Sign in with FacebookWendy Darling's Reviews > The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories
The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories
by Maggie Stiefvater (Goodreads Author), Brenna Yovanoff (Goodreads Author), Tessa Gratton (Goodreads Author)
by Maggie Stiefvater (Goodreads Author), Brenna Yovanoff (Goodreads Author), Tessa Gratton (Goodreads Author)
Wendy Darling's review
bookshelves: lerner, october, 2012-publication, short-stories, young-adult, ebook-egalley, own-dtb-tbr, on-hold, supportive-author
Apr 09, 12
bookshelves: lerner, october, 2012-publication, short-stories, young-adult, ebook-egalley, own-dtb-tbr, on-hold, supportive-author
This is really interesting--short stories from the three authors who make up Merry Sisters of Fate, and mostly unedited. I'm going to use this review space to keep track of initial thoughts and star ratings for the stories, which I actually WILL edit into some sort of review at the end.
Introduction by Andrew Karre, of the fabulous Carolrhoda Lab imprint: fantastic. It answered the "why" question I had when I first realized there were handwritten notes and drawings all over the book.
TESSA GRATTON:
The Vampire Box - 4 stars
Nicole and her father have kept a vampire in the basement for as long as she can remember. Best line: "He'd have sucked the marrow from my bones before Dad woke up." Although I think the tenses are a little awkward in that sentence, I still love it. And I wanted the story to keep going!
MAGGIE STIEFVATER:
A Murder of Gods: - 3.5 stars
BRENDA YOVANOFF:
The Power of Intent: - 3.5 stars
Introduction by Andrew Karre, of the fabulous Carolrhoda Lab imprint: fantastic. It answered the "why" question I had when I first realized there were handwritten notes and drawings all over the book.
TESSA GRATTON:
The Vampire Box - 4 stars
Nicole and her father have kept a vampire in the basement for as long as she can remember. Best line: "He'd have sucked the marrow from my bones before Dad woke up." Although I think the tenses are a little awkward in that sentence, I still love it. And I wanted the story to keep going!
MAGGIE STIEFVATER:
A Murder of Gods: - 3.5 stars
BRENDA YOVANOFF:
The Power of Intent: - 3.5 stars
Sign into Goodreads to see if any of your friends have read The Curiosities.
sign in »
Comments (showing 1-23 of 23) (23 new)
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
Jen (The Starry-Eyed Revue)
(new)
-
added it
Apr 10, 2012 03:42pm
So, are these stories that can be found on their collaborative blog? Because I remember that one very distinctly, and I remember reading it on the Merry Sisters of Fate site. But like you, I wanted the story to keep going. :)
reply
|
flag
*
Ohhh, very envious that you got your hands on this one. I remember that story from the blog and remember really liking it, esp. the open ending. Do let me know if you want someone to take this off your hands when you're done. ;)
I think most of the stories originally appeared on their blog, Jeannette, although I believe some are new! I'd love to see where that first story went. *sigh*The ending was a good one though, Angela. :) I think this is one I'll probably keep, but I don't mind loaning it to you if you'd like to read it! There are illustrations and handwritten notes on the pages, which is pretty cool. I tweeted a photo a few days ago; according to one diagram, Maggie's heart is partly made of cookie dough.
Wendy Darling wrote: "The ending was a good one though, Angela. :) I think this is one I'll probably keep, but I don't mind loaning it to you if you'd like to read it! There are illustrations and handwritten notes on the pages, which is pretty cool. I tweeted a photo a few days ago; according to one diagram, Maggie's heart is partly made of cookie dough."Seeing the pic on your Twitter feed is what prompted me to come here on to GR and search for your progress report! I plan to buy my own copy when it's released regardless of whether I read it early or not, but I would love to read and review it in advance if given the opportunity. (Sadly, NetGalley denied me b/c I don't have a blog.) Sooo, if you still feel willing to part with it temporarily after you're done, I'd love to work something out. :D
Of course! I don't think it will take me long to finish it, and certainly the book isn't out until fall so there's plenty of time. :) The ARC is 10" x 7" which is a very strange size, especially because the book isn't very thick. I wonder what the final volume will look like. I'm actually finding it more pleasant to read the egalley and then switch right over to the ARC after finishing each story because the notes and such are a little distracting, although I enjoy reading them afterwards.
Oh, thanks so much in advance! I expect that I'll also do the same thing -- read the stories and the notes separately -- because of the distraction issue, but I'm still looking forward to all of it. Based on what I've read about it online, I do think it will be the odd size when finished, too; I think it's supposed to seem like a notebook while reading.If you're interested in knowing more about the process through which this book was created, the authors posted an amusing video about its final creation at http://merryfates.com/2012/01/27/when....
@Wendy: Just a quick P.S. question re: egalleys. 1) Do you use Simon and Schuster's Galley Grab program, and 2) if so, what eReader do you use to view their materials? I have the upcoming delight of getting a Kindle tomorrow as a hand-me-down from a friend, but I was disappointed to see on the Galley Grab site that Kindle is not supported. I found that info surprising b/c it seems like it would potentially exclude a lot of people who would use the service.
Ah hah, thanks for the info and the link, Angela! I'll plan to enjoy it after I finish the book. :) Btw, do you know how these three met? I haven't really followed their live journal, and I've never found the answer anywhere else.I do use Galley Grab, Angela, although they're changing their platform somehow and haven't sent out a newsletter in months. You can still get the occasional direct link to a book, though, I'll see if I can find any recent ones to send you. Will you PM me your email? I'll try to help with the reader thing, too.
It's funny so many people remember the vampire story from their blog because that's one I remember as well. They have quite a few great stories on their blog, actually. One night, I stayed up way too late reading their stories. All of them are unique and fresh. I'll be interested to see what you think of the collection as a whole :).
Ace wrote: "It's funny so many people remember the vampire story from their blog because that's one I remember as well. They have quite a few great stories on their blog, actually. One night, I stayed up way t..."It is funny that we all remember that one. There are many other great ones on the site, but the imagery and ending of that vampire one by Tessa really stood out to me. Can't wait to see which other favorites of mine they've included in the book. :)
I subscribe to the Merry Sisters of Fate blog and get their stories when they post. Sadly, I haven't kept up as well as I've wanted to. I love that Maggie has diagrams and extras in this. Makes me want to pick up a copy when it comes out. I'll be checking back to see what you think of these. :)
I will definitely remember this story long after I finish the book, Ace and Angela. She sets the mood so well, in just a few short pages. It was a pleasant surprise for me, since I wasn't a huge fan of her debut novel Blood Magic. As you well know, Angela. ;) I really like the diagrams and such, too, Rachel! I don't mind loaning this to you as well if you'd like to read it. Perhaps we should do a mini tour for this one too, we have plenty of time before the book is out.
Wendy Darling wrote: "It was a pleasant surprise for me, since I wasn't a huge fan of her debut novel Blood Magic. As you well know, Angela. ;)"Hahaha, yes. I do know/remember. ;)
I always have mixed feelings about short stories. I love to sink into a book and live there for a while. However, some stories are just right in a shorter form. I like that sentence very much. Bones and marrow! Did you ever read the creepy Ray Bradbury short story about a man who hated the bones inside his body?
Tessa's vampire box story was what made me want to read Blood Magic, because I LOVED that story so much! I personally wasn't a fan of Blood Magic, but I have really enjoyed her other stories. She wrote one about a dragon, and a boy who had to go fight him that was awesome too. It had a great urban feel to it mixed with the chivalry of what you'd expect from a dragon story. You'd probably love it Wendy. :) I wonder if it's in the book, I can't wait to get a copy of it. Lucky. :))
Short stories are definitely a tricky animal.I agree, Crystal--I wasn't a big fan of BLOOD MAGIC, but I really, really liked "Vampire Box and I'm eager to read her other stories now. The dragon one sounds great! I'll let you know if it's in here.
Has anyone read Brenda Yovanoff's "The Power of Intent," btw? I liked it, but I'm a little confused by the ending.
I don't remember reading this one on the blog, but it's archived here for anyone else who wants to read it: http://merry-fates.livejournal.com/99...I would read and comment back to you, Wendy, but I don't have the time right now. Maybe later!
Here's the link to the dragon story I liked if you want to read it. http://merryfates.com/2010/08/30/date...
