Enthralled

October 1, 2011

Gr 8 Up-The 16 short stories in this enticing anthology, written by today's most popular authors of paranormal teen fiction, showcase strong female protagonists (and a few guys) undergoing journeys both actual and spiritual. Readers will be happy to see familiar characters and settings from some of their favorite authors' novels. The selections feature ghosts, genies, harpies, faeries, necromancers, vampires, psychics, and Untouchables. In Carrie Ryan's "Scenic Route," set after "the Change," two teens living in a remote mountain cabin fight zombies and bandits while constantly dreaming about and planning their ideal road trip. Jessica Verday's lighthearted "At the Late Night, Double Feature, Picture Show" features a kick-ass heroine battling cannibal Girl Scouts while trying to save defanged Rocky Horror-obsessed vampires after their car breaks down. Margaret Stohl's wryly funny "IV League" is about two not-so-bright "Drinkers" visiting East Coast Ivy League universities intent on getting admitted despite the fact that these institutions normally won't take "their kind." These consistently well-written stories offer something for every taste, whether it's dark, edgy, and violent or funny and sweet.-Sharon Rawlins, New Jersey State Library, Trenton

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2011

A solid collection of stories that prove that all any supernatural creature wants to do is date or eat teenage protagonists.

These short stories are loosely connected by a very openly interpreted journey motif. Psychics, genies, angels and gargoyles join fairies and vampires to terrorize and romance their fellow characters. The diversity in authors allows for the sometimes-neglected horror implied in paranormal stories to be spotlighted, as in Carrie Ryan's zombie thriller, "Scenic Route," and Jennifer Lynn Barnes's "The Third Kind," about sisters with unavoidable compulsions. Many of the authors base their stories in the existing worlds of their other novels--luckily, most of these standalones work, though not all shake off that teaser taste. Sarah Rees Brennan's "Let's Get This Undead Show on the Road" follows a vampire in a boy-band and stands out with its perfect blend of snark and sincerity. It's followed in a one-two punch by Jeri Smith-Ready's intense and earnest "Bridge." While not every story's as strong as those (some are downright forgettable), in a buffet of so many flavors readers can always skip to the next story with a good chance of finding something more to their liking.

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