Enthralled : Paranormal Diversions by Various Artists

The Blurb :

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

"Enthralled" is a collection of 14 original teen paranormal short stories from some of today's bestselling YA talent, united with the common theme of road trips.

Contents:

• Introduction by Melissa Marr & Kelley Armstrong
• Giovanni’s Farewell by Claudia Gray
• Scenic Route [The Forest of Hands and Teeth] by Carrie Ryan
• Red Run by Kami Garcia
• Things About Love [As You Wish] by Jackson Pearce
• Niederwald [Soul Screamers] by Rachel Vincent
• Merely Mortal [Wicked Lovely] by Melissa Marr
• Facing Facts [Darkest Powers] by Kelley Armstrong
• Let’s Get this Undead Show on the Road by Sarah Rees Brennan
• Bridge by Jeri Smith-Ready
• Skin Contact by Kimberly Derting
• Leaving by Ally Condie
• At The Late Night, Double Feature, Picture Show by Jessica Verday
• IV League by Margaret Stohl
• Gargouille by Mary E. Pearson
• The Third Kind by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
• Automatic by Rachel Caine

My Review :

I have a well know love/hate relationship with anthologies.  I love to read them and discover new authors but I hate to read them because usually 75% of the book is filled with stories I don't like.  So it was very refreshing to read Enthralled and actually enjoy 75% of the book!  With some of my favourite authors inside and also some of my favourite series included, I really found lots to like about this selection of stories.  Plus I found a few new authors/series that I will be checking out because of this book.  Now I won't go through every story and disect it.  It would take forever.  However I will point out some of my favourites and some I didn't enjoy as much.

My favourites from authors/series I already know were Niederwald by Rachel Vincent (Soul Screamers Story), Giovanni’s Farewell by Claudia Gray and Skin Contact by Kimberley Derting (Body Finder Series).  These stories were both very good reads and both told from the perspective of another character from the series.  In the Soul Screamers story it was told by Sabine and included Emma.  The story by Claudia Gray seemed somehow familiar and I wonder if it is one I have read before or if it belongs to a series I have read by this author.  It was a nice tale and I liked the idea.  I wonder if there is more about these psychic twins?  While the Kimberly Derting story was from Rafe's point of view.  Nice additions to the series and well worth reading if you are a fan.

Then I have a couple of favourites from authors I haven't come across before.  These included the stories by Carrie Ryan, Jackson Pierce, Jessica Verday and Mary E. Pearson.  In the case of the Carrie Ryan story I was left intrigued because you never really find out what the characters are hiding/running from.  It is all about survival and I will be looking to see what this series is about.  Jackson Pierce's story about Jinn was unusual and quite amusing.  I have already put one of his books on my wishlist so I can find out more about the relationship mentioned in this story.  The short story by Jessica Verday started with an opening line about cannibal girl scouts which had me hooked straight away.  It was a weird and wacky story but different and interesting.  And lastly Mary E. Pearson wrote about gargoyles.  Now the plot wasn't amazing but the concept was nice.  Also I am a sucker for a gargoyle story.

As always there were a few stories that were seriously lacking in everything and were definitely not worth reading but may just be enjoyed by others.  I have no idea what IV League by Margaret Stohl was supposed to be about and it was one of those stories that ruined the anthology and just didn't fit in.  Merely Mortal by Melissa Marr wasn't my cupy of tea.  I believe I have read at least the first book in the Wicked Lovely series but fae are just not my favourite paranormal/fantasy element and this one therefore goes towards the bad stories in this selection.

Three stories were ones I was really looking forward to but disappointed me slightly.  Automatic by Rachel Caine was a nice read but it wasn't a good addition to the Morganville Series.   Facing Facts by Kelley Armstrong is set in the Darkest Powers trilogy and gives away some of the plot of the main story if you haven't already read it.  Also it is was a pretty poor story and not very exciting.  Lastly Bridge by Jeri Smith-Ready was the only work by this author that I can honestly say I didn't like one bit.  Set in the Shade series it was set in verse and not very impressive at all.

So all in all a very nice selection with, as always, a few duds.  I am really happy I read this anthology and I don't say that very often about short story collections!  So Enthralled is definitely one of the best ones I have read.  If you are looking for a book to introduce a friend to this genre then you shouldn't look much further.  Aimed at Younger Readers this doesn't have a childish feeling to it and is one for adults or just one to share with that teenager in your life.




  

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