4.25 starsA copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.1838: Savanah, GeorgiaDaughter of the Book by Dahlia Adler⭐️⭐️⭐️Interesting and educational about the Jewish faith, I did not know that women were not allowed to learn the Books of the Torah. There was very little action and it seemed to end abruptly.1844: Nauvoo, IllinoisYou're a Stranger Here by Mackenzi Lee⭐️⭐️⭐️The main character is very interesting, it's informational abo...

The Radical Element is a collection of short fictional stories that gives unique glances into lives that aren’t usually thought about when one reflects on history. Reading these tales, I found that they both inspired me and made me laugh, which in my opinion are some of the best things that books can do. I’m typically not one to pick up short story collections, so I was surprised to find myself enjoying this book far more than I expected to. This books consists of 12 short stories from the YA au...

After a fairly shaky first half, I adored the second half of this. All the characters are the best, basically. ★☆☆☆☆: 0★★☆☆☆: 1★★★☆☆: 2★★★★☆: 5★★★★★: 4My average rating for this anthology was a surprisingly high... 4.0. Did you expect that? Because I totally did not. Halfway through this anthology, I was prepared to give it a big old three, and then I hit three five stars in a row and this happens. Okay, so here’s my really big gripe with this anthology. It is marketed as being about radical gir...

I recently answered the PARKS AND REC book tag (and had THE MOST FUN doing so), wherein I featured this collection for Tom Haverford's A character who likes to dream big.Here is what I wrote taken directly from the tag:January was also the month where I received the opportunity to read an incredible short story written by Dahlia Adler in The Radical Element anthology. Daughter of the Book was the introducing story to the collection, and my immediate first thought upon completing it went, "I don...

1.) A Tyranny of Petticoats ★★★.52.) The Radical Element ★★★.5--------------------------------------------------Definitely the weakest of the two anthologies in this series. My favourite was definitely Sara Farizan's 'Take Me With U'!Daughter of the Book by Dahlier Adler - 3.5/5 starsYou're A Stranger Here by Mackenzi Lee - 2.5/5 starsThe Magician by Erin Bowman - 3/5 starsLady Firebrand by Megan Shepherd – 4/5 starsStep Right Up by Jessica Spotswood - 2.5/5 starsGlamour by Anna-Marie McLemore -...

I'm so excited (and honored!) to be contributing to this anthology, and yes, you can expect me to write something set in the Wild West. Yeehaw! (Teaser here)Update 5/22, after having read all contributors' stories: Much like with A Tyranny of Petticoats, I loved this anthology and the wonderful mix of stories it provides. The girls featured in this book are radical, indeed, and I can't wait for you to read about them! :)

So, so excited and honored to be contributing to this anthology, and cannot wait to read everyone else's stories!

You can find this review and others at arctic books2.5/5 starsI’m starting to think that anthologies are just Not For Me. The past few anthologies that I’ve read had good content, but I just haven’t been into them as much as I wish I had. That being said, THE RADICAL ELEMENT contains amazing short stories from stellar YA authors.These twelve short stories are diverse in so many ways – there’s queer people, people of color, people with disabilities – I found myself in a few characters, especially...

The Radical Element is a historical fiction anthology about radical and dauntless young women throughout American history. It follows girls ahead of their times, marginalized girls, girls who were in some way unconventional.It’s the second book in a series. The first, A Tyranny of Petticoats, followed brave and “badass” girls; I read it more than a year ago, and I remember having mixed feelings on it. I liked this one a bit more, though it had its low points too.Overall, this didn't disappoint.

I received this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.A friend of mine recommended me the first anthology, so when this one has been added to Netgalley I knew I had to ask for it. If you don't know what it's about, The Radical Element is basically an anthology about all those women who didn't fit in the society they were born in and who had to fight to get a chance to be heard.It's always so hard to review anthologies, and it's still the case here, but the subject is so importa...

Despite its somewhat shaky start, this was a brilliant sequel anthology to A Tyranny of Petticoats. Top three stories:-Glamour by Anne-Marie McLemore-The Belle of the Ball by Sarvenaz Tash-Land of the Sweet, Home of the Brave by Stacey LeeDaughter of the Book by Dahlia Alder - 3/5*You’re a Stranger Here by Mackenzi Lee - 2/5*The Magician by Erin Bowman - 3/5*Lady Firebrand by Megan Shepard - 3.5/5*Step Right Up by Jessica Spotswood - 4/5*Glamour by Anne-Marie McLemore - 5/5* oh how I wish this h...

average rating: 4 stars (which is honestly perfect, because I hate half star ratings in general)Uh, wow, after the first two stories in this anthology were pretty lackluster I got scared that this anthology was going to be overall, extremely disappointing, but thankfully the stories after definitely improved!I also completely agree with all three sentiments from Elise's review, I honestly wish there was more intersections within the characters rather than each of them having only marginalization...

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.As an American girl in the past and the present the decision to respect yourself can sometimes be challenging and radical. You have to face it whether you're neurodivergent, a second-generation immigrant, or facing racism. Self-respect is the only decision when you've weighed societal expectations and found them wanting. In this anthology, twelve talented YA authors present stories of all sorts of girls from all colors and creeds

This short story collection has been my at-work read for the past month and I read bits every day during lunch at my desk or in our school garden and during our cuddle up and read days in the library when I sit down and read right alongside my students. I can’t speak highly enough of this collection as it brings together 12 amazing female YA authors, shines light on often-unknown elements of history, and features such a wide array of characters of different races, sexualities, gender identities

I'm not a huge fan of short story collections. To me, they either don't give you enough of the story to feel it was worth your time, or they get you hooked and then leave you wanting more. I decided to request this arc from Netgalley because I am a fan of Jessica Spotswood's writing. Overall, I ended up liking this more than I expected. It was extremely diverse and feminist. Here's my individual ratings for each story:Daughter of the Book by Dahlia Adler: 2.5/5You’re a Stranger Here by Mackenzi

3.5I was introduced to Jessica Spotswood through her first anthology project A Tyranny of Petticoats, which featured 15 stories about badass women. I don’t remember much of it, but I know I gave it a 3/5 rating because the stories were good and fantastical, but nothing special or memorable for me. I decided to give this one a go since I’m into anthologies lately, and to see if these are better than the first collection. I wasn’t disappointed, but neither was I thrilled.The stories range from ear...

Actual rating: 3.83 stars (you do get weird ratings when you read anthologies) I received this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.Reviewing and rating anthologies is usually tricky, because you can't always love all of the short stories they are made of; yet, for The Radical Element, I can say that I enjoyed all of them and that the messages the anthology was trying to get through were executed well. The Radical Element is an empowering read that focuses on young women who d...

I will be updating this review for each story I finish, and will post my complete review after I complete the anthology, so stay tuned!Daughter of the Book Dahlia Adler2 stars While this story was incredibly insightful into Jewish tradition and belief, I found it bland and forgetful. I think it's an important story to show women and the struggles of religion they faced/still face in some places today, but I felt I was reading a history lesson rather than a fictional story. However, I liked the c...