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A review by vermidian
Hex Appeal by P.N. Elrod
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I feel like the stories hit a good variety. Some were a little spicier than others, some had none. Some stories had good characters, some were batshit. Some stories had good world building, others seemed a little more random.
I originally read this for the Ilona Andrews story, but I actually enjoyed Carrie Vaughn's short story the most. I'm absolutely looking into Carrie Vaughn after this to see if I like more of her stuff. The Art of Misdirection was very Doctor Who feeling and I loved that aspect of it. While I enjoyed Retribution Clause by Ilona Andrews, it felt a little thinner than their usual books. I just didn't get all that awesome character development I'm used to in so few pages I guess.
The one I liked the least was BY FAR How Do You Feel? by Simon R. Green. It was absolutely the most pulp fiction random nonsense urban fantasy story I think I've ever read and I will absolutely be avoiding his other works in the future. Noooo thank you.
Here is how I would rate the stories out of 5 stars:
• Retribution Clause: 4 stars, maybe 3.5 - wish it was more fleshed out
• Bigfoot on Campus: 3.5 stars - some spice but not in a fun way, a little more geared toward the average straight white male reader than I liked
• Holly's Balm: 2 - spicy story, weird relationship dynamics made me uncomfortable but I liked the writing style
• Snow Job: 3 - interesting world building, but I felt like I was missing context
• Outside the Box: 3.5 - good action and story, but sooooo much info dumping
• How Do You Feel?: 1 - TERRIBLE, super random, would not recommend to anyone
• There Will Be Demons: 2 - spicy story, mostly just seemed like a back drop so two characters could bone honestly but even that writing was a little out there, no demons
• Cherry Kisses: 3 - fun concept, a little shaky on the execution
• The Arcane Art of Misdirection: 5 - loved it, I will absolutely be looking into more of this author's works.
Averaging all those together actually came out to exactly 3 stars, so there you have it! My rating!
I originally read this for the Ilona Andrews story, but I actually enjoyed Carrie Vaughn's short story the most. I'm absolutely looking into Carrie Vaughn after this to see if I like more of her stuff. The Art of Misdirection was very Doctor Who feeling and I loved that aspect of it. While I enjoyed Retribution Clause by Ilona Andrews, it felt a little thinner than their usual books. I just didn't get all that awesome character development I'm used to in so few pages I guess.
The one I liked the least was BY FAR How Do You Feel? by Simon R. Green. It was absolutely the most pulp fiction random nonsense urban fantasy story I think I've ever read and I will absolutely be avoiding his other works in the future. Noooo thank you.
Here is how I would rate the stories out of 5 stars:
• Retribution Clause: 4 stars, maybe 3.5 - wish it was more fleshed out
• Bigfoot on Campus: 3.5 stars - some spice but not in a fun way, a little more geared toward the average straight white male reader than I liked
• Holly's Balm: 2 - spicy story, weird relationship dynamics made me uncomfortable but I liked the writing style
• Snow Job: 3 - interesting world building, but I felt like I was missing context
• Outside the Box: 3.5 - good action and story, but sooooo much info dumping
• How Do You Feel?: 1 - TERRIBLE, super random, would not recommend to anyone
• There Will Be Demons: 2 - spicy story, mostly just seemed like a back drop so two characters could bone honestly but even that writing was a little out there, no demons
• Cherry Kisses: 3 - fun concept, a little shaky on the execution
• The Arcane Art of Misdirection: 5 - loved it, I will absolutely be looking into more of this author's works.
Averaging all those together actually came out to exactly 3 stars, so there you have it! My rating!