Many Bloody Returns
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Book Reviews of Many Bloody Returns
Book Review: Some good some bad...
Summary: 3 Stars
I bought this book bc of the Sookie Stackhouse story written by Charlaine Harris. I actually thought that all of the stories were going to be about Sookie but by different authors. I was wrong for sure. I give this book 3 stars bc I liked about half the stories. Plus it introduced me to Rachel Caine. I can not wait to read her books.
Dracula Night by Charlaine Harris is one of the best in the books. Even if i had not already feel in love with the Sookie books I would love this one. Charliane is a great writer. Plus I love Eric and I thought this story showed a different side of him.
The Mournful Cry of Owls by Christopher Golden was not good at all, I only read the 1st few pages and it was just to boring to keep reading.
I Was a Teenage Vampire was okay, I didnt love it or hate it. It was a bit rushed.
Twilight by Kelley Armstrong was pretty good, I liked the message and over all it kept the pages turning.
It's My Birthday Too by Jim Butcher was boring as hell and bad. It actually started out pretty good at the beginning but then it was a let down.
Grave-Robbed by P N Elrod I liked it while I was reading it but I find it is the hardest of all the stories to remember.
The First day of the Rest of your Life by Rachel Caine I loved this story. I am about to start her novels called The Morganville Vampires. This short stories seems like it is a prelude to that series. I just ordered them so I hope they get here soon. If you like this short story make sure you check out those books.
The Witch and the Wicked by Jeanne C Stein was pretty good, I dont love it or hate it though.
Blood Wrapped by Tanya Huff was pretty bad. Boring.
The Wish by Carolyn Haines was so short but I couldnt get past page 2. It was not interesting at all.
Fire and Ice and Linguini for Two by Tate Hallaway was also great. I hear it is part of a series as well, so I am going to check them out as well. Isn't it funny that the ones I find the best are part of book series. I think that says they are the best in general bc they were worth making series out of.
Vampire Hours by Elaine Veits was really good but not great. It was sad, but it had a great ending.
How Stella Got her Grave Back was pretty good but not great too. Very much worth reading though.
So 6 stories out of 13. I have to say I am not really a fan of short stories, you do not have enough time to get involved with the characters. I am very pleased I read this collection though it introduced me to new authors.
Book Review: Read only 2 stories
Summary: 3 Stars
13 stories in this anthology have a theme in common - vampire birthdays. I didn't really read the entire book, simply because after a few trials and errors I realized that I rarely like anthologies and only enjoy the stories written by the authors I know. Therefore out of 13 short stories published in this book I read only 2.
"Dracula Night" by Charlaine Harris - a Sookie story about Eric's party in honor of Dracula's birthday. In one word, disappointing. While I enjoyed some insight in vampire traditions, etc., overall it was a rather superficial and silly story with very little character development or plot. Eric acted completely out of character and Sookie was her usual self - all hair, nails and dresses. Not a real treat for Sookie fans.
"Twilight" by Kelley Armstrong - an Otherworld story about a minor character first introduced in "Stolen" - vampire Cassandra. Cassandra is approaching another anniversary of her rebirth and to continue her existence, she must kill. Only Cassandra doesn't want to kill and possibly doesn't want to live. A great story. Although only about 30 pages long, it provides rich background, great mythology, nice plot, and even some romance. I really wish Armstrong would write an entire novel from Cassandra's POV. I am curious to see her interpretation of vampire lore.
2 stars for the first story and 5 for the second - this is approximately 3 stars on average.
Book Review: Loved it!
Summary: 5 Stars
I'll admit it....I bought this book for the Sookie Stackhouse story. I'm a big Charlaine Harris fan and having read all of her books, I wanted to read her short stories (especially the ones relating to the Sookie series of books). The Sookie story was the first short story in the book...I enjoyed it! But I loved the book!! I honestly didn't think that I would even finish the rest of the book, didn't plan on it even. But the Sookie story was so short, I kept reading. I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy every short story in the book. Most of them I LOVED and had me wishing the story could have continued or that I could have just known more about a character that so quickly I was caring about. At the end of each story, I would re-read the intro about the author and found that the story was very like the Sookie Stackhouse story because it included characters from that author's book series. Or the short story was written by talented authors from "this genre". So for me, this book was a little gem that has led me to new authors and books that I would have never read if I hadn't picked up "Many Bloody Returns".Book Review: Bloody Birthdays
Summary: 5 Stars
This collection of short stories, edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner, contains tales all headlined by the undead as they celebrated their birthday's in a variety of ways. The stories range from humorous to the more traditional (for vampire tales) frightening. They are all well written, and readers of Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series will enjoy her contribution to the book, wherein Sookie receives an invitation to a birthday party for Dracula with interesting results.
Other tales include an installation in the Harry Dresden series by Jim Butcher, a very enjoyable teenage tale by Rachael Caine, a different take on aging by Elaine Vats, and Kelner's contribution is a short mystery that takes a vampire back to her hometown.
Fans of any of these writers will enjoy this book; the combination of the undead and birthdays makes for good reading. Give this book as a birthday gift to the vampire fan in your life.
Book Review: Many Blood Returns Worth the Read
Summary: 4 Stars
Many Bloody Returns is a unique collection of 13 stories by as many authors, all of whom wrote original tales combining the concepts of vampires and birthdays. Edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner, the collection, for the most part, is an entertaining and thought-provoking anthology.
Although I am not a paranormal or vampire fan, I was given this anthology and thought I would check it out. Although I didn't really care for the first story, by the time I read the coming-of-age The Mournful Cry of Owls by Christopher Golden, I was eager to continue.
I ended up skipping a few pages on a couple of stories, but actually laughed or cried over several others. Whether you are a paranormal fan or not, check out this eclectic collection for an engaging read.
Many Bloody Returns