VeganCleopatra

1.5 stars to The Assassin's Apprentice by Michelle Zink. Overall I felt the story was unsatisfying. You were dumped into the story with an unclear setting and limited characterization. The story also did not meet the "paranormal love" element in my opinion since that was out of NOWHERE and weak. A sudden kiss for no explicable reason isn't good enough Ms. Zink. Yes it is a short story but a lot can be done in a brief period of time, I've seen it done. I did like the demon element but too little was explained. Was this meant to be a prequel to a series or something?

3 stars to Errant by Diana Peterfreund. Overall the writing was smooth and entertaining. I think the relationship between the descendants and the unicorns makes no sense, at least for the unicorns. Why would they be attracted to the very think that will kill them? So logical! I do not understand how this related to PNR or kisses, but overall the story was still enjoyable.

2 stars to The Spirit Jar by Karen Mahoney. This began well and had a humorous edge to it but I became quite bored during parts of the story. How can parts of a SHORT story lag so much that you are bored? I have no idea, but it happened. Overall it was a bit entertaining but didn't leave me interested in the author's other works.

3 stars to Lost by Justine Musk. This story felt the most applicable to the title of the anthology. I enjoyed the mythology of the story and the twist with Haiden. Overall an enjoyable story.

2 stars to The Spy Who Never Grew Up by Sarah Rees Brennan. This story started off pretty shaky as the flow and division of the story is odd. Once I realized that the author seemed to be making fun of Peter Pan I grew to enjoy it a bit. The story is totally illogical but it made me laugh a few times.

3.5 stars to Dungeons of Langeais by Becca Fitzpatrick. I thought the story was well written and intriguing overall. I wanted to know more about the world and the characters. However, I did feel as though there were gaps of knowledge missing, such as jumps in time and more details about the "curse". I'm still on the fence regarding reading Hush, Hush, however, due to poor ratings from those I trust.

3 stars to Behind The Red Door by Caitlin Kittredge. I enjoyed the ghost love story element and the twist at the end. I felt the main character could have been more strongly written. Overall the story was compelling and I enjoyed it. The title of the anthology fits this story perfectly.

1 star to Hare Moon by Carrie Ryan. I just did not care for the writing style or the story overall. It just was not my cup of tea, especially with the religious mentions.

4 stars to Familiar by Michelle Rowen. Familiar was my favorite story of the bunch (thus far), and it doesn't hurt that there were shifters involved. I loved the characters of Owen and Brenda and I could see myself enjoying a full-length novel featuring the two. There was a bit of humor, witchcraft, shifters, werewolves and a cute love interest, definitely a fun story. This story actually fit the PNR element of the anthology, although thankfully nothing "deadly".

2.5 stars to Fearless by Rachel Vincent. It is difficult not to compare the main character of Fearless with Vincent's other characters, and I prefer other leading characters of Vincent's than this one. The idea of a parasitic individual who causes nightmares to feed off fear, however, is quite interesting. My main issue in this one was not enjoying listening to the main character.

1 star to Vermillion by Daniel Marks. I never heard of this author prior to reading this short story and I left off having no interest in reading his past/further works. The main character is so snobby and makes superficial observations on a woman she dislikes rather than attacking the PERSON not the looks. This is one of my pet peeves, a pet peeve which was proceeded by the author with further of my pet peeves. I'm pretty sure Marks and me just do not get along and I'll be keeping my distance.

3 stars to The Hounds of Ulster by Maggie Stiefvater. I generally enjoy Stiefvater's writing and this short was no exception. I liked the little "twist" at the end. However, I did feel like there were a few gaps that could have been filled in a bit better, especially considering Stiefvater's story was the shortest story in the book (could have been longer!).

2 stars to Many Happy Returns by Daniel Waters. Many Happy Returns wasn't a terrible story, I just did not overly care for the author's writing. I did like the premise and the twist was interesting. But overall I wasn't left wanting more from the author.