Two Moons: Stories

by Krystal A. Smith

A splendid debut collection of speculative fiction that traverses the connections between earth and the heavens, the living and the spectral, human and animal.

In “Cosmic,” a former drug addict has a chance to redeem herself and restore honor to her family’s name. In “Harvest,” a woman tasked with providing for her community ponders her inability to bear live children. In the title story, “Two Moons,” a young woman falls in love with the moon, and is astonished by the moon’s response. In “What the Heart Wants,” a rejected lover discovers that her physical and emotional desires are incongruent with the organ pumping blood through her veins.

Sensitive, ethereal, humorous, and at times, heart-breaking, Smith’s collection of speculative fiction signals the arrival of an exceptionally talented writer with a promising career ahead of her.

Genres: Short Stories, Fantasy, Queer, LGBT, Fiction, Lesbian, Anthologies

164 pages, Paperback

First published March 20, 2018

About the author

A North Carolina native, Krystal A. Smith (i.e. K.A. Smith) is a Black lesbian writer of poetry and speculative fiction. Her poems have appeared in Tulips Touching (2011) and recent short stories have appeared in Ladylit Publishing’s Summer Love: Stories of Lesbian Holiday Romance (2015) and Lez Talk: A Collection of Black Lesbian Fiction (2016).

Krystal holds an M.A. in English from Western Carolina University, and a B.A. in English from Appalachian State University.

Forthcoming work includes Two Moons: A Collection of Short Fiction (2018).

Reviews

[ONYX Pages · Rating 5 out of 5]

I spoke to a friend of mine today about the stories in this book and described them like this:

These stories caught me off-guard. One minute, I am minding my own business, getting prepared for a short space opera or breakup story. The next, I’m down the rabbit hole (in one case, literally) of some of the best magical realism/speculative fiction I’ve ever read.

And the characters! Goddess, they are so Black, so queer, so recognizable. They are beautifully and powerfully flawed. I saw myself, my partner, my momma, all over these pages.

This read was majestic.

Best read under a full moon.

[Bina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review on my blog WOCreads:
https://wocreads.wordpress.com/2018/0...

Krystal A. Smith's new work collects 14 short stories of speculative fiction centering Black lesbian characters. The stories may be short but the characters come to live through unique voices. Finding themselves in difficult situations or at the cusp of change, Smith’s characters seek connections and relationships with the elements down on earth and up in space, but above all they find strength and magic in themselves. Much of Two Moons shows how happy and playful speculative fiction can be and gives happy endings to women loving women. I feel greedy saying this, as the book has not even been released, but I can’t wait to read more by this author!

Two Moons: Stories comes out March 20th, 2018

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Trigger warnings: Miscarriage, stillbirth, terminal illness, addiction.
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Disclaimer: I received an e-galley of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

[Mel (Epic Reading) · Rating 3 out of 5]

To call these stories is really stretching it. They are more like tidbits of a short story or a book blurb. This is really the number one reason why this book is only 3 stars for me. It's not that the writing is poor, or even the story ideas weak, all that is well done by Krystal A. Smith; but the shortness of each story makes me feel like I'm reading tweets about story ideas. Far too short for my liking.

Two Moons
The best story by far gives this compilation book it's name. Two Moons is a superb romantic story about the moon and an earth gal who fall in love. I adored the uniqueness of this and that the context pops up in a few other stories along the way. As the second book in the collection it's disappointing to realize that it was the best.

Representation
I think in every instance in this story it is a F/F relationship or a F/entity relationship. That may sound weird but I'm not sure what to call the moon or someone's heart (yes the heart as a conscious mind), or stars. So let's just say entity. These are actually the stories I loved the most. Not because I didn't enjoy the F/F stories but just because they were very, very unique.
Certainly if you want some super quick reads with some LGBTQ+ representation you will find a few here.
What did make me smile was when I realized that by putting in these entities as romantic partners or interests it could serve to normalize the lesbian or trans relationship stories for those that find them uncomfortable! If this is intentional or not I don't know; but I'd like to think it is because it's a clever way of changing perspective enough that someone might suddenly have an ah-ha moment.

Overall
I'd love to see a full short story or novel about our human girl and the moon. I'd also love to see the odd star story (last one) carried forward or given more context. I think there is a great short story there it just needs some substance and context.
While I think Krystal A. Smith has something here, not a one of the stories included has enough to it to really be outstanding. And none of them are long enough to really remain in mind for very long.

For this and more of my reviews please visit my blog at: Epic Reading

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

[Rafa Brewster · Rating 4 out of 5]

At 52%, I am still enjoying this book but wanted to give my feedback before it was archived on Netgalley. Please note release date isn't till March 2018. ARC received in exchange for honest and fair opinion.

I'm more than halfway through and have loved every single story so far. I tend to expect stories with a darker tone when I think spec fic, but these stories have been an absolute delight - full of hope and love and even plain cuteness, which has been an absolute balm to my soul. Highly recommended if you're in need of some uncomplicated, lighthearted and happy-making reading.

[Manon the Malicious · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.5 Stars*

I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Two Moons : Stories is a collection of short stories about many things.

It was a very quick read and I enjoyed it immensely. The stories were very poetic, beautiful and I just couldn’t stop reading.
The characters were very interesting and the love stories too.
The poetry of it all is what marked me most.
I really want to read more from this author.

[Thistle & Verse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the whimsy, the characters, and the worlds. Favorite stories were "Two Moons", "Harvest". "What the Heart Wants", "A Rose for Brescia", and "Cosmic." This collection is poignant, full of sapphic yearning, disturbing transformations, and mystery.

[Rae Magdon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two Moons is an absolutely beautiful piece of work. It's not an exaggeration to say it's the best thing I've read this year. It doesn't get better than a Black woman, separate from the world but beautiful in her own shining way, literally falling in love with the moon and finding eternal happiness. And that's just one story! I can't express just how much I loved these stories. The prose stole my breath, and the substance made my soul overflow. Can't recommend highly enough. Please, please read this!

[Jamal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved every second of this.

[celia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two Moons is a gorgeous collection of wildly creative short stories, but a lot of the stories feel too short. The characters, voice, and situations are so so interesting, but I often felt that I didn't fully engage with them because of the brevity of the stories.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was definitely an interesting read. It had been a while since I read speculative fiction so it's been nice to come back to it with these short stories.

It's a bit hard to review a collection of short stories because each one of them was different from the others. However, I have to say that it's always nice to see that there is some sort of connection between them. The author uses secondary characters from the first stories as main characters for the last ones, so the whole book is tied together. I honestly enjoyed that very much.

Each story reflects a woman dealing with a complicated situation. Some of them are easier to relate to than others. There are two stories dealing with astral bodies, which are humanized in them. Those were pretty interesting to picture in my head since the difference in proportion of the characters involved was quite large. However, they still deal with interesting topics like the pressure to live up to our parents' expectations.

To be honest, after reading the first two stories I thought that they were only going to deal with romantic relationships, but thankfully I was wrong about that because they explore different types of relationships. I also thought that it was going to be more childish and I was wrong about that, too. The topics that are presented here are not childish at all. Also, there are a couple of very sensual scenes.

In my opinion, some of the stories felt really short and there was no time to connect with the characters, so they fell kind of flat for me.

In conclusion, I had a good time reading this compilation of stories because they felt different.

*I received an e-ARC copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

[LVLMLeah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books that hit me in a place that’s not easy to describe, but felt lovely.
When I started reading it, I quickly discovered that I would need to let go of linear thinking. Usually stories have a sort of logic to them, even speculative fiction. They have a flow in which the mind can follow and understand. I found very quickly that for me, the prose, the flow of story telling was forcing me to experience this with my being. I had let go of trying to follow with my mind and to just be with this. It was like a prayer or meditation.

It’s rare that a book will do that to me and it was a gift to read during these stressful times. It forced me to just enjoy without trying to make sense of it. The writing is gorgeous. The stories themselves had a sort of spiritual essence to them that I loved.

On a somewhat practical note, the stories sort of stop abruptly. I rather enjoyed this as well because this also added to the future possibilities not being forced or set in stone. Also while the stories have a sort of essence of women being together, most stories were not overt. Some are interestingly about the realities of relating.

I feel like if you want to read something calming and different, I definitely recommend. Even if just for the prose itself.

[Oleander Plume · Rating 5 out of 5]

A magical, beautifully written collection that I have already read twice. Yes. the stories are short, but I believe the author captured what she needed to in each one.

One of the most refreshing and original books I have read in some time!

[Krystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This captivating collection of speculative fiction stories did not disappoint! Krystal A Smith has established herself as an imaginative force to be reckoned with!

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review written for Foreword Reviews:

Krystal A. Smith’s Two Moons is an imaginative and whimsical collection of speculative short stories focused on themes of love, loss, fertility, and redemption. Each story is more fantastical and surprising than the last. Yet no matter how bizarre the premise, the unbelievable is treated with credibility. Love between women, whether they are human, heavenly, or anthropomorphized objects, is presented with realism and tenderness.

The majority of the stories have qualities of myths and folklore about them. In the title story, the moon is envisioned as a celestial being named Luna who falls in love with a human named Selene. In “Harvest,” a poor farming woman, Korinthia, is tasked with providing food for her community. She struggles with infertility until she’s suddenly visited by a herd of rabbits. In “What the Heart Wants,” the most compelling and interesting story in the collection, a woman’s heart moves out of her body and coaches her after she realizes she might be unlovable.

Smith's writing is clear and evocative, and creative twists abound. The characters are a likable bunch. Read in succession,though, the narratives begin to feel homogeneous. It can be difficult to tell characters apart from each other as the book goes on. The situations, too, start to sound and feel too much alike.

Most of the stories don’t feel long enough; many end just as they gain momentum. In “Harvest,”for example, an abrupt end comes just after Korinthia’s dreams are realized and her offspring goes out into the world. Readers will be left wanting more. Even if its stories blur together, they remain individually light and delightful. Two Moons is an entertaining speculative collection from a talented writer.

[La Toya Hankins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Death's little helper. A woman having a heart to heart with her actual organ. A celestial being willing to sacrifice itself in order to earn redemption. Those are some of the characters Smith introduces to the world through her short story collection. The slender compilation is filled with fanciful situations that take place in pretty standard locations. It is hard to pick out a stand-out story but "All the Light There Was" and "A Rose for Brescia" offers up different ways of looking how family relationship shape our decisions. "Life Cycle" and "Harvest" both deal with new beginnings while "Catch Me if You Can" makes you rethink the whole fox and hound hunt scene. Smith's work deals with women in the throes of transformation. Their journey range from fantastic locations like outer space to the typical single woman's apartment. Smith creates rich characters who deal with unique situations in a way that is totally relatable even when they are being coached by bunnies through childbirth. It is a short read which lends itself being returned to time and time again as the mood hits.

[Josh Hedgepeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the closest to perfection I've ever seen in a short story collection. These queer lesbian fantastical/mythological stories are as thought provoking as they are emotionally satisfying, and the author does this with amazing consistency.

[Shelby Gabello · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the creativity of these short stories. Themes of birth, death, femininity, sexuality, and empowerment. I didn't like 'Me, The Moon & Olivia' maybe because I'm never pleased with interpretations of therapists in media. I especially loved 'Two Moons,' 'Cosmic' and 'Feeling Blue.'

[Kest Schwartzman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to love these. I want to love them because having queer women of color showing up as main characters in speculative fiction is important, and the voice is promising, but... the actual relationships are so blindly toxic, without the author seeming to have noticed that toxicity. The most fantastic (as in literal fantasy) parts of these stories are where they shine brightest; it's the reality that's really messed up. Like, ok, tearing out your heart post breakup to have a conversation with it and it singing you songs and bringing you flowers? that's fine and surprisingly cute. But flipping out on a loved one who doesn't immediately accede to your precise and previously unexpressed desires for the progression of the relationship but instead wants to think about it? That shit is terrifying. The only part of the friendship with the bleeding-on-the-counter-and-walking-around-making-breakfast-heart that is creepy is that said heart is such a bad, enabling friend as to tell this person that they did nothing wrong and that it was all the other person's fault.
That's just one story, but it's not the only example I could've picked. There's the moon marrying a human: not creepy. But the moon picking an infant, watching her grow up, grooming her from early adolescence, and then swooping down to fetch her? Nah.

-received as part of librarything's ARC program-

[sai · Rating 3 out of 5]

The literal writing of the book is wonderful, but it often left me wondering what the “purpose” of the story was… I don’t like on the nose writing particularly, but I can’t decipher the moral or story behind a lot of these short stories. Some of them have morals like love yourself and heal yourself, but others seemed to just be pretty words and strange events.

I really liked the story “What the heart wants”, I felt most connected to it. I did not like the characters behaviour at the beginning, but I will revisit this story when I’m down in the dumps.

A lot of the behaviour in this book was a bit toxic, but I see that more so as showing the full range of human behaviour. I liked the diversity of stories, but at the same time that might have made the collection more disjointed.

It was really nice having so many queer ethnic women in a book :)

[Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this collection of short stories to be too wildly inconsistent for me to reap much enjoyment from. I usually like to read shorts anthologies contributed by multiple authors just for that varied writing style; there is bound to be a few I "click" with. This just wasn't the case here with many of the stories being a little too allegorical for my personal taste. All of the shorts are indeed quite short, which is a plus here because if a story is dull, it'll be over in just a few pages--unfortunately though I felt this way for much of the book before deciding to put it aside and move on to something new and much more enjoyable.

ARC provided by NetGalley

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different... well done.... I wasn't quite prepared for this type of book, I assumed it was just short stories. I did enjoy many of the tales. They were well written. I can think of a few women I know who would appreciate these stories more than me, but I love short stories of all types and this one wasn't a disappointment at all. It's interesting, entertaining, and thought provoking. Good read actually!
I received a Kindle Arc in exchange for a fair review from Netgalley.

[Grant · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun and diverse collection of short stories. Each character had a clear voice, a unique personality, and was lovingly crafted.

Smith creates big worlds in small stories and populates them with wonderful and strong women. Most of these stories are fantastical, but start in the realm of reality. From goddesses to astronomical beings, love to self discovery, these stories are brief, but pack a punch.

If you like queer women and magical realism and sci-fi: read this book.

[Tira · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish there was a way to give more stars.
I took all the time I could to read this book of short stores because I loved having Smith whisper moon dreams to me every night. (This was my before bed reading)
The love stories were tender. With real doubt and devotion.
I loved the amazing worlds. I am proud of the full bodied, heart and mind women depicted here!
My only complainant is that Smith doesn't have more of these or that the ones here are not longer or novels on their own.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the worlds created in the stories, especially the wide variety of settings and plots. I liked the characters a lot, and I enjoyed reading love stories of queer black women.

I thought the stories were slightly uneven in strength, but generally of appropriate length for how interesting each one was. I agree with another reviewer that some of the relationships were unhealthy (e.g. egging the house).

Overall a quick and interesting read.

[Sonja · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is so much to admire and love about this beautifully written book of stories about love. It is speculative and imaginative and unusual. So good to read, I wanted more. I enjoyed all the stories: “Two Moons” for its excitement, “A Rose for Brescia” for its twists and turns; the heartfelt “Meena and Ziya” for the depth of love, it’s life-giving force and there is more to say. I recommend these stories for their imaginative reach and their wisdom. Thank you Krystal for giving them to us.

[Eunice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't think I would like this book, yet something kept asking me to read it. I'm so glad I did. This collection of short stories bounces back and forth from Earth to the skies and beyond. Each story is magical and sets your imagination afloat. They run the gamut of emotions and will have you in their grip. Absolutely wonderful!

[Smote · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a 3.5 from me. I loved the first half of the book but the second half largely fell flat. The last stories bounced between good and confusing. Overall I think this is a lovely collection of stories and really enjoyed a lot of the themes. The writing is poetic and fits with the mood but some of the stories just missed the mark for me.

[Kenneth Wade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two Moons, although a fairly short collection, showcases Krystal Smith’s creativity. It is apparent that she has a gift for crafting uniquely real characters in uniquely fantastic situations. It’s also super refreshing to see unashamed queerness and blackness stated as a fact of life.

Favorite Stories: Anyone Out There, What the Heart Wants, Feeling Blue, Cosmic

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a lovely collection of short stories. There are a few that I thought were so sweet and so pure. One was about a dating app in space and the other was about a girl who falls in love with the moon.
There were also stories that dealth with other queer experinces like heart break and struggling with self-love but it was done in the speculative fiction way and I appreciated that.

[BernieMck · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good. As I read the stories I discovered elements of lesbianism. I put the book down and started not to finish it. After a week or so, I continued and finished. I am glad I did, the stories were pretty good.