Hello everyone,
Today’s review is on A Phoenix First Must Burn edited by Patrice Caldwell.
Patrice Caldwell brings a collection of sixteen stories written by sixteen authors of color, all about black girl magic. Each story has fantasy or science fiction elements, and transports readers to alternative universes, Hispaniola in 1522, New Mexico in 1880, to a Middle-Eastern inspired fantasy world, as well as many others. Each character will have to fight against tyrannical rulers, or slave owners, or figure out a way to save the world from aliens. Readers will also come in contact with vampires, unicorns and mermaids. Some of the stories deal with family curses, or the ability to see how decisions will influence the future. Each story will take readers on an exciting journey that will leave them wanting more.
Since this review is on an anothlogy of each story, I will be providing a brief review of each story in the collection, as well as any themes that are discussed in the book. The first story is When Life Hands You Lemon Fruit Bombs by Amerie. This was an intersting science fiction story that takes readers on a bit of mind-trip towards the very end. It delas with the concepts of first contact, interplanetary wars and the birth of a civilaztion. One main theme in this story is that of compassion and humannes. Both Mae and Santos struggle with how the Nokira (the alien race) are treated, and they even set them free before the rest of the humans head back to earth. Mae often observes that there is something almost human about the Nokira, even if there might not be.
The second story in this collection is Gilded by Elizabeth Acevedo which takes place just before the slave revolts on Santa Domingo in 1522. There is an element of magical realism since the main character, Eula, has some sort of magic that allows her to manipulate metals. This is essentially a story about the fight for freedom, and will leave readers wanting more. The next story was Wherein Abigail Fields Recalls Her First Death and, subsequently, Her Best Life by Rebecca Roanhorse. This was a weird tale set in the Wild West, more specifically New Mexico in 1880. This particular story deals with seeking vengeance and making a deal with the devil, or in this case the spirits of the desert. It was really fast-paced and seemed to be over as soon as it began.
Story number four was The Rules of the Land by Alaya Dawn Johnson which was an interesting story about angry sea goddesses, deals made to save a country and the breaking of one’s oath. This story was a little confusing in a couple of places it felt like something important would take place but it was glossed over. The fifth story was A Hagiography of Starlight by Somaiya Doud. It is a Middle Eastern inspired tale about a girl who falls in love with a divine being and how her actions serve as a catalust for the events that will lead to the end of the world. This was a great short story that id a great job at explaining things and provided a great plot in 20+ pages, and the ending was very satisfying. The next story was Melie by Justina Ireland, an interesting fantasy story in which a young woman discovers that the High Sorcerer of the land is trying to creat a diversion within the kingdom in order to help another country invade it. It has a strogn theme of believing and advocating for oneself and it also has mermaids, dragons and unicorns.
The seventh story is The Goddess Provides by L. L. McKinley. All throughout this story the theme of hypocrisy is woven through fantasy tale, especialy since the goddess of this society empowers Akkia, who is considered a heathen, and tells her that the ones who are truly heathens are those who claim to be devout her but commit horrific acts in her name. It also includes a theme of betrayal and deceit when it turns ut her brother is still alive and is behind everything. The ninth story is Hearts Turned to Ash by Dhonielle Clayton which serves a cautionary tale about giving one’s heart away and making some the center of your universe and how the heartbreak feels awful. Although in this case, Etta’s heart is literally being turned to ash and she has to go visit a conjure woman to heal her. This was a magical realism that contained some influences of voodoo and hoodoo.
The next story in this anthology is Letting the Right One In by Patrice Caldwell whichc follows Ayanna who suffers from depression and is adjusting to life in a new town and is obsessed with vampires. One day she meets a black vampire and falls in love. It is ultimatey about feeling out of place in a new environment but eventually finding someone that make you feel like you belong. Tender-headed by Danny Lore was an interesting but weird story, but its main theme was ti take pride in what you do and to be kind. The next story was Kiss the Sun by Ibi Zoboi which is about a group of fire witches who feat on evil souls at night. It ends up becoming a story about a fight for pwoer which they think comes from having a lighter-skinned body, however it leads to some major discord amongst the group.
The twelfth story is The Actress by Danielle Paige abut Gamine who plays a witch on TV, but what happens when she discovers that she might actually be a witch? There is a lot of good build-up to Gamine’s discovery and there was also some indictions of the facts that she is indeed a witch. However, it does promote the trope of the main charcter not being like other girls, but it is exectued pretty well in this story. The next story is The Curse of Love by Ashley Woodfolk which is all about a family that is cursed to charming and beautiful, but they cannot fall love because when they do they immediately start aging and die. Therefore they try to guard themselves from finding love, but eventually they all succumb to love’s spell. All the Time in the World by Charlotte Nicole Davis follows Jordan, who discovers that she has the ability to make time stand still and it touchs on corporate greed and environmental issues and how people tend to care about a cause when it is affecting them directly. Another interesting feautre of this story is that it is told in the 2nd person.
The second to last story of this collection is The Witch’s Skin by Karen Strong which is an interesting mix of both fantasy and sci-fi about a witch that haunts an island and steals the souls of men. The main character, Nalah, wants to kill the witch because she killed her true love, however she discovers that the witch has been masquerading as her mother for seventeen years. The Boo Hag tells her that her life is a lie and that everyone on the island has been deceived by the Council. It also touches a little bit on misogny. The final story is Sequence by J. Marcelle Corrie in which there is a software that can help people see how certain decisions can affect their future. In this case we see Eden trying to decide whether to tell her crush that she likes her and we see the scenario where she does nothing and the one when she makes her move. The point being that even the smallest decisions can end up having an impact on our future and happiness.
Overall, I enjoyed most of the stories, although some of them had content that I don’t really like. I also wish some of them had been a bit longer, but I loved how each story was unique. 3.5/5 Stars.
Happy Reading,
Janelle L. C.
Izzy James grew up in coastal Virginia. She lives there still with her fabulous husband in a house brimming with books.
After My Parents Passed,
Misty M. Beller is a USA Today bestselling author of romantic mountain stories, set on the 1800s frontier and woven with the truth of God’s love.
ECPA-bestselling author Carrie Fancett Pagels, Ph.D., is the award-winning author of over a dozen Christian historical romances. Twenty-five years as a psychologist didn’t “cure” her overactive imagination! A self-professed “history geek,” she resides with her family in the Historic Triangle of Virginia but grew up as a “Yooper” in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Carrie loves to read, bake, bead, and travel – but not all at the same time! You can connect with her at 
A member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, Christina Sinisi writes stories about families, both the broken and blessed. Her works include a semi-finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest and the American Title IV Contest in which she appeared in the top ten in the Romantic Times magazine. Her published books include The Christmas Confusion and Sweet Summer, the first two books in the Summer Creek Series, as well as the Christmas On Ocracoke and the upcoming Why They Call it Falling. By day, she’s a psychology professor and lives in the Lowcountry of South Carolina with my husband, two grown children and Hemingway cat, Chessie.
Meanderings of a BookWorm 