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The Malachite Island: and Other Visions
A mysterious island. The haunting atmosphere of an antique shop. Visions that come alive. Moments of fleeting introspection, captured in vivid, surreal tales.
What would you do if you
could step inside your dreams?
Each story offers a glimpse into ordinary lives on the cusp of something extraordinary, where chance encounters and quiet reflections unravel deeper truths about identity, longing and melancholy. These stories delve into the surreal, blending the mundane with the cosmic. Characters navigate unspoken emotions, hidden desires, and the mysterious pull of forgotten memories, all while questioning what it means to truly be seen.
With a dreamlike atmosphere and a focus on subtle moments that change everything, this anthology invites readers to lose themselves in a world where time and reality are fluid. The Malachite Island and other visions is a powerful exploration of the connections that shape us—whether we understand them or not.
What would you do if you
could step inside your dreams?
Each story offers a glimpse into ordinary lives on the cusp of something extraordinary, where chance encounters and quiet reflections unravel deeper truths about identity, longing and melancholy. These stories delve into the surreal, blending the mundane with the cosmic. Characters navigate unspoken emotions, hidden desires, and the mysterious pull of forgotten memories, all while questioning what it means to truly be seen.
With a dreamlike atmosphere and a focus on subtle moments that change everything, this anthology invites readers to lose themselves in a world where time and reality are fluid. The Malachite Island and other visions is a powerful exploration of the connections that shape us—whether we understand them or not.
114 pages, Paperback
Published April 22, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 9, 2025
Mi-a plăcut la nebunie!!!! A fost cartea perfectă pentru o perioadă încărcată, când parcă nu ai timp sau chef să citești. S-a citit super repede. Palpitantă, te bântuie, vrei să citești cât mai mult și cât mai repede.
Poveștile mele favorite au fost: "The Malachite Island", "His antique shop" si "Long live and Porcelain Princess".
Ce m-a minunat a fost că fiecare poveste are lecții profunde, lecții redate în cuvinte puține, în câteva pagini (unele povești aveau 3-4 pagini, dacă nu chiar 2). Unele aveau legătură între ele, altele nu.
Mi-aș dori ca toată povestea cu The Architect și The Intruder să devină o carte. Un roman (poate chiar este și nu am aflat încă). Au fost părțile mele favorite.
Ideea de vis, de "stai, ce tocmai am citit?!", de "stai puțin, cum să se termine așa?!" (aviz la "The Malachite Island", încă nu-mi vine să cred de așa final).
Nu am suficiente cuvinte de laude la adresa acestei cărți. Nu m-am așteptat s-o citesc atât de repede, mai ales fiind în engleză (nu am mai citit demult, dar scrisul mare și plăcerea de a citi m-au ajutat să citesc atât de repede).
Nu-mi vine să cred că un autor român poate scrie atât de bine în engleză. Magistral. Vă recomand cartea din tot sufletul și am să citesc tot ce va scrie ea.
Poveștile mele favorite au fost: "The Malachite Island", "His antique shop" si "Long live and Porcelain Princess".
Ce m-a minunat a fost că fiecare poveste are lecții profunde, lecții redate în cuvinte puține, în câteva pagini (unele povești aveau 3-4 pagini, dacă nu chiar 2). Unele aveau legătură între ele, altele nu.
Mi-aș dori ca toată povestea cu The Architect și The Intruder să devină o carte. Un roman (poate chiar este și nu am aflat încă). Au fost părțile mele favorite.
Ideea de vis, de "stai, ce tocmai am citit?!", de "stai puțin, cum să se termine așa?!" (aviz la "The Malachite Island", încă nu-mi vine să cred de așa final).
Nu am suficiente cuvinte de laude la adresa acestei cărți. Nu m-am așteptat s-o citesc atât de repede, mai ales fiind în engleză (nu am mai citit demult, dar scrisul mare și plăcerea de a citi m-au ajutat să citesc atât de repede).
Nu-mi vine să cred că un autor român poate scrie atât de bine în engleză. Magistral. Vă recomand cartea din tot sufletul și am să citesc tot ce va scrie ea.
April 29, 2025
The Malachite Island and Other Visions is a hauntingly poetic anthology that drifts between outlines and fully formed narratives, all anchored by a shared dreamlike atmosphere. At first glance, the collection may feel like a patchwork of dissipated fragments—but gradually, a hidden framework emerges, giving structure to these visions and uniting them into a surreal, coherent whole.
Recurring motifs and characters appear throughout, shifting in form and meaning with each iteration: the mysterious Intruder, eventually revealed as an old acquaintance of the one-eyed Architect; the Architect herself—a quiet guide, temptress, and redeemer; the grim Sisters who weave dreams and whisper of forgotten truths; and even the bloodthirsty merman, who in one version becomes a harmless betta fish swimming in a tank in a dusty antique shop. These figures are less characters than manifestations of fragile connections that shape the world within and around us.
A. D. Andreea crafts a realm where logic dissolves into dream, yet still invites the reader to search for meaning in the shifting landscape. It’s a puzzle one can choose to piece together—or simply admire in its fragmented beauty. Either way, it is a deeply enriching experience.
I’d recommend The Malachite Island and Other Visions to anyone drawn to the mysterious, the symbolic, and the strange poetry of dreams.
Recurring motifs and characters appear throughout, shifting in form and meaning with each iteration: the mysterious Intruder, eventually revealed as an old acquaintance of the one-eyed Architect; the Architect herself—a quiet guide, temptress, and redeemer; the grim Sisters who weave dreams and whisper of forgotten truths; and even the bloodthirsty merman, who in one version becomes a harmless betta fish swimming in a tank in a dusty antique shop. These figures are less characters than manifestations of fragile connections that shape the world within and around us.
A. D. Andreea crafts a realm where logic dissolves into dream, yet still invites the reader to search for meaning in the shifting landscape. It’s a puzzle one can choose to piece together—or simply admire in its fragmented beauty. Either way, it is a deeply enriching experience.
I’d recommend The Malachite Island and Other Visions to anyone drawn to the mysterious, the symbolic, and the strange poetry of dreams.
August 17, 2025
Every now and then, a book comes along that will leave a lasting impression on me. Some tear their way into my heart, others worm their way into my subconscious, but this book just gently sunk into my soul, slowly, carefully.
I have aphantasia, which means I cannot see images in my mind's eye, but my dreams are vivid, in full colour, and I usually have no problems remembering them. The Malachite Island reads like I'm getting a front row seat into someone else's dreams (which I believe is totally what Andreea intended) and they linger long after waking or, as in this case, putting the book down.
With every story, I was left wanting more but, like dreams, once you wake up it's not possible to see what would have happened next. I thought I'd end up being frustrated, but instead, a weird sense of peace was left behind instead.
I'd definitely recommend this book if you want some short, but very magical stories, that might stay with you for a long time after you put the book down.
I have aphantasia, which means I cannot see images in my mind's eye, but my dreams are vivid, in full colour, and I usually have no problems remembering them. The Malachite Island reads like I'm getting a front row seat into someone else's dreams (which I believe is totally what Andreea intended) and they linger long after waking or, as in this case, putting the book down.
With every story, I was left wanting more but, like dreams, once you wake up it's not possible to see what would have happened next. I thought I'd end up being frustrated, but instead, a weird sense of peace was left behind instead.
I'd definitely recommend this book if you want some short, but very magical stories, that might stay with you for a long time after you put the book down.
June 20, 2025
Although short, the dreams the author has written here transport you to different worlds—worlds you might wish to stay in just a little longer.
My favourite was The Porcelain Princess, where the palace, the dreamer, and the outside world complete the dream with a swirl of emotions.
If you want to experience what dreams are like, even for non-dreamers, this is what I would recommend.
My favourite was The Porcelain Princess, where the palace, the dreamer, and the outside world complete the dream with a swirl of emotions.
If you want to experience what dreams are like, even for non-dreamers, this is what I would recommend.
May 5, 2025
The stories seem familiar, like a dream I had but don't quite remember. It feels like that early spring walk by the shore when the sun warms your face but the water is still icy cold. Enchanting. A quick read providing a thrill for the unknown, not understood as well as a sprinkle of familiarity.
June 9, 2025
Aceasta colecție de scurte povestiri te poartă, prin intermediul personajelor și întâmplărilor, printr-o serie de sentimente, stări sufletești și angoase. Fiecare povestite este impresionanta prin temă și construcția personajelor, preferata mea este " Long live the Porcelain Princess".
July 19, 2025
This book was such an interesting approach on story telling, every chapter was a different story, with its own characters, action and surroundings. I really enjoyed reading it, because I was curious what is coming next, this book not being predictibile.
I recommend this book to people who want a fast and easy reading that keeps you curious of what's coming next. Overall its a great book, that I enjoy, and I wish I could erase my memory to read it again for the first time.
I recommend this book to people who want a fast and easy reading that keeps you curious of what's coming next. Overall its a great book, that I enjoy, and I wish I could erase my memory to read it again for the first time.
July 13, 2025
I liked the book. I read it with impatience for what's next in such a realm.
It was written in such a way that it scared me, but it also captivated me.
I had chills when the sailor found himself in the company of the mermaid, the one who tried to keep him underwater, in the dark and cold world where only nightmares dwell.
From the first chapter, I felt like I was entering the world of dreams with the Architect.
I was somewhat skeptical at first, I expected it to be something simple.
But what followed was like a dream that you enter when you don't even realize how you fell asleep and you try to figure out if it's true and *what* is true.
The sailor had many adventures.
The Architect only played with his mind, because she doesn't like to lose and she was tired of those who disturb her peace.
The Oracle Sisters reminded the Architect that they had time to play, because their time was hers and the right time had not yet come. They reminded her that even she, the Architect, who had built that world of dreams, could not play with the threads of existence to shape them as she wished.
It was written in such a way that it scared me, but it also captivated me.
I had chills when the sailor found himself in the company of the mermaid, the one who tried to keep him underwater, in the dark and cold world where only nightmares dwell.
From the first chapter, I felt like I was entering the world of dreams with the Architect.
I was somewhat skeptical at first, I expected it to be something simple.
But what followed was like a dream that you enter when you don't even realize how you fell asleep and you try to figure out if it's true and *what* is true.
The sailor had many adventures.
The Architect only played with his mind, because she doesn't like to lose and she was tired of those who disturb her peace.
The Oracle Sisters reminded the Architect that they had time to play, because their time was hers and the right time had not yet come. They reminded her that even she, the Architect, who had built that world of dreams, could not play with the threads of existence to shape them as she wished.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews