Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions

ENTHRALLED is a fabulous anthology from today's hottest YA paranormal authors, including Melissa Marr, Kelley Armstrong, Rachel Vincent, Sarah Rees Brennan, Jeri Smith-Ready, Mary E. Pearson, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Jessica Verday, Claudia Gray, Jackson Pearce, Carrie Ryan, Rachel Caine, Kami Garcia,

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Margaret Stohl, Kimberly Derting, and Ally Condie. If you are a fan of any of these authors, this book is a great addition to your bookshelf. Some of the stories are stand-alone and others are additions to current series's. I have highlighted a few stories that I really enjoyed:

Giovanni’s Farewell by Claudia Gray is a story about fraternal twins with powers to hear thoughts and speak to the dead. It was a great start to the anthology and I hope Gray turns that introduction into a real book. Scenic Route by Carrie Ryan is an expected zombie tale about two sisters holed up in a house while the rest of the world deals with its reckoning. Things About Love by Jackson Pearce takes place in the As You Wish world with Lawrence and a female jinn, Juliet. I really loved this story and definitely a treat for those who have read As You Wish. Niederwald by Rachel Vincent was a journey with Sabine and Emma, from the Soul Screamers series, to see a seer and the trouble they have along the way. A Mortal Winter King by Melissa Marr shows a snippet of Donia & Keenan's life after he turns mortal (from the Wicked Lovely series). Facing Facts by Kelley Armstrong brings the Darkest Powers teens back to light in a thrilling tale.

Definitely a great read for fans of current YA paranormal books and series's!

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This is a charmingly packaged anthology published by Harper Collins. Whom, it must be said, is just outstanding in its choices of YA literature and authors. Harper consistently publishes books of the highest quality and content, so with their novels you can almost guarantee a good read. The cover

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of this (and most of Harper's books) is wonderful and appropriate for the content. What I like about it is the nod to the sophistication of the young adult reader. There's no scared little girl looking out at us here!

I've perused the book like a bandit. Absolutely love the feel of paper they've used which reminds me of the old (maybe still used) paper of the short story mystery anthologies I used to get, small packaged as magazines. Somehow, it makes me feel like this is a secret book I can hide and read in bed like a Halloween precursor; which it is in fact. Just love it for my bedside table this Fall.

After having read a couple of stories, my favorite is "Gargouille" by Mary E. Pearson. I wasn't familiar with Ms Pearson's books or writing, so decided to try her story for that reason alone. This is a wonderful story! I enjoyed it from the first sentence. Mary's descriptions are fascinating and made me smile with the anticipation I've always had when reading a fairytale. I love her French names and hinted connections in the story. Great writing and a really good short story.

I'm currently reading Mary's "...Jenna Fox," and loving it, as well.

Highly recommend this great Fall season book to friends and readers...lovers of the paranormal and YA genre.

Deborah/TheBookishDame

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Let me start off by saying that I'm not a huge fan of short stories, so this rating is probably a bit more subjective than I'd like to admit. That being said, when I saw Kelley Armstrong and Melissa Marr teamed up to edit this, and there were stories from many of my favorite authors in the book, I

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thought I'd give it a try. I checked it out from the library just in case I didn't like it, and I'm glad I did.
Authors that I usually love wrote stories that I wasn't too fond of. Rachel Caine's story bored me, as did Jennifer Lynn Barnes' (that really surprised me. I usually love her work). Melissa Marr's short story fell flat as well. None of these were terrible, just not the quality work that I'm used to from these authors. However, I know that writing a short story is a bit different, and sometimes more difficult, than writing a novel. So it's not like I'm judging their writing abilities based on these stories.
The one bright spot in the book was Kelley Armstrong's short story, "Facing Facts." That story grabbed me and didn't let me go until the end. My only complaint was that it ended too soon. Kelley Armstrong is my favorite author, though, so I'd probably say the same thing if she'd written a book of limericks. Basically, to me, anything Armstrong writes is golden.
Armstrong's story is set in the world of the Darkest Powers series, and it deals with Chloe, Derek, Simon, and Tori. I love that series and these characters, and this adventure was incredibly suspenseful. She really had me convinced one thing happened when something else had happened. Armstrong has an amazing way of doing that, though. She always keeps me on the edge of my seat.
Overall, I'd recommend this book to you if you enjoy short stories because then you'd probably like more of the stories than I did. If you're not the world's biggest fan of short stories, but you like the authors, then check the book out from the library first.

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Always the hardest.

Anthologies are always the hardest and take the longest to talk about, but they're easiest to like. That's probably the case because there are such awesome writers contributing to the book, but there are lots of stories that it's kind of hard to talk about without blabbing on and

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on for a thousand years.

Like most anthologies I've read, I've been waiting for Enthralled for such a long time now. I'm always drawn to anthologies and I particularly like the theme of this one. All the talented authors featured in Enthralled took the theme and crafted a story based on it, with each one of them having such compelling stories--and I enjoyed reading each one.

The shorter version of it all.

I loved Enthralled.

Some stories I loved to death, some I liked, and some I also liked but never really understood. Some of these stories were easy to follow and some stories got very confusing.

You know how short stories get.
There isn't much time for the author to really build up on the information and take the long road. In short stories, authors usually use the style of in medias res (in the middle of things). For example: authors might start the story when their main character is facing off with a ugly beast. They pick up the story from there, dropping some information at some points, then they end with an ending that have their readers assuming this or that.

That's probably the main reason why I get confused. In short stories readers will have to find the clues that hold information about their world. Sometimes we're on a need-to-know basis.

While I was confused reading some stories, I ended up liking them nonetheless.

Please don't die of boredom.

Really, please don't. I don't want to be responsible for your death...and well, I wouldn't want you dying.

Here is where I talk about the short stories individually, because these stories differ from each other and so do my opinions on the stories. I've become fans of many of the authors here, while the rest I've already come to love.

Giovanni's Farewell by Claudia Gray - This was a great way to start the anthology. Claudia's short was sweet, intriguing, and enjoyable. I caught myself smiling at the end of this one. The twins, Cairo and Ravenna, develop interesting new abilities and they both have to come to terms with it. In Rome, Ravenna meets Giovanni, charming and the only boy she flirted with. She finds out he's a ghost later and well, something sweet happens. FIVE STARS.

Scenic Route by Carrie Ryan - Carrie Ryan really does love her zombie The Forest of Hands and Teeth world. Scenic Route is set in the same world, and features two sisters who are on the run from the zombies. They meet a boy who they may be able to trust, until one night when his brothers break into their hide out. Having read her other short story, Hare Moon, I think Carrie Ryan does a great job writing about her zombies and the world she puts her characters in. I especially loved the characters in Scenic Route. FIVE STARS.

Red Run by Kami Garcia - This is the first story of Kami Garcia that I've ever read. And I'm impressed and now a fan. Red Run features a ghost and a girl who wants to hunt down the ghost who killed her brother. When she finds the ghost, she lets him in, but she finds out that he isn't a killer. I loved this story and I still get chills thinking about it. FIVE STARS.

Things About Love by Jackson Pearce - I didn't expect this story to turn out the way it did. That's probably because I haven't read As You Wish (where this short takes after). In it there are genies or djinns. One djinn studies humans on Earth to learn about love. Funny and touching, Jackson Pearce wrote a good one here. Then again, she always does. FIVE STARS.

Niederwald by Rachel Vincent - This is another of my firsts. I haven't read any of Rachel Vincent's novels before, but I think from the impression I'm given, I'll have to check them out soon. Rachel's characters Sabine and Emma (from Soul Screamers) visit the town of Niederwald, which is populated by Harpies. Interesting, a tad bit funny, and a little creepy, Niederwald was a cool read. FIVE STARS.

Merely Mortal by Melissa Marr - Oh look, another first. I've tried reading Wicked Lovely, but I couldn't get into it. Though when I read Merely Mortal, I became all too interested in the events that happened in Melissa's series. Her characters were lovable and their situation was touching. Her characters, Keenan and Donia, take a vacation, but both are thinking hard about Keenan's mortality. I'm thinking about looking into Melissa's Wicked Lovely series again. FOUR STARS.

Facing Facts by Kelley Armstrong - Another first! Set in her world of the Darkest Powers series, Kelley impresses me with her interesting characters and their world. Chloe struggles to come to terms with the guilt over the deaths of Dianne Enright and Dr. Davidoff. When their daughter, Tori, learns that Dr. Davidoff wasn't her father, she runs away and gets into some trouble, with Chloe being the one to help her. It was hard for me to understand this short at the beginning, but I grew to like the characters and the story at the end. FOUR STARS.

Let's Get This Undead Show On The Road by Sarah Rees Brennan - Ah, this was one of the confusing shorts. The summary of this was that there was a "vampire" boy band (with only one being an actual vampire) goes on tour and end up bonding with each other. From the beginning, I didn't understand the story at all. Progressing through the story, I could barely grasp it, which kind of frustrated me because I wanted to get it. The parts I understood were funny, while the others were just downright confusing. FOUR STARS.

Bridge by Jeri Smith-Ready - Writing in free-verse, Jeri Smith-Ready shares with us a touching short. This is a first for me as well. As a companion to Shade, I had trouble understanding a few things like why her character died and why his brother was so upset. It was a tad bit confusing, but it was touching nonetheless. FOUR STARS.

Skin Contact by Kimberly Derting - AHHHH. RAFE. Set in the world of Kimberly's The Body Finder series, this was an easy one to follow. In Desires of the Dead, we were introduced to Rafe who was all too mysterious. In this short, we get to learn more about his character and what he's been through.
Just like in her series, Kimberly uses her talent of keeping her readers at the edge of their seats, shivering under the suspense and then dropping their jaws on the floor when all the scary killing stuff is revealed. This had to be one of my favorites out of all the shorts in this anthology. FIVE STARS.

Leaving by Ally Condie - I was unsure about whether I would like this one because Matched wasn't all that sparkles and rainbows for me. But in her short, Ally writes a sad and touching story that readers can connect and sob over. This short clearly impressed me. FOUR STARS.

At The Late Night, Double Feature, Picture Show by Jessica Verday - This was so win, I'm not even kidding. Drag vampires? They were the boss! And who knew Girl Scouts could be so lethal and scary--well, at least cannibal and flesh eating Girl Scouts. Funny and entertaining, I enjoyed reading this one so much. FIVE STARS.

IV League by Margaret Stohl - I've never read anything by Margaret Stohl before, and this had been my first time reading something by her. I thought IV League was interesting and dark, but it was one of the shorts that confused me. I tried my best to understand it, and I think it paid off at the end. But because I spent most of the story in confusion, this didn't stand out for me. FOUR STARS.

Gargouille by Mary E. Pearson - FINALLY, someone writes about gargouilles! I don't know about you, but I've never seen these paranormal creatures anywhere in the YA community. Nope.
I was so excited to read this after the author announced that her story was going to be about them. Mary E. Pearson's take on these creatures was unique and intriguing. I loved the story, it was touching and heartbreaking that I teared up at one point. FIVE STARS.

The Third Kind by Jennifer Lynn Barnes - I'm a fan of Jennifer's and I was interested in seeing how her short went. And I have to say, I enjoyed it. It was something unique and interesting.
The two sisters in her story travel to San Antonio, all the while trying not to be killed. In San Antonio they learn about the Guardians, Heralds, and the third kind. Jennifer always brings up something unique and I really wish that this was longer. FIVE STARS.

Automatic by Rachel Caine - I knew nothing about Rachel's Morganville series and that's kind of the reasons why I struggled to understand this story. So there's this soda machine where vampires are able to buy canned blood, but they later find out that this machine isn't perfect. I thought the story was kind of odd and well, I just thought it was odd. FOUR STARS.

Enthralling *wiggles eyebrows* Get it?

Enthralled was enthralling and compelling. It was a great anthology to read and I'm glad that it didn't let me down. I'll be looking out for the all the authors' works as well as hoping that they get crack their heads together and collaborate on another anthology.

Hey, a girl can hope.

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A good mix of paranormal romance from a variety of YA authors. I have to admit, I'm completely sick of vampires--I skipped almost all of the stories that involved them. I liked Giovanni's Farewell and Gargouille best.

It was intriguing and exciting to read how some of the various authors used the same characters from their novels to create their short stories in this book.

I have never reviewed an anthology before and wasn’t sure how to go about doing it without spoiling the stories for you. I was excited to read this anthology because there are a lot of writers in it that I haven’t ready anything they’ve written. This was a good opportunity to read from these

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amazing authors that I have heard so many good things about. I had the pleasure of seeing the Smart Chicks Kick It tour and see some of the authors in person and that made me want to experience what they have written for myself. I hope all the anthologies I read are this good. Somehow, I seriously doubt that is going to happen though. I will warn you that this is by far, the largest review I have written.

Giovanni’s Farewell by Claudia Gray
This is story about twins and the discovery that they make. It involves a ghost named Giovanni. This story was really heart-felt and gave me a new appreciation for the bonds that siblings have, especially twins. Having never read anything by Claudia Gray, I was happy to see how easy it was to get involved with this story.

Scenic Route by Carrie Ryan
I’m told that the setting for this story mirrors that of her novel, The Forest of Hands and Teeth. I haven’t read that either. In this story, there is Margie and her younger sister Sally. They move around a lot and they are deciding where to go next. Calvin shows up on their doorstep one night. This is the story of the interaction between the three of them. After reading this short story, I am putting other works by Carrie Ryan on my TBR list!

Red Run by Kami Garcia
Red Run is a street in “the Lousiana backwoods.” The story is that the road is haunted and a ghost kills people that travel on it. One of those was the brother of Edie, the main character. She is determined to kill the ghost responsible. She drives down Red Run at night and meets Tommy Hansen, a ghost there. In this story, she picks him up as a hitchhiker and it goes through what happens on Red Run. I really liked this story. I never knew what was going to happen. I had my suspicions, but they were rarely right.

Things About Love by Jackson Pearce
In this story, Lawrence is the best friend of Viola, who fell in love with a genie named Jinn. Because of this, Lawrence has had a genie guard. His latest guard is Juliet. Genies or jinn don’t normally have names, but she picked this one out for herself. Her mission is not only to guard Lawrence and make sure that he doesn’t talk about her world, but to research and understand love. I liked this little story. It was predictable, but a good story nonetheless.

Niederwald by Rachel Vincent
If you have read any of Rachel Vincent’s Soul Screamer series, you will recognize the characters in this book. It is about Sabine, whom I’ve never liked. Although, I’m not sure she is meant to be liked. This story talks about how she used a trip with Emma (Kaylee’s best friend) for her own advantage. You get a deeper glimpse into the character of Sabine and what is important to her in this story, but that doesn’t improve my opinion of her. It is a good side story for the series.

Merely Mortal by Melissa Marr
This involves Keenan and Donia, who is the Winter Queen. Keenan is described as having both summer and winter in him. He gave up his immortality for the woman he loves, Donia and it now mortal. This story describes a vacation they take and the journey for them to decide on whether or not to try to make Keenan immortal or fey again. This is a good story and gives you a glimpse into the writing of Melissa Marr. I will definitely be putting her on my TBR list.

Facing Facts by Kelley Armstrong
This story involves the characters of the Darkest Powers series. I have to say upfront that I love that series and was biased when reading this. It is a nice side story about Tori, a witch, Chloe, a necromancer, and Derek, a werewolf. This has to do about Tori finding out who her real father is, how she reacts to it and how Chloe reacts to her reaction. (Confused yet?) It is a good story, but it didn’t give me as much excitement as the Darkest Powers series normally does.

Let’s Get This Undead Show On The Road by Sarah Rees Brennan

“A Vampire craze has taken the world by storm. It seems as if everyone is developing a taste for blood.”

That quote is how the story starts out. Given that, you don’t really know what is going to happen. This story involves the English boy band 4 the One. One of the members of the band, Christian, is a vampire. The other three members are human. In this story, it goes over briefly how Christian became a vampire and the struggles that he deals with while touring with the band. You were given a different take on vampires in this story and that was refreshing. Everyone knew about them. This isn’t about how the general public deals with vampires, but how the band deals with the one member who happens to be a vampire.

Bridge by Jeri Smith-Ready
This is a side story of the Shade series. When I first started this story, I was discouraged because it was 50 pages long and these were supposed to be “short” stories. However, by the time I finished, I wished that there were more pages and I couldn’t believe how quickly I read those 50 pages. This tells the story of Logan and what he goes through in order to get in contact with his older brother Mickey. I will definitely be putting the Shade series on my TBR list.

Skin Contact by Kimberly Derting
In this story, Rafe is following the dreams he had which leads him to a house. In this house, he expects to find Sophie, the girls he loves who left to take care of her mother and brother. He calls a FBI agent that he knows for help when he arrives to the place in his dream. It describes the things he finds out when he gets there and how he knows them. This is a good short story.

Leaving by Ally Condie
This is the story of Sora and how she is “untouchable.” In this story, it tells of the other classmates in her school and their reaction to her and the stuff that has happened after her father left. She dreams of the “beautiful people” and wishes they were here to help her. I like the way this story ends. I like Elio in this story also.

At the Late Night, Double Feature, Picture Show by Jessica Verday

“Nothing says ‘Hey, I’m normal’ like a car graveyard in front of your house,” I muttered.

This is the story of Jane and how she wants to prove herself to her family. She is always the “bait” in their traps. They hunt supernatural beings. Everyone in her family was “gifted in their own way with some unique power or skill” except Jane, and that is how she always ended up being the bait. She goes out to hunt a supernatural being by herself. The target: cannibal Girl Scouts. Jane knows where they’ll be and when. She just doesn’t know what the night will have in store for her. I love Verday’s writing. Until I read this story, I thought I just liked the Hollow series, but I was wrong. She is a writer who I love to read.

IV League by Margaret Stohl
This story is a good, but peculiar one. It is about Wren Lola Lafayette aka Wrennie and her friend Maynard Hopper Wilson aka Hopper and their quest to find a college to go to after high school. The school takes a field trip to various colleges to allow students the opportunity to choose one school or the other. Wrennie and Hopper choose to go to Harvard and this is their story about the interview and the things that happened while they were there.

Gargouille by Mary E. Pearson
Giselle is a gargouille…or she was until she was captured and they cut her wings off. She was in love with Étienne, another gargouille. Giselle is put on display and carried in a cage as the person who has captured her, intends to sell her to the duke. That happens, but not as her capturer intended. This is a good romance story.

The Third Kind by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
This is the story of Kristy and Jess Carlton. Kristy aka Kissy, get these ‘pulses where her eyes turn “stained-glass green.” When she got these, she had to do what the ‘pulse told her to do. She didn’t understand it, but she had to do it or her condition would worsen. This is what happened one night when Kissy woke Jess up and told her “We have to go to San Antonio.” Jess doesn’t understand these ‘pulses either, but she understands what happens when Kissy doesn’t do them quickly enough. This is what happens to Kissy and Jess on their way to San Antonio. This story was good and full of action for as short as it was. The only thing I would say that I didn’t like was what happened when they got to San Antonio and that the story ended to soon.

Automatic by Rachel Caine
This is a short story involving the characters of the Morganville Vampire series. I haven’t read this series and have moved it up on my TBR list after reading this story because I liked it so much. The main characters in this story are Michael and Eve. Michael is a new vampire and Eve is human. They live in Morganville where vampirism is known and common. When it comes to testing new technology, since Michael is a new vampire, he is elected to try it first. The thinking is that because he grew up with technology, he will better adapt to it. There is a new machine at the blood bank. It is akin to a Coke machine and dispenses blood in cans when you swipe your “card.” This is the story of what happens to Michael after testing out the new machine.

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This supernaturally-themed short-story collection--with each tale invoking the concept of "journey" in some way--ranges from pathos to suspense to wild humor. I borrowed it mainly to read the story by favorite author Sarah Rees Brennan, but was hooked by many of the other authors as well. There

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were only a couple of stories that didn't hit the right note for me, where the plot felt overly involved or simply didn't attract me.

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I would give this anthology 4 stars alone just for Jeri Smith-Ready's Bridge from her Shade Series. It was beautiful and heartbreaking.

I also enjoyed meeting new characters and visiting with old friends, such as Chloe and Derek from Kelley Armstrong's Darkest Powers Series.

A wonderfully written

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group of YA paranormal short stories!

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This YA anthology had some real big hitters in it but for the most part I didn't really like most of the stories to find out more about the worlds they were set in. Even the ones that were set in story settings I knew, the story left me with more of a "eh" feeling than lets find more of that.

Enthralled features a wide variety of paranormal situations from a bunch of pretty big name YA authors. Obviously, some stories were more to my taste and others less, but overall I found Enthralled to be an enjoyable collection. Some of the authors' pieces were supplemental to their other published

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works and offered up a good enticement to dig into the authors' novels. Melissa Marr's piece about the fairy Winter Queen taking a vacation with her (now mortal) beloved promises to lure me back to finish her Wicked Lovely series, for one. Jeri Smith-Ready's selection drew on her characters from the Shade series and convinced me that I should give that series another shot since the short story, "Bridge," was among my favorites. Another of my favorites was Carrie Ryan's "Scenic Route" which is set in the same post-apocalyptic world as her Forest of Hands and Teeth series, a world that I'm now ready to dig into sooner rather than later.

Other stories stood alone, and I was sad to see them end and disappointed to find there wasn't more fiction out there with the same worlds and subjects that I could dash out and buy. Ally Condie's selection, "Leaving" was one. In just a few short pages she managed to create a captivating dystopian world and a couple of characters that made me hunger for more of their story. "The Third Kind" by Jennifer Lynn Barnes was another great story about a pair of sisters unwittingly being swept into an otherworldly war that I'm certain would make a compelling novel.

A few of the stories left me cold, particularly the ones that were looking on the "lighter" side of paranormal but came off more ridiculous than funny. However, by and large, Enthralled was an excellent collection of diversions that proved to be the perfect opportunity for me to dip back into the waters of paranormal YA that I'd been missing without realizing it.

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I really liked this book! It's hard for me to pick a story I liked the most, or one I liked the least. Overall I thought it was very, very good. It kept me very entertained and is probably my favorite anthology I've read to date. I would definitely recommend this to others. 5 out of 5 stars.

I really liked this book! It's hard for me to pick a story I liked the most, or one I liked the least. Overall I thought it was very, very good. It kept me very entertained and is probably my favorite anthology I've read to date. I would definitely recommend this to others. 5 out of 5 stars.

A collection of sf/f stories. Generally these stories are at least solidly crafted, but all too many of them rely on the reader being already familiar with the characters. My favorites were probably "Scenic Route" and "Let's get this undead show on the road."

"Giovanni's Farewell," by Claudia Gray.

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A teenager is afraid her twin brother is going crazy--but then she sees a ghost, and her reality is shaken. I liked the relationship between the twins, but this story was very short and lightweight.

"Scenic Route," by Carrie Ryan. Margie tries desperately to keep her sister safe and innocent, but it's difficult when they're constantly on the run from zombies. Then another survivor turns up, and Margie has to choose between keeping safe and human contact. I really liked the relationship between the sisters, and the revelation that Sally is able to kill for her family as well. The POV goes from limited to Margie to encompass Calvin for a few paragraphs near the end, and it's a jarring misstep.

"Red Run," by Kami Garcia. Edie hunts the ghost who killed her brother. Nice low-grade spookiness!

"Things about Love," by Jackson Pearce. Seems to be a short story follow-up to another story. In that one, a djinn and a human girl fell in love; in this, a djinn researcher tags along behind the girl's bff to discover what "love" is. I did not like the way the POV switches every couple paragraphs, but the story was fine.

"Niederwald," Rachel Vincent. A monster seeks an audience with the oracle to discover whether she ever gets her ex boyfriend back. It's clearly part of a larger story, so it isn't that compelling, but I did like the descriptions of the harpies and their caged oracle.

"Merely Mortal," by Melissa Marr. Two characters from some previously-written story talk about stuff that makes no sense because I haven't read the other work in this 'verse. Not well written, either.

"Facing Facts," by Kelley Armstrong. A continuation of a story about genetically modified magic users on the run from the Cabal that made them. A necromancer faces her feelings about using an undead enemy as a lethal tool. I quite like the characters and Armstrong includes some solid development of the necromancer's ethical position, but if I hadn't read the earlier work this wouldn't have worked for me.

"Let's Get This Undead Show on the Road," by Sarah Rees Brennan. A new vampire is part of a boy band, and hijinks ensue. Quite funny, with a few moments of melancholy or sweet connection.

"Bridge," by Jeri Smith-Ready. A ghost tries to stop his brother from committing suicide. Told in free verse, I presume because the narrator wrote songs, but it adds absolutely nothing to the story. For such heavy subject matter, this doesn't leave much of an impression.

"Skin Contact," by Kimberly Derting. Troubling story about a boy who can sense the past through objects he touches. I'd like to read more about him.

"Leaving," by Ally Condie. In the future, a girl tries to decide what part of the past to travel to. Eventually she realizes that fleeing her present won't solve anything. I liked it.

"At the late night, double-feature, picture show" by Jessica Verday. A young Hunter is out to make a name for herself, but instead of a simple goblin takedown, she gets involved in a cannibalistic Girl Scout Troop, high-kicking vampires, and a resurrectionist. Loopy but not actually funny.

"Ivy League," by Ivy Stohl. A young vampire tries to get in to Harvard. Funny and sad, with a really great narrative voice.

"Gargoille," by Mary E Pearson. When a gargoyle loses their wings, they lose their memories as well. After Giselle is captured and parted from her wings, she makes a new life for herself. Months later, another former gargoyle joins the Duke's court--her former lover let himself get captured so they could be together again, though neither knows why they're drawn to each other. The writing isn't great, but the basic plot is good.

"The Third Kind," by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Jess is used to her sister having fits and dragging her along on strange missions. This particular quest is stranger than usual, though, and eventually Jess learns that it isn't her sister who has to be protected--it's her. This felt like a great beginning to a cool story, but it cuts off right when it gets truly interesting.

"Automatic," by Rachel Caine. A new vampire tries out the new blood vending machines. Somehow, the automation of it makes him even closer to his bestial side.

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This anthology has a theme of journeys, both actual and virtual. The idea of the anthology came from an author tour including quite a group of YA authors. I like anthologies because they give me a chance to sample authors I haven't yet read and also get new peeks into the world of authors I do

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read.

New to me authors in this anthology were Claudia Gray who wrote a story about twins who discover that they have psychic gifts, Carrie Ryan who writes a story about sisters trying to survive after an event ends life as they know it, and Jessica Verday who writes a story that includes defanged vampires on their way to a Rocky Horror Picture Show convention.

Kelley Armstrong, Rachel Vincent and Rachel Caine write episodes in their long-running series. Jeri Smith-Ready's story takes the form of a poem about a ghost who needs to make things right before he can move on.

I enjoyed all of the stories in the anthology. I liked that they each had interesting takes on the idea of journeys and that they each had their own emotional signature from funny to scary to romantic.

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