Creatures, Crowns, & Curses

by A.J. Skelly, Meghan Kleinschmidt (editor), Sara K. Anderson

Follow along as the royal adventure continues into the depths of the sea and to far-off lands, where evil lurks and love conquers all.

Reckless decisions and heroic sacrifices. Friendships new and old. Family formed in unexpected ways. Fated mates and enemies-to-more.

Find creatures adorable and ghastly breathe romance and intrigue into this charming anthology.




Authors

Sara K. Anderson, Laura L. Zimmerman, AnnaRose Lawrence, Rienne French, Suzie Anne, Ellen McGinty, Laurel Burgess, JM Archer, Morgan J. Manns, AJ Skelly, Hailey Huntington, Ashley Bustamante, Jennifer Dyer, Liana Miller, Megan LaCroix, Ava Lauren Grayson, Carla Reighard, Annee Clark  

315 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 24, 2024

About the author

AJ Skelly (also writing as April J. Skelly) is an author, reader, and lover of all things fantasy, medieval, and fairy-tale-romance. And werewolves. She has a serious soft spot for them. As an avid life-long reader and a former high school English teacher, she's always been fascinated with the written word. She lives with her husband, children, and many imaginary friends who often find their way into her stories. They all drink copious amounts of tea together and stay up reading far later than they should.

You can read more of her short stories at www.ajskelly.com.

Reviews

[Melissa Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazingly compilation of authors and short stories! If you are a fan of mermaids, dragons, sea creatures, and other mysterious and mystical creatures this book is definitely a must read.

[Renée Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not always able to get into short stories, but I found myself really enjoying these. It was easy late-night reading that carried me away on whimsy. I enjoyed how each author could write a sea creature/mermaid story with a totally unique perspective and twist. There were several times I thought, "I wish this story were a whole novel. I'd read it!" The author bio pages were interesting and helped me find some new authors to follow. I also enjoyed the art work in photography throughout. Romance is clean, kisses only. Many of the authors are Christians.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a whole I enjoyed this one a lot. There are a diverse group of stories by several authors. There are a few that stand out that I would read if they continue in a larger book. I know at least one has a duology If you like books about the sea, mermaids, and curses. I highly recommend it. You can pick it up and read a story or two when life gets super busy.

[Rachel Stadeli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely splendid collection of stories! As a former mermaid kid, this touches some deep part of my soul. Personal favorite individual pieces include The Calypso Diamond, The Curse of Draconic, and The Girl Who Broke the Sky.

[Charis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun anthology full of merfolk and dragons! A couple misses, but I enjoyed most of these stories. My favorites include the Calypso Diamond, the Queen of the Sea, and the Viper’s Wish.

[Sarah Rizk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creatures, Crowns & Curses is full of captivating short stories that provide an escape from reality for readers. I tend to read anthologies at night as a way to be able to put the book down (after finishing a story) and go to bed at a decent hour. Let me just tell you, very little sleep was had while reading this one. I couldn't resist the urge to keep checking out the next story when I was finished instead of putting it down. Some of my favorites include The Sea Witch & The Idiot Prince and The Viper's Wish.

[Kailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun collection of stories! It’s perfect for fans of mermaids, dragons, and other mythical creatures. The artwork in between the stories were a great addition. This is a perfect way to sample stories from different authors. I would recommend this collection!


I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

[Briana Briggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun collection of different works from different authors! I definitely found some that I would like to read more of their work.

[Jacklyn Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is full of great little stories about Magic!! Each one unique and creative! From dragons to mermaids to even Medusa it was a great experience!! If you like Anthologies then you should definitely check this one out!

[Ellen McGinty · Rating 5 out of 5]

My story, SARDINES AND STARDUST, is in this charity anthology!!! I loved writing this short story inspired by the beautiful Enoshima Island where I have many fond memories. The myths of dragons and goddesses surrounding the island has always played in the back of my mind as a story I would like to write. The story also dips into TCK (third culture kid) waters. So many fun stories and illustrations to be found in this little book for a good cause.

All proceeds from the book go to provide wigs for cancer patients.

Hope you'll give these stories a try!

[Amelia E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️ 3.5 stars rounded up to four ⭐️

I enjoyed all of these stories, there are a lot of fun and creative ideas. I did feel like most of them could have used a little more editing polish. I also thought the romance in almost all of them was really rushed; i know smooth development is quite hard to pull off in stories this short though. And some of them did it quite well.

My favorite stories include: The Girl Who Broke the Sky, The Viper’s Wish, and Medusa.

[Marmed60 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this anthology. Some of these stories were so good that I was sad to see the story finish. Will definitely support more of these authors after reading this. It’s a a little treasure among so many books out.

I read the free e- arc and am leaving my honest opinion.