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A review by poisonenvy
Hex in the City by Kerrie L. Hughes
3.0
The stories average out to 3.5*, but I'm gonna knock off another half star for the shoddy editing.
I'm just going to start off by saying that I didn't love the authors insistence that a few of the stories were self-inserts or something ("I swear the main character of this story is ACTUALLY the author lololol") or the fact that some of the intros, put right at the beginning of the stories, contained spoilers.
King of the Kingless Plotless and meandering, and without a real point. The story clearly seems written to help the author deal with his own cancer, and that I can understand as something deeply personal and moving, but it does not translate into a compelling story. (2*)
Speechless in Seattle I wanted to like the story. The familiar system is cute and kinda unique(though if one non-full-fledged wizard can break it by accident, may not be very strong) , and Brant was an adorable character. But Willa fell flat (she apparently forgot all about the familiars as soon as she saw Brant), half the familiars disappeared, apparently, while the other half apparently physically ran away - some consistency would be nice - and frankly, the writing could use some work (most prominently, the first sentence, though there were others that clearly could have used a bit more editting.) (3*)
Thy Neighbour This was well-written and the plot twist at the end was mostly well set-up and enjoyable. (4*)
Somebody Else's Problem The worldbuilding in this was fantastic. It seemed like the start of a larger story, and one that I would very much like to read some day. (3.5*)
A Thing Immortal As Itself This was mostly enjoabe. I think I would have liked to know a little more about what made Fairchild different than the vampiresor what Gransburg was supposed to see that would turn her off the prospect (the feral? When she was surrounded y sane vampires? How is she supposed to remain a senator if she's immortal and vampires are kept hidden from the general public?), but it was nice to see a semi-vampire with teeth, so to speak. (3.5*)
Geriatric Magic This story needed editing in the worst way, to the point where I couldn't focus on the actual story for all the punctuation and grammatical errors. There was the odd dense switch, and a mid-sentence POV switch (first person, to third person, back to first person all within one single sentence). Linking verbs were frequently missing, and there were a ton of sentence fragments in what I can only imagine was a clumsy attempt to show elegance - to a negative effect. The story could have been charming, but Harold's change in perspective seemed fare too sudden. (1.5*)
Red as Snow "Where the permafrost never melted, no matter the season." Does McGuire know what permafrost is? Other than that, this was fun. Istas is a great character - one of my favourites in the main series - and I loved learning more about the waheela. Very charming. (4*)
Music's Price A lot of fairy stories focus on only he good or the bad of fae, but I felt this story did a fantastic job of balancing the two natures. It was very sweet, and I loved Jeremy's relationship with his grandma. (3.5*)
The Sound of My Own Voice I didn't always love the writing style, especially at the beginning, but I really liked this and it left me wanting more. I hope this is a larger series. (3.5*)
The 13th Floor Problem This was part of a larger series, and it didn't entirely work as a standalone story. I wasn't a fan of the hero names (Poker Boy? Really?), and I had way too many questions about... well, everything. (2.5*)
Dead Men Walking This was overall enjoyable. Lots of fun worldbuilding, and I think I'd like to see more set in this world. (3.5*)
One Good Deed I enjoyed this a lot. Its not often you see native men in fiction, let alone as a love interest, and I've added this series to my List. (4*)
Fox and Hound This was absolutely charming, rich with culture and lore, well-written and descriptive. I felt as though I could see (and smell, and hear) this story. (5*)
The Scottish Play This story was fantastic. It's rich with teatre lore and superstitions, which brought me back to my theatre days. It was well-written and intriguing, with lots of subtle world-building, and was great at the use of show, don't tell; not once was the characters relationship with their mother explained, and yet through the word choice and tone, the author made it clear exactly what kind of relationship it was. This and Fox and Hound were the best stories in the anthology. (5*)
I'm just going to start off by saying that I didn't love the authors insistence that a few of the stories were self-inserts or something ("I swear the main character of this story is ACTUALLY the author lololol") or the fact that some of the intros, put right at the beginning of the stories, contained spoilers.
King of the Kingless Plotless and meandering, and without a real point. The story clearly seems written to help the author deal with his own cancer, and that I can understand as something deeply personal and moving, but it does not translate into a compelling story. (2*)
Speechless in Seattle I wanted to like the story. The familiar system is cute and kinda unique
Thy Neighbour This was well-written and the plot twist at the end was mostly well set-up and enjoyable. (4*)
Somebody Else's Problem The worldbuilding in this was fantastic. It seemed like the start of a larger story, and one that I would very much like to read some day. (3.5*)
A Thing Immortal As Itself This was mostly enjoabe. I think I would have liked to know a little more about what made Fairchild different than the vampires
Geriatric Magic This story needed editing in the worst way, to the point where I couldn't focus on the actual story for all the punctuation and grammatical errors. There was the odd dense switch, and a mid-sentence POV switch (first person, to third person, back to first person all within one single sentence). Linking verbs were frequently missing, and there were a ton of sentence fragments in what I can only imagine was a clumsy attempt to show elegance - to a negative effect. The story could have been charming, but Harold's change in perspective seemed fare too sudden. (1.5*)
Red as Snow "Where the permafrost never melted, no matter the season." Does McGuire know what permafrost is? Other than that, this was fun. Istas is a great character - one of my favourites in the main series - and I loved learning more about the waheela. Very charming. (4*)
Music's Price A lot of fairy stories focus on only he good or the bad of fae, but I felt this story did a fantastic job of balancing the two natures. It was very sweet, and I loved Jeremy's relationship with his grandma. (3.5*)
The Sound of My Own Voice I didn't always love the writing style, especially at the beginning, but I really liked this and it left me wanting more. I hope this is a larger series. (3.5*)
The 13th Floor Problem This was part of a larger series, and it didn't entirely work as a standalone story. I wasn't a fan of the hero names (Poker Boy? Really?), and I had way too many questions about... well, everything. (2.5*)
Dead Men Walking This was overall enjoyable. Lots of fun worldbuilding, and I think I'd like to see more set in this world. (3.5*)
One Good Deed I enjoyed this a lot. Its not often you see native men in fiction, let alone as a love interest, and
Spoiler
I thought Anna helping the girl learn how to fight for herself instead of doing it for her was a fantastic choice.Fox and Hound This was absolutely charming, rich with culture and lore, well-written and descriptive. I felt as though I could see (and smell, and hear) this story. (5*)
The Scottish Play This story was fantastic. It's rich with teatre lore and superstitions, which brought me back to my theatre days. It was well-written and intriguing, with lots of subtle world-building, and was great at the use of show, don't tell; not once was the characters relationship with their mother explained, and yet through the word choice and tone, the author made it clear exactly what kind of relationship it was. This and Fox and Hound were the best stories in the anthology. (5*)