"I lived between the pages of so many stories" - A Universe of Wishes review

By various authors

Genre: short story anthology

Pages: 400

Dates read: 18 June 2024 - 7 July 2024

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I'm not a big short story person; I never have been. I greatly prefer sweeping fantasy epics with massive character arcs over a less-than-50-page tale. I like to get attached to characters. I want to wonder if everything will be ok. And in the past, short stories just haven't given me that. But this anthology, A Universe of Wishes, surpassed my expectations and has made me fall a little bit in love with short story collections.

A Universe of Wishes is a collection of 15 short stories in the fantasy and sci-fi genres, telling the tales of underrepresented minorities, from POC to queer characters. I purchased it for one story in particular (more on that later), but was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the other tales. There was something so simple and comforting about setting aside 20 minutes of my time to read a complete story, whether that was whilst travelling or on my lunch break at work. And whilst my enjoyment ranged from 3 stars to 4.5, it was a lovely change of pace and a new type of book which I greatly enjoyed.

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The stories...

A Universe of Wishes by Tara Sim 💫

The first story of the book, and one that helped it start off strong. The grave-robbing plot was slightly too morbid at first but I got used to it! But it was a super cute story with a mlm romance, and a simple yet interesting magic system. Very much a cosy, low-stakes fantasy!

The Silk Blade by Natalie C Parker 🪷

Although this wasn't one of my favourite stories, I still enjoyed reading it. The world was described so beautifully and built so well for a short story. The fighting scenes were just brilliant and the sapphic romance with a cliffhanger ending was adorable!

The Scarlet Woman by Libba Bray ♥️

A slightly different tale, this historical fantasy-mystery was really intriguing! The setting, characters, and tension were all perfect and the women were brilliantly independent. I just wish the ending wasn't left so open.

Cristal Y Ceniza by Anna Marie McLemore 💎

A really cool trans retelling of Cinderella. Although not one of my favourites, this story had great representation and a really cool mission, which made perfect use of the short-story format. Once again, gorgeously descriptive and the scenes played out like a fairytale!

Liberia by Kwame Mbalia 🪴

This one was also not a favourite of mine, but it was still really enjoyable. The first sci-fi story in the anthology, I enjoyed the background, world-building and the garden onboard the spaceship! Kweku's memories of his grandmother were just precious!

A Royal Affair by V.E. Schwab 👑

THE REASON I BOUGHT THIS BOOK!! Forgive me, I may go slightly unhinged here. Having recently finished the Shades of Magic trilogy, I was utterly obsessed with Rhy and Alucard's angsty romance and tragic history. So to learn there was a short story dedicated to that history? I was instantly sold! The story was from Alucard's point of view, and his wit and sass were as prominent as ever, but the genuine feeling and weight of the story provided a real change of pace for his character. It was funny, heartbreaking and beautiful in equal amounts - the scene where the young Alucard realises he's fallen in love with Rhy was just perfect and one of my favourites. As for Rhy, his eagerness and charisma made their teenage fling all the more intense and a whirlwind. They really are the song august by Taylor Swift. My favourite story of the anthology (even though I know I'm biased)!

The Takeback Tango by Rebecca Roanhorse 🤝

At the time I think I really enjoyed this one, however it's faded from my memory since. This was a fun heist set against a sci-fi world where a young girl tries to steal back important cultural artifacts from an exhibition. The blooming relationship between her and her new ally could fall either platonic or romantic, and I really enjoyed seeing it as the former.

Dream and Dare by Nic Stone 🌲

So whimsical, this one also felt like a fairytale! I adored the romance, village setting, and the twist at the end (even if I predicted it). Another one of my favourites for sure!

Wish by Jenni Balch 🧞

An interesting concept, although not my favourite story in the book. I didn't feel particularly attached to the characters or plot, but the setting was really cool.

The Weight by Dhonielle Clayton 🫀

Definitely up there as one of my favourites, this story focused on a heart-weighing service which helps determine who you love most in life. The entire premise was so interesting to me and was well fleshed out (pun intended). The potential secrets between our main characters built suspense and tension, which (unfortunately) ended with a cliffhanger. It was so well executed, and I could've kept on reading and reading!

Unmoor by Mark Oshiro 💔

Heartbreaking but so so good! The magic memory-wiping system was so cool and the way it told fractions of a doomed relationship out of order was perfect. The ending was unexpected and so so sad. Again, another one I almost wish was a full book!

The Coldest Spot in the Universe by Samira Ahmed 🌎

Probably one of my least favourites. Not a bad story by any means, and I actually thought it was interesting and well-executed. But as an anxious girly, I'd rather not read about the earth dying in 7 years due to global warming 😅

The Beginning of Monsters by Tessa Gratton 💥

An intriguing story and world, with great POC and non-binary rep. However I thought that whilst an interesting concept, the world-building and magic system was far too in-depth for a short story. I sort of felt like magical jargon was being thrown at me in every sentence, and I didn't fully understand what any of it meant! Simplified, this could be much much better. Also, the ending pissed me off.

Longer than the Threads of Time by Zoraida Cordova ✨

A great POC spin on Rapunzel! The characters were engaging and the world and magic system were really cool - I'd love to see more of it. Part of the ending was predictable, the other part not so much...

Habibi by Tochi Onyebuchi 📝

Although the character voices took me a little while to adjust to, I thought this was a really powerful and moving story between two young people in prison, sending letters magically across the globe. It was heartwarming and ended on a sweet and hopeful note.

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Final thoughts

As you can see, I really did find things to enjoy in every story. I think my standout favourites were (in no particular order): A Universe of Wishes, A Royal Affair (obvs), The Weight, Unmoor, and Dream and Dare. I'm a fantasy girly at heart, let's be honest, but each of these surprised me with unique magic systems, painstakingly detailed worlds and loveable characters (Alucard Emery, you will always be my favourite).

Overall, one of the things I noticed was how brilliant all these authors were at world building. Despite only having 30 pages, they managed to make me feel a part of the universe they had created, with vivid imagery and colourful characters. It was also just so nice to read stories purely by and about minority groups - the representation was just fabulous and beautifully refreshing (even if I do think the literature industry is already one of the best at having those diverse voices).

Over the last month I enjoyed stories of forbidden romances, hidden princesses, wondrous magic and space heists. I lived between the pages of so many stories and it was an honour to do so. I look forward to reading my next anthology, but until then... I'll see you for our regularly scheduled wrap-ups, reviews and so much more. <3