Ceri Louise Reads

EArc received from Book Sirens in exchange for an honest review.

I have really been enjoying this series of short story anthologies, so I was excited to receive an eArc of this third volume, Once Upon a Spring – a delightful collection of speculative short stories inspired by Spring.

Overall this was a really great collection. With any anthology, some stories will appeal to some readers more than others, and there were one or two that I didn’t love, but the vast majority were hugely enjoyable for me.

Stand out stories for me were: Far Far Awake by Adie Hart, whose cosy romantasy suits my tastes perfectly; She Vanishes by Josie Jaffrey, a fun take on a Greek myth told with Jaffrey’s usual wit and humour; and Perennial by Katherine Shaw, a fascinating retelling of the Narcissus myth that will stay with me for a long time.

Another fantastic anthology from editor H L Macfarlane. I will be eagerly awaiting the final volume in the autumn.

I reviewed the first volume of this anthology, Once Upon a Winter, when I was still making YouTube videos. You can see that review here.