carolesrandomlife

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life.

This was a really good selection of stories. I am really not too big of a fan of anthologies in general because it always seems like a few great stories end up mixed along with some not so great ones. That is not the case in this book. I liked all of the stories found in this book and am really happy that I decided to give it a chance.

I think one of the strengths of this anthology is that there is a little bit of everything in these stories. For fans of urban fiction, this is a perfect mix and I loved the variety. If I had to pick a favorite in the collection, I would have to go with Jim Butcher's Cold Case but there were quite a few of the other stories that were a close pick.

Cold Case by Jim Butcher - 5 stars
I really enjoyed this story featuring Molly. It is part of the Dresden Files series but you won't find Harry in this story because it is all about Molly. She is finding out what her role in the Winter court really means. I really liked seeing things from her point of view.

Sleepover by Seanan McGuire - 4 stars
This was a story about a succubus but it wasn't that kind of story. Her skills are needed to rescue a girl. I thought this story had a really nice flow and it was just so original. Elsie was a great character that was really fun to read about.

If Wishes Were by Tanya Huff - 4 stars
This was another gem of a story. The main character, Vicki, is a vampire but this didn't really feel like a vampire story. It was really more of a genie story and I liked how all of the elements worked together. I haven't read anything by Tanya Huff before so this was a great introduction for me.

Solus by Anton Strout - 4 stars
I enjoyed the banter between the main characters in this story a lot. It was a bit of a ghost story with a touch of haunted house. This pair of ghost busters was an enjoyable read.

Peacock in Hell by Kat Richardson - 4 stars
Most of this story takes place in hell so it gets a lot of points for an interesting location. The characters were interesting and I was really curious about where everything was going.

Eye of Newt by Kevin J. Anderson - 4 stars
This story would win the award for being the silliest one of the bunch. I like silly so that worked fine for me. Our favorite zombie detective, Dan Shambles, has a new client that needs some help finding out who took his eye. There were some funny moments in this one.

What Dwells Within by Lucy A. Snyder - 3.5 stars
This story featuring a witch had a pretty good mystery at its core. I found the characters interesting and the story had a few surprises along with some interesting elements.

Hunter, Healer by Jim C. Hines - 4 stars
This was a story about a unique healer. Her sidekick has a rather comical way of saying what he thinks which added an element of fun to the story. The basis of the story was really intriguing.

Baggage by Erik Scott de Bie - 3 stars
This story is about a superhero or someone who used to be a superhero. It took a while for this one to get really interesting for me but I liked how dark the characters were.

Sales. Force. by Kristine Katherine Rusch - 3 stars
The main character of this story has a broken heart and I really felt her pain. When she is called on a job to test a potion that can take away all of that pain, why would she want to do anything else?

Impossible Monsters by Rob Thurman - 4 stars
Cal is such an interesting character being a half demon. He visits an old teacher from school that had an ugly side. This was a pretty dark story but very entertaining.

I would recommend this book to fans of urban fiction and paranormal. I really think that there is something for everyone in this book. The stories that are part of a larger series read perfectly well as a stand alone so it is a great place to jump in and give it a shot. I have found a few authors that I hope to read more from in the near future.

I received an advanced reader edition of this book from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley.

Initial Thoughts
This was really a very good collection of short stories. I liked some better than others but I really liked all of them. There really is a little bit of everything in these stories which kept the collection very interesting.