Anthology Review: The Dark Woods

THE DARK WOODS is a bewitching collection of young adult short stories, ranging from science fiction and fantasy to paranormal, all featuring a lesbian heroine. This collection is part of Project Unicorn, a fiction project that seeks to address the near nonexistence of lesbian main characters in young adult fiction by giving them their own stories.

Stories by Sarah Diemer

Witch Girls (Dark Fantasy): The wild witch girls lurk at the edge of the woods, waiting to snatch away any girl who’s less than good. Gran’s warnings are the same every day: be good, or the witch girls will take you. But what if you want to be taken? Witch Girls is my favorite of Sarah’s contributions. The warning about the witch girls only made me want to be one of them.

Surfacing (Fantasy): When Alice’s brother John takes a mermaid out of the sea and drags her into the woods to die, Alice must find the courage to stand up to the worst bully she’s ever known in order to save a life. This was a sad but wonderful story. I’m always drawn to mermaids. So I thought this was a wonderful story.

Curse Cabin Confession (Paranormal): When Robin invites her girlfriend, Malinda, up to her family cabin for the weekend, it’s not just for a romantic time. Robin has a confession to make: she’s not exactly human. This was a fun short, but it’s not as memorable as most of the others.

Wolves of Leaving (Paranormal): After challenging the Alpha–and losing–Cadie begs the girl she loves to forsake all they’ve ever known and escape the tyranny of the pack. I really liked the ending to this one. It was a great story.

Devil May Care (Paranormal): When Corrine is forced to summon a demon to find a missing loved one, the afternoon turns stranger than expected. My other favorite of Sarah’s. This is one of the stories you won’t find online. It stood out, being more unique than the others.

Stories by Jennifer Diemer

A Craving (Fantasy): Snow knows little of the world, having spent most of her life within the safe confines of the cottage she shares with seven little men, her protectors. But every day, a young girl comes to the door, offering her an apple, and every day brings Snow one step closer to taking a bite. I love anything and everything based on fairy tales. Snow White is not one of my favorites, but the twist here was fantastic!

Natural (Paranormal): Terra feels confused and alone–until she meets a mysterious girl in the forest, standing next to her favorite tree… Possibly the most beautiful story in the group. As a pagan girl, I really enjoyed the magic here.

Haunt (Paranormal): Every moonrise, Tam and Ailsa defy the laws of time and space to meet in the forest and kiss beneath the stars. Haunt brought tears to my eyes. Another beautiful story by Jenn. But also sad. *sniff*

Dreaming Green (Science Fiction): Mirelle catches a mysterious seed during a spacewalk, and, though it is forbidden, she dares to plant it, nurture it, and let it grow. This was probably the most unique story in the entire group. It’s listed as science fiction, but it’s also very magical. A lovely story.

Mirrors (Fantasy): Bewitched by an old compact in an antique store window, Maisy is startled to realize that the reflection in the mirror is not her own. This is the other story not available to read for free on the site. This was my favorite of Jenn’s contributions. But, then again, I love anything with faeries.

You can download The Dark Woods from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Smashwords. Or, if you’d like a print copy of the first three months of Project Unicorn, you can get one signed from Sarah and Jennifer at Sappho’s Boutique.

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Book Review: Faery Tales and Nightmares

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.

I am a huge fan of everything Melissa Marr has done. I think, regardless of premise, I will read it and love it. She is a fantastic story-teller, and her use of folklore is amazing. Faery Tales & Nightmaresis an anthology, so for this review, I will spend a bit of time on each story. I won't say much about each story, especially the Wicked Lovely world shorts, so as to avoid spoilers.

"Where Nightmares Walk" is an interesting opening. It's very short, but the visuals are amazing. It is followed by "Winter's Kiss" a tale of a girl and a polar bear. Nesha was a princess who's breath was like winter. She could create snow on a hot summer day. Until she journeyed with a polar bear. "Winter's Kiss" was my favorite in this anthology. Next came "Transition" which was previously published in Teeth, a vampire anthology, and "Love Struck" a selchie story from Love is Hell. These four stories show just how amazing Melissa's use of folklore is in that they are so diverse.

"Stopping Time" and "Old Habits" are two Wicked Lovely world shorts, both of which has been previously available as ebook only. Definitely don't read these until after Ink Exchange. They wouldn't be quite as amazing without knowledge from the series. "Stopping Time" is a fun, sexy short following up on Leslie and Niall. "Old Habits" tells the story of Irial... and his inability to break some of his old habits. The thing I loved about this one was Irial's interaction with High Queen, Sorcha.

"The Sleeping Girl and the Summer King" was an amazing addition to this collection. Melissa wrote this years ago, and it eventually evolved into Wicked Lovely. I knew it had been a short story first, so I've been wanting to read this for years. I was surprised and excited to find out it'd be here. This short was my second favorite of the anthology. It's so unlike Wicked Lovely, yet if you've read the novel, you can pick out which pieces trickled over.

"The Art of Waiting" was creepy, but "Flesh for Comfort" surpassed the creep factor. Both were interesting shorts, not set in a world Melissa has written before. These are two of the shortest works in this anthology, but also two of the most interesting.

The last three stories are also Wicked Lovely world. "Cotton Candy Skies" is a post Radiant Shadows story, revolving around Rabbit and his life in Faerie. "Unexpected Family" is a post Darkest Mercy story, starring Seth. For the first time in the series, we get to meet his parents. "Merely Mortal" is another post Darkest Mercy story. It was previously published in Enthralled, an anthology Melissa co-edited with Kelley Armstrong. And it tells the story of where Keenan and Donia are after the series end. These last three stories were my least favorite in this collection, but still amazing. Don't forget to read the Wicked Lovely series before these, or you'll be spoiled big time.

I highly recommend the Wicked Lovely series and Graveminder, as they are both amazing. And, of course, pick this one up once you finish Darkest Mercy. Melissa Marr has a new novel called Carnival of Souls coming this fall from Little, Brown. And if you're a fan of her works, be sure to check out the Wicked Lovely fansite and Rath and Ruins.

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Happy Book Birthday: Dear Bully

You are not alone

Discover how Lauren Kate transformed the feeling of that one mean girl getting under her skin into her first novel, how Lauren Oliver learned to celebrate ambiguity in her classmates and in herself, and how R.L. Stine turned being the “funny guy” into the best defense against the bullies in his class.

Today’s top authors for teens come together to share their stories about bullying—as silent observers on the sidelines of high school, as victims, and as perpetrators—in a collection at turns moving and self-effacing, but always deeply personal.

Bullying is something that, as most of you probably know, starts before kindergarten and doesn’t necessarily stop. Bullies can be small children or grow adults. They can be male or female. And their reason for bullying… unfortunately, they don’t really need one. It seems to be a sport for some.

I’m overweight. I always have been. I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t trying to lose weight. I never starved myself. The fact is… I suck at dieting. I love dancing, and I used to have class every night, but it never helped me lose weight. Why am I talking about this? I was picked on and teased my entire childhood for being overweight.

There was not a day that went by that I wasn’t bullied in school. I’ve always been a bit over-sensitive… especially when it comes to my weight. I cried, and that only fueled the fire. James, Morgan, Corey, Matt… I remember their names and their faces. And even now, at age 28, tears come to my eyes when I remember how miserable my life was back then.

I’m excited to read Dear Bully. So many amazing authors participated in this anthology, including: Stephanie Kuehnert, Carrie Ryan, Lauren Oliver, Nancy Werlin, Holly Cupala, Ellen Hopkins, and Cecil Castellucci.

Be sure to check out the Dear Bully website, like the book on Facebook, and follow the Twitter feed. And more importantly... grab this book and get reading.

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