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The Curiosities #1
The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories
From acclaimed YA authors Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff comes The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories.
- A vampire locked in a cage in the basement, for good luck.
- Bad guys, clever girls, and the various reasons why the guys have to stop breathing.
- A world where fires never go out (with references to vanilla ice cream).
These are but a few of the curiosities collected in this volume of short stories by three acclaimed practitioners of paranormal fiction.
But The Curiosities is more than the stories. Since 2008, Maggie, Tessa, and Brenna have posted more than 250 works of short fiction to their website merryfates.com. Their goal was simple: create a space for experimentation and improvisation in their writing—all in public and without a backspace key. In that spirit, The Curiosities includes the stories and each author's comments, critiques, and kudos in the margins. Think of it as a guided tour of the creative processes of three acclaimed authors.
So, are you curious now?
- A vampire locked in a cage in the basement, for good luck.
- Bad guys, clever girls, and the various reasons why the guys have to stop breathing.
- A world where fires never go out (with references to vanilla ice cream).
These are but a few of the curiosities collected in this volume of short stories by three acclaimed practitioners of paranormal fiction.
But The Curiosities is more than the stories. Since 2008, Maggie, Tessa, and Brenna have posted more than 250 works of short fiction to their website merryfates.com. Their goal was simple: create a space for experimentation and improvisation in their writing—all in public and without a backspace key. In that spirit, The Curiosities includes the stories and each author's comments, critiques, and kudos in the margins. Think of it as a guided tour of the creative processes of three acclaimed authors.
So, are you curious now?
304 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2012
About the author
Maggie Stiefvater
82 books167k followersNew York Times bestselling author of The Shiver Trilogy, The Raven Cycle, and The Scorpio Races. Artist. Driver of things with wheels. Avid reader.
Maggie Stiefvater plays several musical instruments (most infamously, the bagpipes) and makes art in several media (most generally, colored pencils).
She lives in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia with her husband, their two children, many dogs, a bunch of fainting goats, and a mating pair of growly tuner cars.
Maggie Stiefvater plays several musical instruments (most infamously, the bagpipes) and makes art in several media (most generally, colored pencils).
She lives in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia with her husband, their two children, many dogs, a bunch of fainting goats, and a mating pair of growly tuner cars.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 474 reviews
December 11, 2015
I don't know if the gif is relevant to the review, but I just have to post it because "Daisy me rollin..."
This book is one of those "not for me" thing. I read this book because I love reading short stories/anthologies. The blurb really hooked me because:
-A vampire locked in a cage in the basement, for good luck.
- Bad guys, clever girls, and the various reasons why the guys have to stop breathing.
- A world where fires never go out (with references to vanilla ice cream).
Now tell me if that didn't make you a bit crazy. I had a high expectations to this one and I regret to say that this is a disappointment.
Reasons why The Curiosities: A Collection of Storiesand me is not meant to be:
1. I think this is the type of book that fans of these authors would surely appreciate. This book is kinda like a cross between a draft book and a scrapbook. Authors write certain comments and thoughts everywhere and instead of being amused by it, it distracts me.
There I was, reading the stories and all of the sudden a doodle or a comment by an author would come up and I was like, "dafuq, I was reading".
2. Fucking cliffhangers everywhere.
Look, I'm a fan of cliffhangers. I think they are a necessity sometimes, but must you have to end every story with this?
Some stories are really good (mythology, monsters, urban legends) but the abrupt endings ruined it. I always wonder what's the point of the story or did I miss something crucial.
I'm not sure if some people who hadn't read any books from these authors would enjoy this, but I think this book is mostly for the fans of Maggie Stiefvater, Brenna Yovanoff and Tessa Gratton .
January 9, 2016
I've never been much of a short stories person because I always end up wanting more and more importantly, have a hard time reading them back to back because it's hard to surface out of a story and dive into another immediately.
For some reason, I appreciate that there isn't any apparent word limit to the stories as the shortest story has 3 pages and the longest, more than 20 pages.
I liked all of the stories by Maggie Stiefvater the best (why aren't they all novels especially A Murder of Gods, A History of Love, Council of Youth, and Heart-Shaped Box) and then I liked Brenna Yovanoff's stories a lot (The Bone-Tender and Neighbors became my favorites) which were probably the strangest of all. Tessa Gratton's stories were okay (Date with a Dragon Slayer, though) and some of them not really my style nonetheless, I liked reading them.
For some reason, I appreciate that there isn't any apparent word limit to the stories as the shortest story has 3 pages and the longest, more than 20 pages.
I liked all of the stories by Maggie Stiefvater the best (why aren't they all novels especially A Murder of Gods, A History of Love, Council of Youth, and Heart-Shaped Box) and then I liked Brenna Yovanoff's stories a lot (The Bone-Tender and Neighbors became my favorites) which were probably the strangest of all. Tessa Gratton's stories were okay (Date with a Dragon Slayer, though) and some of them not really my style nonetheless, I liked reading them.
August 30, 2015
“The rain washes too many secrets away. It isn't good where they collect.”
Maggie Stiefvater is one of the contributing writer! The short stories never disappoints me. I like the butterfly ones the best. Exceptional writing and unforgettable angst. The three writers are really close. I was entertained by their conversations and handwriting. The drawings too are mildly amusing. Great flash fiction ladies.
Maggie Stiefvater is one of the contributing writer! The short stories never disappoints me. I like the butterfly ones the best. Exceptional writing and unforgettable angst. The three writers are really close. I was entertained by their conversations and handwriting. The drawings too are mildly amusing. Great flash fiction ladies.
January 7, 2015
I'll admit it: I'm a Maggie Stiefvater fangirl.
So yes, I was drawn in to The Curiosities by the promise of Stiefvater story-genius, but as soon as I started reading, I found myself falling--and falling hard--for both Brenna Yovanoff and Tessa Gratton. All three women contribute beautiful stories and giggle-worthy notations, and when reviewing the entire collection, they all shine equally.
Certain stories seem polished while others feel more raw. And I do not mean raw in the "unedited" sense but rather as more emotional and less bound by any stringent ideas of storytelling. I mean this as the utmost compliment, because these are the stories that get under your skin and make you remember them later.
Some offerings in this collection are flashes of one or two thousand words, epitomizing the "short" in short story, while others are significantly longer. Both styles are equally satisfying, although you've been warned: much of the time, upon reaching the end, there's a rush of frustration that there isn't more. These three writers world build and sketch out characters so well, so deeply, within the space of a few sentences that when one comes to the end of the tale, you find yourself wanting much, much more. Or at least I did. My outbursts of, "Wait, that's it? What the hell!?" were not shouts of offense but desperate cries for more of that story, because there's always more even if the writer never puts it on paper (and I want to read it, damn it!).
Also, because I really, really enjoyed some of these stories and, much like a child trying to get just one more bedtime story, I'm greedy and prone to hissy fits.
The introductions to each story are insightful, giving peeks into how that particular writer developed her story, where it came from and why. And while others may find the annotations in the margins distracting, I loved them. I felt the commentary added an additional depth, sometimes serious in the way of pointing out key thoughts or moments, sometimes amusing additions that give the whole book a warmer feel.
Also, I'm a big fan of snark, and there's quite a bit to be found in those margins. And when some of the stories have such bittersweet or the kind of endings that aren't quite sad but still stick with you long after you've finished, a little humorous snark is always appreciated.
A must read for lovers of short stories, fans of any or all of the three authors, or writers looking for insight into story creation. And while the majority are, in fact, fantasy stories, many others are not, so don't let the genre push you away from picking up The Curiosities.
A Few of My Favorite Curiosities:
The Vampire Box (Gratton)
Date With a Dragon Slayer (Gratton)
Puddles (Gratton)
The Bone-Tender (Yovanoff)
The Last Day of Spring (Stiefvater)
Council of Youth (Stiefvater)
Heart-Shaped Box (Stiefvater)
Berserk (Gratton)
So yes, I was drawn in to The Curiosities by the promise of Stiefvater story-genius, but as soon as I started reading, I found myself falling--and falling hard--for both Brenna Yovanoff and Tessa Gratton. All three women contribute beautiful stories and giggle-worthy notations, and when reviewing the entire collection, they all shine equally.
Certain stories seem polished while others feel more raw. And I do not mean raw in the "unedited" sense but rather as more emotional and less bound by any stringent ideas of storytelling. I mean this as the utmost compliment, because these are the stories that get under your skin and make you remember them later.
Some offerings in this collection are flashes of one or two thousand words, epitomizing the "short" in short story, while others are significantly longer. Both styles are equally satisfying, although you've been warned: much of the time, upon reaching the end, there's a rush of frustration that there isn't more. These three writers world build and sketch out characters so well, so deeply, within the space of a few sentences that when one comes to the end of the tale, you find yourself wanting much, much more. Or at least I did. My outbursts of, "Wait, that's it? What the hell!?" were not shouts of offense but desperate cries for more of that story, because there's always more even if the writer never puts it on paper (and I want to read it, damn it!).
Also, because I really, really enjoyed some of these stories and, much like a child trying to get just one more bedtime story, I'm greedy and prone to hissy fits.
The introductions to each story are insightful, giving peeks into how that particular writer developed her story, where it came from and why. And while others may find the annotations in the margins distracting, I loved them. I felt the commentary added an additional depth, sometimes serious in the way of pointing out key thoughts or moments, sometimes amusing additions that give the whole book a warmer feel.
Also, I'm a big fan of snark, and there's quite a bit to be found in those margins. And when some of the stories have such bittersweet or the kind of endings that aren't quite sad but still stick with you long after you've finished, a little humorous snark is always appreciated.
A must read for lovers of short stories, fans of any or all of the three authors, or writers looking for insight into story creation. And while the majority are, in fact, fantasy stories, many others are not, so don't let the genre push you away from picking up The Curiosities.
A Few of My Favorite Curiosities:
The Vampire Box (Gratton)
Date With a Dragon Slayer (Gratton)
Puddles (Gratton)
The Bone-Tender (Yovanoff)
The Last Day of Spring (Stiefvater)
Council of Youth (Stiefvater)
Heart-Shaped Box (Stiefvater)
Berserk (Gratton)
Shelved as 'on-hold'
April 10, 2012This 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
February 8, 2020
Some of the stories were very good and other were just ok. It was interesting to read about their writing process and how they get their ideas.
August 26, 2017
Like with most short story collections, some stories were much better than others.
December 16, 2020
Overall, I adore the marginalia: lil jokes and mutual compliments/teasing and doodles. This is almost a mini-masterclass in the art of short story, instructive and illustrative, as well as being an entertaining and engaging anthology.
(Since these stories are so short and so numerous, I decided not to give half-star ratings.)
"The Vampire Box" by Tessa Gratton
★★★☆☆
Intriguing premise, solid execution. I would've liked a bit more development, but it does work as-is.
"A Murder of Gods" by Maggie Stiefvater
★★★★☆
As always with Stiefvater stories, incredible worldbuilding and vivid characters — it's complete, but you want more.
"The Power of Intent" by Brenna Yovanoff
★★★☆☆
Great premise, interesting themes. But it feels more like an outline than a fully fledged story.
"A History of Love" by Maggie Stiefvater
★★★★☆
Fun and, yes, funny! Great chemistry and group dynamics; love the history/mythology allusions.
"Girls Raised by Wolves" by Brenna Yovanoff
★★★☆☆
Hm. Honestly I don't really get it, but there is definitely something to be gotten, and I definitely want to know more.
"Date with a Dragon Slayer" by Tessa Gratton
★★★★☆
Rich mythology/worldbuilding, sizzling chemistry, tease of an epic (larger) plot.
"Scheherazade" by Brenna Yovanoff
★★★★★
Now THIS is a short story: punchy. twisted. brilliant.
"The Spiral Table" by Tessa Gratton
★★★☆☆
A fantastic and definitely original twist; I'm into the bitter (cut by very little sweet), which absolutely works with the prompt.
"The Madness of Lancelot" by Brenna Yovanoff
★★★☆☆
The prose is lovely and atmospheric, but it's a bit more abstract and philosophical than I like, especially for a short story.
"The Wind Takes Our Cries" by Maggie Stiefvater
★★★☆☆
The karmic retribution is brutal and satisfying, but the characters are somewhat overshadowed by the plot.
"Auburn" by Brenna Yovanoff
★★★★★
What a retelling. The inspiration is super clear without overplaying its specifics, and the thrill of danger enhances the reading experience.
"The Deadlier of the Species" by Maggie Stiefvater
★★★☆☆
Zombies are my least favorite paranormal creature/trope, but at least this setup is really immersive (pun not intended).
"Puddles" by Tessa Gratton
★★★★☆
Holy plot twist Batman. This story contains multitudes.
"The Bone-Tender" by Brenna Yovanoff
★★★★☆
I LIVE for bullies getting their just desserts.
"Death-Ship" by Tessa Gratton
★★☆☆☆
Some great imagery and atmosphere, but I just didn't really feel this one.
"The Last Day of Spring" by Maggie Stiefvater
★★★★☆
Ouch. Punchy and poignant.
"Cut" by Brenna Yovanoff
★★☆☆☆
Objectively? Fascinating. Subjectively? I just don't really like it.
"Philosopher's Flight" by Maggie Stiefvater
★★★★☆
Oooooooh, profound and twisty and marvelous.
"Ash-Tree Spell to Break Your Heart" by Tessa Gratton
★★★★☆
Lots of familiar elements, somehow combined into something exciting and surprising (though there's nothing new under the sun).
"Rain Maker" by Maggie Stiefvater
★★★★☆
A fascinating study of human nature through the lens of an alarmingly believable environmental crisis.
"Dumb Supper" by Tessa Gratton
★★★★☆
Somehow the mix of (slightly) macabre and mouthwatering really works?
"Neighbors" by Brenna Yovanoff
★★★★★
This has a soft kind of sadness: not a gut punch, it creeps up and settles in to stay for a while.
"Council of Youth" by Maggie Stiefvater
★★★☆☆
A promising start with a charismatic cast, but it's more scene than story.
"The Summer Ends in Slaughter" by Tessa Gratton
★★★☆☆
Haunting. Creepy in a good way. Just not my cup of tea.
"Blue as God" by Brenna Yovanoff
★★★☆☆
Love the direct callout of the fairytale parallel; love the imagery and symbolism. Not totally sold on the characters; the worldbuilding/atmosphere is a bit thin.
"Thomas All" by Tessa Gratton
★★★★☆
I want so much more of this.
"Heart-Shaped Box" by Maggie Stiefvater
★★★★★
+1 for the ending — ouch. Disturbing and tragic and haunting.
"Berserk" by Tessa Gratton
★★★☆☆
2 stars for the slightly slow beginning/wind-up; 4 stars for the late-middle and incredible ending.
"Lazarus Girl" by Brenna Yovanoff
★★☆☆☆
Maybe I'm just not smart enough, but the pieces aren't coming together for me. They're nice pieces though, if "nice" can mean unsettling and ghoulish.
"Another Sun" by Maggie Stiefvater
★★★☆☆
I really like the concept and imagery, but this felt a bit underdeveloped.
(Since these stories are so short and so numerous, I decided not to give half-star ratings.)
"The Vampire Box" by Tessa Gratton
★★★☆☆
Intriguing premise, solid execution. I would've liked a bit more development, but it does work as-is.
"A Murder of Gods" by Maggie Stiefvater
★★★★☆
As always with Stiefvater stories, incredible worldbuilding and vivid characters — it's complete, but you want more.
"The Power of Intent" by Brenna Yovanoff
★★★☆☆
Great premise, interesting themes. But it feels more like an outline than a fully fledged story.
"A History of Love" by Maggie Stiefvater
★★★★☆
Fun and, yes, funny! Great chemistry and group dynamics; love the history/mythology allusions.
"Girls Raised by Wolves" by Brenna Yovanoff
★★★☆☆
Hm. Honestly I don't really get it, but there is definitely something to be gotten, and I definitely want to know more.
"Date with a Dragon Slayer" by Tessa Gratton
★★★★☆
Rich mythology/worldbuilding, sizzling chemistry, tease of an epic (larger) plot.
"Scheherazade" by Brenna Yovanoff
★★★★★
Now THIS is a short story: punchy. twisted. brilliant.
"The Spiral Table" by Tessa Gratton
★★★☆☆
A fantastic and definitely original twist; I'm into the bitter (cut by very little sweet), which absolutely works with the prompt.
"The Madness of Lancelot" by Brenna Yovanoff
★★★☆☆
The prose is lovely and atmospheric, but it's a bit more abstract and philosophical than I like, especially for a short story.
"The Wind Takes Our Cries" by Maggie Stiefvater
★★★☆☆
The karmic retribution is brutal and satisfying, but the characters are somewhat overshadowed by the plot.
"Auburn" by Brenna Yovanoff
★★★★★
What a retelling. The inspiration is super clear without overplaying its specifics, and the thrill of danger enhances the reading experience.
"The Deadlier of the Species" by Maggie Stiefvater
★★★☆☆
Zombies are my least favorite paranormal creature/trope, but at least this setup is really immersive (pun not intended).
"Puddles" by Tessa Gratton
★★★★☆
Holy plot twist Batman. This story contains multitudes.
"The Bone-Tender" by Brenna Yovanoff
★★★★☆
I LIVE for bullies getting their just desserts.
"Death-Ship" by Tessa Gratton
★★☆☆☆
Some great imagery and atmosphere, but I just didn't really feel this one.
"The Last Day of Spring" by Maggie Stiefvater
★★★★☆
Ouch. Punchy and poignant.
"Cut" by Brenna Yovanoff
★★☆☆☆
Objectively? Fascinating. Subjectively? I just don't really like it.
"Philosopher's Flight" by Maggie Stiefvater
★★★★☆
Oooooooh, profound and twisty and marvelous.
"Ash-Tree Spell to Break Your Heart" by Tessa Gratton
★★★★☆
Lots of familiar elements, somehow combined into something exciting and surprising (though there's nothing new under the sun).
"Rain Maker" by Maggie Stiefvater
★★★★☆
A fascinating study of human nature through the lens of an alarmingly believable environmental crisis.
"Dumb Supper" by Tessa Gratton
★★★★☆
Somehow the mix of (slightly) macabre and mouthwatering really works?
"Neighbors" by Brenna Yovanoff
★★★★★
This has a soft kind of sadness: not a gut punch, it creeps up and settles in to stay for a while.
"Council of Youth" by Maggie Stiefvater
★★★☆☆
A promising start with a charismatic cast, but it's more scene than story.
"The Summer Ends in Slaughter" by Tessa Gratton
★★★☆☆
Haunting. Creepy in a good way. Just not my cup of tea.
"Blue as God" by Brenna Yovanoff
★★★☆☆
Love the direct callout of the fairytale parallel; love the imagery and symbolism. Not totally sold on the characters; the worldbuilding/atmosphere is a bit thin.
"Thomas All" by Tessa Gratton
★★★★☆
I want so much more of this.
"Heart-Shaped Box" by Maggie Stiefvater
★★★★★
+1 for the ending — ouch. Disturbing and tragic and haunting.
"Berserk" by Tessa Gratton
★★★☆☆
2 stars for the slightly slow beginning/wind-up; 4 stars for the late-middle and incredible ending.
"Lazarus Girl" by Brenna Yovanoff
★★☆☆☆
Maybe I'm just not smart enough, but the pieces aren't coming together for me. They're nice pieces though, if "nice" can mean unsettling and ghoulish.
"Another Sun" by Maggie Stiefvater
★★★☆☆
I really like the concept and imagery, but this felt a bit underdeveloped.
August 25, 2012
Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy
In May of 2008, three unknown writers formed a critique group and website (MerryFates.com) for posting short stories and honing their craft. Fast forward to today, and these three writers are among the best and brightest YA authors writing today. Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff are what I consider to be the holy trinity of YA, and in this wonderfully imaginative anthology, it is abundantly clear why.
I kid you not, there isn’t a single crummy story in THE CURIOSITIES. I’ve never said that about an anthology, but it’s true. There are strange, spooky, and sad stories mixed with charming, creepy, and comical tales. Curious to see how Maggie Stiefvater writes zombies? Or Brenna Yovanoff’s version of a ghost story? How about Tessa Gratton’s take on vampires? Most–though not all–of the stories have an element of the supernatural, but even the “normal” stories have that magical pull about them that make you sigh with frustration that the stories aren’t longer.
Authors will be especially interested in the notes and introductions to each story as the insight into the creative processes of these three authors in invaluable. The whole collection feels like a private journal with all the little doodles and margin notes. It was incredibly fun to see the birth of characters that later found themselves in full novels like Cole from Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver series. There was unfortunately no table of contents, but here are the 30 stories included:
The Vampire Box by Tessa Gratton
A Murder of Gods by Maggie Stiefvater
The Power of Intent by Brenna Yovanoff
A History of Love by Maggie Stiefvater
Girls Raised by Wolves by Brenna Yovanoff
Date with a Dragon Slayer by Tessa Gratton
Scheherazade by Brenna Yovanoff
The Spiral Table by Tessa Gratton
The Madness of Lancelot by Brenna Yovanoff
The Wind Takes Our Cries by Maggie Stiefvater
Auburn by Brenna Yovanoff
The Deadlier of the Species by Maggie Stiefvater
Puddles by Tessa Gratton
The Bone-Tender by Brenna Yovanoff
Death Ship by Tessa Gratton
The Last Day of Spring by Maggie Stiefvater
Cut by Brenna Yovanoff
Philosopher’s Flight by Maggie Stiefvater
Ash-Tree Spell to Break to Your Heart by Tessa Gratton
Rain Maker by Maggie Stiefvater
Dumb Supper by Tessa Gratton
Neighbors by Brenna Yovanoff
Council of Youth by Maggie Stiefvater
The Summer Ends in Slaughter by Tessa Gratton
Blue as God by Brenna Yovanoff
Thomas All by Tessa Gratton
Heart -Shaped Box by Maggie Stiefvater
Berserk by Tessa Gratton
Lazarus Girl by Brenna Yovanoff
Another Sun by Maggie Stiefvater
Sexual Content:
Kissing. References to sex. References to rape
In May of 2008, three unknown writers formed a critique group and website (MerryFates.com) for posting short stories and honing their craft. Fast forward to today, and these three writers are among the best and brightest YA authors writing today. Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff are what I consider to be the holy trinity of YA, and in this wonderfully imaginative anthology, it is abundantly clear why.
I kid you not, there isn’t a single crummy story in THE CURIOSITIES. I’ve never said that about an anthology, but it’s true. There are strange, spooky, and sad stories mixed with charming, creepy, and comical tales. Curious to see how Maggie Stiefvater writes zombies? Or Brenna Yovanoff’s version of a ghost story? How about Tessa Gratton’s take on vampires? Most–though not all–of the stories have an element of the supernatural, but even the “normal” stories have that magical pull about them that make you sigh with frustration that the stories aren’t longer.
Authors will be especially interested in the notes and introductions to each story as the insight into the creative processes of these three authors in invaluable. The whole collection feels like a private journal with all the little doodles and margin notes. It was incredibly fun to see the birth of characters that later found themselves in full novels like Cole from Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver series. There was unfortunately no table of contents, but here are the 30 stories included:
The Vampire Box by Tessa Gratton
A Murder of Gods by Maggie Stiefvater
The Power of Intent by Brenna Yovanoff
A History of Love by Maggie Stiefvater
Girls Raised by Wolves by Brenna Yovanoff
Date with a Dragon Slayer by Tessa Gratton
Scheherazade by Brenna Yovanoff
The Spiral Table by Tessa Gratton
The Madness of Lancelot by Brenna Yovanoff
The Wind Takes Our Cries by Maggie Stiefvater
Auburn by Brenna Yovanoff
The Deadlier of the Species by Maggie Stiefvater
Puddles by Tessa Gratton
The Bone-Tender by Brenna Yovanoff
Death Ship by Tessa Gratton
The Last Day of Spring by Maggie Stiefvater
Cut by Brenna Yovanoff
Philosopher’s Flight by Maggie Stiefvater
Ash-Tree Spell to Break to Your Heart by Tessa Gratton
Rain Maker by Maggie Stiefvater
Dumb Supper by Tessa Gratton
Neighbors by Brenna Yovanoff
Council of Youth by Maggie Stiefvater
The Summer Ends in Slaughter by Tessa Gratton
Blue as God by Brenna Yovanoff
Thomas All by Tessa Gratton
Heart -Shaped Box by Maggie Stiefvater
Berserk by Tessa Gratton
Lazarus Girl by Brenna Yovanoff
Another Sun by Maggie Stiefvater
Sexual Content:
Kissing. References to sex. References to rape
July 2, 2016
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: Entertaining and strange short stories for those who like their stories on the weird side.
The Review:
The Curiosities is a collection of short stories from Maggie Stiefvater, Brenna Yovanoff, and Tessa Gratton. If you are unfamiliar with these authors they have a website called Merry Fates that they each contribute a short story to every week. These stories are for those who like their stories on the strange or “curious” side of life.
What I liked about this collection was the fact that the authors contributed their thoughts to each other’s stories and the interesting tidbits that they would contribute about their own stories. I wished there were more notes than there actually were. This inside look into their minds was quite funny and horrifying at the same time. I highly recommend this collection for those who want to write because of some of the insight these authors have to give.
This collection is filled with a bunch of short stories. Some of these stories are wonderful and others left me shaking my head. I don’t want to go into each story because that is just too much so I am going to focus on the one main story that I really enjoyed by each author.
Berserk by Tessa Gratton is clearly the longest story in this collection. (Maggie and Brenna give her crap for writing the longest stories.) Rein is a Berserker who just got done from a terrible war where his ilk were all killed. The troll wars continue and he is a lone rider that discovers a lone survivor after her family is slaughtered. This story was heartbreaking yet empowering at the same time. A young girl discovers the strength in herself to destroy those who ripped apart her life. Tessa writes before the story that this came from a thought about why being a Berserker would be a good thing. This story came from wanting to understand a characters motivations and why they were the way they were. Plus, this story gets bonus points for mentioning my home state.
Heart-Shaped Box by Maggie Stiefvater is a strange take on immortality. What would you do to live forever? This story may not actually be about immortality, more of a how do I keep living for now instead of dying from a terrible disease but I think deep down it was a story on immortality. It also brings up the fact, why is one person more important to live than another. This was another story that made me a bit sad but I’m still thinking about it and the terribleness of this world. Maggie states that this story was based off of the box from Snow White but I can’t help but think of the Nirvana song.
Brenna Yovanoff really enjoys the tragic stories with messed up endings. I feel like she’s got something for deadly men and even deadlier women. That being said, Scheherazade is the one story that really stuck with me. A woman is confronted with a man who wants to kill her only he doesn’t realize that he’s more than met his match on the killing front. I had a hard time picking which story to choose from her because I did like her take on the fantasy genre.
The Curiosities was a fun collection. I enjoyed every story even the ones that left me scratching my head saying “What?!?” I’m not much of a fan for open endings so there were a couple stories that matched that criteria. As discussed within, opening endings are endings too, I just like having a definitive ending. I’m really excited to see that they have released a second collection. I can’t wait to pick it up.
FTC Advisory: Lerner Publishing Group provided me with a copy of The Curiosities. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Quick & Dirty: Entertaining and strange short stories for those who like their stories on the weird side.
The Review:
The Curiosities is a collection of short stories from Maggie Stiefvater, Brenna Yovanoff, and Tessa Gratton. If you are unfamiliar with these authors they have a website called Merry Fates that they each contribute a short story to every week. These stories are for those who like their stories on the strange or “curious” side of life.
What I liked about this collection was the fact that the authors contributed their thoughts to each other’s stories and the interesting tidbits that they would contribute about their own stories. I wished there were more notes than there actually were. This inside look into their minds was quite funny and horrifying at the same time. I highly recommend this collection for those who want to write because of some of the insight these authors have to give.
This collection is filled with a bunch of short stories. Some of these stories are wonderful and others left me shaking my head. I don’t want to go into each story because that is just too much so I am going to focus on the one main story that I really enjoyed by each author.
Berserk by Tessa Gratton is clearly the longest story in this collection. (Maggie and Brenna give her crap for writing the longest stories.) Rein is a Berserker who just got done from a terrible war where his ilk were all killed. The troll wars continue and he is a lone rider that discovers a lone survivor after her family is slaughtered. This story was heartbreaking yet empowering at the same time. A young girl discovers the strength in herself to destroy those who ripped apart her life. Tessa writes before the story that this came from a thought about why being a Berserker would be a good thing. This story came from wanting to understand a characters motivations and why they were the way they were. Plus, this story gets bonus points for mentioning my home state.
Heart-Shaped Box by Maggie Stiefvater is a strange take on immortality. What would you do to live forever? This story may not actually be about immortality, more of a how do I keep living for now instead of dying from a terrible disease but I think deep down it was a story on immortality. It also brings up the fact, why is one person more important to live than another. This was another story that made me a bit sad but I’m still thinking about it and the terribleness of this world. Maggie states that this story was based off of the box from Snow White but I can’t help but think of the Nirvana song.
Brenna Yovanoff really enjoys the tragic stories with messed up endings. I feel like she’s got something for deadly men and even deadlier women. That being said, Scheherazade is the one story that really stuck with me. A woman is confronted with a man who wants to kill her only he doesn’t realize that he’s more than met his match on the killing front. I had a hard time picking which story to choose from her because I did like her take on the fantasy genre.
The Curiosities was a fun collection. I enjoyed every story even the ones that left me scratching my head saying “What?!?” I’m not much of a fan for open endings so there were a couple stories that matched that criteria. As discussed within, opening endings are endings too, I just like having a definitive ending. I’m really excited to see that they have released a second collection. I can’t wait to pick it up.
FTC Advisory: Lerner Publishing Group provided me with a copy of The Curiosities. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
October 24, 2015
Title: The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories
Author(s): Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff
Age Group: Teen/Young Adult
Genre: Anthology/Short Stories
Series: N/A
Star Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
I borrowed this book from my local library and reviewed it.
Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff are three titans in the young adult literature industry. All are bestselling authors, two of which have series under their belts. They have also started a blog called 'The Merry Sisters of Fate', where most of the pieces in this collection first appeared. (That site can be found at: themerryfates.com.) I have read books from Yovanoff and Stiefvater, and will be looking into Gratton's work as soon as I'm able. (Norse mythology in young adult fiction? I am so excited for The Songs of New Asgard series!)
This book completely blew me away. A collection of pieces from all three women, complete with drawings and notes in said pieces. It was an unusually formatted book, but I loved it. As both a reader and writer, it spoke to my soul. It was beyond thrilling to be granted a window into all three women's writing processes, as well as to read these beautiful, though often dark, stories. I'm not going to review it like I normally do for a short story collection, as there are just far too many to review one at a time. But you can also see, through this volume, the deep friendship that the authors share: as women, as authors, and as readers. This book was such a treat, in that the stories were so intensely personal.
This book really has me tempted to go to my library and grab as many books by these three as possible. The short stories in this collection were like brief, tiny windows into the worlds (and minds) of these blockbuster authors, and I enjoyed every single dark, twisted, crazy minute of it. There was not a story in this book that didn't speak to me in some way--I loved them all. It was such a fun journey into how these women think and work--it felt like I was being admitted to a secret world, the world of people who do what I do for a living: write, even when they want to tear their hair out. It was so fun.
What can I say? This book was just wonderful, and if anyone has ever been curious about the writing process, or love short stories, you need to get your hands on this must-have collection. I promise you, you won't regret it. The bottom line: A fun, and often dark, window into these writers' brains, The Curiosities is a fantastic, can't miss collection--a short story volume to be read by all who have a passion for stories and writing! One of my very favorite books! Next on deck: Conversion by Katherine Howe!
literatureobsessed.blogspot.com
Author(s): Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff
Age Group: Teen/Young Adult
Genre: Anthology/Short Stories
Series: N/A
Star Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
I borrowed this book from my local library and reviewed it.
Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff are three titans in the young adult literature industry. All are bestselling authors, two of which have series under their belts. They have also started a blog called 'The Merry Sisters of Fate', where most of the pieces in this collection first appeared. (That site can be found at: themerryfates.com.) I have read books from Yovanoff and Stiefvater, and will be looking into Gratton's work as soon as I'm able. (Norse mythology in young adult fiction? I am so excited for The Songs of New Asgard series!)
This book completely blew me away. A collection of pieces from all three women, complete with drawings and notes in said pieces. It was an unusually formatted book, but I loved it. As both a reader and writer, it spoke to my soul. It was beyond thrilling to be granted a window into all three women's writing processes, as well as to read these beautiful, though often dark, stories. I'm not going to review it like I normally do for a short story collection, as there are just far too many to review one at a time. But you can also see, through this volume, the deep friendship that the authors share: as women, as authors, and as readers. This book was such a treat, in that the stories were so intensely personal.
This book really has me tempted to go to my library and grab as many books by these three as possible. The short stories in this collection were like brief, tiny windows into the worlds (and minds) of these blockbuster authors, and I enjoyed every single dark, twisted, crazy minute of it. There was not a story in this book that didn't speak to me in some way--I loved them all. It was such a fun journey into how these women think and work--it felt like I was being admitted to a secret world, the world of people who do what I do for a living: write, even when they want to tear their hair out. It was so fun.
What can I say? This book was just wonderful, and if anyone has ever been curious about the writing process, or love short stories, you need to get your hands on this must-have collection. I promise you, you won't regret it. The bottom line: A fun, and often dark, window into these writers' brains, The Curiosities is a fantastic, can't miss collection--a short story volume to be read by all who have a passion for stories and writing! One of my very favorite books! Next on deck: Conversion by Katherine Howe!
literatureobsessed.blogspot.com
September 21, 2020
I read this book during Reading Rush.
Click to see my vlogs discussing this title.
Click to see the wrap up video that includes this title.
T.A.A.C.T. (stories it appears in are in parenthesis)
» Trigger Warnings
Derogatory reference to cutting (3)
Verbal Abuse/Bullying (3)
Physical Abuse/Bullying (3,5,11)
Use of “psychopath” (7)
Murder (7)
Drowning (7,13)
Sororicide (7)
Grief/Loss (9,15)
Gore, Blood (10,24,26,28)
Dissection (10)
Death or injury of an animal (10,14,24)
Use of the word “fat” (12)
The P word (12)
LGBTQ Derogatory terms (14)
Starvation (15)
Eating Disorder (15)
Scars- Facial (15)
Name Calling (16)
Body Negativity/Body Dysmorphic Disorder (17)
Virus (20)
Torture (25)
Cutting (27)
Police record (27)
Hanging (29)
Bondage (29)
Arson/Pyromania (30)
» Adumbration (Representation/Diversity)
Orphan-ish?(2)
Faith/Religion (16,24) -not really good representation though
Racial Diversity (18,28)
Sunlight Alertness deficit (20)
»Archetypes (Tropes)
Coming of Age (1)
Pop Culture References (2,3,28)
Mythology (2,28)
Wishes (3)
Homecoming Dance (3)
Secret Love (4)
History/History Major (4)
High School (3,5,13)
Girl Crush (5)
Carnival (6)
Blind Date (6)
Tattoo (6)
Instalove (6)
Villain-ish Romance (7)
Weaponry (7)
Arthurian Legend (8,9,10)
Mosh Pit (11)
Zombies (12)
Sisters (14)
Childhood memories/ flashbacks (14)
Faith/Religion (15,16)
Catholic (16)
Cold Weather (15)
Retelling (8,9,10,16)
“Neurotic geniuses and fallible leaders (17)
Automaton-ish? (17)
Forbidden Love (19)
Voyeurism (20)
Reality Shows (20)
Apocalypse (12,20)
Contract (20)
Food (21)
Ghosts (21)
Halloween (21)
Photography (22)
Politics (23)
Government Takeover (23)
No Adults (23)
Party (25)
Musician/band (27)
Trolls (28)
Motorcycles (28)
Little Red Riding Hood (29)
Bluebeard (29)
Jack the Ripper (29)
» Controversial Topics
Profanity (1,5,12,13,22)
Underage Drinking-to the point of drunk (3)
Politics in the media (12)
Sexual Content (16,17)
Nudity (20)
»Themes
Girls can be mean.
Sometimes being who you are is hard.
Rebelling to fit in.
Female standards.
Everyone has a past.
Genre Description:
This collection is mostly along the darker lines, mostly fantastical or scifi, but the following stories are contemporary, or mostly lighter with a dark twist at the end:
•Story 3: The Power of Intent by Brenna Yovanoff
•Story 5: Girl Raised by Wolves by Brenna Yovanoff
Story 1:The Vampire Box by Tessa Gratton
Very enjoyable!! This story had its own little world, and I just fell right in! I am DYING to know more (no pun intended). The cliffhanger ending was beautifully cruel!
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★☆
Story 2: A Murder of Gods by Maggie Stiefvater
This story starts out with random factoids and an interesting setting, and unfolds with an intriguing plot! This drew me in and left me sad to see the end!
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★★
Story 3: The Power Of Intent by Brenna Yovanoff
An interesting story with a different feel. The twist was great!
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★☆
Story 4: A History of Love by Maggie Stiefvater
This was cute! There were some moments that were a little rough, but in general a fun read!
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★★
Story 5: Girl Raised by Wolves by Brenna Yovanoff
What a CRAZY wonderful story!!! The ending SMACKS you with feels like you never expected!
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★★
Story 6: Date with a Dragon Slayer by Tessa Gratton
A fun idea to play with, but nothing super outstanding to me within the story.
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★☆☆
Story 7: Scheherazade by Brenna Yovanoff
This story had some BEAUTIFUL lines toward the beginning! A fun idea, but could use a polish, especially regarding specific parts of the motivations.
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★☆
Story 8: The Spiral Table by Tessa Gratton
Some artful writing: Not everything is clearly defined as metaphorical or magical, making it a fun adventure! I also enjoy the very unique approach with a more obscure element than what is normally chosen for Arthurian retellings. SUPER elegant details within the writing! LOTS of feels!
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★☆
Story 9: The Madness of Lancelot by Brenna Yovanoff
The sectioning in this story is SUCH an intriguing method! Beautiful and brilliant!
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★★
Story 10: The Wind Takes Our Cries by Maggie Stiefvater/u>
SUCH a strange experience: a couple of things I couldn’t stand combined with some amazing things I loved!
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★☆
Story 11: Auburn by Brenna Yovanoff
I don’t remember the details I tabbed in this story, but I didn’t like it as much as the others.
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★☆☆
Story 12: The Deadlier of the Species by Maggie Stiefvater
There was a LOT of potential for this story, but some pretty crappy elements as well. Language, name calling, etc. Gender related comments that were not at all inclusive. Weird change into 2nd person at the end that didn’t make sense.
» Individual Story Rating:
★★☆☆☆
Story 13: Puddles by Tessa Gratton
4.5, really, on this one. CRAZY ending! This one was super weird, in a great way! I look forward to experiencing it through re-read sometime soon!
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★☆
Story 14: The Bone-Tender by Brenna Yovanoff
There was a section I wasn’t so much of a fan of towards the end, but it wasn’t too bad.
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★☆☆
Story 15: Death Ship by Tessa Gratton
Some PRETTY writing in this one with a TON of feels in the end!
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★★
Story 16: The Last Day of Spring by Maggie Stiefvater
4.5 for this one! Some artful word use in it throughout, as well!
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★☆
Story 17: Cut by Brenna Yovanoff
This story was a retelling of Snow White: I feel like it was an odd experience for me and that I’ll need to reread it a few times to really understand everything fully.
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★☆☆
Story 18: Philosopher’s Flight by Maggie Stiefvater
This was good, very intriguing!
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★☆
Story 19: Ash-Tree Spell to Break your Heart by Tessa Gratton
I CANNOT with the starting idea for this story! SO good! One of those ideas you wish were your own! The writing in this story was to DIE for! I absolutely love it! SO many feels!
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★★
Story 20: Rain Maker by Maggie Stiefvater
There was a rather icky moment in this one that I wasn’t a fan of… “gawd-forsaken” was actually typed out JUST like that on page… Otherwise it was just ok.
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★☆☆
Story 21: Dumb Supper by Tessa Gratton
There was a plot whole at the end, but otherwise not bad! I enjoyed the idea of this one, just feel like it could have done more.
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★☆☆
Story 22: Neighbors by Brenna Yovanoff
This story is one of my favorites! It pulled SO much emotion out of me!
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★★
Story 23: Council of Youth by Maggie Stiefvater
I feel like not much happened in this story, it didn’t make sense, and it didn’t really pull together.
» Individual Story Rating:
★★☆☆☆
Story 24: The Summer Ends in Slaughter by Tessa Gratton
I don’t even remember why I disliked this story so much… I think I blocked it out.
» Individual Story Rating:
★★☆☆☆
Story 25: Blue as God by Brenna Yovanoff
The title of this story is irrelevant to any of the contents… BUT anyways… Changes tenses in one part, and it didn’t make sense.
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★☆
Story 26: Thomas-All by Tessa Gratton
Weird little story, this one. Not really my jam so much.
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★☆☆
Story 27: Heart-Shaped Box by Maggie Stiefvater
Ok so the word “dude” was WAY overused in this story… But it was still pretty good.
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★☆
Story 28: Berserk by Tessa Gratton
There was a plot hole, but otherwise it was good!
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★☆
Story 29: Lazarus Girl by Brenna Yovanoff
A stupid joke was in this one, but otherwise enjoyable.
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★☆
Story 30: Another Sun by Maggie Stiefvater
One icky comment but otherwise so enjoyable!
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★★
Rating Average
3.8333 (Lower than I anticipated!)
»From Foul to Favorite
Foul Lines and Moments
Favorite Lines and Moments
Overall:
WOW this anthology was an EXPERIENCE! I LOVED the book overall! Most of the stories were AMAZING and very inspiring and idea-fueling. I also ADORED getting the annotations from the authors. If you’re at all intrigued by this book, GO for it!
Click to see my vlogs discussing this title.
Click to see the wrap up video that includes this title.
T.A.A.C.T. (stories it appears in are in parenthesis)
» Trigger Warnings
Derogatory reference to cutting (3)
Verbal Abuse/Bullying (3)
Physical Abuse/Bullying (3,5,11)
Use of “psychopath” (7)
Murder (7)
Drowning (7,13)
Sororicide (7)
Grief/Loss (9,15)
Gore, Blood (10,24,26,28)
Dissection (10)
Death or injury of an animal (10,14,24)
Use of the word “fat” (12)
The P word (12)
LGBTQ Derogatory terms (14)
Starvation (15)
Eating Disorder (15)
Scars- Facial (15)
Name Calling (16)
Body Negativity/Body Dysmorphic Disorder (17)
Virus (20)
Torture (25)
Cutting (27)
Police record (27)
Hanging (29)
Bondage (29)
Arson/Pyromania (30)
» Adumbration (Representation/Diversity)
Orphan-ish?(2)
Faith/Religion (16,24) -not really good representation though
Racial Diversity (18,28)
Sunlight Alertness deficit (20)
»Archetypes (Tropes)
Coming of Age (1)
Pop Culture References (2,3,28)
Mythology (2,28)
Wishes (3)
Homecoming Dance (3)
Secret Love (4)
History/History Major (4)
High School (3,5,13)
Girl Crush (5)
Carnival (6)
Blind Date (6)
Tattoo (6)
Instalove (6)
Villain-ish Romance (7)
Weaponry (7)
Arthurian Legend (8,9,10)
Mosh Pit (11)
Zombies (12)
Sisters (14)
Childhood memories/ flashbacks (14)
Faith/Religion (15,16)
Catholic (16)
Cold Weather (15)
Retelling (8,9,10,16)
“Neurotic geniuses and fallible leaders (17)
Automaton-ish? (17)
Forbidden Love (19)
Voyeurism (20)
Reality Shows (20)
Apocalypse (12,20)
Contract (20)
Food (21)
Ghosts (21)
Halloween (21)
Photography (22)
Politics (23)
Government Takeover (23)
No Adults (23)
Party (25)
Musician/band (27)
Trolls (28)
Motorcycles (28)
Little Red Riding Hood (29)
Bluebeard (29)
Jack the Ripper (29)
» Controversial Topics
Profanity (1,5,12,13,22)
Underage Drinking-to the point of drunk (3)
Politics in the media (12)
Sexual Content (16,17)
Nudity (20)
»Themes
Girls can be mean.
Sometimes being who you are is hard.
Rebelling to fit in.
Female standards.
Everyone has a past.
Genre Description:
This collection is mostly along the darker lines, mostly fantastical or scifi, but the following stories are contemporary, or mostly lighter with a dark twist at the end:
•Story 3: The Power of Intent by Brenna Yovanoff
•Story 5: Girl Raised by Wolves by Brenna Yovanoff
Story 1:The Vampire Box by Tessa Gratton
Very enjoyable!! This story had its own little world, and I just fell right in! I am DYING to know more (no pun intended). The cliffhanger ending was beautifully cruel!
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★☆
Story 2: A Murder of Gods by Maggie Stiefvater
This story starts out with random factoids and an interesting setting, and unfolds with an intriguing plot! This drew me in and left me sad to see the end!
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★★
Story 3: The Power Of Intent by Brenna Yovanoff
An interesting story with a different feel. The twist was great!
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★☆
Story 4: A History of Love by Maggie Stiefvater
This was cute! There were some moments that were a little rough, but in general a fun read!
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★★
Story 5: Girl Raised by Wolves by Brenna Yovanoff
What a CRAZY wonderful story!!! The ending SMACKS you with feels like you never expected!
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★★
Story 6: Date with a Dragon Slayer by Tessa Gratton
A fun idea to play with, but nothing super outstanding to me within the story.
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★☆☆
Story 7: Scheherazade by Brenna Yovanoff
This story had some BEAUTIFUL lines toward the beginning! A fun idea, but could use a polish, especially regarding specific parts of the motivations.
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★☆
Story 8: The Spiral Table by Tessa Gratton
Some artful writing: Not everything is clearly defined as metaphorical or magical, making it a fun adventure! I also enjoy the very unique approach with a more obscure element than what is normally chosen for Arthurian retellings. SUPER elegant details within the writing! LOTS of feels!
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★☆
Story 9: The Madness of Lancelot by Brenna Yovanoff
The sectioning in this story is SUCH an intriguing method! Beautiful and brilliant!
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★★
Story 10: The Wind Takes Our Cries by Maggie Stiefvater/u>
SUCH a strange experience: a couple of things I couldn’t stand combined with some amazing things I loved!
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★☆
Story 11: Auburn by Brenna Yovanoff
I don’t remember the details I tabbed in this story, but I didn’t like it as much as the others.
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★☆☆
Story 12: The Deadlier of the Species by Maggie Stiefvater
There was a LOT of potential for this story, but some pretty crappy elements as well. Language, name calling, etc. Gender related comments that were not at all inclusive. Weird change into 2nd person at the end that didn’t make sense.
» Individual Story Rating:
★★☆☆☆
Story 13: Puddles by Tessa Gratton
4.5, really, on this one. CRAZY ending! This one was super weird, in a great way! I look forward to experiencing it through re-read sometime soon!
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★☆
Story 14: The Bone-Tender by Brenna Yovanoff
There was a section I wasn’t so much of a fan of towards the end, but it wasn’t too bad.
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★☆☆
Story 15: Death Ship by Tessa Gratton
Some PRETTY writing in this one with a TON of feels in the end!
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★★
Story 16: The Last Day of Spring by Maggie Stiefvater
4.5 for this one! Some artful word use in it throughout, as well!
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★☆
Story 17: Cut by Brenna Yovanoff
This story was a retelling of Snow White: I feel like it was an odd experience for me and that I’ll need to reread it a few times to really understand everything fully.
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★☆☆
Story 18: Philosopher’s Flight by Maggie Stiefvater
This was good, very intriguing!
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★☆
Story 19: Ash-Tree Spell to Break your Heart by Tessa Gratton
I CANNOT with the starting idea for this story! SO good! One of those ideas you wish were your own! The writing in this story was to DIE for! I absolutely love it! SO many feels!
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★★
Story 20: Rain Maker by Maggie Stiefvater
There was a rather icky moment in this one that I wasn’t a fan of… “gawd-forsaken” was actually typed out JUST like that on page… Otherwise it was just ok.
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★☆☆
Story 21: Dumb Supper by Tessa Gratton
There was a plot whole at the end, but otherwise not bad! I enjoyed the idea of this one, just feel like it could have done more.
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★☆☆
Story 22: Neighbors by Brenna Yovanoff
This story is one of my favorites! It pulled SO much emotion out of me!
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★★
Story 23: Council of Youth by Maggie Stiefvater
I feel like not much happened in this story, it didn’t make sense, and it didn’t really pull together.
» Individual Story Rating:
★★☆☆☆
Story 24: The Summer Ends in Slaughter by Tessa Gratton
I don’t even remember why I disliked this story so much… I think I blocked it out.
» Individual Story Rating:
★★☆☆☆
Story 25: Blue as God by Brenna Yovanoff
The title of this story is irrelevant to any of the contents… BUT anyways… Changes tenses in one part, and it didn’t make sense.
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★☆
Story 26: Thomas-All by Tessa Gratton
Weird little story, this one. Not really my jam so much.
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★☆☆
Story 27: Heart-Shaped Box by Maggie Stiefvater
Ok so the word “dude” was WAY overused in this story… But it was still pretty good.
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★☆
Story 28: Berserk by Tessa Gratton
There was a plot hole, but otherwise it was good!
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★☆
Story 29: Lazarus Girl by Brenna Yovanoff
A stupid joke was in this one, but otherwise enjoyable.
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★☆
Story 30: Another Sun by Maggie Stiefvater
One icky comment but otherwise so enjoyable!
» Individual Story Rating:
★★★★★
Rating Average
3.8333 (Lower than I anticipated!)
»From Foul to Favorite
Foul Lines and Moments
Favorite Lines and Moments
Overall:
WOW this anthology was an EXPERIENCE! I LOVED the book overall! Most of the stories were AMAZING and very inspiring and idea-fueling. I also ADORED getting the annotations from the authors. If you’re at all intrigued by this book, GO for it!
June 21, 2020
This review originally appeared on my blog, Books Without Any Pictures: https://bookswithoutanypictures.com/2...
I received a review copy of The Curiosities waaaaay back in 2012, when I first was getting into book blogging and went through that phase when advanced reader copies were still a novelty and I acquired a lot of them and only to have to come to terms with the fact that I are human and there are only so many books that I can read at a time. Then covid hit, my social life drastically changed, and one of my friends invited me to a virtual get-together where we’d read excerpts of stories we enjoyed, or short fiction. I perused the collections of short stories on my shelves and pulled out The Curiosities, and discovered something delightful.
The Curiosities is a collection of short stories by three young adult authors, Maggie Stiefvater, Brenna Yovanoff, and Tessa Gratton. Each author contributed unedited short stories to the collection, and then the other authors comment on them in the margins. It’s a really cool exploration of the writing process, and gives you a chance to get into how the authors conceptualize their work. And some of the stories in the collection are all three authors responding to the same prompt (for example, Arthurian legend) but in vastly different ways. And the title The Curiosities is very fitting, as the stories on the whole tend to delve into the fantastical, and straddle the line between fantasy, fairy tale, horror, and contemporary genres. There are stories about dangerous boys and even more dangerous women, about vampires, and high school shenanigans. The stories are dark and whimsical, and I couldn’t get enough.
I never quite know how to review short story collections, even after years of blogging. I’ve shifted from reviewing each individual story to talking about a collection overall. This time I’ll just mention a couple of my favorite stories.
The first story in the collection, The Vampire Box, was the one that sucked me in (vampire pun intended). A girl’s father keeps a vampire imprisoned in their basement. It’s supposed to be lucky, and nobody seems to question it. The girl befriends the vampire, but now she’s finishing high school and is going to be making her own way in the world, so she has to decide whether or not to leave the vampire behind. It’s a story exploring risk and reward, and taking leaps into the unknown.
I also greatly enjoyed the story Puddles. It starts out as a whimsical story about a girl who stares at puddles and a boy who teases her by jumping in them, but as the two characters move from childhood to their teenage years, a normal childhood experience turns somewhat more sinister. It’s the kind of story that sends shivers down your spine, in a good way. This was the story that I ended up reading aloud to the group.
I wish that I had the time and capacity to have read The Curiosities years ago, but I’m glad that I picked it up again when I did. It was the right book for the right moment, and I hope that if you decide to read it, that you enjoy it as much as I did.
I received a review copy of The Curiosities waaaaay back in 2012, when I first was getting into book blogging and went through that phase when advanced reader copies were still a novelty and I acquired a lot of them and only to have to come to terms with the fact that I are human and there are only so many books that I can read at a time. Then covid hit, my social life drastically changed, and one of my friends invited me to a virtual get-together where we’d read excerpts of stories we enjoyed, or short fiction. I perused the collections of short stories on my shelves and pulled out The Curiosities, and discovered something delightful.
The Curiosities is a collection of short stories by three young adult authors, Maggie Stiefvater, Brenna Yovanoff, and Tessa Gratton. Each author contributed unedited short stories to the collection, and then the other authors comment on them in the margins. It’s a really cool exploration of the writing process, and gives you a chance to get into how the authors conceptualize their work. And some of the stories in the collection are all three authors responding to the same prompt (for example, Arthurian legend) but in vastly different ways. And the title The Curiosities is very fitting, as the stories on the whole tend to delve into the fantastical, and straddle the line between fantasy, fairy tale, horror, and contemporary genres. There are stories about dangerous boys and even more dangerous women, about vampires, and high school shenanigans. The stories are dark and whimsical, and I couldn’t get enough.
I never quite know how to review short story collections, even after years of blogging. I’ve shifted from reviewing each individual story to talking about a collection overall. This time I’ll just mention a couple of my favorite stories.
The first story in the collection, The Vampire Box, was the one that sucked me in (vampire pun intended). A girl’s father keeps a vampire imprisoned in their basement. It’s supposed to be lucky, and nobody seems to question it. The girl befriends the vampire, but now she’s finishing high school and is going to be making her own way in the world, so she has to decide whether or not to leave the vampire behind. It’s a story exploring risk and reward, and taking leaps into the unknown.
I also greatly enjoyed the story Puddles. It starts out as a whimsical story about a girl who stares at puddles and a boy who teases her by jumping in them, but as the two characters move from childhood to their teenage years, a normal childhood experience turns somewhat more sinister. It’s the kind of story that sends shivers down your spine, in a good way. This was the story that I ended up reading aloud to the group.
I wish that I had the time and capacity to have read The Curiosities years ago, but I’m glad that I picked it up again when I did. It was the right book for the right moment, and I hope that if you decide to read it, that you enjoy it as much as I did.
July 2, 2020
This was a fun collection to read, even though I'm usually not a big fan of short stories. I enjoyed almost all of the stories and I definitely enjoyed all of the commentary; that was my favorite part.
I liked Stiefvater's stories the best, followed by Gratton's. Most of Yovanoff's stories were so fragmentary that I didn't particularly enjoy them, though I did like her writing style.
Overall, I enjoyed this. A list of all the stories and my star ratings for them are in the spoiler below.
I liked Stiefvater's stories the best, followed by Gratton's. Most of Yovanoff's stories were so fragmentary that I didn't particularly enjoy them, though I did like her writing style.
Overall, I enjoyed this. A list of all the stories and my star ratings for them are in the spoiler below.
May 4, 2018
While the stories were quirky and dark(I love them),they mostly ended in cliffhangers.I understand that a good story should make you want more, but ending every story with a cliffhanger annoyed me a lot. I am sure there will be plenty of readers who like this but abrupt and vague endings are not for me.
September 22, 2012
RATING: ★★★★
SUMMARY:
From acclaimed YA authors Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff comes The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories.
- A vampire locked in a cage in the basement, for good luck.
- Bad guys, clever girls, and the various reasons why the guys have to stop breathing.
- A world where fires never go out (with references to vanilla ice cream).
These are but a few of the curiosities collected in this volume of short stories by three acclaimed practitioners of paranormal fiction.
But The Curiosities is more than the stories. Since 2008, Maggie, Tessa, and Brenna have posted more than 250 works of short fiction to their website merryfates.com. Their goal was simple: create a space for experimentation and improvisation in their writing—all in public and without a backspace key. In that spirit, The Curiosities includes the stories and each author's comments, critiques, and kudos in the margins. Think of it as a guided tour of the creative processes of three acclaimed authors.
So, are you curious now?
Summary courtesy of Goodreads
REVIEW:
To understand this review, you need to understand how much I adore Maggie Stiefvater and everything she writes. When I first read her werewolf series, Shiver, I thought it was pretty good. When I read the sequel, Linger, I thought it was great. After finishing the series conclusion, Forever, it solidified my respect for her. If I could choose one person to write like, it would be her. Of course, there is always the incredible John Green, but he is in a league by himself. Honestly.
The wonderful thing about Maggie is that she is very multi-talented. Somehow she managed to write beautifully, have four main characters with their own POV’s, branch off in other directions after the Shiver trilogy, and become one of my favorite authors in the process. I like that she gives an equal amount of time and effort to each character and none of them ever seem under-developed. It boggles my mind when authors write in multiple POV’s. Two point-of-views, is one thing, but FOUR?! Insane. She also wrote a stand-alone novel and has started a new series. That is even more impressive. After an author finishes a major series they can get into this rut. Maggie didn’t do that. She continued to branch out and try and succeed.
The main point of me telling you all of that is for you to see that I am very biased towards her. I can’t help it. I’ve read all her books, and even met her in person (along with Tessa Gratton and Brenna Yovanoff, but we’ll get to that later). I’m not sure if I would’ve loved The Curiosities had she not been one of the authors.
Actually, I’m still not sure if I loved it. Maybe it’s because I had never read an anthology of short stories before that drove me crazy or maybe it was the short stories themselves. I liked them all and some I loved but in short stories you don’t get the time to invest yourself in the characters, even when you really want to. This killed me. There were so many spectacular ideas in those stories I would want to read individual novels for. I am undoubtedly a novel person but I’m very pleased that I read this. I learned a lot as a writer from all of the drawings and advice scribbled in the margins. It was lovely to be able to witness these famous authors develop and grow before they were famous. Writing can be overwhelming and having someone right there sharing stories that are unedited and previously used as tools to improve their writing, was very reassuring.
After finishing, I felt motivated to write. Crazy, huh?! I had never thought about short stories as “novel playgrounds”. I always become so afraid to “waste” an idea on a short story so I don’t write and pretend I’m saving it for a novel. Needless to say, discovering that my philosophy sucked was a huge revelation.
As for the actual stories in the book, I had many favorites and, yes, I did enjoy Maggie’s the most. But, I will say that after I while I stopped trying to identify who wrote what and whose handwriting belonged to whomever. Although after meeting Brenna and Tessa and hearing about some of their other books, I will definitely be checking those out to get a better idea of their style.
For those of you who have read the book a few of my favorites were:
A Murder of Gods/Stiefvater – I love mythology stories and groups of kids rebelling against adults. When I was younger I was always the kid who thought she was going to start a revolution on the playground.
Beserk/Gratton- I would have sobbed if this had been a novel
Girl Raised by Wolves/Yovanoff- This story was shocking. Everything made sense, it’s just that one minute the girls were talking and the next…
Of course, there were many more by Maggie that I adored but I’m starting to feel bad that I spent the whole time talking about her. Brenna and Tessa were really wonderful as well, I promise. I wish I had bought a copy of the book when at the signing my library hosted because I know that this is a book I will want to flip through again and again.
SUMMARY:
From acclaimed YA authors Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff comes The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories.
- A vampire locked in a cage in the basement, for good luck.
- Bad guys, clever girls, and the various reasons why the guys have to stop breathing.
- A world where fires never go out (with references to vanilla ice cream).
These are but a few of the curiosities collected in this volume of short stories by three acclaimed practitioners of paranormal fiction.
But The Curiosities is more than the stories. Since 2008, Maggie, Tessa, and Brenna have posted more than 250 works of short fiction to their website merryfates.com. Their goal was simple: create a space for experimentation and improvisation in their writing—all in public and without a backspace key. In that spirit, The Curiosities includes the stories and each author's comments, critiques, and kudos in the margins. Think of it as a guided tour of the creative processes of three acclaimed authors.
So, are you curious now?
Summary courtesy of Goodreads
REVIEW:
To understand this review, you need to understand how much I adore Maggie Stiefvater and everything she writes. When I first read her werewolf series, Shiver, I thought it was pretty good. When I read the sequel, Linger, I thought it was great. After finishing the series conclusion, Forever, it solidified my respect for her. If I could choose one person to write like, it would be her. Of course, there is always the incredible John Green, but he is in a league by himself. Honestly.
The wonderful thing about Maggie is that she is very multi-talented. Somehow she managed to write beautifully, have four main characters with their own POV’s, branch off in other directions after the Shiver trilogy, and become one of my favorite authors in the process. I like that she gives an equal amount of time and effort to each character and none of them ever seem under-developed. It boggles my mind when authors write in multiple POV’s. Two point-of-views, is one thing, but FOUR?! Insane. She also wrote a stand-alone novel and has started a new series. That is even more impressive. After an author finishes a major series they can get into this rut. Maggie didn’t do that. She continued to branch out and try and succeed.
The main point of me telling you all of that is for you to see that I am very biased towards her. I can’t help it. I’ve read all her books, and even met her in person (along with Tessa Gratton and Brenna Yovanoff, but we’ll get to that later). I’m not sure if I would’ve loved The Curiosities had she not been one of the authors.
Actually, I’m still not sure if I loved it. Maybe it’s because I had never read an anthology of short stories before that drove me crazy or maybe it was the short stories themselves. I liked them all and some I loved but in short stories you don’t get the time to invest yourself in the characters, even when you really want to. This killed me. There were so many spectacular ideas in those stories I would want to read individual novels for. I am undoubtedly a novel person but I’m very pleased that I read this. I learned a lot as a writer from all of the drawings and advice scribbled in the margins. It was lovely to be able to witness these famous authors develop and grow before they were famous. Writing can be overwhelming and having someone right there sharing stories that are unedited and previously used as tools to improve their writing, was very reassuring.
After finishing, I felt motivated to write. Crazy, huh?! I had never thought about short stories as “novel playgrounds”. I always become so afraid to “waste” an idea on a short story so I don’t write and pretend I’m saving it for a novel. Needless to say, discovering that my philosophy sucked was a huge revelation.
As for the actual stories in the book, I had many favorites and, yes, I did enjoy Maggie’s the most. But, I will say that after I while I stopped trying to identify who wrote what and whose handwriting belonged to whomever. Although after meeting Brenna and Tessa and hearing about some of their other books, I will definitely be checking those out to get a better idea of their style.
For those of you who have read the book a few of my favorites were:
A Murder of Gods/Stiefvater – I love mythology stories and groups of kids rebelling against adults. When I was younger I was always the kid who thought she was going to start a revolution on the playground.
Beserk/Gratton- I would have sobbed if this had been a novel
Girl Raised by Wolves/Yovanoff- This story was shocking. Everything made sense, it’s just that one minute the girls were talking and the next…
Of course, there were many more by Maggie that I adored but I’m starting to feel bad that I spent the whole time talking about her. Brenna and Tessa were really wonderful as well, I promise. I wish I had bought a copy of the book when at the signing my library hosted because I know that this is a book I will want to flip through again and again.
August 3, 2012
After having reading works by each of the authors and visiting the Merry Sisters of Fate website, I was excited to see this book come out. Each short story features a little intro by the author of that story along with another one of the writers and their view on the story.
ARC reviewed by Jessica for Book Sake.
All of the stories have handwritten notes from the authors in the margins. Often they talk about what they liked and what worked and how they got to that point in their writing process (and maybe even what one author wishes she would be able to write as well as the others). I’m not certain if the finished book will state whose comments are whose, but in the ARC it didn’t show that – so unfortunately I couldn’t tell who was saying what. It would have been nice to know if it was the author commenting on her own work or if it was one of the other two making comments.
Mixed in between the stories are a few extra handwritten things from the authors. The usual – hand drawn diagrams of what subject matter makes up their brain, what their office space looks like, lists of what goes into their stories. I think that the handwritten bits are the best part of this book, especially for writers.
The stories vary in length from a couple of pages to 20ish (at least via a digital book). There are a number of standouts from each other, as well as a number that just went on and on and seemed to get lost. That was expected though, as what they have done on their website is new and different, clever and quirky.
Any fans of any of these writers will find something to delight them. If you haven’t read one, two, or any of the writers – then this is a great anthology to get to know them and find which ones writing style you like best. While they are all very different, I think most that like one author will probably be fond of each of them.
ARC reviewed by Jessica for Book Sake.
All of the stories have handwritten notes from the authors in the margins. Often they talk about what they liked and what worked and how they got to that point in their writing process (and maybe even what one author wishes she would be able to write as well as the others). I’m not certain if the finished book will state whose comments are whose, but in the ARC it didn’t show that – so unfortunately I couldn’t tell who was saying what. It would have been nice to know if it was the author commenting on her own work or if it was one of the other two making comments.
Mixed in between the stories are a few extra handwritten things from the authors. The usual – hand drawn diagrams of what subject matter makes up their brain, what their office space looks like, lists of what goes into their stories. I think that the handwritten bits are the best part of this book, especially for writers.
The stories vary in length from a couple of pages to 20ish (at least via a digital book). There are a number of standouts from each other, as well as a number that just went on and on and seemed to get lost. That was expected though, as what they have done on their website is new and different, clever and quirky.
Any fans of any of these writers will find something to delight them. If you haven’t read one, two, or any of the writers – then this is a great anthology to get to know them and find which ones writing style you like best. While they are all very different, I think most that like one author will probably be fond of each of them.
June 14, 2014
This review was originally posted at my (now dead) book blog shutupimreading.blogspot.com. My current blog is thebillcosbysweater.wordpress.com
Let me start off this review by saying that there are little notes the authors made in the pages, but I was unable to read them on my e-reader, so I might have missed some stuff.
Stories I Liked
Vampire Box by Tessa Gratton
A Murder of Gods by Maggie Stiefvater
The Madness of Lancelot by Brenna Yovanoff
The Wind Takes Our Cries by Maggie Stiefvater
Auburn by Brenna Yovanoff
Puddles by Tessa Gratton
The Bone-Tender by Brenna Yovanoff
Death-Ship by Tessa Gratton
Cut by Brenna Yovanoff
Philosopher's Flight by Maggie Stiefvater
Dumb Supper by Tessa Gratton
Neighbors by Brenna Yovanoff
The Summer Ends In Slaughter by Tessa Gratton
Berserk by Tessa Gratton
Lazarus Girl by Brenna Yovanoff
Stories I was "Eh" About (Most os these ended up confusing me)
Blue As God by Brenna Yovanoff
Thomas All by Tessa Gratton
The Power of Intent by Brenna Yovanoff
A History of Love by Maggie Stiefvater
Girl Raised by Wolves by Brenna Yovanoff
Council of Youth by Maggie Stiefvater
Rain Maker by Maggie Stiefvater
Stories I LOVED
Another Sun by Maggie Stiefvater
Date with a Dragon Slayer by Tessa Gratton
Scheherazade by Brenna Yovanoff
The Deadlier of Species by Maggie Stiefvater
The Last Day of Spring by Maggie Stiefvater
Ash-Tree Spell to Break Your Heart by Tessa Gratton
Overall, this was a really cool look into three awesome author's creative process, especially as the stories were mostly uneditied. I'll definitely need to be buying this one for my shelves so a) I can read the notes and b) I need to re-read the ones I loved. Because I really did LOVE those. I would definitely recommend this one.
Let me start off this review by saying that there are little notes the authors made in the pages, but I was unable to read them on my e-reader, so I might have missed some stuff.
Stories I Liked
Vampire Box by Tessa Gratton
A Murder of Gods by Maggie Stiefvater
The Madness of Lancelot by Brenna Yovanoff
The Wind Takes Our Cries by Maggie Stiefvater
Auburn by Brenna Yovanoff
Puddles by Tessa Gratton
The Bone-Tender by Brenna Yovanoff
Death-Ship by Tessa Gratton
Cut by Brenna Yovanoff
Philosopher's Flight by Maggie Stiefvater
Dumb Supper by Tessa Gratton
Neighbors by Brenna Yovanoff
The Summer Ends In Slaughter by Tessa Gratton
Berserk by Tessa Gratton
Lazarus Girl by Brenna Yovanoff
Stories I was "Eh" About (Most os these ended up confusing me)
Blue As God by Brenna Yovanoff
Thomas All by Tessa Gratton
The Power of Intent by Brenna Yovanoff
A History of Love by Maggie Stiefvater
Girl Raised by Wolves by Brenna Yovanoff
Council of Youth by Maggie Stiefvater
Rain Maker by Maggie Stiefvater
Stories I LOVED
Another Sun by Maggie Stiefvater
Date with a Dragon Slayer by Tessa Gratton
Scheherazade by Brenna Yovanoff
The Deadlier of Species by Maggie Stiefvater
The Last Day of Spring by Maggie Stiefvater
Ash-Tree Spell to Break Your Heart by Tessa Gratton
Overall, this was a really cool look into three awesome author's creative process, especially as the stories were mostly uneditied. I'll definitely need to be buying this one for my shelves so a) I can read the notes and b) I need to re-read the ones I loved. Because I really did LOVE those. I would definitely recommend this one.
February 25, 2021
Four years later I'm still in love. <3
_____________
Incredible. Normally, I can't stand short stories and flash fiction. I hate being ripped out of a world or away from characters too soon, hate the dangling, interpretative open endings, hate the overly refined clever little twists and touches.
All of which to say, I stayed up until 4 am and finished this book in huge gulps, a single day of inspiration and maddening jealousy and awe. And then I ordered all of the authors' books that I hadn't already read. I knew Brenna Yovanoff was brilliant. I didn't know she was part of a trio of genius writers. So many good things.
The stories are beautiful, tragic, shiny and shadow-wrapped. The mutual reviews, notes and doodles heighten the experience, pointing out glimmers of brilliance that you might not have (I might not have) otherwise picked up on.
Get your hands on a copy of this book. If at all possible, buy it so you can add your own notes, and come back to it, and let it make more stories out of and in and through you. Then get the next one. Then go to their website and print out the unpublished stories, hoping that brilliance is a contagion.
_____________
Incredible. Normally, I can't stand short stories and flash fiction. I hate being ripped out of a world or away from characters too soon, hate the dangling, interpretative open endings, hate the overly refined clever little twists and touches.
All of which to say, I stayed up until 4 am and finished this book in huge gulps, a single day of inspiration and maddening jealousy and awe. And then I ordered all of the authors' books that I hadn't already read. I knew Brenna Yovanoff was brilliant. I didn't know she was part of a trio of genius writers. So many good things.
The stories are beautiful, tragic, shiny and shadow-wrapped. The mutual reviews, notes and doodles heighten the experience, pointing out glimmers of brilliance that you might not have (I might not have) otherwise picked up on.
Get your hands on a copy of this book. If at all possible, buy it so you can add your own notes, and come back to it, and let it make more stories out of and in and through you. Then get the next one. Then go to their website and print out the unpublished stories, hoping that brilliance is a contagion.
December 12, 2016
Okay the last story? The best one! What a great way to go out. Bring on the next anthology, ladies.
August 1, 2017
I've never been much of a short stories person because I always end up wanting more but I can definitely say it's one of my favorite collections of short stories. although with some stories I was disappointed it was the end over all I’m really happy I decided to read something different. these stories were short and sweet with fantastic commentary from all 3 authors. This book is a small gem, a unique and curious world of bizarre, poetic, sometimes sad and disturbing stories. One thing note is the that the authors made little notes and drawings in the pages and sometimes some of the handwriting illegible so I might have missed out on some stuff but over all I though is was a great add on to the book
January 30, 2021
This is a very solid short story anthology. All of the stories were well-written, though several felt like they just got cut off too early, or that the authors didn't have the motivation to see them through to the end. But there were some /incredible/ stories in here, like "The Neighbors", "The Heart-Shaped Box", and "Another Sun", to name my personal favourites.
In this anthology, you will also see Maggie Stiefvater write about zombies. And trust me, it's not pleasant. LOL
Anyway, I enjoyed this a lot, and I do recommend it!
In this anthology, you will also see Maggie Stiefvater write about zombies. And trust me, it's not pleasant. LOL
Anyway, I enjoyed this a lot, and I do recommend it!
June 12, 2020
Probably the only short story collection where I like 99% of the stories. The 1.5 stories I didn't like as much were only really because they were too short and I wanted more.
There's vampires, imperiled girls getting revenge, fires, Norse mythology, psychopaths, ghosts, fairy takes, etc. They're all pretty great. These three ladies are very talented. Plus, the doodles and notes about how they were writing are very entertaining and illuminating.
There's vampires, imperiled girls getting revenge, fires, Norse mythology, psychopaths, ghosts, fairy takes, etc. They're all pretty great. These three ladies are very talented. Plus, the doodles and notes about how they were writing are very entertaining and illuminating.
April 28, 2017
There's some really good stories in here, and I don't remember any of them falling flat for me.
September 11, 2021
* actually, it's more like a 3.5 stars ⭐⭐⭐
Read
November 30, 2017Fun, quirky, enjoyable. Definitely recommend for fantasy or magical realism fans.
April 25, 2018
Lecturas:
- 1°: 2018 (4 estrellas)
- 1°: 2018 (4 estrellas)
December 14, 2019
This was a book that I had seen at the library a couple times before I actually realized what it was, and once I did, I knew I had to read this. I originally picked it up because I'm a big fan of Maggie Stiefvater, but I hadn't read any of Tessa Gratton's or Brenna Yovanoff's books prior to this. I'll admit right off, that while I loved the idea of this book right off, I wasn't really planning on reading every story in the collection. I rarely do with short stories anthologies. But once I started, I could not stop reading these stories, and I would suggest to anyone who might be thinking the same as I originally did, to sit down and read them all.
As a writer, I loved to see the three's notes on their stories and the funny little things and quips between them. There's nothing more awesome than writer camaraderie, something I have thankfully been blessed with, and I saw it so much in these three that it made me happy and excited just to read their stories. You know you have been writing together too long when you start to think of a story that is a "Maggie Story" or a "Tessa Story" as they did in this book, which made me laugh, because I have been there before too. In short, this was just a lovely study as a writer, and I enjoyed every minute of this book for that aspect.
As a reader, this book reminded me why I love short fiction. It's been a long time since I read short stories. Probably not since High School Lit, apart from a couple random things I read since then for my own enjoyment. But this book totally made me want to write short fiction myself. What I loved most about the stories in here was that a lot of them were experiments, and that is truly what I love about short stories. You have the chance to give an idea the trial run before putting it into an actual novel. There are also things you can get away with in short stories that you can't with full length fiction. I think in a lot of ways, short fiction can show a lot more about an author than novels can, and I now feel I know these three very well after reading this book.
As I said before, I'm a huge fan of Maggie Stiefvater. Her stories are always original, and her short stories were no exception. Even some of the weirder ones, I did like, because I liked to see how she was trying out something different, and I appreciate that as a writer. I also came to really love Tessa Gratton's writing style, and now look forward to reading some of her books. Her style is very descriptive, sometimes lovely, and she appreciates a good bit of gore, which I, in turn appreciate ;) It's hard to choose a favorite story from this book, even though I definitely liked some more than others, but some of Tessa's really did end up being my favs like "Thomas All" and probably topping out as a favorite for the whole collection was "Berserk". I just loved the idea of a modern day Viking culture. And I especially loved how she wrote it kind of in the style of a saga or kind of like Beowulf. Her story "Dumb Supper" was also a favorite of mine. As far as Maggie's go, I think I enjoyed them all in some way or other. For some reason the one that really stuck with me was her Arthurian one "The Wind Takes Our Cries".
I'm really still not sure how I feel about Brenna Yovanoff's stories. I didn't really connect with them, and I'll admit that I got kind of tired of the reiterating theme of stupid teenage girl getting into trouble and having to beat up (and sometimes kill) nasty guys. Now, I'm all for girls taking down nasty guys if they have to, but she never seemed to have a GOOD guy in any of her stories unless he was messed up. I do totally love a nasty bad guy, don't get me wrong, but when it's the same thing over and over again, always a damsel in distress who saves herself without the help of a GOOD guy, I have to label it feminist, and well, I won't get into an argument on that. That being said, while I didn't care for her continuous stories like that, some of hers were actually very Poe-esque which, while I can't say I actually LIKED it, it was interesting to see the style and she IS a very good writer, I just don't care for her material. The one story I did like of hers was "Neighbors" It was really bittersweet but it didn't have the same dark, psychopathic feel like a lot (most) of her others did.
Anyway, as a whole, I loved this book, and I would totally buy a copy of it now. There's a lot of awesome stories in this, and I would suggest this book to amateur and veteran writers alike.
As a writer, I loved to see the three's notes on their stories and the funny little things and quips between them. There's nothing more awesome than writer camaraderie, something I have thankfully been blessed with, and I saw it so much in these three that it made me happy and excited just to read their stories. You know you have been writing together too long when you start to think of a story that is a "Maggie Story" or a "Tessa Story" as they did in this book, which made me laugh, because I have been there before too. In short, this was just a lovely study as a writer, and I enjoyed every minute of this book for that aspect.
As a reader, this book reminded me why I love short fiction. It's been a long time since I read short stories. Probably not since High School Lit, apart from a couple random things I read since then for my own enjoyment. But this book totally made me want to write short fiction myself. What I loved most about the stories in here was that a lot of them were experiments, and that is truly what I love about short stories. You have the chance to give an idea the trial run before putting it into an actual novel. There are also things you can get away with in short stories that you can't with full length fiction. I think in a lot of ways, short fiction can show a lot more about an author than novels can, and I now feel I know these three very well after reading this book.
As I said before, I'm a huge fan of Maggie Stiefvater. Her stories are always original, and her short stories were no exception. Even some of the weirder ones, I did like, because I liked to see how she was trying out something different, and I appreciate that as a writer. I also came to really love Tessa Gratton's writing style, and now look forward to reading some of her books. Her style is very descriptive, sometimes lovely, and she appreciates a good bit of gore, which I, in turn appreciate ;) It's hard to choose a favorite story from this book, even though I definitely liked some more than others, but some of Tessa's really did end up being my favs like "Thomas All" and probably topping out as a favorite for the whole collection was "Berserk". I just loved the idea of a modern day Viking culture. And I especially loved how she wrote it kind of in the style of a saga or kind of like Beowulf. Her story "Dumb Supper" was also a favorite of mine. As far as Maggie's go, I think I enjoyed them all in some way or other. For some reason the one that really stuck with me was her Arthurian one "The Wind Takes Our Cries".
I'm really still not sure how I feel about Brenna Yovanoff's stories. I didn't really connect with them, and I'll admit that I got kind of tired of the reiterating theme of stupid teenage girl getting into trouble and having to beat up (and sometimes kill) nasty guys. Now, I'm all for girls taking down nasty guys if they have to, but she never seemed to have a GOOD guy in any of her stories unless he was messed up. I do totally love a nasty bad guy, don't get me wrong, but when it's the same thing over and over again, always a damsel in distress who saves herself without the help of a GOOD guy, I have to label it feminist, and well, I won't get into an argument on that. That being said, while I didn't care for her continuous stories like that, some of hers were actually very Poe-esque which, while I can't say I actually LIKED it, it was interesting to see the style and she IS a very good writer, I just don't care for her material. The one story I did like of hers was "Neighbors" It was really bittersweet but it didn't have the same dark, psychopathic feel like a lot (most) of her others did.
Anyway, as a whole, I loved this book, and I would totally buy a copy of it now. There's a lot of awesome stories in this, and I would suggest this book to amateur and veteran writers alike.
January 11, 2016
4.5
From acclaimed YA authors Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff comes The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories.
- A vampire locked in a cage in the basement, for good luck.
- Bad guys, clever girls, and the various reasons why the guys have to stop breathing.
- A world where fires never go out (with references to vanilla ice cream).
These are but a few of the curiosities collected in this volume of short stories by three acclaimed practitioners of paranormal fiction.
But The Curiosities is more than the stories. Since 2008, Maggie, Tessa, and Brenna have posted more than 250 works of short fiction to their website merryfates.com. Their goal was simple: create a space for experimentation and improvisation in their writing—all in public and without a backspace key. In that spirit, The Curiosities includes the stories and each author's comments, critiques, and kudos in the margins. Think of it as a guided tour of the creative processes of three acclaimed authors.
So, are you curious now?
4.5 different amazing short stories
This book was different from the rest of the anthology that I have read (which is only one so far) it involved three different authors that I haven't yet and I love all there writing styles and their ideas which were very interesting and more complex than I have read and through reading these story I can tell the different between each author writing and what there theme is. I have favourite stories from these authors in this book but I'm going to chose one.
Maggie theme in her stories: When I was reading her short stories I could tell a very similar theme then the other two because she has a very lighter way of telling things and gives it a creep factor to it unlike the other which are creepy but the have a darker tone, but with Maggie you go into her world and be her characters and feel like your there with them and seeing what there going through which I liked and she was very different in her ideas and her portray in her characters. My favourite story by her was the gods one which I forgot the name but it's where the kids go to this school and there protected there and then these two kids want to find who there parents are and they try to escape.
Tessa theme in her stories: Her and Brenna theme are very similar but they had different ways of telling their stories like with Tessa she kids character development in each of her stories and world build up which was good and both her and Brenna had magic but Tessa was more lighter magic but both of there themes had darker meaning to it but you can laugh in all of them. My favorite story by Tessa is the one where all these ghost come on Halloween for dinner at this girls house and she has known them since she was little and had a crush on this one ghost she has known since she was 13 and it was a little cute darker kind of thing.
Brenna theme's in her stories: Like I said in Tessa theme how is said both of there theme were darker with magic Brenna dealt more with more serial killers and killing instead of more happy kind of stories like the other 2 with Brenna you got to go into a serial killer head, a murder victim and romance that will never happened. you got to go in people minds that are more darker than yours which I liked and it was very different. My favorite story by her was when this intruder comes into her house and tries to kill her but the lady in the house makes a story where she actually killed someone and told him to meet somewhere so they can kill someone together, and you think that she was doing this to get out of it but in reality she killed her boyfriend and no one knows.
Reading these authors different type of themes was interesting to see how they write and I like them all that I might read there book and there other anthology together which is telling how to write something.
From acclaimed YA authors Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff comes The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories.
- A vampire locked in a cage in the basement, for good luck.
- Bad guys, clever girls, and the various reasons why the guys have to stop breathing.
- A world where fires never go out (with references to vanilla ice cream).
These are but a few of the curiosities collected in this volume of short stories by three acclaimed practitioners of paranormal fiction.
But The Curiosities is more than the stories. Since 2008, Maggie, Tessa, and Brenna have posted more than 250 works of short fiction to their website merryfates.com. Their goal was simple: create a space for experimentation and improvisation in their writing—all in public and without a backspace key. In that spirit, The Curiosities includes the stories and each author's comments, critiques, and kudos in the margins. Think of it as a guided tour of the creative processes of three acclaimed authors.
So, are you curious now?
4.5 different amazing short stories
This book was different from the rest of the anthology that I have read (which is only one so far) it involved three different authors that I haven't yet and I love all there writing styles and their ideas which were very interesting and more complex than I have read and through reading these story I can tell the different between each author writing and what there theme is. I have favourite stories from these authors in this book but I'm going to chose one.
Maggie theme in her stories: When I was reading her short stories I could tell a very similar theme then the other two because she has a very lighter way of telling things and gives it a creep factor to it unlike the other which are creepy but the have a darker tone, but with Maggie you go into her world and be her characters and feel like your there with them and seeing what there going through which I liked and she was very different in her ideas and her portray in her characters. My favourite story by her was the gods one which I forgot the name but it's where the kids go to this school and there protected there and then these two kids want to find who there parents are and they try to escape.
Tessa theme in her stories: Her and Brenna theme are very similar but they had different ways of telling their stories like with Tessa she kids character development in each of her stories and world build up which was good and both her and Brenna had magic but Tessa was more lighter magic but both of there themes had darker meaning to it but you can laugh in all of them. My favorite story by Tessa is the one where all these ghost come on Halloween for dinner at this girls house and she has known them since she was little and had a crush on this one ghost she has known since she was 13 and it was a little cute darker kind of thing.
Brenna theme's in her stories: Like I said in Tessa theme how is said both of there theme were darker with magic Brenna dealt more with more serial killers and killing instead of more happy kind of stories like the other 2 with Brenna you got to go into a serial killer head, a murder victim and romance that will never happened. you got to go in people minds that are more darker than yours which I liked and it was very different. My favorite story by her was when this intruder comes into her house and tries to kill her but the lady in the house makes a story where she actually killed someone and told him to meet somewhere so they can kill someone together, and you think that she was doing this to get out of it but in reality she killed her boyfriend and no one knows.
Reading these authors different type of themes was interesting to see how they write and I like them all that I might read there book and there other anthology together which is telling how to write something.
June 7, 2012
This was the first collection of stories I have ever read. I’m not a fan of short stories. I mainly liked it because of the authors. Maggie Stiefvater’s stories are the best. I love how well she balanced horror and humor! Tessa Gratton’s writing was really great times but there were some stories I wish would continue. I guess Brenna Yovanoff is good, too but her characters really need therapy!!!
So here’s how I rated every story (Also added my fav moments):
The Vampire Box by Tessa Gratton – 4 stars
A Murder of Gods by Maggie Stiefvater - 4 stars – I really liked this story but the heroine is frustrating for some reason
The Power of Intent by Brenna Yovanoff - 3 stars
A History of Love by Maggie Stiefvater - 3 stars
Andy and I text each other. I see his head duck as he looks at his phone, and my phone rumbles silently in my hand.
Me: wow i love our kids. we should have more of them.
Him: we will. i forgot to mention im pregnant
I see his head turn ever so slightly as he listens for my reaction. I cannot laugh, or Daphne will emote on me, so I tap out another text.
Me: i just peed myself
Him: me too. i think it gets better after the 1st tri-mester (LOL!)
Girls Raised by Wolves by Brenna Yovanoff – 2.5 stars. ????
Date with a Dragon Slayer by Tessa Gratton – 5 stars (LOVE this one!)
Scheherazade by Brenna Yovanoff – 4 stars
The Spiral Table by Tessa Gratton – 4 stars
The Madness of Lancelot by Brenna Yovanoff – 3 stars
The Wind Takes Our Cries by Maggie Stiefvater – 2 stars
Auburn by Brenna Yovanoff – 3 stars
The Deadlier of the Species by Maggie Stiefvater – 5 stars. my fav moment:
Annette had been Jamie’s best friend for more than a decade, but Jamie didn’t hesitate. “Shoot her, An -drew.”
“I can’t,” Andrew said. They backed up together, shoulder to shoulder, toward the counter.
Jamie snapped, “You pussy.”
“No, really,” said Andrew. He tapped the trigger. “I can’t. It’s stuck.”
Puddles by Tessa Gratton – 3 stars
The Bone-Tender by Brenna Yovanoff – 4 stars
Death Ship by Tessa Gratton – 4 stars
The Last Day of Spring by Maggie Stiefvater – 5 stars
Cut by Brenna Yovanoff – 3.5 stars (Gosh, those two should be locked up in a mental ward)
Philosopher’s Flight by Maggie Stiefvater – 3.5 (A strange but interesting story)
Ash-Tree Spell to Break to Your Heart by Tessa Gratton – 5 stars (it’s her best story)
Rain Maker by Maggie Stiefvater – 2.5 stars
Dumb Supper by Tessa Gratton – 2 stars (yes, it is dumb!)
Neighbors by Brenna Yovanoff – 3.5 stars (weird but interesting)
Council of Youth by Maggie Stiefvater – 3 stars
The Summer Ends in Slaughter by Tessa Gratton – 2 stars
Blue as God by Brenna Yovanoff – 1 star
Thomas All by Tessa Gratton - ???
Heart – Shaped Box by Maggie Stiefvater -2 stars
Berserk by Tessa Gratton – 4 stars
Lazarus Girl by Brenna Yovanoff – 2 stars
Another Sun by Maggie Stiefvater – 2 stars
The last stories were all weird. I’m not sure how a good story is since I haven’t read any before. Stories are nothing like books and novellas I usually go for. I like unusual (:
So here’s how I rated every story (Also added my fav moments):
The Vampire Box by Tessa Gratton – 4 stars
A Murder of Gods by Maggie Stiefvater - 4 stars – I really liked this story but the heroine is frustrating for some reason
The Power of Intent by Brenna Yovanoff - 3 stars
A History of Love by Maggie Stiefvater - 3 stars
Andy and I text each other. I see his head duck as he looks at his phone, and my phone rumbles silently in my hand.
Me: wow i love our kids. we should have more of them.
Him: we will. i forgot to mention im pregnant
I see his head turn ever so slightly as he listens for my reaction. I cannot laugh, or Daphne will emote on me, so I tap out another text.
Me: i just peed myself
Him: me too. i think it gets better after the 1st tri-mester (LOL!)
Girls Raised by Wolves by Brenna Yovanoff – 2.5 stars. ????
Date with a Dragon Slayer by Tessa Gratton – 5 stars (LOVE this one!)
Scheherazade by Brenna Yovanoff – 4 stars
The Spiral Table by Tessa Gratton – 4 stars
The Madness of Lancelot by Brenna Yovanoff – 3 stars
The Wind Takes Our Cries by Maggie Stiefvater – 2 stars
Auburn by Brenna Yovanoff – 3 stars
The Deadlier of the Species by Maggie Stiefvater – 5 stars. my fav moment:
Annette had been Jamie’s best friend for more than a decade, but Jamie didn’t hesitate. “Shoot her, An -drew.”
“I can’t,” Andrew said. They backed up together, shoulder to shoulder, toward the counter.
Jamie snapped, “You pussy.”
“No, really,” said Andrew. He tapped the trigger. “I can’t. It’s stuck.”
Puddles by Tessa Gratton – 3 stars
The Bone-Tender by Brenna Yovanoff – 4 stars
Death Ship by Tessa Gratton – 4 stars
The Last Day of Spring by Maggie Stiefvater – 5 stars
Cut by Brenna Yovanoff – 3.5 stars (Gosh, those two should be locked up in a mental ward)
Philosopher’s Flight by Maggie Stiefvater – 3.5 (A strange but interesting story)
Ash-Tree Spell to Break to Your Heart by Tessa Gratton – 5 stars (it’s her best story)
Rain Maker by Maggie Stiefvater – 2.5 stars
Dumb Supper by Tessa Gratton – 2 stars (yes, it is dumb!)
Neighbors by Brenna Yovanoff – 3.5 stars (weird but interesting)
Council of Youth by Maggie Stiefvater – 3 stars
The Summer Ends in Slaughter by Tessa Gratton – 2 stars
Blue as God by Brenna Yovanoff – 1 star
Thomas All by Tessa Gratton - ???
Heart – Shaped Box by Maggie Stiefvater -2 stars
Berserk by Tessa Gratton – 4 stars
Lazarus Girl by Brenna Yovanoff – 2 stars
Another Sun by Maggie Stiefvater – 2 stars
The last stories were all weird. I’m not sure how a good story is since I haven’t read any before. Stories are nothing like books and novellas I usually go for. I like unusual (:
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