tomokizu's review against another edition
4.0
I actually only knew one series featured in this book prior to reading it (and boy was I happy to read Dali's and Jim's story). The other stories were really great too.
Unfortunately I couldn't connect to the Otherworld story by Yasmine Galenorn, but that's probably because I don't know anything about her books. But I'm still planning on reading her books and will come back to her story in this one, whenever I come around to it.
I can definitly recommend these stories, but I would also recommend only doing so if you've got at least some idea about the original series.
Unfortunately I couldn't connect to the Otherworld story by Yasmine Galenorn, but that's probably because I don't know anything about her books. But I'm still planning on reading her books and will come back to her story in this one, whenever I come around to it.
I can definitly recommend these stories, but I would also recommend only doing so if you've got at least some idea about the original series.
kakunie's review against another edition
5.0
Red only Magic Dreams but it was beautiful. I love Dali and Jim. Hope they will have another short story. Dali is just great. She's so smart and crazy and teribly sweet. Brownie point for Ilona for this!
trysarahtop's review against another edition
5.0
I only read two of the four short stories, the one by Ilona Andrews and the one by Allyson James. Both are five star reads!
emmafromoz's review against another edition
4.0
I have to admit straight up that I am not a big fan of novellas or short stories (Roald Dahl aside) & this collection hasn't really revised my opinion.
However, one couldn't ask for a classier collection of paranormal authors: Ilona Andrews, Yasmine Galenorn, Allyson James & Jeanne C. Stein. Of these, IA, YG & JS are on my automatic to-buy list & Allyson James has been on my to-try list for a while now.
I quite enjoyed all of these stories & have already gone out & bought an Allyson James Stormwalker novel after reading her story here.
For me, the least successful story was the one by Yasmine Galenorn. I felt that her attempts to explain all of the pre-existing relationships between her characters were clumsy & cumbersome & this really detracted from my enjoyment of the story at times. Plus (my usual complaint about novellas) there just wasn't enough space to develop a full-bodied story.
Whether I'd have felt this way if I hadn't read all of her previous novels is difficult to say.
The other three stories were more successful in establishing themselves independently of their origins (all of the stories in this collection are set in the worlds already established by their authors in other novels). Being familiar with these worlds made these stories extra interesting to me, but I think a new reader would be richly rewarded by dipping into Hexed. Definitely one to try if you want a taste of any of these authors....
However, one couldn't ask for a classier collection of paranormal authors: Ilona Andrews, Yasmine Galenorn, Allyson James & Jeanne C. Stein. Of these, IA, YG & JS are on my automatic to-buy list & Allyson James has been on my to-try list for a while now.
I quite enjoyed all of these stories & have already gone out & bought an Allyson James Stormwalker novel after reading her story here.
For me, the least successful story was the one by Yasmine Galenorn. I felt that her attempts to explain all of the pre-existing relationships between her characters were clumsy & cumbersome & this really detracted from my enjoyment of the story at times. Plus (my usual complaint about novellas) there just wasn't enough space to develop a full-bodied story.
Whether I'd have felt this way if I hadn't read all of her previous novels is difficult to say.
The other three stories were more successful in establishing themselves independently of their origins (all of the stories in this collection are set in the worlds already established by their authors in other novels). Being familiar with these worlds made these stories extra interesting to me, but I think a new reader would be richly rewarded by dipping into Hexed. Definitely one to try if you want a taste of any of these authors....
sirenvoid's review against another edition
Read First book. Second book is spoilers to what happens
Spoiler
with a main side character from the Otherworld Series by the author.Spoiler
book_hoarding_dragon's review against another edition
5.0
I bought this book primarily for Ilona Andrews story of Jim and Dali. The main plot of this story is when an office of the Pack doesn't check in. Jim goes to investigate hinkiness happens and he goes to Dali for help. Everyone will remember Dali from Magic Strikes. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, (especially Dali and her Indonesian mother. "He speaks Indonesian?! Why didn't you tell me!?" HA HA HA).
The five stars are for the Andrews, The other stories I wasn't a fan of. I've read Allyson James before and am not a real fan. Whereas Yasmine Galenorn and Jeanne Stein stories are set in their series. I think I would have liked their stories more if I had read their series or if there was more background done. Mostly, I felt very confused as to the other characters or Stein's chracter Anna.
The five stars are for the Andrews, The other stories I wasn't a fan of. I've read Allyson James before and am not a real fan. Whereas Yasmine Galenorn and Jeanne Stein stories are set in their series. I think I would have liked their stories more if I had read their series or if there was more background done. Mostly, I felt very confused as to the other characters or Stein's chracter Anna.
alexiachantel's review against another edition
3.0
Magic Dreams
If we can't have a little Kate and Curran the next best thing would be a little Jim and a white tiger that goes by the name of Dali. There always was a little tension between Jim and Dali, now you can see the reason for all that tension. Kate’s friend Dali is packed with some strong power at the same time coming off as this cute little thing that would never hurt...a butterfly. This short story is just perfect to show off the strength of the white tiger and the softer side of Jim.
If we can't have a little Kate and Curran the next best thing would be a little Jim and a white tiger that goes by the name of Dali. There always was a little tension between Jim and Dali, now you can see the reason for all that tension. Kate’s friend Dali is packed with some strong power at the same time coming off as this cute little thing that would never hurt...a butterfly. This short story is just perfect to show off the strength of the white tiger and the softer side of Jim.
stitchsds's review against another edition
3.0
It's hard to rate an anthology. I purchased this book only for the Ilona Andrews short story, and the hope that I would discover some new writers to try. As usual, Ilona Andrews doesn't disappoint and I enjoyed reading a bit more about Dali and Jim.
Ice Shards by Yasmine Galenorn seemed to drag on a little too long with the details of her world and the backstory. I was unfamiliar with the characters and wasn't really able to identify with them enough to care about the story. I did finish reading the story, but it was harder than it should have been to finish.
Double Hexed by Allyson James shows the most promise with these characters. They have potential and may be interesting to read more about. I may be adding Allyson James to my "want" list to try a few more of her stories.
Blood Debt by Jeanne Stein was the worst story of the bunch. I couldn't even finish it because I hated the writing style so much. The story was written entirely in present tense instead of past tense and that made it really hard to focus on the story. I finally gave up trying to read any more of the story after I started trying to correct the writting issues as I was reading.
Ice Shards by Yasmine Galenorn seemed to drag on a little too long with the details of her world and the backstory. I was unfamiliar with the characters and wasn't really able to identify with them enough to care about the story. I did finish reading the story, but it was harder than it should have been to finish.
Double Hexed by Allyson James shows the most promise with these characters. They have potential and may be interesting to read more about. I may be adding Allyson James to my "want" list to try a few more of her stories.
Blood Debt by Jeanne Stein was the worst story of the bunch. I couldn't even finish it because I hated the writing style so much. The story was written entirely in present tense instead of past tense and that made it really hard to focus on the story. I finally gave up trying to read any more of the story after I started trying to correct the writting issues as I was reading.
booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
All four stories in HEXED are part of ongoing series and contribute to those stories to various degrees.
“Magic Dreams” takes place before the fifth Kate Daniels book and stars Dali and Jim at the start of their romantic relationship. It establishes enough of the setting to make sense to someone who hasn’t read the main series, as well as clearly indicating what’s happening elsewhere at the time. From having read the main series I have a sense of just how much information was left out, but it would have been confusing extra stuff even though it’s true about the world. I appreciate how succinctly just the important parts were told. I particularly enjoyed Dali’s insight into Kate’s troubles with technology. Highly Recommend.
“Ice Shards” is part of an ongoing series and has a lot of backstory to convey in order to set up this particular story. Unfortunately it makes it feel like a string of nested infodumps and a blur of names. Much of it is flashbacks for things which happened earlier in the main character’s life. This seems like a story which has very little action and a bunch of lore for fans of the main series, but holds little attraction for me. I also dislike the way infertility is wielded as a punishment, with restored fertility as a reward. Not recommended.
“Double Hexed” is set before the third book in the Stormwalker series, and it does a good job of giving enough background to make sense without being overwhelming. The fact that early on the characters become trapped in a building helps to keep the cast small and avoid being just a parade of names. Recommend.
“Blood Debt” is part of the Anna Strong series and takes place after book six, CHOSEN. The plot makes sense even though I haven’t read anything else in the series, and gave me enough of a sense of the main characters to let me decide whether I’d want to read the rest of the books. Recommend.
“Magic Dreams” takes place before the fifth Kate Daniels book and stars Dali and Jim at the start of their romantic relationship. It establishes enough of the setting to make sense to someone who hasn’t read the main series, as well as clearly indicating what’s happening elsewhere at the time. From having read the main series I have a sense of just how much information was left out, but it would have been confusing extra stuff even though it’s true about the world. I appreciate how succinctly just the important parts were told. I particularly enjoyed Dali’s insight into Kate’s troubles with technology. Highly Recommend.
“Ice Shards” is part of an ongoing series and has a lot of backstory to convey in order to set up this particular story. Unfortunately it makes it feel like a string of nested infodumps and a blur of names. Much of it is flashbacks for things which happened earlier in the main character’s life. This seems like a story which has very little action and a bunch of lore for fans of the main series, but holds little attraction for me. I also dislike the way infertility is wielded as a punishment, with restored fertility as a reward. Not recommended.
“Double Hexed” is set before the third book in the Stormwalker series, and it does a good job of giving enough background to make sense without being overwhelming. The fact that early on the characters become trapped in a building helps to keep the cast small and avoid being just a parade of names. Recommend.
“Blood Debt” is part of the Anna Strong series and takes place after book six, CHOSEN. The plot makes sense even though I haven’t read anything else in the series, and gave me enough of a sense of the main characters to let me decide whether I’d want to read the rest of the books. Recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Kidnapping, Body horror, Violence, Confinement, Torture, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Cannibalism, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Infertility, Cursing, Excrement, and Gore
Minor: Vomit, War, Ableism, Genocide, Injury/injury detail, Pregnancy, Murder, Self harm, Rape, Racism, and Alcohol