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: Strange Brew (anthology)

Seeing Eye by Patricia Briggs (12/15)

Seeing Eye tells the story of blind witch Moira Keller, who’s faced with a dilemma when cop/werewolf Tom Franklin from the Emerald City Pack requests her aid in finding his brother, who went missing on an undercover mission. The thing is, the person responsible for the kidnapping (wolfnapping?) is the same person who took out her eye – her father, Kournos.

Fans of Briggs’ works will recognise Moira and Tom as side characters from her second Alpha and Omega book, Hunting Ground. It was great reading more about witchcraft in Briggs’ predominantly werewolf fantasy realm. The interaction between Moira and Tom was great to read, and the concept of Moira being able to see when touching Tom was an interesting one to process.

Last Call by Jim Butcher (8/15)

Last Call follows Harry Dresden, a snarky modern-day wizard as he navigates some very messy business in Chicago. Jim Butcher tells the tale from a… well, very male perspective. The story exuded an excessively masculine “I am a P.I. wearing a hat with a holster at my hip, crime-doers begone” vibe, which didn’t really do it for me. If you’re into that kind of thing, though, you’ll probably enjoy the action a lot more than I did.

Death Warmed Over by Rachel Caine (10/15)

Holly Anne Caldwell is a seventh-generation witch that specializes in resurrecting the dead. Rachel Caine spins a fast-paced, engaging tale of Holly and her reluctance to raise a particular dead man – Andrew Toland, a resurrection witch dead from the zombie wars. Orders from higher-up demand that Holly resurrects him (again) as a disposable for one of their missions – witches like Holly are being attacked en masse, and Andrew has to play bodyguard. Things get a little more complicated when Holly’s feelings for the dead man are reignited, but there isn’t much time to reminisce about old days when there’s a monster on the loose.

Overall, an enjoyable read. Caine doesn’t take it overboard with the romance, and the action keeps the plot flowing smoothly.

Vegas Odds by Karen Chance (12/15)

Accacila de Croissets (Lia, in short)’s job is to train young recruits at the War Mage Corps, and her life takes a turn for the worse when the delivery guy ends up being a trained assassin determined to blow her head off. Thankfully, her werewolf boyfriend Cyrus has some pretty good timing – the two manage to exchange some witty banter with gunfire going off around them. In the riot of action, Lia winds up accidentally killing one of her students, Jason.

I adore Karen Chance – she manages to inject life into all of her characters. Vegas Odds is no exception. The story is full of unexpected twists and turns that will have you on the edge of your seat. Highly recommended read!

Hecate’s Golden Eye by P. N. Elrod (9/15)

Hecate’s Golden Eye is told from the perspective of Jack Fleming, a vampiric investigator situated in Chicago. His client happens to want to retrieve a little something known as Hecate’s Eye (eek!), an item known for bringing good luck to women and cursing men. Fleming and his partner, Escott, are flung into a wild goose chase up around town in search of the mysterious diamond, with one clue leading to another, culminating in an action-packed conclusion.

Bacon by Charlaine Harris (13/15)

Fans of Charlaine Harris (author of the now famous Sookie Stackhouse series) will LOVE Bacon. Dahlia Lynley-Chivers is an age-old vampire, and she has revenge on her mind. To avenge her late husband (a werewolf of the Swiftfoot pack)’s death, she seeks out Kathy Aenidis, a direct descendent of Circe, to aid her in killing her husband’s murderers – or so it seems. What Kathy doesn’t know is that what Dahlia’s really after is her prized grimoires. With the help of her friends, Taffy and Clifford, the impassive Dahlia manages to hatch a brilliant plan to turn the tables in an ending that you won’t soon forget.

Signatures of the Dead by Faith Hunter (9.5/15)

Faith Hunter steps it into gear with Signatures of the Dead, a tale told from Molly Meagan Everhart Trueblood’s (that’s a name I won’t soon be saying out loud anytime soon) perspective. An earth with with a flair for sensing the dead, Molly gets caught in more than she bargained for when vampires come into play whilst investigating a grisly murder. With help from Paul Braxton, Jane Yellowrock, and husband Evan, Molly pulls through some very messy vampire business. Not the best from Hunter (who’s authored some notable series, like the Rogue Mage), but a decent read nonetheless.

Ginger by Caitlin Kittredge (10.5/15)

Ginger branches off from Kittredge’s Nocturne City series (if you haven’t read it, give it a shot – it’s not half bad) and is told from Rhoda Sunflower (Sunny) Swann ‘s  POV. The story opens with Sunny on trial in a courtroom, but things go awry and Sunny is left using her magic to protect herself. As a witch using primarily white magic, Sunny is startled when she gets recruited to do some undercover work, wire and mouthpiece and all. The next thing she knows, she’s being caged as a prisoner underground, and it doesn’t look like anyone’s coming to her rescue…

Dark Sins by Jenna Maclaine (10/15)

If you’re a follower of Jenna Maclaine, then you’ll be familiar with Cin Craven, a key protagonist in Maclaine’s works. A vampire and a witch, Cin and romantic interest Michael get sucked into yet another mystery as Marco Gage, Regent and local master vampire, has blood and revenge on his mind. Fast-paced and engaging, Dark Sins draws in readers with its quick, snappy narration.

See also: Hunting Ground

Review: Vacations from Hell (anthology)

Cruisin’ by Sarah Mlynowski (4/5)

Sarah Mlynowski is a well-known editor of YA fiction, and some of her books aren’t half bad (give ‘Me Vs. Me’ a try). Cruisin’ was a pleasant surprise and an excellent opening piece for this particular anthology – the story centers around teenaged girl Kristin, who’s on a luxury cruise with best friend Liz and new comrade Hailey. She’s determined to experience her epic ‘first time’ on this cruise, and her friends are only to happy to help. The thing is… there seem to be some disturbing reports of cruise passengers getting drained of all their blood by an unlikely vampiric race.

You’re in for a big surprise at the end – nothing is what it seems, and Mlynowski manages to pull it off beautifully. I never saw it coming.

I Don’t Like Your Girlfriend by Claudia Gray (3.5/5)

I Don’t Like Your Girlfriend focuses on teenage with Cecily, part of a coven of witches that meet yearly at a beach house under the guise of having a group holiday. The thing is, none of the men in the family know about witchcraft, which makes things a little tricky. Throw in some horrible weather, her archnemesis Kathleen, and her seemingly perfect boyfriend Scott, and we’re in for one hell of a vacation.

Fans of Claudia Gray’s Evernight series will certainly appreciate this piece, which is a pleasant foray into other aspects of paranormal fiction (Evernight’s primary focus is on vampirism). The writing flows smoothly and Gray manages to inject her own brand of humor into a light-hearted tale with a twist at the end. Gray’s site reveals that she will be releasing a brand new series, Spellcaster (which will no doubt revolve around witches), so let’s keep our fingers crossed for an early release!

The Law of Suspects by Maureen Johnson (5/5)

Of all the stories in this anthology, I;d have to say that The Law of Suspects creeped me out the most. Maureen Johnson certainly knows how to work her magic with historical mysteries (if you haven’t already, you need to pick up Johnson’s YA, albeit, non-paranormal Girl at Sea for a captivating read) - The Law of Suspects had me on the edge of my seat for most of it.

Johnson spins a madcap, thrilling adventure with compulsive liar Charlotte (“Charlie”) and her sister, Marie-Louise (“MaryLou”), who find themselves in a remote French village as their vacation plans go awry. The village seems all but boring until Charlie runs into Henri, a strange man with even stranger intentions as he relays to her an oddly unsettling story that she soon relays to her sister. The thing is, what Charlie doesn’t know is that the story is none other than the Law of Suspects, a deadly tale that threatens to turn people into homicidal maniacs driven by the impulse to kill the people around them, before taking their own lives. And now, Charlie and MaryLou’s lives hang in the balance as they must figure out how to deal with a rifle-wielding Henri and hunky Frenchman Gerard as the curse runs its toll.

The bone-chilling conclusion will leave you wanting more.

The Mirror House by Cassandra Clare (2.5/5)

I didn’t enjoy The Mirror House as much as I did the others in this anthology, to be honest. The Mirror House tells a tale about Violet and her adjustments to her mother’s new marriage to Philip, an abusive, cold man as they all journey to the tropics on their honeymoon. To make things more complicated, Violet’s got a thing for her new stepbrother, Evan, and their romantic involvement makes the holiday very, very awkward.

Things take a turn for the worse when the two stepsiblings encounter Anne Palmer, a mysterious woman who seems to have gotten her claws into Evan and is quite literally, sucking the life force out of him. Needless to say, Violet jumps to the rescue by offering a trade – her cruel stepdad Philip in return for Evan’s soul back.

I found the plot a little contrived at times, with the story flow a tad stilted and predictable – nothing I wouldn’t have seen coming. The “romance” between Evan and Violet seemed a little unnecessary and nothing short of weird (I snorted aloud when I came upon Evan’s new “bruised” appearance; I guess old habits die hard in Clare’s case), and I couldn’t really bring myself to feel any sort of compassion for poor Evan as sadist Violet chose to withhold his soul at the end.

Nowhere is Safe by Libba Bray (3/5)

Nowhere is Safe was a fair read, though my interest waned midway while reading the story. Libba Bray (author of the Gemma Doyle series) tells it from the perspective of Poe Yamamoto, a half-asian, heterochromic guy that runs into some seriously bad news whilst vacationing with his closest friends in Europe. The four decide to head offroad to Necuratul, the Town of the Dead. Unbeknownst to them, the old legends surrounding the cursed town aren’t exactly legends…

The reason, I think, that Nowhere is Safe failed to inspire the chills Bray was shooting for is possibly the way she attempted to fit to many things into the story at one go instead of building up from a single point. The plot itself had promise, with the interactions between most of the characters being lively and believable (I had some real issues with Mrs. Smith, the unlikely fortune-teller). However, the writing began to fall flat when the action started to kick in. The inconclusive, open ending which I assume was intended to thrill simply left a sense of dissatisfaction in the pit of my stomach.

Review: Prom Nights from Hell (anthology)

The Exterminator’s Daughter by Meg Cabot (14/15)

Prom Nights From Hell opens with one of Meg Cabot’s short works. If you’re unfamiliar with Meg Cabot, all you need to know is that she’s the creator of the Princess Diaries series, which was mostly targeted at a tween audience. The Exterminator’s Daughter is a light-hearted, enjoyable piece of urban fantasy fiction – Cabot transitions smoothly from humorous teenage girl angst to a sharper, wittier heroine effortlessly, whilst managing to keep the storyline engaging.

In The Exterminator’s Daughter, teenage protagonist Mary is intent on assassinating her best friend’s latest vampire beau with a crossbow (in a crowded Manhattan nightclub, no less!). What she doesn’t expect is help coming from Adam Blum, fellow schoolmate and resident jock/popular guy, who’s intrigued with the idea of things that go bump in the night. The story switches perspectives from Mary to Adam and back again, which was refreshing on Cabot’s part (characters from her previous works tend to ramble). While short, the piece is highly entertaining and shows real promise for a series adaptation – let’s keep our fingers crossed!

The Corsage by Lauren Myracle (12/15)

If you enjoyed reading The Monkey’s Paw by W. W. Jacobs, you’ll enjoy this horror adaptation by Lauren Myracle (author of the controversial ttyl series). Frankie’s a gal who’s determined to have her longtime crush Will ask her to the prom, but he seems to be biding his time. Frustrated, she decides to employ the powers of a creepy corsage attained from an ever-so-cryptic fortune teller. I think we all know by this point that cryptic fortune tellers never bode well in any sort of story – death and disembowelment with a cackling “I told you so!” echoing in the background usually follows a few scenes later – but this one takes the cake. Madame Z keeps her uterus in a jar on the shelf.

Ahem. Shelf uterus aside, Frankie decides to put her three wishes to good use by – what else? – wishing for Will to take her to the prom. What she doesn’t know is that every wish comes with a terrible price. Will dies a grisly death by falling from the watertower (“I told you so!”) in the midst of spray painting a message asking Frankie to go to the prom with him. Overcome with grief, Frankie makes her second wish: for Will to come back to life. You’ve probably read enough urban fantasy to know that the resurrection of a rotting corpse 13 days gone is never a good idea.

The ending was hella disturbing, though I can’t say I didn’t see it coming. Not for the faint of heart.

Madison Avery and the Dim Reaper by Kim Harrison (14/15)

Madison Avery and the Dim Reaper kicks off the story to the Madison Avery series. The story opens with Madison at the prom, playing uncooperative date to her geek friend, Josh. When she ends up getting snubbed by Josh, Madison ends up in the arms of sexy pirate Seth (it’s a themed dance, mind. Just in case you lot go off on some swashbuckling, Jack Sparrow tangent after reading that bit), who’s got an agenda of his own – killing her.

Madison wakes up soon after in the morgue, only to meet with Lucy and Barnabas, members of the Reconnaissance Error Acquisitions Personnel Evaulation and Recovery: REAPER. As it turns out, Madison was killed before a time, and her abrupt death isn’t something she’s all too happy about. She ends up running into evil pirate Seth once more, and things go downhill from there. Through an unexpected turn of events, Madison manages strike a deal and remain in the human world, but she’s officially dead – no more food and sleep for her. Her story continues in Once Dead, Twice Shy.

Kiss and Tell by Michele Jaffe (9/15)

Miranda Kiss (what’s with all the “M” protagonists in this anthology?) has unique superpowers – of which includes superhearing, which means that she can eavesdrop on conversations without even trying, detect changes in heartbeats, and overhear her longtime crush… well, crushing her hopes. Ouch.

Miranda’s job as a Luxury Transport chauffeur lands her in a pickle when she picks up troublesome 14 year old Sibby Cumean, who’s somehow determined to kiss any (and I do mean any) guy she can possibly get her hands on. Things do pick up after a bit: Sibby turns out to be some sort of prophet and there’s some prom crashing  and kidnapping excitement in it all, but it just wasn’t enough to keep me consistently interested. While Miranda was a likeable heroine, her interactions with Sibby were throughly painful to read (mostly because Sibby just annoyed the hell out of me) and the teenspeak acronyms casually thrown in every few pages gave me a headache. Who on earth talks like that, honestly?

Hell on Earth by Stephenie Meyer (13/15)

Finally, a story that unfolds in its entirety at the prom. Hell on Earth features half-angel Gabe Christensen, a guy at prom whose date seems to have abandoned him in pursuit of greener pastures. He finds himself inexplicably drawn to demoness Sheba (in her human disguise), who’s intent in wreaking havoc and bringing misery to everyone at the prom. Cue fisticuffs, arguing, cheating (in a non-academic sense), wardrobe malfunctions, and bad music – all the makings of prom hell.

Hell on Earth was an entertaining read – it’s nice to see Meyer branching out into other aspects of urban fantasy. The stark contrast between the goodness of Gabe’s angelic soul and Sheba’s vindictive, damned one certainly drew me in. The road to love between a demoness and an angel is rocky one, indeed.

See also: Once Dead, Twice Shy

Review: On the Prowl (anthology)

Alpha and Omega by Patricia Briggs (13/15)

Fans of Patricia Briggs will appreciate the Alpha and Omega novella, which takes place before events in Cry Wolf and Hunting Ground. The story centers on Anna Latham, an abused omega wolf in a Chicago pack. When she suspects that her Alpha, Leo, might be responsible for a death of young werewolf Alan McKenzie Frazier, she calls the Marrok. She then meets up with his investigator, Charles Cornick, whose wolf takes her as his mate.

Things go as smooth as sandpaper from there. Assassination attempts, nasty confrontations, and brutal fight scenes ensue. Charles’ and Anna’s tale is a pleasant change from the Mercy Thompson series – it’s nice to see the story told from a perspective other than Mercy’s. While I’m not a big fan of rape stories (what’s with all the rape in Briggs’ recent works, anyway?), Alpha and Omega manages to deal with the beginnings of the recovery process realistically. Not a fluff piece, but it’ll leave you wanting more.

Inhuman by Eileen Wilks (12.5/15)

Inhuman is based on Kai Michalski, a girl who’s Gifted with an ability to read minds and emotions. She’s not technically a mind-reader – she can see the colour of people’s auras. After digging a bullet out of her hot non-human neighbour’s flesh, things take a turn for the disturbing as the story delves into the Nathan’s investigations as a Hunter. And the truth finally comes to light: Nathan was born a hellhound, which accounts for his insanely long lifespan.

The characters in Inhuman were engaging and well-scripted, and the attraction-charged interactions between Nathan and Kai were absolutely electric. Kai is a likeable heroine, and her unique urban fantasy universe Eileen Wilks paints is a fascinating and action-packed one. Kai and Nathan’s story continues in Night Season, book 4 in Wilks’s World of the Lupi series.

Buying Trouble by Karen Chance (12/15)

I usually have an issue with fey stories, since I’ve yet to read one that’s left an impression. Buying Trouble takes off with protagonist Claire being auctioned off to a bunch of Otherworldly beings. Claire is a mage, and her special ability is that she nullifies magic around her within a certain radius. She gets whisked off from the auction grounds and straight into Faerie by mysterious fey Heidar, and the action kicks in from there.

It’s a mad chase in the gritty alleys of Faerie as Claire and her savior dodge kidnap attempts by several… persistent clans, each determined to capture her and use her powers for their own means. Somewhere in the midst of all this running, they have sex. And… she turns into a dragon after the deed. Yep, weird doesn’t even begin to cover it. It turns out that Claire’s Two-Natured, and her other form is one of a baby dragon. Fun times.

Buying Trouble was a fun, fast-paced read, and throughly enjoyable. It’s written as a one-shot, and the story ties up nicely in the end, where Claire and Heidar relocate to the human world so she can come to terms with her dragon half.

Mona Lisa Betwining by Sunny (6/15)

The story revolves around a Monère Queen (three quarters Monère, one quarter human), and the opening cahpter jumps right into the midst of the story. Mona Lisa is torn between Dontaine, her loyal follower and numerous other lovers in her bid to bear a child for the royal line. There’s loads of shapeshifting drama in this one – Mona Lisa’s other form is a tiger, and Dontaine’s is a wolf.

I can’t say I enjoyed this one as I did the others, mostly because the whole story seems very out of place with the other novellas that are clearly more urban fantasy-oriented. Mona Lisa Betwining is opens with more erotica than plot, and the protagonist’s promiscuity had me grimacing for most of it. If that’s your cup of tea, though, you can pick up other titles by Sunny that run in the same vein: Mona Lisa Awakening, Mona Lisa Blossoming, and Mona Lisa Craving.

See also: Cry Wolf, Hunting Ground, Night Season, Mona Lisa Awakening, Mona Lisa Blossoming, Mona Lisa Craving