It was a delight to read “Frail Little Embers” by Fjia Callaghan, this collection of short stories is a sweet and tender package of magical realism. There is tea, handmade candy, visits to the sea, folklore both light and dark, and subtle tension woven through each story. Her passion for using myth and folklore “to creat stories that give people hope in times of darkness”, as stated on her bio, is evident in this collection.

“Running with Wolves” is a gentle retelling of Red Riding Hood when the roads are closer to the woods and Red has a smartphone. The beauty of a short story is the way in which it can tell us a lifetime of sorrows and joys in one small passage of time and we experience this repeatedly through the collection.

Callaghan plays around with form, such as in “September Sunsets” and passages of poetry. It works in this story but I’m unsure how necessary it is within the context of the entire collection. At the same time, the structure of the story is in sharp contrast to the many ways Emily misunderstands everyone around her, from her daughter to the man who brings her firewood.

There are certain lines that are devastating in their lyrical beauty, “I curled up in a ball of smoke and shadow and ached for all the things I didn’t understand” (Callaghan, 141) from the Edge of Morning brought me pause while reading. This was my favourite in the collection, it showcases her form and the way Callaghan’s writing is like a song.

At twenty-one stories it’s fairly long for a short story collection. Some stories, like “The Fleeting Ones” read like a character sketch with limited plot but a lot of foreshadowing that could have been fleshed out in a meaningful way. There’s potential to fill in the spaces and if anything, there’s more than one collection here if the time had been spent to find them. This could be coming from a selfish place as I look forward to reading more from Fjia Callaghan.

“Frail Little Embers” was published on 8 April 2025 by Neem Tree Press, thanks to them for making the title available on Netgalley for review!

I really enjoyed reading this, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed about the short stories. Each one worked well overall and had that theming that I was looking for. Fija Callaghan has a strong writing style and was glad I got to read this and though the art illustration worked overall.

Thank you NetGalley and Neem Tree Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this collection of Short Stories. All of them were at least good, with some great, and few that were absolutely amazing. I find my largest problem with the collection is that it leads with some pretty weak stories that didn't hook me into the collection as much as would be ideal.

A lot of the stories have a real magical realism feel, with magic mixing in with the real world seamlessly. The magic is really what made a lot of these stories shine and the stories that lacked magic also lacked that shine. There is also a lot of myth within the stories which I really enjoyed.

Overall a really cute collection that won't change your whole world, but is definitely worth if if you are in the mood for some cozy stories with fun illustrations.

Favorite stories: Dear Audrey, Lost Men, Fox Song, Last Wish, The Fleeting Ones