Reviews

One More Day by Anna Simpson, L.S. Murphy, J. Keller Ford

lolasreviews's review

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3.0

I'll review this one by giving my thoughts about each short story

Time Piece by Anna Simpson
This short story was really confusing, I had no idea what was going on and I couldn't get a grip on what was happening. It's too short to really explain a thing and there are alot of repetitive scenes, which makes it all more confusing. At the end I still had no idea what happened.

Dark Rose by Marissa Halvorson
This short story was interesting, but a bit rushed. I would've liked learning more and everything went a bit too fast. I did like the author's writing style, but because of the short lenght I couldn't really get into the story and there wasn't enough explanation about what was happening and the different worlds and the other characters. And really why does everyone always think they are dreaming when something weird happens?

Dragon Flight by J Keller Ford
I really enjoyed this one, the pace was done really well. And the main character actually freaked out when time stopped. I really enjoyed this story and the explanation was so weird and unbelieveable, but also done really well. Although I was a bit annoyed when this main character also thought she was dreaming. I do have a lot of questions, how this exactly works, but for such a short story it was done really well, with enough explanation and story and the right pace.

The 13th Month by LS Murphy
This story was really good, it is the longest so far too. There really is a story and the pace is good too. There is even is some character development and a little bit of world building. The ending really surprised me, but it was a good ending too. I how this story is written. It's a bit normality and then it isn't anymore and then the ending trows it in a really different direction and puts it all in perspective.

Sleepless Beauty by Kimberly Kay
This was such a fun retelling of Sleeping Beauty. This story twists the original fairytale in comical way and while it's short I really enjoyed it. I liked how some parts where predictable and then other so completely different from the original fairytale.

Stage Fright by Erika Beebe
This story was a bit confusing. It was about the stage and the time stoppin didn't seem to play as big a part as in the other stories. I got the message of following your dreams from the story, but that was the only obvious part. I didn't get who gabriels was and then Ben and there where a lot of flashbacks. I just couldn't follow this story.

A Morrow More by Danielle E Shipley
This story started a bit slow and couldn't really capture my interest. There was a strange plot twist and then after that again. It was a bit weird, although the inkborn sounded like an interesting concept.

To conclude: This anthology is pretty short and contains a lot of stories, short stories. While I am not a big fan of short stories, in the past I have read some anthologies that pleasantly surprised me. This on was just okay. There where two stories I really enjoyed: The Thirteenth Month and Dragon Flight. Maybe of the others felt a bit rushed to me, without enough explanation and some where just weird. So all in all there where some entertaining stories, but also some which I didn't enjoy as much.

the_cover_contessa's review

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4.0

I want to thank J. Taylor Publishing for providing me with an eARC of this book to read and review. Receiving this book for free has in no way influenced my opinion or review.

Blurb from Goodreads:
What if today never ends?
What if everything about life—everything anyone hoped to be, to do, to experience—never happens?
Whether sitting in a chair, driving down the road, in surgery, jumping off a cliff or flying ... that's where you’d be ... forever.
Unless ...
In One More Day, Erika Beebe, Marissa Halvorson, Kimberly Kay, J. Keller Ford, Danielle E. Shipley and Anna Simpson join L.S. Murphy to give us their twists, surprising us with answers to two big questions, all from the perspective of characters under the age of eighteen.
How do we restart time?
How do we make everything go back to normal?
The answers, in whatever the world—human, alien, medieval, fantasy or fairytale—could,maybe, happen today.
Right now.
What would you do if this happened ... to you?

I really love reading short stories. Especially in an anthology where the stories focus on time or some type of time travel Time travel makes me giddy! I love sic-fi. So given the opportunity to read this anthology you can bet I jumped right in to read it. I thought perhaps I would do a few stories a day. Nope, I sat down and read it cover to cover without putting it down. So, I will review the stories in the order I read them!

Time Piece by Anna Simpson
This short story was interesting. The repetitiveness of the scene and it's slight changes was really quite great. Think Ground Hogs Day, but with slight differences each time. It certainly reminded me a bit of Back To The Future, as well. I'm a huge fan of Back to the Future, so this story really drew me in!

Dark Rose by Marissa Halvorson
This story didn't draw me in as much as I would have liked. I felt it was a bit slow going. The world intersects were interesting: to see the three girls who are basically the same person but in parallel universes. The concept was interesting but it didn't quite jive for me.

Dragon Flight by J Keller Ford
I really enjoyed this one. A girl who wants to do whatever she needs to to win the boy's heart. But then she learns that her world is not exactly as it seems. And for her to try and figure out exactly why time suddenly stops for her, well, it's not what you think it will be.

The 13th Month by LS Murphy
This one, well, I really liked this one. But I will say that the introduction of the angels was a bit of a surprise for me. I wasn't expecting them at all. Once again we have time stopping. But the world becomes sort of a apocalyptic mess in the main character's eyes. You have to read this to really understand it! And the outcome of this one, well, the consequences will surprise you!

Sleepless Beauty by Kimberly Kay
This one, well, while predictable, I really enjoyed it. I love any kind of fairy tale retelling and this was no exception. I wanted to see more and I could see this as a full length book for sure. The characters were endearing and interesting and each was totally unique.

Stage Fright by Erika Beebe
This was a different read for me. I am not too familiar with theater, but I do understand the idea of stage fright! However, while the main character is nervous about acting the main part, I didn't really understand where the fear came from. I needed more background. I did enjoy how her love interest literally jumped off the pages.

A Morrow More by Danielle E Shipley
This story has a definite fantasy twist to it. For me, I really have to be into a fantasy to get through it. The idea of it was interesting for sure and I would love to see the characters expanded more. It was actually a bit short for me and this made it hard for me to really get into it. The ending was a bit predictable but I sometimes like knowing it will end the way I want it to!

As you can see, I really enjoyed these stories for the most part. I think I have a hard time with short stories that I want more from. They may come to the end, but then I feel like I need to know more about the characters. So it would be great to see some of these turned into full length books!

escapeebee's review

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4.0

The reason I decided to accept a review copy of this book was down to the fact I don't read many short stories. The whole concept and idea of the collection sounded really interesting, and I liked the idea of a group of stories with a common theme running throughout. One More Day features several shorts all based around the idea of time standing still. For this review I thought I'd recap each story and give my thoughts on it.

First up was Time Piece by Anna Simpson which follows Sadie as she is joined by her future self to try and destroy a time machine causing time to loop itself over and over again. This was probably one of my favourite stories because it was so action packed. The writing was really beautiful and the idea behind the story reminded me a lot of All Out Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill, so if you loved that book then I think you'll appreciate the ideas in Time Piece. I struggled a bit with some of the transitions when time jumped back on itself, but overall this was still a highlight of the book for me.

Next came Dark Rose by Marissa Malvorson which tells the story of Scarlett who is sitting in an exam when time seems to freeze around her. Whilst she freaks out and goes outside to find out what the hell is happening, she comes across Letta, a version of herself from a parallel universe, in the midst of a battle to stop the Dark Rose from destroying the world. I loved the idea of parallel universes colliding and addressing characters who exist alongside each other. There was plenty of action and I loved the build up and the climax of the story which felt very complete.

Dragon Flight by J. Keller Ford was another highlight of the anthology. Amber finds herself stuck on a roller coaster, the only person still concious and moving as time stands still. When she finally escapes the roller coaster car, she discovers the real reason she's there in the first place. It's hard to go into this one too much without spoiling but I thought it was a really cool idea and this story will really appeal to fans of technology and sci-fi. Don't be put off by the title - it's not fantasy!

The 13th Month by L. S. Murphy takes on the idea of the apocalypse being imminent. Nixon's brother Jackie is obsessed with the end of the world and ends up on weird websites with crackpot theories. Only one night, one particular theory comes true and Nixon finds himself fighting for his life. I really liked the survivial element to this story as Nixon struggles to stay alive during the apocalypse. I also loved the relationship between Nixon and brother Jackie and the gritty, intense feel of the story.

But it's not all sci-fi! Sleepless Beauty by Kimberly Kay gives a fairy tale twist to the anthology. Princess Clarissa has pricked her finger causing her to fall into a cursed sleep. Aerisa is a servent who is left to try and break the curse by tracking down Clarissa's ex-boyfriend Edwin to deliver the kiss that could wake her. But Aerisa has her own feelings to deal with when it comes to Ben. This was a really sweet love story with that really made my heart swell and provided a refreshing contrast to some of the other stories.

Stage Fright by Erika Beebe follows Hannah who is performing in a play when time freezes and she finds herself encountering boys she's only dreamt about. I found some moments in Stage Fright a little confusing and it took a while to get to the point, but towards the end when the ideas started to come together I really enjoyed it. I loved how it portrayed the power of imagination and dreams coming true and it felt really uplifting.

A Morrow More by Danielle Shipley took high fantasy twist as we enter the world of the Inkborn and meet Raeve, servent of and hopelessly in love with Inkborn Lorrel. When times stops, Raeve discovers there is more to this world than meets the eye. Again, this is one that is hard to explain without spoiling, but it's a very clever idea and plays on the idea of imagination and writing stories. Once I knew what was happening I really enjoyed the concept, but the beginning of the story made it a bit hard for me to understand at first with all the language and terminology. Still, it was an idea that really worked.

Overall I really enjoyed this collection of stories. I liked the sci-fi feel to a lot of them and how they all played with the idea of imagination, something I think a lot of readers will really appreciate. I'd definitely be keen to read more by each of these authors as the writing was of a high standard throughout. For anyone looking for a great anthology or maybe someone who doesn't read short stories very often but would like to, this is a great place to start.

miraeli's review

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2.0

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher for an honest review.

Anthologies tend to be hit and miss for me. Of course the general hope is that you come out of it loving or at least liking most of the stories in said anthology, but unfortunately, for me and One More Day, this was not the case.

Time Piece by Anna Simpson: The hasty, frenetic pace of this story did set the stage for the anthology overall. But I felt like I'd read and seen the premise far too often for the story to feel interesting to me. 2 stars.

Dark Rose by Marissa Halvorson: One of the weakest stories for me in the anthology. Unlikable characters, confusing setting and a very unclear ending left a bad taste in my mouth. 1 star.

Dragon Flight by J. Keller Ford: This one had the most interesting twist of all the stories. The teen speak was a little inauthentic, but overall it was a cute story. 3 stars.

The 13th Month by L.S. Murphy: Another interesting take on the time stop idea, though the premise was a little silly at first. The ending does make up for it though, by a lot. 3 stars.

Sleepless Beauty by Kimberly Kay: This is the one I ended up skimming through a lot. I can see what the author was going for, a cheeky modern feeling retelling of a fairy tale that still takes place in a fairytale land of castles and medieval setting. But the characters were irritating, and it was so modern at times I actually forgot it was taking place in a medieval fairytale land. While I liked the idea of "true love's first kiss", it wasn't enough to save this story. 1 star.

Stage Fright by Ericka Beebe: The confusing writing kept this from being as strong as it could have been, but it was alright otherwise. 2 stars.

A Morrow More by Danielle E. Shipley: The strongest story in the collection and my personal favorite. Raeve is a great character and the twist on why her world stopped was great. The world-building was a little flimsy, but I was willing to overlook that for all the strengths the story had. 4 stars.

lissyiszy's review

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4.0

I sure wasn't let down by the quality of these stories. Especially considering I haven't heard of most of the other authors but I can vouch that each story is well written. So much so that it was easy for me to immerse myself into the stories without thinking about it.

I'm not going to review each story separately since there are already individual reviews out there and I agree with most of them. I do want to explain that the only reasons I gave lower scores on a few of them is that I felt like the flow of the writing left me feeling jarred and could use a little ironing. That and that there probably wasn't enough time for the stories to be fleshed out so they might be better as longer stories.

As most of you know reading is a subjective thing so it is known that most everyone won't love every story, myself included, but I do feel that this book has a solid line up of authors and I highly encourage you to check them out.

These stories are witty, imaginative, and original, those types tend to be my favorite, so those were given higher ratings if they fell towards the fantasy/sci fi are the genres. I like humor so that helped bump up scores too if there was a hint of that in the story. These stories kept me entertained until the end and I know you won't regret picking it up. I'm pretty sure you won't want to put it down until you're done. They are all fairly quick reads so pick up an ebook and you could probably finish the entire anthology in a sitting.

I know with most short stories some readers feel that the ending isn't satisfying enough or left too open ended. If you're worried about this problem then you don't have to worry about that with these short stories! Each one is tied up neatly and left me satisfied (although there were a few where I wanted more because I loved them so much) so keep that in mind. I sometimes feel that short stories are too fast paced, rushing to the end but I do feel like these were paced well and weren't too short which greatly pleased me. Well done authors!

Reading this anthology was a great way for me to discover new authors. I love it when this happens. I should read anthologies more often. Now I plan on researching more works by these authors and I hope that you all will join me!

Overall, I'd give the book a 4/5 rating.

Time Piece by Anna Simpson - 4

Dark Rose by Marissa Havorson - 4.2

Dragon Flight by J. Keller Ford - 4.6

The 13th Month by L.S. Murphy - 3.2

Sleepless Beauty by Kimberly Kay - 4.3

Stage Fright by Erika Beebe - 3

A Morrow More by Danielle Shipley - 4.5
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