(Thank you to ATWT for allowing me to participate in this tour!)
Published by: Harper
Dangerous promises and beguiling threats swirl together in a dozen stories of enchantments dark and light by New York Times bestselling author Melissa Marr. Uncanny and unexpected creatures appear from behind bushes, rise from beneath the seas, or manifest from seasonal storms to pursue the objects of their attention—with amorous or sinister intent—relentlessly.
From the gentle tones of a storyteller’s cadences to the terror of a blood sacrifice, tales of favorite characters from Marr’s Wicked Lovely novels mix with accounts of new characters for readers to fall in love with...or to fear.
Lush, seductive, and chilling, Melissa Marr’s stories revel in the unseen magic that infuses the world as we know it.
Table of Contents & quick summaries:
"Where Nightmares Walk" - [Not sure what to say about this one. It confused me and was really short. Girl getting chased by Nightmare monster?]
"Winter's Kiss" (Fairy Tales) - [A girl who has cold in her all the time leaves her town for someplace else to settle.]
"Transition" (Vampires) - [Explores creator bond & the cycle therein of progeny/creator for vampires. Spooky graveyard + packed club.]
"Love Struck" (Selchies) - [Think Wicked Lovely with Ash/Keenan actually being happy together but with selchies (sea otters with skins connecting them to their Other World that they can shed to become human).]
"Stopping Time" (WL World) - [Niall, newly made King, faces down the High Court.]
"Old Habits" (WL World) - [Someone from Leslie's past comes to haunt her.]
"The Art of Waiting" - [in Marr's description, it's the mountain town.]
"Flesh for Comfort" - [Goblin story as she says below...]
"The Sleeping Girl and the Summer King" - (WL World-ish, the short story that started the series) - [It's the story that started the series, but it's interesting to see how much changed as it transformed into Wicked Lovely.]
"Cotton Candy Skies" (WL World) - [More of the Dark Court family]
"Unexpected Family" (WL World) - [meeting Seth's family]
"Merely Mortal" (WL World) - [Donia & Keenan taking a vacation after Darkest Mercy]
Also, here's what Melissa Marr had to say:
"In the tales, you'll find a selchie story influenced by Solana Beach, CA; a tale of vampires inspired by parties I once went to in a dead-end town I won't name; a goblin encounter set in the woods where I once picked berries; and a tale of dark contentment in a mountain town that owes a debt of gratitude to a Violent Femmes song I love. Of course, you'll also spend time with the Wicked Lovely faeries who have lived in my head and my novels since 2004."
In general, what I liked about the anthology...
Sexuality - Melissa Marr is one of the only YA authors I've seen who has consistently created protagonists who embrace their sexuality. Thank God for that.
Writing - I love Marr's writing. It may not be what's usually considered poetic, but it always has this lush, atmospheric feel to it that draws you into her stories.
Themes - Marr tends to play a lot with desire in her writing, but that works out really well with the kind of moods she creates.
Worlds - Selchies. How many of you have read stories with selchies? I really liked how each and every one of these stories had a whole another world to it. I wanted to learn more and have her write novels based off the stories [exception: WL stories, 'cause there already are :)].
But...
I feel the need to mention this. A lot of these stories have been published elsewhere--as in, you may have already read them.
"Where Nightmares Walk"
"Winter's Kiss" (Fairy Tales)
"Transition" (Vampires) <-- in the anthology Teeth.
"Love Struck" (Selchies) <-- in the anthology Love is Hell.
"Stopping Time" (WL World) <-- I think this was printed in the paperback copy of Ink Exchange, because I remember reading this somewhere.
"Old Habits" (WL World) <-- Again, the same as with "Stopping Time."
"The Art of Waiting"
"Flesh for Comfort"
"The Sleeping Girl and the Summer King" (WL World-ish, the short story that started the series)
"Cotton Candy Skies" (WL World)
"Unexpected Family" (WL World)
"Merely Mortal" (WL World) <-- in the anthology Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions.
To me, it seems a little unfair that almost half this book has short stories that were published in other places first and now are compiled together for readers to buy in a $17.99 book. When I buy anthologies, it's usually because I love the authors and want to see new material from them. It was rather sad that I had already read so much of what's published in this anthology.
[You may be wondering why I didn't notice this when I requested to read the book. Truth be told, I forgot the titles of the stories but recognized them once I began reading.]
BUT, if you haven't read a single Melissa Marr story, here's your chance. If you're wondering whether or not you'd like Wicked Lovely, here's your chance to sample some of Marr's other work. Marr's a great storyteller, and as with her other work, this shows in Faery Tales and Nightmares.
I have had my eye on this. I posted it in this weeks new releases. I appreciate you mentioning the other places that some of these stories have been previously published.
ReplyDelete-FABR Steph@FiveAlarmBookReviews
It's funny when books like this come out because you end up liking only a few of the stories, but not all of them. :)
ReplyDelete