Bookalicious » Short Stories

Review: Bloody Valentine by Melissa de la Cruz

Pam — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 23:23:39 +0000

Goodreads: Vampires have powers beyond human comprehension: strength that defies logic, speed that cannot be captured on film, the ability to shapeshift and more. But in matters of the heart, no one, not even the strikingly beautiful and outrageously wealthy Blue Bloods, has total control. In Bloody Valentine, bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz offers readers a new story about the love lives of their favorite vamps – the passion and heartache, the hope and devastation, the lust and longing. Combined with all the glitz, glamour, and mystery fans have come to expect, this is sure to be another huge hit in the Blue Bloods series.

Also, witness the bonding of Jack and Schuyler.

Holy novella Batman! Bloody Valentine is a fantastic tie in novella to the already much loved by me Blue Bloods Series. This is one of the few series I have been reading even before I became a book blogger and my love for all things Van Alen has yet to diminish one bit.

What I freaking love about this book is the fact that we get to see so much about Allegra, so many mysteries are laid to rest as we learn more about the early life of Charles and Allegra van Alen. We even find out who Schuyler’s human dad is!

We also see Oliver make some bad decisions while trying to overcome his addiction to being bitten, and his love for Schuyler. During this time we are introduced to one of the Witches of de la Cruz’s new adult title coming soon The Witches of East End.

The bonding, oh my the bonding. Of course with Jack and Schuyler it couldn’t come off without some hitches but it was beautiful. I feel like a mother who’s baby is all grown up and is getting married as I read these two lovers exchange important life long vows.

I seriously cannot wait for the next book Lost in Time slated to come out in October of this year!

FTC Disclosure: I bought this book on my Nook.

Review: The Poison Eaters and Other Stories by Holly Black

Pam — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 01:27:25 +0000

From the back of the ARC:

Poisonous girls whose kisses will kill. A fateful eating contest with the devil. Faeries who return to Ironside, searching for love. A junior prom turned bacchanalia. In twelve short stories, eerie and brimming with suspense and unexpected humor, Holly Black twists the fantastical creatures you thought you knew in ways you’ll never expect.

It has been a while since I read something from Holly Black and now it seems my shelves are brimming. I have White Cat, Red Glove and I just finished Poison Eaters. It is so easy to shift back into Black’s unusual quirky writings and I loved Poison Eaters. These stories featured some of my favorite characters from Black’s cannon such as Roiben! Other stories I haven’t seen before such as Coldtown and The Dog King. I have been in the middle of a huge reading slump for a few weeks but Black’s short story collection pulled me back from the abyss. I will quickly go through each of the twelve stories in a few sentences.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown

I loved this story, Coldtown is exactly the kind of place I do not want near and this story puts the scary back in vampire lore. It’s not Edward waiting for you on the other side doll, it’s a kick ass vamp who will lie to you this way and that for your blood.

A Reversal of Fortune

Oh how I wouldn’t love to have an eating contest with the devil, however I am almost positive that I wouldn’t have the luck or ingenuity of Nikki. Little Boo, I loved you!

The Boy Who Cried Wolf

This story reminds me to not take everything I read in books seriously and sometimes a great curiosity is better left alone rather than investigated.

The Night Market

Easily one of my favorites in this book, and it is darn hard to pick a favorite. I loved the fae in this story and I loved Black’s vivid descriptions of the night market.

The Dog King

Take it from me kiddies this is not the one to read right before bed. It is super scary stuff and fantastically filled with lore. By far my most favorite of this collection.

Virgin

This one reminded me that Black has a mind that rivals that of Gaiman and King. She bleeds humor with disturbing scenes and pulls you back for more. I love this Unicorn story.

In Vodka Veritas

Easily a laugh a minute I loved this one so much. The latin team decides they are sick of being losers and casts a spell on all that would be at prom to have a orgy fest and take pictures to blackmail those affected with later.

The Coat of Stars

What would you do if you found out your one true love didn’t really die, but had been captured into a faerie circle and has been dancing the past ten years? Why get him back of course! But how?

Paper Cuts Scissors

Imagine you had the ability to put yourself in a book, or take characters out and let them mingle with one another. Another of my favorites.

Going Ironside

Another of my favorites. There is only one girl and we are thinking her thoughts, all she wants is her little elf baby. How she gets it is what is killing her.

The Land of Heart’s Desire

Oh Roiben I still love you! You are still the sort of evil boy that would scare the hell out of me and I would want to try to save from himself. Great to see some old friends again.

The Poison Eaters

The last in this short story collection and a doozy. A king is remembering a night not long ago when he lost his love.

Why Teens Will Love It:

The stories are short and fun and easily devoured during homework breaks or study hall. Black’s stories are so different from the other it is like finishing twelve books at once!

Why Adults Will Love It:

Black’s work focuses on the teens here in these stories but is easily devoured by adults. The wit and dark humor Holly displays will keep us craving more of her writings for many a moon to come.

FTC Disclosure: I got this at a conference.

Review: The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling

Pam — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 20:16:01 +0000

The Tales of Beedle the Bard, was a bit of a disappointment to me. I expected a lot more depth from Rowling who normally gives excellent descriptions and lots of back story. However this book is a good simple read if you have a bored hour sometime in your weekend.

Beedle himself was a muggle who seems to know a bit much about the magical world. His stories are true Aesop’s Fable style with something to learn at the end, with extra commentary by Albus Dumbledore, it does become quite a fun read. Children between 7-10 will enjoy the book as the stories are short and easy to understand.

The first of the five stories “The Wizard and the Hopping Pot” is a wizard tale of the golden rule. Do unto others as you would have done to you story. The wizard and his son have very different views on how to use their magic. The father believes in helping muggles (non magical people) with their every day problems. The son believes that using magic for muggles is useless due to the fact that wizards were obviously a superior race. In the end he changes his mind due to a deathbed curse from his father.

”The Fountain of Fair Fortune” is Beedle’s second story in the book. Here a group of people gather once a year to await who will be chosen to bathe in the fountain. The fountain then cures what ails you and generally makes your life much easier from then on. This particular year three witches and a knight are thrown in together due to circumstance. The three witches heal their ailments by the accomplishing tasks that come up on the trail to the fountain. In the end they let the knight bathe and it changes his life forever. But is the fountain really magical, or is it just a state of mind?

”The Warlocks Hairy Heart”, is a dark traumatic love story. By far my favorite of the five stories in the book. In this story the Warlock realizes his family and friends are becoming weak from loving each other. So he performs a dark magic ritual and hides his heart away out of his body and in a box. Years later he is the most successful and richest Warlock in the province. He overhears his servants pity him because no one loves him. He then decides to take a lady for his estate. Due to the fact he has no heart he woos the richest and most beautiful woman in the realm. She then figures he has no heart and when she convinces him to put the heart back in his chest, the heart is lonely and dark and even hairy from being locked up so many years. Back in the chest of the owner his insane heart and the dark desires from the heart overpower the mind just as he believed a heart can do and both the Warlock and the girl die tragically.

”Babbity Rabbity and Her Cackling Stump” is a classic tale of power and trickery. The King in the story wants to harness all magical power for himself, and an Muggle tricks the King into taking magical lessons from him for a price. In the end the muggle is almost found out, but he locates a magical source in the palace, the wash woman Babbity Rabitty. He asks her to hide behind a tree and perform the magic the King commands for his court performance. The last spell the King tried was out of Babbity’s magical range and the King is livid. The Muggle then blames Babbity and with transfiguration she tricks the court into letting her go.

”The Tale of the Three Brothers”, and the last story in the book is full of Harry Potter references as the Elder Wand and the Invisibility Cloak. The Brothers try to cheat death and only one is smart enough to do that. Dumbledore’s commentary on this last story is particularly interesting.

I am a bit disappointed in the book but in the end it is a decent collection of short stories.