Kiss Me Deadly

Kiss Me Deadly: 13 Tales of Paranormal Love
ed. by Trisha Telep

If you can possibly thirst for more mysterious metaphysical accounts of love, Trisha Telep has organized some of the greatest and most thrilling tales of paranormal paramours since The Eternal Kiss. She presents the acclaimed literary talent of thirteen unique authors, creating a collection of stories that will undoubtedly capture the imagination of every soul who dares to read them. Werewolves, ghosts, zombies, vampires, and fallen angels drive the plot of these riveting romances. (description taken from Amazon.com)

I liked this anthology. It was full of some interesting stories by great YA authors. I really loved, too, that authors like Michelle Zink got to write something outside of the series they are now famous for...it was a real chance to show off their diverse abilities. Then, there were also stories like "Errant" by Diana Peterfreund and "Hare Moon" by Carrie Ryan that just delved even deeper into the fantastic worlds they've already created. For paranormal fans, this anthology is a must!

Zombies Vs. Unicorns

Zombies Vs. Unicorns
ed. by Holly Black and Justine Larbaleister

It's a question as old as time itself: which is better, the zombie or the unicorn? In this anthology, edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier (unicorn and zombie, respectively), strong arguments are made for both sides in the form of short stories. Half of the stories portray the strengths--for good and evil--of unicorns and half show the good (and really, really bad-ass) side of zombies. Contributors include many bestselling teen authors, including Cassandra Clare, Libba Bray, Maureen Johnson, Meg Cabot, Scott Westerfeld, and Margo Lanagan. This anthology will have everyone asking: Team Zombie or Team Unicorn?
(description from Amazon.com)

I am not generally a short story person. I like more meat...I want more action...I want deeper character studies...I just want...more. This book, however, is a compilation that becomes one giant book. No, I did not read it all in one sitting, but with the running commentary between Holly Black and Justine Larbaleister interspersed between tales, it became one long story battling out the ultimate question.

I was torn! I have been Team Unicorn for as long as I can remember, yet lately I have been strongly drawn to Team Zombie. (see my reviews for The Dead-Tossed Waves and I Kissed a Zombie and I Liked It as examples) I was so drawn into all of these stories that I couldn't really decide which team to ultimately join!

Some of my favorite stories in the book were "Princess Prettypants" by Meg Cabot, "The Care and Feeding of Your Baby Killer Unicorn" by Diana Peterfreund, "Prom Night" by Libba Bray...oh god, they were all good! This one book encompassed stories by so many of my favorite authors. There was tongue in cheek humor, there was chill-inducing realism, there was hope, and there was romance.

This is a book that I would highly recommend to all fantasy readers. Even if you only read one or two of the stories, you would still be guaranteed a great time!

Full disclosure: ARC received to review for SLJ

Teaser Tuesday - Zombies Vs. Unicorns ed. by Holly Black and Justine Larbaleister

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!"


Zombies Vs. Unicorns
ed. by Holly Black and Justine Larbaleister

p. 53

"...Probably he's trying to make himself immortal, which never works, except wizards never listen when you tell them that, and we would really prefer if he got stopped before he cuts off the babies' horns trying."
"Let me guess," Alison said. "Is his name Voldemort?"
"No, what freakish kind of name is Voldemort?"the unicorn said. "His name is Otto, Otto Penzler. He lives downtown."

Ascendant
by Diana Peterfreund

Publication date: September 28, 2010
Received ARC signed by Diana Peterfreund at BEA 2010

Astrid Llewelyn is now a fully trained unicorn hunter, but she's learning that she can't solve all her problems with a bow and arrow. So when she's given the opportunity to leave the Cloisters and go to France to put her skills to use discovering the Remedy, Astrid leaps at the chance. Finally, she can have exactly what she wants - or can she? Soon Astrid begins to question everything she thought she believed: her love for Giovanni, her loyalty to the Cloisters, and - most of all - her duty as a hunter. Should Astrid be saving the world from killer unicorns, or saving the unicorns from the world?

After being blown away last year by Rampant, this was the one and only book that I was desperate, repeat desperate, to get an ARC of at BEA this year. I waited all day in long lines, with tired arms and pained feet, to stand in line with a huge grin on my face to get this book and to meet Diana Peterfreund. It was awesome!

When I sat down to read this, I had a moment's hestitation, afraid that it would not measure up to its predecessor. Rampant not only featured a great new heroine, but a fascinating new world...I mean, come on, killer unicorns? How could you not astound the YA lit world with rampaging killer unicorns??

Thankfully, my hesitation was short-lived. Ascendant not only lived up to Rampant, but I think surpassed its awesomeness. Astrid, now an acknowledged unicorn hunter, has to decide if she will continue to do her duty as a hunter, protecting humans around the globe, or if she'll go into private security to work in a quieter community and get the chance to go to school, work in a lab, and yes, be a little...well, safer.

Astrid faces challenges in both love and life in this book. She finds her moral code challenged, her ideas on family challenged, her heart divided, and well, pretty much everything in her life just falls apart. New, shockingly horrific revelations are made and Astrid must make some really tough decisions.

Astrid is achingly real in this book. She's torn between wanting to be safe and feeling as if she must do her duty as a hunter. She never gives up trying to do the right thing, ever. Astrid is what I consider a true heroine and has officially sealed her position as one of my top favorite characters of all time.

An astounding continuation in the series.