Love Is Hell (Paperback)

~ Scott Westerfeld (Author), (Author), Justine Larbalestier (Author), Gabrielle Zevin (Author), Laurie Faria Stolarz (Author)
Key Phrases: The Immortals, Annabelle Reve, Barefoot Tillman (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Supernatural romance is the well-chosen theme of five original stories by as many authors. After her family moves into a house where a boy was murdered, Laurie Faria Stolarzs protagonist finds herself falling in love with his ghost; Gabrielle Zevin introduces a high school student who may (or may not) be overidentifying with the book she is reading; and Scott Westerfeld looks into a future where hormonal balancers tamp down teen romances and bioframes obviate sleep and dreams. Melissa Marr and Justine Larbalestier reinterpret folklore conventions, Marr writing about selkies and Larbalestier about faeries. Theres enough variety to round out the central theme, and consistently supple storytelling will lure readers through all five entries. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the national nonprofit organization College Summit. Ages 14–up. (Dec.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up—Teens looking for a romance like the one in Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" series (Little, Brown) will find it in these five supernatural short stories. In Gabrielle Zevin's "Fan Fictions," a teen becomes so obsessed with the love story in a book that she believes it's her own. Marr's "Love Struck" puts a new spin on the classic fairy tale of a girl who must find a way to break free of the spell of a selkie. Laurie Faria Stolarz's "Sleeping with the Spirit" features a girl who falls in love with the ghost of a murdered boy who haunts her dreams. Justine Larbalestier's story truly exemplifies the book's title. Jeannie, a modern-day teen, is cursed by her family to reside in a "living history" village, and the boy she loves is tortured because he's one of the fairie folk. Scott Westerfeld's wry and clever "Stupid Perfect World" portrays a futuristic society in which starvation and disease have been eliminated. Teens have to take a class called Scarcity, designed to teach them what the old days were like. Two teens fall in love as they "embody" afflictions that don't exist anymore—sleep and teen angst. Westerfeld's and Larbalestier's stories stand out from the rest, but all of the selections offer surprising romantic twists that will appeal to teens.—Sharon Rawlins, New Jersey State Library, Trenton
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (November 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061443042
• ISBN-13: 978-0061443046
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #480,749 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Magical twists on love and heartbreak, December 16, 2008

By	Teenreads.com (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

Story collections like LOVE IS HELL allow readers to find some writing from such popular authors as Scott Westerfeld (PEEPS) and Melissa Marr (WICKED LOVELY) while waiting for their next books to be released, and it's an opportunity to sample new authors who will become favorites. Plus, this particular book benefits College Summit, a non-profit organization that helps school districts, especially in low-income areas, send more young people to college.

While there is already a lot to like here, the themes will be irresistible to fantasy and romance fans: Love is hard enough between humans, but what if you love someone who is not human or you live in a time where love is not allowed?

Laurie Faria Stolarz kicks off the collection with "Sleeping with the Spirit," in which Brenda can't explain why she keeps waking up in the middle of the night with bruises. Her family feels she's depressed over the move to a new house and high school, but she knows something even weirder is happening here. Brenda's new friends, Raina and Craig, tell her that a 17-year-old boy was murdered by his stepfather in her new house. Brenda finds information about the dead teen, Travis Slather, and realizes she's been dreaming about him. She begins falling for him and his beautiful blue eyes, though he's not haunting her just for romance. Travis needs her help so he can cross over, but Brenda knows he will go away forever if she assists him.

In "Stupid Perfect World," Scott Westerfeld introduces a future where teen bodies are totally regulated --- there are no hormonal imbalances, sleep isn't needed, diseases don't exist, and passion and intensity are absent. Kiernan is supposed to do something "old-fashioned" for his Scarcity class, so he chooses to sleep every night, which no one has ever needed to do. Maria, another student, decides to go off the hormonal regulator to feel her body's natural urges and needs. Neither thinks the two weeks of the assignment will be a big deal, until Maria starts becoming insulted more easily and actually yells. And Kiernan begins experiencing dreams like he never imagined he could. The two argue and realize that other feelings are emerging in this humorous romance.

Justine Larbalestier, in "Thinner Than Water," brings readers to a primitive time when girls like Jean, who may want to go to college, are forced instead either to handfast to a boy from the village or work for her family bakery forever. Jean dreams of being a doctor, yet when the handsome and almost magical Robbie asks her to handfast, she agrees. The village doesn't like Robbie, saying he's from the fairy world, but Jean loves him and enjoys studying and living simply with him. When her family takes him away, Jean tries to escape the village, only to be stopped. Her broken heart numbs her even as she handfasts to another boy who is not interested in women. They join forces in an effort to leave the village when Jean suddenly is offered another wrenching choice and must decide which world is her future.

In Gabrielle Zevin's "Fan Fictions, Paige thinks no one can really see her in her high school. Tired of being the second choice for dates to dances, or the friend of girls whose best friends have just moved away, she starts hiding in the school library when the librarian practically forces her to read THE IMMORTALS. A handsome boy with violet eyes begins talking to her about the book. They become friends and then more, but Aaron only comes to her house or the library and has never expressed an interest in seeing her family or friends. When Paige asks him to go to a dance, he says he can't because of a secret; some make fun of her, saying she has a made-up boyfriend. The school librarian continues to hound Paige, urging her to join a book club. When she hears the group talk about THE IMMORTALS, Paige realizes the plot sounds very familiar. She knows Aaron is real --- what else would he be?

Selchies come to life from the sea in "Love Struck" by Melissa Marr. Alana doesn't know that by picking up a fur from a man at the beach when she was cold, they have now becomes betrothed. Murrin had been watching her for a while and knew she was his mate, but she can't accept it. It all seems like something from her grandmother's stories. He quietly persists in getting to know her, and they fall for each other. But their differences may force them apart, as Alana doesn't want to pull Murrin from his home in the sea forever and they struggle to be together, in this sweet fantasy love story.

Many magical twists on love and heartbreak appear in these five selections. While short, each of the stories is unique and memorable in their creative settings. Fans of vampire tales, romance, fantasy and science fiction will find plenty to enjoy in LOVE IS HELL.

--- Reviewed by Amy Alessio

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, January 29, 2009

By	TeensReadToo.com "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

A hot ghost with a message from beyond the grave. Two futuristic teens discovering the wonders of dreams and hormones for the first time. A hand-fasting that leads to more heartbreak - and magic - than any girl would have thought possible. A mysterious, immortal boy who may or may not be any more real than the paper he's printed on. A selkie who traps a human with his skin - though really he only wanted to date her.

That's a brief glimpse of the stories of LOVE IS HELL, an anthology of romantic and fantastical YA fiction from several of the genre's top authors.

Though most of the stories are dark, there's plenty of humor to be had, especially in Westerfeld's amusing take on a too-perfect future. Zevin's tale will make you question your own reality (in a good way), and Marr, Larbalestier, and Stolarz prove that love is a force more powerful than common sense, hate, or even death.

With plenty of swoon-worthy moments and surprising twists, there's much to enjoy from all.

I found myself wishing that many of the stories were longer, so their characters and events could have been developed more, but that's always the danger with short stories. Readers will race through this eagerly and likely find themselves hoping each author chooses to explore the worlds they've created again in the future.

Reviewed by: Lynn Crow

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hellish...in a good way, December 31, 2008

By	Beside the Norm Book Reviews - See all my reviews

Love is Hell is a sequel of sorts to the anthology Prom Nights from Hell, both recruiting five popular YA authors to spin romantic supernatural tales. However, this anthology is an improvement from the previous one, for the mere fact that all the stories have some sense of closure that doesn't leave you wanting -- or needing -- future stories just for story arc completion.

The anthology begins with Laurie Faria Stolarz's Sleeping with the Spirit, where Brenda finds herself being haunted as she sleeps after moving into a new house. Although the story initially grabs you with a chilling opener, it turns into a more sweet, endearing ghost story without many surprises, but enough heart to keep you reading and genuinely care about the characters.

The next story, Scott Westerfeld's Stupid Perfect World, stands out from the others by being more sci-fi than fantasy. Set in a futuristic world where sleep, the common cold, and even teenage hormones are outdated, Kieran and Maria find themselves falling for each other when taking part in such things for a class project. The world is clever and fascinating, and the interchanging firts person points-of-view don't hinder the story. The story was more tame than I expected, but it still turned out to be one of the better ones of the anthology.

Justine Larbalestier's Thinner Than Water is a dramatic shift from Westerfeld's story, taking place in the modern world, yet within a village that values old-fashioned customs that would have been common a hundred years ago. Jeannie wishes to escape this life for one in the city, even after handfasting with Robbie, who's feared by others to be one of the fey. The story sometimes drags a bit, and I wasn't entirely convinced of the attraction between Jeannie and Robbie, but Jeannie's struggles alone are compelling enough to keep reading, to see what will happen to her after all the twist and turns she must go through.

Gabrielle Zevin pokes fun at cliché romantic YA fantasies in her story Fan Fictions. Told in a storyteller-like manner, we're introduced to Paige, an Every Girl who always parts her hair in the middle and enjoys books more than people, as well as Aaron, the mysterious new boy who notices her despite being the one that never is. It's a fun, purposely familiar read with a dark twist that leaves you wondering what the truth really is about Paige's reality.

The final, and perhaps most compelling, story in the anthology is Melissa Marr's Love Struck. Alana finds herself cornered by not one, but two selchies, and will do anything not to be entrapped by one...if she can resist them. The story sweeps you in, then refuses to let go once the romance develops, much like the ocean from which the seal-shifting faeries derive. Both endearing and enchanting, this story is a thoroughly satisfying read, ending with a message that all couples should keep in mind -- and is impossible not to leave you with a smile on your face.

Overall, the stories are equal in enjoyability and only make you crave more from the authors, not for further closure like the previous "Hell" anthology. Given the title, I would have liked to see some more twisty, darker plotlines, but other than that, I have little complaints when it comes to Love is Hell.