Love in Color: Mythical Tales from Around the World, Retold

‘You are a queen. You are Lorde, Angelou, Simone, Walker, Hooks, Davis, Morrison, Knowles, Fenty, Robinson-Obama. You will shake the world, you will move the earth, you will be audacious with your essence, you will take up all the space, you will not stay in your lane, you will build new roads -’’

Myths, legends and folklore offer hope and courage. They are made of magic and love and feelings. Bolu Babalola takes mythical tales from Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, Persia, Greece, Mali, Senegal, Guinea, Lesotho, Mauritania, Gambia and breathes new life into millennia-old stories. And as detrimental as it may sound, the legends are resurrected to live again inside the hearts and minds of modern young women. To inspire and show more soothe and guide…

A goddess wants to be respected and seen for what she is, for love and not for beauty. Two sides of the spectrum meet risk all to love each other. An aspiring journalist confronts her ridiculous boss that also happens to be the sister of the man she loves in a delightful twist of the Psyche and Eros legend. An ambitious woman finds love in the most unlikely of places and another defies her family’s principles to mark her own path in life and love. In my favourite story, a brave warrior leads her people to safety and freedom and falls in love with her champion.

Nefertiti becomes a seductive, powerful source of justice and retribution. A young woman cannot appreciate her unique beauty until she finds the courage to stand up to a hideous bully. A pop star asserts her power over the ones who wanted to control her after a night under the stars. Thisbe and Pyramus become college lovers that overcome their fears over their feelings. A woman who doesn’t let others dictate her destiny find the courage to accept her beloved’s apology.

Osun, Scheherazade, Psyche, Attem, Yaa, Siya, Nefertiti, Naleli, Z hiny, Thisbe, Tiara, Orin, Alagomeji. Names of women. Names of Love celebrated in all its tender and terrible forms in an outstanding collection by Bolu Babalola

If you don’t cry reading the Author’s Note, you are heartless and terrible.

‘’Time in love are intertwined, they are both measures of life, they are the two clocks. And, for love to operate as it should, it is imperative that the timing should be right.’’

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/ show less

Osun (2 stars) - This is legit an AU fanfiction of African deities. At least, it doesn’t take place in a coffee shop, iykyk. I enjoyed the passages about Osun’s connection to water, but I didn’t care for Sango, the playboy. The first 75% of this story sounded like, “my man knows where home is.” I mean whatever you’ve to say to convince yourself.

Osun raised a brow. “So, you sensed your destruction?”

Erinle laughed, eyes glinting. “I sensed my world about to shift.”The writing style is a bit flowery, but there are some seriously snazzy lines. Once a new suitor arrives, the attraction is instantaneous, in a way that doesn’t feel quite earned, but fine. Erinle felt too good to be true. He was laying it on THICK! Like, show more he was legit saying everything Osun wanted to hear.

Because this is a short story, it’s understandable everything wouldn’t be fully developed, but I think the shift from Sango to Erinle was rocky. With that being said, I adored the final line.

Scheherazade (3 stars) - Sometimes, I did not like the flowery pose and other times I did. I thought the characters’ dynamic was fun. Scheherazade made things harder than what they needed to be, but I loved Shahryar’s directness.; they just work together. The ending jumped the shark the slightest bit. I was like okay. It’s one of those ‘better to have loved than not” type of stories. Tomorrow’s not promised. Love while you can. But nah, Scher had actual political SNIPERS out for her neck.

Nefertiti (3.5 stars) - Loved the underground club/crime ring/haven for abused women. Nefertiti was intriguing. The Batman/Catwoman dynamic is one of my all-time favorites, here we’ve Queen Crime Boss and basically, an undercover cop Mattie. I almost wanted this one to be longer.

Attem (2.5 stars) – Good banter between the couple. Sickly sweet.

Yaa (3.5 or maybe 4 stars) - Really enjoyed ambitious Yaa as a character.

Siya ( 4.5 stars) – Commander and their loyal righthand man/2nd in-command? Another dynamic I love. And when the calm one loses their cool because they’re afraid for the other’s life? *chef’s kiss* also, an un-proposal

Psyche (3 stars) – fun banter. Gave me “The Other Black Girl” vibes but more engaging and with a spunkier character. Also… Come on, sopranos! ♩ MISCOMMUNICATION!!! ♫

Naleli (3 stars) – A super cute highschool love (childhood best friends + popular star athlete and unpopular girl)! I don’t think I’ve ever read a story where the MC has vitiligo.

Zhinu (3.5 stars) – I enjoyed this one; it had some fun lines: “Why did they need to be mortal?” Zhinu was sweet and trying to survive stardom with her tiger mom/helicopter parent. I thought Niulang and Zhinu’s dynamic was sweet as well. Who knew a one-night stand could be adorable?

Thisbe (2 stars) – College love: “The good guy who isn’t actually good” vs “unchecked emotional issues playboy.” Still, not bad. A strong, mostly successful attempt, to add depth to a playboy character.

Tiara (1 star) – Boop!

Orin (1 star) – Date from hell.

Alagomeji (2 stars) - Soulmates. God loves them.

Overall, I enjoyed these. Most weren’t swoon-worthy, but almost all were heartwarming at some point. Giving women agency in these tales was intentional, which was pleasing to read from the author’s note. Just lovely.

3.5^ show less

“…we are not a once upon a time, we are a forever within an ever…”

“…no queen can be a queen without also being a warrior”

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m not a fan of short stories or chick lit, but this better than expected. Usually a short story prevents character development and attachment, but on the whole there was sufficient detail to keep me connected. These love stories are all modern adaptations of well-known myths and folklore from ancient Greece, West Africa and the Middle East and I enjoyed researching some of the lesser known (to me) tales. I did however find Psyche (Psykhe) to bit a too naff and cheesy!

This is a wonderful assortment of mythical love stories, many of which I didn't know, and they have been updated and re-imagined. This is not something that I normally would read, but I found it very entertaining. Bolu Babalola brought a unique approach to these stories, making them fresh and interesting. The final story is about her parents, and I found that endearing.

I loved these stories so much! All of them were amazing, but some were so good that I wanted more. I've read Osun many times wishing that it was longer and that it was an entire series about young Orisha in a magic academy. Siya and Zhinu were my next favorite stories. I just want more!
For me, the mark of a great book is to leave me fulfilled, but wanting more and these stories have that.

5 stars

I could not put this book down. The only reason I managed to pace myself is that I didn't want it to come to an end. I love that Bolu includes information on the modifications she made to the stories that were reimagined and what inspired each retelling. I am a hopeless romantic and would highly recommend picking this up if you are as well. Although I loved every story, the ones that I wanted to read again and again were:

~Osun
~Nefertiti
~Attem
~Yaa
~Naleli
~Orin
~Alagomeji

3.75/5

some of these were SO GOOD and some of them just felt repetitive for me. i would absolutely read an 800 page version of the Nefertiti story, though