★★★☆☆ Mixed
(High Fantasy Horror) More than anything, Shai wants to be with Amarine, but the wishes the swamp folk grant usually come at a high cost. (8,436 words; Time: 28m)
"Three Dandelion Stars," by Jordan Kurella [bio] (edited by Scott H. Andrews), appeared in Beneath Ceaseless Skies issue 254, published on June 14, 2018.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: Shai gets her wish to marry her girlfriend, but Amarine languishes. Shai’s wish looks more and more selfish the longer the story goes on. The “star” that makes Amarine docile and content makes things even worse. The swamp-folk’s attack on the village leaves the two women even more vulnerable, and it’s depressing to see how hostile Shai’s brother and former friend become. There’s a good bit of tension, and the outcome is very uncertain, since Shai herself is at least partly at fault here we’re not sure up until the end how it will turn out.
Con: And then they just turn into swamp folk themselves, and Shai pretty much gets to be with Amarine forever. Everyone else dies. The ending is just too easy, and Shai really hasn’t earned it at all.
It’s a little disappointing that Shai gets zero support from anyone else. The village itself is almost a cardboard villain.
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Con: And then they just turn into swamp folk themselves, and Shai pretty much gets to be with Amarine forever. Everyone else dies. The ending is just too easy, and Shai really hasn’t earned it at all.
It’s a little disappointing that Shai gets zero support from anyone else. The village itself is almost a cardboard villain.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 254)
Jordan Kurella Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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