Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions

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 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 show more 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. show less

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 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 show more 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. show less

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 group of YA paranormal short stories!

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 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 show more 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. show less

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 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 show more 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. show less

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 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.

First read: 2012
Re-read: November 2015

I originally bought this anthology for the stories by Rachel Vincent, Kelley Armstrong and Rachel Caine and they were the only ones I read at the time. I decided to re-read this in its entirety and I found that I had missed out on a lot on my first read because most of the stories in here are really good.

Giovanni's Farewell by Claudia Gray - 4/5
Scenic Route by Carrie Ryan - 4.5/5
Red Run by Kami Garcia - 4.5/5
Things About Love by Jackson Pearce - DNF

Niederwald by Rachel Vincent - 5/5 - FAVOURITE (re-read)
Niederwald is set in the Soul Screamers series and is told from the view point of Sabine. Sabine is a Nightmare, or Mara and can induce fear and terror into her victims. In the main series she is show more initially seen as an obstacle to Kaylee and Nash's happiness but here we see how much she loves Nash and how she will risk everything to get him back. When I first read this story it completely changed how I felt about Sabine. It is a good, action packed read and definitely worth reading for fans of the series.

Merely Mortal by Melissa Marr - 3/5

Facing Facts by Kelley Armstrong - 5/5 - FAVOURITE (re-read)
Facing Facts is set after the end of the Darkest Powers trilogy. Chloe is still struggling to come to terms with everything she had to do to survive and when Tori (her frenemy turned ally) learns a secret about her family and heritage Chloe puts aside her own problems to help Tori. This was a good read. I liked re-visiting the Darkest Powers series and this made me want to re-read the trilogy.

Let's Get This Undead Show On The Road by Sarah Rees Brennan - 4/5
Bridge by Jeri Smith-Ready - 5/5
Skin Contact by Kimberly Derting - 3.5/5
Leaving by Allie Condie - 2/5
At the Late Night, Double Feature, Picture Show by Jessica Verday - 3/5
Ivy League by Margaret Stohl - DNF
Gargouille by Mary E. Pearson - 4/5
The Third Kind by Jennifer Lynn Barnes - 4/5

Automatic by Rachel Caine - 5/5 FAVOURITE (re-read)
Automatic is set in Caine's Morganville Vampires series and is told from the POV of Michael, a newly turned vampire. An automatic blood dispenser is set up in the Morganville blood bank and Michael has been asked to test it out in front of the other vampires first. This is another brilliant story in the Morganville series and a really good way to end the anthology. show less