This collection of stories, subtitled ‘A Cozy Affection Anthology’, are by women of colour from diverse backgrounds and are all speculative fiction, with elements of fantasy, mythology and dystopia. They are distinctive and different, however they have some themes in common, such as the bonds between family and healing trauma. I preferred the stories that were set in our world or a world similar to ours. The stories which stood out to me the most were ‘Don’t Look Under the Bed’ by Chere Taylor, ‘Naija Babylon’ by Molara Wood, ‘Subbed Out’ by Sandhya Singh, ‘The Secret Keeper’ by Marie Sinadjan and ‘The Autochthon’ by T H Yuan. All of the stories were thought-provoking and well-crafted, some of them evidencing strong cultural influences. I wasn’t convinced that every story was about ‘cozy affection’ but other readers may have differing perspectives. Not all of the stories were my cup of tea, but what’s great about an anthology like this is the variety, there’s something for all tastes.

Thank you to the publisher Inked in Gray for the advance copy. The book will be published on 24th February.