Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions [Paperback]

Melissa Marr (Editor), Kelley Armstrong (Editor)

Book Description

Release date: September 20, 2011

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 landscapes 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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for 'Wicked Lovely': "Marr offers readers a fully imagined faery world that runs alongside an everyday world, which even non-fantasy (or faerie) lovers will want to delve into." Publisher's Weekly "The fantasy of being pursued by two young men is alluring in itself, but when one is a pierced and tattooed sexy outsider and the other is a blindingly beautiful King of Faery, how much better can it get? Readers will beg for a sequel." Washington Post "This is a magical novel! the first book in a trilogy that will guarantee to have you itching for the next instalment. * * * *" Bliss --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Melissa Marr is the author of the New York Times bestselling Wicked Lovely series, Carnival of Souls, and Graveminder, as well as a manga series (Wicked Lovely: Desert Tales) and various short stories. She is also coeditor with Kelley Armstrong of the Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions and Shards and Ashes Anthologies. When not writing, editing, or traveling, Melissa is buried under a plethora of books, dogs, and children in Virginia or online at  www.melissa-marr.com

Kelley Armstrongis the bestselling author of the Darkest Powers trilogy, which includes The Summoning, The Awakening, and The Reckoning. This is the third book in her New York Times bestselling Darkness Rising trilogy.

Claudia Gray is the pseudonym of New Orleans-based writer Amy Vincent, the author of the New York Times bestselling Evernight series. She has worked as a lawyer, a journalist, a disc jockey, and an extremely poor waitress. Her lifelong interests in old houses, classic movies, vintage style, and history all play a part in creating the world of Evernight.

Sarah Rees Brennan was born and raised in Ireland. After earning her master's in creative writing in New York and doing library work in Surrey, England, she has returned to Dublin, Ireland, to write. She is the author of the novels The Demon's Lexicon, The Demon's Covenant, and The Demon's Surrender, and her short story "Let's Get This Undead Show on the Road" appears in the collection Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions.

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (September 20, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062015788
• ISBN-13: 978-0062015785
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #557,094 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Collection of Paranormal Stories September 20, 2011

By Helene Merce

Format:Paperback

****SPOILER ALERT (I SUMMARIZE THE STORIES) IF YOU HAVEN'T READ SOME OF THESE SERIES.****

Though I've now only read four anthologies total, this one is by far my favorite of them all.

This post is really long. Don't say I didn't warn you :P.

"Giovanni's Farewell" by Claudia Gray - While in Rome on a school trip, Cairo, Ravenna's brother, claims to be developing psychic powers, something which frightens Ravenna and makes her feel concerned for her brother's mental stability... until she too has a strange experience.

"Scenic Route" by Carrie Ryan - This story is set in the same world as The Forest of Hands and Teeth series, and yet you don't really read about the Unconsecrated (the danger is alluded to but not mentioned). The focus is primarily on survival as Maggie takes her sister Sally to a cabin, one of the few refuges she was fortunate enough to find, and meets Calvin, who is full of surprises and has a story of his own ....

"Red Run" by Kami Garcia - Edie's brother, Will, was one of many murdered out on Red Run. At the beginning of the story, Edie sets off to kill the ghost who is rumored to haunt the road and who she believes killed her brother ...

"Things about Love" by Jackson Pearce - This story is set in the same world as As You Wish. After Jinn, a genie, fell in love with Viola, a mortal, the whole of Caliban was shocked so Juliet, another genie, comes to Lawrence (Viola's friend) to learn about love and the frightening implications and questions that have arisen for her jinn world.

"Niederwald" by Rachel Vincent - Characters from the Soul Screamers series appear here.... Sabine, a mara, wants to steal her boyfriend Nash back from Kaylee so she and Kaylee's friend, Emma, stop at Niederwald to visit Syrie, a psychic of sorts whose house is guarded by very dangerous harpies.

"A Mortal Winter King" by Melissa Marr - A Wicked Lovely story.... What happens when Keenan, the former Summer King, now a mere mortal, and Donia, the Winter Queen, go on vacation? Find out and listen to their debate on whether or not Keenan should risk taking the Winter Queen's staff to make him a faery again.

"Facing Facts" by Kelley Armstrong - I think this is set in the same world as one of her series because I remember the Edison Group being mentioned in the other story of hers that I read in The Eternal Kiss--I'm not sure though because I haven't had a chance to read any of them. Anyways, this story is about Kit telling Tori that he is her father, Tori subsequently running away, and Chloe, a necromancer, chasing after her and dealing with her own haunted feelings about what had happened regarding Tori's mother.

"Let's Get This Undead Show on the Road" by Sarah Rees Brennan - If you read Ms. Brennan's in The Eternal Kiss, this story has the same cast of characters. Christian, a vampire, and Josh, Pez, and Bradley, all members of the English boy band 4 the One, and Faye, their manager, go on tour, which turns out to be quite the bonding experience...

"Bridge" by Jeri Smith-Ready - In the same world as the Shade series. A story told in verse about Logan, who is now a ghost and contacts a Post-Shifter so that she can convince his brother Mikey to move on 233 days after Logan's surprising death.

"Skin Contact" by Kimberly Derting - In the same world as the Body Finder series. Rafe, a character from Desires of the Dead, has a vision that he fears has come true (though his true power lies comes from skin contact) and sets off to see what happened for himself.

"Leaving" by Ally Condie - About Sora, a young girl who has to deal with her grief over her father's leaving and the implications of what that has meant for her (being Untouchable and lonely, wanting to leave though it would also mean leaving Elio, etc.) and what it indicated about her father as a person.

"At the Late Night, Double Feature, Picture Show" by Jessica Verday - First line of the story: "The worst thing about cannibal Girl Scouts are the badges." One of the best first lines I've ever read. Anyways, Jane, the one human without superpowers in her family of hunters, goes after these Girl Scouts, and the situation quickly gets out of control. [After reading her author bio, I think this may be set in the same world as her other books, but I'm not sure.]

"I.V. League" by Margaret Stohl - A pair of Drinkers fake transcripts and the likes and apply to Ivy League colleges. They drive to an interview with an Admissions Breather at Harvard. Will they get accepted?

"Gargouille" by Mary E. Pearson - About a gargoyle/gargouille, watcher of the night, who was caught and sold to a duke and had her wings cut off and the consequences of those actions on her life.

"The Third Kind" by Jennifer Lynn Barnes - An impulse to go to San Antonio with Jess strikes Kissy, and even when she was young, Kissy could not resist the 'pulse. The real mystery is ... why San Antonio? What's there and what will happen to Kissy and Jess on this trip?

"Automatic" by Rachel Caine - What happens when a Coke vending machine in Morganville stocks cans of blood that are doled out via ID card? Read about the consequences for Michael.

My Favorites:

"Gargouille" by Mary E. Pearson - Oh man. It wasn't just that I hadn't read anything about gargoyles before and that I thought it perhaps was one of the most original of them all--my love of this story comes from so much more. The setting, the romance, the world created, and best of all, the writing. I really, really loved the descriptions of Etienne and Giselle's past together (esp. pages 378-379). Touching and sweet and heartbreaking all at once. If Ms. Pearson chose to write a book about this world, I would buy it without a doubt.

"Leaving" by Ally Condie - Admittedly, I was kind of confused about Sora's powers and what it meant to be Outside and Untouchable and whatnot, but I think that's also because this world is ripe with potential for further development. I simply want to know more and don't think that one story can cover this idea fully...... Anyways, there are three main reasons why I love this story. 1. It's so easy to empathize with Sora's emotions--I was tempted to quote a particular section at the end but it'd reveal too much. 2. As I sort of alluded to, the originality of the world. 3. I love Ally Condie's writing. I haven't run into anything quite like it, and it is incredibly beautiful as always.

"Skin Contact" by Kimberly Derting - The story starts off immediately, and it's incredibly easy to slip into Rafe's fears regarding his dream. This one was one of my favorites because it was a good thriller with just the right amount of back story and because Rafe's emotions were so palpable that I was on tenterhooks, waiting to see what would happen. Best of all, I haven't read Desires of the Dead just yet (it's sitting on my desk), and I could still enjoy this story; in fact, I kind of have my own predictions about Rafe's personality and want to go read DoD now to see if they're true.

"Giovanni's Farewell" by Claudia Gray - It was incredibly appropriate to start off Enthralled with Ms. Gray's story. Some of the stories are rather dark and some are light, but this was in between. I loved the brother/sister relationship dynamics and the cute little romance going on with Giovanni. Also, the world she creates is very open--as in anybody could have a power (or at least it feels that way) although it focuses on only one family... so it is a great set-up for the rest of the anthology.

*Disclaimer: I have not read Kelley Armstrong's series, the Morganville Vampires series, Jessica Verday's series, the Shade series, the Soul Screamers series, or Carrie Ryan's series (in full, that is) so I cannot tell you how these stories compared to the books.

About the Anthology in General:

Three things that really shine in this anthology--

1. The Variety of Creatures/Powers & Tones/Writing Styles - 1 angel story, 3 vampire stories, 2 ghost stories, 1 faery story, 2 combination of creatures stories, and the rest of the 16 do not have the typical creatures. I already mentioned how much I loved the gargoyles and Ally Condie's time-traveling? (I guess that may be the best description)... and I also love that there was a story on jinn! ANYWAYS - besides the varieties in story topics, the stories themselves have different tones that make the anthology easier to read as a whole. Loved the humor in the stories penned by Sarah Rees Brennan & Jessica Verday, loved the alternating perspectives in Jackson Pearce's story & Melissa Marr's story, which also was arguably the most character-driven of them all, etc. etc. One thing is for certain - this anthology is full of twists and turns, and I don't think you're likely to get bored with it because of the variety. As you might have seen in my summaries, there is even a story written in verse.

2. The Romance - One trend I haven't really liked in YA paranormal romance lately is the insta-love... And here, not one story featured insta-love. Instead, the anthology featured mild attraction between the characters and relationships that had been going on for a while. It was so incredibly refreshing.... And not all the stories even featured a main romance. For instance, in "Niederwald," Nash doesn't appear once though he is undoubtedly Sabine's romantic interest.

3. The Authors - Basically, all the authors did a great job. Also, I really liked getting to see the distinction between Margaret Stohl's writing and Kami Garcia's since all I've read is their co-written work. Even though some authors expanded on the worlds that they had already created in their books, I was still able to follow along without having read those series. Granted, some of the stories would have meant so much more had I read the series devoted to that paranormal world, but for some, it really wasn't necessary, and that in itself is a job very well done.

Even if I only listed four favorites, that by no means indicates that the rest aren't good. In fact, they're great, and there wasn't a single story that I didn't enjoy. This anthology was a great "intro" of sorts to paranormal. For all those people who have been driven away by paranormal stories, well, welcome back, because this anthology isn't one you should fear. Check it now. Read more ›

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Has its good stories and its bad stories January 12, 2012

By Ashleigh VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Also appears on The Screaming Nitpicker.

Sixteen short stories by some of the most popular YA authors of now full of paranormal goodness, romance, and journeys. It sounds like a good recipe, huh? Not so much. I expected this to be a very good anthology, but it's a middling anthology with only a few good stories, and even those aren't good enough to make me want to keep this book.

The best of the stories for me was Sarah Rees Brennan's "Let's Get This Undead Show on the Road" for its funny set-up of a boy band with a vampire playing bass, great characters (can someone tell me where Faye got her stake-heeled shoes? I want them), and the growth in the characters as they grow closer. There are a few other good ones, like Rachel Caine's "Automatic," Mary E. Pearson's "Gargouille," and "Niederwald by Rachel Vincent, but this anthology is sorely lacking in memorable short stories.

I don't think I will ever be reading Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl because of my dislike of both of their stories. "Red Run" was riddled with plot holes. If eight people died on a road within twenty years, the police would search it regardless of any ghost stories and find the man living there, but that is apparently inapplicable because it's Earth logic. I can't begin to understand what "IV League" was about because it made no sense to me. All I can gather is that it's about vampires. Ally Condie's "Leaving" strikes me as similar to her novel Matched in how dull it is and how heavily it relies on Random Capitalization to attempt to create Tension (which it fails to do)....

Three of the authors wrote interesting enough stories that I'm curious about their other works: Jessica Verday, Jackson Pearce (only about her novel As You Wish; I'll stay away from her fairy tale retellings), and Rachel Vincent. Pearce's story in particular sticks with me because it quickly but surprisingly deeply shows the aftermath of the choices made in As You Wish. Verday wrote a funny story with a heroine who was tolerable up until about halfway through. She sees a boy strapped to a table with a fresh cut on his cheat and her immediate action is to just ogle to shirtless cutie? Hello! What about helping him?

Normally, I would keep on babbling because I'm a babbling kind of girl, but I managed to come up with one sentence to describe how I felt about each of these stories. What I did up above? This wouldn't have been a helpful review if I didn't go into some detail about the stories, so I chose a few good ones and a few bad ones to get provide a deeper look into. With ratings out of five and a one-sentence summary, here they are in order of appearance:

"Giovanni's Farewell" by Claudia Gray- An irritating heroine hampered this story of a set of twins with special powers and a ghost in Rome who wants to move on. 3/5.

"Scenic Route" by Carrie Ryan- Two sisters trying to survive after the world has gone to hell in a handbasket have to make some hard choices and made me wish I could hug them. 4/5.

"Red Run" by Kami Garcia- Edie's attitude as she tries to kill the ghost that killed her brother was the only redeeming quality here; the story itself is riddled with holes and poorly constructed. 2/5.

"Things About Love" by Jackson Pearce- One of the more unique stories, this tale of a jinn curious about love and the human she has to watch makes me want to read its related novel As You Wish to see how it holds up, but the constant POV switches are irritating. 4/5.

"Niederwald" by Rachel Vincent- Vincent's short story about mara Sabine's trip to an oracle concerning her ex-boyfriend Nash was a good thrill ride and triggered an interest into the related Soul Screamers series. 4/5.

"Merely Mortal" by Melissa Marr- Keenan and Donia's holiday together was dull, saccharine, and isn't as good when not familiar with the related Wicked Lovely series. 3/5.

"Facing Facts" by Kelley Armstrong- Big on spoilers for the related Darkest Powers series, it was a little too full of telling at times as Tori is told the big secret and reacts to it, forcing Chloe to chase after her. 4/5.

"Let's Get This Undead Show on the Road" by Sarah Rees Brennan- Easily my favorite of the anthology, this made me laugh a few times and appreciate the growth of the bandmates as they grew closer together. 5/5.

"Bridges" by Jeri Smith-Ready- This tale told in Zachary of Smith-Ready's Shade series fails to work as a verse story and ultimately isn't very interesting to me. 2/5.

"Skin Contact" by Kimberly Derting- Related to the author's Body Finder series and the character Rafe, I can't help but feel this short story would have had a greater impact on me if I had read those novels, though it was still interesting enough. 3/5.

"Leaving" by Ally Condie- Dull and as full of Random Capitalization (which, by the way, does not automatically create Tension) as the author's novel Matched, I had no love for this story. 1/5.

"At the Late Night, Double Feature, Picture Show" by Jessica Verday- Another funny story that got me interested in both Verday's novels and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, though the heroine did something very stupid that bogged down the story. 3/5.

"IV League" by Margaret Stohl- ...I'm sorry, I still have no idea what this story is about because it was nonsensical and just plain dumb. 1/5.

"Gargouille" by Mary E. Pearson- This story is cute and fresh in its tale of two gargouille lovers torn apart when one of them loses their wings, but it is otherwise barely remarkable. 4/5.

"The Third Kind" by Jennifer Lynn Barnes- Two sisters hurry to reach San Antonio and while the story is thrilling, so few questions are answered--and none are answered well--that it makes me want to tear out my hair. 3/5.

"Automatic" by Rachel Caine- Based on Caine's Morganville Vampires series, this story gives us a peek into Michael's head and captures the difficulty of his relationship with Eve and change within Morganville well. 4/5. Read more ›

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Once Upon a Twilight Reviews October 27, 2011

By Yara Santos

Format:Paperback

This is a compilation of short stories, great for those that can't invest a lot of time in one book, but would like something good to read. There are 16 short stories ranging from ghosts to vampires and some other supernatural beings. Be prepared for a range of emotions, fun, sadness, mystery and more in a little amount of time.

My best way to refer to this books would be as speed dating with different authors to get a feel of some of their work and get to know whether you would like to read more of their stories.

Here is the list, I won't go into detail because I feel it will take away from the stories, since they are short ones:

Giovanni's Farewell by Claudia Gray
Scenic Route by Carrie Ryan
Red Run by Kami Garcia
Things About Love by Jackson Pearce
Niederwald by Rachel Vincent
A Mortal Winter King by Melissa Marr
Facing Facts by Kelley Armstrong
Let's Get This Undead Show on the Road by Sarah Rees Brennan
Bridge by Jeri Smith-Ready
Skin Contact by Kimberly Derting
Leaving by Ally Condie
At the Late Night, Double Feature, Picture Show by Jessica Verday
I.V. League by Margaret Stohl
Gargouille by Mary E. Pearson
The Third Kind by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Automatic by Rachel Caine

Some of this are connected to previous books and some seem used as introduction to new full length adventures, either way is an easy short break to read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Solid anthology with a variety of standalone paranormal stories. July 10, 2012

By Donna G

Format:Paperback

ENTHRALLED is well worth the read if you're in the mood for standalone paranormal stories, and as a bonus, in many of them you get to return to the worlds of your favorite YA novels/series (which definitely lets you appreciate the story more, but prior reading isn't necessary).

Here were a few of my favorites, and why I loved them:

Scenic Route by Carrie Ryan
A dark and excellently tense zombie story set in the Forest of Hands and Teeth world, but with new characters and a new setting ---- and you didn't have to read the novels to be sucked into the story.

Red Run by Kami Garcia
Creepy, creepy ghost story that had me shivering and wondering who to trust. I soooo pictured this as a horror movie ---- totally atmospheric.

Skin Contact by Kimberly Derting
In the world of Desires of the Dead, Rafe follows a horrifying vision involving his girlfriend and her unhinged, dangerous father. Heartpounding and heartbreaking.

Leaving by Ally Condie
I love the mix of time travel, grief, and loneliness --- and the connections you make to other people.

At the Late Night, Double Feature, Picture Show by Jessica Verday
Cannibal Girl Scouts, vampires, and the girl who acts as bait for her supernatural hunter family. Love it.

Gargouille by Mary E. Pearson
Gargoyle romance? This haunting story makes you believe it.

Overall, there's a great variety of paranormal elements, and a solid mix of light and dark tones among the stories. This anthology is a lot of fun, and one of the best I've read.

* This review published originally at [...]