If you love fairy tales, stories which transport you for a moment, and heart, Januaries is for you. From the inventive and imaginative mind of Olivie Blake, this collection of stories is tender and fantastical at once. Keep reading this book review of Januaries for my full thoughts.
Summary
Once upon a time in a land far, far away, the tutelary spirit to a magical bridge rapidly approaches burnout. Meanwhile, congress enacts a complex auditing system designed to un-waste your youth, a banished fairy answers a Craigslist ad, a Victorian orphan gains literacy for her occult situationship, and a multiverse assassin contemplates the one who got away. Escape the slow trudge of mortality with these magical ruminations on life, death, and the love (or revenge) that outlasts both, featuring modified fairytales, contemporary heists, absurdist poetry, and at least one set of actual wedding vows.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Januaries captivated me from the beginning. Starting with stories about wish granting and transitioning into supernatural beings, bargains, and fairy tales, it’s enchanting. There’s a distinct sense to each story. You can feel each of them brought to life in front of our eyes. And there’s something for everyone here. I could write mini love letters to each stories. Like a collection, this feels eclectic and prismatic. While there’s a very obvious supernatural shade to each story, Blake’s collection examines our feelings of wanderlust, of love, and betrayal.
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The fact that the audiobook has a whole cast of narrators, Alexandra Palting, Daniel Henning, David Monteith, Ferdelle Capistrano, Olivie Blake, Stephanie Németh-Parker & Steve West feels like such a gift. Not only is that incredibly fun, but it means that each story quickly establishes itself. And I love when short story collections have multicast narration! It’s the icing on the cake of what is already a phenomenal story. Find Januaries on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.