The Eternal Kiss: 13 Vampire Tales of Blood and Desire by Various Authors

The Eternal Kiss: 13 Vampire Tales of Blood and Desire by Trisha Telep

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was a collection of young adult vampire stories with a definite bite. Quite a few of these stories were disturbing, and the resolutions were fitting with the old school vampire--a predator who kills, often just for survival, and sometimes for less justifiable motives. The fact that these stories involved teenagers makes the stories that much more disturbing, for teenage-hood is a harrowing enough experience already without the influence of the undead!



Although one might consider this paranormal romance, I don't. I would consider this more of a horror collection. There are elements of romance, but the focus doesn't veer far away from the sinister aspects of vampires. I think young readers who are looking for a darker type read might enjoy them.



I won't go into great details on the various stories in this review. Instead I will give my ratings and classify the stories based on the ratings. My caveat is that I rate books based on how much the ideas appealed to me, and the execution. It goes without saying that others might view the stories differently. Because the bulk of these stories are unsettling, I can't look for sympathetic characters and particularly happy endings, so I've taken that into consideration.



Four and 1/2 stars:

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

Shutter Island by Melissa De La Cruz

Undead is Very Hot Right Now by Sarah Rees Brennan (very amusing)



Four stars:

Falling to Ash by Karen Mahoney

Kat by Kelley Armstrong

The Thirteenth Step by Libba Bray

All Hallows by Rachel Caine

Other Boys by Cassandra Clare

Passing by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie'

Ambition by Lili St. Crow



Three Stars

Wet Teeth by Cecil Castellucci

Sword Point by Maria V. Snyder



I'm come to the conclusion that writing a short story is much more difficult than writing a full-length novel. It requires the ability to conceive, give birth to, raise, and to launch a mature creation in a very short period of time. Ideas have to be honed to the finest edge so they can penetrate the reader. I felt that some of these authors were more successful than others at having that power of a bringing their short story to life for this reader. All in all, there were no bad stories in this collection, because they all succeeded in giving me the author's vision of vampires in a young adult's world. For that, I respect the authors. But, I admit some stories impressed me a lot more than the others. Having said that, this is worthwhile anthology for most fans of vampire fiction, regardless of age.





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