kasiabrenna's review
2.0
I'm a fan of Francesca Lia Block, although after you read a lot of them her books start to seem rather repetitive. I usually prefer her short stories (I love Girl Goddess #9), but this collection of stories was just meh. The only one that really made much of an impression was Giant, which includes the passage on the cover and the inside flap: "What shall we do, all of us? All of us passionate girls who fear crushing the boys we love with our mouths like caverns of teeth, our mushrooming brains, our watermelon hearts?"...that's the best part of the book, right there.
jennandherbookshelf's review
1.0
3 years later and just now sharing some thoughts about this book... it was a pointless collection of stories. I read someone else’s review saying they were losing their mind and I agree. I think it skipped the last story and some chunks because certain passages were inappropriate. Overall, don’t read this.
quietjenn's review
2.0
yeah, i dunno. maybe i'm just too old for francesca these days. a few lovely lines in an otherwise mediocre collection of stories just isn't enough.
inthelunaseas's review
3.0
Blood Roses - 3/5
Two sisters are confronted by a man in a music store that leads to their demise. At least I think that's what happens- it certainly appears to be.
I read the end of this story twice, to try and garner the meaning. It also appears that their favourite singer, Solo, may not have committed suicide, but instead was stabbed to death.
I magical story, albeit confusing.
Giant - 2.5/5
The first of a series of four connected stories, that are each stand alone in their own way. A girl is kissed by the boy she loves (who, of course, is in love with someone else) and transforms into a giant. She is meant to represent all us young women whose feelings are not reciprocated.
A nice story, but not my favourite.
My Haunted House - 2/5
A young girl's dollhouse is haunted by death incarnate. It's implied, I think, she develops an overeating disorder. Not exactly my favourite in this book.
My Boyfriend is an Alien - 2.5/5
A girl believes her boyfriend to be an alien.
She does say she's schizophrenic, and I think this whole story takes place as part of her unfortunate schizophrenic delusions. Her boyfriend is probably just a mere Homo Sapien and she's gone and placed this whole backstory in his head.
An interesting story, and could be developed further.
Horses Are a Girl's Best Friend - 5/5
Related to Giant.
My favourite story in this whole collection. I read it three times in a row- first time I didn't get it until towards the end, second time with the new meaning, third time to get the whole idea. It's so beautiful, and very subtle. A girl falls in love with a centaur. This could be a whole novel on its own.
So, so beautiful.
Skin Art - 2/5
Related to Giant.
A lot of people have said this is their favourite, but I just didn't enjoy it that much. I guess it's the wordplay that's meant to be so wonderful? I just didn't enjoy it.
A girl gets a bunch of magical tattoos that eventually disappear as her feelings for the tattooist fade away. Blatant imagery.
My Mother the Vampire - 3.5/5
Related to Giant.
I admittedly don't get this story. I like the imagery it presents, and I like the idea, but I don't 'get' it. I think if I did I'd rate it higher.
Wounds and Wings - 1.5/5
My least favourite story in the collection. Girl finds a fallen angel, they share mutual feelings, she keeps him in her bedroom. She becomes a drug addict.
Changelings - 2/5
Another case of schizophrenia gone rife.
A boy's father and girlfriend die shortly after one another. His mother sinks into a deep depression and so instead of helping her through it, he escapes into a fantasy world. Then he goes crazy. Might be related to My Boyfriend Is An Alien.
Two sisters are confronted by a man in a music store that leads to their demise. At least I think that's what happens- it certainly appears to be.
I read the end of this story twice, to try and garner the meaning. It also appears that their favourite singer, Solo, may not have committed suicide, but instead was stabbed to death.
I magical story, albeit confusing.
Giant - 2.5/5
The first of a series of four connected stories, that are each stand alone in their own way. A girl is kissed by the boy she loves (who, of course, is in love with someone else) and transforms into a giant. She is meant to represent all us young women whose feelings are not reciprocated.
A nice story, but not my favourite.
My Haunted House - 2/5
A young girl's dollhouse is haunted by death incarnate. It's implied, I think, she develops an overeating disorder. Not exactly my favourite in this book.
My Boyfriend is an Alien - 2.5/5
A girl believes her boyfriend to be an alien.
She does say she's schizophrenic, and I think this whole story takes place as part of her unfortunate schizophrenic delusions. Her boyfriend is probably just a mere Homo Sapien and she's gone and placed this whole backstory in his head.
An interesting story, and could be developed further.
Horses Are a Girl's Best Friend - 5/5
Related to Giant.
My favourite story in this whole collection. I read it three times in a row- first time I didn't get it until towards the end, second time with the new meaning, third time to get the whole idea. It's so beautiful, and very subtle. A girl falls in love with a centaur. This could be a whole novel on its own.
So, so beautiful.
Skin Art - 2/5
Related to Giant.
A lot of people have said this is their favourite, but I just didn't enjoy it that much. I guess it's the wordplay that's meant to be so wonderful? I just didn't enjoy it.
A girl gets a bunch of magical tattoos that eventually disappear as her feelings for the tattooist fade away. Blatant imagery.
My Mother the Vampire - 3.5/5
Related to Giant.
I admittedly don't get this story. I like the imagery it presents, and I like the idea, but I don't 'get' it. I think if I did I'd rate it higher.
Wounds and Wings - 1.5/5
My least favourite story in the collection. Girl finds a fallen angel, they share mutual feelings, she keeps him in her bedroom. She becomes a drug addict.
Changelings - 2/5
Another case of schizophrenia gone rife.
A boy's father and girlfriend die shortly after one another. His mother sinks into a deep depression and so instead of helping her through it, he escapes into a fantasy world. Then he goes crazy. Might be related to My Boyfriend Is An Alien.
shuffmcpuff's review
3.0
I love Francesca Lia Block, but I might be a little too old for her at this point. I last reread DANGEROUS ANGELS when I was in college, and I might just... leave my memory of that series there. I quite liked some of these stories, and some of them didn't work for me at all--but I definitely found myself remembering a time when I could relate to these protagonists rather than falling headfirst into the feeling that Block's prose evokes, the way I did when I discovered her books when I was twelve or thirteen. ... It's a shame, is all. It sucks getting old.
happyocelot's review
3.0
Francesca Lia Block is one of my favorite authors and a prolific teen novel writer. This book has a lot of angsty teen drama. It is a series of short stories that distantly overlap because the characters from one story will be mentioned in another, so you know everyone is operating in the same universe and time. But, some of the stories are sad. Actually, a lot of the stories are sad. I really like Lia Block as an author, but reading her books now can be tough because they have and underlying sadness that is hard to miss in each story.