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A review by claire_loves_books
Night Shift by Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews, Lisa Shearin
3.0
I mostly enjoyed this anthology- 3 of the 4 stories were great but one was horrendous.
Secrets at Midnight by Nalini Singh ★★★
Magic Steals by Ilona Andrews ★★★★
Lucky Charms by Lisa Shearin ★★★★★
Beast of Blackmoor by Milla Vane ★
Secrets at Midnight by Nalini Singh ★★★
I wasn't particularly bothered either way by Bastien, Mercy's brothers have always seemed like wall dressing to Mercy rather than characters in their own right (Mercy is also one of my least favourite characters in the series), but in Secrets at Midnight Bastien is pretty much the standard changeling male so I enjoyed it (In personality Kirby is such a standard PNR heroine- the 24 year old innocent virgin), it wasn't particularly original (It really could have been pretty much any short from the series) but it was a fun short story.
Magic Steals by Ilona Andrews ★★★★
I really enjoyed this- I've always found Dali and Jim a bit dull but in Magic Steals they made a great pair (Dali is just so full of insecurities and angst and she really annoys me, but with Jim's help she's starting to tackle some of those insecurities here). It was funny, sweet and action packed. Ilona Andrews short stories are always great and this one was no exception.
Lucky Charms by Lisa Shearin ★★★★★
This was hilarious! It was a no-stop tour of Shearin's SPI Files New York city through the eyes of SPI's newest employee- she really couldn't have packed anything else into this. Included are naked Leprechauns, hot Goblins, Russian werewolves, elves high on clover, a dragon boss , vampire lawyers, strip clubs, sex clubs, fights and high speed van chases (bakery van vs gargoyles). It was brilliant.
Beast of Blackmoor by Milla Vane ★
Milla Vane is an alternate name to Meljean Brook and part of me wonders if she decided she didn't want to associate it with the rest of her work.
I found this story seriously out of place in the book- it wasn't fun, it wasn't sweet and it was very dark. (It was also high fantasy rather than urban fantasy or paranormal). It seemed almost determinedly crude and cruel- this story includes rape, murder, torture, slavery and abuse all treated with casual acceptance- the author's mindset seems to be "it's a fantasy world so all of that shit is fine", no it's not fine! Vane tried to sketch out a fantasy world but there really wasn't enough to the story to understand it.
The Sex scenes were horrifically cringe worthy and about as unsexy as possible. Also the virgin meets the warrior has been done so many times before (and a lot better).
Secrets at Midnight by Nalini Singh ★★★
Magic Steals by Ilona Andrews ★★★★
Lucky Charms by Lisa Shearin ★★★★★
Beast of Blackmoor by Milla Vane ★
Secrets at Midnight by Nalini Singh ★★★
I wasn't particularly bothered either way by Bastien, Mercy's brothers have always seemed like wall dressing to Mercy rather than characters in their own right (Mercy is also one of my least favourite characters in the series), but in Secrets at Midnight Bastien is pretty much the standard changeling male so I enjoyed it (In personality Kirby is such a standard PNR heroine- the 24 year old innocent virgin), it wasn't particularly original (It really could have been pretty much any short from the series) but it was a fun short story.
Magic Steals by Ilona Andrews ★★★★
I really enjoyed this- I've always found Dali and Jim a bit dull but in Magic Steals they made a great pair (Dali is just so full of insecurities and angst and she really annoys me, but with Jim's help she's starting to tackle some of those insecurities here). It was funny, sweet and action packed. Ilona Andrews short stories are always great and this one was no exception.
Lucky Charms by Lisa Shearin ★★★★★
This was hilarious! It was a no-stop tour of Shearin's SPI Files New York city through the eyes of SPI's newest employee- she really couldn't have packed anything else into this. Included are naked Leprechauns, hot Goblins, Russian werewolves, elves high on clover, a dragon boss , vampire lawyers, strip clubs, sex clubs, fights and high speed van chases (bakery van vs gargoyles). It was brilliant.
Beast of Blackmoor by Milla Vane ★
Milla Vane is an alternate name to Meljean Brook and part of me wonders if she decided she didn't want to associate it with the rest of her work.
I found this story seriously out of place in the book- it wasn't fun, it wasn't sweet and it was very dark. (It was also high fantasy rather than urban fantasy or paranormal). It seemed almost determinedly crude and cruel- this story includes rape, murder, torture, slavery and abuse all treated with casual acceptance- the author's mindset seems to be "it's a fantasy world so all of that shit is fine", no it's not fine! Vane tried to sketch out a fantasy world but there really wasn't enough to the story to understand it.
The Sex scenes were horrifically cringe worthy and about as unsexy as possible. Also the virgin meets the warrior has been done so many times before (and a lot better).