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veganheathen's review
3.0
It's hard to review this book fairly because some of the stories were good and some were really not great. I've reviewed them individually:
High Moon Review
“Fox Hunt” by Aimee Easterling - I enjoyed this one, but the whole magic sword thing seemed a bit odd. Everything was set in modern times except for that and it pulled me out of the story a bit. Maybe reading more about these characters would give more information about this and make it not so odd to me. Part of the plot of this and the subsequent series is the wolves not knowing the main characters are foxes. Somehow their noses are sensitive enough to smell minute bits of fur left on things, but can’t differentiate species?
"Wereabouts Unknown" by Jenn Stark - I didn’t really care for this one. There was so much going on that it was hard to figure out what it was all about. I have a feeling that if you were a regular reader of this series, this novella would fit right in, but as someone who hasn’t read anything else by this author, it didn’t work for me. I also found Nikki to be quite a bit condescending and annoying.
"Elemental Witch" by B R Kingsolver - The story itself was just okay, the writing was not great. I feel like this is an older male writer trying to write for and about young women and not doing a great job of it. So much of the prose is stiff, awkward or just overly wordy. The dialog did not feel natural.
"Dragon Tears" by Marina Finlayson - I really liked this one. It’s the shortest so far, but it had interesting characters and some different takes on supernaturals, which was cool. I will definitely read more by this author.
"Lunaticking" by Dale Ivan Smith - ugh. This one was problematic. It started off kind of interesting, but was repetitive and very slow. Then, there’s the fact of the author using other cultures as a prop, and badly. At one point, two characters of Chinese descent are discussing their Chinese grandparents and the white lead interrupts them and says “Sorry to interrupt up your cultural moment”. Yikes.
"Prowl" by N. R. Hairston - a skunk person? No thanks.
"Full Moon's Curse" by Jenn Windrow - The main character was the least interesting thing about this story. She was so whiny and snivelling; always feeling sorry for herself.
"A Myth in Moonlight" by Becca Andre - This one was interesting. I liked the characters and found the moonlight magic unique, especially when combined with werewolves. I feel like this is likely a prequel or side story in a series that could be fun to read. The old magic/new magic thing didn’t really make a lot of sense, but maybe that just wasn’t explained well in a short story?
High Moon Review
“Fox Hunt” by Aimee Easterling - I enjoyed this one, but the whole magic sword thing seemed a bit odd. Everything was set in modern times except for that and it pulled me out of the story a bit. Maybe reading more about these characters would give more information about this and make it not so odd to me. Part of the plot of this and the subsequent series is the wolves not knowing the main characters are foxes. Somehow their noses are sensitive enough to smell minute bits of fur left on things, but can’t differentiate species?
"Wereabouts Unknown" by Jenn Stark - I didn’t really care for this one. There was so much going on that it was hard to figure out what it was all about. I have a feeling that if you were a regular reader of this series, this novella would fit right in, but as someone who hasn’t read anything else by this author, it didn’t work for me. I also found Nikki to be quite a bit condescending and annoying.
"Elemental Witch" by B R Kingsolver - The story itself was just okay, the writing was not great. I feel like this is an older male writer trying to write for and about young women and not doing a great job of it. So much of the prose is stiff, awkward or just overly wordy. The dialog did not feel natural.
"Dragon Tears" by Marina Finlayson - I really liked this one. It’s the shortest so far, but it had interesting characters and some different takes on supernaturals, which was cool. I will definitely read more by this author.
"Lunaticking" by Dale Ivan Smith - ugh. This one was problematic. It started off kind of interesting, but was repetitive and very slow. Then, there’s the fact of the author using other cultures as a prop, and badly. At one point, two characters of Chinese descent are discussing their Chinese grandparents and the white lead interrupts them and says “Sorry to interrupt up your cultural moment”. Yikes.
"Prowl" by N. R. Hairston - a skunk person? No thanks.
"Full Moon's Curse" by Jenn Windrow - The main character was the least interesting thing about this story. She was so whiny and snivelling; always feeling sorry for herself.
"A Myth in Moonlight" by Becca Andre - This one was interesting. I liked the characters and found the moonlight magic unique, especially when combined with werewolves. I feel like this is likely a prequel or side story in a series that could be fun to read. The old magic/new magic thing didn’t really make a lot of sense, but maybe that just wasn’t explained well in a short story?
laurenexploresbooks's review
4.0
This anthology of stories had a cast of supernatural creatures (werewolves, vampires, witches, and more) and had themes including crime solving, romance, and found family. This anthology included a novella from several authors with information on where to find more of their books if interested. This is an engaging read if you enjoy supernatural stories set in urban settings.
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