Kirkus Review

The 16 short stories in this fantasy and science fiction collection center Latinx teen protagonists and their nuanced coming-of-age experiences through genre-bending reimaginings of classic tales. Saraciea J. Fennell's "Goldi and the Three Bodies" is a horror retelling of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" that explores monstrousness and adolescent girlhood. "Shame and Social Media" by Anna Meriano offers a take on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice that's set on a spaceship carrying intergalactic teen vloggers. In "Evermore," NoNieqa Ramos remixes Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" into a story told in prose and verse that examines memory and coming out as queer. The contributors include many other popular and acclaimed Latinx authors, including Olivia Abtahi, David Bowles, Zoraida Córdova, Amparo Ortiz, Laura Pohl, and Ari Tison. Each entry completely transforms its source material into a fresh, culturally specific, and relevant new version. Woven throughout the stories are details that express each character's Latinx heritage and traditions, even within fantastical settings. Propelling each original tale are undercurrents emphasizing themes such as the importance of personal autonomy, fate as a driving force in our lives, the power of love, and the transformative, freeing effect of believing in your own power. A diverse cast of characters leads each story, including a nonbinary protagonist and people from different socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic backgrounds. An expertly executed anthology remixing classics into empowering, modern vignettes. (contributor bios) (Speculative fiction anthology. 13-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.