Pulling together short stories together regarding journeys – whether physical or not – these authors provide plots featuring vampires, faeries, angels and more. Authors include such bigwigs as Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Carrie Ryan and more.
One of the main reasons I wanted to read Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions was for the short story by Kelley Armstrong. I’m a huge fan of her Darkest Powers trilogy and Facing Facts was a great little reunion with my favorite characters of hers – Chloe and Derek! Facing Facts did not disappoint!
Generally, however, Enthralled was a mixed bag.
Giovanni’s Farewell was a good, sweet story by Claudia Gray. Let’s Get This Undead Show on the Road by Sarah Rees Brennan and At the Late Night, Double Feature Picture Show by Jessica Verday were interesting diversions, both creative and with a little spunk.
Then there was Carrie Ryan’s Scenic Route – a quick but effective post-apocalyptic survival tale of two sisters. In fact the sisters theme was working for me in Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions, as one of my favorite stories of the bunch was Jennifer Lynn Barnes The Third Kind – an awesomely creepy, fast-moving story that was one of the few to feel like a completed tale. Gargouille by Mary E. Pearson had a great sense of being haunting and romantic, as well.
Some good offerings!
Sadly, the remainder of the stories were primarily samplers of the authors’ series, taking place in their existing novels as a side story. Obviously this worked for me with Kelley Armstrong’s Facing Facts – but as an outsider to other series, I found the other stories to have a varying degree of interest to me as a non-reader of their books. Oftentimes, that varying degree tended toward the lesser end.
Yet, the few strong contributions in Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions made the overall read a good one!
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