Sally Wen Mao is a talented author, but I didn't feel much emotion for this short story collection.

This collection is composed of eight short stories spread between one longer story carried out through several POVs. While the writing and themes explored were compelling, I struggled with staying engaged. The themes of immigration, misogyny/sexism, oppressive patriarchal ideals, and identity in one's culture would barely be touched in the story before it ended.

Without a doubt, the interspersed story was the most engaging, but only once I reached the last part did I feel that way. It came together in a collective tale that was powerful and moving.

While I'm sad this collection didn't work out well for me, the mythology's gorgeous, and the prose phenomenal. The themes are impactful even if the stories felt too brief for them to land. Mao has beautiful original ideas, so I will be checking out her other collections.

(I won't be leaving descriptions of the separate stories since I believe it best to go in blind, but here are my ratings for each.)

Angel Island collection avg.: 3 stars
Love Doll: 3.5 stars
Beasts of the Chase: 3 stars
Turtle Head Epidemic: 2 stars
The Fig Queen: 2 stars
A Huxian's Guide to Seduction Revenge Immortality: 5 stars
The Girl with Flies Coming Out of Her Eyes: 2 stars
Lotus Stench: 3.5 stars
The Crush: 3 stars

CW: Body Horror, Death, Suicide, Bullying, Violence, Abortion, Gore, Racial Slurs, Cheating
*this list comprises only what I noted and is not extensive*

Thank you, NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Books for the advance copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. 11 s4 comments Rebecca150

I am very thankful that I received an advanced copy of this book in a goodreads giveaway.

The writing was extremely good in the book, Sally Wen Mao does a great job of keeping the reader engaged. It really would have been better if there was some type of introduction explaining the myth of the ninetail fox. I had to go do my own research to try to understand what was going on a bit better, but everything myth, there are so many variations and beliefs, it really would have helped if the author would have explained the one they were going with in the short stories.

Although these were just side plots in the stories, my favorite parts were learning historical facts. I hadn't thought about the 1910 earthquake in California in years. I have never heard about Empress Myeungseong before. This book really isn't the type of genre I am really interested in, but would be if it was just the history.3 s M. J.20

This collection of short stories was a breath of fresh paper. A little bit weird, mysterious, and foxy. The layout was clever too, with a prevailing story dissected into segments with other short stories in between. The main story was solid and I d how it was presented through the different POVs. I never thought I would enjoy a short story about a sex doll in Hong Kong as much as I did. The author kept the tone serious and classy while maintaining a good level of humor.

There were historical elements in each story, and it was interesting to learn more about the fox folklore. There was just the right amount in each story to support the overall theme, which helped keep the focus on the unique storytelling. Some of the stories were better than others, but overall I enjoyed the entire collection. fantasy fiction2 s LeeAnn1,428 2

"Did you know? in those Pu Songling stories, you become either a ghost or a fox."

Sally Wen Mao weaves a masterful fairytale across a broad canvas, with the Ninetails fox appearing whenever she wishes.

But here there are monsters. Faint of heart, be wary. The author writes with a feminist urgency that is apparent in each story, whether ghostly-faint or angrily in your face.

"The silence between them was a landmine filled with poetry."

Each story is clever and unique, unconventional, and genre-bending.

"...smiling against the desperate poems of women long departed..."

Oh, and read Dickinson sometime. Trisha5,081 186 Want to read

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.to-review Dani Watkins652 8

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