A review by clebos
Love Is Hell by Scott Westerfeld, Melissa Marr, Justine Larbalestier
5.0
I picked this book up not quite knowing what to expect. It was remarkably thin for a collection of short stories, and I wasn't quite sure if each author would have enough time to completely develop their stories.
As has been mentioned in past reviews, it is extremely difficult to rate an anthology, but all said, I really liked this book. Before obtaining this collection, I'd already read works by several of the authors, both short stories and full length novels, and was pleasantly surprised to find a book with so many of them included!
Personally, I enjoyed "Thinner than Water" by Justine Larbalestier and "Fan Fictions" by Gabrielle Zevin the best. They made my heart ache for the main characters, who were relatable and real. "Thinner than Water" left me almost in tears at various points, and while I admit that I'm not exactly the toughest cookie, anyone who isn't at least somewhat saddened must have a heart of stone. "Fan Fictions" was so unbelievably easy to relate to. When I began reading, the first thing that came to mind was how often I had felt like the protagonist, Paige. And of course, when the ending came about, I was thoroughly shocked, and somewhat worried that perhaps I too would end up like her!
"Stupid Perfect World" was also very good, and I found the story line to be very unique. The setting and the development of the characters were nicely done, and I enjoyed the fact that the chapters alternated between each of the 2 main characters. This was another story with characters to which I could relate...
"Sleeping with the Spirit" and "Love Struck" were the 2 stories that I was least satisfied with. "Sleeping with the Spirit" seemed too ... shallow. I did not feel any relationship with the characters. The story was superficial and left me almost bored by the end. I had been hoping for a little bit more from the story, and I was bitterly disappointed.
"Love Struck" was the story I'd originally gotten the book for, because it was written by Melissa Marr, Author of the Wicked Lovely "series". Unfortunately, I didn't find anything particularly noteworthy about the story. It was bland, and uninteresting, and seemed like it required further development. There didn't seem like there was much of a plot, and when I reached the end, I was not at all satisfied.
All in all, the good outweighed the bad, but there were definitely some disappointing performances by well-know, and well-loved authors.
As has been mentioned in past reviews, it is extremely difficult to rate an anthology, but all said, I really liked this book. Before obtaining this collection, I'd already read works by several of the authors, both short stories and full length novels, and was pleasantly surprised to find a book with so many of them included!
Personally, I enjoyed "Thinner than Water" by Justine Larbalestier and "Fan Fictions" by Gabrielle Zevin the best. They made my heart ache for the main characters, who were relatable and real. "Thinner than Water" left me almost in tears at various points, and while I admit that I'm not exactly the toughest cookie, anyone who isn't at least somewhat saddened must have a heart of stone. "Fan Fictions" was so unbelievably easy to relate to. When I began reading, the first thing that came to mind was how often I had felt like the protagonist, Paige. And of course, when the ending came about, I was thoroughly shocked, and somewhat worried that perhaps I too would end up like her!
"Stupid Perfect World" was also very good, and I found the story line to be very unique. The setting and the development of the characters were nicely done, and I enjoyed the fact that the chapters alternated between each of the 2 main characters. This was another story with characters to which I could relate...
"Sleeping with the Spirit" and "Love Struck" were the 2 stories that I was least satisfied with. "Sleeping with the Spirit" seemed too ... shallow. I did not feel any relationship with the characters. The story was superficial and left me almost bored by the end. I had been hoping for a little bit more from the story, and I was bitterly disappointed.
"Love Struck" was the story I'd originally gotten the book for, because it was written by Melissa Marr, Author of the Wicked Lovely "series". Unfortunately, I didn't find anything particularly noteworthy about the story. It was bland, and uninteresting, and seemed like it required further development. There didn't seem like there was much of a plot, and when I reached the end, I was not at all satisfied.
All in all, the good outweighed the bad, but there were definitely some disappointing performances by well-know, and well-loved authors.