Have I mentioned I really love anthologies? I do. I love that it gives authors a chance to showcase different characters, whole new worlds, etc. Also, it gives readers a chance to easily discover a new to them author. It’s a win-win. The anthology I just finished is Enthralled, which is edited by Kelley Armstrong and Melissa Marr. Enthralled is all YA paranormal stories and features over a dozen authors.
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 must insert a disclaimer here. I did not get a chance to read each and every short story in the Enthralled anthology. I will likely squeeze them all in when I get the time, but to start out with, I only read the authors whose stories coincide with series I’ve already read or am currently reading. That being said, this is a fabulous anthology and I’m excited to go back as time permits to discover some new to me authors :).
As the description mentions, some authors are giving us new worlds and stories, while others are revisiting worlds they’ve already created and giving us a secondary character’s POV. The authors I have read thus far are ones who are writing in established worlds, but from a different character’s POV or going back to a finished series and giving us a glimpse of things going on.
Rachel Vincent’s story is in her Soul Screamers world and features Sabine as the main character (you will also see Emma as she is with Sabine). The girls are on their way back home from some sort of road trip and Sabine makes a “pit stop” to visit with an oracle. Fans of Ms. Vincent know she likes to throw her characters into lots of trouble and she doesn’t disappoint. I’m just about to start My Soul to Steal and If I Die, so I haven’t really met Sabine just yet other than to know she’s Nash’s ex-girlfriend (you first meet her in Tod’s story, Reaper). The timeline seems to maybe fit in between My Soul to Steal and If I Die, as If I Die was released on 10/4, a couple weeks after the release of Enthralled. I love Ms. Vincent’s writing and am a fan of all her work. I’d say that readers could read this story without really having read the rest of the Soul Screamers series since you don’t really meet Sabine until later in the series. You’ll get a good feel of Ms. Vincent’s writing style and some of this world.
Kelley Armstrong has a story from her Darkest Powers trilogy. Her story features the same characters as the original trilogy (she has a new trilogy in same world, but all new cast of characters) with Chloe’s POV. Again, this story can be read without really having read the books. There are some references to past events, but nothing overly spoiler-ish or would make you feel lost. I didn’t feel it was quite as action packed as some of the others, but it was still good in pacing and good to see these characters again. Chloe still follows her instinct and determination. You’ll see Derek and Tori as well. Tori gets into some trouble after running off on her own after getting some shocking news. Chloe has a fight with Derek and while she’s off “thinking” she finds Tori again and that’s when things get a bit interesting. I’d really love to see more of these characters. :)
The last story I read was Rachel Caine and it’s from her Morganville Vampire series. I adore this series. Many people think vampires are overdone and at times, they can be; but, Ms.Caine’s spin on the world is one of a kind, IMHO. For her story, Ms. Caine featured Michael and his POV. This one would be a good place to start if you haven’t read the series yet. The main series is about 13/14 books in, so this could be considered spoilerish since Michael wasn’t always the way he is at this point in time. Michael is somewhat locally famous and is asked to be seen “sampling” a product in front of the town’s population. The after effects of this “product” is unexpected and brings some issues that Michael really needs to deal with to the forefront. Eve fans, you’ll see her briefly. I like Michael, but wish we’d seen some of Claire and Shane and Michael’s interactions with them.
All in all, I think Enthralled is fabulous. The stories rock and I cannot wait to read more as time permits.
Side Note: Jackie is also currently reading Enthralled and has already reviewed Giovanni’s Farewell by Claudia Gray, Scenic Route by Carrie Ryan, Red Run by Kami Garcia and Things About Love by Jackson Pearce.
I still have yet to really pick up anthologies. I have two different ones and just have not read them all the way through. I have an obsession with reading things in order, so if it’s part of a series I have not read yet, I usually won’t read it until I finish the series.