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A review by simonlorden
The Radical Element: 12 Stories of Daredevils, Debutants, and Other Dauntless Girls by Jessica Spotswood
5.0
This is a shortened version - read the full review on my blog.
LGBTQAI+: Sapphic main and side characters in a couple of stories, and a transgender man LI in one
Sex on page: No
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I have so much love to give to this anthology.
At first glance, I loved the way the stories are in a chronological order, and the year + setting is clearly stated right before every story. Then I started reading, and I’m not kidding when I say that I fell in love with every single one of these heroines. The quality of writing in this anthology was through the roof – I was taken in by every single story. I also loved the author’s notes at the end of each story, which included many things: the real historical context, the research that went into the stories, how the experience of the characters relates to the authors’ experiences, and sometimes even recommended further reading.
As soon as I finished reading, I went on Goodreads to look up the other books by these authors and add most of them to my TBR.
While I kinda wish more of the stories had queer characters, I still didn’t mind in this case since the religious, racial and neurodivergent diversity was amazing. Many of the stories didn’t have romance at all, or there were hints of future romance, but the ambition of the girls took priority (for now). Still, there were some great male (future) love interests that I fell in love with.
(See my blog for individual short reviews of all 12 stories.)
Final rating: 📚📚📚📚📚/5
LGBTQAI+: Sapphic main and side characters in a couple of stories, and a transgender man LI in one
Sex on page: No
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I have so much love to give to this anthology.
At first glance, I loved the way the stories are in a chronological order, and the year + setting is clearly stated right before every story. Then I started reading, and I’m not kidding when I say that I fell in love with every single one of these heroines. The quality of writing in this anthology was through the roof – I was taken in by every single story. I also loved the author’s notes at the end of each story, which included many things: the real historical context, the research that went into the stories, how the experience of the characters relates to the authors’ experiences, and sometimes even recommended further reading.
As soon as I finished reading, I went on Goodreads to look up the other books by these authors and add most of them to my TBR.
While I kinda wish more of the stories had queer characters, I still didn’t mind in this case since the religious, racial and neurodivergent diversity was amazing. Many of the stories didn’t have romance at all, or there were hints of future romance, but the ambition of the girls took priority (for now). Still, there were some great male (future) love interests that I fell in love with.
(See my blog for individual short reviews of all 12 stories.)
Final rating: 📚📚📚📚📚/5