When you combine the words SFF anthology, We Need Diverse Books, and these authors, you will be able to hear my screeching. I have been looking forward to A Universe of Wishes since it was announced. It has some of my favorite authors ever and I was not disappointed at all. Keep reading this book review to see what I loved about this anthology.
Summary
In the fourth collaboration with We Need Diverse Books, fifteen award-winning and celebrated diverse authors deliver stories about a princess without need of a prince, a monster long misunderstood, memories that vanish with a spell, and voices that refuse to stay silent in the face of injustice. This powerful and inclusive collection contains a universe of wishes for a braver and more beautiful world.
AUTHORS INCLUDE: Samira Ahmed, Libba Bray, Dhonielle Clayton, Zoraida Córdova, Tessa Gratton, Kwame Mbalia, Anna-Marie McLemore, Tochi Onyebuchi, Mark Oshiro, Natalie C. Parker, Rebecca Roanhorse, Victoria Schwab, Tara Sim, Nic Stone, and a to-be-announced debut author/short-story contest winner
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
A Universe of Wishes is an anthology dedicated to the power, and influence, of seeing ourselves in the stories. Of the necessity of writing ourselves into stories and spaceships. The contributor to this anthology is an actual dream come true. Almost all of these are on my top tier author list! It’s a diverse anthology that celebrates the difference a wish can make. Whether it be a wish to see ourselves amongst the stars, to be the one rescuing the kingdom, or having the power to save our loved ones.
Some of the stories fall into already existing fantasy worlds, but you can definitely read them alone. Although the fantasy worlds of A Darker Shade of Magic and the Brooklyn Brujas series are great, so you should read them. It’s an anthology full of stories from writers who have created the stories that house themselves. That champion the power to choose new paths and futures. Reading each of the stories, I was captivated, especially from my favorite authors. It’s been a privilege to watch their writing and careers.
A Universe of Wishes is full of magical speculative worlds you want more of, that you brush like stars in the sky. Full of these seeds of ideas, glittering and shining between the pages. If you love any of the authors on this list, then you have to pick up this anthology!
Find A Universe of Wishes on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound, Bookshop.org & The Book Depository.