A review by pagesandprozac
Into the Mystic, Volume Three by M. Hollis, Artemis Savory, L.J. Hamlin, Lis Valentine, Michelle Frost, Bru Baker, K. Parr, Ava Kelly, Ziggy Schutz
3.0
overall rating: 3 stars
this was a reasonably enjoyable anthology, but there were only a couple of stories that i really liked. most of them had mediocre writing and little in the way of plot/characters/worldbuilding, even for a short story.
it started before noon - 4 stars.
whimsical, charming, and inventive! a wonderful opening story.
heart's thaw - 4 stars.
this one was a historical regency-esque about a girl who snubs an incubus, who puts a... very interesting curse on her. very steamy and very fun.
fire and brine - 2 stars.
this one didn't really captivate me. not really a story, just sex, and whereas i like sex, it wasn't particularly well-written either.
dance with me - 3 stars
this was presented as a mystery, which didn't work because it was pretty obvious what madeline's Big Secret was.
my cup of o pos - 3 stars
love love LOVED the idea of a disabled vampire, and the characters were super cute, but the writing was incredibly mediocre, i'm afraid.
home - 3 stars
again, cute - i'm a sucker for the found family trope - but pedestrian and insubstantial.
swoon - 4 stars
this is very different to the other stories. it has a historical flavour, which isn't terribly evident because it mostly takes place on a ship, but the worldbuilding was good enough for a short story. unusual and enjoyable, with a little bit of grit, although the ending was questionable.
the hunt - 3 stars
yet again, cute and fun but just a little bit boring.
by candlelight - 4.5 stars
this was my favourite in the whole anthology. gothic, angsty, with a happy ending - wonderful. not five stars because there seemed to be something missing, but i still liked it a lot.
this was a reasonably enjoyable anthology, but there were only a couple of stories that i really liked. most of them had mediocre writing and little in the way of plot/characters/worldbuilding, even for a short story.
it started before noon - 4 stars.
whimsical, charming, and inventive! a wonderful opening story.
heart's thaw - 4 stars.
this one was a historical regency-esque about a girl who snubs an incubus, who puts a... very interesting curse on her. very steamy and very fun.
fire and brine - 2 stars.
this one didn't really captivate me. not really a story, just sex, and whereas i like sex, it wasn't particularly well-written either.
dance with me - 3 stars
this was presented as a mystery, which didn't work because it was pretty obvious what madeline's Big Secret was.
my cup of o pos - 3 stars
love love LOVED the idea of a disabled vampire, and the characters were super cute, but the writing was incredibly mediocre, i'm afraid.
home - 3 stars
again, cute - i'm a sucker for the found family trope - but pedestrian and insubstantial.
swoon - 4 stars
this is very different to the other stories. it has a historical flavour, which isn't terribly evident because it mostly takes place on a ship, but the worldbuilding was good enough for a short story. unusual and enjoyable, with a little bit of grit, although the ending was questionable.
the hunt - 3 stars
yet again, cute and fun but just a little bit boring.
by candlelight - 4.5 stars
this was my favourite in the whole anthology. gothic, angsty, with a happy ending - wonderful. not five stars because there seemed to be something missing, but i still liked it a lot.