Foreshadow

Disclosure: I received a digital ARC of this book from Algonquin Young Readers via NetGalley to read and review for a bookstagram book tour.

Calling both aspiring writers and YA readers - FORESHADOW should be on your TBR. This book piqued my interest as it blends a YA short story collection with the craft of writing. FORESHADOW is out just in time for anyone looking to do #NaNoWriMo!

The short stories in this collection are in print for the first time, and FORESHADOW creators Emily X.R. Pan and Nova Ren Suma have brought together 13 underrepresented voices to highlight what YA fiction can hold. Each of the stories has been selected and is introduced in the collection by beloved YA authors many of us already know and love, including Jason Reynolds, Sabaa Tahir, and Laurie Halse Anderson. In reading the accompanying commentary with each short story, I got a better sense of how writers think through world-building, plot, and character growth in short literature, and how honing the short story craft can lead to more evolved full-length works.

What I loved about this collection is that it has a little something for everyone: for the YA lover, the short story enthusiast, the would-be author. It spans nearly every subgenre of YA, and my personal favorites from this were “Flight” by Tanya Aydelott (which gave me PET by Akwaeke Emezi vibes) and “Sweetmeats” by Linda Cheng.

This book made me think of someone I used to be in more regular contact with, and I'm excited that I have a good excuse to reach out and see how she's doing (she's an aspiring YA author). Books and reading are such a personal experience, but so much of the joy of reading is in sharing it!

One tip: I'd go print for this one. I'm not sure if it was simply the e-ARC, but I think you might lose a little bit of the designed elements in the digital version.