Defy the Dark-anthology collection (review)

 

 Defy the Dark

By Saundra Michell and 

other authors!

Genre: Young Adult, Anthology
Published June 2013
Pages: 480

Publisher: HarperTeen

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Summary:  "Defy the Dark, an all-new anthology edited by Saundra Mitchell.
It features 16 stories by critically-acclaimed and bestselling YA authors as they explore things that can only happen in the dark. Authors include Sarah Rees Brennan, Rachel Hawkins, Carrie Ryan, Aprilynne Pike, Malinda Lo, Courtney Summers, Beth Revis, Sarah Ockler, and more.

Contemporary, genre, these stories will explore every corner of our world- and so many others. What will be the final story that defies the dark? Who will the author be?

Review:  Not a bad little collection of stories. Some stories are disturbing, others creepy. We had modern tales, medieval fantasy, urban fantasy, dystopian, science fiction and more in this book! If it has to do with darkness or nighttime it could be in hear. Many of the stories leave you with a feeling of wondering what happened as you use your imagination to fill in the blanks.

So here are my thoughts (briefly) for each story.

Sleepstalk by Courtney Summers
The main character stalks her ex-boyfriend who she finds sleepwalking. something happened betwwen them that is stimulating their behaviors, but what? The girl terrifies me slightly with her though process a bit.

Nature by Aprilynne Pike
Dystopina cast system for what you will be for one's adult life. Due to her physical measurements, a girl is put into the ‘wrong’ caste. This story left me wanting more! i loved it but so much of the girls life, the world around her, is left unanswered. If the author ever writes more of this world, I will jump on the chance to read it! 

Open Flame by Lacy Danes Tour review with bonus book excerpt

Open Flame

Dragon’s Fate Book 2
Lacy Danes

Genre: Paranormal romance

Publisher: Samhain Publishing

Date of Publication: September 24^th 2013

ISBN: 9781619217461

ASIN: B00CZ8MCHO

Number of pages: 118

Word Count: 32K

Cover Artist: Kanaxa

Samhain Publishing | Kindle | Kobo | Nook

Book Description:

Between hate and lust lies heaven, hell… and smoldering love.

Like his brothers, Madoc is a dragon born by blood magic. Unlike them, he has only once bitten a human in a near-hopeless quest to find his eternal mate. Watching that woman die nearly destroyed him.

Now he works to invent a watch that will rewind time. When he attends the Spectacle of Time in Paris, though, he finds a woman who shakes the foundation of his world and crumbles his ferocious control.

Ever since the black-haired man with the red crescent on his cheek ruined her family, Fina has hated him. When she runs into him in Paris, she is determined to show him just how much. Instead, overwhelmed by the desire to both kill him and bed him, her body betrays her and she melts in his arms.

Waterfall (Dragon's Fate 1) by Lacy Danes (review)

 

Dragons Fate:  Waterfall (1)

By Lacy Danes

Genre: Paranormal, Romance
Published Jan 2013
Pages: 153

Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd

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 WARNING:  THIS BOOK CONTAINS ADULT CONTENT FOR 18+



Summary: "It’s easy to fall in love. Destiny requires tooth and claw.

Dragon’s Fate, Book 1

Curses are designed to be cruel, but the one afflicting Jordan and his brothers is almost beyond bearing. A dragon born by blood magic, he is an immortal trapped in human form, with only one hope of finding his eternal mate. He must bite her—and pray she lives.

One dark night, he senses the wounded heartbeat of a woman in the shadows, begging him to end her life. Ever the gentleman, he chivalrously obliges her wish. Only to discover three days later that she lives. And has married another.

The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle: The Thing Under the Bed (review)

 

 The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle:    The Thing Under the Bed 

By Patrick Ruthfuss

Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Humor
Published Oct 31 2012
Pages: 80

Publisher: Sea Lion Books

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Summary: It looks like a children's book. It has pictures. It has a saccharine-sweet title. The main characters are a little girl and her teddy bear. But all of that is just protective coloration. The truth is, this is a book for adults with a dark sense of humor and an appreciation of old-school faerie tales.

There are three separate endings to the book. Depending on where you stop, you are left with an entirely different story. One ending is sweet, another is horrible. The last one is the true ending, the one with teeth in it.

The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle is a dark twist on the classic children's picture-book. I think of it as Calvin and Hobbes meets Coraline, with some Edward Gorey mixed in.