Book Review: “FORESHADOW: Stories to Celebrate the Magic of Reading and Writing YA”

October has been a month where I invested in myself as a writer. 

I applied to the Rooted & Written conference and was accepted (more on that at a later time), but I planted the seed for this dedication in September when I said yes to an opportunity to participate in  Algonquin’s Blog Tour for “FORESHADOW: Stories to Celebrate the Magic of Reading and Writing YA” edited x Nova Ren Suma and Emily X.R. Pan. I’m thankful I had the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this anthology because it came at the perfect time. #Shoutout to Algonquin Young Readers.

FORESHADOW is a collection of 13 short stories from diverse authors who I can’t wait to read more from. Stories like “Risk” brought me back to the awkwardness of high school and the sacredness of girlfriends, while “GLOW” reminded me of the intensity of first love. “Fools” was a treat from the heartless protagonist to the many many layers of nuance in the twisted fairy tale. All of them were engaging, and I especially enjoyed:

• "Glow" by Joanna Truman,

• "Risk" by Rachel Hylton

• "Fools" by Gina Chen

• "Belly" by Desiree S. Evans.

There’s truly something to suit everyone’s taste in this collection. In addition to the unique stories, there’s the added gift of the accompanying essays that focus on a specific writing technique and writing exercises. I found myself stopping after each story to reflect on what worked for me and what didn’t, and considering what I could incorporate into pieces I’m writing and then trying the writing exercises. I can’t wait to engage with the other work these authors create and I’m excited to implement the technique lessons.

This book would make a great gift, or investment rather, in a writer you care about whether that’s yourself or another loved one. It also makes for good reading and who doesn’t need more of that?

Buy it from your preferred independent bookstore, Bookshop, or here.