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pinklilly122's review against another edition
4.0
I received a copy of this book from Tachyon publishing via Netgally in exchange for my honest review.
This is nice collection of shorts from Kelley Armstrong. A few of them I've already read, but most of them were new. I really enjoyed the Cainsville stories since it's my favorite series from her at the moment.
This is nice collection of shorts from Kelley Armstrong. A few of them I've already read, but most of them were new. I really enjoyed the Cainsville stories since it's my favorite series from her at the moment.
michalice's review against another edition
2.0
When I first saw Led Astray on NetGalley I was eager to pick this up and make a start on it. I had no idea what short stories would be contained within the pages as it wasn't specified, and I looked forward to catching up with some old friends and making new ones. However when I began reading it was clear that my old friends were few and far between, with only the occasional mention in passing of them.
In all honesty, if the short story didn't grab my attention immediately, then I found myself skipping it. However, there were a few that I did enjoy.
Led Astray has a mixture of stories from worlds we know, and some new stories for this book itself. There was a big selection to choose from in regards to genre, but it was very hit and miss for me.
Final Verdict
Overall I was left slightly disappointed with Led Astray as a whole, with only a few hidden gems within the pages.
In all honesty, if the short story didn't grab my attention immediately, then I found myself skipping it. However, there were a few that I did enjoy.
- Kat (Darkest Powers universe, non-series narrator) was one I did enjoy, and I think this was because it was from a world I enjoyed reading about. It also had a secret that was kept hidden till the story was nearly over, and while it was obvious I did not get it.
- A Haunted House of Her Own (standalone) was interesting and creepy, and also had it's own twist which I really enjoyed at the end.
- Learning Curve (Otherworld universe, Zoe) was another one I liked. This was another story from a world I really enjoyed and I was looking forward to seeing an old friend, which I only got to 'see' as a mention and not as a role in the story.
Led Astray has a mixture of stories from worlds we know, and some new stories for this book itself. There was a big selection to choose from in regards to genre, but it was very hit and miss for me.
Final Verdict
Overall I was left slightly disappointed with Led Astray as a whole, with only a few hidden gems within the pages.
patchworkbunny's review against another edition
4.0
Led Astray is an anthology of work from Kelley Armstrong, most previously published in various places. The stories dip from the past through to the future, including some post-apocalyptic scenarios, one of which is set in a future affected by the goings on in the Darkest Powers world. I would definitely be interested in reading more of that future if Kelley decided to write a novel there…
I appreciated how substantial some of the stories were. Ones you could really get involved and absorbed in. It’s one of the best example of this kind of anthology I’ve read in a long time. It’s definitely not the dregs! There’s also plenty that are standalone tales, including an excellent one where a village struck by diphtheria is visited by some men promising them the impossible. It’s a skill to write characters that draw you in in such a short space of time.
You’ll get the most out of the in-world stories if you’ve read the series, but they are mostly quite contained and still can be enjoyed without prior knowledge. Where they are set in an existing world, it’s handily listed underneath the title, so no having to guess what world you’re in. Obviously, some of them might have a few character spoilers, and the Cainsville ones definitely shouldn’t be read before the first book if you want to keep the intrigue.
The Cainsville stories got me in the mood for the novel out next week. They are all set in the past and reveal a little bit more about the Walshes. I’m not sure if I missed the significance of something in Visions but Devil May Care definitely shed more light on something for me. The blurb states it includes two new Cainsville stories, I can only assume the others have been published elsewhere as there’s definitely more than two.
Review copy provided by publisher.
I appreciated how substantial some of the stories were. Ones you could really get involved and absorbed in. It’s one of the best example of this kind of anthology I’ve read in a long time. It’s definitely not the dregs! There’s also plenty that are standalone tales, including an excellent one where a village struck by diphtheria is visited by some men promising them the impossible. It’s a skill to write characters that draw you in in such a short space of time.
You’ll get the most out of the in-world stories if you’ve read the series, but they are mostly quite contained and still can be enjoyed without prior knowledge. Where they are set in an existing world, it’s handily listed underneath the title, so no having to guess what world you’re in. Obviously, some of them might have a few character spoilers, and the Cainsville ones definitely shouldn’t be read before the first book if you want to keep the intrigue.
The Cainsville stories got me in the mood for the novel out next week. They are all set in the past and reveal a little bit more about the Walshes. I’m not sure if I missed the significance of something in Visions but Devil May Care definitely shed more light on something for me. The blurb states it includes two new Cainsville stories, I can only assume the others have been published elsewhere as there’s definitely more than two.
Review copy provided by publisher.
papidoc's review against another edition
Pretty good collection of short stories, some related to her Otherworld and Gainesville series' and others that are stand alone stories. On the whole, I preferred those that had characters I remembered and enjoyed from her series', but the others were (mostly) entertaining as well.
vikingwolf's review against another edition
4.0
With so many short stories in this volume, it will be a short comment on each one! SA means standalone, WOTO is an Otherworld story. I missed out the Darkest Powers, Cainsville and Age of Legends stories as I don't read these series. Overall the standard was very good.
1)Rakshasi(SA)
A demon warrior doing penance plots to get free of her master. OK story but nothing special.
2)A Haunted House of Her Own(SA)
Tanya loves the idea of owning a haunted b&b but the reality is somewhat different. Good story with interesting twists.
3)Learning Curve(WOTO)
Zoe is getting tired of her stalker being so predictable and decides to play a game. Nice story with interesting twist and I liked seeing Zoe again.
4)Last Stand(SA)
Monica leads the final resistors against The Others, after a flu virus turns people into monsters. I really enjoyed this story especially the surprising and excellent twist!
5)Bamboozled(WOTO)
This is a western setting and it was intersting to see the way Lily uses her acting skills to beat her enemies. Decent story.
6)The List(WOTO)
Zoe is annoyed that Dr Adair lectures about the vampires in Toronto but fails to put her on the list. She decides that she and her former stalker are going to pay him a visit. I really like Zoe and she is fun to read about. Wish we had seen more of her in the series.
7)Young Bloods(WOTO)
Roger is not amused to see two young vampires attacking commuters but when they pick on him, they soon regret it. Nice, fun story.
8)The Door(SA)
A young girl lives an unusual life behind a closed door which only her parents can go through. Disturbing apocalypse tale with a twist.
9)Dead Flowers by a roadside(SA)
A man grieves for the family he has lost. Nothing special.
10)The Collector(SA)
A woman is enticed to an office after solving a puzzle game. Hellraiser plotline which I thought was interesting. Decent story.
11)Harbinger(SA)
Jenna is being followed by the ghosts of dead girls but she struggles to understand what they are saying. The story was fine if a bit predictable but now sure HOW she was meant to solve it!
12)VPlates(WOTO)
The reason I wanted this book! Nick reluctantly takes Reese and Noah to a supernatural brothel and the three of them get into trouble. This was very funny and just typical of Nick! The poor guy could find trouble in an empty room! Best story of the anthology!
13)Life Sentence(WOTO)
Daniel is dying and wants to become the perfect version of a zombie, not caring how many people his experiments kill. Really enjoyed this dark zombie story!
14)Plan B(SA)
A cheating husband plans to murder his wife to be with his mistress but the wife has her own ideas. This was a clever story with well written twists throughout and I enjoyed it.
15)Dead to Me(SA)
A woman is tired of her zombie ex husband's demands. Nothing too interesting in this one.
1)Rakshasi(SA)
A demon warrior doing penance plots to get free of her master. OK story but nothing special.
2)A Haunted House of Her Own(SA)
Tanya loves the idea of owning a haunted b&b but the reality is somewhat different. Good story with interesting twists.
3)Learning Curve(WOTO)
Zoe is getting tired of her stalker being so predictable and decides to play a game. Nice story with interesting twist and I liked seeing Zoe again.
4)Last Stand(SA)
Monica leads the final resistors against The Others, after a flu virus turns people into monsters. I really enjoyed this story especially the surprising and excellent twist!
5)Bamboozled(WOTO)
This is a western setting and it was intersting to see the way Lily uses her acting skills to beat her enemies. Decent story.
6)The List(WOTO)
Zoe is annoyed that Dr Adair lectures about the vampires in Toronto but fails to put her on the list. She decides that she and her former stalker are going to pay him a visit. I really like Zoe and she is fun to read about. Wish we had seen more of her in the series.
7)Young Bloods(WOTO)
Roger is not amused to see two young vampires attacking commuters but when they pick on him, they soon regret it. Nice, fun story.
8)The Door(SA)
A young girl lives an unusual life behind a closed door which only her parents can go through. Disturbing apocalypse tale with a twist.
9)Dead Flowers by a roadside(SA)
A man grieves for the family he has lost. Nothing special.
10)The Collector(SA)
A woman is enticed to an office after solving a puzzle game. Hellraiser plotline which I thought was interesting. Decent story.
11)Harbinger(SA)
Jenna is being followed by the ghosts of dead girls but she struggles to understand what they are saying. The story was fine if a bit predictable but now sure HOW she was meant to solve it!
12)VPlates(WOTO)
The reason I wanted this book! Nick reluctantly takes Reese and Noah to a supernatural brothel and the three of them get into trouble. This was very funny and just typical of Nick! The poor guy could find trouble in an empty room! Best story of the anthology!
13)Life Sentence(WOTO)
Daniel is dying and wants to become the perfect version of a zombie, not caring how many people his experiments kill. Really enjoyed this dark zombie story!
14)Plan B(SA)
A cheating husband plans to murder his wife to be with his mistress but the wife has her own ideas. This was a clever story with well written twists throughout and I enjoyed it.
15)Dead to Me(SA)
A woman is tired of her zombie ex husband's demands. Nothing too interesting in this one.
ofearna's review against another edition
4.0
I like to read shorts on the e-reader NOOK it is
♦Rakshasi read 8/10/2015
♦Kat RE-read 8/10/2015
♦A Haunted House of Her Own reread 8/4/2015
♦Learning Curve read 8/10/2015
♦The Screams of Dragons read 8/11/2015
♦The Kitsune's Nine Tale read 8/11/2015
♦Last Stand read 8/11/2015
♦Bamboozled read 8/12/2015
Branded
♦The List read 8/12/2015
♦Young Bloods read 8/12/2015
♦The Door read 8/13/2015
♦Dead Flowers by a Roadside read 8/13/2015
♦Suffer the Children read 8/13/2015
♦The Collector read 8/14/2015
Gabriel's Gargoyles
♦Harbinger read 8/14/2015
♦V Plates read 8/14/2015
♦Life Sentence Re-read 8/15/2015
♦Plan B reread 8/3/2015
♦The Hunt read 8/15/2015
♦Dead to Me reread 8/4/2015
♦Devil May Care read 8/15/2015
♦Rakshasi read 8/10/2015
♦Kat RE-read 8/10/2015
♦A Haunted House of Her Own reread 8/4/2015
♦Learning Curve read 8/10/2015
♦The Screams of Dragons read 8/11/2015
♦The Kitsune's Nine Tale read 8/11/2015
♦Last Stand read 8/11/2015
♦Bamboozled read 8/12/2015
Branded
♦The List read 8/12/2015
♦Young Bloods read 8/12/2015
♦The Door read 8/13/2015
♦Dead Flowers by a Roadside read 8/13/2015
♦Suffer the Children read 8/13/2015
♦The Collector read 8/14/2015
Gabriel's Gargoyles
♦Harbinger read 8/14/2015
♦V Plates read 8/14/2015
♦Life Sentence Re-read 8/15/2015
♦Plan B reread 8/3/2015
♦The Hunt read 8/15/2015
♦Dead to Me reread 8/4/2015
♦Devil May Care read 8/15/2015
scarboro's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
4.0
canadianbookaddict's review against another edition
5.0
Kelley Armstrong is one of my favourite authors and I couldn't wait to read this book.
I very much enjoyed it. I wasn't planning on reading all the short stories in one day but I just couldn't put it down.
I very much enjoyed it. I wasn't planning on reading all the short stories in one day but I just couldn't put it down.
hannas_heas47's review against another edition
4.0
Thanks Netgalley for a copy to read and review.
An anthology of all the things that go bump in the night. While I am not a big fan because I love novel length stories a few of these were quite good. So if your a big fan of this author then you may want to own this bunch of short stories. Overall entertainment was four stars.
An anthology of all the things that go bump in the night. While I am not a big fan because I love novel length stories a few of these were quite good. So if your a big fan of this author then you may want to own this bunch of short stories. Overall entertainment was four stars.