Januaries by Olivie Blake: Book review and triggers warnings
Januaries by Olivie Blake synopsis/summary:
Januaries is a collection of new and iconic short stories and novellas from New York Times bestselling author Olivie Blake.
Once upon a time in a land far, far away, the tutelary spirit to a magical bridge rapidly approaches burnout. Meanwhile, congress enacts a complex auditing system designed to un-waste your youth, a banished fairy answers a Craigslist ad, a Victorian orphan gains literacy for her occult situationship, and a multiverse assassin contemplates the one who got away. Escape the slow trudge of mortality with these magical ruminations on life, death, and the love (or revenge) that outlasts both, featuring modified fairytales, contemporary heists, absurdist poetry, and at least one set of actual wedding vows.
Januaries by Olivie Blake book review.
My rating: ★★★★★
Heading into an anthology, I usually brace for some gems mixed in with a few duds. But with Olivie Blake’s collection, every story hits. At worst, they’re good, at best, they’re brilliant.
Blake’s range is pretty mind-boggling, bouncing from modern fairytales for adults to speculative fiction with a dash of fantasy, poetry/verse, and a pinch of Greek mythology retold like you’ve never seen before. It’s a quirky experimental fusion of the magical and the mundane, where fairytales, myths, humour, satire, and absurdity collide. Expect encounters with fairies, connoisseur foodie demons, witches, vampires, reanimated souls, gods, demigods, eldritch spirits, sentient houses—and even fountain nymphs.
One moment, you’re reflecting on life’s big questions—like why wait for retirement to enjoy your lifetime earnings—and the next, you’re empathising with burnt-out eldritch spirits dishing out wishes in eternal service to a magic bridge. And somewhere along the way, you’ll start questioning what eternal damnation really looks like and if it involves cutting lemons with a million paper cuts.
My personal favourites leaned towards her modern adult fairytales and the weirder ones—The Wish Bridge, The Animation Games, To Make a Man, Fates and Consequences, Sous Vide, Chaos Theory, and A Year in January, all 5-star reads for me. Your top picks might vary, but there’s something for everyone in here.
The entire collection is a wild, whimsical, witty, weird ride that still feels rooted in the human experience. If that sounds like your vibe, this anthology will likely bring you as much joy as it brought me, and make you wonder why you haven’t yet read a full-length novel by Olivie Blake yet (also me). Rounded up to 5 stars for the creativity, the variety, the range and the stories that stick with you long after.
Individual story ratings are below this review.
Biggest thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan | Tor for a treat of an arc in exchange for an honest review!
Spring
1. The Wish Bridge | ★★★★★
2. The Audit | ★★★★☆
3. Sucker for Pain | ★★★★☆
Summer
4. The Animation Games | ★★★★★
5. The House | ★★★☆☆
6. To Make a Man | ★★★★★
7. Preexisting Condition | ★★★☆☆
Autumn
8. Monsterlove | ★★★★☆
9. How to Dispel Friends and Curse People | ★★★☆☆
10. Fates and Consequences | ★★★★★
11. Sous Vide | ★★★★★
Winter
12. Sensual Tales for Carnal Pleasures | ★★★☆☆
13. Chaos Theory | ★★★★★
14. A Year in January | ★★★★★
View my review on GoodReads here!
Januaries by Olivie Blake book FAQs.
What are the content & trigger warnings for Januaries by Olivie Blake?
Infidelity
Violence
Murder
Death
Complicated family relationships
Classism
Grief
Mental illness
What is Januaries by Olivie Blake’s age rating?
Januaries by Olivie Blake’is Adult so roughly aimed at readers over 18+. It has adult themes, explicit language and some mild fade-to-black spice.
