Some of these short stories were so interesting that I wanted to read a whole book about them, others were quite strange and there was one that was, I'm sorry to say, boring - however overall it was a good and interesting read and the story that I didn't like may be your cup of tea

This reminded me again of why I love Olivie Blake! The writing is just perfect and somehow goes with every story. The first one chosen, about the guardian of the bridge, is my absolute favorite and such a good fit to hook us in and continue reading. I must admit, I skimmed one or two stories that weren’t exactly my tastes but I loved the rest so much it still counts as a 5 star!

A beautifully written collection of fantasy based short stories.

My favourite story was 'Sucker for Pain', a Bridgerton inspired high society story featuring vampires and revenge.

This book has been on my wishlist for ages and so I'm really grateful to be able to read an early copy of it.

I have somehow got to this stage without having read any of Olivie's books, but I am not immune to the hype around her. I'm also generally not a short story fan but here we are. I have high hopes.

These stories are fantastic and whimsical and magical. I could have read them all day. They're all linked, in theme if not in story.

As in any collection of short stories, there are some I enjoyed more than others and some I enjoyed less, some that spoke to me more or were easier to read. But even so, I don't think there's a story amongst them that I wouldn't' wish was turned into a longer story. For enjoyment purposes, or because I think a longer story would have made it a bit better. Some felt a bit too short or a bit too abstract, and I think they'd work better in a longer form. And some were just so lovely to read that I wanted to red more of it.

I must admit thought, that some of the longer stories lost me a little bit, they went off into weird directions and so I got a bit confused as to what they were on about, but I suppose a positive spin on that is it adds to the whimsical nature of the stories.

A good and bad point is that she uses a lot of floaty language, a lot of metaphors and whatnot, whish is great as it adds to the magical feel, but then it can be difficult to actually stay with what she's trying to say. Some are more prose heavy than others, some more conversations etc. so you get a mixture.

There are a number of illustrations in the book - I'm not sure if they're by Olivie's hand or someone else's - that are beautiful and really help the stories. It's split into sections dedicated to the seasons, but I wasn't too sure why they were split as, for me, I couldn't say the stories in the winter section for instance were overly wintery etc.

I know that a lot of people read short story collections by reading one or two and then going back to it. I read it like a novel, cover to cover. And so I was fully invested and drawn into this magical world of love and lust, betrayal and distrust, magic and wonder.

I think I'll definitely jump on the hype train and be sourcing her other books, now I see what all the fuss was about.

I wasn’t sure what to expect of this collection of short stories, I typically enjoy Blake’s writing, I thoroughly enjoy her style. However I find that it can sometimes go over my head. There is no doubt this is yet another great work from Blake however I often found myself confused and think that perhaps this is not the work for me.

This book is a collection of short stories involving love and magic. This book is beautifully written and would expect no less from olivie, it is the perfect story collection to snuggle up and read on a cosy evening.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one, as I always do with Olivie Blake. Some stories went over my head, but that's usually the case for me with anthologies. Quite a few of the stories didn't click with me until the very end, at which point I felt pleasantly surprised.

I absolutely love the way Olivie Blake writes, the pictures she paints with words is astonishing.

Januaries is a the collection of stories split into seasons. Well I was drawn in by the first few pages and I just ripped through.


Thank you to netgalley and publishers for the arc. .

I have absolutely adored all of the Olivie Blake books I have read in the past. Unfortunately, this however was not one of them.

I’m unsure if my dislike came from formatting errors or if it was how the book was supposed to be, but I found a few of these short stories incredibly difficult to read.

When I started this book, the short stories were so cute, showing different complexities of love, and I really did enjoy reading them. One of my favourites being the animation games, this was so easy to read and also such an interesting concept of love.

My least favourite was To Make A Man. I’m not sure if it was supposed to be formatted the way it was, but all the days were out of sync and it was so difficult to read, then when the days started again from the other POV, you could hardly tell because of how disjointed the numbering was

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this Arc copy.

Januaries is a collection of short stories exploring ideas and themes of love, life and death, magic and revenge. Various stories range from modern fantasy to folkloric retellings. Overall, I did enjoy these stories, the picture built with each tale was detailed and complex despite being a short section of a collection of stories. At some points, I found Blake's very prose heavy and metaphorical language to hinder how well the story was received and understood and at other points it stopped her from further exploring certain topics. One short story I wished had been given more attention was The Audit; I felt that the topics of money, class and wealth were brushed on but could have been explored more, especially since the premise was so interesting.

My favorites from this collection are The Wish Bridge, Chaos Theory, Sucker for Pain and The Animation Games. Some of these I do wish could be developed into fully fledged novels!

📚 review 📚

januaries - olivie blake

at this point i think olivie blake could write down the worldms most mundane list and i would still immediately pre order it. i don’t even like anthologies but i knew that the one person who could change my mind would be olivie blake and i was right. this collection of short stories is endlessly entertaining.

the collection is split into seasons and every section features a group of whimsical and magical tales. i was hooked from the first story and flew through the whole collection in a few days.


thank you @netgalley for the early copy. januaries is out in october.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this ARC. This will be posted on goodreads september 13th.

I didn't know what to expect when picking this book, I only know that I really like the way Olivie Blake is writing stories.
Her writing style was very interesting for those stories, even if the stories were really different the style really link them together.
Still I do recommand you take your time with this book to fully appreciate each story for what they are.

My favorite were The wish bridge, the Audit , Sucker for pain (yes, I really did like spring) and To make a man ( The animation games was pretty awsome too). Every story really takes you, even if they are short they really transport you. For me that was really the highlight of the book.

Even if I've been really enjoying reading shorts stories, and specially shorts stories into one book, there is always one or two stories that you like less. It happenned to me on this one and I wouldn't put less stars on it because it would be a me problem and not the book but this story kinda put me in a slump for the rest of the book and had some tropes that I really don't like and that's why. I will not say the title of the story itself so no spoiler and won't go into details but I was very surprised to see this in this book.

There is a story featuring Hades and Persephone (not as main characters), okay their relationship wasn't romanticize but not shown as abusive either, so it icked me but then Demeter was told to be a bad, controling and nosy mom and that Persephone choose to come to the underworld, that's the biggest NO ever. I hate those tropes so bad. Persephone was a CHILD abucted and detained by her uncle and her mom Demeter did everything in her power to save her period.

This book wasn't that big on that trope but still in so little pages it had everything I didn't want it to be and as I said it put me on a slump for the rest of the book and couldn't appreciate the end of the book as much as I should specially January which I probably would have loved more if I read it before the one in the underworld.

So in whole I don't know, I like, could have loved it but sadly no...
Olivie Blake has an incredible way to writd so if you liked her other books you will probably really like this one.

The book is set out into the 4 seasons and is accompanied by beautiful artwork that I wish I could keep forever. Each short story is about 30 pages and is a great way of consuming whimsical fantasy. There's even a greek retelling for those who like a modern take on a classic greek story. There are so many short stories that I wish were longer but alas that's how it goes with short story collections.

Actual Rating: 2.5

‘...and while I never have more than a bit of money in my pockets, I have treasures of knowledge, and riches of stories, and for me they are more than enough.’

Short story collections generally intrigue me and last year I adored Olivie Blake’s ‘One For My Enemy’ so I had pretty high hopes for ‘Januaries’. As you can probably tell by my rating this unfortunately wasn’t my kind of collection, although I wouldn’t necessarily say that means it wouldn’t work for other readers as with some of the stories my disappointment mostly boiled down to taste and/or style. If you’re into metaphysical stories and tales best described as ‘weird’ then this collection may well be a hit with you. If you’re more into fantasy and fairytale vibes then perhaps not.

One thing that I have to mention before anything else is how varied Olive Blake’s writing style is. When I picked up ‘One For My Enemy’ I was immediately struck by how unique her style seemed to be and this collection certainly reinforced that feeling. No two tales within ‘Januaries’ feel alike; each has its own style, flare and voice. If you picked this book up without noticing the single author on the cover then I truly do feel that you could believe this was penned by multiple authors. Something that I feel truly shows the author’s talent; this particular book may not have been for me but I’m still in awe over the versatility of Blake’s writing.

Another positive that I want to highlight before diving into my struggles is the variety of stories included and the fact that I did enjoy several of them. My favourite within this collection was ‘The Wish Bridge’ which instantly reeled me in, leaving me enchanted. If all the tales had followed on in this fairytale feeling, folklore vein I’d have been a fan without doubt. There were a couple of others that I admittedly found slightly odd but generally enjoyed regardless, although not quite to the same degree as little elements, generally towards the ending, left me conflicted. Then there’s another, which I won’t name as I don’t want to cloud anyone’s judgment of it, which I fell in love with throughout the first half, then out of over the second. That particular one I personally feel could have become a new favourite of mine, if given a full length novel. Yet within this context the latter segments felt rushed.

There were a couple of other stories that left me with similar changing enjoyment levels for a variety of reasons although I didn’t feel as strong a sense of fondness for them on the whole. A couple of the other stories I didn’t mind reading but they didn’t particularly engage me either; ultimately a lot of the collection felt ‘okay’ which wasn’t really what I was anticipating.

Then, unfortunately, there were four stories that I really did not enjoy. If I’d picked this book up on a whim I’d probably have skipped over them but as I received a review copy I wanted to give them a chance. A couple felt as if they were going over my head whilst another simply wasn’t at all to my personal tastes. All four I was relieved to finish.

With one story that I loved, two I enjoyed, four that I hated (sorry) and the others generally feeling simply ‘okay’ I felt that I had to round ‘Januaries’ rating down star wise. But it’s not a decision that I took lightly as I appreciate the level of effort that goes into writing and truly hate giving a book less than three stars.

Based on my personal experience with ‘Januaries’ I can’t particularly say that I’d recommend it but if you’re into strange tales and metaphysical fiction then this could still be a hit with you. (And if that’s the case it could also be worth checking this book out in print, given its handful of beautiful illustrations). Regardless of my disappointment with this collection I’m still keen to pick up more by the author, given her talented writing range and strong sense of voice. I’ll just make sure to warier of certain genres in the future.

*Average rating: 3.1 stars

Anthologies are so hard because some stories were great, whilst others were pretty average. I also always wish the stories were longer. I think I'm realising that I'm just not a short story girlie. But I do like Olivie Blake's writing style and I'm excited to read more novels by her.

The Wish Bridge - 4 stars
The Audit - 2 stars
Sucker for Pain - 3 stars
The animation Games - 4 stars
The house - 4 stars
To make a man - 3 stars
Pre-existing condition - 2 stars
Monster love - 1 star
How to dispel friends and curse people - 3.5 stars
Fates and consequences - 4 stars
Sous vide - 3.5 stars
Sensual tales for carnal pleasures - 3 stars
Chaos theory - 3.5 stars
A year in January - 3 stars

My thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The very first story had me hooked into this book it was so full of emotion and beautifully written I had high hopes for the rest, and I was not disappointed. This is a heartfelt anthology of stories/fairytales and poems on life and love with a hint of whit and lots of unexpected twists.

The worlds are magical and the characters delightful and sometimes deliciously sneaky as each story is crafted, drawing you into each one and leaving you wanting more. The author has a great sense of the world and conveys her words with tenderness and care, a very talented writer indeed.

This book will appeal to those who like something that tugs on the heart strings and also fills you with anticipation or surprise. I really enjoyed this book and hope to read more like it.

Enchanting, gripping and phantastical stories. I've not yet come around to read Blake's other work and was pleasantly surprised by this short story collection (which I mostly requested for the cover). Hope there is more to come from Blake in that genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for giving me the opportunity to read an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

“For the story does end, as most stories do, with a familiar tale of a boy and a girl, and a happily ever after. But this tale concludes with a lesson too: that the end is never the end. For the gift, the magic of it all, is in sharing a life together”

How on earth is this the first time I’ve experienced Olivie Blake’s writing??? It certainly won’t be the last! I fell in love with her writing style from the very first story in this collection, and my love solidified as the book went on. A masterclass in whimsy, romance, and darkness.

A wonderful collection of stories, full of adventure, magic, betrayal, love and so much more. I can absolutely see myself coming back and enjoy these stories again and again. The characters and their stories evoked a spectrum of emotions from me, that I couldn’t get enough of.

As always with anthologies, some stories left more of an impact on me than others, although I don’t think there was a single one I didn’t enjoy. Each story was so unique, and so well executed. I can completely understand why Olivie Blake has the hearts of so many readers, and she has gained a new fan in me too!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'Januaries' by Olivie Blake

'Januaries' is the newest inclusion to Olivie Blake's collection. It is an anthology and my word, was it beautiful. Some stories I didn't enjoy as much but most of it I was hooked. I love Olivie Blake and this is no exception.

Olivie Blake has really cemented herself as one of my favourite authors. Her prose is always beautiful and her writing style is poignant and pulls you in from the very first line. I think Blake's style slightly changes witch each new project she takes on and it's so impressive to see each one still is engaging and different. These short stories are packed full of emotion and love and discuss a variety of different topics, so there's definitely something for everyone. Thank you so much to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!