Review: Kisses from Hell (anthology)

Sunshine by Richelle Mead (10/15)

Those who have picked up Mead’s Vampire Academy series will be familiar with the setting and characters of Sunshine – in a world inhabited by Moroi (full-blooded vampires), Strigoi (vampires gone evil) and Dhampirs (half-blooded vampires serving as guardians to the Moroi), trouble strikes a cruise boat when a Strigoi attack sends a boat of vacationing Moroi into a frenzy of chaos.

Eric Dragomir finds himself questioning his future as the sole heir of the royal Dragomir line, and running into Rhea Daniels turns out to be the best part of his vacation. Things aren’t exactly boding well for him, though. He doesn’t make the best first impression, and he already has a girlfriend. She’s engaged to someone else. And there’s a crazy feeder lusting after his newfound romantic interest…

Mead’s writing style is engaging, with interactions between characters coming to life in this refreshing short piece. The concept of Eric and Rhea ditching their significant others in a heartbeat to run off into the sunset was stretching it a bit thin (you can’t help but feel bad for Stephen, Rhea’s fiancé). But hey, that’s paranormal romance for you. Recommended to fans of Mead’s work.

Bring me to Life by Alyson Noël (13/15)

Alyson Noël, author of The Immortals series of books, spins a chilling tale centering around budding young artist Danika Kavanaugh, a seventeen year old with a rebellious streak a mile wide. She finds herself flying to the UK as one of the winners to a prestigious art contest, which is a welcome reprieve from the stresses of home. The manor she’s staying in, the servants that appear to become more and more youthful every time she sees them, the strange, vivid dreams, her strange attachment to the place – unsettling, to say the least. And to top it all off, there’s an attractive, mysterious guy on the scene…

Bring me to Life is a brilliantly written story, with a plot twist that you definitely won’t see coming. Dark and chilling to the core, with the appropriate doses of mystery and romance to match. An excellent read!

Above by Kristin Cast (6/15)

I…

I didn’t know quite what to make of Above. I dove into the story expecting something in the lines of the House of Night series (which Cast co-wrote with her mother, P.C. Cast). What I got, however, wasn’t even close.

Above centers around Rheena, a girl trapped “Below” with her parents. When she unexpectedly gains access to “Above”, she finds herself assaulted with the sum of her greatest fears. But all is not lost – a handsome stranger by the name of Sol finds her and falls in love with her. But then she’s found once again by her pursuers, and Sol exacts his revenge…

Got all that? Yeah, I didn’t either. Cast writes the entirety of Above in something closely resembling poetic verse. I say “closely” because the formatting of the story was all over the place. Messy and confuzzling, Above is a real head-scratcher.

Hunting Kat by Kelley Armstrong (8/15)

Katiana (Kat) is a genetically engineered vampire, the product of years of experimentation by the Edison Group. Her vampirism kicked in 6 months ago, but to her chagrin, Kat has yet to feed on a real human. Her wish for more freedom from her strict vampire guardian, Marguerite, unexpectedly comes true in the worst of ways – Kat winds up in a car crash and gets recaptured by lackeys of the Edison Group.

Trapped in a van with two other captives, Chad and Neil, the three formulate a plan to escape. When Kat starts thirsting for their blood, though, things get a little messy…

I didn’t enjoy Hunting Kat as much as I did the other stories (Above excluded). The plot mostly fell flat, with the action sequences stilted and unremarkable. One of the weaker stories of this anthology.

Lilith by Francesca Lia Block (9.5/15)

Lilith stands out from mainstream paranormal fiction in that it’s told largely from a male point of view. Paul Michael lives a painful, teenaged existence. The bullying at his high school has forced to to escape into an imaginary fantasy world of his own, a planet where he isn’t maladjusted or mocked relentlessly for how he looks.

All that changes when the new goth student, Lilith, turns up at his school. He’s instantly drawn to her, and the fact that she’s a vampire doesn’t even faze him. A series of blood-exchanging rituals sends him off-kilter – he’s stronger, thinner, he doesn’t smell quite as bad – but he can’t quite put a finger on what Lilith’s motives are…

Lilith certainly tells it from an unexpected source – it’s hard not to feel sympathy for Paul Michael and his trauma from the bullying. The story ends abruptly, leaves the reader hanging with a certain sense of dissatisfaction. If you’re the sort that gets bothered by depressing endings, this one isn’t for you.

Review: Dates from Hell (anthology)

Undead in the Garden of Good and Evil by Kim Harrison (3/5)

Undead in the Garden of Good and Evil tells the story of Ivy Tamwood, a living vampire that’s determined to get transferred out of the homicide department of Inderlander Security (I.S). Fans of Kim Harrison will recognize Ivy from Harrison’s popular The Hollows series, which chronicles the adventures of witch-detective Rachel Morgan. The story acts as a prequel of sorts on a little bit of Ivy’s (Rachel’s partner) background and how they came to work together.

To cut to the chase: Ivy Tamwood is a living vampire, born with a genetic virus that allows her certain boons compared to her undead counterparts – being able to walk freely in the sunlight is but one of them. She has personal problems of her own, which include an annoying, seductive boss determined to taste her blood, a manipulative master vampire, and someone trying to pin an unresolved murder on her. Undead in the Garden of Good and Evil doesn’t have explicit smut in it, though are are some scenes that may deter those squeamish to that kind of thing. Harrison manages to take on Ivy’s point of view with aplomb – it’s hard not to like this fiery, sassy vampire determined to rise above the bloodlust.

Recommended to hardcore fans of The Hollows - if you’re into Harrison’s tamer works, however, this may not appeal to you as much.

The Claire Switch Project by Lynsay Sands (4/5)

The Claire Switch Project was a lighthearted, laugh-out-loud read. Lynsay Sands manages to spin a witty, engaging tale about scientific experimentation gone awry as Claire, a researcher on molecular destabilization, finds herself zapped by an overzealous coworker. And the aftereffects? Claire becomes a shapeshifter – a chameleon of sorts, able to freely change her DNA and look like anyone she wants; including models and celebrities.

Claire has to juggle her newfound abilities and fumble her way through her painful crush on Kyle Lockhart, her childhood crush. The situation gets comical when Claire finds herself at her high school reunion as Kyle’s date AND his twin sister’s date, a plan which involves many, many unexplained trips to the washroom. Sands’ characters are well-fleshed out and engaging, making Claire’s tale come alive with her quick humor. An entertaining read.

Chaotic by Kelley Armstrong (4.5/5)

Ahh, sexual tension. What Kelley Armstrong story would go without some?

Chaotic is a novella that takes place in Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld series (which is seriously good – add it to your post-xmas shopping list!) Half-demon Hope Adams, who’s trying to hone her seer skills under the guise of working under a tabloid paper, finds herself in a pickle when she lands smack dab in the midst of some very unfriendly foes. Along with Karl Marsten, a snarky werewolf determined to push all her buttons, they navigate through air vents, tunnels, and a slew of uncomfortable situations as they try to evade their pursuers.

Armstrong’s writing never fails to entertain – the plot was fast-paced and exciting, with the interactions between Marsten and Hope relaying equal parts amusement and electricity. A highly recommended read!

Dead Man Dating by Lori Handeland (1.5/5)

Mara Naomi Elizabeth Morelli (‘Kit’, for short), a dumpy, plain girl, comes face to face with a incubus lusting after virgin blood. She’s saved by a mysterious Mexican man known only as Chavez, and he’s determined to keep the incubus off her until they find out its true intentions.

That said and done, I found Dead Man Dating to be a little flat compared to the rest of the stories in the anthology – I couldn’t really muster up any sort of interest in self-deprecating Kit’s love life. The plot itself was as dull as dishwater, making it a very tedious read indeed. Definitely the weakest entry of all the four stories.