Customer Reviews

Prom Nights from Hell

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

What do you get when five great authors come together to create a paranormal prom anthology? In a word - greatness!

Meg Cabot starts off the collection with THE EXTERMINATOR'S DAUGHTER. When Mary shows up at Swig, an exclusive VIP club in Manhattan, it's not to socialize. No, she's on a mission to take out Sebastian Drake -- and by take out, I mean kill him with a crossbow. But when Adam, a fellow student at Saint Eligius, takes his own potshots at the dreaded Sebastian, things get a lot more interesting.

Lauren Myracle, the author of THE CORSAGE, has written what is probably the saddest, and creepiest, story of the bunch. All Frankie wants is for her best guy friend, Will, to realize that it's his destiny to ask her to the prom. To accomplish that goal, she drags Will and her other best friend, Yun Sun, to visit Madame Zanzibar, a fortune-teller. She's sure that Madame Z will proclaim that Will is her one true love, and that will be that. But the psychic is short on information, but does end up grudgingly handing over to Frankie a dried up old corsage, which she says will grant her three wishes. Over the next couple of days, however, Frankie will come to realize that she'll have to make some requests that she never in her wildest dreams would have thought of making.

MADISON AVERY AND THE DIM REAPER by Kim Harrison is the longest story in the group, and the most involved. When Madison ends up at the costume prom with a dud date, she's surprised to find one guy who can pick up the slack. Seth isn't like anyone she's ever met before. Unfortunately, before too long she'll find out why that is, and the picture it paints isn't pretty. There are deaths, white reapers, black reapers, grim reapers, and odd amulets. I really liked this story, and would be happy to see more of these characters in the future.

Michele Jaffe's story, KISS AND TELL, was by far my favorite. Miranda has a secret. Not only is she a student and a part-time driver/chaeffeur, but she also fights crime in her spare time. It turns out Miranda has special abilities that allow her to do things most regular teens can't do -- like, say, knock over a lamppost just by leaning on it. This particular day turns out to be stranger than the norm, though, when she picks up young Sibby Cumean, a strange girl who has an even stranger habit of kissing every boy she can find. When weird things start happening, Miranda's day turns into an action-adventure movie beyond anything she could have expected. I LOVED this story, and I HAVE to read more about Miranda and Sibby in the future! Yes, Ms. Jaffe, that's me begging!!

Last but not least is HELL ON EARTH by Stephenie Meyer. This is the story of Sheba, a demon on earth who loves bringing misery to others. Her plan is working pretty well, too, because nearly everyone at the prom is having a downright horrible time. Everyone, that is, except for Gabe, who seems not just happy but serene. By the time Sheba can figure out what's happening, it's too late, and prom just might end up having a happy ending after all.

PROM NIGHTS FROM HELL is a great paranormal anthology that teens and adults alike will enjoy. I highly recommend picking up a copy today!

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

This is a collection of five paranormal stories that all deal with, well, the prom. While all are unique and enjoyable in their own way, the anthology does not live up to my expectations. A fun read, but definitely not the best paranormal anthology out there. A portion of the proceeds goes to First Book, so if YA paranormal stories are your thing, it is worth checking out. Pickier readers, however, should stick to a library copy, because many of the stories are open-ended and could leave one feeling cheated.

The Exterminator's Daughter (Meg Cabot): This is the tale of Mary, a slayer who is trying to save her friend from a vampire. It contains Cabot's trademark humor and romance which allows fans of her other work to quickly liken to the story. It is told in two first person, present tense perspectives (Mary and Adam, a fellow classmate) which has the potential to be confusing if one doesn't read the chapter titles. The story was cute, but nothing special or entirely unique. And, while closure is given to the story's central plot, there are still some loose ends needed to be solved.

The Corsage (Lauren Myracle): This is the shortest story in the anthology. It was inspired by "The Monkey's Paw" and is an enjoyable retelling of the "be careful what you wish for" motif. Although predictable, it successfully establishes an eerie suspense that kept me hooked to the end. Out of all the stories, this is the only one that felt like it had complete closure.

Madison Avery and the Dim Reaper (Kim Harrison): I found this story to be the most engrossing but also the least satisfying, closure-wise. It develops a very interesting Reaper mythology and is very original. However, when it ends, it feels like there is much more left to be told of the story. The abrupt ending is very disappointing. After some internet sleuthing I discovered that this story will be expanded in book form, but seeing as this is an anthology, it should have been more complete.

Kiss and Tell (Michele Jaffe): This story hooks you in from the beginning, but then starts to drag as the characters are developed. The characters are likable, though, so it is worth reading until the plot picks up again. Fans of superhero-like stories will especially find this story entertaining. It feels like more stories could be told with these characters given their history, but all-in-all the tale wraps up the conflict nicely and won't leave you hanging in hopes for more.

Hell on Earth (Stephenie Meyer): First off, I have to give Meyer props for actually having the entirety of her story center around prom, a setting only touched on briefly in the other stories. (Which, let me tell you, is a bit disappointing when you consider the anthology's premise.) Although the ideas are intriguing and it had its comedic moments, the story fell flat for me. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, and the point-of-view jumps around mostly without notice. I couldn't find myself caring for any of the characters. Being a short story, concentrating on less characters would have worked to its advantage. The demon character also felt a little cartoony to me, especially when "smoke [seeps] from her nose and ears." The conclusion had enough closure, but it felt a bit rushed to get there.

I'm a large fan of taking normal events and adding a fantastic/supernatural twist. For this reason I loved the idea and the majority of this book.

However, since it's a short story collection I don't think it should have been as open-ended as it was. Meg Cabot, although alluding to events coming in the future, ended the story. The Corsage was ended too. The other three however, were too much like book previews. If you write for a short story collection, write a short story. Granted, these authors are used to the novel and that could be the reason, but "Dim Reaper" dumped a lot of information and left you hanging. "Kiss and Tell" could have ended but threw in a cliche "she's a princess" twist and Hell on Earth was almost there. Almost

Still, I did enjoy the concept.

I bought this book due to the Stephanie Meyer story. In general, this book was a disappointment. Only one story really hooked me. The rest were fairly bland. Not something I would re-read or highly recommend. Borrow from the library.

When I heard that two of my favorite authors--Meg Cabot and Stephenie Meyer--each had entries in this compilation, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it.

I think I enjoyed "Kiss and Tell" the most though I had never read a book by this author before, and I found Meyer's story a little abrupt, leaving me with too many unanswered questions at the end. I must admit, though some of the stories were just a little too weird for my taste (and weird kind of is my taste), I liked the feel of the book.

A little Edger Allen Poe with a little Buffy the Vampire Slayer mixed in didn't make for a bad read. And thank you for not setting a scary story on Halloween. My own bizarre prom night dissevered a little explaining, and now I have some new theories rolling around in my head.

If you're going to buy it, don't spend a lot of money on it even though it's a good read. I just don't think you'd read it again any time soon.

I was looking forword to reading Stephenie Meyer's story but actually I didn't even finish hers because it was dull. However, the rest of the book was pretty entertaining. I wish that a couple of them were actually their own books because they were left with cliffhangers that would never be solved.

I recommened reading this book if you're in middle school/high school underclassmen (I'm a sophmore).

I bought this book because I'm a huge Kim Harrison fan so wanted to read her story in it. I rarely ever read young adult fiction, so hadn't even realized this book existed until a few days ago, even though I have read the other "Hell" anthologies like Dates From Hell. I'm glad I finally discovered it!

I don't hand out five stars frivolously, but this anthology surely deserves it. I thought all five stories were solid and I thoroughly enjoyed reading all of them, even though it's been a few decades since I was a young adult myself. All of the authors were new to me except for Kim Harrison, which makes it a treat to discover others I may enjoy reading more of in the future.

The Exterminator's Daughter by Meg Cabot was a fun story that immediately drew me in. The character Mary is a typical teen outsider due to being new at the school she's attending and being different than other kids. Her differences are both mundane and unusual, such as being the daughter of an exterminator who is now a vampire herself. The story doesn't have much depth and is quite formulaic, but that isn't always a bad thing. After all, those formulas are successful for a reason! The story was a fun read that I enjoyed.

The Corsage by Lauren Myracle is one of those stories where you know where it's going but you have to keep reading anyway. The story is based on The Monkey's Paw and is a classic tale of the dangers of magical wishing, mostly because the wisher generally isn't smart enough to forsee consequences or believe there will be a cost exacted. The ending, while predictable, is suitably creepy in a Stephen Kingesque way. This was another fun read.

While I mentioned that the two above stories were fairly predictable, that should probably be put in perspective. After all, I'm 47 and have been an avid reader since I was 8. That's a lot of years of reading and experiencing a lot of the common types of tales. They may not seem that way at all to a younger reader.

Madison Avery and the Dim Reaper was the reason I purchased the book and Ms. Harrison did not let me down. The story was unique and entertaining. The main character, Madison, is not really a very sympathetic character to start with. Her date at the prom accused her of being a bitch and I have to say I rather agreed. But that's okay because it allows plenty of room for character change and growth. One weak point in the story was where the whole reaper thing was revealed. It seemed a bit contrived and Madison seemed a bit too quick on the uptake. But otherwise it was a well-crafted and interesting story. Though it does leave you hanging at the end.

Kiss and Tell by Michele Jaffe is a great story with humor, sadness, and mystery. The story had me chuckling outloud several times, and then would suddenly switch tone and add a bit of heartache. I think this was my favorite story of the bunch because I really enjoyed the humor, but it's a really close call between the last three. Here's a quote from the story that I loved, mainly because I can totally relate: "Thinking, not for the first time, that life should come with a trapdoor. Just a little exit hatch you could disappear through when you'd utterly and completely mortified yourself."

The final story, Hell on Earth by Stephenie Meyer, was also very unique and entertaining. It's also the only story in the anthology that begins with a male protagonist. It started off with a fairly slow pace, but built up a bit of speed as more evidence appeared indicating that things weren't quite right. My absolute favorite part of the story was the conversation between Sheba and Jezebel, which revealed a lot about demon culture, which is rather backwards to our way of thinking, and it was quite amusing because of that. Here's a quote: "Virtue corrupts." This story not only leaves things hanging, like the Harrison story, but I felt it ended too abruptly. Though it was a good enough story to forgive that.

A common theme throughout all these stories is teenagers dealing with being outsiders, which is something many young adults can identify with. Maybe especially those who tend to be drawn to this genre. None of the stories are written in a patronizing manner, making teens look sillier and dumber than they are. These stories are intended for an intelligent audience, which is probably why I ended up enjoying them so much even if I am well past the target age. I highly recommend this anthology for lovers of this genre both young and old.

When I first heard about this book, I was highly interested in seeing how the stories would make prom evil. In this collection, only one story was actually set at the prom. As a personal perference, I really loved only three out of the five short stories. After reading the stories, I think I understand how the young adult genre works a little more.

I kind of liked Meg Cabot's short story The Extreminator's Daughter. I thought it was really funny and cute in places. It may have taken place in a club for part of the story, but I liked how she made the characters stand out. It felt a little corny, but my main pet peeve was the fact that the story abruptly switches POV twice. This was the first time I've ever read anything by Meg Cabot, but I was interested enough into trying out some of her other books.

My favorite story was The Corsage by Lauren Myracle. I'm always a fan of dark stories, and this hit the spot. It's one of the creepiest stories in the entire collection. It starts out slow, but it gradually builds up the suspense until the end. It's the only story that I felt satisfied after reading it.

I've been a long time reader of Kim Harrison, which was the reason why I bought the Prom Nights from Hell book. Her story Madison Avery and the Dim Reaper is actually a prequel to her novel Once Dead Twice Shy. It was definitely one of my favorite stories, and I'm going to get the novel Once Dead Twice Shy because it sounded very interesting. I found the concept of this story to be very interesting.

I've also been a long time reader of Michele Jaffe, which was another reason on why I bought the book. Kiss and Tell was very cute, but it was not as good as her Bad Kitty novel. However I enjoyed reading it, and will continue reading her other work.

The only story I did not like was Hell on Earth by Stephenie Meyer, but I liked it better than her Twilight Saga and the Host. There were too many characters to keep track of and POV shifts; the story could have easily been a novella with that many characters to keep track of would have worked better in my opinion. The story felt dragged out in the beginning since it lacked action until the middle. I give her props for having the only story taking place at a prom and for slightly improving her writing ability. I still think she needs to edit better because the phrase "fully half angel" caused me to pause and laugh myself silly.

I was shock when I saw this book among the Twilight titles with Stephine Meyer's name front and center to catch my eye.

The Extertimator's Daughter by Meg Cabot is a good story dealing with a daughter who wants revenge for what vampires did to her mother. An excellent story about priorities and the importance of not letting ones wish for revenge cloud your view of the romance waiting in front of you.

The Corsage is a modern tale of the classic Monkey Paw tale. A creepie tale of what happens to Frankie when she makes her wishes to make the perfect Prom. Even if it means bringing her date back from the dead.

Kim Harrison's story is the best of the group and would love to see the story continue in it own on going series. Madison Avery and the Dim Reaper deals with a teen killed by mistake on her birthday and will do anything it takes for her to return to her family and friends among the living. The Reapers in this story makes me think a little of the Dead Like Me TV series as well as the reapers seen in the Japanese Anime Full Moon as they appear both human looking and a bit goofy in personality. With her body stolen by the evil reapers the short is a good jump off point for a continuing tale.

Kiss and Tell is my least favorite of these stories being a rather bad super hero crime fighting type spoof.

The final story is from Twilight book writer Stephenie Meyer with her tale of a vacationing she demon who decide to bring havoc to a prom. When she talk with her she-demon friend I'm reminded a little of the conversations of Ana and her vengence demon girl friend had when they got together in Buffy The Vampire Slayers later seasons. What our demon lady in red didn't expect is a little heavenly interference.

About a month ago, I finished reading another book set of short stories called "Love is Hell". So it got me thinking that I should really pick up a copy of something similar to it because I fell in love it. When I finished most of these stories, I couldn't help but wonder how much longer until the book ended. I guess it's because the stories turned out to be too short and didn't explain themselves very well, or it could be that the writing style was a little bit diffrent than I prefer. Not all of the stories were terrible. I really did enjoy "The Corsage" and honestly I don't think i'm going to be able to sleep tonight because i'm so freaked! I mean it's 2:30 in the morning and i'm writing this review because i'm afraid to fall asleep just because of a short story! The other story I really enjoyed reading was "Madison Avery and the Dim Reaper". I've never really read anything that had the great Reaper in it and just the fact that it explored the possibility of having good and bad reapers was beyond amazing! Your prom night might not have been as eventful as some of these but it's all in good fun. Overall I gave the book 3 out of 5 paws.