YA Buddy Readers' Corner ♥ discussion

Star-crossed lovers, meddling immortals, feigned identities, battles of wits, and dire warnings. These are the stuff of fairy tale, myth, and folklore that have drawn us in for centuries.

Fifteen bestselling and acclaimed authors reimagine the folklore and mythology of East and South Asia in short stories that are by turns enchanting, heartbreaking, romantic, and passionate.

Compiled by We Need Diverse Books’s Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman, the authors included in this exquisite collection are: Renee Ahdieh, Sona Charaipotra, Preeti Chhibber, Roshani Chokshi, Aliette de Bodard, Melissa de la Cruz, Julie Kagawa, Rahul Kanakia, Lori M. Lee, E. C. Myers, Cindy Pon, Aisha Saeed, Shveta Thakrar, and Alyssa Wong.

A mountain loses her heart. Two sisters transform into birds to escape captivity. A young man learns the true meaning of sacrifice. A young woman takes up her mother’s mantle and leads the dead to their final resting place. From fantasy to science fiction to contemporary, from romance to tales of revenge, these stories will beguile readers from start to finish. For fans of Neil Gaiman’s Unnatural Creatures and Ameriie’s New York Times–bestselling Because You Love to Hate Me.

Starting this today! Really excited :)

I've only read the first story so far, but I really like how each story seems to have background information and explanations after!

Meaghan wrote: "I've only read the first story so far, but I really like how each story seems to have background information and explanations after!"

Yeah the info about the origins of the stories is really nice, whats your favourite story so far/?

Clephiro wrote: "Meaghan wrote: "I've only read the first story so far, but I really like how each story seems to have background information and explanations after!"

Yeah the info about the origins of the stories..."

Hmm, I would have to say The Land of the Morning Calm or Nothing Into All! I have 6 stories left though!

Okay I finished! Overall, I think the best idea this anthology had was add the author's notes at the end of each tale. Getting to hear the real myth, since most of these are not famously known to people without Asian heritage, was very interesting, and I loved getting to see how each author changed and/or adapted their chosen myth. It also shed light on some of the other stories, such as Spear Carrier, where I didn't necessarily understand what was going on without the knowledge of the myth.

My favorites have to be the final 3 short stories, as I think they fit the expectations I had for this anthology the most. They had an ancient and magical feel to them, enhanced by a fantasy setting and third person narration. I also just loved the myths they embodied as well, and their writing style. I would love a collection of myths written more like this as well.

My least favorites were Spear Carrier and Code of Honor. Spear Carrier fell short due to my general lack of understanding as the story was going on, and how it ended so anti-climatically. The author's note ended up saving it somewhat though, and my rating of this jumped to a 3/5.

On the other hand, Code of Honor just didn't seem to fit. This entire anthology has been focused on giving light to the unknown myths of Asian culture, but this one just feels out of place since it was based on Aswangs, which are very similar to the popular Vampire myths. Additionally, it felt entirely Western in nature, meaning that I couldn't have distinguished this from a vampire short story. It just didn't seem to fit due to that. Additionally, I just didn't care for the main character, or how it ended (I predicted it early on too.)

Overall, I loved this compilation, and this really is making me excited to read some of the books by the authors that shined in this anthology! (Namely Renee Ahdieh's new books, as well as books by Roshani Chokshi, Cindy Pon, and Julie Kagawa)

Meaghan wrote: "Clephiro wrote: "Meaghan wrote: "I've only read the first story so far, but I really like how each story seems to have background information and explanations after!"

Yeah the info about the origi..."

Land of the Morning Calm was adorable! The whole video game premise was really unique.

Meaghan wrote: "My least favorites were Spear Carrier and Code of Honor. Spear Carrier fell short due to my general lack of understanding as the story was going on, and how it ended so anti-climatically. The autho..."

Yeah Spear Carrier was really jarring. The super informal language used on the story and the setting. To me, it really took me out of the other stories since they were more lyrical prose.

Meaghan wrote: "Overall, I loved this compilation, and this really is making me excited to read some of the books by the authors that shined in this anthology! (Namely Renee Ahdieh's new books, as well as books by..."

Renee is bae. Roshani....I think you'd really like her books. They are magical. Julie's Shadow of the Fox is soooo good. I haven't read anything by Cindy Pon, but now I need to.

Meaghan wrote: "My least favorites were Spear Carrier and Code of Honor. Spear Carrier fell short due to my general lack of understanding as the story was going on, and how it ended so anti-climatically. The autho..."

I didn't mind Code of Honor, but it wasn't a standout favourite. I loved so many of the stories though!

Hi to any potential buddy reader pals :)

I just made a blog post for a group/buddy read for A Thousand Beginnings and Endings. I haven't started it yet. Does anybody want to read this with me, or discuss the questions?

Blog post: https://constantravingreviews.com/201...

Questions:
Do you enjoy folklore retellings?
Which fairytale retellings do you find exhausted and over-represented?
Was there any particular author that drove you to read this anthology?
What are your opinions on YA Anthologies; are they well written, or are they disappointing?
How well did you find the South-East Asian folklore represented in A Thousand Beginnings and Endings?
Do any of the short-stories remind you of other books (can you recommend any)?
Do any of these short-stories inspire you to travel to south-east Asia?
If this anthology could be adapted into a TV mini-series, who would you dream to be cast?
Who was your favourite couple/romance?
Which short-story was your favourite?