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A review by kamitc
Summer Days and Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories by Stephanie Perkins
3.0
Head, Scales, Tongue, Tail by Leigh Bardugo - 3.5/5
I love Leigh. The writing in this was very crisp and interestingly worded. I wasn't wowed but it was still beautiful. The ending was...odd. So odd. But I sort of loved it. Because it's weird, it's quirky, and it's a short story. I would have loved some of that magical element to be throughout the story though. It was all a little too contemporary.
The End of Love by Nina Lacour - 2/5 (purely for the writing)
I liked the voice of the narrator. Her thoughts flowed in a similar way to mine and I appreciated that. But I didn't care for the story.
Last Stand At the Cinegore by Libba Bray - 3.7/5
Okay one word: BIZARRE. but I totally dug it. It was funny and well written and I liked the little script paragraphs tossed it. Best one so far probably...but I can't help but hope there are better ones. I was much more impressed with the winter anthology quite honestly.
Sick Pleasure by Francesca Lia Block - 1/5
That was horrible. There was no clever purpose in naming all the characters letters and the MC claims to be a writer but she is bland and empty and writes everything in 2D. It's blunt and ugly and bizarre. And RANDOM. This was a waste of time.
In Ninety Minutes, Turn North - 5/5
I am SO happy she continued this story from the first anthology. It was my favorite. And in this one too. Not only because I got to see these beautiful characters again but because it took me on a ride unlike any of the other stories. I felt the tension, the anguish, the excitement, everything. And the TITLE! So clever. Every word choice is so clever I'm dead.
Souvenirs by Tim Federle - 3/5
Not bad. Cute story. Little sad. Little pointless. Not the worst of the lot that's for sure.
Inertia by Veronica Roth - 5/5
I really enjoyed the concept of the last visitation and the walk through the memories. It was very different but also classic Veronica Roth. I'm a sucker for the sci-fi stuff so. This story was adorable and it made me cry. I loved the ending and the setup and even the struggles of the narrator were so relatable. I can't rave enough about this one.
Love is the Last Resort by Jon Skovron - 4.5/5
Very cute story! Liked the writing style and the characters. I also enjoyed the narrators interjections it was super cute. Loved the setting too. Clever wrap up with the reveal of the narrator, made the story stand out in my mind.
Good Luck and Farewell by Brandy Colbert- 2/5
Lame. That's really all I can say. The romance part of the novel was rushed and somewhat unbelievable. The back story was sad but...uninteresting? I just feel like it wasn't anything spectacular or noteworthy. At all.
A New Attraction by Cassandra Clare - 4.9/5
I loved this. It was so unique and different and I loved how it was dark but the characters brought light. It just made me happy the way the carnival was her home and she was surrounded by family there...it felt a little rushed at the end which is why it's not a full 5/5 but I'm definitely impressed with this. CC does it again!
A Thousand Ways This Could All Go Wrong by Jennifer E. Smith - 4/5
I really like this one. Mostly because I could really relate to it. I'm working at a camp for special needs kids this summer and I felt like a page right out of my summer.
The Map of Tiny Perfect Things by Lev Grossman - 4/5
That's was cute and sad and cute and sad and just really cute and really sad. I loved the scifi element to it (as always I mean come on) but I'm a sucker for the romance and I even adored the mind wobbling confusing four dimensional metaphor. Good job Lev.
Although I found Margaret's character to be frustrating...but I'm glad Mark got what he wanted in the end. It all folded into a creative little bundle and it made me satisfied.
I love Leigh. The writing in this was very crisp and interestingly worded. I wasn't wowed but it was still beautiful. The ending was...odd. So odd. But I sort of loved it. Because it's weird, it's quirky, and it's a short story. I would have loved some of that magical element to be throughout the story though. It was all a little too contemporary.
The End of Love by Nina Lacour - 2/5 (purely for the writing)
I liked the voice of the narrator. Her thoughts flowed in a similar way to mine and I appreciated that. But I didn't care for the story.
Last Stand At the Cinegore by Libba Bray - 3.7/5
Okay one word: BIZARRE. but I totally dug it. It was funny and well written and I liked the little script paragraphs tossed it. Best one so far probably...but I can't help but hope there are better ones. I was much more impressed with the winter anthology quite honestly.
Sick Pleasure by Francesca Lia Block - 1/5
That was horrible. There was no clever purpose in naming all the characters letters and the MC claims to be a writer but she is bland and empty and writes everything in 2D. It's blunt and ugly and bizarre. And RANDOM. This was a waste of time.
In Ninety Minutes, Turn North - 5/5
I am SO happy she continued this story from the first anthology. It was my favorite. And in this one too. Not only because I got to see these beautiful characters again but because it took me on a ride unlike any of the other stories. I felt the tension, the anguish, the excitement, everything. And the TITLE! So clever. Every word choice is so clever I'm dead.
Souvenirs by Tim Federle - 3/5
Not bad. Cute story. Little sad. Little pointless. Not the worst of the lot that's for sure.
Inertia by Veronica Roth - 5/5
I really enjoyed the concept of the last visitation and the walk through the memories. It was very different but also classic Veronica Roth. I'm a sucker for the sci-fi stuff so. This story was adorable and it made me cry. I loved the ending and the setup and even the struggles of the narrator were so relatable. I can't rave enough about this one.
Love is the Last Resort by Jon Skovron - 4.5/5
Very cute story! Liked the writing style and the characters. I also enjoyed the narrators interjections it was super cute. Loved the setting too. Clever wrap up with the reveal of the narrator, made the story stand out in my mind.
Good Luck and Farewell by Brandy Colbert- 2/5
Lame. That's really all I can say. The romance part of the novel was rushed and somewhat unbelievable. The back story was sad but...uninteresting? I just feel like it wasn't anything spectacular or noteworthy. At all.
A New Attraction by Cassandra Clare - 4.9/5
I loved this. It was so unique and different and I loved how it was dark but the characters brought light. It just made me happy the way the carnival was her home and she was surrounded by family there...it felt a little rushed at the end which is why it's not a full 5/5 but I'm definitely impressed with this. CC does it again!
A Thousand Ways This Could All Go Wrong by Jennifer E. Smith - 4/5
I really like this one. Mostly because I could really relate to it. I'm working at a camp for special needs kids this summer and I felt like a page right out of my summer.
The Map of Tiny Perfect Things by Lev Grossman - 4/5
That's was cute and sad and cute and sad and just really cute and really sad. I loved the scifi element to it (as always I mean come on) but I'm a sucker for the romance and I even adored the mind wobbling confusing four dimensional metaphor. Good job Lev.
Although I found Margaret's character to be frustrating...but I'm glad Mark got what he wanted in the end. It all folded into a creative little bundle and it made me satisfied.