Sarah’s Reviews > Seasons of Glass and Iron: Stories > Status Update

Florilegia
4 stars

Calls back to a few other stories in the collection; about being cut off, forced to be small, and finding belief in yourself and your ability to grow and change

John Hollowback and the Witch
3.5 stars

On forgiveness, punishment; the witch as a figure of justice
I liked the concept more than the execution; read very much like a fairytale; excising bad memories would cause us to lose a part of ourselves; interesting conversation about justice, how it’s achieved, and who it’s for

To Follow the Waves
2.5 stars

Beautiful story and really cool idea, but felt weirdly rapey? I have no idea how to explain that, but what happens in the story seems like a bad way to start a relationship, romantic or otherwise, and it doesn't exactly seem like Nahla means kind things for Hessa.

A Hollow Play
4 stars
weird bird girls, dramatic sacrifices, unspoken and unrequited love

Thunderstorm in Glasgow, July 25, 2013
N/A
About giving up one's identity maybe? not too sure really

Wing
5 stars (current favorite)

Love isn’t chance; it requires vulnerability, a willingness to share yourself with someone, and compatibility and shared stories. What is chance is meeting the person who you can love.

Qahr
5 stars

I don't typically rate poems in collections, but this one is different. It's about Palestine and grief and words that cant be translated and feelings that words can't adequately express

A Tale of Ash in Seven Birds
4 stars
About the human ability to constantly transform for better or worse. Love the way this story is told
Can probably be read many different ways, but the immigrant experience or women's experience w/ a bad partner are what
I see-- the constant changing to be what another country/person wants us to be, it never being enough, and then breaking out of that cycle.

And Their Lips Rang with the Sun
3.5 stars

About connection, what we sacrifice to chase it, and how we live with the consequences of our actions. Not my favorite method of storytelling, but the ending was very sweet

The Lonely Sea in the Sky
5 Stars

Weirdly environmental; this one has felt the most like This Is How You Lose the Time War so far; really wish this could be a longer story too

Madeleine
4 Stars

On grief, feeling monstrous, and having others to help us find a path back towards ourselves
This one is harder to write about without making it sound like utter cliche