The Avid Reader

Book Review: Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy

Published: March 2014

Source: Amazon

Goodreads Summary:

What if you'd been living your life as if you were dying—only to find out that you had your whole future ahead of you?

When sixteen-year-old Alice is diagnosed with leukemia, her prognosis is grim. To maximize the time she does have, she vows to spend her final months righting wrongs—however she sees fit. She convinces her friend Harvey, who she knows has always had feelings for her, to help her with a crazy bucket list that's as much about revenge (humiliating her ex-boyfriend and getting back at her archnemesis) as it is about hope (doing something unexpectedly kind for a stranger). But just when Alice's scores are settled, she goes into remission.

Now Alice is forced to face the consequences of all that she's said and done, as well as her true feelings for Harvey. But has she caused irreparable damage to the people around her—and to the one person who matters most?

Julie Murphy's Side Effects May Vary is a fearless and moving tour de force about love, life, and facing your own mortality. 

My Thoughts:

I bought this book when it first came out, and then I put off reading it for ages because I had read several mixed reviews for it. It seemed like a lot of people struggled to connect with Alice, finding her intensely unlikable. Characters are important to me as a reader, so once I started seeing these reviews I shied away.

Big mistake, because I actually loved this one! I did find Alice to be extremely hard to like, and there were many times that I found myself beyond frustrated by her behavior. She is manipulative, prideful, vengeful. She's easily hurt and she always, always goes below the belt, even (especially?) when trying to hurt the people she loves most. It's hard to imagine disliking a main character who is dying (sort of) of cancer, but man, I did not like Alice.

And yet. I really wanted to like her, and I spent most of the book secretly hoping that she would be redeemed in some way. In spite of how much she frustrated me, I wanted this prickly girl to get a happy ending. As much as I hated her for hurting Harvey again and again, I still wanted them to end up together. I hated some of the things Alice said and did to the "mean girls" in her life, but I still hurt for her when they struck back. Alice is a subtle character with a lot of depth, and Murphy did a fantastic job crafting her. 

But what really made me love this book is Harvey, whom I completely adored. I wanted to smack him sometimes for being so easily used, but there was something so sweet about his utter devotion to Alice. He's so loyal and selfless, and he isn't at all concerned with what anyone else at school thinks of him. It's the hardest thing in the world for him watching the girl he loves slowly waste away, but he never lets Alice see his pain. I also loved their history and the friendship between their two families. 

I don't have personal experience with cancer, but I felt like that aspect of the book was handled well. Alice's emotions were raw and volatile and felt genuine. In fact, I think everyone's reactions were depicted in a genuine and honest way. I love that Alice's mom lost her cool and called Alice a little bitch, and that Alice faked sick to get out of school while her parents were already sick with worry over her diagnosis. 

All in all, this book was a solid 4 stars for me, and I wouldn't hesitate to pick up something else by Julie Murphy.

I'm not usually a contemporary reader, but I really enjoyed this one. It's made me think I need to start working more contemporary YA into my reading pile! 

What contemporary YA are at the top of your list? 

2015 Reading and Blogging Challenges

I'm not going to do a resolutions post, but if I were, the gist of it would be "blog consistently". In an effort to do just that, I've decided to sign up for several blogging and reading challenges for 2015!

The Book Blogger Organization Challenge, hosted by The Book Addict's Guide.

I'm excited about this one because I'm resolved to be a better book blogger in 2015, and I think making a conscious effort to be more organized will help me accomplish that goal! All you need to do to participate is make an effort to organize your blog! Each month has a general theme, and January's is reading challenges, scheduling, and resolutions. 

You can find tweets about this challenge under #blogorganization. 

Fairy Tale Retelling Reading Challenge, hosted by The Daily Prophecy.

I'm so excited about this challenge! I have soooo many fairy tale retellings on my shelf and this is the perfect excuse to make the time to read them.

My goal for this challenge is Big Bad Wolf, which means reading 10-15 fairy tale retellings. 

You can find tweets about this challenge under #fairytaleRC.

 TBR Pile Reading Challenge, hosted by Bookish.

This is another great challenge for me because the goal of it is simply to catch up on some of the books we have purchased and then sent to languish endlessly on our bookshelves. The only restriction is that the books be published prior to 2015.

I'm setting myself a goal of 31-40 books, Sweet Summer Fling.  

You can find tweets about this challenge under #2015TBRPile.

Reread Challenge, hosted by So Obsessed With.

There are so, so many books I'm dying to reread!

I'm setting myself a goal of rereading 10 books in 2015. Among them, I will definitely reread all 7 Harry Potter books, and the first three Game of Thrones books. I'm sure I'll end up rereading more than ten books, but the others will probably be early books in series that I decide to catch up on. (For example, I plan to read Rebel by Amy Tintera soon, but it's been long enough since I read Reboot that I'm fairly sure I'll need to reread that first.)

You can find tweets about this challenge under #ReRead2015.

Netrgalley Reading Challenge, hosted by Fictively.

I'm looking forward to this challenge because one of my resolutions for 2015 is to attain a respectable Netgalley ratio. To that end, I want to make sure I'm posting reviews for Netgalley books as often as possible. This challenge will be a great way to help me stay on track!

I'm aiming for "hard", 21-30 books.

 *****

And that's it for me for 2015 challenges! Even keeping up with all of these feels ambitious, but I'll do my best!

Which challenges have you signed up for for 2015?

Book Review: Before We Met by Lucie Whitehouse

Published: January 2014

Source: I received an e-copy of this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

GoodReads Summary: 

Hannah, independent, headstrong, and determined not to follow in the footsteps of her bitterly divorced mother, has always avoided commitment. But one hot New York summer she meets Mark Reilly, a fellow Brit, and is swept up in a love affair that changes all her ideas about what marriage might mean.

Now, living in their elegant, expensive London townhouse and adored by her fantastically successful husband, she knows she was right to let down her guard. 

But when Mark does not return from a business trip to the U.S. and when the hours of waiting for him stretch into days, the foundations of Hannah’s certainty begin to crack. Why do Mark’s colleagues believe he has gone to Paris not America? Why is there no record of him at his hotel? And who is the mysterious woman who has been telephoning him over the last few weeks? 

Hannah begins to dig into her husband’s life, uncovering revelations that throw into doubt everything she has ever believed about him. As her investigation leads her away from their fairytale romance into a place of violence and fear she must decide whether the secrets Mark has been keeping are designed to protect him or protect her...

My Thoughts:

In a nutshell: I liked this well enough, but for me personally, this book was great in theory but fell just a little short in terms of execution.

As soon as I saw this on NetGalley, I rushed to request a copy. I loved the concept, and I connected with Hannah right away in spite of having very little in common with her. I was drawn in immediately, and I read the first two thirds of the book in one sitting. 

However.

A large part of the suspense component of this book lies in trying to decide whether or not Mark could be trusted, and for me, that just wasn't really up for debate. I made up my mind about Mark really early on, and I really never wavered in my opinion. I still enjoyed the book quite a bit, and I was very absorbed while reading it. I just felt like the tension could have been racheted up quite a bit if it had been a little harder to get a good read on Mark. I also felt that the ending was a bit abrupt, although I did like certain aspects of it.

I feel like I'm very up and down in this review, but I honestly did enjoy this and I'm sure the average reader of suspense would too.

As someone who has been with my husband for eight years and married for three, I find myself equal parts fascinated and horrified by these twisted tales of people who are suddenly forced to question just how much they really know about the people they've chosen to spend their lives with (says the girl with a serious Investigation Discovery problem). Definitely makes for a chilling story!

In browsing through descriptions of Whitehouse' other books, I'm actually pretty intrigued by the concept for The House at Midnight, so I think I will give that book a try before making up my mind about this author. 

Have you read this one? Did you feel like you had Mark pegged pretty early on?

I'm really into psychological thrillers lately! I think something about this time of year really lends itself to creepy, suspenseful reads.

I'd love some recommendations! 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten New Series I Want To Start

This week's topic for Top Ten Tuesday is top ten new series I want to start. And there are many. Even though there totally shouldn't be, when I already have basically a million outstanding series to catch up on

The Elemental trilogy by Sherry Thomas

The Hereafter series by Tara Hudson

The Fallen series by Lauren Kate

The BZRK series by Michael Grant

The Finishing School series by Gail Carriger

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

The Lone City series by Amy Ewing

The Defiance series by C. J. Redwine

The Incarceron series by Catherine Fisher

The Age of Legends series by Kelley Armstrong

I'm still determined to catch up on some of the series I've left hanging

out there... but I'm also really eager to give some of these a try!

Series I'd Like to Catch Up On

Working on yesterday's Top Ten Tuesday post made me realize that I have fallen into a bad habit lately, and that habit is starting a series and never actually getting around to finishing it!

In most cases, the biggest problem is that I've let enough time go by since reading the first book (or books) that I now feel like it's necessary to do a series re-read before starting the new book/s, and that requires a relatively big investment of my time... and it's hard to make that investment when I have a towering pile of unread books to get to!

That said, sitting here and listing all the series I have abandoned over the last few years has totally shamed me, and I solemnly swear to get caught up on some of these ASAP!

     

The Across the Universe series by Beth Revis - I read (and loved!) the first book, and I've come across a few short stories set in this universe in some anthologies.

The Gone series by Michael Grant - I have actually read all of these except the last book, which wasn't out yet when I read these. It's been forever since I read these, and I never quite want to commit to a full series re-read, but I feel like that's what would be needed here.

The Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness - I read The Knife of Never Letting Go, which I loved at first, but then this happened and I pretty much came to a screeching sobbing halt with the series. The second book has been sitting on my shelf forever and I've been giving it major side eye. I recently read a prequel short story that I really enjoyed, and that's been making me consider giving this another shot, but I'd have to re-read the first book before moving on, and I just don't know if I can put myself through that again?!

The Darkest Minds series by Alexandra Bracken - I really loved the first book, and now that the third is coming out soon it's a good time to get caught up.

     

The Something Strange and Deadly series by Susan Dennard - I liked the first book when I read it, but I wasn't exactly dying to continue with the series. I've found myself thinking about this series a lot lately so I think I might give it another chance. 

The Revenants series by Amy Plum - I love zombies and these ones are utter perfection. I love the main character, the setting, the backstory. I actually have the whole trilogy so I seriously need to prioritize these. Also, my love for the French show "Les Revenants" knows no bounds, so I honestly would have picked up this series for the name alone. (If you haven't seen the show, for the love of god watch it. It's on Netflix. You're welcome.)

The Selection series by Kiera Cass - I just have to know, Maxon or Aspen?! (Nobody spoil me, I just have the last book to go!)

The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas - I took way too long to get to the first book, I'm determined not to let this series fall to the wayside. I'm reading Crown of Midnight right now and I have Heir of Fire waiting on my Kindle.

     

The Razorland series by Ann Aguirre - I loved the first two books, and the way the second one ended made me really eager to read Horde!

The Reboot series by Amy Tintera - I love Tintera's take on zombies, and this was one of those books I just couldn't put down. Does anyone know if there is going to be a third book?

The Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi - Shamefully, I've only read the first book! Must continue.

The Matched series by Ally Condie - This is even more ridiculous because I own all three books, but I've only read the first one. I need to re-read Matched soon and then finish the series. I really enjoyed Matched, I cannot believe the rest of the series got away from me.

Sadly, this just barely scrapes the surface on all the series I need to catch up on! Am I the only one who starts a million different series and then just leaves them all hanging out in space?!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books on My Fall To-Be-Read List

Today's Top Ten Tuesday topic is "top ten books on my fall to-be-read list". I'm not sure if this is meant to be books that are releasing this fall, but I'm choosing to interpret this simply as books I want to read this fall.

Here are ten books I'm hoping to read ASAP, separated into two categories:

Books I need to read and review soon for NetGalley:

       

1. Suspicion by Alexandra Monir (but first I want to read Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, which shamefully I have never read)
2. Paradigm by Cerie A. Lowe
3. Taken by David Massey
4. Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas (I'm currently reading Crown of Midnight)
5. Divided by Elsie Chapman (I keep putting this off because some of the reviews are scaring me, but I need to just bite the bullet)

Books I just really want to read immediately if not sooner:

        

1. Harry Potter series re-read - Is there ever going to be a series I love as much as Harry Potter?? Fall always feels like the perfect time to dive back into this series. (I'm actually in the midst of this right now, just started Prisoner of Azkaban today.) I'd also like to re-watch the movies, which I think are incredibly well done. 
2. The One by Kiera Cass. No one spoil this for me but Team Maxon all the way!!
3. Incarceron by Catherine Fisher - In spite of some iffy reviews I am really eager to read this one.
4. Hereafter by Tara Hudson - see above
5. Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid - I am so scared to read this because I suspect that I will ugly cry my way through it!

Can't wait to see everyone else's lists!  

PS - Are you an aspiring YA author? If so, go here!

Book Review: How To Be a Good Wife by Emma Chapman

Published: October 2013

Source: I purchased this book from Amazon.

Goodreads Summary:

Marta and Hector have been married for a long time. Through the good and bad; through raising a son and sending him off to life after university. So long, in fact, that Marta finds it difficult to remember her life before Hector. He has always taken care of her, and she has always done everything she can to be a good wife—as advised by a dog-eared manual given to her by Hector’s aloof mother on their wedding day.

But now, something is changing. Small things seem off. A flash of movement in the corner of her eye, elapsed moments that she can’t recall. Visions of a blonde girl in the darkness that only Marta can see. Perhaps she is starting to remember—or perhaps her mind is playing tricks on her. As Marta’s visions persist and her reality grows more disjointed, it’s unclear if the danger lies in the world around her, or in Marta herself. The girl is growing more real every day, and she wants something.

My Thoughts:

Augh, how to convey how much I loved this book?! I took off half a star for the ending, which I didn't love personally but which I grudgingly admit did work well for the book. Everything else about this book was sheer perfection. It was the best kind of psychological thriller - I was immediately drawn in and invested and I had chills from page one.

Since it's pretty clear from the book description, I don't think it's much of a spoiler to say that Marta is an unreliable narrator. As a reader, you very much want to believe in her version of events, but often find yourself unsure if you can. And at the same time you almost feel it might be best if the flashes of "memory" she begins to have do turn out to be hallucinations, because if they're real her whole life is a lie and she is married to a monster. Personally, I started to lean one way pretty early on, but there were quite a few moments that made me question my position.

The characters here are well-crafted. It is impossible to get a good read on Marta due to her unreliability, but it is equally impossible not to feel very protective of her. Whatever the reality it is clear that she lives an unfulfilled and isolated life. Marta's husband is, at best, controlling, sexist and manipulative. Her mother-in-law is a nightmare brought to life - horribly judgmental, constantly present, and impossible to please. Life with these two could push anyone into a nervous breakdown. It is heartbreaking to watch Marta push her beloved son away with her overbearing, desperate need to keep him close. 

I've seeh a few reviews that complain that the ending is ambiguous, but I disagree. Although it may not be clearly spelled out, I do think it's clear by the book's end what really happened. 

This is a great book to read this time of year, so if you haven't read it yet I strongly suggest that you do so. Fans of psychological suspense won't be disappointed.

If you have read it, I'd love to hear what you thought!

Follow Emma Chapman on twitter.

Aspiring YA Authors! Have YOU Written the Next Big YA Book??

Today on the blog I'm talking about 'The Next Big YA Book' event, hosted by Hipso Media Publishing and Jenny from Supernatural Snark.

Basically, aspiring YA writers can submit their complete manuscript for consideration, and the winning book gets a publishing deal! How could I not promote this when I'm an aspiring YA writer myself?! (Though sadly my own work in progress is nowhere near ready to be entered in this competition! Right about now I'm bitterly regreting every single day that has passed without getting some words down.)

Read on for more details and if you've written a YA book, be sure to enter!

Calling all authors!

If you have ever hashtagged #amwriting, #MSWL, or #IWantToBePublishedSoBadlyMyEyeballsMightPop, than pay attention.

From September 17^th through October 1^st, Hipso Media Publishing and Jenny from Supernatural Snark will be hosting the ‘Next Big YA Book Event.’

Why is this good news for #amwriters?

Here’s how the event works. Most publishers work exclusively with agents, which makes it difficult (more like close to impossible) for up-and-coming writers to get their work seen. Well, Hipso Media Publishing will be opening their doors to all YA writers who dream of traditional publication, but can’t seem to catch a break. Writers who have mountainous ideas, along with an actual mountain of rejection letters. Hipso wants to pick one of those writers, and treat them like the literary rock star they are, showering them in every publishing perk someone of their caliber deserves:

-  Publishing contract with a generous royalty program

-  Custom cover from Seedlings Design

-  Candace Book Blog Book Tour

-  Exclusive front-page podcast on AuthorsOnTourLive, iReadBooksRadio and iHeartRadio (which gets an average of more than 1 million hits a year)

-  Novel as an eBook on all major retailers – Kindle, Nook, iBooks, Kobo, around the world

-  A featured post on Supernatural Snark

-  Awesome book swag, and more…

Once the winning manuscript is picked, Jenny from Supernatural Snark (Owner of Seedlings Design) will work with the author to create a custom cover that will be sure to shout, “NEXT BIG YA BOOK”. And then she’ll do a featured post on Supernatural Snark, to make sure the world hears.

No agents, hoops, or hassles. The only criteria are that your YA manuscript be finished, you must believe it’s great, and it must not already be published somewhere else.

Here’s the link to the submissions page and contact info:

http://www.hipsomedia.com/the-next-big-ya-book/

Good luck and happy writing!

Also, if you have written, are in the process of writing, or even are thinking about writing a YA novel, let's connect!

I'd love to have some writer friends to motivate and encourage me!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Authors I've Only Read One Book from but NEED to Read More!

The topic for this week's Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by The Broke and the Bookish) is top ten authors I've only read one book from but NEED to read more! 

1. Beth Revis - I actually own all three Across the Universe books, but I've only read the first one (which I loved). I really NEED to go back and re-read Across the Universe so I can read the next two books!
2. Holly Black - I have a rabid love for The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, plus every short story I've read by Holly Black, so I really have no explanation for why I haven't gotten to any of her other books yet. 
3. Julie Kagawa - I read and really liked The Immortal Rules, but I haven't continued on with the series yet. I just picked up The Eternity Cure, but I think I need to re-read The Immortal Rules before I can move on with the series.
4. Abigail Haas - Dangerous Girls was amazing, and I NEED to read Dangerous Boys ASAP!
5. Amy Plum - I recently read and loved Die for Me, and I ran right out and bought Until I Die and If I Should Die AND I also bought the novella for my Kindle... but have I actually read any of them yet? No. (I'm starting to see a pattern here... what the heck is wrong with me?!)
6. Leah Cypress - I haven't actually read any books by Leah Cypress yet, but I read Buried Above Ground (a Nightspell novella) and I liked it so much that I jumped right on Amazon and ordered Mistwood and Nightspell... which are currently sitting on my bookshelf waiting for me to make time for them.
7. Ally Condie - I'm sure you can guess by now that I read Matched when it first came out, quickly bought Crossed and Reached, and still haven't actually gotten around to reading them.
8. Patrick Ness - The first Chaos Walking book slaughtered me, so even though I have the second book I haven't been able to talk myself into reading it. I did recently buy A Monster Calls, so I might try that one instead.
9. Kate Karyus Quinn - I loved Another Little Piece, so I'm dying to read (Don't You) Forget About Me.
10. Lynne Matson - I liked Nil but when I read it, I thought it was a standalone and based on that assumption, there were things about it that bugged me (mostly unanswered questions about the world). Now that I know there is a sequel my rating for the first one has gone up and I'm dying to get more answers from book two!

This list was definitely an eye-opener for me! It's embarrassing to realize how many great series I have let fall by the wayside. I guess I keep letting myself get distracted by all the shiny new books on my wish list. The annoying thing is that with most of these, so much time has gone by that I need to re-read the first book in the series before I can continue on. I feel like I need to start working some of these in soon!

Am I the only one with a dozen or more series to catch up on?!

After: Nineteen Stories of Apocalypse and Dystopia edited by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling

Published: October 2012

Source: I purchased this book from Amazon.

GoodReads Summary:

If the melt-down, flood, plague, the third World War, new Ice Age, Rapture, alien invasion, clamp-down, meteor, or something else entirely hit today, what would tomorrow look like? Some of the biggest names in YA and adult literature answer that very question in this short story anthology, each story exploring the lives of teen protagonists raised in catastrophe’s wake—whether set in the days after the change, or decades far in the future. 

New York Times bestselling authors Gregory Maguire, Garth Nix, Susan Beth Pfeffer, Carrie Ryan, Beth Revis, and Jane Yolen are among the many popular and award-winning storytellers lending their talents to this original and spellbinding anthology. 

My Thoughts:

I'm torn on an overall rating for this collection because it's far more polarized than I usually tend to find these anthologies. I'm really into dystopian literature, so naturally I love the theme of the anthology, and there were quite a few stories that I really loved, but there were also several that just didn't do it for me at all. 

As I usually do when reviewing short story collections, I will be skipping story summaries and just offering my brief thoughts on each story.

The Segment by Genevieve Valentine

This story was a great start to this anthology. It is a truly bleak and depressing world the author has envisioned, and I felt for the main character immediately. This one kept me on my toes, in the best way. Great tension. 

After the Cure by Carrie Ryan

Loved this. I was really surprised that this story had nothing to do with The Forest of Hands and Teeth (which I love) but it was so nice to read something really different by Carrie Ryan. This story was beautifully written and perfect for this collection.

Valedictorian by N. K. Jemisin

Fantastic. I connected with the main character immediately, I was completely horrified by the world she found herself in, and I would love to read about whatever comes next for her.

Visiting Nelson by Katherine Langrish

I'm middle of the road on this one... It was mostly good but not great for me, but there were certain aspects that I really enjoyed, as well as one really successful creepy moment. 

All I Know of Freedom by Carol Emshwiller

I enjoyed this story well enough, though I kept worrying about the fate of the dog, and I found that somewhat distracting. Kitten sadness. :( There was some good stuff here but I didn't love it. 

The Other Elder by Beth Revis

This story frustrated me the moment I saw the title, just because I love Beth Revis, and I love Across the Universe, but when am I going to get to read something new and different by her? I skipped this one out of frustration, so I'm not giving it a rating.

 

The Great Game at the End of the World by Matthew Kressel

This story was so freaking bizarre, and I definitely think it's a love it or hate it kind of weirdness, but I loved it. Some nice poignant moments between family members in this one. 

Reunion by Susan Beth Pfeffer

This was a really interesting take on the topic, and I liked that it was so different. I completely despised the mother, but I thought the story was great. 

Blood Drive by Jeffrey Ford

I know the point of this anthology is to examine what happens "after", but I wish this story provided just a bit of backstory. It was so bizarre to think of a high school where students are armed and have such a careless attitude about guns. I enjoyed the story but I kept finding myself distracted from what was happening because I was obsessing over what might have led to this kind of reality.

Reality Girl by Richard Bowes

I liked aspects of this story, but I kept finding myself tempted to skim parts of it. Not one of my favorites.

How Th'irth Wint Rong by Hapless Joey @ Homeskool.guv by Gregory Maguire

This story is so hard to review, because ohhhhhh my goddddd, the dialect made me insane. I physically recoiled a bit when I read the title, and I really had to work hard to get into this one. However. The payoff was great, and I ended up really glad that I had persevered.

Rust with Wings by Steven Gould

I liked this one quite a bit as I read it. The dystopian setting wasn't quite as high stakes or as horrifying as some of the other stories, but it was a good read.

Faint Heart by Sarah Rees Brennan

This *might* be my favorite story in this collection. I will definitely be seeking out more of the author's work. This was like a dystopian fairy tale. Great characters, fantastic premise. I loved everything about this one. 

The Easthound by Nalo Hopkinson

This was chilling and emotional and just really skilled, from start to finish. The writing is incredibly precise; every word is carefully chosen and important to the story. 

Gray by Jane Yolen 

This was a really short poem. It didn't do much for me, and I really didn't feel like it fit in this anthology. It was too short to accomplish much of anything. 

Before by Carolyn Dunn

I wish this was longer, and I liked the beginning the best. It started out deliciously creepy and tense and kind of petered out. Around this point the anthology started going downhill for me.

Fake Plastic Trees by Caitlin R. Kiernan

This one completely lost my interest about a third of the way through, and I let myself skip the rest of it. I couldn't connect with the main character at all and I did not enjoy the random capitalization of IMPORTANT WORDS like THE GOO. It felt jarring and every time it happened I felt very irritated. Since I didn't finish the story, I'm not going to give it a rating.

 

You Won't Feel a Thing by Garth Nix

I liked this one quite a bit - it was dark and sad and really different. I think the author has at least one book set in this world, so I might check that out at some point.

The Marker by Cecil Castellucci

I wasn't sure about this story at first, but I ended up enjoying it. This dystopian world was especially frightening because it felt completely possible. 

I struggled to settle on an overall rating for this collection, because for me there were a lot of highs and a lot of lows. In the end, I'm going 3.5, because the stories that were great were really great.