Typically, in a short story collection, I find that some stories resonate more than others, with a few standouts and some that don’t quite connect with me. However, that wasn’t the case with this collection: all the stories were of varying degrees of excellence! The author’s versatility is remarkable: some stories are fairy tale/folklore-esque, while others are supernatural, creepy, humorous, mythological, or speculative. Each piece features a vivid writing style that perfectly captures the mood and tone of its unique world. Every story is creatively crafted, with believable settings and engaging characters and storylines. Love is a common theme throughout, and the author strikes a perfect balance, avoiding anything overly sentimental or gratuitous.

The audiobook's diverse cast of narrators was also fantastic, and all seamlessly transported me into each setting. This was my first reading experience with this author, and I’m definitely eager to read more of her work!

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Januaries is such an interesting combination of short stories from Olivie Blake. Yes, they do all elements of love, magic, or betrayal, but also touch on mental health and people who are going through struggles in life. The variety of stories shows the range of Olivie's writing. Some of my favorites included The Animation Games, Fates and Consequences, Chaos Theory (specific shout out to the cat 🙌🏼), and A Year in January.

I read enjoyed the audio of this book. There were two narrators who swapped between stories and even a cameo from Olivie herself. I could speed it up without having issues understanding, which is essential.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an ALC of this book for an honest review.

Narrators chef kiss, wow awesome selection and great job by them. And the stories so damn good. They are unique and different . Each has a totally different style and feeling. Enjoyed immensely. The book as a whole is really good, the stories by themselves, some are great , some are meh. Did like a lot 3 of them and most are extremely entertaining. Would totally recommend. The audio is great, I think the narrators did a phenomenal job. Really love it

As a collection of short stories, there will always be those that stand out and you love, and others that you don't quite connect with. Each of these stories definitely ring true to Olivie Blake's writing. However, each story is unique, be it new or a retelling.

Januaries is a great compilation that showcases Olivie Blake's range and ability to write. It's as if you took all her published work, added some things yet unread, blended it together, and this was the result. One story is a beautiful and straight forward love story mixed with fantasy and wonder, and the next will be about some quasi Black Mirror tale that your life has a monetary value. Some of these tales will have you questioning the lives we are living and the human experience. Others will just have you down right questioning "What did I just read?"

The ability to listen to the ALC was an amazing experience. It had a full cast of diverse narrators who read with great skill. "Monsterlove" was truly a wonderful performance and deserves an award on to itself. Some stories (which I had to go back and find the names of each one) that I enjoyed: The Wish Bridge, The Audit, The Animation Games, A Year in January, Sous Vide, and Sensual Tales for Carnal Pleasure. You could say, well that's almost the entire book. Sure... But hey, I enjoy Blake's writings.

I would recommend Januaries: Stories of Love, Magic & Betrayal to those who already love Olivie Blake's work, and even to those who have yet to read anything else by her. 4.5 stars rounded to 5

Thank you Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and author for the opportunity in an exchange for an honest review.

I will be posting on social medias.

Januaries is a collection of short stories and novellas. I really enjoyed a few, like The Wishing Bridge and The Audit. I do wish many of these were longer and developed a bit more, but I loved the writing style overall. I listened to the audio and the cast of narrators was absolutely phenomenal.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Review: I absolutely loved this. Loved it. The only reason that this lost 1/4 of a star for me is that I feel like some of these short stories could have been such fascinating full books. I would've eaten them up. Some of my favorites were The House (which obviously could not be a full story, but I loved it and it is probably one of the most uplifting, exciting ways I've heard marriage described) and Monster Love might be one of the most no bullshit honest descriptions of motherhood that I have ever heard. As I was listening to it, I was genuinely wondering how Olivie got into my brain. One of the stories that I would still beg Olivie to write as a full length novel would be Chaos Theory - I loved it. LOVED it. I thought it was really inventive and I just wanted to spend so much more time in the story. Do yourself a favor and pick this up ASAP.

Synopsis: Once upon a time in a land far, far away, the tutelary spirit to a magical bridge rapidly approaches burnout. Meanwhile, congress enacts a complex auditing system designed to un-waste your youth, a banished fairy answers a Craigslist ad, a Victorian orphan gains literacy for her occult situationship, and a multiverse assassin contemplates the one who got away. Escape the slow trudge of mortality with these magical ruminations on life, death, and the love (or revenge) that outlasts both, featuring modified fairytales, contemporary heists, absurdist poetry, and at least one set of actual wedding vows.

Januaries:⁣
⁣
Thank you @macmillan.audio #MacAudio2024 and @torbooks for my gifted copies!⁣
⁣
The easiest way to describe Januaries by Olivie Blake as a whole is magical and whimsy. ⁣
⁣
My favorites:⁣
⁣
The Wish Bridge:⁣
What a freaking way to start a short story collection. This was absolutely beautiful and heart wrenching. This made me swoon like OUABH. Truly whimsical for me. ⁣
⁣
Sucker For Pain:⁣
Very Interview with a Vampire. I’ll never skip a vampire or witch story. Not sorry. Loved this one and the finality. ⁣
⁣
How to Dispel Friends and Curse People:⁣
I loved this one so much. Give me all the grumpy/sunshine basically in magical form. Persistent and silly, absolutely adorable. ⁣
⁣
Fates And Consequences: ⁣
I could not stop cackling. Very Masters of Death coded. We get Hades and Persephone, so I was so excited for their little cameo. ⁣
⁣
Sous Vide:⁣
This had me cackling. It was so snippy and I cannot stop giggling. Some gems: “(Her libertine youth, her manic freedom, the restless intellect that had driven her to art and poetry, which was now driving her to poverty and madness, just as it had done to all the artists and poets before.” “So, what do you do with the hungry? Ignore them, if you’re the government.” Audio was perfect and these landed SO WELL. ⁣
⁣
The audio is phenomenal. Full cast and some major big names. They all delivered so well.⁣
⁣
Januaries was such a good read, I can’t recommend it enough! Happy pub day!⁣
⁣
QOTD: What are you reading today?

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this story.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW
HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY TO JANUARIES!

So as I dod with all anthologies let me talk about the book as a whole and then get into the individual stories within. I REALLY enjoyed this book. I thought it would be the first anthology where I loved every single short story within because it had such a strong beginning and middle but my connection with the stories and the characters began to dwindle. Not in a bad way but around the 12th story I like lost a bit of interest. The 13th story picked it back up again but it was the longest of the bunch and honestly very confusing (since I was listening to it as an audiobook) that it wasn't until like the second part of that story that I realized what was happening. Overall though this is one of the best anthologies I've ever read and I'm excited to buy a physical copy of this book.

1. The Wish Bridge: Oh god... this story made me cry in the middle of my workday (I was listening to it during my lunch hour). I loved how he sacrificed his own wandering to let her go free AND SHE WENT BACK TO HIM TO LET HIM WANDER AGAIN TOO. God they were perfect for each other.

2. The Audit: This was so wild and unhinged and I totally get it because I too would not know what to do with that kind of money. It also gave me the feeling of needing a therapist (I know I need one but this kind of solidified that I should).

3. Sucker For Pain: OH MY GODDDDD THIS WAS EVERYTHING!!!! THE WAY NORA RESENTED BEING CALLED PET BU EDMUND COMPLETELY EMBRACED IT ONCE SHE MADE HIM HERS. OMG THE POLYAMORY TOO. SO MUCH LOVE FOR THIS.

4. The Animation Games: Probably one of the funniest stories and also really sweet in a gruesome way?? I loved how they kept score of how many times they ended each other. I love how they had different powers each time and I loved how he recognized her even when she had shapeshifted into someone else. They were toxic and cute and I throughly enjoyed this.

5. The House: Short, sweet and full of uplifting analogies about life and marriage with someone.

6.To Make A Man: YOOO STOP MAKING MY GREEK MYTHOS STORIES SO SAD. I knew right away that she was Cassandra but I had no idea who he was. Their love was tragic and perfect and I'm glad they were both technically okay/alive? in the end but damn.... I wish they could have had more time together.

7. Preexisting Condition: This was so funny and odd. It was like a Frankenstein story but... not? At the same time. I couldn't tell if they all loved each other or hated each other but I did like how it sounded like they'd just constantly reanimate each other because they do care about one another lol.

8. Monster Love: This was.... interesting. I couldn't tell if she was talking about herself and hate/love or if she was talking about what it's like to have a kid. Listening to this part of the audiobook was an... experience (especially at 2x speed). A lot of words were repeated and there was laughing and like crying too. It certainly was a trip.

9. How to Dispel Friends and Curse People From an Aspiring Poet to A Witch: This was so goddamn cute. I loved how she called him my idiot in the end and grew to love him because he cared enough to listen to her, help her, and came back to talk to her even when she turned him into animals.

10. Fate and Consequences: Oh god.... the narrator of this one.... So damn good. The voice he put on for Hades was incredible. The story itself was kind of funny too. I enjoyed how the Fates accidentally cutting someones thread too early still resulted in them going to the underworld to be punished.

11. Sous Vide: HELL YEAH?!!? A girl feeding demons??? What more could you want (besides her ending her loved and feeding him to the demons too. That was pretty badass lol).

12. Sensual Tales For Carnal Pleasures: I anticipated the betrayal/the reveal of who the girl was but it was still sad when she ended him. They still get to see each other on occasion though so I guess that's better than nothing.

13. Chaos Theory or The Free Agents guide To Transitive Thermodynamics: This was the longest story and also one of the more confusing ones when it first started out. Each chapter is told from the different POV of someone. There were 5 (?) different ones and one POV was a cat which I didn't even realize until it was said out loud. Each story had it's own ending though because ultimately each of their stories were connected. I love how the assassin Ani (?) spoke to each of her other selves in the other timelines and I loved how her own story ended. It was very triumphant I fell. I was a bit confused though with what happened with Violetta and Hattie (?) at the end. Not sure how Hattie got to Violetta's world.

14. A Year In January: This was very sweet. They had such a nice friendship and just like with the story "To Make A Man" I wish they had more time together. I also was a little confused as to whether January was like... a foreign diplomat or like an alien or something. I think that got lost in translation for me as I was listening to it.

Audiobook Thoughts-
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the gifted ALC. All opinions are my own

A book of short stories that is kept fresh by multiple narrators. It will keep the listener entertained and on on their toes listening for the different characters or story changes. I also found it easy to skip to a story that appealed to me at the moment and easily find my way back from where I started within the book chapters.

The Wish Bridge, Chaos Theory, and A Year in January are my favorites from this collection. Chaos Theory was a real challenge for me to figure out at first as multiverse is new to me. I believe those that love both fantasy and short stories will enjoy Januaries: Stories of Love, Magic & Betrayal.

This was such a fun listen. I've read a few books by Olivie Blake and I have enjoyed them greatly. This audiobook didn't disappoint! This book is full of short stories that approach love, betrayal, and magic.

The narration was wonderful. There are a ton of narrators so every story felt like it had its own voice. The stories were brought to life beautifully.

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, Olivie Blake, and the host of narrators for the love eAudioARC of Januaries.

I fell in love with the writing of Olivie Blake in her Atlas series - the nuanced characters with layers upon layers of motivation & history; the rich magic systems with ever-new manifestations & applications that are all self consistent within each world she creates; the driving narratives & deep investment she builds within the reader for each character. Each of these are in full force in this delightful collection of short stories, and the myriad narrators (a move I usually don't care for) serve only to further heighten the listening experience. My only hesitation in giving a 5 star rating is that the last several stories felt muddled and honestly melted together - not in terms of overlapping continuity, but in that I periodically forgot whether I'd finished one and begun the next just yet...

4.5 stars for this short story/novella anthology! Read by a full cast, including the author.
"The Wish Bridge" read by Stephanie Nemeth Parker
"The Audit" read by David Monteith
"Sucker for Pain"read by Ferdelle Capistrano
"The Animation Games" read by David Monteith
"The House" read by Olivie Blake
"To Make a Man" read by Stephanie Nemeth Parker
"Preexisting Condition" read by Daniel Henning
"Monsterlove" read by Alex Palting
"How to Dispel Friends and Curse People" read by Daniel Henning
"Fates and Consequences" read by Steve West
"Sous Vide" read by David Monteith
"Sensual Tales for Carnal Pleasures" read by Ferdelle Capistrano
"Chaos Theory" read by Alex Palting
"A Year in January" read by Steve West

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio e-arc.*

Not really sure what I was expecting, but this was not it.

I love stories that feature Magicks, love, other worlds, dual timelines, romance, etc…so I thought I’d love this one…
Unfortunately it was largely a miss for me. 🫣🥺

This is a collection of short stories. Some were really good (The bridge guardian/wishing bridge, and the audit). However, many of them I did not care for at all.

They all seemed to have some kind of link to the supernatural or afterlife, or otherworldly…which is fine. But I just really didn’t feel a connection to so many of these. (Some were also VERY SHORT, so I feel like they may have needed more building up in order to even get an understanding of where she was going with the story…) But then again, others were so disliked by me that I couldn’t wait to finish them. 😮

That being said, if these are things that appeal to you, by all means, check this book out. If not, you may want to take a pass on it.

2 1/2 ⭐️⭐️💫 for me, rounded up to 3.

As always, thanks so much to #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio for an ARC of the audiobook, which is due to be released TODAY, 10/15/24.

#Januaries by #OlivieBlake and narrated by a whole cast!

Feel free to like, follow and friend me on: Goodreads,
Insta @ #BookReviews_with_emsr and/or
My Facebook Book Club: Book Reviews With Elaine.

Thanks so much for reading! And if you ‘liked’ my review, please share with your friends, & click ‘LIKE’ below… And, let me know YOUR thoughts if you read it!! 📚⭐️

I haven’t read many short story collections, but several of my favorite authors have been publishing them lately, so I thought I’d give them a try. This was a great place to start, and a pleasant surprise!

I’ve read several of Blake’s previous books (Atlas series, One for my Enemy, Master of Death) and I love her writing style. That same lyricism and atmospheric quality was present in each of these stories - despite how different they all were. Some of these stories felt very whimsical, set in worlds that sounded like lovely places to visit. Others leaned more toward horror, and were perfect for the Halloween season.

I really appreciated the character focus on all sorts of different people. These characters are all very flawed, and often morally grey, and I loved reading about them all. Truly, I am amazed by the creativity Blake shows here - there are so many different stories and settings with a huge variety of influences.

Oh, and I listened to this on audio, which had several different narrators, including the author. If you’re an audiobook person, I’d highly recommend listening to this one - the voices the narrators use bring a lot of drama and life to these characters!

A wonderful collection of short fantasy stories that take the reader on a journey through magic, mythology, life, death, revenge, and tragedy. Beautifully written and narrated by an incredible cast of narrators who each instill emotion and passion into the story.

Some of the stories really stood out and captured my attention (The Wish Bridge and Chaos Theory), most were good, and only a couple didn’t connect for me - but this is often true of collections of short stories.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you like:
📖 Short Stories
⏳ Various Times/Vibes of Eras in History Fatured
😡 Fuck the Patriachy Vibes
✨ Magic & Magical Realism
🔭 Sci-Fi Vibes
🥺 All the Emotions
❤️ Power of Love

Read this collection of short stories! I listened via audiobook and the full cast narration for the different stories made me so so so happy!

This was my first by this author, and oh my gosh am I glad it was as I got to have a sampling of her different wring styles all in one go that kept me hooked from the very beginning to the very end!

I truly fell in love with these stories with the section: Spring & the first short story The Wish Bridge & honestly the rest of the spring stories! Then, Winter was such a perfect ending to the short stories with Chaos Theory & A Year in January!

I don’t want to say much, because I could gush so much but in doing so, I think it would take some of the magic away from those that read it, so I’ll just say, enjoy the seasons and year of January because I think it’s one that so many will read and enjoy!

Thank you so much to Tor for my e-ARC & gorgeous gifted finished copy, & to Macmillan Audio for my gifted ALC!

Januaries is a collection of new and iconic short stories and novellas so of course some of them were hit or miss for me. My favorites were definitely 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘨𝘦 & 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘯𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘎𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞 drew me in from the start. It’s about a magical bridge that appears every full moon, with a guardian who grants wishes. A wanderer stumbles upon it unprepared and keeps returning. What follows is a blend of magic, miscommunication, unrequited love, and murder. The wanderer’s push for the guardian to make a wish herself added a bittersweet twist.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 is a twisted, obsessive tale of toxic love, murder, and revenge. Think Butcher and Blackbird with eerie reanimations. It’s over-the-top but highly entertaining!

The audiobook is narrated by several narrators, and added a touch to the short stories and really helped to differentiate them from one another. Definitely recommend the audiobook over the physical book on this one.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook ARC! Januaries by Olivie Blake is a collection of short stories that vary from the monstrous to magical. Each story is told through Olivie Blake's signature prose is materfully voiced by various narrators many of whom will be recognizable to listeners of Blake's other works.

Magic, love, betrayal, grief, wonder, pain…these stories have it all. I loved this book. It’s a fantastic fall read that I can’t recommend highly enough.

It’s a collection of short stories that truly go together - like a good album, or an artfully crafted playlist where each song is its own story, the collection as a whole takes you on a unique and cohesive journey. So Olivie Blake has crafted a unique and tremendous journey for the reader. I do t want to tell you too much about it, because I read it not knowing anything about it other than it was by Olivie Blake and had some of my favorite audiobook narrators, and the discovery was so lovely.

The narrators (nay, voice actors) truly breathed life into these stories. I laughed, I cried, I sat on the edge of my seat. At one point I even had to pull my car over.

Please read these stories. I want to talk to someone about them!!!

This was a four and a half read for me rather than a dove because there was one story where the voice acting choices didn’t really resonate for me and I found myself wanting to skip it, but didn’t want to miss the story. Fortunately, it was short and the story itself was good.

A big thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advance copy in return for an honest review.

Januaries by Olivie Blake is a collection of wonderful short stories. I have only previously read The Atlas Six by Blake and I thought it was okay, a little too chaotic for me, and I gave it 3 stars. This collection of short stories, however, is very good. Overall, I gave it 4 stars, but there are some absolutely stellar stories in this collection. I especially loved The Wish Bridge. That is a 5 star story and it will stay with me, along with the people in the story and their wishes, for a very long time. I think to be a good short story writer is to possess a unique and wonderful gift and Olivie Blake certainly has proven herself to be gifted with this collection of stories. I thoroughly enjoyed this listen and the wonderful narration. Thank you to #NETGALLEY and #MACMILLANAUDIO for my advanced copy.