The Book Addict Reviews: Prom Nights From Hell

Authors: Megan Cabot, Kim Harrison, Michelle Jaffe, Stephenie Meyer, & Lauren Myracle
Genre: Young Adult, Anthology, Short Stories, Paranormal
Order Online: Amazon.com
Author Info: Meg Cabot | Kim Harrison | Michelle Jaffe | Stephenie Meyer | Lauren Myracle
Rating of anthology: 3 stars
Bought this book.

In A Nutshell (review of anthology):

I am glad that I read this anthology.  I was exposed to four authors that I had not read before and because of that I will actively be looking for their novels.  However, I realized that short story writing is not for everyone.  In some stories, I was disappointed and frustrated because the story felt incomplete.  There were too many loose ends that were left hanging at the end.

Review (each story individually):

The Exterminator’s Daughter by Meg Cabot (Rating 2/4)

Meg Cabot packed a lot of action into fifty pages; however the story felt incomplete at the end.   The story that Meg Cabot told needed more than prom night.  At the end of the story, I still wanted to know what happened to Adam and Mary.  Did they become an exterminating team?  How did Sebastian’s father react?   I actually left with nothing but questions, however I will not ask here because I do not want to spoil the story.   

This was my first exposure to Meg Cabot’s writing, and her writing really drew me in.  I am interested in reading some of Meg Cabot’s longer works because I feel like she has an attention to detail and complexity that would make a book interesting, but I would not recommend her short stories.

The Corsage by Lauren Myracle (Rating 4/4)

Lauren Myracle’s story was inspired by “The Monkey’s Paw” by  W.W. Jacobs.  Lauren Myracle did a wonderful job of modernizing the story as a prom night story where the Frankie is so focused on getting her crush to ask her to prom that she disregards numerous warnings.  Lauren Myracle also did a wonderful job of working within the short story genre and writing a complete story.  I would have said I loved the story, but I am still sad from the ending of the story.  Regardless, after reading this story, I am interested in finding other works written by Lauren Myracle. 

Madison Avery and the Dim Reaper by Kim Harrison (Rating 2/4)

Kim Harrison had a lot happen in fifty pages but at the end I had more questions than answers.  I still did not understand what the black reapers were versus the white reapers or why Barnabas and Lucy were fighting about whose fault it was or what their mission had been or why Madison was special for Seth.  I would not rush out to read more by Kim Harrison because at the end I just felt confused.  I did not find the characters likeable and I really did not want to know what happened afterwards. 

Kiss and Tell by Michelle Jaffe (Rating 3/4)

Michelle Jaffe had more pages to tell her story, and it showed.  She was able to tell a fairly complete story with more complications and plot twists then the stories before it in the book.  However, she never explained why Miranda was different, which may not have been a problem if one of the characters had not referred to Miranda as Princess.  Once that was brought up, it needed to be explained in order for the story to feel complete.  Regardless, Michelle Jaffe’s writing did draw me in and I would be interested to read some of her longer works. 

Hell on Earth by Stephenie Meyer (Rating 4/4)

Stephenie Meyer was the only author in this anthology that I had already read before reading Prom Nights From Hell.  As I said in an earlier post I am not a fan of some of Stephenie Meyer's other book, so I was pleasantly surprised when I read this short story.  I thought she did an excellent job.  The characters were engaging.  The story was fun to read, and I would be interested in reading more of her short stories.

Recommendations:
There are some more anthologies in this same style that I would like to read. 

Here are some books by the authors, that I would be interested in reading.

I have read this book and I plan to review it soon, but overall I enjoyed it.