Take a photo of a barcode or cover
106 reviews for:
Vacations from Hell
Cassandra Clare, Libba Bray, Sarah Mlynowski, Claudia Gray, Maureen Johnson
3.32 AVERAGE
106 reviews for:
Vacations from Hell
Cassandra Clare, Libba Bray, Sarah Mlynowski, Claudia Gray, Maureen Johnson
3.32 AVERAGE
Some I did see coming, others not. The best thing about short stories is that you can finish one and then wait until you start a new one without forgetting about something vital from previous parts. All of them are different, a book full of books!
My favourite must have been either Cruisin'by Sarah Mlynowski or Nowhere is Safe by Libba Bray. Cruisin' felt like yet another teenager obsessed with popping the cherry and peer pressure all around them. Even I hear friends whisper 'you can always get laid on a cruise, there are no rules' and I felt for her, this major pressure but damn, I did not see this one coming. What is better than a cruise? VAMPIRES ON A CRUISE.
Nowhere is Safe is a major warning for all us naive foreigners looking for a fun travel through Eastern Europe with their 'silly superstitions and culture', well suck on that. They are also majorly creepy and will not hesitate to go medieval on your ass. The same goes for countryside people. We got our pitchforks ready.
The most weird one was definitely the Law of Suspects, all of it really.
My favourite must have been either Cruisin'by Sarah Mlynowski or Nowhere is Safe by Libba Bray. Cruisin' felt like yet another teenager obsessed with popping the cherry and peer pressure all around them. Even I hear friends whisper 'you can always get laid on a cruise, there are no rules' and I felt for her, this major pressure but damn, I did not see this one coming. What is better than a cruise? VAMPIRES ON A CRUISE.
Nowhere is Safe is a major warning for all us naive foreigners looking for a fun travel through Eastern Europe with their 'silly superstitions and culture', well suck on that. They are also majorly creepy and will not hesitate to go medieval on your ass. The same goes for countryside people. We got our pitchforks ready.
The most weird one was definitely the Law of Suspects, all of it really.
Spoiler
HOW THE HELL CAN YOU BE SO CHILL ABOUT MURDER? THERE'S A DEAD BODY ON THE FLOOR, YOU THINK YOUR SISTER IS INSANE AND YOU LOCKED HER UP BECAUSE OF A KILLING CURSE, DO NOT MAKE OUT WITH THE PRETTY FRENCH BOY DAMN IT.
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this compilation as much as the others. I think it had to do with the fact that this compilation is more horror than romance. This is not to say that the book is all bad, it's just not my preference.
I think out of all 5 stories, I enjoyed "I Don't Like Your Girlfriend" by Claudia Gray and "The Law of Suspects" by Maureen Johnson best. The other stories were good as well, but like I said before, not my type. I Don't Like Your Girlfriend is about a childhood rivalry between two young witches involving the love of a boyfriend. The Law of Suspects is about two sisters' vacation in France where they meet a creepy guy telling a creepy story on the French Revolution. This one was truly masterful in its writing and so suspenseful! 4.5 stars for this story alone.
And for Rachel, who asked for a review on Cassandra Clare's story, "The Mirror House". The prose was written really nicely and there was this good versus evil, bright versus darkness theme to the whole story. The only gripe I have was the plot. I kinda knew how it would end so it wasn't really surprising for me but still, it's definitely a novella worth reading.
In total, 2.5 stars from me.
I think out of all 5 stories, I enjoyed "I Don't Like Your Girlfriend" by Claudia Gray and "The Law of Suspects" by Maureen Johnson best. The other stories were good as well, but like I said before, not my type. I Don't Like Your Girlfriend is about a childhood rivalry between two young witches involving the love of a boyfriend. The Law of Suspects is about two sisters' vacation in France where they meet a creepy guy telling a creepy story on the French Revolution. This one was truly masterful in its writing and so suspenseful! 4.5 stars for this story alone.
And for Rachel, who asked for a review on Cassandra Clare's story, "The Mirror House". The prose was written really nicely and there was this good versus evil, bright versus darkness theme to the whole story. The only gripe I have was the plot. I kinda knew how it would end so it wasn't really surprising for me but still, it's definitely a novella worth reading.
In total, 2.5 stars from me.
Nota final 3.4, com base nas avaliações que eu dei para cada uma das histórias. Não gostei do livro inteiro, e até a metade eu estava sinceramente arrependida de ter feito tanta questão de comprá-lo. Gostei dos três últimos contos (isto é: Maureen Johnson, Cassandra Clare e Libba Bray), e os dois últimos realmente fizeram a coletânea valer a pena pra mim.
Não sei se recomendaria o livro, mas vou deixar registrado que ao menos duas das histórias são interessantes de serem lidas. :)
Não sei se recomendaria o livro, mas vou deixar registrado que ao menos duas das histórias são interessantes de serem lidas. :)
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
1. Cruisin' by Sarah Mlynowski
Cruisin' is about a girl named Kristin who goes on a cruise with her best friend, Liz. Kristin vows that she will lose her virginity by the end of the three day cruise, and Liz vows to help her out. Kristin finds a guy who may be "the one", but there are also rumors of vampires killing people on cruises...
This was my least favorite story in the anthology. The story was predictable, and the characters were flat. Not much else to say about it, except I'm glad the anthology picks up after this one.
2. I Don't Like Your Girlfriend by Claudia Gray
This story is about Cecily, who shares her mother's abilities as a witch. Her family takes an annual trip to the beach to meet with her mother's coven, which happens to include Cecily's nemesis Kathleen. This year, Kathleen brings a boyfriend, and he's everything Cecily wants in a guy. So what's he doing with the evil Cecily?
This story is split into four parts, and each part begins with a list Cecily has made. It wasn't necessary, but I enjoyed them. I liked every part of this story, and it mixed a little humor with the light story.
3. The Law of Suspects by Maureen Johnson
Charlie and Marylou leave for a vacation in Paris to stay with an estranged cousin in the city. Upon their arrival, he informs them that they'll be staying in a remote village to experience an authentic French way of life. Unfortunately, he has to stay in the city for work, so they are sent by themselves. Everything is quiet, although boring, so Charlie decides to take a walk to see who or what she can see. She stumbles upon a distant neighbor who is a little too fascinated with murder, and everything goes downhill from there.
Ahh. Maureen. It's no secret that I love her, and this is definitely one of the best stories in the anthology. It's full of twists and turns, and injected with the touch of humor that is characteristic of Maureen Johnson. The story is comically far-fetched, and is so awesome that I would be happy if it were the only story in the book.
4. The Mirror House by Cassandra Clare
Violet's mom just married Phillip, who happens to be the father of Evan, Violet's biggest crush. The new family goes for a vacation in Jamaica for the honeymoon and to get to know each other better. While out on the beach, Evan and Violet meet a woman who lives nearby, and she asks Evan to help her fix her car. Evan continues to spend time with her throughout the vacation, and also starts to look sickly. Violet needs to find out what's going on, before it's too late.
The anthology gets darker as it goes, and this one is pretty dark. That's not saying it's bad. No, no, It's VERY good. One of those that stays with you for a while. Honestly, there's enough going on here without the supernatural element. It's so rich that it could be an entire novel. It doesn't feel like a short story.
5. Nowhere is Safe by Libba Bray
Poe has just graduated high school, and decides to go backpacking through Europe with three of his friends. The hit the big cities, but blow through most of their money in the first month. Instead of going home, they decide to forgo Amsterdam and instead visit a small village dubbed "The City of the Damned" for an annual festival that may or may not be celebrating Satan.
I'm torn with this story. While I loved the story and the awesome setting, the characters annoyed me. The way the story is told (by Poe and like he is talking to a youtube video) bugged me, and I didn't like his voice. The very end of the story was rushed and felt kind of sloppy. So while I really enjoyed it, I wouldn't call it a favorite.
I would definitely recommend this book if you like any of the authors, or you just some short stories to break up your reading.
Cruisin' is about a girl named Kristin who goes on a cruise with her best friend, Liz. Kristin vows that she will lose her virginity by the end of the three day cruise, and Liz vows to help her out. Kristin finds a guy who may be "the one", but there are also rumors of vampires killing people on cruises...
This was my least favorite story in the anthology. The story was predictable, and the characters were flat. Not much else to say about it, except I'm glad the anthology picks up after this one.
2. I Don't Like Your Girlfriend by Claudia Gray
This story is about Cecily, who shares her mother's abilities as a witch. Her family takes an annual trip to the beach to meet with her mother's coven, which happens to include Cecily's nemesis Kathleen. This year, Kathleen brings a boyfriend, and he's everything Cecily wants in a guy. So what's he doing with the evil Cecily?
This story is split into four parts, and each part begins with a list Cecily has made. It wasn't necessary, but I enjoyed them. I liked every part of this story, and it mixed a little humor with the light story.
3. The Law of Suspects by Maureen Johnson
Charlie and Marylou leave for a vacation in Paris to stay with an estranged cousin in the city. Upon their arrival, he informs them that they'll be staying in a remote village to experience an authentic French way of life. Unfortunately, he has to stay in the city for work, so they are sent by themselves. Everything is quiet, although boring, so Charlie decides to take a walk to see who or what she can see. She stumbles upon a distant neighbor who is a little too fascinated with murder, and everything goes downhill from there.
Ahh. Maureen. It's no secret that I love her, and this is definitely one of the best stories in the anthology. It's full of twists and turns, and injected with the touch of humor that is characteristic of Maureen Johnson. The story is comically far-fetched, and is so awesome that I would be happy if it were the only story in the book.
4. The Mirror House by Cassandra Clare
Violet's mom just married Phillip, who happens to be the father of Evan, Violet's biggest crush. The new family goes for a vacation in Jamaica for the honeymoon and to get to know each other better. While out on the beach, Evan and Violet meet a woman who lives nearby, and she asks Evan to help her fix her car. Evan continues to spend time with her throughout the vacation, and also starts to look sickly. Violet needs to find out what's going on, before it's too late.
The anthology gets darker as it goes, and this one is pretty dark. That's not saying it's bad. No, no, It's VERY good. One of those that stays with you for a while. Honestly, there's enough going on here without the supernatural element. It's so rich that it could be an entire novel. It doesn't feel like a short story.
5. Nowhere is Safe by Libba Bray
Poe has just graduated high school, and decides to go backpacking through Europe with three of his friends. The hit the big cities, but blow through most of their money in the first month. Instead of going home, they decide to forgo Amsterdam and instead visit a small village dubbed "The City of the Damned" for an annual festival that may or may not be celebrating Satan.
I'm torn with this story. While I loved the story and the awesome setting, the characters annoyed me. The way the story is told (by Poe and like he is talking to a youtube video) bugged me, and I didn't like his voice. The very end of the story was rushed and felt kind of sloppy. So while I really enjoyed it, I wouldn't call it a favorite.
I would definitely recommend this book if you like any of the authors, or you just some short stories to break up your reading.
Some stories were definitely better than others, but honestly I thought this was a great little anthology, and the strength of Maureen Johnson’s and Libba Bray’s stories definitely brought this up!
Individual rating breakdown:
Sarah Mlynowski “Cruisin” - This was very silly and then it became even more silly, cheesy fun. Ending made me laugh for sure. 3.5 stars
Claudia Gray “I Don’t Like Your Girlfriend” - Eh, this was ok. 3 stars
Maureen Johnson “The Law of Suspects” - This scared the heck out of me. 5 stars
Cassandra Clare “The Mirror House” - I liked the ending, but this really had no personality to me and of course she included a “forbidden romance” trope like she seems to include in every short story of hers that I’ve read. 3 stars
Libba Bray “No Where is Safe” - Libba Bray as always is amazing, no surprise there. 5 stars
Individual rating breakdown:
Sarah Mlynowski “Cruisin” - This was very silly and then it became even more silly, cheesy fun. Ending made me laugh for sure. 3.5 stars
Claudia Gray “I Don’t Like Your Girlfriend” - Eh, this was ok. 3 stars
Maureen Johnson “The Law of Suspects” - This scared the heck out of me. 5 stars
Cassandra Clare “The Mirror House” - I liked the ending, but this really had no personality to me and of course she included a “forbidden romance” trope like she seems to include in every short story of hers that I’ve read. 3 stars
Libba Bray “No Where is Safe” - Libba Bray as always is amazing, no surprise there. 5 stars
Maureen Johnson's was brilliant, the vampire and witch stories were great, Cassie Clare is way carried away by atmosphere and Libba Bray's kind of went all over the place but it worked out in the end. Solid but still fun.
I thought about doing individual reviews of each short story, but I'm on vacation and feeling lazy, so I'm not going to do that. My least favorite story was the first (the one on the cruise) because it felt like something I could write myself and I like to be a little intimidated by the authors I read. My most favorite was the Maureen Johnson story because I have a weakness for anything French and it had the most twists and turns throughout. Overall, I thought this collection was great, and a great choice to read while you're already on a vacation and not able to back out of a trip because these stories terrified you, haha.
Can't go wrong with this collection of writers. Great little anthology, with a fun theme.