Carniepunk

Hell on Earth #4.7

by Rachel Caine (Contributor), Rob Thurman (Contributor), Nicole Peeler (Contributor)

Come one, come all! The Carniepunk Midway promises you every thrill and chill a traveling carnival can provide. But fear not! Urban fantasy’s biggest stars are here to guide you through this strange and dangerous world...

RACHEL CAINE’s vampires aren’t child’s play, as a naïve teen discovers when her heart leads her far, far astray in “The Cold Girl.” With “Parlor Tricks,” JENNIFER ESTEP pits Gin Blanco, the Elemental Assassin, against the Wheel of Death and some dangerously creepy clowns. SEANAN McGUIRE narrates a poignant, ethereal tale of a mysterious carnival that returns to a dangerous town after twenty years in “Daughter of the Midway, the Mermaid, and the Open, Lonely Sea.” KEVIN HEARNE’s Iron Druid and his wisecracking Irish wolfhound discover in “The Demon Barker of Wheat Street” that the impossibly wholesome sounding Kansas Wheat Festival is actually not a healthy place to hang out. With an eerie, unpredictable twist, ROB THURMAN reveals the fate of a psychopath stalking two young carnies in “Painted Love.”

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Anthologies, Short Stories, Horror, Steampunk, Fiction

448 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 23, 2013

About the author

Rachel Caine was a pen name of Roxanne Longstreet Conrad.

She has also published as:
Roxanne Longstreet
Roxanne Conrad
Julie Fortune
Ian Hammell

Her Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/rachelcainef...

Her Instagram page:
https://www.instagram.com/rachelcaine...

Reviews

[karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was a very educational experience for me. i have learned that i do not really care for the urban fantasy/paranormal romance genre.

i saw this collection on netgalley, and i eagerly clicked on the "gimmie" button, thinking "carnies!! carnies are scary! this will be a great, spooky read!"

but then i read the names of the authors included, and i realized it was not a horror anthology, which is fine, because i do always like to broaden my horizons and read outside of my comfort zone, but i kicked myself for getting caught up in the netgalley frenzy without taking the time to see what it was i was signing up for.

so the problem here is that a) i am not familiar with or "into" the genre, b) many of these stories are meant to stand as interstitial tales within series that fans of the genre would already know and have relationships with, but i was adrift and c) it just got to be really same-y to me: girls have powers because of magical-genetic circumstances, they are all badass and dress real cool and are dealing with relationships and murrrder and...carnies.

i didn't hate it by any stretch, and i am grateful for any toe-dipping into new territory because in my line of work, it is good to have at least a passing familiarity with all types of books, and what the appeal would be for all types of readers.

and if i were a fan of the genre, and had read all the series from which these characters originate, i would be super-thrilled to have this collection, because i love it when authors give bonus material, like patrick ness or ann aguirre or mira grant. their little e-novellas rocked my world.

incidentally, one of my veryfavorites was both a standalone story and my mira grant in her other life as seanan mcguire. so i would consider reading her other books under that name, which is a positive side-effect from reading this one. so, DING, success!!

other stand-outs for me were:

the second half of delilah s. dawson's the three lives of lydia

many parts of the kevin hearne story,the demon barker of wheat street, but mostly the dog, because he reminded me a little bit of manchee

jaye wells' the werewife

rachel caine's the cold girl, which was definitely on the right side of horror.

much of hillary jacques' recession of the divine

and the mcguire.

and these stories are also (mostly) standalones. so maybe it's not the genre so much as my needing more backstory to appreciate this collection. those of you who are familiar with these characters, have at it. it is for you!

come to my blog!

[Stacia (the 2010 club) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This anthology features many favorite and beloved authors from today's Urban Fantasy and Steampunk offerings. I plan on going back and reading the selections from Jennifer Estep and Rachel Caine once I am caught up with those series, but this review will feature the shorts from Delilah S. Dawson (Blud series) and Kevin Hearne (Iron Druid series).

Review # 1 - The (some mangled word in the arc) Lives of Lydia (Blud) - 5 stars!

Wow. I am completely blown away. Who knew a short story could pack such a punch? The last few pages took me completely by surprise.

Criminy's traveling carnival is back. The lethal "bunnies-o-doom" are back (bludbunnies - remember, blud is pronounced blood). All of the magic of Sang is back. But then it had to go all Twilight Zone on us, in a completely bizarre way.

This had to be heaven or hell or purgatory.

There's a part of me that almost wants to recommend this short story as the perfect introduction to the Blud series, even though it's a short from the middle and not the beginning. The reason why is because this story introduces you to all of the craziness that is Sang, all of the beauty that is Sang, heck...all of the appeal is right there. But it happens in this tiny little power-packed nugget of reading space.

The air was full of glitter, the lanterns glowed like jars of fairy dust, and music danced on a sugar-frosted breeze. Laughter was everywhere. It was like a dream.

Do I think any main character described as looking like John Lennon is sexy? Probably not. Thankfully, reading about Sang forces you to use your imagination, so I will be imagining another face for Charlie.

I need to know what happens next for Lydia and Charlie. I will revolt if we don't get more, but I'm hoping that we will(?), with the way this story ended : CR-A-ZY...with a capital C.

Review # 2 - The Demon Barker of Wheat Street (Iron Druid) - 3 stars

Different from the Blud short, this short story should probably not be read unless you are already in progress with the Iron Druid series. It's not that there's anything confusing going on (and I'm sure anyone could follow along with no previous information), but this short isn't about brand new characters. Any sort of inside jokes or character nuances won't be as entertaining without knowing these people (and dog) already.

Because this was more of an "excerpt in the life" rather than a new story, it didn't wow me the same way that the Blud short did. HOWEVER, I still enjoyed it.

Oberon fans, you won't want to skip this. Much of the dialogue is focused on Oberon, and he's always worth a few chuckles. His poodle obsession always makes me smile.

I would throw out some fun quotes, but no...I'm not gonna do it. Current fans will have more fun experiencing Oberon humor on their own this time, since I'm not selling this series off the short story. My review for book 1 is the sell. This review is for the current fans of Iron Druid. Hail to the dog!


This book provided from the publisher through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. All quotes taken from the pre-published copy and may be changed or omitted from the final copy.

[Maja (The Nocturnal Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carnivals! As someone who dislikes crowds and cheap, unhealthy food, I must admit I am not a fan. But in the hands of my favorite urban fantasy authors, even a carnival can become the most exhilarating thing. Leave it to Rob Thurman, Delilah S. Dawson, Kevin Hearne, Mark Henry, Jaye Wells, Rachel Caine, Allison Pang, Hillary Jacques, Jennifer Estep, Kelly Meding, Nicole Peeler, Jackie Kessler, Kelly Gay and Seanan McGuire to make even crowds seem suddenly appealing.

It seems that Kevin Hearne functions much better in the short story format. Deprived of the chance to indulge in long and dull mythology lectures, he focuses on his characters and action. In his story, Atticus, Granuaile and Oberon visit Granuaile’s home town in disguise, but instead of family, they end up facing demons. Oberon plays a pretty big role in the story and he is as entertaining as ever so fans of the Irish Wolfhound have a lot to look forward to.

I gave up on the Elemental Assassin series ages ago, when things between Gin and Owen became unnecessarily complicated, but I must admit I enjoyed Parlor Tricks, Jennifer Estep’s contribution. In it, Gin and her sister Bria search for a missing girl, last seen visiting the carnival the previous night. Those who follow the series and know about the strained relationship between the sisters will thoroughly enjoy their easy banter and partnership in this story. And of course, as a special treat, Gin’s sarcasm gets unleashed as her disdain for carnivals comes to light.

Hell’s Menagerie by Kelly Gay brings us back to the amazing Charlie Madigan series. I was devastated when this series ended so a short story from Rex’s perspective was like a balm for my wounds. Rex was always my favorite and his relationship with Emma never failed to bring a smile to my face. This story takes place during Charlie’s quest in Elysia (no spoilers), so it’s just Rex and Emma, saving their exotic hellhound puppies from a traveling circus.

The Jane True story doesn’t focus on Jane or Anyan, but on the secondary (well, tertiary) characters Capitola, Moo and Shar. The girls are investigating a rather interesting case that takes them straight to a carnival. The story is told in Capitola’s point of view and is both energetic and hilarious.

Another noteworthy story is The Sweeter the Juice by Mark Henry. Transsexuals, sex reassignment surgeries, hysterical pregnancies, all in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. Sounds interesting? I thought so. The first half of this story is an exercise in hilarity, and the second half combines humor, gore and non stop action. My recommendation? Read it, or better yet, listen to it. The narrator contributed a great deal to Mark Henry’s brisk humor.

And while we’re on the subject of narrators, Carniepunk is narrated by Candace Thaxton and Kirby Heyborne. They alternate in narrating stories and they’re equally good. Both their voices are pleasant and unobtrusive. The only advantage Ms. Thaxton has over her colleague is her talent for accents. She is far more adaptable in that regard.

I’ve only mentioned the stories that stood out in some way, but I enjoyed every one of them, which is SO rare with anthologies. I highly recommend Carniepunk to all urban fantasy fans, and if you get a chance, do yourselves a favor and get the audiobook.

[AH · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthologies provide me with a way to sample an author's writing without the commitment of a full novel. I've discovered some fantastic authors this way and my TBR (to be read) list has grown to a huge mountain. Carniepunk has got to be one of my favorite anthologies so far. This list of participating authors reads like a Who's Who list of urban fantasy stars. I was impressed by the writing quality and have added a few new authors to my ever-growing to-read list.

Carniepunk is an anthology about carnivals and the people who work there. I've always found carnivals, especially the traveling ones, to be a little creepy. These stories build upon those irrational (or are they?) fears. Add in a touch of the paranormal and there's some great stories in this book.

I had several favorite stories - I won't review each one individually. You can see my thoughts on each story below in the status updates. I think that for me, the following stories stood out:

The Cold Girl by Rachel Caine
Freak House by Kelly Meding
The Demon Barkers of Wheat Street by Kevin Hearne

Another really good story is Parlor Tricks by Jennifer Estep and is available for free on on Amazon.

I usually don't recommend anthologies but this one had an all-star cast of urban fantasy writers and is one of the best anthologies I've read.

Here is a full list of authors in this anthology:  Rob Thurman, Delilah S. Dawson, Kevin Hearne, Mark Henry, Jaye Wells, Rachel Caine, Alison Pang, Hilary Jacques, Jennifer Estep, Kelly Meding, Nicole Peeler, Jackie Kessler, Kelly Gay, Seanan McGuire.

Something for everyone!

Thank you to Edelweiss and Simon and Schuster for a review copy of this book.

Review posted on Badass Book Reviews.

[Wanda Pedersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book to fill the Creepy Carnivals square of my 2018 Halloween Bingo card.

I seem to be developing more of a taste for short fiction, especially in this dark fantasy category. I enjoyed the offerings by the well-known authors (Rachel Caine, Jennifer Estep, Kevin Hearne, Seanan McGuire) but actually found some of the stories by folks that I didn’t know to be more engaging. These people have to try harder, they can’t rely on well-trodden paths with familiar characters and situations. I think I’ll be checking out more fiction by Rob Thurman, for example, who got cover billing (and so must enjoy some notoriety) but whose work I had never encountered before. I’m also eyeing a book by Jaye Wells (Cursed Moon), maybe for Halloween Bingo next year.

It was fun to dip into several people’s versions of the creepy carnival, rather than cope with one author’s vision for 440 pages. It’s not like I need to expand my reading list at this point, but if you are struggling to find new authors that you enjoy, I would recommend an anthology like this one on a subject that intrigues you—you are bound to find someone whose work you enjoy.

[Douglas Meeks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was probably a bit generous with my ratings since I would not recommend anyone pay $10+ for this book, maybe when it is on sale in the future.

“Painted Love” – Rob Thurman – A tale a bit creepy but not as depressing as her normal works. Would have made a great Twilight Zone episode 3.5/5

“The Three Lives of Lydia” – Delilah S Dawson - A bit of a urban fantasy/horror combo that left me flat because it had no real ending or if you wish the ending was depressing at best. 2/5

“The Demon Barker of Wheat Street”- Kevin Hearne – I skipped this story because I am behind of the series and did not want any possible spoilers but based on everything he has written this could not be worse than 4/5 and probably 5/5

“The Sweeter the Juice”- Mark Henry – Post-apocalyptic zombie horror-comedy, with drug-addicted trannies and possibly the most disgusting story in the book, the gore level and storyline were only equaled by the writing. I started scanning about a third of the way through and got the story and did not miss anything worth remembering (if you think the trannys made it disgusting, think again) 1/5

“The Werewife” – Jaye Wells – A different type werewolf story and not too shabby. Bit of a surprise ending. – 3.5/5

“The Cold Girl” – Rachel Caine – Even with all my reading I have never read anything but a short story by Ms Caine but this was one of the better stories in the book and since I love a good revenge story this was perfect and even had a bit of happy ending 4.5/5

“A Duet with Darkness” – Allison Pang – This one is a bit harder to review because it was a good story but the ending was clunky and no resolution. I HATE being fed a hook for another book in these type collections and that is what this felt like since they gave you no ending but a “hope for the future” type ending that was no ending at all unless you grab the Abby Sinclair series which hopefully has the rest of this story. Rated as a story in this book, felt more like a teaser for a novel … 2.5/5 at best, maybe less

“Recession of the Divine” – Hillary Jacques – This is another hard one, good story confusing writing style had me backtracking to make sure where/who I was, I give it, decent ending. 3.5/5

“Parlor tricks” – Jennifer Estep – What can I say, great story even if you are not familiar with the Elemental Assassin series it is from, Bria and Gin are taken and the kidnapper has no clue what a terrible mistake that is going to be. 4.5/5

“Freak House” - Kelly Meding - Shiloh’s djinn father is missing and she gets a lead on him in Denver and has to hook up with Julius when they learn of an exclusive traveling show of freaks that only the rich are invited to see. As far as standalone story, this one may have been the best since you feel no need to buy another book (I might though), think this from a series called Strays. 4.5/5

“The Inside Man” - Nicole Peeler - From the Jane True series. The biggest supernatural gangster in Chicago tells the ladies they need to discover why his sister and everyone in her town seems to have become human husks, they find a clown demon taking over entire towns and taking their memories. Good story, kept my interest. 3.5/5

“A Chance in Hell” - Jackie Kessler - From the Hell on Earth storyline. A reformed succubus is dragged to the carnival by her best friend who is teaching her how to be more human. The barker is a demon of greed who would like nothing more than getting his hands on her new soul. A bit of humor and general sluttyness make this one new and different. 3/5

“Hell’s Menagerie” - Kelly Gay - Teenage Emma heads off into Hades, but the puppies and their mother of a hellhound she’s close to have been kidnapped, her hellhound tracks them to a carnival filled with creatures that don't exist on Earth. Emma decides to release all of the creatures with less than stellar results. Good story from the Charlie Madigan series. 4/5

“Daughter of the Midway, the Mermaid, and the Open, Lonely Sea” - Seanan McGuire - Ada grew up in the Miller Family Carnival, the daughter of a mermaid who is a headliner in the small family carnival . The story takes a spin when they return to the place her mother left to join the carnival over 18 years ago and the townies are creepy to say the least. (NOTE: I had a hard time with this story because they used my hometown as a setting and instead of anything factual she just used southern stereotypes to represent a Huntsville, Alabama that never existed). If you know nothing about the actual location this was a story with some emotional impact, one of the top 3-4 stories in the book. 4.5/5

[Ronda · Rating 4 out of 5]

PARLOR TRICKS - JENNIFER ESTEP
*******************************

I only came across this book because of a friend who knew I loved this series - Elemental Assassin.

Gin and her sister Bria attend a Carnival that is passing through to try and figure out if anyone knows or has heard of a missing girl that Bria is trying to find.

Events unfold and the bad guys happen...

A short novel and fun to read, I love anything with Gin in it and this was no exception.

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a few of these stories from Carniepunk by Rachel Caine, et al. I wasn't all that interested in, since a few of them were shorts from series I wasn't all familiar with a head of time. I did have several favorites that was really looking forward too though. My favorites were in order: "Daughter of the Midway, the Mermaid, and the Open, Lonely Sea" by Seanan McGuire, "The Demon Barker of Wheat Street" by Kevin Hearne, "Painted Love" by Rob Thurman, and "The Cold Girl" by Rachel Caine. It was great to see a Rob Thurman story. I've really missed her style. I hope she's doing okay.

[Jess the Romanceaholic · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a Quickie Review. For the full review, please visit The Romanceaholic.

Expected Release Date: July 23, 2013
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Imprint: Gallery Books
My Source for This Book: Gift From The Publisher
Steam Level: Varies (Chaste with a Steamy or two thrown in for good measure)

Overall, this anthology was simply wonderful. As most of my readers are well aware, I’m typically glued to my Kindle as I prefer ebooks over printed works in almost every case. Even so, I only had access to a paperback version of this book, and I still couldn’t put it down — that’s high praise from me, indeed!

My favorites were Delilah S. Dawson’s The Three Lives of Lydia and Rachel Caine’s The Cold Girl, but I was also pleasantly surprised by several authors I’ve never read before, including Rob Thurman’s Painted Love, Kevin Hearne’s The Demon Barker of Wheat Street, and Freak House by Kelly Meding.

While the middle of the anthology fell a little flat for me, the hauntingly bitter-sweet ending of Seanan McGuire’s Daughter of the Midway, the Mermaid, and the Open, Lonely Sea was the perfect finishing touch.

Overally, highly recommended for Urban Fantasy fans of all tastes.

A very solid 4.5/5 Stars.

[Jen Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a little late getting around to reading this 2013 collection of carnival themed short stories, but I learned it included a prequel to a series I am reading now and I wanted to check it out. I found the stories to be very uneven, both in tone and in how much I enjoyed them. But there were enough engaging entries, I found it worth the read.

Painted Love – This is the first thing I have ever read by Rob Thurman and I have to say, it was a bit odd. It follows the observations of Doodle, an enigmatic traveler who attaches himself to a man named Bart, a sociopath working at a carnival. The story is told entirely through Doodle’s eyes, though he does not participate much in the action. To be honest, I thought he was a dog until his true form was revealed at the end. Didn’t get much out of this one.

The Three Lives of Lydia – This Delilah S Dawson story was jacked up. It starts out with a woman waking up naked and alone in a carnival in sort of an alternate universe. She comes across various supernaturals, including Charley who is a vampire type that calls himself a Bludman. This quickly develops into a romance but then a giant twist left me staring at my Kindle with my mouth hanging open. I don’t know what to tell you about this one other than the fact it was twisted.

The Demon Barker of Wheat Street (Kevin Hearne) – I’ve never read anything in the Iron Druid world, so maybe that’s why this story didn’t connect for me. It was a first person POV from a centuries-old druid, taking his apprentice back to her hometown to check on mother (who thinks she is dead.) Mom ends up being out of town, so they go to a carnival. (I guess you’ve just got to go with it.) And they take their giant invisible psychic dog. It turns out, there’s a demon and some ghouls killing folks at the fair and reaping their souls. The narrator and his posse have to use their magic and fighting skills to take the bad guys down. There was a lot of talk about the series world-building and backstory and I found myself uninterested—not only in that—but even the fight. Maybe this would be a bigger hit for fans of the series, but I was bored and had to fight the urge to skim ahead.

The Sweeter the Juice (Mark Henry) – This contribution was not for me. It’s a zombie apocalypse story told from the POV of an AMAB transgender narrator. The biting humor (no pun intended) didn’t sit well with me. I got as far as the narrator showing up at a doctor’s office filled with “ugly men in make-up and hard women in stenciled sideburns” and saying, “Don’t get me wrong, I love my people; just don’t expect me to be attracted to them” before I quit. Life is too short.

The Werewife (Jaye Wells) – This story was a relief, after I had began to fear this entire anthology was not for me. It centers around Brad and his wife Annie who has recently become a werewolf. These two have a some marital problems, but the biggest seems to be the fact she keeps killing all the animals in their neighborhood every full moon. Anyway, it turns out she was cursed at a carnival and when it returns to town a year later, they seek out the woman who turned her, hoping to set things right. And it was fun and moved fast and kept my attention from beginning to end. This was a good one.

The Cold Girl – Another good one… this one from Rachel Caine. The protagonist, Kiley, is younger than those in the other stories. She’s 16 and so in love with her boyfriend Jamie she can’t see that he’s evil. It’s during a trip to the carnival she discovers his secret and it costs her or life. Or does it? This story was dark, engaging, and satisfying. Plus, I found the title character to be very cool. Worth reading.

A Duet With Darkness – This Allison Pang story made me remember how much I enjoyed the Abby Sinclair series… but I only recall bits and pieces because it’s been about six years since I read those books. Anyway, this is a prequel that focuses on Abby’s friend Melanie and tells the story of how her soul became trapped in the Devil’s violin and gives us a glimpse of her early relationship with Nobu. I liked this story, even if Mel was a bit pumped up on her own ego. She paid the price for it. A good sampling for anyone who might be considering going back to read that series.

Recession of the Divine – I’ve read from Hillary Jacques before but those books were under the name Regan Summers. Her offering is a standalone focusing on a Greek goddess who has decided to live among the humans, as (of all things) an insurance investigator. She is looking into a fire when she is enslaved by a carnie who would use her gifts. Unfortunately, she is more than even he understands and she turns the tables, ending his string of crimes. I had a hard time connecting to this one and I guess the premise was a bit weird for me. Not bad, but not my favorite in the collection.

Parlor Tricks – I enjoyed this short from Jennifer Estep’s Elemental Assassin series. It follows Gin and her sister Bria as they investigate the disappearance of a young girl at a carnival. It samples a wide range of elemental abilities and does a good job telling a full story in a short time, while maintaining the overall feel of the series. This would be a good sampling for a new reader or a fun, quick slice of life for fans.

Freak House – I really enjoyed this offering by Kelly Meding. Honestly, it was the reason I picked up this anthology six years after it came out. I’ve been reading her current series and learned that this prequel story existed. In it, we meet Shiloh, a half djinn who learns her powerful father has been kidnapped and is being held captive in a paranormal freak show. Here, she meets up with Julius and a werewolf named Will and they infiltrate the show to stage a rescue. This is the foundation of the squad that exists in the future books. Good stuff and a great introduction into the world.

The Inside Man (Nicole Peeler) – This is another story that made me nostalgic for a series that ended long ago. I was such a fan of the Jane True books. And though Jane does not appear in this short, it is very reminiscent of the series tone and feel. It centers on Capitola and her partners, Shar and Moo as they investigate a case of people’s souls being stolen in a succession of towns. It ends up bringing them face to face with a creepy possessed clown who steals people’s memories. It is entertaining and you don’t have to be familiar with this series to enjoy it. One of the best additions to the anthology.

A Chance in Hell – Jackie Kessler’s contribution to the book is part of her Hell on Earth series, which I have never read. But the author does a pretty good job of grounding the story with background details. Jezebel is a former succubus who has recently become human in a bid to one day kill the king of the underworld and take his place, thereby stopping Armageddon. Here, she is just trying to have a little fun with her friend at the carnival when a greed demon tries to leverage her friend’s soul in exchange for Jezabel’s own. It has a fun opening scene and did make me intrigued about the series.

Hell’s Menagerie (Kelly Gay) – The Charley Madigan series has been on my TBR for a long time and this story makes me more excited to give it a try. It is told by Charley‘s 12 year old daughter, Emma‘s, point of you. She and her djinn father figure are in the underworld behind her mothers back, searching for some kidnapped hell hound puppies. Emma can communicate with animals and she uses that gift to help infiltrate and rescue the menagerie which had been kidnapped and essentially forced into captivity. I am very curious about the world building and Rex the djinn, and I think this series has moved up a slot in my soon to be read list.

Daughter of the Midway, the Mermaid, and the Open Lonely Sea – Seanan McGuire wrote this melancholy story about the daughter of a mermaid in a traveling carnival who is coming to understand who and what she is. Her entire life, they have stayed away from Alabama and now they have returned to the town where they found her mom. All the secrets of where ate it came from our delivered, perhaps in some of the worst ways possible. This is haunting and very well written. A great standalone to wrap up the anthology

Overall rating: B/B-

[Corrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes you have to try something to find out it’s not really your bag. The Carniepunk anthology sounded like an adventure, but after having plodded through it halfway I decided to skip the rest and move straight for the last story, that of Seanan McGuire. Daughter of the Midway, the Mermaid, and the Open, Lonely Sea was the story that had lured me to this book in the first place.

The stories I liked were mostly the standalone ones, the rest were part of established series I wasn’t familiar with. Fans of the urban fantasy/paranormal will most likely enjoy it much more than I did.

3 Stars

[Chantaal]

Marking this one as DNF because aside from the Iron Druid story, I haven't found any of these entertaining. I think it's mostly because the carnival theme doesn't feel like it's truly there, and some stories treat the carnival as the vaguest of backdrops for a story that might fit the bill.

I read up to "A Duet with Darkness," so if there are other stories I didn't get to that you think I must check out, please let me know and I happily will.

[Carrie]

Omg,I fricking love the name!!!!

WANT!

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Overall Rating* 3.5

I was more than happy to receive Carniepunk from the publisher in both a finished copy as well as E-ARC via Edelweiss. There were a few authors I did not know, nor have I read anything by them previous to reading their short stories. Authors like Kevin Hearne, Jackie Kessler, Hillary Jacques, & Mark Henry. I actually liked Hearne's story so I may try to catch up on his Iron Druid series soon. One of the sexiest stories of this anthology came from Jackie Kessler. Definitely for the PNR lovers out there.

The fun part of Carniepunk is that I follow, on a regular basis, all the rest of the authors that submitted a short story to this anthology. As I have done in the past, I'm breaking down each story and will give you an idea of whether I liked the story, or it was Bleh!

Rob Thurman's "Painted Love" starts off the Carniepunk anthology. It's a short story about a demon named Doodle who travels the world and tries to take in new sights and ideas. His moto is "Watch but don't participate. Don't get involved." He can't help but get involved when a creeper targets a young girl, and he ends up falling in love with the girls older sister and saves them both from the creeper. It's rather a dark, creepy, and sinister way to start out the anthology. B-

Delilah Dawson's "The Three Lives of Lydia" is a short story that apparently takes place before Wicked as they Come since it also has Criminy Stain and the Maestro and yet no Tish. Lydia Beckwith arrives in Sang and is found by Charlie Dregs a Bludman who takes an immediate shining to Lydia, and the romance is instantaneous. One of the most interesting things about this series, and story is that it feels as though it is a take on Alice in Wonderland where a normal falls asleep and ends up in Sang where they are known as Strangers. B+

Kevin Hearne's "The Demon Barker on Wheat Street" supposedly takes place 6 years after Tricked, book # 4 in the Iron Druid Chronicles, and 2 weeks after the short story Two Raven and One Crow. Atticus, his dog Oberon, and his apprentice of 6 weeks Granuaile MacTiernan, travel to Kansas so that she can check up on her mother. Atticus has a dispute with a local element named Amber, but when Atticus, Oberon, & Granuaile discover demons and ghouls at the local carnival that are apparently gathering souls for the reaping, Amber puts away her hurt feelings and helps Atticus defeat the Demons. I haven't read anything by Kevin previous to this, and therefore I can't say whether or not this is in par with his other works. I will say that it's an interesting story, and may lead me to revisit my thoughts on reading this series in the future. B

"The Sweeter the Juice" by Mark Henry is set in New York City. The story is being called "a post-apocalyptic zombie horror-comedy, with drug-addicted trannies and port wine stains." The main character is Jade Reynolds, a transgendered person who is looking for a formula to transform him into her. Strange, strange story where so called normal people attack and eat the undead. Henry is another author I haven't had the pleasure, or displeasure of reading previous works. C

"Werewife" by Jaye Wells features a couple Brad & Annie who have a horrendous year after Annie is bitten after she visited Carnival Diabolique and turns into a werewolf. Brad pretty much goes through hell and has to clean up Annie's messes. I wasn't sure who I was supposed to cheer for. Annie is a tough nut to crack, while Brad is longing for a return to normality. Overall, I'll give this story a B-

"The Cold Girl" by Rachel Caine is the story about a 16 year old girl named Kiley Reynolds who finds herself in a difficult situation after her supposed love of her life Jamie tries to end her life at the Carnival. I'm pretty sure you can guess who the Cold Girl is if you are a fan of Caine's. This story is by far the best I've read in this anthology. It's dark. It's true to what we've come to expect from Caine's work. A-

"A Duet with Darkness" by Allison Pang is a short story about Abby Sinclair's best friend Melanie St. James a violin player who went head to head with the devil and lost the love of her life. It answers a bunch of questions that the Abby Sinclair series failed to mention. I'll give it a B-/C+ because it was sold as an Abby Sinclair short story when it wasn't. I've always found Melanie to be such an interesting character, that it's a shame that it took a short story to find out more about her.

"Parlor Tricks" by Jennifer Estep. Gin and her sister Bria go to the Carnival of Wondrous Wonders looking for a missing teenager, and Gin once again gets to kill people! I loved how Gin focused on food; Corn dogs with spicy mustard, fries, cinnamon sugared pretzel, and a cone of cherry cotton candy! Made ME want to go to a local carnival and pig out! I also liked the fact that Gin and Bria are closer than ever and do whatever they can to protect each other. Short and Sweet A-

"Feral House" Kelly Meding features Shiloh Harrison as she searches for her Djinn father who went missing and is later discovered as part of a traveling carnival involving paranormal beings who are exhibited to humans who pay an exorbitant fee. Totally different from her Dreg City series which I love. I think this one may have potential to move on further into a new series if Meding decides to do so in the future. B

"The Inside Man" by Nicole Peeler takes place in the same universe as her Jane True series. It features Capitola Jones, Moo, and Shar Private Investigators who specialize in the paranormal as they are hired by a mob boss to figure out what happened to his sister and family. When all is said and done, there is an evil clown that sucks souls and memories from people after luring them with old magic. Overall a solid short story which I give a B rating to.

Hillary Jacques‘ Recession of the Divine - passed on. May come back and read it at a later time. It's a short story about a muse and goddesses, carnivals and murder.

"A Chance In Hell" by Jackie Kessler is a short story that focuses on former succubus turned mortal named Jezebel. Since I have NOT read anything previous to this story, it's hard to understand if this character has been in anything else as a main character, or secondary character. I will say that this is the sexiest story by far. There is also the fact that Jezebel has a secondary mission and that is to fight the King of the Pit while wielding a Erinyes blessed sword. There is so much to say about the setting of a carnival run by demons like lust, greed, and gluttony running around a carnival trying to lure unsuspecting humans to sell their souls and Jezebel's attempt to save her housemate. B-

"Hell's Menagerie" by Kelly Gay takes place in the same world as her Charlie Madigan series. It features Charlie's 12 year old daughter Emma, Rex, and Emma's hellhound Brimstone. Emma is on a mission to rescue Brimstone's puppies in Charbydon (Hell) and Rex is dragged along for the ride. I loved Emma and her abilities and determination in saving captured rare animals. This story was truly amazing for the shortness of it. I could definitely see this as being part of the Charlie Magigan series which sadly appears to have ended after book # 5. A- (This story actually takes place at the same time Charlie is off world trying to save her partner Hank.)

"Daughter of the Midway, The Mermaid, and The Open Lonely Sea" by Seanan McGuire. Such an intriguing premise to this story that surrounds a teenager named Ada who grew up surrounded by the Carnival knowing that her mother was a Mermaid. When they return to the place where Ada was supposedly born, the carnival is forced to make a decision stay and hope Ada isn't discovered, or pick up stakes and leave Alabama behind. B-

*Recvd via Edelweiss 04/01/2013* Expected publication: July 23rd 2013 by Gallery Books

[Bookmom · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wide range of stories, all with a carnival or side show as part of the theme. We’ve got things that happen due to who runs or works at the carnival as well as the carnival just being the setting for where something takes place. I currently read or had read books by 6 of the 14 authors, but after reading this found 4 or 5 others I wouldn’t mind checking out. For most of the stories it’s the side show that’ll get you. All are a decent length for being short stories and there are plenty of good authors to discover in this book. Overall I'd give it 3.5 stars.

Painted Lot by Rob Thurman. Not related to any current series. 2.5 stars. Doodle, a world traveler that hooks up with someone for a couple of weeks just to observe and experience, is spending time with a psychopath carnival worker who has marked his next victim. The story is heavy on philosophy and we don’t get much of a picture on Doodle. Didn’t do much for me.

The Three Lives of Lydia by Delilah S Dawson. Part of the Blud (steampunk) series. 4 stars. A woman wakes up naked in another world full of vampires, werewolves and other scary things, but for the first time has met someone who sees the real her. The story goes from decent to really good when the story twists and we learn Lydia’s true story.

The Demon Barker of Wheat Street by Kevin Hearne. Iron Druid Chronicles. 4 stars. A druid, his female apprentice and his telepathic dog attend the Wheat Street Festival while out of town and find the side show is run by demons with a much darker agenda than just taking an entrance fee. The magic is not wild or flashy – and not even always available as they fight for their lives to shut them down. I do read this series and it makes a nice edition.

The Sweeter the Juice by Mark Henry. This doesn’t appear to be related to any series. Horror. 2 stars. The story takes place after an apocalyptic zombie plague where zombies are still attacking and the barter system is left in its wake. A transgender must find a drug as barter for her doctor to continue treatments and it can only be found in Coney Island. I give it only 2 stars because I don’t enjoy reading horror and I felt uncomfortable during the entire story. I know that some will feel that “uncomfortable” is what makes a horror a story good and would rate this higher.

Werewife by Jaye Wells. . This doesn’t appear to be related to any series. 4 stars. A wife became a werewolf after a visit to the carnival a year ago and full moons are rather stressful for her husband. So when the carnival comes around again, he wants to go and get some answers. Told from the husband’s point of view which is a nice twist on a werewolf story.

The Cold Girl by Rachel Caine. Not sure if this is related to a series. 3 stars. A girl learns the guy she’s been in love with for years has a different side she discovers when looking in his phone while at the carnival. In this case the carnival and the person running it aren’t necessarily the scariest things around. Liked the outcome.

A Duet With Darkness by Allison Pang. From the Abby Sinclair series. 3.5 stars. Mel is a musical prodigy who can see music and notes as colors—she has Wild Magic—and joined a band instead of the normal path a talented violinist would take. She longs to shine but is held back on purpose by her partner, a fallen angel. But the lure of playing a special violin at the carnival… well pride is a sin. I found the story interesting.

Recession of the Divine by Hillary Jacques. Unknown if this is related to anything else. 2 stars. A loss assessment contractor investigates fire damage at a game booth at a carnival and it’s obvious something bad is going on. She’s taken captive when they realize she sees people’s memories and her captor wants to use her to get rich. He has no clue who or what she is. I found the story confusing as there isn’t a clear delineation between the memories picked up and what’s actually happening. But I’m reading an ARC, so perhaps some of that will be edited yet.

Parlor Tricks by Jennifer Estep. Elemental Assassin series. 3 stars. Detective Bria Coolidge asks her sister, the assassin known as the Spider, to join her at the carnival while she asks questions about a missing teen last seen at the carnival the night before. Gin’s elemental skills are needed to save themselves when they learn the truth. A decent addition to the series.

Freak House by Kelly Meding. A Strays short story. 4 stars. Shiloh’s djinn father is missing and she gets a lead on him in Denver and has to hook up with Julius who was contracted to locate a missing leprechaun when they learn of an exclusive traveling show of freaks that only the rich are invited to see. I’m new to this author but out of all of the stories in this anthology, this one presents the background information in the best manner. I enjoyed the writing style and the story.

The Inside Man by Nicole Peeler. A Jane True short story. 4 stars. When the biggest, meanest supernatural boss in Chicago tells the gals at Triptych they need to discover why his sister and everyone in her town seems to have become dull with no memories, they really can’t say no. They find a clown enthralling entire towns and taking their memories. This story has a much different feel than the others in this anthology. Not only with what’s happening, but how the girls deal with the situation.

A Chance in Hell by Jackie Kessler. A Hell on Earth story. 3.5 stars. A former succubus is dragged to the carnival by her roommate who is teaching her how to be more human when she notices the barker is a demon of greed who would like nothing more than getting his hands on her new shiny soul. As always, the author injects humor throughout the story.

Hell’s Menagerie by Kelly Gay. A Charlie Madigan story. 4 stars. Teenage Emma heads off into Charbydon (hell) knowing she’ll get in trouble with her mother, Charlie, along with the school for using their portal to get there. But the puppies and their mother of a hellhound she’s close to have been kidnapped and Brim, the hellhound tracks them to a menagerie at a carnival filled with creatures that wouldn’t be allowed on Earth. Emma is determined to release all of the creatures. I’ve missed that last book or two. Emma comes into her own in this story; finally understanding how to use her powers. I’ll have to go back and read the books I missed.

Daughter of the Midway, the Mermaid, and the Open, Lonely Sea by Seanan McGuire. Unrelated to a series. 3 stars. Ada grew up in the Miller Family Carnival, the daughter of a mermaid who is their side show headliner. Problems arise for Ada when the carnival returns to the town where her mother joined the carnival almost 18 years ago. It’s not the carnie folks that are creepy in this story.

Read as an ARC provided by Edelweiss/Above the Treeline.

[Angie Lisle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of Urban Fantasy short stories that reminded me of the anthologies edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois. This collection has been dubbed Paranormal Romance and the title technically fits but there's a strong Horror element here that shouldn't be overlooked.

I enjoyed how this book approached the concept of love, showing it in a diverse manner. There's one or two stories with a lovey-dovey feature, but many display the love among family or friends close enough to be family. Erotica appears in only a couple of the stories.

And, speaking of diverse, Mark Henry's story, The Sweeter the Juice, has a transgendered main character. It's one of my favorite stories from this collection.

So, yeah, love appears in this book but every story is augmented by something not so nice. Horror. Despair. Strange characters with sociopathic tendencies. The opening story, Painted Love by Rob Thurman, displayed a bad guy that creeped me out and Nicole Peeler's back story in The Inside Man, an incestuous father, gave me the willies (I added Peeler to my reading list just so I can find out WTF is up with that plot line).

I took my time reading this book, like I do most short story collections (one story a night). I mourned when this book was over - it introduced me to several authors I added to my to-read list.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carniepunk is an anthology, packed with carnival-based short stories. This collection is not for the timid reader, nor will it appease those that only like "Happily Ever After" because it is not the case. These stories are vivid, horror based and nightmare-inducing. It just so happens that all these short stories are written by some of my favorite authors, and most of them are pretty spectacular. For a scare your pants off, nail biting, white knuckle read, check out Carniepunk, it will take your carnival nightmares to an entirely new sinister level.

This ARC copy of Carniepunk was given to me by Gallery Books in exchange for an honest review. This book is set for publication July 23, 2013.

[Joy Whiteside · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was able to read an Arc provided by Netgalley.

I loved this book. It was awesome how they were able to get a collection of stories by some of the top authors writing in this genre today.

I am not going to give away any spoilers as this is a must read.

This book was exciting and I could not stop reading. If you are a fan of the paranormal this is one that you should check out.

An awesome read.

[Anne - Books of My Heart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a few of the stories by the authors I know and they were all great. Jaye Wells, Jennifer Estep, and Kelly Meding. I may go back to this to read the stories by Rachel Caine, Kevin Hearne and Seanan McGuire as well. Many good authors and the stories are really good.

I originally got this to read the novella prequel to the Stray Magic series by Kelly Meding.

[Rose]

I just bought this book today from my bookstore and I'm way too excited to read it. I recognize a lot of names in this collection, so I'm crossing my fingers and hoping it's a good experience. Plus, it's helping me with my task of finding reads set in spooky carnivals for inspiration.

[terpkristin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audiobook from Simon & Schuster Audio
Narrated by Candace Thaxton and Kirby Heyborne
Length: 14 hours

This was a short story collection with urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and carnival themes. On the whole, the book was fairly average. There were some fantastic stories and there were some terrible stories. I've reviewed each story individually, below. The narration was mostly done by Candace Thaxton, though Kirby Heyborne narrated a few including "Painted Love" and "The Demon Barker of Wheat Street." All in all, I found Thaxton's narration preferable to Heyborne's, but that might have been because I liked more of the stories she narrated than Heyborne. Heyborne's narration bordered on creepy, and while it fit the genre/story, it also made me kind of uncomfortable. In honesty, I'm not sure I can recommend this book unless someone is looking for a specific short story from one of the authors. There were a few stories that I read that I'm now interested in the world, but most were either very average or downright terrible. This is also not a book for younger readers--some of the stories are quite graphic, mostly sexually. So if you want the book, be warned that it's probably not "good family listening."

Stories:
"Painted Love" by Rob Thurman. A creepy tale of a carnival manager and his killer tendencies, seen through the eyes of a demon that escaped from Hell. The demon, called "Doodle," wants to see the world and so latches onto people as he makes his way around, seeing people of all types. Unexpectedly, Doodle finds that he's awed by the strength of the psychic at the carnival--and steps in when Bart, the manager, tries to kill her and rape her sister. It was an interesting idea, made all the more creepy by the narrator's voice. Unfortunately, most of the story was character development of the members of the carnival; the actual meat of the story felt like it was fairly rushed.

"The Three Lives of Lydia" by Delilah S. Dawson. I believe this was said to be a story of "Blud," though I haven't read any of Dawson's work to have familiarity with the story or the characters. This was a sad story of a girl who woke up on the outskirts of a carnival in a different world, a world called "Sang." The girl, Lydia, is a "stranger" in the world, a transient. She falls in (and in love?) with a vampire, and takes a job at the carnival. Unfortunately, she's also stalked by some of the less-nice members of the carnival, and skates the line between her waking life and the life in her "dream." While this was a sad story and somewhat predictable, I actually kind of liked it. I think I might want to read more in this world, if it's more of the carnival "dream" world.

"The Demon Barker of Wheat Street" by Kevin Hearne. A story from the world of The Iron Druid Chronicles, therefore starring the Druid Atticus O'Sullivan, his Irish wolfound, and his student Granwael (spelled wrong I'm sure). This is supposed to take place a few years after the events in Tricked, which I haven't read yet (I've only read the first book in the series, Hounded). This time, Atticus and Granwael decide to go into a "freak show" in a carnival and find something much more sinister than a typical carnival freak show. It results in a battle with some ghouls, as might be expected. Just like Hounded, this story is pretty light but entertaining enough with a good bit of action, if slightly formulaic.

"The Sweeter the Juice" by Mark Henry. A terrible and disgusting story about a transvestite looking for a new street drug to help pay off her debt at a sex change clinic. This story had a lot of unnecessary detail. It was also needlessly disgusting. I regretted eating while listening. If I could give negative stars, this story would get them.

"The Werewife" by Jaye Wells. Be careful what you wish for, even if it's only in the darkest recesses of your mind. That goes double when you're at a carnival with a freak show run by someone who can read minds. A story, as you might guess from the title, about a man and his werewolf-wife. The ending in this was almost "happy" and the story didn't go where I thought it would. It was a welcome relief after the last story.

"The Cold Girl" by Rachel Caine. A short story in the vein of Twilight, down to the emo teenager "in love." This particular emo teenager's boyfriend turns out to be a murderer and she looks to be his next victim. She's warned by a psychic at the carnival, but is also told that there is nothing she can do, and that she will meet The Cold Girl soon. This was utter rubbish. I suppose that if you liked the Twilight series, you might like this, but the truth is, the Twilight series did terrible things for a wonderful genre, the least of which was inflicting further crap like this on unsuspecting readers.

"A Duet with Darkness" by Allison Pang. This story is listed by Goodreads as "book 0.5" in the Abby Sinclair series. I've never read the series, but I do like the idea of music and synsthesia as a tie to the magical world. In this story, Melanie is a violinist tied to a fallen angel, Numo (the description of whom reminds me of Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII a bit). She is insanely talented and her pride gets the best of her while at a gig she "duels" (plays violin with/against) someone who is better than her. Her opponent turns out to be the Devil's violinist. This story was a bit heavy on introduction of characters that didn't seem to matter much for this story (but probably makes sense for the larger world context). I may have to give this series a go.

"Recession of the Divine" by Hillary Jacques. Can you imprison a goddess? What happens if you try? This story attempts to answer that as Mnemosyne (Goddess of Memory, a Titan) has renounced her Olympian ways and (in this century) is a loss specialist for an insurance company. She ends up at a carnival which has had a string of accidents. She finds that there is much more than meets the eye as one of the carnival members is using other divine techniques to have his way about things--including wooing/luring customers. Realizing what Olivia (Mnemosyne) is, he tries to use her abilities as a part of the show...and that may just be his undoing.

"Parlor tricks" by Jennifer Estep. This is an Elemental Assassin short story, another series I haven't read but might look into based on this short story. This time, a girl goes missing while at a carnival and "The Spider" and her sister (a police detective) go there to search for her. What they uncover is a fairly typical trope in fantasy, but that doesn't stop this story from being pretty good. One other thing that I really liked that not many of the stories in this collection have done well is that it only gave us detail we needed. Too many of the other stories in this collection have a lot of detail that is irrelevant to the story. The detail would be needed for a full-length novel or maybe even a novella...but not for the short story. So, in addition to enjoying this story, I have to give Estep credit for the focus in the story.

"Freak House" by Kelly Meding. Another concise story, and another one I was surprised to enjoy. This time, it's a story of a daughter trying to find her kidnapped father. The twist? Well...how does one exactly kidnap a djinn to start with, and how does one rescue the djinn from whoever was powerful enough to kidnap him in the first place? Shiloh, half-djinn, teams up with a werewolf and a human to do just that...the narration said this was a "Strays" short story, but I can't find any reference to that series on GR or on Meding's website. Either way, it was another story, just enough detail without going overboard.

"The Inside Man" by Nicole Peeler. After a few strong stories, I guess I can't complain too much when this one was not nearly as strong--or as interesting. The concept was interesting: a soul-stealer and those trying to fight against him, to reclaim the souls. The execution, though, was boring. I routinely found myself getting distracted during this story in the Jane True universe.

"A Chance in Hell" by Jackie Kessler. A story that starts and ends with gratuitous sex scenes, this one was also pretty boring. Jezebel used to be a succubus, but she has escaped hell and is living "topside" as a human, getting trained in the ways of being human by her roommates. One of her roommates, Cecilia, wants to go to a carnival, to show her a new view of humanity. What Cecilia doesn't know, can't know, is that this carnival is run by a powerful demon. A story in the Hell on Earth series, it was another that was predictably un-entertaining.

"Hell's Menagerie" by Kelly Gay. At its crux, a story about a girl and her dog with some coming of age thrown in for good measure. This story is from the Charlie Madigan world, though from reading the description of the books in that series, I think it's just set in the same world, not necessarily with the same character. In this story, Emma travels with her hellhound, Brim, to Charbydon to rescue Brim's puppies and their mother. They track them to a menagerie and are forced to make the decision to trade Brim for the pups. Now on a mission to rescue Brim, Emma realizes she has some special powers, powers that extend above and beyond her connection with Brim. This story was cute, if predictable. Really, how can anybody not like a story with hellhounds?

"Daughter of the Midway, the Mermaid, and the Open, Lonely Sea" by Seanan McGuire. I don't really know what to make of this story. It wasn't bad...but I'm not sure I "got" it. There didn't seem to be much real story...it was about a young woman who was part (or entirely) mermaid, visiting with a traveling carnival the city where her mother (also mermaid) was found (and subsequently joined the traveling carnival). There is a lot of discussion of a "possible" problem but the actual action was only in the last 10 minutes or so of the 45-minute story...and even then, it was pretty mundane. I haven' read any of Seanan McGuire's (or her alter ego, Mira Grant) works, and I'm not sure that this enticed me to do so. I wonder how similar this story is to others she's written.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half stars: A collection of creepy and macabre stories all centered around the carnival.

Warm nights scented with popcorn, cotton candy and all kinds of fried foods are here. At long last, the carnival has arrived, and everyone turns out to experience all the delicious foods, the rides, the games and the strange shows. Except this time around, there is something very different and wrong about the carnival. Evil is afoot in the carnival with this collection of short stories from an all star cast of Urban Fantasy writers. Once you delve into this dark anthology, you will be thinking twice about visiting the carnival. So let's take a peek into this creepy carnival...
What I Liked:
*I couldn't resist reading an anthology jam packed with stories centered around the carnival theme. This collection of short stories gives you the dark side of the carnival from demons to soul stealing clowns, vampires, zombies and more. *If you enjoy anthologies and you want something that is dark and twisted, grab this collection. I promise once you are finished, you will think twice about visiting the carnival.
*I enjoyed reading stories from authors I have wanted to try, but haven't had the chance. What I liked the most about this collection was all the stories had dark twists and turns and jaw dropping surprise.
And The Not So Much:
*With any anthology, there are definitely some stories that really shine, while others have something left to be desired. Most of the stories are good in this one, but a couple didn't quite work for me.
*There were several stories that I felt a bit lost with, and I think that is due to the fact that I wasn't familiar with the series or characters.

Here is a quick run down of the stories:

*Rob Thurman starts off the collection with Painted Love. A strange little story with a main character that was totally unexpected and off the charts creative. The ending truly left me stunned, in a good way. I am eager to read more of Thurman. Four Stars
*Three Lives of Lydia by Delilah S. Dawson is next on deck. I haven't read this author before, either. Of all the stories, this one excelled at descriptions. I loved the rich, sensory experience of visiting this otherworldly carnival. This was a strange little story with a stunning, and a little disturbing, twist at the end. Four Stars
*Third in the book is The Demon of Barker Wheat Street by Kevin Hearne. This is a short story from Hearne's Iron Druid Chronicles of which I am an avid fan. This features Atticus, his apprentice Granuiale and his trusty Irish Wolfhound at a carnival in Kansas. Unfortunately, their trip through the Heaven or Hell exhibit takes a dark turn when the Hell side turns out to be a slaughterhouse for humans courtesy of a demon and some imps straight from Hell. It is up to Atticus to get rid of the demon before more innocent humans are slaughtered. Fans of the series, will enjoy this short story, if you are new to the story, this is a good way to meet Atticus and the gang. It features Hearne's trademark humor and some nasty demons. Four Stars.
*The Sweeter the Juice by Mark Henry was by far the strangest and perhaps the most disturbing, yet highly original story in the bunch. This features a transgender man,who is desperately trying to get a sex change in zombie infested New York. It gets even stranger with a transgender woman who is more than a little nuts. She is constantly pretending to be pregnant, and her latest faux pregnancy is a bit disturbing to say the least. Then it gets even more weird when a hoard of zombies with purple smears invade, but they are bent on eating corpses. Jade, the main character, sets out to find an elusive drug that promises an immediate sex change, but what he finds is far more sinister...... Yikes! Four and half stars.
*The next contribution is The Werewolf Wife by Jaye Wells. This is an interesting and fun story about a couple whose marriage is on the rocks. They visit a carnival and end up checking out the freak show, not knowing the the barker is actually a demoness who grants a dark wish. A year later, Annie is a werewolf and her husband Brad is constantly living in fear, and cleaning up after her. When the same carnival comes back to town, Brad delivers and ultimatum: Annie must go back and get the curse reversed or their marriage is over. Of course, getting rid of the curse is never simple. Will Annie remain a werewolf? I ended up really liking Brad, and I was surprised by the way things turned out. Brad totally steps up to the plate. Four stars.
*The Cold Girl by Rachel Caine is the next entry, and this one features a young, high school couple who are supposedly in love, but when Kiley's phone is accidentally switched with Jamie's, Kiley ends up seeing something dangerous and disturbing on his phone. Kiley ends up nearly murdered in a ditch, as her body lies dying, she is visited by the mysterious woman behind the carnival and given a choice. What will happen to Kiley? Will she become a cold girl? This is a creepy tale with a girl and an abusive boyfriend. It has a nice surprise at the ending, and I liked the way it played out. Four stars.
*A Duet With Darkness by Allison Pang was a new take on the old and familiar story of making a deal with the devil for your soul. In this rendition, Melanie is a classically trained violinist traveling on the road with a makeshift band. Her constant companion and love is Nobu, a fallen angel-sin eater. When the band accepts a gig at the Crossroads, Melanie meets her match when she battles a fellow violinist named, Nick. Melanie inadvertently makes a deadly bargain that changes everything. The question is will she survive with her soul intact? What held this story back for me, was that it didn't have a strong carnival theme. I also didn't have a grasp on the characters and the relationship between Melanie and Nobu, likely because I have not read the series. Three and a half stars.
*The next story, Recession of the Divine by Hillary Jacques was my least favorite of the bunch. I didn't connect with it, and I felt a bit lost. It centers around Olivia, a former Olympian who is living as a human. Olivia is sent to investigate a carnival and uncovers some sinister things. At one point, Olivia is taken hostage, and this is where it gets all blurry and weird. I don't know if I didn't have a grasp on this one because it was part of a series, or if it was just confusing. Either way, it was a miss for me. Two stars.
*Parlor Tricks by Jennifer Estep is a story from Estep's popular Elemental Assassin's Series. For readers, like me, who have long wanted to check out this series, this short story featuring Gin and her sister, Bria, who is a detective, investigating a young girl's disappearance at a local carnival is a nice intro. While canvassing the carnival, the pair soon get the impression that something isn't quite right at the carnival, but what they find is more sinister than suspected. The sisters end up battling a crazed elemental witch, who is behind the disappearances. Will they escape the carnival of terrors? I liked getting to know Gin and I enjoyed getting a glimpse into this world. Four Stars.
*Kelly Meding's Freak House is up next. This one features a girl whose father is a djinn. When Shiloh's eight hundred year old djinn father is captured by a malevolent magician, it is up to Shiloh with the help of a new werewolf and the mysterious Julius to retrieve him. I am not familiar with this world or series, but I found this to be a good introduction. I haven't read to many books with djinn. I enjoyed meeting Shiloh and Julius, and I admit this one has me interested to read more. The one drawback to this one is that it doesn't have a strong carnival theme. Still it was a good read. Three and a half stars.
*The Inside Man by Nicole Peeler is a short story in the Jane True series. This story features Capitola and her two friends Moo and Shar investigating a strange carnival that seems to suck the essence out of people. On the way to the carnival, the three are suddenly accosted by a ghoulish clown, who has the ability to hypnotize his victims. Capitola is struck on the head by Moo. She awakens in a tent with hundreds of people. The clown is stealing their souls and imprisoning them in a strange mirror. Can Capitola save her friends from the soul sucking clown? Again, this was my first introduction to the Jane Peeler Series. I liked the story, and the killer clown, but the one thing I didn't like was delving into Moo's past filled with scenes of rape and abuse at the hands of her father. The carnival and the clown were uber creepy and it ended up being a good read. Three and a half stars.
*A Chance in Hell by Jackie Kessler features a demon, Jezebel, escaped from Hell now in a human body. When Jezebel ends up dragged to a carnival by her friend, she runs into some of her old acquaintances from Hell. Before Jezebel can turn around, her friend is snatched away from her into the depths of the Carnival and Jezebel is left to make a bargain with the Demon of Greed for her friend's soul. If Jezebel can retrieve her friend before another demon lays claim on her soul, she can leave, but if not....I struggled a bit with this one because I had no background on Jezebel's character. I felt a bit lost, but I did like the story. I think I would have enjoyed this more if I had read the series and had a better grasp on the characters. Two and a half stars.
*Hell's Menagerie by Kelly Gay is a story from the Charlie Madigan Series. This is another one where I didn't connect with the story as well because I wasn't familiar with the characters. The story features a young, precocious twelve year old named Emma whose sidekick is a Hellhound named Brimstone, with whom she can communicate telepathically. Alongside Emma is Rex. When Brimstone's litter of Hellhound puppies and mother are stolen and held captive in a carnival where unique animals are forced into death matches, Emma and Brimstone will stop at nothing to retrieve them. I liked the story, and I enjoyed the bond between Emma and Brimstone. I had trouble though understanding the relationship between Rex and Emma. It wasn't clear what they were to one another, and I felt a little lost. Overall, I liked Emma's fierceness and determination, and I thought her actions at end were noble. Three stars.
*The book concludes with Seanan McGuire's Daughter of the Midway, The Mermaid and the Open Sea. If you are familiar with McGuire, this short tale delivers what you love about her stories: unique, interesting and lovely, descriptive writing. This is an interesting tale about a carnival, a young girl and a mermaid, who seems to be losing more of herself every day. After eighteen years, the carnival returns to Alabama, and things come full circle when young Abby is abducted, and she is forced to embrace her true self. I loved the characters and the writing, but the ending was abrupt, and I was left wondering about the kidnappers and the mermaid's past. I needed more of this one. Three and a half stars.

All in all, Carniepunk is an interesting and eclectic mix of stories all with a carnival theme. I enjoyed the varied and dark twists on the carnival. Each author takes their own idea of a carnival and adds a unique, nightmarish twist. If you are eager to check out some series from some well known UF authors, this is a nice sampling. I was actually pleased that the stories were all solid. There weren't any subpar entries in this one. So come one, come all..... step right up to the Carnival of the Macabre. Enter if you dare. I wouldn't recommend reading this before attending a carnival unless you are a glutton for punishment.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

[All Things Urban Fantasy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy

PAINTED LOVE by Rob Thurman- 4/5

This was a great story to start this anthology out with as it gives you the flavor of carnival life with its descriptions of sleazy carnies and weird, almost creepy relationships they have with each other. PAINTED LOVE’s narrator, Doddle, was a weirdly passive and silent character and throughout most of the story I was constantly trying to figure out what his deal was. After pages of people talking at him and his chronic passivity in some dire situations I started to get very annoyed with him. Luckily the surprise twist ending involving Doddle’s identity had me smiling and going back to rethink the various interactions in PAINTED LOVE.

THE THREE LIVES OF LYDIA by Delilah S. Dawson- 3/5

This is a short story based in Dawson’s Blud series which presents a dark, surreal, carnival in an alternate world/dimension. The Blud series has a very compelling synopsis though not being already familiar with the characters and the world I couldn’t really connect with this story in any significant way. Along with the confusing storyline and writing style, THE THREE LIVES OF LYDIA ended up becoming a little too dark and depressing in the end to really enjoy.

THE DEMON BARKER OF WHEAT STREET by Kevin Hearne- 4/5

This was a nice little taste of everything I love about the Iron Druid series with prickly earth Elementals, bizarre demon bad guys, and Atticus’ loyal and hilarious dog, Oberon, who gets to help save the day in this adventure. There is tons of action and danger for Atticus and his student Granuaile with nice touches of Oberon’s hilarious comments. This story is mostly set in a carnival side show and by the end validated the creep vibe I get when I walk by one in real life. While its not necessary to have read the Iron Druid series it might help to get a better understanding of the world building.

THE SWEETER THE JUICE by Mark Henry- 1/5

My notes on this story consisted of many question marks as I was equally grossed out and confused about what I just read. The transexual narrator was a novel idea and I was more than happy to follow this character around to gain some insight into transexual lives. But the confusing plot slowly became an over-the-top-gross horror story involving drugs, and zombies with no hint of a carnival setting until the very end which felt tacked on to fit into the general ‘carnival’ theme of the anthology.

THE WEREWIFE by Jaye Wells- 2/5

I enjoyed the concept of this story with a husband and wife dealing with her werewolf curse though it had a little too much fun with cliched ‘time of the month’ jokes. The demon ringmaster fulfilling people’s wishes in horribly twisted ways was a fun idea that I would have liked to see fleshed out more. At first the husband and wife came off as kind of sympathetic which was short lived as they slowly became a horribly bitter and nasty couple who deserved the ringmaster’s wrath.

THE COLD GIRL by Rachel Caine- 3/5

This was a dark YA story that looked at the horrible things teens can do to each other and is a deliciously satisfying tale of revenge. THE COLD GIRL had just the right mix of horror and YA urban fantasy though the story wasn’t really anything new or interesting compared to the other stories in this anthology.

A DUET WITH DARKNESS by Allison Pang- 4/5

I loved the violin duels and deals with the devil in A DUET WITH DARKNESS along with the excellent descriptions of synesthesia which the main character has. There was a wonderful mix of faries, carnivals, and music and I would have probably enjoyed it more if I was more familiar with the Abby Sinclair series.

RECESSION OF THE DIVINE by Hillary Jaques- 2/5

This story had Greek goddesses, muses, and shady carnies vying for more money and power. I just could not get into this story as it moved really slowly. There was also a ton of inner monologuing which made an already dragging and confusing story harder to get through. Perhaps if this was expanded into a full length novel or even a novella there would be room to make a more engaging plot but it didn’t work for me.

PARLOR TRICKS Jennifer Estep- 4/5

Even if you aren’t familiar with the Elemental Assassin series you will really enjoy this missing person’s case set in a carnival. For those not familiar with the characters, PARLOR TRICKS gives you just enough information to understand this world and who Gin and Bria are. Gin and her sister Bria take a break from battling super powered bad guys to find a missing girl but like many of Gin’s adventures, this story becomes sinister. I loved seeing Gin and Bria work together and use their elemental powers.

FREAK HOUSE by Kelly Meding- 4/5

This was a really fun story with supernaturals being captured and displayed in a carnival freak show. FREAK HOUSE has some awesome worldbuilding, great pacing, and a fun half-djinn lead character. I am hoping this is a tasting of a full series because I want to read more of this world.

THE INSIDE MAN by Nicole Peeler- 4/5

This story is a little confusing for those not familiar with the Jane True series, but the story is fun and wacky enough to entertain even the uninitiated. It’s fast paced, action filled and has an evil soul stealing clown who made me finally understand the creep factor of clowns.

A CHANCE IN HELL by Jackie Kessler- 4/5

A part of the Hell on Earth series, ex-demon Jezebel and her roommate go to a carnival to help Jez connect more with humanity and end up neck deep in demons. I really enjoyed this story and Jezebel is a really fun, sexy, resourceful character. A CHANCE IN HELL flows well and has a ton of wit though it would have been better if I was familiar with the characters in the series.

HELL’S MENAGERIE by Kelly Gay- 3/5

Part of the Charlie Madigan series, HELL’S MENAGERIE makes me want to put this series on the top of my TBR pile. The story centers on Charile’s daughter Emma saving some hellhound puppies from an evil carnie and that description alone is worth a peek at this delightfully well written story.

DAUGHTER OF THE MIDWAY, THE MERMAID, AND THE OPEN LONELY SEA by Seanan McGuire- 4/5

This was a really engaging and beautifully written story of the daughter of a mermaid growing up in a carnival. The mermaid mythology is cleverly played around with and I enjoyed piecing together the mother’s past as they return to her hometown. The writing is strong and had me entranced to the tragically beautiful ending.

[☔️ Stormy Day Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

The thing I love about anthologies is discovering new authors. I found a couple good ones. I got this audiobook for the Iron Druid story. There were a couple by authors I am familiar with too. My suggestion: get it at the library... the book, not the audio. Read the stories you are interested in and take it back. I listened to a story or two a day and it took almost 2 weeks. It was a nice diversion and it was worth it because I did like the Blud book that I read because of this one. I'm not sure that I'd get another audio version of an anthology though since I could not skip ahead if I was bored with the story.


Rob Thurman “Painted Love"- It was just rambling and boring. The language was terrible. The concept of Doodle would have been interesting in a different story. 1 star

Delilah S. Dawson "A Blud Shortstory"- Charlie Dreggs was cool. I liked Lydia. I haven't read any Blud books yet but fully intend to now. I hope the series is as good as this short story. It had a good narrator too, I loved Charlie's voice. I was very dissapointed with the ending. 3 stars

Kevin Hearne “The Demon Barker of Wheat Street”- This is the story I got the anthology for. Despite the narrator getting Oberon's voice wrong I still enjoyed the story. I did find it a bit gruesome though. 4 stars

Mark Henry "The Sweeter the Juice"- Wow umm this is so weird. Confusing as hell and lots of gore. It was funny for the most part when it wasn't grossing me out. 2 stars

Jaye Wells "The Werewife"- Pretty entertaining. I especially liked the ending. 4 stars

Allison Pang "A Duet with Darkness"- Imagine the song The Devil Went Down to Georgia... but with violins at a carnival. Umm yea. This story was very confusing. Then once it started getting good it just ended! 1 star

Hillary Jacques "Recession of the Divine"- This one was ok, nothing exciting really. It had a pretty good ending but nothing very exciting. 3 stars

Jennifer Estep "Parlor tricks"- Woopsie! I guess this is farther ahead than the books I have read in the Elemental Assassin series. So I found out some stuff that happens in books I haven't read but I expected it to happen sooner or later so it's no big surprise. The story was ok, not as funny as Gin usually is. 3 stars

Kelly Meding "Freak House"- I really liked this story. The world building was done fairly quickly without any of the rambling that is in some of the other stories. I was ready to find the series but according to the author's website: "STRAYS is a new world for my readers... Stay tuned for word on when these new books will be coming your way." Until then she has some other series that sound pretty good. 4 stars

Nicole Peeler "The Inside Man"- This one is from the Jane True series, which I've never heard of but will be looking into after this story. If you weren't afraid of clowns before, you will be after this one. Some sexual parts may be upsetting to some people, just fyi. (rape memories) 4 stars

Jackie Kessler "A Chance in Hell"- Aaand I mentioned sexual stuff, wow does this one start up very sexual! Well, she's and ex-succubus so I guess that's expected. This story was boring as hell though and I just waited it out until it was over. 2 stars

Kelly Gay "Hell's Menagerie"- This story is about a little girl that has to save her pet hellhound's puppies from hell. This is also a very boring story. 1 star

Seanan McGuire "Daughter of the Midway, the Mermaid, and the Open, Lonely Sea"- This was slightly more interesting than the last 2 stories but still not worth the time it took to listen to it. 2 stars

http://rainyreviewz.blogspot.com/2013...

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know it doesn't take much of a review here to confirm the book is as awesome as everyone expects it to be. Let's face it, a lot of us have been antsy pantsy about this release. I lucked out big time and got an early copy and whether you need it or not, I'm gonna go ahead and talk about how fabulous a read it is :)

Concept wise there's no way this could be anything but a win in my opinion. I'm sure carnivals mean all kinds of things to all kinds of readers. For me, there's a mystique and a romanticism around the idea of a carnival but the reality is much more dirty and creepy for me. But whether you fall into the category of people who romanticize carnivals or the category like me whose skin crawls even thinking about those dirty rags wiping the ick off the seats of the ride you're about to get on (ewwww!), CARNIEPUNK does have something for us all. (An anthology of carnival based tales by some of the hottest urban fantasy authors out there is just gonna work.)

Some of the stories are series tie ins while others are totally new characters, but they all stand on their own even if you haven't yet read the author's backlist. Be warned, though, my must have list is bursting at the seams already and any of the authors here I haven't previously read have been added to the list now, too!

Here's the lineup and story list for you (in order they appear in the book):

"Painted Love" by Rob Thurman
"The Three Lives of Lydia" by Delilah S. Dawson (a Blud story)
"The Demon Barker of Wheat Street" by Kevin Hearne (an Iron Druid Chronicles story)
"The Sweeter the Juice" by Mark Henry
"The Werewife" by Jaye Wells
"The Cold Girl" by Rachel Caine
"A Duet With Darkness" by Allison Pang (an Abby Sinclair story)
"Recession of the Divine" by Hillary Jacques
"Parlor Tricks" by Jennifer Estep (an Elemental Assassin story) - available as a free e read right now
"Freak House" by Kelly Meding (a Strays story)
"The Inside Man" by Nicole Peeler (a Jane True story)
"A Chance in Hell" by Jackie Kessler
"Hell's Menagerie" by Kelly Gay (a Charlie Madigan story)
"Daughter of the Midway, the Mermaid, and the Open, Lonely Sea" by Seanan McGuire

Some of my faves:

"The Three Lives of Lydia" - I've never read Dawson before but a quick search proves the cover of her first Blud book is definitely familiar. This is a world I want to dive wholeheartedly into now!

"The Sweeter the Juice" - Mark Henry has been talking up Carniepunk and his tale for a while so this one came with big expectations (I had to force myself to read in order rather than jumping directly into this one). It's excellent but also quite nasty!

"The Cold Girl" - just because. Once you read it, you'll know.

"Freak House" - like Dawson, Meding is new to me and I definitely need to read this series now.

"Daughter of the Midway, the Mermaid, and the Open, Lonely Sea" - Seanan McGuire is so awesome. I've read her work as Mira Grant and have the first in her October Daye series in my TBR. This story is a little different from the others in that the carnie folks are the main characters. It's something of a bittersweet tale and utterly fabulous in every way.

A must, must, must have for any fan of urban fantasy/paranormal romance!

[Suspense Magazine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was definitely in the mood for something off the beaten path when I picked up the anthology, “CarniePunk.” Brimming with dark urban fantasy bestsellers—a few I wasn’t familiar with—I knew I’d have stories by authors I enjoy and the possibility of finding some new favorites. Anthologies are fun and can be like dating. You get to kick the tires and don’t have to settle on one specific author if you’re not sure who or what you’ll like. Carnie-themed “CarniePunk” and its amazing collection of authors do not disappoint.
We’ll start at the beginning with Rob Thurman’s Painted Love, which even now after I’ve finished all fourteen fantastic stories, sticks with me and had me searching my shelves for more from Thurman. Doodle—our story’s hero—doesn’t typically jump into the fray of people’s problems, choosing to simply go through life as an active voyeur. All is well, until he just can’t sit idly by for one more moment and readers—at least I was—will be shocked at where this story takes them.
Another very bright spot in this sea of diamonds was found in Rachel Caine’s The Cold Girl, where sixteen-year-old Kiley learns a few life and death lessons and you may find yourself rooting for the underdog—regardless of the reckless teenage actions that got her into trouble. Seanan McGuire brings Daughter of the Midway, the Mermaid, and the Open, Lonely Sea, which will have you questioning what’s real and what isn’t the next time you wander down a carnival midway and glance at the flying banners for the ‘freaks’ in the show.
“CarniePunk” has something for everyone with story’s from Kevin Hearne to Jaye Wells, whether they be ‘in-between’ current storylines or something fresh and new. Guaranteed to entertain!
Reviewed by Shannon Raab for Suspense Magazine ■

[WTF Are You Reading? · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carniepunk combines all of the mystery that surrounds the bells, whistles, barkers, and baddies that have lured countless people to stroll the midway; with the creatures, demons, angels, and spirits that have captivated the hearts and minds of humankind through the ages.

The stars of the urban fantasy genre have never shown brighter than they do in this collection.
Authors

Rachel Caine
Jennifer Estep
Kevin Hearne
Seanan McGuire
Rob Thurman
Delilah S. Dawson
Allison Pang
Jackie Kessler
Kelly Gay
Kelly Meding
Hillary Jaques
Mark Henry
Nicole D. Peeler
Jaye Wells

One of the great draws of this anthology is the fact that a great number of the authors featured have chosen to include stories built around characters that readers are familiar with from well known series. This book for those readers, will be like seeing an old friend in new clothes. For the reader who may be familiar with the author but not the series; these Big Top themed glimpses into their creations may lead to exploration of the literary homelands of their new acquaintances.

Another plus of this read lies in the sheer variety of tastes available at this paranormal potluck.
There is something for everyone. Sweet, comical, terrifying, or steamy, each story better than the last.
If you are a reader ready to push the boundaries of imagination past all known limits; this is the book for you.
This is a must read fright with their freakish fun.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never been a big fan of anthologies. There is limited reading time (sad, I know) so I stick to novels where I can find character development and a depth to the story. However, in the past several months I decided to read more short stories. Earlier this year I read and reviewed a book of short stories / novellas by one of my favorite authors. And, my husband surprised me with an anthology of zombie shorts that I have enjoyed to the halfway point. So, when I saw this group of authors (many very well-known for their paranormal writing) and, hello, CARNIVALS - I really wanted to give this one a shot. Am I glad I did? You betcha!

As with any eclectic group, some of the stories are definitely better than others. I won't review each one separately here but if you are interested, I did rate each one with my Goodreads status updates while reading. The ratings varied from 1 to 5 stars with most receiving 3.5-4.

My favorite was definitely "The Cold Girl" by Rachel Caine. It was scary and sad - abusive teenage relationships, fortune tellers and the reaper. About 30 pages but better character development than many full length paranormal novels out right now.

Least favorite was "The Sweeter the Juice" by Mark Henry. I can't even describe it. Just weird. And, I hate to say but not good at all.

Overall, 4/5 stars and worth the price of admission.

Thank you to the Gallery Books for providing a copy through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

This four-star review is only for the short story 'The Demon Barker of Wheat Street,' an Iron Druid Chronicle story that takes place chronologically between the fourth and fifth novels in the series. If you have read up to the fourth book in the series, there is really no reason not to read this short story, you'll definitely like it, along with the other two short stories set in between the fourth and fifth novels -- Two Ravens and One Crow and The Chapel Perilous. While I am sure any and all of these could be read as stand alone stories, they would reveal spoilers from the preceding novels, so I think they probably work best read in order.

[Samantha wickedshizuku Tolleson]

This is what I've finished so far...

“The Three Lives of Lydia” – Delilah S Dawson
This was really interesting, and tragically dark. I just can't get over how well written this really was!

"Duet with Darkness" - Allison Pang
Really awesome short about a violinist. 3.5 stars