Thank you so much to Algonquin Books for providing my free copy – all opinions are my own.
Book Description:Â
When Mrs. Sorensenâs husband dies, she rekindles a long-dormant love with an unsuitable mate in âMrs. Sorensen and the Sasquatch.â In âOpen the Door and the Light Pours Through,â a young man wrestles with grief and his sexuality in an exchange of letters with his faraway beloved. âDreadful Young Ladiesâ demonstrates the strength and powerâknown and unknownâof the imagination. In âNotes on the Untimely Death of Ronia Drake,â a witch is haunted by the deadly repercussions of a spell. âThe Insect and the Astronomerâ upends expectations about good and bad, knowledge and ignorance, love and longing. The World Fantasy Awardâwinning novella The Unlicensed Magician introduces the secret magical life of an invisible girl once left for deadâwith thematic echoes of Barnhillâs Newbery Medalâwinning novel, The Girl Who Drank the Moon.
“It was easy enough to lose a child by accident.To do so on purpose turned out to be nearly impossible.”
My Review:Â
This is a dazzling collection of eight short stories and one novella that make for a fantastic read! The writing is beautiful, poetic, dark, disturbing, and speculative. I would describe it as magical literary fiction. Iâm not sure if thatâs right but thatâs how it felt when I was reading it. I didnât know what to expect when I started, as fantasy/short stories are a new territory for me but it absolutely blew me away! I appreciate the collectionâs wide variety of topics, as it covers everything from love to greed to death to magic to taxidermy! Barnhill did a phenomenal job writing vivid descriptions with original characters that have so much depth, the stories came alive in my mind. Each and every story is gorgeously written, incredibly unique, and they all completely captivated me. I could not put this book down!
The standouts for me are Mrs. Sorensen and the Sasquatch, Dreadful Young Ladies, Elegy to Gabrielle, Notes of the Untimely Death of Ronia Drake, and The Unlicensed Magician. I have to mention that Dreadful Young Ladies is eerily creepy. Love, love, love… highly recommended!
I rate this magical book 5 / 5 stars!
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