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The Poison Eaters and Other Stories
by
Pick your poison: Vampires, devils, werewolves, faeries, or . . . ? Find them all here in Holly Black’s amazing first collection.
In her debut collection, New York Times best-selling author Holly Black returns to the world of Tithe in two darkly exquisite new tales. Then Black takes readers on a tour of a faerie market and introduces a girl poisonous to the touch and anothe ...more
In her debut collection, New York Times best-selling author Holly Black returns to the world of Tithe in two darkly exquisite new tales. Then Black takes readers on a tour of a faerie market and introduces a girl poisonous to the touch and anothe ...more
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Hardcover, 212 pages
Published
April 1st 2010
by Big Mouth House
(first published February 9th 2010)
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This collection was just okay. The stories were okay, the characters were okay, the plot twists were okay. It was forgettable.
I was surprised at how predictable the twists were. It was clear to me from the moment some of the stories started how they were going to end. The foreshadowing is heavy. Characters sometimes read books that are parallels to the story they're living in, which is the oldest foreshadowing trick in the book and also the worst.
These short stories weren't bad, but I wouldn't ...more
I was surprised at how predictable the twists were. It was clear to me from the moment some of the stories started how they were going to end. The foreshadowing is heavy. Characters sometimes read books that are parallels to the story they're living in, which is the oldest foreshadowing trick in the book and also the worst.
These short stories weren't bad, but I wouldn't ...more
There are too few short story collections by single authors, and this one is incredible. It came highly recommended by Caitlin R Kiernan (herself a master of short fiction) and certainly didn't disappoint. These stories are sharp, with varied styles and tones ranging from gritty to ethereal to satirical.
"A Reversal of Fortune" about a deal with the devil and a wounded dog, was probably my favorite. But "The Night Market" about a girl trying to free her sister from an elf curse and "Paper Cuts S ...more
"A Reversal of Fortune" about a deal with the devil and a wounded dog, was probably my favorite. But "The Night Market" about a girl trying to free her sister from an elf curse and "Paper Cuts S ...more
These stories were so fun! I especially enjoyed the one with Roiben and Corny! :)
A couple of these stories were enjoyable. The rest just fell flat.
Oct 02, 2014
Stephanie (Bookfever)
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
fantasy,
vampires,
short-stories,
paranormal,
shifters,
fae,
young-adult,
owned-physical-books,
anthologies
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown:
I'm not sure what to think about this story. At first I was wondering where this would go and thinking it was a bit odd, even for me. But when the vampires started getting into the story, it was then that it started getting more interesting. Also, Belgium was mentioned, which is always funny since I'm from Belgium; 'So many of Belgium's citizens were vampires that shops barely opened their doors until nightfall.' -3/5
A Reversal of Fortune:
This story was quite dark, i ...more
I'm not sure what to think about this story. At first I was wondering where this would go and thinking it was a bit odd, even for me. But when the vampires started getting into the story, it was then that it started getting more interesting. Also, Belgium was mentioned, which is always funny since I'm from Belgium; 'So many of Belgium's citizens were vampires that shops barely opened their doors until nightfall.' -3/5
A Reversal of Fortune:
This story was quite dark, i ...more
After reading, and really liking, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, I kind of wanted to read more of Holly Black. And as I was researching what to read next, I realized I already owned something by her. This book, which I've had for, umh, a few years.
I'm not good with short story anthologies, switching from one story to the next after only a few pages is really difficult for me. But it wasn't a problem here. Each story was a delight in its own way, and all where properly magical, and blended realit ...more
I'm not good with short story anthologies, switching from one story to the next after only a few pages is really difficult for me. But it wasn't a problem here. Each story was a delight in its own way, and all where properly magical, and blended realit ...more
This is a short story collection written solely by Holly Black. There is everything you could ever hope for from a paranormal book packed into this small but entertaining set of stories.
A few favourites of mine include -
'The Night Market' which is about a girl called Tomasa who tries to save her sister from a elf's curse but ends up falling for him in all the wrong ways. Tomasa wasn't afraid to stand up to the elf even though he had alluring qualities.
'In Vodka Veritas' Which is about a boy wh ...more
A few favourites of mine include -
'The Night Market' which is about a girl called Tomasa who tries to save her sister from a elf's curse but ends up falling for him in all the wrong ways. Tomasa wasn't afraid to stand up to the elf even though he had alluring qualities.
'In Vodka Veritas' Which is about a boy wh ...more
So, after reading "The Cruel Prince" and "The Wicked King" (multiple times) earlier this year. I've been re-reading/reading pretty much all of Holly Black's books.
"Virgin", "The Boy Who Cried Wolf", "In Vodka Veritas" and "A Reversal of Fortune" fell short. But the rest of the stories are absolute gems!
Here are the highlights:
"The Land of Heart's Desire"
I loved catching up with characters from "Tithe" and "Ironside" and learning about Roiben's childhood. Apparently, not everything is a fairy ta ...more
"Virgin", "The Boy Who Cried Wolf", "In Vodka Veritas" and "A Reversal of Fortune" fell short. But the rest of the stories are absolute gems!
Here are the highlights:
"The Land of Heart's Desire"
I loved catching up with characters from "Tithe" and "Ironside" and learning about Roiben's childhood. Apparently, not everything is a fairy ta ...more
For me, a couple of the stories were mildly interesting but I found myself mostly bored. Not Miss Black"s fault, she's very talented but I just couldn't continue with this one.
...more
This anthology packs a punch. An amazing first story to pulls you in, an amazing final story leaves you thinking.
I had many things to say through the course of reading this book. Let me summarise some of them now:
The main reason I read this book was in the lead up to Holly's release of The Coldest Girl in Coldtown as a novel. That was the first story in this anthology and, boy, is it powerful. A completely different story than what I'm given to understand from the spoilers out at the moment, but ...more
I had many things to say through the course of reading this book. Let me summarise some of them now:
The main reason I read this book was in the lead up to Holly's release of The Coldest Girl in Coldtown as a novel. That was the first story in this anthology and, boy, is it powerful. A completely different story than what I'm given to understand from the spoilers out at the moment, but ...more
A collection of short stories by one of my very favorite authors (although that list seems to get longer and longer...Neil Gaiman, Jim Butcher, Seanan McGuire, Meg Cabot... you see where I'm going with this...?)
Anyhow, most of these stories have been printed in other anthologies, but it's definitely much easier in this one volume. I like this trend of collecting previously-anthologized stories; especially when it's in the context of the Sookie or Dresden books... I think my two favorites here we ...more
Anyhow, most of these stories have been printed in other anthologies, but it's definitely much easier in this one volume. I like this trend of collecting previously-anthologized stories; especially when it's in the context of the Sookie or Dresden books... I think my two favorites here we ...more
Oct 12, 2013
Cillian
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Cillian by:
Rayne
Delightful.
All the stories carry Holly's inherent magic and gorgeous storytelling.
I was also glad to get a glimpse of The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. Now I know that my impulsive decision to purchase that book was the right one.
Every mythological creature you can think of is fused in this collection; the stories are short and sweet. Some were creepy, some were extremely dark, and some were just fun.
Holly Black has a wonderful imagination and all those crazy ideas that live inside her head shine t ...more
A surprisingly enjoyable collection of short stories which really made my day. Dark, odd, lovely, magical, and not one among them which was bad.
A collection of short stories inspired by Holly Black's favourite mythical creatures: the fae.
I picked this up because I am reading her extended fae universe in preparation for The Queen of Nothing. Besides most of these stories containing some fae inspiration, and assumedly being set in the same universe, one of the stories here features characters from The Modern Faerie Tales: Tithe; Valiant; Ironside. That was reason enough for me!
This is one of the most balanced short story collections I hav ...more
I picked this up because I am reading her extended fae universe in preparation for The Queen of Nothing. Besides most of these stories containing some fae inspiration, and assumedly being set in the same universe, one of the stories here features characters from The Modern Faerie Tales: Tithe; Valiant; Ironside. That was reason enough for me!
This is one of the most balanced short story collections I hav ...more
actual rating: 3.5
This was a pretty good collection of stories. I had read one of them before - the one that was in the Sympathy for the Devil anthology - but the rest of them were new to me. There was one that was a precursor to The Coldest Girl in Coldtown and a few that took place in her Modern Faerie Tales series and then several that were just random one-off stories. Definitely a good read if you like her novels.
This was a pretty good collection of stories. I had read one of them before - the one that was in the Sympathy for the Devil anthology - but the rest of them were new to me. There was one that was a precursor to The Coldest Girl in Coldtown and a few that took place in her Modern Faerie Tales series and then several that were just random one-off stories. Definitely a good read if you like her novels.
i like the stories and the writing is much better than the last holly black short story anthology i read, but they were all so similar.
Jun 08, 2020
Faith
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
borrowed,
2020,
reviewed,
lgbt-major,
four-star,
fantasy,
poc-mc,
fairytale-retelling,
myth-retelling,
ya
It was the reader that needed to be protected, he thought. Books were something that happened to readers. Readers were the victims of books.
Overall: 3.9
While it has its rough patches, the anthology overall comes together as a blend of magic and dark fairytales!
"The Coldest Girl in Coldtown" - While it's definitely interesting to see where the book originally spawned from, the novel version is far stronger. The world is fleshed out well enough to be interesting, but not enough to make much of ...more
The Poison Eaters is a collection of short stories, most of which have been published in various anthologies over the years. They are all supernatural in nature, though the subjects vary wildly, from faeries to werewolves to normal human beings with extraordinary abilities. I'm a fan of short story compilations, because you're almost always guaranteed to find at least one that suits your taste (plus, they fly by). I was lucky this time - there were several stories I thought were exceptional, and
...more
"The Coldest Girl in Coldtown": ★★★☆☆ - 3 stars (read May 1, 2019)
This was pretty cool! I'm super interested to read her book by this title!
"A Reversal of Fortune": ★★☆☆☆ - 2.5 stars (read May 5, 2019)
Lol so this one was about a girl who has an eating contest with the devil in order to save her dog's life, so that was pretty goofy, but fairly enjoyable if you don't take it seriously.
"The Boy Who Cried Wolf": ★★★☆☆ - 3 stars (read May 6, 2019)
This was the shortest one so far but it was super uniq ...more
This was pretty cool! I'm super interested to read her book by this title!
"A Reversal of Fortune": ★★☆☆☆ - 2.5 stars (read May 5, 2019)
Lol so this one was about a girl who has an eating contest with the devil in order to save her dog's life, so that was pretty goofy, but fairly enjoyable if you don't take it seriously.
"The Boy Who Cried Wolf": ★★★☆☆ - 3 stars (read May 6, 2019)
This was the shortest one so far but it was super uniq ...more
I don't usually make it all the way through short story collections. Most of the time, I'll hit a story I don't like that much and put the book down, intending to go back, but never following through on that. Even though the stories in this one weren't all good, I read them all, so that says something, I guess.
My favorites were "A Reversal of Fortune" (I seem to be in the minority here, but whomst among us would not (view spoiler) for ...more
My favorites were "A Reversal of Fortune" (I seem to be in the minority here, but whomst among us would not (view spoiler) for ...more
Jun 02, 2020
Ruthsic
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
diverse,
horror,
romance,
young-adult,
adult,
contemporary,
fantasy,
anthologies,
audiobook
Rep: gay main character in The Coat of Stars, secondary queer characters in some stories
Warnings: injured pet, body horror, non-consensual sex, child abuse
This book is a collection of short stories from Holly Black's other books like The Coldest Girl in Coldtown and Tithe, and has quite a lot of faerie-themed stories, but also some others with a werewolf theme or just plain fairy tale like. The tone of most tends towards creepy, and have the main characters battling with some supernatural force, ...more
Warnings: injured pet, body horror, non-consensual sex, child abuse
This book is a collection of short stories from Holly Black's other books like The Coldest Girl in Coldtown and Tithe, and has quite a lot of faerie-themed stories, but also some others with a werewolf theme or just plain fairy tale like. The tone of most tends towards creepy, and have the main characters battling with some supernatural force, ...more
4.5 stars. Absolutely brilliant. From the opening story, "The Coldest Girl in Coldtown," in which a desperate girl chooses to become a vampire in order to enact a rescue, to the final, titular story "The Poison Eaters," which stars three dead girls created as poisonous weapons, I was enthralled. This book had so many gems that it was easy to overlook the few stories that fell flat. Other favorites include "The Night Market," set in the Phillippines with a simultaneously endearing and terrifying
...more
My only sadness with this short story collection was that the first tale, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, was hands down the best of the entire book. I could read an entire novel around that concept.
That being said, every story was strong, felt distinct and fresh, and had its own voice. I appreciate that, particularly since novelists can so frequently rehash the same concepts and themes in a collection of this length.
If you are into faeries and otherworldly beings, read this. You'll like it. ...more
That being said, every story was strong, felt distinct and fresh, and had its own voice. I appreciate that, particularly since novelists can so frequently rehash the same concepts and themes in a collection of this length.
If you are into faeries and otherworldly beings, read this. You'll like it. ...more
I will have thoughts of the rest of the stories up on my blog this coming week, but right now I need to find the average rating... Not looking too good right now...
Update:
-After doing some calculations this book and anthology cam to the final, average rating of 2.3 stars (rounded to 2)
- Overall, this book was alright, but I would only recommend it to those looking for an anthology that is easy to get through and if you don't mind some (okay a lot) of weird stuff (In Vodka Veritas... like what?)
F ...more
Update:
-After doing some calculations this book and anthology cam to the final, average rating of 2.3 stars (rounded to 2)
- Overall, this book was alright, but I would only recommend it to those looking for an anthology that is easy to get through and if you don't mind some (okay a lot) of weird stuff (In Vodka Veritas... like what?)
F ...more
I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve read this book, and it’s still my favorite collection of short stories! Don’t get me wrong, I truly adore Black’s full length novels. She’s a top contender for my favorite YA author. (Tamora Pierce reins supreme, but Holly’s giving her a serious run for her money!) I am fully incapable of talking more about this book in a non-spoilery way. Anyone want to gush about it, message me! There’s a hope in my heart that a second volume of Poison Eaters is somewhere
...more
This is a great collection of short stories. It is definitely one to check out if you read the Tithe series, as that world is revisited. The stories are gritty and believable, even though they are full of mythical creatures and places, much as I've come to expect from Holly Black. This is the first anthology I have read that was all by the same author, but all of the stories are varied, which I was worried about.
...more
...more
I was rather disappointed with this anthology. I was confused with the stories, and some didn't even make sense. I found myself actually dreading continuing. I had high hopes for this book and it didn't really achieve them.
...more
...more
4.5 - A wonderful collection of stories. Recommend to all who enjoy fairy tales
Holly Black- the queen of faeries and fantasylands. While it was short (I didn't expect it to be that short), the stories were okay and of course some were wonderful and I connected with them either in the characters and motivations or the storyline itself or just in awe of how well Black writes.
As a librarian- of course I enjoyed Paper Cuts Scissors and the realm of magical books and library science colliding. "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" was also a neat little short story and who wouldn't dream o ...more
As a librarian- of course I enjoyed Paper Cuts Scissors and the realm of magical books and library science colliding. "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" was also a neat little short story and who wouldn't dream o ...more
The collection have almost all been published elsewhere (all but 2) so most of them were familiar to me. It was interesting to read the precursor to Coldtown and see how much the story and characters have changed to the full length book. I liked the one about the night market with the elf and the somewhat retelling of "East of the Sun and West of the Moon." I enjoy Holly Black's writing but many of these were predictable or worked because they reminded me of her longer works.
...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YA Buddy Readers'...: The Poison Eaters by Holly Black - Restarting June 23rd 2017 | 26 | 69 | Jun 24, 2017 11:17AM | |
| If you could be in a book ? | 3 | 5 | Nov 09, 2015 07:04AM |
Readers also enjoyed
Holly Black is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of over thirty fantasy novels for kids and teens. She has been a finalist for an Eisner Award and the Lodestar Award, and the recipient of the Mythopoeic Award, a Nebula, and a Newbery Honor. Her books have been translated into 32 languages worldwide and adapted for film. She currently lives in New England with her husband and son in a house
...more
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