Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions

Publisher: Harper Collins

Publish Date: September 2011

Version: Print Hardcover

Series: none

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 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.

A journey may take hundreds of miles, or it may cover the distance between duty and desire.

Sixteen of today’s hottest writers of paranormal tales weave stories on a common theme of journeying. Authors such as Kelley Armstrong, Rachel Caine, and Melissa Marr return to the beloved worlds of their bestselling series, while others, like Claudia Gray, Kami Garcia, and Margaret Stohl, create new land-scapes and characters. But whether they’re writing about vampires, faeries, angels, or other magical beings, each author explores the strength and resilience of the human heart.

Suspenseful, funny, or romantic, the stories in Enthralled will leave you moved.

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.