Common themes and topics in the stories include, love (romantic and familial), slavery, sexism, racism, homophobia, and many stories reference black myths, folklore, and history.

I believe every story has a black or brown female main character, and several stories feature LGBTQ+ main characters as well. But despite this collection being YA fantasy, I wouldn’t say that every story was particularly light. I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump for most of this year, and one of my favorite ways to get out of one is to read books that are lighter or to read a book that I can dip in and out of over time, so a YA short story collection was perfect. With all of these considerations in mind, I chose to read A Phoenix First Must Burn, and I was very happy that I did. It’s been a while since I’ve read a collection of short stories, but in general I find them to be one of the best ways to introduce yourself to new authors.

And of course I’m always looking for new and unique voices for my own personal reading enjoyment. This blog doesn’t have a huge audience, but I felt that I should do my part (however small) to spread the word about books that aren’t as mainstream and/or books by people of color. Sure to appeal to fantasy fans who love stories that mirror them.A while ago I made a list of fantasy books by people of color, primarily women of color, that I wanted to focus on. Betrayal set in the desert where a girl comes to her full power.Ĭaptivating collection of short stories that celebrate diversity with strong protagonists. A whole twist on soul mates and what a young girl does after her heart is broken. Hearts Turned To Ash by Dhonielle Clayon. A haunting tale of a young girl and her seabound mother who is bound to her father and longs to return back to the sea. The Rules of The Land by Alaya Dawn Johnson. Ayanna loves vampire stories and movies, but when she actually meets one, she needs to find the strength to actually let her in. Letting The Right One In by Patrice Caldwell. After Abigail witnesses her whole small town being massacred she makes a deal to take revenge. Wherein Abigail Fields Recalls Her First Death and Subsquently, Her Best Life by Rebecca Roanhorse. All show strong Black girl protagonists in this totally entertaining collection. There's also ones with witches and vampires. Other stories include Acevedo's twist on a slave rebellion in 1951 Hispaniola. These stories include takes on historical past like Roanhorse's inspiration of an all Black settlement in the early 1900s.

What worked: Engaging collection of fantasy short stories that celebrate Black girl protagonists.

A phoenix first must burn