Blogcritics The critical lens on today's culture & entertainment
Wishes and Sorrows is a well-written short story fantasy collection that interweaves myth, magic, romance, and fairytale elements. At times, the writing is darker and bordering on horror.
The 14 stories in this collection range from the melancholic, lyrically written “The Taste of Cherries,” to the chilling “The Train,” to a character study of isolation mingled with love in “The Tower in the Desert.”
I especially enjoyed “I Am the Grey Lady,” about a woman afraid of going insane, and the darkly magical “Every Word I Speak,” a retold fairy tale with a not-so-happy ending about a princess who spills a flower, a pearl, or a diamond out of her mouth whenever she speaks.
I enjoyed reading this collection. The author has a beautiful writing style, at times poetic and literary, with dreamlike, vivid images. The stories are pretty unique, though some of them, such as “The Taste of Cherries,” feel more like vignettes than complete stories. In spite of the plot variety, there’s a unifying thoughtful, “quiet” mood throughout that I especially liked. Recommended for fans of fantasy, fairy tales, and magical stories.
