrayal–because sometimes betrayal or love is served with a side of the other! This collection runs the gamut of fairy story to dystopia and odds and ends in between–speculative fiction and Greek mythology included!

One of my favorite stories, The Animation Games, is a tale of love, betrayal, and magic all rolled together. It was at times funny, heartbreaking, and inspirational. It was also incredibly violent, but in a fun way with a good amount of magic and ghosts!

In the end, this book was five stars, and I think there are stories in here for everyone. I love that when I listen to a Blake book I usually get some of my favorite narrators, including Steve West and David Monteith.

Olivie Blake's 𝑱𝑨𝑵𝑼𝑨𝑹𝑰𝑬𝑺, narrated by a host of fantastic narrators, just recently out on October 15th by @macmillan.audio. Thank you for the access via @netgalley!

I must be either in the mood for short stories, or there are a lot out there right now. Maybe both. Regardless, I am glad to have this collection and spent several days this last week dipping into a story or two. I often listen straight through and wanted to enjoy each story before racing on to the next. I think this is how I will read story collections from now on, as I think it added to my enjoyment of this. I was excited each day to hear what witty or atmospheric or otherworldly story. It was rather hard to limit myself.

I am becoming more familiar with Blake's styles and enjoy her darker humor. The dialog she writes is often laugh out loud funny or deliciously biting. This book contained stories that ran a wide range of magical and mysterious, odd and happily satisfying. The narrators made this so much fun to listen to.

As with most short stories, there were some I adored and other that didn't quite meet that standard, but still enjoyable.

Not my favorite Olivie Blake book but I still enjoyed none of the less. My favorite part was how the stories were somewhat connected to each other rather than be stand alone. Maybe it will get better with each reread.

This is stunning. Perfect for anyone who loved 'Masters of Death' or 'Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart.' This is a compilation of dark and whimsical stories that will have you hanging onto every word. This is the best of Olivie Blake's writing.

I was able to read Januaries as an audio ARC and it's just immaculately done. Every single narrator on this project delivers perfectly in bringing these complex character to life. I could not more highly recommend it.

I enjoyed this collection. Some of the stories were entertaining or thought-provoking. Enjoyable and recommended if you're a huge fan of her work.

Januaries, by Olivie Blake, is a rollercoaster ride of emotion, existential crisis, and contemplation. The promise of love, magic, and betrayal delivers in satisfying measures. Blake does what she does best here with beautiful character studies, and the short story format works wonders with her writing, forcing her to cut bloated internal monologues that weigh down some of her novels. Though I was reading the audiobook, I sent for a physical copy after reading through the first section of this, titled "Spring." Here are my personal ranking for the stories:

1. The Wishing Bridge (Spring)
2. To Make a Man (Summer)
3. Sucker for Pain (Spring)
4. Chaos Theory (Winter)
5. Fates and Consequences (Autumn)
6. How to Dispel Friends and Curse People (Autumn)
7. The Animation Games (Summer)
9. Sensual Tales for Carnal Pleasures (Winter)
10. A Year in January (Winter)
11. Sous Vide (Autumn)
12. The Audit (Spring)
13. Preexisting Condition (Summer)
14. The House (Summer)
15. Monster Love (Autumn)

My favorites wove in elements of mythology, imagined and historical. Blake's storytelling is clever, and at times this falls flat, trying for too clever as in "The House" and "Monster Love." I found the audiobook narrator of "Monster Love" especially unpleasant to listen to as their is varied volumes and tones despite being all the same character. It had too much, as the story did. I'm not sure this is necessarily fair for the narrator, but I chose to read my physical copy instead of listen to her narration of the next story she did, which had a similar quality.

The audiobook cast is the same as the Atlas Six series, and Steve West is my absolute favorite of the group though I didn't feel as engaged by his stories in this collection. The best stories narratively were "The Wishing Bridge," "Preexisting Condition," "How to Dispel Friends and Curse People," and "Sucker for Pain."

I loved this collection overall. It was very creative, clever, and most of all fun. I enjoyed the diversity of storytelling in structure, content, and style that somehow still remained uniquely Olivie Blake

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC!

1. The Wish Bridge: The perfect type of story for a short story collecrion. 4/5

2. The Audit: Seemed kind of pointless. 2/5

3. Sucker for Pain: I would like to see this as a full-length novel. 5/5

4. The Animation Games: The world felt poorly developed, and I don't find toxic relationships to be endearing. 1.5/5

5. The House: just a weird preachy paragraph about marriage?? 1/5

6. To Make a Man: interesting take on Cassandra... however I didn't really like how the time-line jumped back and forth. That always makes things confusing. 4/5

7. Pre-existing Condition: meh. 3/5

8. Monster Love: huh???? Confusing, rambling and non-sensical. The narrator also got a little to excited and screechy for my taste. But good for her for committing to the bit. 1/5

9. How to Dispel Friends and Curse People: Letters from an Aspiring Poet to the Village Witch: Cute. 3/5

10. Fates and Consequences: Blake should really write a Greek retelling. 4/5

11. Sous Vide: meh. 3/5

12. Sensual Tales for Carnal Pleasures: I remember nothing. 2/5

13. Chaos Theory: Or the Free Agent's Guide to Transitive Thermodynamics: Took awhile to get to the point... interesting idea though. 3.5/5

14. A Year in January: what was the point? 1/5

This was a collection of witty, funny, intriguing and paranormal stories. I found myself wanting the whole book to be about a certain few of them and others I just skipped over.

I don’t think I’d buy this for myself, but if you love short stories with a paranormal/folk flair then this is perfect for you. Each story is about 2-3 chapters long and the writing is beautiful and immersive. It felt like a nice break for me when I typically just read fantasy series