theendandotherbeginnings

The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo

Remember what I told you about beautiful editions?

This is one of those short story collections that you would sell your firstborn to a witch to have.

“The Language of Thorns” is best appreciated by those that have a love for folklore.

In true Bardugo style, every story is dark and twisted, the characters often being animals, which only makes it creepier.

The gloominess of the story only makes the pastel illustrations the more delicate, giving the entire book an ethereal effect.

Although these stories are supposed to be Ravkan and Ketterdanian lore, they are interesting on its own and you don’t need any previous knowledge of the world.

Although the Darkling does appear, if I’m not mistaken.

The Fork, The Witch and the Worm: Tales from Alagaesia Vol. 1 by Christopher Paolini

I. HATE. THIS. TITLE. SO. MUCHHHHHH!!!!

(Yes, I believe that is an appropriate reaction to a book title. Don’t judge. I know you have cried and raged at books as well.)

I’m sure this was a ploy by the publisher to remind the world that Paolini is still alive so when his “To Sleep in a Sea of Stars” comes out at the end of the year, we’ll remember why we like him, but guess what?

It worked!

I didn’t find any of the tales in this short story collection particularly unforgettable but Eragon was one of the first fantasy books I ever read so it was like being among old friends.

After all these years I still think Saphira is perhaps the best dragon in fantasy and I was able to appreciate the world-building a lot more.

Tales of the Peculiar by Ransom Riggs

Another edition so beautiful it should be criminal coupled with illustrations out of this world.

I DNFed the first book in the series long ago so I couldn’t be more surprised about being tempted to read this after flipping through its pages.

As in “The Language of Thornes”, these stories are supposed to be lore inside the Peculiar Children’s universe so it’s not necessary for you to have read the other books in the series.

Ransom Riggs has a very particular brand of delightfully weird to which no one else can compare.

The man is very weird, is what I’m trying to say but that only makes his stories better.

Emphasis on the weird though. BIG emphasis.

All Out: The No Longer Secret Stories of Queer Teens Through the Ages Edited by Saundra Mitchell

Queer fairytales? Yes, please!

“All Out” truly means “all”.

This are about more than the white gay boy, even though he also features.

Some of these stories are retellings, some are original but they’re all diverse in every sense of the word from geography, to timeline to featuring several sexual orientations and gender identities.

If you like fairy tales and queer stories, a lot of them dealing with gender identity and sexual orientation, you should definitely consider this.

“Out Now: Queer We Go Again” (I’m here for the title as well:) ) is coming out at the end of May if you are interested in more

The Tales of Beedle The Bard by J. K. Rowling

Although I’m currently on a J. K. Rowling cleanse (if you are an active Potterhead, you know why) I couldn’t glance over this book.

(Take a note J. K. It’s what you are supposed to do over LGBTQ rights.)

Seeing as Harry Potter is the golden egg goose, I feel confident predicting we will still see some of this on the big screen eventually but ignoring this book would be criminal.

The edition is adorable and the illustrations inside were drawn by J. K. Rowling herself and complement the book’s vibe perfectly.

The stories inside are absolutely endearing and perfect for every age.

For die hard-fans, this is supposed to be the copy Albus Dumbledore left in his will to Hermione and is annottated by Albus’s hand.

The Assassins’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas

I urgently need to revisit my Throne of Glass series but I remember when I first read it, I liked this short story collection better than the actual novels.

I still maintain that opinion.

The short stories inside are set right before the first book and introduce us to some characters that are already dead by the time the story actually starts and others that are introduced only towards the last books.

This is not a necessary read for the rest of the series, but it’s definitely worth it.

The Celaena in this book is even more arrogant (hard to believe I know, but she wears it well) and is still training.

TAB ends right before “Throne of Glass” and details what threw Celaena into Endovier. Although you could reasonably hold off on reading it until after Heir of Fire.

That all depends on in which order you’d prefer to read the Throne of Glass series.

The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson, Cassandra Jean

The Bane Chronicles, short story collections

You mean I get to know what my favorite bisexual wizard has been doing in the last few centuries? Oh, you didn’t need to…

But it would be really sad if this was just a standalone right? I mean, Magnus has been immortal for centuries. There have to be more stories…

This was, of course, a mixed bag of emotions – sometimes incredibly sad, sometimes incredibly funny, always heartwarming – it’s Magnus Bane we are talking about.

(And if you say anything bad about him, I hope all your favorite jeans become magically acid washed for the rest of your life.)

Bane is both used as comedic relief, and to show readers the cost of being different being that because of his race, his species, or his sexual orientation.

Cassandra Clare is a genius when it comes to educating people without them knowing.

Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson, Robin Wasserman

Set between City of Heavenly Fire and Lady Midnight, TftSA focuses on the years Simon resides in the Academy and trains to become a Shadowhunter.

(Reads like and exercise montage from a movie. One where the lead is very bad at exercise.)

TftSA can be seen as a epilogue to the book before and a prologue to “The Dark Artifices” with several characters from both series making appearances.

If you are looking for Jewish main characters, you cannot go wrong with Simon Lewis.

It is also a book where politics and the mentalities inside the Shadowhunters and Downworlders universe change the most, so the previous books are necessary reads.

Odds are it’s gonna break your heart but at least you can still read about most of these characters in the following series.

Ghosts of the Shadow Market by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson, Kelly Link, Robin Wasserman

Ghosts of the Shadow Market, short story collections

Have you caught up to how this works yet?

It’s a Cassandra Clare short story collection folks. It’s gonna break your heart. It’s a rule.

Another rule? You are gonna love Jem Carstairs.

GotSM can be read as an epilogue for “The Dark Artifes” Trilogy and a prologue to “The Last Hours” trilogy that is set in Edwardian England so expect a lot of stories set in the 1900s.

Did I mention the heartbreak? I’ll warn you once again. It will break your heart.

Was I able to bring you to the dark side? What do you thing about my selection?

Tell me in the comments 🙂

The End and Other Beginnings is a masterclass in writing women.

When starting a book makes you tremble in fear, you know the author is good. Veronica Roth is very good…

Reading about such a diverse group of characters trying to save a galaxy, fighting to save a friendship, or simply striving to beat their own weaknesses while being unapologetic in their womanhood was absolutely stunning.

These five stories are connected by a common theme: the future, but they couldn’t be more varied.

Different characters, different genres, different settings, different galaxies,…if you are curious about Mrs. Roth, this is the book to start with.

The End and Other Beginnings Review

The End and Other Beginnings Veronica Roth

Inertia

The first story in The End and Other Beginnings is Inertia.

Inertia bludgeons every one of your defenses into smithereens and leaves you to deal with the aftermath.

We can’t help but root for Claire, a young artist that feels she has to choose between her art and her mental health.

Not only this reminded me of how artists often fear that the cure will take away all that makes them creative, but it also felt like the most personal of all the short stories.

The writing was absolutely beautiful, with several turns of phrases that forced me to stop and appreciate what was in front of me and the characters’ interactions were also brilliant.

Funnily enough, and maybe because I’m rereading them, this reminded me of Twilight (*DON’T come at me!*).

The Spinners

In The Spinners, Aliens are now a common ocurrence and a common threat.

Despite being one of the more attention-grabbing stories, it was probably the least interesting for me.

Still, I liked the overall themes of family, grief, and the tragedy of growing up and how the male interest never obfuscated the main characters.

The Leeches reminded me of the Souls in The Host by Stephenie Meyer, only evil. Last Stephenie Meyer reference, promise.

Hearken

In a ruined world, music is the ulimate power, able to divine all your secrets. Master it and bestow immortality.

Veronica Roth once again wrote about Art but instead of making it a hobby or something that eased life, she made it a dangerous weapon and I only wish I could read a few hundred more pages set in this world.

The characters and their family dysfunctionality were a pleasure to read, but it was Darya that grabbed all my attention with how insightful and attuned she was with her own feelings and shortcomings and how the people around her exploited that.

Vim and Vigor

If you like Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl, this story is just up your alley. For those that are not familiar with it (if such people still exist) this is a story about the power fandom, something we know nothing about obviously ;).

Despite this being the story where the Sci-Fi was kept to a minimum, it was where Veronica Roth’s writing shone the brightest for me.

The way grief, female friendships and the feelings that come with growing out of people and things were explored along with the fact that Eddie, the main character, was a feminine girl that loves clothes, make-up and neuroscience (because you don’t have to freaking choose!!!!!) was what made “Vim and Vigor” my favorite.

Note: The next two short stories are part of the Carve the Mark universe which I did not read so you can still enjoy them if you haven’t either. (I decided to wait until I have the time to have my heart broken- I have been here before. I know how she rolls.)

Armored Ones

I liked Teka well enough but what truly made me enjoy this story was how RAGE fuelled this girl is and how that was never hinted at as being a masculine trait.

Cyra’s physique being described as if she was a bodybuilder was the cherry on top of the “Great Female Characters” cake. (Have you tried that cake? I think it might be my favorite cake).

The second part of this story is told through Akos’s eyes and focuses on…who I’m I kidding? There was LGBTQ rep and I screamed. Bless you, Veronica Roth!

The Transformationist

This was the second story in The End and Other Beginnings that I wish had been longer because once again, the culture and different traditions could not have been better devised.

Zoldan is a harsh planet and its inhabitants are just as hard so of course, the main character was an absolute marshmallow that we could not help but love and wanna protect at all costs. True evil thy name is Veronica Roth.

This was one of the saddest and more heartbreaking stories, with its focus on abusive parents, religious extremism, and social isolation but if you reading about different cultures then this might be your favorite story.

Have you tried any short stories collections or any Veronica Roth books? Let me know in the comments 🙂