Author: April Genevieve Tucholke (editor and author), Stefan Bachmann, Leigh Bardugo, Kendare Blake, A.G. Howard, Jay Kristoff, Marie Lu, Jonathan Maberry, Danielle Paige, Carrie Ryan, Megan Shepherd, Nova Ren Suma, McCormick Templeman, Cat Winters
Publisher: Dial Books
Publication date: August 18, 2015
Pages: 385
Source/format: Library//Hardcover
Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Synopsis (from Goodreads.com):
For fans of Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Lois Duncan, and Daphne Du Maurier comes a powerhouse anthology featuring some of the best writers of YA thrillers and horror.
A host of the smartest young adult authors come together in this collection of scary stories and psychological thrillers curated by Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea’s April Genevieve Tucholke.
Each story draws from a classic tale or two—sometimes of the horror genre, sometimes not—to inspire something new and fresh and terrifying. There are no superficial scares here; these are stories that will make you think even as they keep you on the edge of your seat. From bloody horror to supernatural creatures to unsettling, all-too-possible realism, this collection has something for any reader looking for a thrill.
Fans of TV’s The Walking Dead, True Blood, and American Horror Story will tear through tales by these talented authors:
Stefan Bachmann
Leigh Bardugo
Kendare Blake
A. G. Howard
Jay Kristoff
Marie Lu
Jonathan Maberry
Danielle Paige
Carrie Ryan
Megan Shepherd
Nova Ren Suma
McCormick Templeman
April Genevieve Tucholke
Cat Winters
My Thoughts
This is the perfect read for the month of October. Twelve chilling stories by 12 amazing authors are contained in one anthology. There are some gems hidden in this anthology but of course with all anthologies, some are the stories aren't up to par.
The Birds of Azalea Street by Nova Ren Suma
I absolutely loved "The Birds of Azalea Street." It's beautifully written with just enough eeriness. The imagery is strong and this would definitely make a good short on screen. The creepy weird guy, overly curious teenager girls and the birds made the perfect story. If you are a big Alfred Hitchcock fan, I am sure you will enjoy this short story since Rear Window and The Birds inspired Nova Ren Suma.
Rating: 4.5/5
If you are looking for a twisted retelling of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in short story format, you are in for a treat. "In the Forest Dark and Deep" reminded of the PC game American McGee's Alice. The innocent girl longing for a tea party turns into a macabre story of madness.
Rating: 5/5
Emmeline by Cat Winters
I love reading historical fiction but I was disappointed in the lack of eeriness and creepiness of this story. Maybe I had high expectations for a horror story.
Rating: 3/5
Verse Chorus Verse by Leigh Bardugo
A teenage star names Jaycee goes under rehab and the ending is just creepy. Mother dearest is trying to make sure Babygirl is okay but that rehab center changed Jaycee. I think I need Bardugo needs to explain it to me a bit more because boy was the end chilling.
Rating: 3.5/5
Hide–And–Seek by Megan Shepherd
Hide–And–Seek by Megan Shepherd
I enjoyed reading this story about Annie getting the chance to escape death for 24 hours before death claims her. It's action packed and it had a lot going on.
Rating: 4/5
The Dark, Scary Parts and All by Danielle Paige
The short story was very predictable and it wasn't as scary as I hoped. It took forever to get to the ending. The story could have been shortened.
Rating: 2.5/5
The Flicker, the Fingers, the Beat, the Sigh by April Genevieve Tucholke
This story is inspired by Carrie and I Know What You Did Last Summer and I had high expectation since I enjoyed reading Carrie. However, I feel like this story wasn't up to par and the story was just okay.
Rating: 3/5
Fat Girl With A Knife by Jonathan Maberry
I could not get into this story at all. A girl named Dahlia, a knife and zombies are thrown into the picture but I didn't like way the short story was written.
Rating: 2/5
Sleepless by Jay Kristoff
Those texts were annoying and hard to read at first but I was able to get over the fact that I disliked the parts of the formatting of "Sleepless." However, that twist! I did not see it coming!
Rating: 4/5
M by Stefan Bachman
The rhyming song with the girls' names is sort of creepy and the whole premise of the story was creepy overall but it wasn't a shining star compared to the rest of the stories in the anthology.
Rating 3
The Girl Without a Face by Marie Lu
A closet that locks from the inside? A closet that never opens but one day the door is wide open. Richard has always felt this weird weight pressed against him when he is sleeping and he feels like someone is watching him. "The Girl Without a Face" creeped me out big time. Because I was reading this at night, I freaked out when I heard a noise outside my window. Lu wrote a fantastic classic horror story.
Rating: 4.5
A Girl Who Dreamed of Snow by McCormick Templeman
I was so bored of this story and at times, I felt like I wanted to skim it.
Rating: 2
Stitches by A.G. Howard
Inspired by Frankenstein, there is some dismemberment in the story and some creepy wrens. Sage, Clover and Oakley's mother has disappeared awhile back and their father drinks too much and beats his children. I love how Howard uses gingerbread to describe certain parts of the books; It's very symbolic. And that ending is twisted!
Rating: 4
I-5 by Kendare Blake
EmmaRae has been passing time in a diner until she meets Charles. After a car ride outside, something horrifying happens. I expected more to this story since I heard great things about Blake's other titles. I wish it had some more oomph and twists that I did not see coming.
Rating: 3.5
The Dark, Scary Parts and All by Danielle Paige
The short story was very predictable and it wasn't as scary as I hoped. It took forever to get to the ending. The story could have been shortened.
Rating: 2.5/5
The Flicker, the Fingers, the Beat, the Sigh by April Genevieve Tucholke
This story is inspired by Carrie and I Know What You Did Last Summer and I had high expectation since I enjoyed reading Carrie. However, I feel like this story wasn't up to par and the story was just okay.
Rating: 3/5
Fat Girl With A Knife by Jonathan Maberry
I could not get into this story at all. A girl named Dahlia, a knife and zombies are thrown into the picture but I didn't like way the short story was written.
Rating: 2/5
Sleepless by Jay Kristoff
Those texts were annoying and hard to read at first but I was able to get over the fact that I disliked the parts of the formatting of "Sleepless." However, that twist! I did not see it coming!
Rating: 4/5
M by Stefan Bachman
The rhyming song with the girls' names is sort of creepy and the whole premise of the story was creepy overall but it wasn't a shining star compared to the rest of the stories in the anthology.
Rating 3
The Girl Without a Face by Marie Lu
A closet that locks from the inside? A closet that never opens but one day the door is wide open. Richard has always felt this weird weight pressed against him when he is sleeping and he feels like someone is watching him. "The Girl Without a Face" creeped me out big time. Because I was reading this at night, I freaked out when I heard a noise outside my window. Lu wrote a fantastic classic horror story.
Rating: 4.5
A Girl Who Dreamed of Snow by McCormick Templeman
I was so bored of this story and at times, I felt like I wanted to skim it.
Rating: 2
Stitches by A.G. Howard
Inspired by Frankenstein, there is some dismemberment in the story and some creepy wrens. Sage, Clover and Oakley's mother has disappeared awhile back and their father drinks too much and beats his children. I love how Howard uses gingerbread to describe certain parts of the books; It's very symbolic. And that ending is twisted!
Rating: 4
I-5 by Kendare Blake
EmmaRae has been passing time in a diner until she meets Charles. After a car ride outside, something horrifying happens. I expected more to this story since I heard great things about Blake's other titles. I wish it had some more oomph and twists that I did not see coming.
Rating: 3.5
Thanks for offering mini reviews/summaries of each story. I always feel like I want to know more about an anthology before diving in so this was much appreciated. (Though if we're being honest I am too squeamish and way too easily scared to even attempt reading this one!)
ReplyDeleteI enjoy reading mini reviews of individual anthology stories. I always have mixed feelings about anthologies because some stories are very well written and some fall flat.
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