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marpesea's review against another edition
4.0
This was an excellent short story collection. I didn't expect to be surprised by some of the endings or the premises, but I was. Stories featured ghosts and selchies, technology and faeries.
Scott Westerfeld's story about a class called "Scarcity" meant to teach privileged kids of the future what it was like to live in more primitive times was probably my favorite of the lot. That said, every story in this collection was extremely enjoyable.
Scott Westerfeld's story about a class called "Scarcity" meant to teach privileged kids of the future what it was like to live in more primitive times was probably my favorite of the lot. That said, every story in this collection was extremely enjoyable.
beakarnstein's review against another edition
5.0
Un libro HER-MO-SO.
Si bien las primeras 4 historias me hicieron llorar, la última fue tan perfecta (protagonistas ideales, escenas, final, equilibrio justo entre romance y drama) que arregló los sentimientos que me habían generado las otras.
Si bien las primeras 4 historias me hicieron llorar, la última fue tan perfecta (protagonistas ideales, escenas, final, equilibrio justo entre romance y drama) que arregló los sentimientos que me habían generado las otras.
darkacademiafiend's review against another edition
3.0
Het boek bevat verschillende verhalen, wat soms best vervelend kan zijn. Ik wil gewoon een lang verhaal. Ook vond ik niet al de verhalen even leuk. Ik vond vooral het verhaal heel leuk dat zit afspeelde in een afgelegen dorpje, volgens mij is dat het 4de verhaal. Maar overal een heel leuk verhaal en boek.
marimoose's review against another edition
3.0
After I'd been resolved to not liking this book, it was probably the last story that made me rethink it and go: "You know, the stories aren't all that bad."
Well, in a YA-"omg love" sense. Not all the stories ended well (I was particularly fond of how "Fan Fictions" ended up, it was just so odd, but so interesting!). I think overall, however, Scott Westerfeld and Melissa Marr had my favorite stories.
Okay, yes, I picked the book up because I saw Westerfeld's name on the list of authors, so there was always going to be bias there. His "Stupid Perfect World" was written in his YA Uglies style, so I wasn't exactly blown over by the change of style from his Leviathan trilogy (and while I certainly preferred the latter, the former worked fine with this story). He managed to put in a little info about a scifi-world, created lovely repeat-phrases (like "meeker", which I'm not particularly what it means still), and put in two characters whose points of view were entertaining.
And yes, I've heard of Melissa Marr and Wicked Lovely is probably in my reading list somewhere. So I'm actually pleased at how her "Love Struck" turned out, mostly because it was all about selkies! I really can't resist a fairy tale-related story, oh no. And the story was adorable, albeit I could have used a bit more story with the brother (there was so much background unsaid that I would have liked the story to go for more than 40-something pages!).
The other three stories had something interesting to say about love as well, though again, perhaps not my favorites. "Thinner than Water" had to do with falling in love with the fae folk and the repercussions after living with a all-too traditional family; it was nicely done (again, my same complaint goes to the fact that the story was too short). "Fan Fictions" dealt with a girl crazy in love who appears to be morphing a story to meld with her own life (who wouldn't want their favorite fictional guy to literally come out of the page and serenade her?). And "Sleeping with the Spirit" started the anthology off with the supernatural feel (think a YA Ghost with no need for a physical Whoopi Goldberg medium).
Yeah, I think that sums it up.
Well, in a YA-"omg love" sense. Not all the stories ended well (I was particularly fond of how "Fan Fictions" ended up, it was just so odd, but so interesting!). I think overall, however, Scott Westerfeld and Melissa Marr had my favorite stories.
Okay, yes, I picked the book up because I saw Westerfeld's name on the list of authors, so there was always going to be bias there. His "Stupid Perfect World" was written in his YA Uglies style, so I wasn't exactly blown over by the change of style from his Leviathan trilogy (and while I certainly preferred the latter, the former worked fine with this story). He managed to put in a little info about a scifi-world, created lovely repeat-phrases (like "meeker", which I'm not particularly what it means still), and put in two characters whose points of view were entertaining.
And yes, I've heard of Melissa Marr and Wicked Lovely is probably in my reading list somewhere. So I'm actually pleased at how her "Love Struck" turned out, mostly because it was all about selkies! I really can't resist a fairy tale-related story, oh no. And the story was adorable, albeit I could have used a bit more story with the brother (there was so much background unsaid that I would have liked the story to go for more than 40-something pages!).
The other three stories had something interesting to say about love as well, though again, perhaps not my favorites. "Thinner than Water" had to do with falling in love with the fae folk and the repercussions after living with a all-too traditional family; it was nicely done (again, my same complaint goes to the fact that the story was too short). "Fan Fictions" dealt with a girl crazy in love who appears to be morphing a story to meld with her own life (who wouldn't want their favorite fictional guy to literally come out of the page and serenade her?). And "Sleeping with the Spirit" started the anthology off with the supernatural feel (think a YA Ghost with no need for a physical Whoopi Goldberg medium).
Yeah, I think that sums it up.
littlebitofe's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed all the stories, although THINNER THAN WATER by Justine Larbalestier was rather sad. I had a good laugh over FAN FICTIONS by Gabrielle Zevin and its poke at the Twilight craze.
gabbyreadswithtea's review against another edition
3.0
OVERALL RATING: 3.1 / 5 stars
*Minor spoilers in review*
Since this book is made up of lots of little stories, I thought it would be a bit silly to give it one rating, one review. Instead I have sectioned this review into each story, so you all know what I thought of each one, individually. Heads up, what surprised me is that the only stories that intrigued me at all, and came up with a NEW concept, were the only two authors that I actually recognised; Melissa Marr and Scott Westerfeld. To the other authors of this anthology I say; "Take a risk! Be creative."
Sleeping With The Spirit, by Laurie Faria Stolarz (3/5 stars)
Starting this anthology with a ghost story, was really a downer for me. I don't like ghost stories. I read this a fair while ago, so I don't remember many details, although I did like the ending, bittersweet. One thing that was hard about this book was lack of information, which was to be expected since this is a short story. Also, I'm starting to enjoy other genres, so going back to a genre that I read when I was twelve, was quite difficult to do. This is why some of these ratings were quite low. Overall, not a bad story but not a good story to start the book off, for me.
Compared to the other stories in this novella, this one was meh.
I did find the little 90's references super cute though, I love 90s movies!
"about his favourite '80s flicks (Back to the Future and Ferris Buellers Day off)"
Stupid Perfect World, by Scott Westerfeld (4/5 stars)
I was quite nervous going into this story as I've heard some of Scott Westerfeld's dystopian stories can be quite dark and creepy. The concept of this world dragged me in on the first page, there was so much I wanted to learn! His idea of this "perfect" world was so intriguing, yet he did it with such confidence; almost as if it actually existed. It was quite interesting what each of the students wanted to "give up" in their assignment, like sleep, health, time travel and many other things we couldn't even comprehend! It was interesting how these characters were learning about things that are so natural and common for us readers. Overall, really liked it and made me actually want to go read some of Scott's other novels and series.
Thinner Than Water, by Justine Larbalestier (2/5 stars)
Damn, I was regretting writing a review for this story. I don't really know what to say for this except for it made me uncomfortable. All the morals of these people, all the horrible things they did, made me SICK. I just hated everything about this world and struggled to even consider it. I know there are some places in this world that may live like this and that killed me inside. I guess the author deserves some credit for making me feel so strongly about this story, but it really did just make my skin crawl. I'm sure I didn't sleep well for the next few days after reading this. I've only read a limited amount of faerie/fey stories and I loved all of them, I was quite disappointed to really despise this one because I love reading about the world of the fey.
Fan Fictions, by Gabrielle Zevin (2/5 stars)
Another story that just creeped me out! It made me want to scream "I'm NOT crazy! I'm NOT crazy!" just like the main character. I gave this such a low rating because there was no answer to the main question; what the heck just happened? Is she crazy? Does she know a ghost? Does this person really exist? Or did she just read it in the book like everyone thought she did? I can't stand books with no clear answer, it literally drives me nuts. (Which, honestly, was probably the whole point of this story anyway.) Also, this story reminded me a lot of "Between The Lines" by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer.
Love Struck, by Melissa Marr (4.5/5 stars)
Those smarty pants decided to put the only author I really wanted to read right at the end of the book. I have not yet read anything from Melissa Marr, however I have her "Wicked Lovely" series staring at me on my shelf right now... This was going to be a tester...test the waters (yes, pun.) This was probably my favorite story in the anthology. Unique story, unusual creatures and something that I had never read before in my life. I have never heard of selchies, however I assume they are a real legend (I checked, and yes they are). Not many people, I assume have heard of these creatures, or read of them in this type of fictional story, and that's one reason why I loved this so much; it was new.
I was so prepared to give this story a really low rating, as at the end I was chanting, "Vic's gonna kill him, Vic's gonna kill him" but instead, it ended so beautifully, and really made me think, "love is hell. But it's worth it."
*Minor spoilers in review*
Since this book is made up of lots of little stories, I thought it would be a bit silly to give it one rating, one review. Instead I have sectioned this review into each story, so you all know what I thought of each one, individually. Heads up, what surprised me is that the only stories that intrigued me at all, and came up with a NEW concept, were the only two authors that I actually recognised; Melissa Marr and Scott Westerfeld. To the other authors of this anthology I say; "Take a risk! Be creative."
Sleeping With The Spirit, by Laurie Faria Stolarz (3/5 stars)
Starting this anthology with a ghost story, was really a downer for me. I don't like ghost stories. I read this a fair while ago, so I don't remember many details, although I did like the ending, bittersweet. One thing that was hard about this book was lack of information, which was to be expected since this is a short story. Also, I'm starting to enjoy other genres, so going back to a genre that I read when I was twelve, was quite difficult to do. This is why some of these ratings were quite low. Overall, not a bad story but not a good story to start the book off, for me.
Compared to the other stories in this novella, this one was meh.
I did find the little 90's references super cute though, I love 90s movies!
"about his favourite '80s flicks (Back to the Future and Ferris Buellers Day off)"
Stupid Perfect World, by Scott Westerfeld (4/5 stars)
I was quite nervous going into this story as I've heard some of Scott Westerfeld's dystopian stories can be quite dark and creepy. The concept of this world dragged me in on the first page, there was so much I wanted to learn! His idea of this "perfect" world was so intriguing, yet he did it with such confidence; almost as if it actually existed. It was quite interesting what each of the students wanted to "give up" in their assignment, like sleep, health, time travel and many other things we couldn't even comprehend! It was interesting how these characters were learning about things that are so natural and common for us readers. Overall, really liked it and made me actually want to go read some of Scott's other novels and series.
Thinner Than Water, by Justine Larbalestier (2/5 stars)
Damn, I was regretting writing a review for this story. I don't really know what to say for this except for it made me uncomfortable. All the morals of these people, all the horrible things they did, made me SICK. I just hated everything about this world and struggled to even consider it. I know there are some places in this world that may live like this and that killed me inside. I guess the author deserves some credit for making me feel so strongly about this story, but it really did just make my skin crawl. I'm sure I didn't sleep well for the next few days after reading this. I've only read a limited amount of faerie/fey stories and I loved all of them, I was quite disappointed to really despise this one because I love reading about the world of the fey.
Fan Fictions, by Gabrielle Zevin (2/5 stars)
Another story that just creeped me out! It made me want to scream "I'm NOT crazy! I'm NOT crazy!" just like the main character. I gave this such a low rating because there was no answer to the main question; what the heck just happened? Is she crazy? Does she know a ghost? Does this person really exist? Or did she just read it in the book like everyone thought she did? I can't stand books with no clear answer, it literally drives me nuts. (Which, honestly, was probably the whole point of this story anyway.) Also, this story reminded me a lot of "Between The Lines" by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer.
Love Struck, by Melissa Marr (4.5/5 stars)
Those smarty pants decided to put the only author I really wanted to read right at the end of the book. I have not yet read anything from Melissa Marr, however I have her "Wicked Lovely" series staring at me on my shelf right now... This was going to be a tester...test the waters (yes, pun.) This was probably my favorite story in the anthology. Unique story, unusual creatures and something that I had never read before in my life. I have never heard of selchies, however I assume they are a real legend (I checked, and yes they are). Not many people, I assume have heard of these creatures, or read of them in this type of fictional story, and that's one reason why I loved this so much; it was new.
I was so prepared to give this story a really low rating, as at the end I was chanting, "Vic's gonna kill him, Vic's gonna kill him" but instead, it ended so beautifully, and really made me think, "love is hell. But it's worth it."
clebos's review against another edition
5.0
I picked this book up not quite knowing what to expect. It was remarkably thin for a collection of short stories, and I wasn't quite sure if each author would have enough time to completely develop their stories.
As has been mentioned in past reviews, it is extremely difficult to rate an anthology, but all said, I really liked this book. Before obtaining this collection, I'd already read works by several of the authors, both short stories and full length novels, and was pleasantly surprised to find a book with so many of them included!
Personally, I enjoyed "Thinner than Water" by Justine Larbalestier and "Fan Fictions" by Gabrielle Zevin the best. They made my heart ache for the main characters, who were relatable and real. "Thinner than Water" left me almost in tears at various points, and while I admit that I'm not exactly the toughest cookie, anyone who isn't at least somewhat saddened must have a heart of stone. "Fan Fictions" was so unbelievably easy to relate to. When I began reading, the first thing that came to mind was how often I had felt like the protagonist, Paige. And of course, when the ending came about, I was thoroughly shocked, and somewhat worried that perhaps I too would end up like her!
"Stupid Perfect World" was also very good, and I found the story line to be very unique. The setting and the development of the characters were nicely done, and I enjoyed the fact that the chapters alternated between each of the 2 main characters. This was another story with characters to which I could relate...
"Sleeping with the Spirit" and "Love Struck" were the 2 stories that I was least satisfied with. "Sleeping with the Spirit" seemed too ... shallow. I did not feel any relationship with the characters. The story was superficial and left me almost bored by the end. I had been hoping for a little bit more from the story, and I was bitterly disappointed.
"Love Struck" was the story I'd originally gotten the book for, because it was written by Melissa Marr, Author of the Wicked Lovely "series". Unfortunately, I didn't find anything particularly noteworthy about the story. It was bland, and uninteresting, and seemed like it required further development. There didn't seem like there was much of a plot, and when I reached the end, I was not at all satisfied.
All in all, the good outweighed the bad, but there were definitely some disappointing performances by well-know, and well-loved authors.
As has been mentioned in past reviews, it is extremely difficult to rate an anthology, but all said, I really liked this book. Before obtaining this collection, I'd already read works by several of the authors, both short stories and full length novels, and was pleasantly surprised to find a book with so many of them included!
Personally, I enjoyed "Thinner than Water" by Justine Larbalestier and "Fan Fictions" by Gabrielle Zevin the best. They made my heart ache for the main characters, who were relatable and real. "Thinner than Water" left me almost in tears at various points, and while I admit that I'm not exactly the toughest cookie, anyone who isn't at least somewhat saddened must have a heart of stone. "Fan Fictions" was so unbelievably easy to relate to. When I began reading, the first thing that came to mind was how often I had felt like the protagonist, Paige. And of course, when the ending came about, I was thoroughly shocked, and somewhat worried that perhaps I too would end up like her!
"Stupid Perfect World" was also very good, and I found the story line to be very unique. The setting and the development of the characters were nicely done, and I enjoyed the fact that the chapters alternated between each of the 2 main characters. This was another story with characters to which I could relate...
"Sleeping with the Spirit" and "Love Struck" were the 2 stories that I was least satisfied with. "Sleeping with the Spirit" seemed too ... shallow. I did not feel any relationship with the characters. The story was superficial and left me almost bored by the end. I had been hoping for a little bit more from the story, and I was bitterly disappointed.
"Love Struck" was the story I'd originally gotten the book for, because it was written by Melissa Marr, Author of the Wicked Lovely "series". Unfortunately, I didn't find anything particularly noteworthy about the story. It was bland, and uninteresting, and seemed like it required further development. There didn't seem like there was much of a plot, and when I reached the end, I was not at all satisfied.
All in all, the good outweighed the bad, but there were definitely some disappointing performances by well-know, and well-loved authors.
christina_34's review against another edition
3.0
Not a bad book. The stories were a little different from the other "From Hell" books.
Sleeping with the Spirit **1/2
Ghost romance. Girl sees in her dreams a boy and obviously he haunts her house asking for her help, so he can move on. Predictable plot and a sad ending.
Stupid Perfect World **1/2
Futuristic. I don't read futuristic stories so this was something new for me. For a lesson the students have to choose something the old people did, so the girl chooses to stop her hormonal balance and be a proper teenager and the boy chooses to sleep. Dreams follow and then love. The characters were with no depth but the story was something fresh.
Thinner Than Water ***1/2
I liked this story. It seemed a little bit with celtic myth, with fey leaving babies for the people with green eyes and amazing skills. The girl wants to leave from her village but her parents won't let her, so she "marries" a guy from the village for one year but the parents don't approve. So after some time half the village come and kill him. A sad but nice story.
Fan Fictions **
In the beginning it looks like Twilight. He is the only guy that ever noticed her but she can't tell anyone that they're together. Afterwards we learn he was born on 187- and in the very end we'll never know if he really existed.
Love Struck ***
Selkies!Nice turn with the mythology. A little bit with family drama, some denial and in the end love. I didn't like Alana very much, but Murrin was cute.
Sleeping with the Spirit **1/2
Ghost romance. Girl sees in her dreams a boy and obviously he haunts her house asking for her help, so he can move on. Predictable plot and a sad ending.
Stupid Perfect World **1/2
Futuristic. I don't read futuristic stories so this was something new for me. For a lesson the students have to choose something the old people did, so the girl chooses to stop her hormonal balance and be a proper teenager and the boy chooses to sleep. Dreams follow and then love. The characters were with no depth but the story was something fresh.
Thinner Than Water ***1/2
I liked this story. It seemed a little bit with celtic myth, with fey leaving babies for the people with green eyes and amazing skills. The girl wants to leave from her village but her parents won't let her, so she "marries" a guy from the village for one year but the parents don't approve. So after some time half the village come and kill him. A sad but nice story.
Fan Fictions **
In the beginning it looks like Twilight. He is the only guy that ever noticed her but she can't tell anyone that they're together. Afterwards we learn he was born on 187- and in the very end we'll never know if he really existed.
Love Struck ***
Selkies!Nice turn with the mythology. A little bit with family drama, some denial and in the end love. I didn't like Alana very much, but Murrin was cute.
somewheregirl7's review against another edition
2.0
I ran out and bought this anthology the moment it came out when I found out there was a Scott Westerfeld story in it. I'm also a fan of Melissa Marr and Justine Larbalestier isn't a bad author either so it seemed like a good investment.
On the contrary, this is one of the more disappointing and weaker anthologies I've read. I wouldn't purchase it if given the chance to go back in time. Below is a review of each story, none of which were the best examples of their authors' work.
Sleeping With the Spirit by Laurie Faria Stolarz
I've never read this author's work before. She writes well with tight prose, good description and a reasonable pace. The overall story is nothing that stands out - a tale about a girl who falls in love with a ghost. The characters were interesting, but not memorable and the tale was enjoyable but forgettable.
Stupid Perfect World by Scott Westerfeld
At first I couldn't tell if the protagonist was male or female. As with much of Westerfeld's work he does a good job on world building, dumping us into a future reality where all the ills of humanity have been solved and school students are forced to tastoke a class to learn about things like plagues, war, hunger and such. For their final project each student must select one of those long-forgotten ills to experience personally. The protagonist, Keiran, chooses to experience sleep. His friend Maria chooses normal teenage hormones. This is a character study more than anything else and charming and light - like cotton candy. It lacks some of the depth of Westerfeld's other work but was still fun. Overall the best story in the anthology.
Thinner Than Water by Justine Larbaleister
At first this story started out very interesting. It's about a girl raised in a tourist town that reenacts life in Miedeval Europe and her parents are so into this that they have no technology and really do live every moment of their lives in their bakery as though it was several hundred years ago. The teenagers in the town are married very young, as they would have done in the past. The townspeople are also very superstitious about faeries and such. The main characer, Jean, falls in love with a boy ostracized by the town as having Faerie blood, Robbie, and pledges to marry him. At sixteen the girl is married. The story goes downhill fast. SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS don't read further unless you want to know what happens. The villagers kill Robbie. They murder him and there isn't any consequence at all! Nothing. Further he comes back and the two teenagers make love, and the main character ends up pregnant by her dead faerie husband at 16. Larbaleister seems obsessed with glamorizing teenage pregnancy because this is the second story of hers I've read where a young girl ends up pregnant. I wouldn't be opposed to that if it was not glamorized, if the harsher realities of teenage pregnancy were shown, but they are not. It's disturbing and poorly handled.
Fan Fictions by Gabrielle Zevin
This has to be one of the most confusing stories I've ever read. Zevin uses an unreliable narrator and tries to make the user question the story by twisting it on its head at the end. Somehow it falls short however and what is left is just a strange bit of nonsensical story telling that has promise but never quite delivers on it.
Love Struck by Melissa Marr
Marr's two novels were very strong and well written with vivid characters and prose. I think she needs the longer format a novel offers. Her short story started out with an intriguing premise but just felt flat overall and too one-dimensional. The bones of the story are there but it is missing the heart. Perhaps with another couple chapters and a bit more conflict, this would have made a good story, but it is currently unsatisfying and not at all up to Marr's usual work.
On the contrary, this is one of the more disappointing and weaker anthologies I've read. I wouldn't purchase it if given the chance to go back in time. Below is a review of each story, none of which were the best examples of their authors' work.
Sleeping With the Spirit by Laurie Faria Stolarz
I've never read this author's work before. She writes well with tight prose, good description and a reasonable pace. The overall story is nothing that stands out - a tale about a girl who falls in love with a ghost. The characters were interesting, but not memorable and the tale was enjoyable but forgettable.
Stupid Perfect World by Scott Westerfeld
At first I couldn't tell if the protagonist was male or female. As with much of Westerfeld's work he does a good job on world building, dumping us into a future reality where all the ills of humanity have been solved and school students are forced to tastoke a class to learn about things like plagues, war, hunger and such. For their final project each student must select one of those long-forgotten ills to experience personally. The protagonist, Keiran, chooses to experience sleep. His friend Maria chooses normal teenage hormones. This is a character study more than anything else and charming and light - like cotton candy. It lacks some of the depth of Westerfeld's other work but was still fun. Overall the best story in the anthology.
Thinner Than Water by Justine Larbaleister
At first this story started out very interesting. It's about a girl raised in a tourist town that reenacts life in Miedeval Europe and her parents are so into this that they have no technology and really do live every moment of their lives in their bakery as though it was several hundred years ago. The teenagers in the town are married very young, as they would have done in the past. The townspeople are also very superstitious about faeries and such. The main characer, Jean, falls in love with a boy ostracized by the town as having Faerie blood, Robbie, and pledges to marry him. At sixteen the girl is married. The story goes downhill fast. SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS don't read further unless you want to know what happens. The villagers kill Robbie. They murder him and there isn't any consequence at all! Nothing. Further he comes back and the two teenagers make love, and the main character ends up pregnant by her dead faerie husband at 16. Larbaleister seems obsessed with glamorizing teenage pregnancy because this is the second story of hers I've read where a young girl ends up pregnant. I wouldn't be opposed to that if it was not glamorized, if the harsher realities of teenage pregnancy were shown, but they are not. It's disturbing and poorly handled.
Fan Fictions by Gabrielle Zevin
This has to be one of the most confusing stories I've ever read. Zevin uses an unreliable narrator and tries to make the user question the story by twisting it on its head at the end. Somehow it falls short however and what is left is just a strange bit of nonsensical story telling that has promise but never quite delivers on it.
Love Struck by Melissa Marr
Marr's two novels were very strong and well written with vivid characters and prose. I think she needs the longer format a novel offers. Her short story started out with an intriguing premise but just felt flat overall and too one-dimensional. The bones of the story are there but it is missing the heart. Perhaps with another couple chapters and a bit more conflict, this would have made a good story, but it is currently unsatisfying and not at all up to Marr's usual work.