ARC Review: Enthralled

Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions

• Authors: Melissa Marr (editor), Kelley Armstrong (editor), Rachel Vincent, Sarah Rees Brennan, Jeri Smith-Ready, Mary E. Pearson, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Jessica Verday, Claudia Gray, Jackson Pearce, Carrie Ryan, Rachel Caine, Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl, Ally Condie,
• Pub. Date: September 20, 2011
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Format: Paperback 464pp
• Age Range: Young Adult

A journey may take hundreds of miles, or it may cover the distance between duty and desire.

Sixteen of today’s hottest writers of paranormal tales weave stories on a common theme of journeying. Authors such as Kelley Armstrong, Rachel Caine, and Melissa Marr return to the beloved worlds of their bestselling series, while others, like Claudia Gray, Kami Garcia, and Margaret Stohl, create new land-scapes and characters. But whether they’re writing about vampires, faeries, angels, or other magical beings, each author explores the strength and resilience of the human heart.

Suspenseful, funny, or romantic, the stories in Enthralled will leave you moved.

I received this book through Around The World ARC Tours. Here is my honest review:

I must admit - I only read certain stories from this book. Why? Because I'm not familiar with all the authors and their respective book universes. Make sense? I read a few, some from authors I know well, and some original stories. I'm not big on short story anthologies, but I do like the short stories from series I normally read. Here are the ones I read and what I thought:

Jackson Pearce - Things About Love
This one is written in the As You Wish universe. First person/present tense with alternating POVs between Lawrence and Juliet. I have not read the As You Wish book(s), but I enjoyed this little story on love. It didn't really make me want to read her As You Wish novel(s) because I'm not all that into genies, but I may check them out. I did appreciate the gay character. :o)

Jeri Smith-Ready - Bridge
Set in her Shade/Shift series, Logan is telling this story in first person/present tense. He wants to find someone to talk to his older brother Mickey for him. He finds Krista, and the meeting is bittersweet for everyone. Good story, written in verse, and that made it very different.

Kimberly Derting - Skin Contact
Told in third person/past tense, this story is set in The Body Finder world. Rafe's story about Sophie is heartbreaking and very sad. Keep tissue with you for this one. While Jay and Vi make no appearance, this is a great addition to The Body Finder series.

Ally Condie - Leaving
A stand-alone dystopian short, Leaving is about a girl whose dad has disappeared, leaving her marked in her society. She also wants to leave, but the choice isn't always as clear-cut as it seems. I think this one can become something way more if she chooses, and I may check it out. I didn't care all that much for Matched, but this one seems different enough. Told in first person/present tense.

Jessica Verday - At The Late Night, Double Feature, Picture Show
Jane, part of a family of supernatural-being hunters, runs into some trouble on an unapproved solo mission. She comes across some interesting characters dressed and ready for a Rocky Horror convention and talent show! A story about Rocky Horror? Count me in! The dedication is priceless, too. Great original. Wanted a little more from one part, but that's okay!

If I read more of these in the future, I will add it to this list and post it on Twitter if you want to check it out. For now, those are the ones I've read, and the book has to move on to the next reader! I hope you all enjoy this one if you get your hands on it. It's good for fans who have a long wait until the next book of a series if the short story in here is written in that world.

Bottom line: Definitely recommended for anthology and short story fans!

Note: I'm not giving this a starred review. I don't think it would reflect any true feelings about this book, especially as a whole.