“So!” she begins, hugging the book to her chest. Maybe she will tell you one day if you continue visiting. Although you can’t wait to hear about this book, you can’t help but feel a little curious about Xiaolong’s past. “I’d like to tell you about it one day, but maybe not today, because you’re here to listen about my new book, right?”Īnd when you nod, her eyes light up, her big grin is back, and she jumps to her feet. When you look a little bit closer at the papers scattered around her, you see illustrations of axolotls, runes, and long paragraphs in tiny print.

And I loved it! But, it got me thinking a lot about where I come from.” She pauses. “Hi friend,” she says in an unusually quiet voice when you sit down across from her.

Instead, she looks like she’s thinking about something from a long, long time ago. When she hears you approach, she smiles her big smile, but she doesn’t look excited, like she normally does. However, when you find Xiaolong, paper and books are at by feet, and she looks like she is hard at work looking for something. Come back later?”Īh yes, you understand that feeling of a good book all too well. A few days have indeed passed now, and you find yourself pretty excited to hear what Xiaolong has to say about her latest read. (It looked like she hadn’t gotten out of bed yet!) “Friend, you know I always love talking to you but I’m reading this really, really good book right now and I want to finish this book so I can tell you all about it. For fans of Neil Gaiman's Unnatural Creatures and Ameriie's New York Times-bestselling Because You Love to Hate Me.The last time you visited the Pond, Xiaolong was under her blanket, her eyes glued to the book she was reading. A young woman takes up her mother's mantle and leads the dead to their final resting place.įrom fantasy to science fiction to contemporary, from romance to tales of revenge, these stories will beguile readers from start to finish.

A young man learns the true meaning of sacrifice. Two sisters transform into birds to escape captivity.

Myers, Cindy Pon, Aisha Saeed, Shveta Thakrar, and Alyssa Wong.Ī mountain loses her heart. Sixteen bestselling and acclaimed authors reimagine the folklore and mythology of East and South Asia in short stories that are by turns enchanting, heartbreaking, romantic, and passionate.Ĭompiled by We Need Diverse Books's Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman-who both contributed stories to this edition, as well-the authors included in this exquisite collection are: Ren e Ahdieh, Sona Charaipotra, Preeti Chhibber, Roshani Chokshi, Aliette de Bodard, Melissa de la Cruz, Julie Kagawa, Rahul Kanakia, Lori M. Star-crossed lovers, meddling immortals, feigned identities, battles of wits, and dire warnings: these are the stuff of fairy tale, myth, and folklore that have drawn us in for centuries.

A thousand beginnings and endings