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pbraue13's review
3.0
A nice little collection of instant love stories with various paranormal twists
capitalizm's review against another edition
1.0
i added this book when it was only patch's story. i don't know why the file was modified to add the other short stories so just for that i'll modify my rating.
enelya's review
3.0
'The Assassin's Apprentice' by Michelle Zink - 3/5, only because I felt it was too short and too rushed for 3 characters and a world that deserved a better expansion.
'Errant' by Diana Peterfreund - 2/5, it's the first thing I've read by this author and I didn't feel impressed, the ages century orphaned lady disputed by two rivals that proves herself strong is too cliche, a nun who tames unicorns too odd, and overall not outstanding.
'The Spirit Jar' by Karen Mahoney - 4/5, the narrator bugged me sometimes, but she's fun and witty and the story has a good concept. A big plus for genies :D
'Lost' by Justine Musk - 3/5, cutesy story which picks up on the Hades/Persephone romance, and I wish this one could be expanded, or at least more insight into the ending.
'The Spy Who Never Grew Up' by Sarah Rees Brennan - 1/5, what a mess around Peter Pan and the great-great-granddaughter of Wendy!
'Dungeons Of Langeais' by Becca Fitzpatrick - 4/5, I had picked this book by this story alone, Hush Hush being my favorite read from last year. While this short story didn't disappoint it wasn't captivating as the hush hush books. Patch makes only a very brief appearance, and the ending is vague. We don't like Chauncey, he's evil, etc, but we already knew that.
'Behind the Red Door' by Caitlin Kittredge - 4/5, this one doesn't start strong but picks up towards the middle and it's very good.
'Hare Moon' by Carrie Ryan - 5/5, I'm very curious about the world of the Forest of Hands and Teeth, but I haven't managed to start the series yet. I understand this story is about the adolescence of an older character in the books, and what an interesting story it is. The first which truly feels romantic with undertones of despair, just how I love them.
'Familiar' by Michelle Rowen - 4/5, beautiful YA paranormal romance.
'Fearless' by Rachel Vincent - 4/5, really good story, very different from everything I've read, so it had that big plus - uniqueness - for me. I'm looking forward reading other books by her.
'Vermillion' by Daniel Marks - 3/5, it was difficult for me to enter into the story, I can only assume this is a short story based on a world depicted in another book. The story itself was cute, although quite predictable.
'The Hounds of Ulster' by Maggie Stiefvater - 4/5, fast paced, so it felt short, but the ending was a real surprise!
'Many Happy Returns' by Daniel Waters - 3/5, same as Fearless, a new world for me, and I'm on the fence about how I feel towards the returning.
'Errant' by Diana Peterfreund - 2/5, it's the first thing I've read by this author and I didn't feel impressed, the ages century orphaned lady disputed by two rivals that proves herself strong is too cliche, a nun who tames unicorns too odd, and overall not outstanding.
'The Spirit Jar' by Karen Mahoney - 4/5, the narrator bugged me sometimes, but she's fun and witty and the story has a good concept. A big plus for genies :D
'Lost' by Justine Musk - 3/5, cutesy story which picks up on the Hades/Persephone romance, and I wish this one could be expanded, or at least more insight into the ending.
'The Spy Who Never Grew Up' by Sarah Rees Brennan - 1/5, what a mess around Peter Pan and the great-great-granddaughter of Wendy!
'Dungeons Of Langeais' by Becca Fitzpatrick - 4/5, I had picked this book by this story alone, Hush Hush being my favorite read from last year. While this short story didn't disappoint it wasn't captivating as the hush hush books. Patch makes only a very brief appearance, and the ending is vague. We don't like Chauncey, he's evil, etc, but we already knew that.
'Behind the Red Door' by Caitlin Kittredge - 4/5, this one doesn't start strong but picks up towards the middle and it's very good.
'Hare Moon' by Carrie Ryan - 5/5, I'm very curious about the world of the Forest of Hands and Teeth, but I haven't managed to start the series yet. I understand this story is about the adolescence of an older character in the books, and what an interesting story it is. The first which truly feels romantic with undertones of despair, just how I love them.
'Familiar' by Michelle Rowen - 4/5, beautiful YA paranormal romance.
'Fearless' by Rachel Vincent - 4/5, really good story, very different from everything I've read, so it had that big plus - uniqueness - for me. I'm looking forward reading other books by her.
'Vermillion' by Daniel Marks - 3/5, it was difficult for me to enter into the story, I can only assume this is a short story based on a world depicted in another book. The story itself was cute, although quite predictable.
'The Hounds of Ulster' by Maggie Stiefvater - 4/5, fast paced, so it felt short, but the ending was a real surprise!
'Many Happy Returns' by Daniel Waters - 3/5, same as Fearless, a new world for me, and I'm on the fence about how I feel towards the returning.
sandra_rose's review
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
ellencamino's review against another edition
3.0
My favourite stories were Familiar by Michelle Rowen (4 stars), Fearless by Rachel Vincent and The Hounds of Ulster by Maggie Stiefvater (both 5 stars) - the other stories are what brought my rating down.
krys1993's review against another edition
3.0
The assassins apprentice by Michelle Zink:
Was good i would have liked more character development and less smooching but I'm going to check out the other works by this author
Errant by Diana Peterfreund:
Was hard for me to get into which with a total of 33 pages isn't a good sign
The spirit jar by Karen Mahoney:
I didn't like this short story it left alot unexplained and i understand she has had a minimal amount of pages to tell her story in but if that's the case then don't have people or objects in your story that you cant explain
Lost by Justine Musk:
Please please please tell me there are more stories of Haiden and Sasha a whole series! a series that never ends i don't know exactly what makes me love this story but its one of my favorite in this book
The spy who never grew up by Sarah Rees Brennan:
I could have gone about my life happily with out ever reading this it was stupid.
Dungeons of Langeais by Becca Fitzpatrick:
I liked having some extra back story for hush hush and patch
Behind the red door by Caitlin Kittredge:
I wish this had been a full novel such a good story so creepy would have been cool to see Jo and drew blossom into something
Hare Moon By Carrie Ryan:
loved this story i cant wait to red the dead tossed waves series >.<
Familiar by Michelle Rowen:
such a cute story i may check out her work to see if she has more in this genre
Fearless by Rachel Vincent:
this book was alright unsure why being a supernatural creature why Nash's mother wouldn't i don't know hide her or help her out why let her stay with creepy foster parents so many more things i could pick on but i just cant be bothered it was nether bad enough or good enough to put much effort into pulling it apart
Vermillion by Daniel Marks:
Didn't like this story very much at all
The hounds of Ulster By Maggie Stiefvater:
i liked her book lamenant amd i liked this short story but i would have liked it alot more if it hadnt started out like it did i was down right confused
Many happy Returns by daniel Waters:
i love the way this is written and how it goes back and forth i love the concept of this and i will be reaing the series this is from...
Was good i would have liked more character development and less smooching but I'm going to check out the other works by this author
Errant by Diana Peterfreund:
Was hard for me to get into which with a total of 33 pages isn't a good sign
The spirit jar by Karen Mahoney:
I didn't like this short story it left alot unexplained and i understand she has had a minimal amount of pages to tell her story in but if that's the case then don't have people or objects in your story that you cant explain
Lost by Justine Musk:
Please please please tell me there are more stories of Haiden and Sasha a whole series! a series that never ends i don't know exactly what makes me love this story but its one of my favorite in this book
The spy who never grew up by Sarah Rees Brennan:
I could have gone about my life happily with out ever reading this it was stupid.
Dungeons of Langeais by Becca Fitzpatrick:
I liked having some extra back story for hush hush and patch
Behind the red door by Caitlin Kittredge:
I wish this had been a full novel such a good story so creepy would have been cool to see Jo and drew blossom into something
Hare Moon By Carrie Ryan:
loved this story i cant wait to red the dead tossed waves series >.<
Familiar by Michelle Rowen:
such a cute story i may check out her work to see if she has more in this genre
Fearless by Rachel Vincent:
this book was alright unsure why being a supernatural creature why Nash's mother wouldn't i don't know hide her or help her out why let her stay with creepy foster parents so many more things i could pick on but i just cant be bothered it was nether bad enough or good enough to put much effort into pulling it apart
Vermillion by Daniel Marks:
Didn't like this story very much at all
The hounds of Ulster By Maggie Stiefvater:
i liked her book lamenant amd i liked this short story but i would have liked it alot more if it hadnt started out like it did i was down right confused
Many happy Returns by daniel Waters:
i love the way this is written and how it goes back and forth i love the concept of this and i will be reaing the series this is from...
trisha_thomas's review
3.0
*** I only read Fearless by Rachel Vincent - as part of the Soul Screamers series ***
Ugh, you know, I always already so discussed with Sabine. I disliked her through pretty much the whole series. She's selfish and horrible, sex hungry and cruel. I'm sure my heart should bleed for all she's been through.
But when it described how she fed. How she glided into the room, sat on the victim's chest. All I could picture was her doing that to Kaylee -- before Kaylee had any idea that's what Sabine was.
This short only makes me dislike her more, not less. But it was interesting to hear about a new type of....monster?... in their world.
Ugh, you know, I always already so discussed with Sabine. I disliked her through pretty much the whole series. She's selfish and horrible, sex hungry and cruel. I'm sure my heart should bleed for all she's been through.
But when it described how she fed. How she glided into the room, sat on the victim's chest. All I could picture was her doing that to Kaylee -- before Kaylee had any idea that's what Sabine was.
This short only makes me dislike her more, not less. But it was interesting to hear about a new type of....monster?... in their world.
kimberly_b's review
3.0
My thoughts on each story:
The Assassin's Apprentice by Michelle Zink: Although this story was fairly simple, I liked it. I could easily see it being part of a full-sized novel. However, I was confused about the time in which the story was set. Rose's use of the words 'valise,' 'firebox,' 'threshold,' etc. and the mention of coal mines and factories in the beginning suggest it being set maybe early in the 1900's. But, there are some inaccuracies (I looked them up because they struck me as odd): pallets (which were mentioned) weren't developed until at least 1927 and there was no coal mining in New York (where the story was supposed to take place). I'm being nitpicky, but easy to research facts that are wrong bother me. Since the story was okay/likable, I'm rating it 2.5 stars.
Errant by Diana Peterfreund: I'm not sure how this qualifies as 'paranormal love.' It's a stretch at best. The story was interesting enough and the characters in this story were more well-developed than in the first one. The lore surrounding the unicorns in Errant was a little illogical, but at least the paranormal aspect (the unicorns) was original. This story is tough to rate since I don't feel like it fits in with theme well...probably 2.5 stars.
The Spirit Jar by Karen Mahoney: I liked this story, but it didn't knock my socks off, probably because it seemed a little long in parts. The heroine was the most interesting for me out of the stories thus far. 3.5 stars.
Note: So far, the tales really seem as though they are a part of previous/future novels. They don't entirely seem like stand-alone stories.
Lost by Justine Musk: This story was the most concise so far. The plot was fairly simple, but that certainly didn't make for a dull story. I liked the mythological twist to this one. 3.5 stars.
The Spy Who Never Grew Up by Sarah Rees Brennan: This was easily my least favorite story so far. It was meant to be humorous, and it was in parts, but overall it was boring and almost difficult to comprehend at times. 1 star.
"Dungeons of Langeais" by Becca Fitzpatrick: This was my favorite story so far! It pulled me right in and kept me entertained and guessing the whole time. I haven't read Fitzpatrick's Hush, Hush series yet, but this story sparked my curiosity enough to give it a try. 4.5 stars.
Behind the Red Door by Caitlin Kittredge: This story was okay, but I thought the writing was sloppy at times. For instance, in the beginning Deirdre isn't supposed to be smoking because it's so hot out, but then she's flicking ashes into the grass and stubbing out her clove moments later. Kittredge's writing just wasn't rich enough for me. The bones of the story were interesting, but the execution wasn't there. 2 stars.
Hare Moon by Carrie Ryan: There was more sloppy writing in this story. A large part of the plot was based off two contradictory statements. How difficult is it for an author/editor to edit a short story?! This was another story that was tied in with an author's previous work. I haven't read any of Ryan's [b:The Forest of Hands and Teeth|3432478|The Forest of Hands and Teeth (The Forest of Hands and Teeth, #1)|Carrie Ryan|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320633297s/3432478.jpg|3473471] books and I don't plant to after reading this. The 'world' just wasn't compelling for me. 2 stars.
Familiar by Michelle Rowen: I liked this story overall. There was one dumb part, but other than that it was a solid, interesting story. I could see it making a good full-size YA novel. 3.5 stars.
Fearless by Rachel Vincent: This was a good story that kept my interest. I found Sabine's ability a little too...parasitic, which made it difficult for me to empathize with her. 3 stars.
Vermillion by Daniel Marks: I didn't like Marks' writing AT ALL. Velvet was just plain mean and way too concerned with appearances. What a crappy story for a YA audience. In addition to the ridiculous messages in the story, the 'world building' was sparse at best; I didn't get a clear idea of how everything/everyone worked. 1 star.
The Hounds of Ulster by Maggie Stiefvater: This story was the whole reason I picked up this book. I wasn't disappointed. This story is short but awesome, and I loved the twist at the end. My only complaint is that I could have read so much more of the story than the scant 20 pages there were. 4.5 stars.
Many Happy Returns by Daniel Waters: DNF. I didn't make it past the first paragraph when it talks about people getting thrown out of a vehicle in a wreck. I can't handle reading about car crashes.
My average rating for each story is 2.79, so I'm rounding it up to 3 stars for the the collection as a whole. My favorites stories were the ones by Fitzpatrick and Stiefvater.
The Assassin's Apprentice by Michelle Zink: Although this story was fairly simple, I liked it. I could easily see it being part of a full-sized novel. However, I was confused about the time in which the story was set. Rose's use of the words 'valise,' 'firebox,' 'threshold,' etc. and the mention of coal mines and factories in the beginning suggest it being set maybe early in the 1900's. But, there are some inaccuracies (I looked them up because they struck me as odd): pallets (which were mentioned) weren't developed until at least 1927 and there was no coal mining in New York (where the story was supposed to take place). I'm being nitpicky, but easy to research facts that are wrong bother me. Since the story was okay/likable, I'm rating it 2.5 stars.
Errant by Diana Peterfreund: I'm not sure how this qualifies as 'paranormal love.' It's a stretch at best. The story was interesting enough and the characters in this story were more well-developed than in the first one. The lore surrounding the unicorns in Errant was a little illogical, but at least the paranormal aspect (the unicorns) was original. This story is tough to rate since I don't feel like it fits in with theme well...probably 2.5 stars.
The Spirit Jar by Karen Mahoney: I liked this story, but it didn't knock my socks off, probably because it seemed a little long in parts. The heroine was the most interesting for me out of the stories thus far. 3.5 stars.
Note: So far, the tales really seem as though they are a part of previous/future novels. They don't entirely seem like stand-alone stories.
Lost by Justine Musk: This story was the most concise so far. The plot was fairly simple, but that certainly didn't make for a dull story. I liked the mythological twist to this one. 3.5 stars.
The Spy Who Never Grew Up by Sarah Rees Brennan: This was easily my least favorite story so far. It was meant to be humorous, and it was in parts, but overall it was boring and almost difficult to comprehend at times. 1 star.
"Dungeons of Langeais" by Becca Fitzpatrick: This was my favorite story so far! It pulled me right in and kept me entertained and guessing the whole time. I haven't read Fitzpatrick's Hush, Hush series yet, but this story sparked my curiosity enough to give it a try. 4.5 stars.
Behind the Red Door by Caitlin Kittredge: This story was okay, but I thought the writing was sloppy at times. For instance, in the beginning Deirdre isn't supposed to be smoking because it's so hot out, but then she's flicking ashes into the grass and stubbing out her clove moments later. Kittredge's writing just wasn't rich enough for me. The bones of the story were interesting, but the execution wasn't there. 2 stars.
Hare Moon by Carrie Ryan: There was more sloppy writing in this story. A large part of the plot was based off two contradictory statements. How difficult is it for an author/editor to edit a short story?! This was another story that was tied in with an author's previous work. I haven't read any of Ryan's [b:The Forest of Hands and Teeth|3432478|The Forest of Hands and Teeth (The Forest of Hands and Teeth, #1)|Carrie Ryan|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320633297s/3432478.jpg|3473471] books and I don't plant to after reading this. The 'world' just wasn't compelling for me. 2 stars.
Familiar by Michelle Rowen: I liked this story overall. There was one dumb part, but other than that it was a solid, interesting story. I could see it making a good full-size YA novel. 3.5 stars.
Fearless by Rachel Vincent: This was a good story that kept my interest. I found Sabine's ability a little too...parasitic, which made it difficult for me to empathize with her. 3 stars.
Vermillion by Daniel Marks: I didn't like Marks' writing AT ALL. Velvet was just plain mean and way too concerned with appearances. What a crappy story for a YA audience. In addition to the ridiculous messages in the story, the 'world building' was sparse at best; I didn't get a clear idea of how everything/everyone worked. 1 star.
The Hounds of Ulster by Maggie Stiefvater: This story was the whole reason I picked up this book. I wasn't disappointed. This story is short but awesome, and I loved the twist at the end. My only complaint is that I could have read so much more of the story than the scant 20 pages there were. 4.5 stars.
Many Happy Returns by Daniel Waters: DNF. I didn't make it past the first paragraph when it talks about people getting thrown out of a vehicle in a wreck. I can't handle reading about car crashes.
My average rating for each story is 2.79, so I'm rounding it up to 3 stars for the the collection as a whole. My favorites stories were the ones by Fitzpatrick and Stiefvater.