Amor Maldito

Short Stories from Hell

by Melissa Marr, Justine Larbalestier, Laurie Faria Stolarz

Neste volume de contos, cinco autores extraordinários trazem-nos histórias de amor com final feliz… ou talvez não.
Desde dois estudantes que vivem num mundo mais do que perfeito e cuja atracção os leva a quebrar todas as regras, a uma rapariga que se apaixona perdidamente por um fantasma com algumas contas a ajustar, passando por uma jovem bruxa que descobre da pior maneira que o amor verdadeiro não se pode conquistar através de feitiços, este livro está repleto de personagens brilhantes e excitantes que nos deixarão primeiro de coração partido, mas que no fim nos farão acreditar mais do que nunca no poder do amor.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Short Stories, Anthologies, Paranormal, Fiction

237 pages, Paperback

First published November 25, 2008

About the author

Melissa Marr writes fiction for adults, teens, and children. Her books have been translated into 28 languages and been bestsellers in the US (NY Times, LA Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal) as well as overseas. Wicked Lovely, her debut novel, was an instant New York Times bestseller and evolved into an internationally bestselling multi-book series with a myriad of accolades.

In 2024 she released a queer fantasy (Remedial Magic via Bramble), a picturebook about a wee one and his two moms (Family is Family via Penguin), and a DC Comics graphic novel about teen Harley & Ivy (The Strange Adventures of Harleen & Harley).

An Illumicrate edition of 6 Wicked Lovely books will release in 2025.

If she's not writing, you can find her in a kayak or on a trail with her wife.

Reviews

[new_user · Rating 4 out of 5]

All right, this anthology should be easy to sum up. First off, the quaint title is completely misleading. Three out of these five stories were disturbing or sad and certainly not happily-ever-after. Scott Westerfeld and Melissa Marr's stories are among the lighter of the bunch, and I get the feeling that lot of readers were more dismayed about the sad tone to the stories in this anthology than anything else. To rate each one...

Sleeping with the Spirit by Laurie Faria Stolarz: Ghost love. The writing style is reminiscent of Carrie Jones, author of Need, another supernatural YA. Like that book, Sleeping with the Spirit is written in first person, present tense and the characters are shallowly developed, but the plot moves quickly and the same themes are present, albeit even stronger here. In fact, I found the themes of grief and loss here very moving, but I would guess that would affect older readers more, or perhaps readers who have experienced a loss themselves. Too mushy?

Stupid Perfect World by Scott Westerfeld: Futuristic. A nice pick-me-up after the last story, these characters were not developed in the least, but I'll admit, it was pretty funny and imaginative. ;) Reading this, I can see Westerfeld's appeal to a YA audience.

Thinner Than Water by Justine Larbalestier: Girl with dreams bigger than her small town and a strange boy. Another moving story made the more so by the very disturbing, too-realistic themes of mob violence, ignorance, and insular societies. This reminded me of one of my favorite authors, Juliet Marillier, whose fey creatures can also be very cruel and inexorable. The first two thirds of this story read like a horror story about an actual girl in an actual isolated, xenophobic town. Even the romance was darkened by questions of self denial and destruction. Thought-provoking. The ending, while a little abrupt, indicated a strong, realistic heroine, and I couldn't shake off the feeling this wasn't fiction about fey, it was commentary. Well-written.

Fan Fictions by Gabrielle Zevin: I kept waiting for something to give this story purpose, but nothing showed. The ambiguous, very unresolved ending left me thinking that I could have skipped these pages, but horror or psychological thriller fans will probably appreciate this. It reminded me a lot of the Katie Holmes flick, Abandon.

Love Struck by Melissa Marr (yes, that Melissa Marr): Selkie meets mate, accidentally traps mate. Madness ensues. If any of these is typical, it's probably this short, but anyone with a soft spot for paranormal romance will probably enjoy this one. It's flawed, but I will give major points for the intelligent heroine (although that same intelligence makes her later Misunderstanding less plausible, LOL). I liked it overall. I really can't resist those dreamy selkies who will give up so much for their "mates," though the character of Veikko was great in that he is not the typical stuff of PNR fantasy. There are apparently loser selkies too. LOL! A nice down-to-earth warning, as most of Alanna's actions are to young readers. I give you props, Marr. I think parents would approve. :)

So there's probably something to appeal to everyone in this collection, although if you have strong feelings about your happily-ever-afters and fluffy reads, you may want to forgo this one.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up pretty much entirely for the fact that it includes a story by Scott Westerfeld. I've also read Justine Larbalestier's How to Ditch Your Fairy, so she was a draw too. I'm not sure what I was expecting, since I'm not much of a fan of short stories and I didn't know any of the other three authors, but I was pleasantly surprised!

A brief rundown by story, without any spoilers if I can help it:

"Sleeping with the Spirit" by Laurie Faria Stolarz - Not quite your typical ghost story. I liked it a lot, and I liked Stolarz's writing style.

"Stupid Perfect World" by Scott Westerfeld - I loved this for all the reasons I love the rest of Scott's work: interesting characters, an intriguing premise, and smooth execution.

"Thinner Than Water" by Justine Larbalestier - Tooooootally not what I was expecting. It was sad, but I still enjoyed it. A very unique story.

"Fan Fictions" by Gabrielle Zevin - OH MY GOD. Some people would find this collection worth the price of admission for just this story alone. It's basically a lampoon of Twilight fandom, although of course they can't SAY it's about Twilight. This story CREEPED ME OUT and left me hanging with my mouth open at how completely plausible it was, given what I've seen of the crazier breed of Twilight fangirl.

"Love Struck" by Melissa Marr - Another interesting premise, and one I wasn't expecting. I like Marr's writing style and would definitely like to give her books a try.

Overall: An enjoyable collection of short stories, which is saying a lot for me. I was also impressed that not one of these stories involved vampires. There's plenty of stories about them already, these days!

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pretty terrible. Changing it to one star. Can't fathom why I gave this two.

[P · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give this book a 3. It's hard when it comes to anthologies, to rate the book as a whole, so here is what I thought of each story. 1. I never really liked Laurie Faria Stolarz's writing or stories, and that hasn't changed. Her contribution was bland, things were too cheesy or coincidential. I'd give it a D. 2. Scott Westerfeld has the most brilliant plots, but his writing is only okay. I'd give his story a B- or C+. 3. Justine Larbalestier owned this anthology. Her writing was surreal and her plot was very original. Her story gets an A-. 4. Gabrielle Zevin - what happened? I loved her novel (Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac) and was expecting to like her story the most. But it was bland and weird and unresolved. The writing wasn't anywhere near as good as it could have been. I'd give her story a D. 5. Melissa Marr comes in second with a really interesting and wistful selkie/selchie story. Well-written, though it explained itself a little too much, as though Melissa Marr didn't trust the reader to get the hang of the selchies' world without her interfering and explaining. I'd give her story a B.

So that's my evaluation of this book. I recommend it to romantics (like me) and teens who enjoyed any of the authors' longer works.

[Omaira · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Compuesto por 5 relatos, "Amor en el infierno" ofrece una historias que parecen tener potencial, pero algunas acaban resultando absurdas. Lo bueno es que todas se leen fácilmente y 2 de ellas incluso podrían haber llegado a ser maravillosas si hubieran estado más desarrolladas. Para entretener no está mal, pero no lo leáis pensando que será el libro del año".

Reseña completa: http://entrelalecturayelcine.blogspot...

[Kaethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Blue is For Nightmares" is about a girl in a new home that turns out to be haunted. It's rather sweet.

"Stupid Perfect World" is about teens taking a class called Scarcity in which they must commit to live two weeks under one of the hardships that used to assail people. Amusing look at teen romantic drama, with a side of Shakespeare's Hamlet.

"Thinner Than Water" is an ominous love story, in which a girl falls in love with an outcast as she plans to escape her ruthlessly traditional village for the modern world where she could study and pursue her dream of becoming a doctor.

"Fan Fictions" is creepy and disturbing, about an otherwise average sort of teen named Paige who is lonelier than she realizes.

"Love Struck" is a revelation: can a modern girl find a way to escape the trap of a selchie's skin?

It's a strong collection covering a wide array of takes on unusual love stories. It is, as well, a fine introduction to the styles of the various writers. I was already a fan of Westerfeld and Larbalestier, now I'm eager to read more Marr and Zevin.

Library copy.

[Kuroi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't really remember much about this, but my overall impression was not that great.

[Kira Simion · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

11-19-16

Re-reading.

Rounded up to 4 this time because Melissa Marr's story was so sweet. It was my favorite of all of the other short stories in this book.

[The Reading Raccoon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for Popsugar Reading Challenge prompt #3 “heart, Diamond or club on the cover”

This YA anthology has five different short stories themed around paranormal and fantasy dark romances.

Sleeping With The Spirit by Laurie Faria Stolarz- teenage girl moves into a a house haunted by a ghost of a teenage boy with unfinished business. Cute story, 3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Stupid Perfect World by Scott Westerfeld- in a school like the one from The Uglies a group of kids have to do an assignment where they live like ancient people (they are talking about us) for two weeks. Kieran picks “sleeping” because in the future we don’t do that anymore. Maria gives up “hormonal balancers” and has all the ups and downs of a teenage girl. Fun story of what-ifs, 3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thinner Than Water by Justine Larbalestier- girl in a strict traditional society “handfasts” to a boy the townspeople think is fae. My favorite story of the group, dark and tragic with a heroine who just wants to break free from expectations, 4 stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fan Fictions by Gabrielle Zevin- girl meets mysterious purple eyed boy in the library and the lines blur between what is real and what is fiction, I liked the “unreliable narrator” part but not the romance, 3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Love Struck by Melissa Marr- girl meets mysterious Selchies on the beach and one insists she is his mate. She struggles with what is real and what is the results of a spell. Cute story, well-written 3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Más ligero que el agua.Ah, pienso que fue el relato indicado para comenzar el libro porque verdaderamente me gustó. Lo leí en una hora a lo máximo (y miren que ya era muy tarde). Tuvo buen ritmo, una línea bastante interesante, personajes agradables y un final que no fue el que esperaba. Vale, me gustó a tal grado que quise conocer más de ése universo (porque me quedaron algunas dudas).

Absurdo mundo perfecto. Confuso. Confuso. Confuso. El concepto y la línea de la historia están bien y sí, es muy interesante, pero el problema fue el ritmo. Es narrado por un chico y una chica, de modo que alternan voces. Eso fue un detalle chulo que me confundió al principio. Realmente no hay mucha acción y ése fue el problemilla.

Durmiendo con el espíritu. Cuando comencé a leerlo sentí que el libro al fin había vuelto a recuperar el ritmo bonito que tanto me gustaba. Y sí, así fue. Éste relato me pareció incluso mejor que el primero y en sí, es mi segundo favorito. Tuvo una trama bastante entretenida y personajes interesantes. Y sí, es espíritu me hizo flipar (sobre todo porque lo imaginé como cierto actor francés). Es una pena que el final, dadas las características de la historia, fuese predecible. Pero si el libro merece ser comprado, es por éste relato.

Relatos de ficción. Bien, ¡este fue el que me hizo flipar! Mi favorito, definitivamente. Personajes atractivos, al parecer una historia de romance común, algunos detalles enriquecedores y entonces, ¡bam! El relato no es lo que uno espera. Y sí, ya no digo más porque es tan fabuloso que deben leerlo con sus propios ojos.

Amor sin límites. Vale, no sé si estuvo bien que lo pusieran al final para que cerrara el libro un poco decepcionada o para que no me aburriera en el proceso de lectura antes de llegar a mi relato favorito. No sé qué pasó aquí, honestamente. Sí me gustó el concepto, pero la trama no y los personajes me parecieron muy planos y la chica, muy sosa. Además, fue confuso porque el narrador seguía a ambos protagonistas pero no explicaba bien ni la situación de uno ni la del otro. Y me gustaría saber mucho más sobre los selchies, pero en una novela propia y extensa, con personajes mucho mejores.

Ahora, una crítica que tengo que hacer a quienes ponen títulos y los traducen. El título original es “El amor es un infierno” y para ser franca, siento que no es la denominación idónea. Yo, con un título así, imagino romances tormentosos o dolorosos. Ahora, la traducción dice “Amor en el infierno”. Lo siento mucho, pero si el titulo original no fue de mi agrado, éste mucho menos. Los romances presentados no fueron un infierno y mucho menos se desarrollaron en un infierno.

Pero ya, pasando eso la pasé bastante bien.

[Claudine LeBosquain · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up not quite knowing what to expect. It was remarkably thin for a collection of short stories, and I wasn't quite sure if each author would have enough time to completely develop their stories.

As has been mentioned in past reviews, it is extremely difficult to rate an anthology, but all said, I really liked this book. Before obtaining this collection, I'd already read works by several of the authors, both short stories and full length novels, and was pleasantly surprised to find a book with so many of them included!

Personally, I enjoyed "Thinner than Water" by Justine Larbalestier and "Fan Fictions" by Gabrielle Zevin the best. They made my heart ache for the main characters, who were relatable and real. "Thinner than Water" left me almost in tears at various points, and while I admit that I'm not exactly the toughest cookie, anyone who isn't at least somewhat saddened must have a heart of stone. "Fan Fictions" was so unbelievably easy to relate to. When I began reading, the first thing that came to mind was how often I had felt like the protagonist, Paige. And of course, when the ending came about, I was thoroughly shocked, and somewhat worried that perhaps I too would end up like her!

"Stupid Perfect World" was also very good, and I found the story line to be very unique. The setting and the development of the characters were nicely done, and I enjoyed the fact that the chapters alternated between each of the 2 main characters. This was another story with characters to which I could relate...

"Sleeping with the Spirit" and "Love Struck" were the 2 stories that I was least satisfied with. "Sleeping with the Spirit" seemed too ... shallow. I did not feel any relationship with the characters. The story was superficial and left me almost bored by the end. I had been hoping for a little bit more from the story, and I was bitterly disappointed.
"Love Struck" was the story I'd originally gotten the book for, because it was written by Melissa Marr, Author of the Wicked Lovely "series". Unfortunately, I didn't find anything particularly noteworthy about the story. It was bland, and uninteresting, and seemed like it required further development. There didn't seem like there was much of a plot, and when I reached the end, I was not at all satisfied.

All in all, the good outweighed the bad, but there were definitely some disappointing performances by well-know, and well-loved authors.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mas ligero que el agua - Justien Larbalestier
Es una historia buena, pero no me gusto el final. Creo que se desarrolla mucho en la protagonista femenina y el chico queda muy relegado, como que la autora quizo darle un toque de misterio al personaje pero quedo como un desconocido, por así decirlo. La escritura esta bien pero creo que al principio se hace medio lento y para un relato como este no creo que un escritor se pueda dar ese lujo.

Absurdo mundo perfecto - Scott Westerfield
Creo que es la historia que mas me gusto, ya que el autor con un espacio reducido planteo bien la trama y el desarrollo de los personajes, el mundo futuristico quedo muy bien con explicaciones bastante razonables para algunas cuestión. El final también estuvo muy bueno aunque no era la que yo esperaba.

Durmiendo con el espiritu - Laurie Faria Stolarz
La que menos me gusto de todas, la verdad que la historia no es muy original y los personajes no me resultaron creíbles para nada. La escritura es promedio. Nada, como que no convenció mucho.

Relatos de ficción - Gabrielle Zevin
Me gusto bastante, todas las historias psicológicas siempre me encanta, para mi la mente humana es capaz de las cosa mas increíbles, as como también de crear los engaños perfectos. La autora nos presenta a una chica como cualquiera, con necesidad de atención y la pone en una situación con tintes paranormales , de la cual solo hay un salida. Es una muy buena historia.

Amor sin limites - Melissa Marr
La historia la verdad se me hizo muy pesada de seguir, pero es interesante. Supongo que le doy puntos de mas por nombrar a un ser paranormal no muy común. La escritura es ta bien , pero creo que debería ser un poco mas simple, en algunos momentos no podía seguir leyendo porque me resultaba muy aburrida.

[Mav · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've heard of all these authors, or noticed their books around my library at some point or all. I've never read anything by them, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to get a feel of their writing style. Most of these miss the mark. The one story that amazed me saved this anthology from getting a two star rating.


Sleeping the Spirit (2/5 stars)
The plot has been done, and better, with better writing, and more memorable characters.

Stupid Perfect World. (4.5/5 stars)
I need a full length book set in this world ( preferably with the same protagonists). Short of the rather hurried ending, this story fits the title of the anthology, and contains themes about hormones, about being a teenager, about love, about poverty and suffering, and about technology, that should resonate with teenagers (and adults) today.

Thinner Than Water (3/5)
Great opening. I like and respect the heroine and her choices. This story satisfies the feminist and the romantic in me.

Fan fictions (1/5 stars)
Put mediocre in front of the title and summon up images of clicheness. Apply to plot, characters, circumstances, ending, etc. There's your story.

Love Struck (2/5 stars)
Plot's been done. Nothing new has been added.
Heroine has no definable personality.
Love interest is cardboard.
There are issues with dialogue.

[yolanda; · Rating 2 out of 5]

Por historias:

1) "Más ligero que el agua" de Jutine Larbalestier: -1845187/5. Horrible. Mal contada, mal redactada, personajes a los que me gustaría abofetear y ni el más mínimo sentido.

2) "Absurdo mundo perfecto" de Scott Westerfeld: 5/5. El motivo por el cual cogí el libro de la biblioteca. Estupenda, me gusta la ambientación y la clase de Privación, me gustan los protagonistas y me hubiera gustado que fuera un libro, más larga y mejor desarrollada porque era una maravilla de historia.

3) "Durmiendo con el espíritu" de Laurie Faria Storlarz. 2/5. Muy floja. Una historia contada miles de millones de veces, y probablemente bastante mejor y con personajes más inolvidable.

4) "Relatos de ficción" de Gabrielle Zevin. 5/5. Una vez más las historias que más triunfan en estos libros son las menos paranormales y las más orginales. Me gustó mucho la protagonista y me gustó muchísimo el "giro de tuerca" que da la historia.

5) "Amor sin límites": -62982919/5. No poder ni acabar una historia de 20 páginas no dice mucho a su favor, ¿no?

[Francisca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este pequeno livro constituído por cinco histórias veio a revelar-se muito atrativo e fácil de ler , coisa que com o anterior «Danças Malditas» um dos quatro volumes da série «Short Stories from Hell» não aconteceu.
A história que mais me agradou foi sem dúvida a primeira «Dormindo com o Espirito» que retrata a mudança de cidade de uma jovem rapariga , Brenda, que se muda para uma casa onde houve um brutal homicídio e onde dizem que a casa está amaldiçoada desde então.
De facto Brenda começa a ter pesadelos com um rapaz que a chama e a agarra durante os pesadelos , mas serão realmente só e apenas pesadelos? será mesmo irreal?
Por outro lado , identifiquei-me imenso com Brenda , não é em todos os livros que encontramos personagens que bebem espressos duplos fortes e que interagem com fantasmas.
As outras histórias não me incentivaram tanto mas apesar disso a originalidade das histórias tornou-as cativantes e acabei por ler este pequeno livro num instante.

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Melissa Marr 5 stars
Scott Westerfeld 5
Laurie Stolaz 4
Gabrielle Zevin 3
Justine L..... 2.5

As with all of these compilations, some of the stories were great and others okay. I liked the happy endings better, and some of the stories were just weird.

[Emma Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love is Hell was a compilation of five short stories revolving around a sci-fi/fantasy version of love, and how, generally, it is hell. I ranked each short story separately. First, Sleeping with the Spirit by Laurie Faria Stolarz was... cliche. I felt myself predicting the ending long before it happened, and it was only 50 pages. I gave it two stars. Second, Stupid Perfect World by Scott Westerfeld had an interesting concept of a future world that just didn't hold up the way I wanted it to. The romance felt undeserved. I gave it three stars. Third, Thinner Than Water by Justine Larbalestier was a sort of strange "The Village"-esque story about fairies and marriage and love, and I thought the story itself was very unique. I gave it four stars. Fourth, Fan Fictions by Gabrielle Zevin was a back and forth of trying to figure out the truth of what was happening in our protagonist's story. I think the ending was cliche, but overall, it was fun and interesting. I gave it four stars. Lastly, Love Struck by Melissa Marr was about seal-people and entanglements being caused by seal pelts..... I know. It is as weird as it sounds. I was not a fan of this weird and rushed story. I gave it one star. So, when you average up the five stories, you get a two point eight rating, which rounds to the three stars I gave it. An interesting set of stories, but I wish that they were all on par with one another.

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was okay.

Sleeping with a spirit - about a girl living in a haunted house. It seemed getting rid of the ghost was ridiculously easy though.

Stupid perfect world - about some teens in a future world doing things for a class which included sleeping, and turning off your hormone balancers.

Thinner than water - about a girl who fell in love with a fae boy, and the people in the village where she lived killed him because of it.

Fan fictions - about a girl whose whole life was written in a book.

Love struck - reread - about a girl and some selkies.

[Fefi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nel complesso dico che si fa leggere.
Sono tutti racconti young adult fantasy-romance, veloci da leggere,ma ben strutturati che toccano anche temi importanti. In qualcuno, ci sarebbe stata bene qualche riga in più.

[Saborni]

You know that book that you really liked a long time ago but forgot what it was called until recently? Yes it took me an awful lot of brain churning to finally find this book

[el_rincon_de_la_lectura_de_ele · Rating 3 out of 5]

No está mal. Algún relato está mejor que otro, pero es entretenido 😊

[K Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable selection of short stories.

[Jay Miraldi · Rating 3 out of 5]

These are not your grandma's love stories :P

[Yelania Nightwalker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Como dije en la reseña de Noches de Baile en el Infierno, las antología no me gustan mucho. Eso de pensar en que no sabré que sucederá después del FIN me molesta mucho. En esta antología, quisiera saber más de los personajes!! Ese es el problema de cuando te enamoras de una antología, tu vida se convierte en un infierno :P

~Más ligero que el agua de Justine Larbalestier: Jeannie quiere escapar de su pueblo, que conserva unas tradiciones que ella no entiende, y que siguen creyendo aún en los seres mágicos. El día que intenta escapar se topa con Robbie, un chico al que todos rehuyen por que piensan que es un hada, él, sin saber lo que ella pretendía, le pide que se quede. El día de Lammas, que es la fecha en que los chicos "contraen compromiso", aunque ellos lo llaman "unir las manos", Jean y Rob se unen. Desafortunadamente, las cosas no marcharán muy bien después de ésto. Los seres mágicos existen y hay un hada dispuesta a volver desde el infierno para conseguir a Jeannie.
--Un muy buen comienzo para el libro. Un relato ligero, muy bonito, que me hizo sufir junto con Jeannie y querer golpear a más de uno en ese cuento; aunque tal vez no con el final que hubiera deseado, pero el relato me gustó mucho.

~Absurdo mundo perfecto de Scott Westerfeld: Los personajes de este cuento son Kieran y Maria. En ese mundo en el que los chicos no tienen que dormir, no se preocupan por viajar (por que pueden teletransportarse), no tienen que enfermarse y no sufren de desequilibrios hormonales... tienen una clase que se llama "PRIVACIÓN". Ésta asignatura consiste en alterar su armazón biólogico :O para sufrir alguno de los males de los seres antiguos, es decir, nosotros. Kieran elige el sueño. Maria paraliza sus estabilizadores hormonales. En definitiva, nada puede salir bien de todo ese desequilibrio. Ni Kieran ni Maria están preparados para lo efectos colaterales y ambos pasarán un infierno congelamiento, para solucionar sus problemas.

--Me ENCANTÓ este relato. Me hizo tener muuuuy buenos motivos para continuar leyendo. Si bien el relato tiene un happy ending, creo que el "infierno" fue más para Maria :P Es decir, todas las mujeres sabemos bien lo que es sufrir esos lapsos de desajustes hormonales cada mes LOL Bueno, pues algo así le pasó a ella. Disfruté mares, este cuento. Necesito leer algo más de Westerfeld, espero que sea tan bueno como éste.


~Durmiendo con el espíritu de Laurie Faria Stolarz: Un relato con un inicio spooky... Brenda se ha mudado a una nueva ciudad, la casa en la que viven está habitada por un fantasma, un chico que además la visita en sueños y no la quiere dejar escapar hasta que le ayude. Travis no quiere hacerle daño, pero no puede comunicarse con ella más que en sueños, cuando por fin logran llegar a un acuerdo y Brenda ya no le teme sino que está enamorándose de él, el reloj hace tic tac, tic tac y ellos deberán separarse.
--Si bien no fue mi relato favorito, me gustó. No he leído nada de esta autora y estoy viendo ya por algo de ella =) Me gustó esta historia de amor que sabes que no es posible, pero no puedes dejar de sentir deseos de que se pudiera continuar.

~Relatos de Ficción de Gabrielle Zevine: me saltaré este relato por que en pocas palabras...
1.- ES HORROSO
2.- Muy confuso
3.- Aburrido a más no poder
4.- WTF? Arruina el libro por completo
5.- La autora está en mi lista negra a partir de ahora.
6.- Puede que a alguien le guste, no les digo que no lo lean.

~Amor sin límites de Melissa Marr: Alana ama el mar y la paz que éste le transmite. Una noche de fiesta en la playa, un chico se le acerca y la asusta con su plática. Alana decide entonces, regresar a su casa por otro camino, en ese trayecto va a parar a la playa, donde por azares del destino toca la piel de un selchie (un hombre-foca). Murrin ha deseado a Alana desde que la vio por primera vez, sabe que ella es su compañera y está decidido a que ella se enamore de él antes de aceptarlo, pero gracias a Veikko, su compañera ahora intenta deshacerse de él.
Murrin intentará enamorar a Alana para que lo acepte. Alana intentará alejar a Murrin definitivamente, por que piensa que la atracción que siente por él, es producto de haber tocado su piel... Veikko está decidido a separarlos. ¿Triunfará el amor o el mal los separará para siempre?
--Melissa Marr es una de mis autoras favoritas y este relato me FASCINÓ. Muy buen cuento para cerrar esta antología que de no ser por esa piedra en el camino, hubiera sido maravilloso.

En resumen, otro libro genial para estos días de Halloween, día de muertos (o como sea que le llamen), o para un día de ociosidad.

[Alejandra Hernandez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amor en el Infierno es el último libro de la trilogía “Historias Cortas en el Infierno” que son pequeñas antologías que cuentan con cinco relatos con un determinado tema y como el nombre dice, en este caso es el amor. Cada autor deja su huella personal combinando el amor con lo paranormal. El primero es:

Más ligero que el agua – Justine Larbalestier
Al principio me estaba gustando, me gustaba la idea de la aldea y de su negación a los cambios tecnológicos y que tuvieran la creencia de que existían las criaturas verdes pero al final, no me termino de convencer. Creo que le pudo sacar más provecho a la magia y las hadas que habitaban en el lugar. El final no era lo que esperaba, se me hizo tan normal que por poco cae en lo típico.

Absurdo mundo perfecto – Scott Westerfeld
Mi favorito. Scott Westerfeld logra crear en pocas páginas una historia perfectamente estructurada y muy original. Su idea de un mundo donde ya no existen ni las enfermedades ni los problemas que afectaban al ser humano es tan buena que te deja con ganas de más. Definitivamente debo leer más libros de este autor.

Durmiendo con el Espíritu – Laurie Faria Stolarz
Otro relato que supuso una decepción. La historia no es una novedad, no es nada que no se hubiera visto antes inclusive visto en una película de terror excepto que en esta historia la protagonista mantiene una relación con el espíritu. Honestamente me pareció bastante creepy la idea de una relación entre ellos, más que nada porque hay una parte donde describe el lugar donde tiene la herida y yo no podía dejar de pensar que estaba ahí. Le hizo falta ese algo.

Relatos de Ficción – Gabrielle Zevin
De los mejores, una sorpresa segura. Empezó siendo normal y ya estaba pensando que iba a terminar en un estuvo bien cuando el final fue MUY bueno. Este relato nos recuerda lo poderosa que es la mente humana y que tan frágil es la línea entre la realidad y la ficción.

Amor sin Límites – Melissa Marr
Me encanto, el segundo mejor en mi opinión. Melissa Marr utiliza un ser mágico poco conocido para crear su historia que son los selchies, estos seres que son focas que cuando dejan su piel se transforman en hermosos humanos y si tomas su piel queda atrapado hasta que la encuentre. Si no fuera por el drama (que tiene que haber pero se me hizo un poquitín exagerado) hubiera sido perfecto. Sin lugar a dudas, otra autora de la que debo leer más sí o sí.

En general, el libro me gusto más que su antecesor pero creo que ninguno supera al primero. Si bien, son ligeros y excelentes para pasar el rato, también merecen la pena porque no es algo que estemos acostumbramos a leer.

[Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

sooo...have to admit that this would be the lest favourite of the 'hell' books so far.

'Sleeping with a spirit', was basically about a girl who had warped dreams with a ghost. It's an interesting idea -- sad -- but I did enjoy it. I'd give it a 3/5 stars.

Scott Westerfeld wrote an intriguing short story called 'Stupid Perfect World'. This is located in a dystopian world, where like is literally perfect. As a class project, students are required to experience what being a 'human' in the past would be like. I thoroughly enjoyed this setting -- truly brilliant. But one thing got me. I don't particularly like reading books that swap characters, as i enjoy imagining them for myself. If I am exposed to both main leads, I am forced to see the characters in a certain light, but I think if a characters are built on well in a book, through the use of only one character's descriptions, then THAT provides enough to see into the other characters. I'd give this a 4 out of 5 stars.

Thinner than Water is about a girl who lives in a time where tradition and myths are highly valued. She dreams of going to university and studying, which is strongly frowned upon in her village. Along this story, love blossoms. however, tradition gets in the way once again and she is forced to make some important decisions between love and self-wants, and one's life or death. I did not like this story. I am not a fan of tragedies, but this was just plain depressing. This deserves a star...yes, just 1.

Fan Fiction is of a girl who finds a lovely book in the school library, and the strangest love story occurs. Truly warped story. Not the greatest book I've read. I didn't sign up for a quick read about a psychologically-confused protagonist, who has an exaggerated dramatic end. This book made me more confused than when I first began reading the book. I'd also give this 1 star.

Okay, I originally enjoyed reading this book. It was intriguing and i thought that there was some really dramatic reveal, due to all the mystery in the beginning. Turns out it was just a flop. It focuses on a girl who meets this amazing guy, but he isn't what he seems. Then she meets another hot guy...and everyone knows that when this happens, something is not right. I would give this 2/5 stars. So this story just gave a sad conclusion to this short-story collection. I was truly disappointed, not just with this story, but for the entire book itself.

[Martina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una serie di racconti d'amore con protagonisti non infernali, ma piuttosto sovrannaturali.
Una ragazza, ancora traumatizzata dalla morte, di cui si incolpa, e dalla comparsa del fantasma della sorella, scopre che in casa sua è stato commesso un omicidio e che il fantasma del ragazzo invade i suoi sogni per chiederle aiuto e farle superare i suoi problemi.
Come fare se si vive in un paesino caratteristico, e intendo caratteristico per "alla antica, il latte lo si munge a mano", e voler andarsene per diventare medico una grande città?
Non si può, soprattutto se con una cerimonia ci si è legati a qualcuno che tutta la comunità non sopporta perchè è diverso e suona il violino come un diavolo.
In un futuro lontano, dove esistono le lezioni di Scarsità, per imparare come si viveva una volta, una classe deve fare un progetto che li faccia sentire come se fossero nel passato.
Ma se scegli di voler dormire e non sei abituato l'unica opzione è chiedere aiuto alla ragazza più preparata del corso, che a sua volta a tutti gli ormoni sbilanciati perchè vuol sentire la cara vecchia passione, senza sapere che è più imbarazzo che altro...
Tutti abbiamo amato appassionatamente un personaggio letterario e abbiamo desiderato che uscisse dalle pagine per vivere la sua avventura con lui, ma nessuno ha mai pensato alle conseguenze e a cosa fare una volta che si è abbandonati.
Le selkie, bellissime fanciulle che, in parte foca e in parte umane, si spogliavano della loro pelliccia, unico modo per trasformarsi, per fare il bagno nude alla luce lunare.
Le favole hanno parlato sempre di esseri femminile, ma che accade quando una ragazza sulla spiaggia inciampa in quella che sembra una giacca e si ritrova un bellissimo ragazzo che continua a chiamarla "moglie mia" a seguirla ovunque?

Il riassunto non è forse dei migliori, ma senza voler spoilerare troppo non potevo fare di più.
Ho adorato il modo in cui tutti e cinque i racconti affrontano l'amore stravagante, che ha altri problemi oltre il tradimento e la menzogna.
I personaggi, pur non essendo caratterizzati minuziosamente per mancanza di spazio, sono adorabili e mi sono sentita davvero coinvolta nelle loro avventure e nei loro pensieri.
Certo, il titolo non è per nulla azzeccato visto che non compare nemmeno un diavolo, ma di certo l'impatto è più forte in questo modo.

[FantasyWereld · Rating 3 out of 5]

Verliefd worden op de geest van een vermoorde jongen, vrijwillig een ziekte ondergaan tijdens een lesproject in een perfecte toekomstige wereld, een proefrelatie aangaan met een jongen die wel eens een elf zou kunnen zijn, ontdekken dat jouw ideale jongen een personage uit een boek is en gevangengenomen worden door een hartveroverende Selkie… Het gebeurt allemaal in Gevaarlijke liefde, de vierde verhalenbundel in de Blind date-reeks. Ook dit deel staat weer vol met bovennatuurlijke verhalen, deze keer van Scott Westerfeld (Middernachters-trilogie), Gabrielle Zevin (Het was best een fijn leven), Justine Larbalestier (Leugens), Melissa Marr (Wicked Lovely-reeks) en Laura Faria Stolarz (Nachtmerries zijn blauw).

Van alles wat
Het is wel duidelijk dat het hoofdthema van de Blind date-verhalen liefde is, maar wie denkt dat Gevaarlijke liefde alleen maar zoete zwijmelverhalen bevat, heeft het mis. De vijf verhalen zijn namelijk zo verschillend dat iedereen wel iets leuks tegenkomt, of je nu van onmogelijke liefdes houdt of dol bent op technologische hoogstandjes. Er wordt natuurlijk in elk verhaal wel iemand verliefd – anders zou het boek immers niet bij de titel passen – maar in elk verhaal gebeurt dit op een andere manier: in een andere wereld, binnen andere omstandigheden en zelfs op andere wezens, menselijk of niet. Dit zorgt voor vijf ontzettend verschillende verhalen, die elk hun eigen sfeer hebben en in niets op elkaar lijken.

Wil je de gehele recensie lezen? Klik dan hier:
http://www.fantasywereld.nl/recensies...

[Alice-Elizabeth (Prolific Reader Alice) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I borrowed this from the library but I also own two physical copies of Vacations from Hell and Prom Nights from Hell which I shall be reading as part of my June TBR list.

This anthology is made up of five short stories, written by five well-known and talented writers. The theme of the anthology was love but with dark and sinister twists. It was overall, an easy read. I finished reading it in under two hours in two separate sittings. Out of the five stories included in the anthology, three of them really were dark and sinister but the other two felt a bit... disjointed? I'm not really sure what the right word I should use to describe that is... but those stories I felt could have been a bit more darker.

I don't regret reading this anthology. It's helped me to relax and break free from a reading slump. But overall, I felt a tad bit disappointed because not all of the stories I felt were scary to me. Sometimes, too much scare can be really off putting but not enough can become quite boring for the reader. I would recommend this to others but approach the anthology with an open mind and you will enjoy reading it.

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[Nicole (Reading Books With Coffee) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sleeping With The Spirit by Laurie Faria Stolarz: I thought it was just okay, but didn't stand out.

Stupid Perfect World by Scott Westerfield: I loved the world-building, and I wanted it to be longer just so I could learn more about a world where sleep doesn't exist and people can teleport to Mars in a manner of minutes. This is my favorite of the 5.

Thinner Than Water by Justine Larbaleister: It was just okay, and it's one of my least favorites.

Fan Fictions by Gabrielle Zevin: It's definitely the weakest one in the bunch, and a really strange story...in a bad way. It did remind me of Twilight, in the sense that I can see some fans falling in love with Edward and Jacob.

Love Struck by Melissa Marr: It was just okay, although it was an interesting premise. I could see this as a full-length novel.

Overall, it was okay. A couple of the stories were interesting, but I think the only reason why I kept reading was the fact that it was 5 stories. Short stories are definitely something I want to read more of, but this anthology doesn't seem to be a good introduction to short stories.

I give it a 2 out of 5. It was somewhat disappointing, and nothing spectacular.