Tag Archives: Paranormal Fantasy

Dead Man’s Hand by Christie Yant

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for dead man's hand book cover

Title: Dead Man’s Hand
Author: Christie Yant
In: Dead Man’s Hand (John Joseph Adams)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 26th November 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Titan Books
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: Mr. Sutherland immediately turned his weapon over to Ed Durham, proprietor, and waited peacefully while a miners’ jury was assembled.

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Synopsis

Going through the different hands that were once called “Dead Man’s Hand” and regaling the dead men that held them…

Thoughts

I loved how each little tale of death in this story started off with a hand of cards. And they were the cards that each of the characters were holding. Not that I’ve ever gambled much or played many card games, but it was interesting to see what a Dead Man’s Hand actually was.

It’s also nice how a collection called Dead Man’s Hand ends with a story of that same name. Featuring the cards that originally coined that term. It was well done and rounded out this Weird western collection brilliantly.

All in all, this was a fun and engaging short story. It was well written and left me with a huge smile stretched across my face. As all final short stories in an anthology should be.

<- NeversleepsDead Man’s Hand Collection ->

Image source: Amazon

A Silver Music by Gaie Sebold

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of ghost stories by women book cover

Title: A Silver Music
Author: Gaie Sebold
In: The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories by Women (Marie O’Regan)
Rating Out of 5: 2 (Managed to read it… just)
My Bookshelves: Ghosts, Paranormal fantasy
Dates read: 26th November 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: The lettering of a human hand, be it hasty scrawl or copperplate or the awkward, childlike printing of the barely literature, connected one to the writer.

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Synopsis

A ghost story that will draw you in and entrance you.

Thoughts

It took me a little while to get into this story and really figure out what was even going on. And even then, it was most certainly not my favourite short story in the whole collection.

I struggled with this. Actually, I thought it might be because I wasn’t really paying attention, but I tried rereading this about three times before I just pushed my way through.

Definitely not my favourite short story, but maybe I’ll have to give it another shot in the future.

<- AfterwardThe Mammoth Book of Golden Age Detective Stories ->

Image source: Goodreads

Pirate Dave’s Haunted Amusement Park by Toni L.P. Kelner

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for death's excellent vacation book cover

Title: Pirate Dave’s Haunted Amusement Park
Author: Toni L.P. Kelner
In: Death’s Excellent Vacation (Charlaine Harris & Toni L.P. Kelner)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Vampires, Werewolves
Dates read: 26th November 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Gollancz
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: ‘Isn’t there anything else I can do to help?’

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Synopsis

Joyce is a recently turned werewolf who just wants a nice quiet vacation. To the amusement park that she remembers from her childhood. But things have changed a little…

Thoughts

This was such a fun and cute short story. I can’t say that I have an amusement park that I’m nostalgic for, or even a pirate that I had a teenage crush on. But this certainly made me wish that I did. After all, Joyce manages to not only save the park of her childhood, but also hook up with her crush. I mean, what more could you want?

Alright, you could also want to add into that mix vampires and werewolves. Then it is really a great short story. After all, a bit of supernatural banter and lust to round out a fun story… I finished this tale with a huge grin across my face.

Pirate Dave’s Haunted Amusement Park was a fantastic way to finish off the Death’s Excellent Vacation. For starters, Joyce repeatedly states that she’s actually on vacation. But it’s also just really pleasant and fun. What a light, humorous and wonderful way to round out a seriously fun collection.

<- Home from AmericaDeath’s Excellent Vacation ->

Image source: Amazon

Prom Nights from Hell by Meg Cabot, Stephenie Meyer, Kim Harrison, Michele Jaffe & Lauren Myracle

Book Review, , , , , , , ,
Overview
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Title: Prom Nights from Hell
Author: Meg Cabot, Stephenie Meyer, Kim Harrison, Michele Jaffe & Lauren Myracle
In: Prom Nights from Hell (Meg Cabot, Stephenie Meyer, Kim Harrison, Michele Jaffe & Lauren Myracle)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Short story collections, Young adult
Dates read: 4th – 24th November 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Harper Collins
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: We could have; my house was miles from town on an unmaintained dirt road, with no nearby neighbours to complain.

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Synopsis

Worried that prom is gonna bite?

In this collection, bestselling authors including Stephenie Meyer (Twilight) and Meg Cabot (How to be Popular and The Princess Diaries) take bad Prom nights to a whole new level – a paranormally bad level…

Wardrobe catastrophes and two left feet are nothing compared with discovering you’re dancing with the Grim Reaper – and he isn’t here to tell you how hot you look…

From vampire exterminations to angels fighting demons, these five stories will be more fun than any DJ in a bad dinner jacket. No corsage or limo rental necessary – just great, sexy, scary fun!

Thoughts

This wasn’t too bad a collection. It was a bit soured for me towards the end since I don’t really like Stephenie Meyer. And she was the author who rounded out the collection. But, the other four novellas were still great, so, ultimately I really enjoyed this collection.

I’ve always thought that prom was incredibly stupid. I wouldn’t have gone to my own formal, if it wasn’t for the fact that the school told us we wouldn’t graduate if we didn’t go. Luckily for me, this collection proved that prom is stupid. And at least these stories featured some really entertaining and interesting proms. Ones that I might have even been excited to go to.

I liked all of the stories in this collection. I didn’t necessarily jump head over heels for each of them (with Cabot and Harrison’s being exceptions to this). But I did enjoy the majority of the stories. They were fun and quirky and took me on an adventure that I really wasn’t expecting.

Even though this isn’t my favourite anthology on my shelves. I would most certainly read it again.

<- Hell on EarthThe Exterminator’s Daughter ->

Image source: Harper Collins

Afterward by Edith Wharton

Book Review, , ,
Overview
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Title: Afterward
Author: Edith Wharton
In: The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories by Women (Marie O’Regan)
Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)
My Bookshelves: Ghosts, Paranormal fantasy
Dates read: 24th November 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 1910
5th sentence, 74th page: What was it?

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Synopsis

They wanted to move into a haunted house. But what they didn’t realise is that they wouldn’t realise that they had been haunted until Afterward. Long, long Afterward.

Thoughts

Afterward is all about the power of hindsight. Or at least, that’s what I noticed about this. Every moment is hindsight on the one before and focuses on the ways in which knowing something afterward can be wonderful. But in the moment, in kind of sucks.

This couple face a whole number of issues in their endeavor to live in a haunted house. And honestly… anyone who wants to live in a haunted house is, well, kind of an idiot. Why would you want to live in a haunted house? It seems horrifying and… just not a great idea…

This was a fun and intriguing story. I didn’t get entirely swept away by it, which is why it has a slightly lower rating than other stories, but I definitely had a good time reading it. And as the second to last story in the The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories by Women collection, it has a great sense of winding down from all the horror of the other stories.

<- Among the Shoals ForeverA Silver Music ->

Image source: Goodreads

Home from America by Sharan Newman

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for death's excellent vacation book cover

Title: Home from America
Author: Sharan Newman
In: Death’s Excellent Vacation (Charlaine Harris & Toni L.P. Kelner)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Family, Paranormal fantasy, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 24th November 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Gollancz
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: In the gray light of morning the plane slid down through the cloud cover and the O’Reillys got their first glimpse of what for them was the Promised Land.

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Synopsis

Patrick has always dreamed about he home land. And been incredibly self-conscious about his height. Now he finally gets to go “home”. What he finds is nothing like what he expected.

Thoughts

I have always wanted to find out more about my ancestors. But I can’t say that I’ve ever had wonderful, powerful imaginations about them. After all, I’m probably from farm folk or some such. Even though I would love to go and see England and Scotland, I don’t think it would be like coming home. Which made it interesting to read a short story that featured a young man who was so desperate to live in and move to a country that he had never laid eyes on because he thought he was from hero stock.

Pride is never really a good thing. If we’re being honest here. And Patricks’ pride in this short story leaves his vacation at a pretty grisly ending. He is too proud to love his family for who they are. And he is certainly too proud to stay and listen and learn. Rather, he wants to be a hero and from more “impressive” ancestors. I really don’t understand that, and I’m kind of glad that he got his comeuppance. He was a bit of a weeny in this tale.

I love that this story dealt with family and pride. Leprechauns and the Luck of the Irish. The whole story was fun and had me smiling as I turned the pages. It wasn’t quite what I expected from the title. But it was most definitely a tale that I thoroughly enjoyed.

<- The Demon in the DunesPirate Dave’s Haunted Amusement Park ->

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Hell on Earth by Stephenie Meyer

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for prom nights from hell book cover

Title: Hell on Earth
Author: Stephenie Meyer
In: Prom Nights from Hell (Meg Cabot, Stephenie Meyer, Kim Harrison, Michele Jaffe & Lauren Myracle)
Rating Out of 5: 2.5 (Readable, but not worth reading again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Young adult
Dates read: 24th November 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Novella
Publisher:Harper Collins
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: He could see Melissa, her head on that stupid jock’s shoulder, her eyes closed.

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Synopsis

Gabe just wants prom night to be good, fun and filled with love. But, there’s a hitch in his plans and he might just be able to save her.

Thoughts

I was so hoping that this novella would begin to redeem Meyer to me. But it really didn’t. partially this is probably because I went into it with a negative expectation. But also the fact that it is, in general just not that well written. Her writing still feels clunky to me. Clunky, not well edited and just not enough to be interesting.

The idea of this novella was kind of brilliant. And I think that most other authors, I would have happily read the novella and actually enjoyed it. But, that is just not destined to be the case for this story.

I won’t write much about this as I don’t have much to say that is positive.

<- Kiss and TellProm Nights from Hell ->

Image source: Harper Collins

The Demon in the Dunes by Chris Grabenstein

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for death's excellent vacation book cover

Title: The Demon in the Dunes
Author: Chris Grabenstein
In: Death’s Excellent Vacation (Charlaine Harris & Toni L.P. Kelner)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Demons, Paranormal fantasy
Dates read: 22nd November 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Gollancz
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: I held up two warm beer cans.

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Synopsis

He’s reminiscing about the demon in the dunes and the summer of 1975. Will he finally be able to figure out what the demon was warning against all those years ago?

Thoughts

This is the prefect story to discourage idiots from smoking. I mean, the whole thing is just completely creepy and uncomfortable. And then, when you get to the twist at the end and the consequences are realised. Well, it becomes just that much more powerful and intense.

The Demon in the Dunes is a fun short story that uses the past and foreshadowing in a perfect way. It makes you want to race to the end to find out what the demon was doing there, even if that will ruin everything. I love stories that use foreshadowing well, it gives an extra sense of suspense to a story line that would not necessarily have it otherwise.

The Demon in the Dunes was a great short story that pulled me in from the very beginning. In fact, I kind of walked into a doorway while I was reading, I got that wrapped up in the book. Which is not always a bad thing…

<- The Heart is Always RightHome from America ->

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Kiss and Tell by Michele Jaffe

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for prom nights from hell book cover

Title: Kiss and Tell
Author: Michele Jaffe
In: Prom Nights from Hell (Meg Cabot, Stephenie Meyer, Kim Harrison, Michele Jaffe & Lauren Myracle)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Superheroes, Young adult
Dates read: 20th November 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Harper Collins
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: Like little dolls, yeah, he liked to think of them that way.

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Synopsis

Miranda just wants to be like everyone else and go to the prom with the boy that she likes. But an awkward encounter and an irritating client are about to make her prom a very interesting and action-packed night.

Thoughts

Being a teenager is super awkward. It doesn’t really matter how you look at it, that’s just a fact. But being a teenager with superpowers? Yeah, that would be particularly difficult. Which is why I loved this story – it’s all about a girl who is just trying to navigate the horrible teenage years. But then has all these extra, added difficulties.

All in all, I didn’t think that this was the worst prom night ever. In fact, it seemed like it would actually be a little bit fun. If it wasn’t for the fact that there were multiple gunmen hunting different people. And, there is a happily ever after moment at the end of this which was seriously sweet.

Sibby is a bit of a pain in this story. But Miranda is a great lead and completely drew me in. They balanced each other well, and I had this image of the two finding a way to be friends long after the ending of this story. I mean, an irritating Kiss Bandit and the Roller Derby Princess? That’s a friendship that I can get behind.

<- Madison Avery and the Dim ReaperHell on Earth ->

Image source: Harper Collins

The Heart is Always Right by Lilith Saintcrow

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
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Title: The Heart is Always Right
Author: Lilith Saintcrow
In: Death’s Excellent Vacation (Charlaine Harris & Toni L.P. Kelner)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Gargoyles, Paranormal fantasy, Romance
Dates read: 19th November 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Gollancz
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: EvilMart probably didn’t prepare her for this.

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Synopsis

A gargoyle with a crush realises that the woman he’s been crushing on might just be his ticket to looking… well, less gargoyle-like. But he has to sacrifice his Heart first.

Thoughts

This was such a cute and sweet short story. I love that there are so many different meanings to the title, depending on what point of the story you are at. The different meanings drew me in completely and left me feeling very happy and content.

I don’t get the privilege of reading many stories about gargoyles. But, ever since watching The Hunchback of Notre Dame, I’ve been fascinated with gargoyles. Happily looking forward to any of the stories I can find that feature these creatures.

The lore and the worldbuilding in this short story are intense. I honestly can’t believe that there aren’t more books set in this world. It is just so damn textured and detailed. I want more!

<- Thin WallsThe Demon in the Dunes ->

Image source: Amazon