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desiree_mcl's review against another edition
5.0
This rating is just for Magic Dreams by Ilona Andrews.
4.5-5 stars.
Such a great short story. Getting a story with Dali and Jim was fantastic. My only complaint, there wasn't more. I wanted to keep reading their story and I hated when it stopped. Other than that this was wonderful and I hope we get more short stories (or full-length novels) focusing on Dali and Jim.
4.5-5 stars.
Such a great short story. Getting a story with Dali and Jim was fantastic. My only complaint, there wasn't more. I wanted to keep reading their story and I hated when it stopped. Other than that this was wonderful and I hope we get more short stories (or full-length novels) focusing on Dali and Jim.
git_r_read's review against another edition
5.0
For me, historically, an anthology is one strong story, one reasonably good and the rest rather weak filler.
I was highly pleased to find that HEXED happily underexceeded my historical expectations....each and every novella smoked!
I was introduced to two new-to-me authors, in that I've heard of them, but not read as yet, Allyson James and Ilona Andrews. I have added their books to the WWBL because of their novellas in this book. Each one kept me up way past my bedtime so I could see what else was going to happen to the characters. Especially in Allyson James story, 'Double Hexed'. A multiple of supernatural characters working together to figure out who or what was keeping them trapped inside their hotel.
I've read Yasmine Galenorn's Sisters of the Moon series in the past, but meandered away for some reason. I will be going back after reading 'Ice Shards'. I like how Yasmine draws other characters into the main story, not just the sisters. I've been fascinated with Iris' place in the household and her backstory is uniquely told.
And I absolutely adore Anna Strong's story as written by Jeanne Stein. She's tough, family oriented, and trying to learn her place in the world as a vampire and as The Chosen. I am highly intrigued to read what is going to happen next since it looks like Anna might have a new love interest. YAY!
Thank you, Jeanne Stein, for giving me this signed ARC to enjoy and have on the keeper shelf to dig into again. HEXED comes out 7 Jun. Go get this highly excellent anthology!!
Five sparkly smokin' diamonds......
I was highly pleased to find that HEXED happily underexceeded my historical expectations....each and every novella smoked!
I was introduced to two new-to-me authors, in that I've heard of them, but not read as yet, Allyson James and Ilona Andrews. I have added their books to the WWBL because of their novellas in this book. Each one kept me up way past my bedtime so I could see what else was going to happen to the characters. Especially in Allyson James story, 'Double Hexed'. A multiple of supernatural characters working together to figure out who or what was keeping them trapped inside their hotel.
I've read Yasmine Galenorn's Sisters of the Moon series in the past, but meandered away for some reason. I will be going back after reading 'Ice Shards'. I like how Yasmine draws other characters into the main story, not just the sisters. I've been fascinated with Iris' place in the household and her backstory is uniquely told.
And I absolutely adore Anna Strong's story as written by Jeanne Stein. She's tough, family oriented, and trying to learn her place in the world as a vampire and as The Chosen. I am highly intrigued to read what is going to happen next since it looks like Anna might have a new love interest. YAY!
Thank you, Jeanne Stein, for giving me this signed ARC to enjoy and have on the keeper shelf to dig into again. HEXED comes out 7 Jun. Go get this highly excellent anthology!!
Five sparkly smokin' diamonds......
hlizmarie's review against another edition
5.0
I actually only read the Ilona Andrews story about Dali since I don't follow the other series in this anthology. I loved reading from Dali's perspective! She's a very unique character in the Kate Daniels world since she's more brain than brawn. Not to say that everyone else in this series is all muscle since that's not the case in the least but their battles often rely on their physical capabilities as much as their head. Dali has a lot of insecurities as well which we get a clear picture of throughout the novella. She's struggled with who she is and how she fits in with other shape shifters since she's not physically strong, gets disoriented during shifting and is blind as a bat. Of course she's secretly in love with Jim, security head for the pack, who she feels she has no chance with. I adored the interactions between Jim and Dali. They made me laugh more than once and I was thrilled at the end when Jim visits her at home and explains where he's coming from. It was wonderful! I'd love an opportunity to read more about Dali and her unique type of magic. The authors have mentioned they may be doing a spinoff series with her in the lead and I'd definitely pick that up!
debwendler's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
jacquelinec's review against another edition
4.0
Rating for Ilona Andrews's story only, at this point.
danicamidlil's review against another edition
This only gets two stars because of the saving grace of one story. The only good one in the book was "Magic Dreams" by [a:Ilona Andrews|21748|Ilona Andrews|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1219436898p2/21748.jpg](a husband and wife team Ilona and Andrew)[ai:Ilona Andrews|21748|Ilona Andrews|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1219436898p2/21748.jpg]. Dali and Jim's story was so good that I ran right out and started the series from whence it came. Alas, the series is about Kate Daniels and not Dali. Very SAD. I want more Dali and Jim!
The rest of the stories are so badly written that I finally had to put the book down and admit that I will never finish them. It's too painful to wade through the horrible writing. So much for Ever picking up [a:Yasmine Galenorn|101078|Yasmine Galenorn|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1362775553p2/101078.jpg]'s series. The cover's always intrigued me, but her writing SUCKS!
The rest of the stories are so badly written that I finally had to put the book down and admit that I will never finish them. It's too painful to wade through the horrible writing. So much for Ever picking up [a:Yasmine Galenorn|101078|Yasmine Galenorn|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1362775553p2/101078.jpg]'s series. The cover's always intrigued me, but her writing SUCKS!
glitterbomb47's review against another edition
3.0
This book is a collection of four novellas by four different female (mostly urban) fantasy authors. Breakdown:
"Magic Dreams" by Ilona Andrews, 4 stars. This is why I read the book. Love, love, love Ilona Andrews. Fun to have a story from Dali's point of view, especially her views on Kate.
"Ice Shards" by Yasmine Galenorn, 0 stars. Read two pages and the gag-worthy dialogue inspired me to skip to the next story.
"Double Hexed" by Allyson James, 2.5 stars. Entertaining, kinda cheesy.
"Blood Debt" by Jeanne C. Stein, 2 stars. Slightly entertaining, really cheesy.
I know these ratings do not average out to 3 stars, but I just couldn't do that to Ilona Andrews.
"Magic Dreams" by Ilona Andrews, 4 stars. This is why I read the book. Love, love, love Ilona Andrews. Fun to have a story from Dali's point of view, especially her views on Kate.
"Ice Shards" by Yasmine Galenorn, 0 stars. Read two pages and the gag-worthy dialogue inspired me to skip to the next story.
"Double Hexed" by Allyson James, 2.5 stars. Entertaining, kinda cheesy.
"Blood Debt" by Jeanne C. Stein, 2 stars. Slightly entertaining, really cheesy.
I know these ratings do not average out to 3 stars, but I just couldn't do that to Ilona Andrews.
hgranger's review against another edition
2.0
Really it’s 3.5 stars for “Magic Dreams”, which is well done, with a cute story about Jim and Dali, and 1 star for the other novellas.
Actually negative stars for “Ice Shards” which had a fascinating magical creature (Finnish house sprite) as a main character and managed to be one of the most ridiculous stories I’ve read in a while. I don’t know much about Finnish house sprites but the other Scandinavian countries don’t have sprites that split their time between crying and being helpless. Sometimes both. This novella may also have the record for the times someone gazes into someone else’s eyes. It read like bad fanfiction.
“Double Hexed” is trite and packed with tropes, the most annoying of those being the “I can’t allow you to make decisions because I am big strong man.” 🙄
“Blood Debt” could have been a decent short story from what I assume is a longer series, but the insta-lust ruins everything and makes it lame.
Actually negative stars for “Ice Shards” which had a fascinating magical creature (Finnish house sprite) as a main character and managed to be one of the most ridiculous stories I’ve read in a while. I don’t know much about Finnish house sprites but the other Scandinavian countries don’t have sprites that split their time between crying and being helpless. Sometimes both. This novella may also have the record for the times someone gazes into someone else’s eyes. It read like bad fanfiction.
“Double Hexed” is trite and packed with tropes, the most annoying of those being the “I can’t allow you to make decisions because I am big strong man.” 🙄
“Blood Debt” could have been a decent short story from what I assume is a longer series, but the insta-lust ruins everything and makes it lame.
hjhill_55's review against another edition
I don’t want to rate it, mostly because I started for the Ilona Andrews story that I loved… and then felt meh for the rest. So, basically I liked the first and last and I know I skipped part of one in the middle. Maybe mood, but still.
alisonb's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyed Andrews' story the most. I have to attribute that to the fact that I am a Kate Daniel's fan and am already familiar with Dali. I do have two of Stein's books on my shelf, however, after having read her short story in this entertaining short story collection.