These Kindred Hearts: A YA Romantasy Anthology

by Shari B. Pennant

Seventeen BIPOC authors from varied backgrounds come together to showcase the diversity of romance and celebrate the wild hearts of teens in this YA Romantasy anthology, These Kindred Hearts, edited by Shari B. Pennant.

An aspiring writer accidentally summons her own book character and struggles to send her new crush back to her fantasy world. The daughter of a royal hell dimension deals with an unwanted betrothal to a boy she's supposed to murder, and questions the meaning of fate. An orphaned thief and a "Chosen One" must go on the run from a tyrannical empire. Two friends confess their feelings for each other in the middle of an earth-shattering apocalypse. A mix of cozy fantasy, high-stakes, action-packed, and everything in between fill these seventeen stories that explore the power and magic of love.

These Kindred Hearts includes stories by Alexene Farol Follmuth, Angela Montoya, Brent Lambert, Cheryl Isaacs, Jamar J. Perry, Jill Tew, Kalynn Bayron, Kwame Mbalia, Maggie Tokuda Hall, Nia Davenport, Shari B. Pennant, Sophie Li, Nikki T. Grant., Vanessa Montalban, Zoraida Córdova, and two unpublished writers selected through a contest.

Genres: Anthologies

416 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication June 30, 2026

Reviews

[Quilted.reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

These Kindred Hearts is such a great YA romantasy collection. This anthology brings together seventeen BIPOC authors and you can really feel the range and creativity across every single story. Each one explores love and magic in a different way and it made the whole book feel fresh from start to finish.The stories cover everything from cozy fantasy to high stakes, action packed chaos. You’ve got an aspiring writer who accidentally summons her own book character and suddenly has to deal with sending her crush back to his fantasy world. There’s a princess from a hell dimension stuck in an unwanted betrothal to someone she’s supposed to kill. An orphaned thief and a “Chosen One” on the run from a tyrannical empire. Best friends confessing their feelings in the middle of an apocalypse. Every story brings something new, but they’re all tied together by themes of love, fate, and choosing your own path.What I really loved about this collection is how much representation it has especially for BPIOC and Queer community. These stories are romantic without being cheesy, magical without feeling repetitive, and they do such a good job centering teens, emotions, and identity. You can tell how intentional this anthology is about showcasing different voices and experiences, and it absolutely works.Overall, this was such a solid YA romantasy read. If you love short stories, magical worlds, and romance in all its forms, this is a must pick up. I genuinely loved this book it’s a beautiful, fun, and meaningful collection that deserves a spot on your shelf.

[yazzyvb · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 rounded up, was a great collection of short romantasy type stories! and i deffo could’ve pictured them each individually as fully fleshed out novels too, loved the use of different types of fantasy as well, as none of the stories felt too similar and was really easy to read.

[Kailyn]

A friend of a friend is in this, excited to check out her story in a couple months!

[Michaela Brawner · Rating 3 out of 5]

"These Kindred Hearts" is a collection of 17 love stories with a lot of diversity. There are straight stories, LGBTQ+ stories, and self-love stories. I decided to go with three stores because there were some stories that really stood out as being well written, but there were also a few that left more to be desired. My top four, in order, were as follows: "Beneath a Yellow Moon" by Maggie Toduka-Hall, "Prophecy" by Alexene Farol Follmuth, "In the Wood" by Kalynn Bayron, and "A Feathered Omen, by Jennifer Helen.
I think with this book ultimately suffers from is ambition. 17 stories is a lot, which means that each story has to be fairly short to fit within the page count of an average book. As a result, several of the stories felt less fleshed out than they could have been. There were plot points that I found myself wondering about and characters that felt a little flat. Overall, it's a decent read, but it would have been a lot better with a larger page count or less authors. I think the authors did a terrific job with the amount of space that they had, though!
Another thing that I would like to point out is who exactly would want to read this book. It would make an excellent gift for someone who likes romance but doesn't have a lot of spare time; they could even do a 17-day advent calendar with one of the stories per day! If you are someone who doesn't have a lot of time to read or wants to experience an author's writing (there are 17 good options here!) before looking into more of their books, this is the book for you!

Thank you NetGalley, Zando, and Shari B. Pennant for providing me access to an arc copy of this book in exchange for a honest, unpaid review.

[Stefanie Heiselberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this collection of stories so much! All the stories made me so invested - even emotional at times - and I wished they were longer. Though it was very satisfying to get at happy ending at the end of each story.

I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via NetGallary. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Mae B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some really cute stories. Enjoyed some more than others.

[Marcella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely anthology! I enjoyed almost every story. They're all so heartwarming and cozy! My personal fav would be The Color of a Broken Heart and A Feathered Omen .

[Julia Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

These Kindred Hearts is a YA romance anthology. There are a variety of short stories in this anthology. There are some great tales in this book. Magical realism, romance of course, prophecies, and doom. There's something for everyone! One of my favorite was one called "Old Gods" which was a romance between a shape-shifter and a human. With 17 stories and 416 pages, some of the stories seemed a bit short, and I did not want them to end. I would love if a few of these would turn into full-length novels!