Celestial

by Jamie Campbell, Sarah Dalton, Zoe Cannon

From the beginning of time, the mysteries of the night sky have captivated humanity. Our ancestors foretold the future through the phases of the moon, worshiped the countless stars, and feared the comets that streaked across the sky before disappearing back into darkness. Now, ten YA authors have come together to explore the impact the appearance of a comet can have on a life, a relationship… or an entire world.'Shadow' by Sarah Dalton. When Mary visits her Aunt Izzy's remote seaside bungalow, past and present collide. She soon realises a dark shadow hangs over her childhood memories, leaving her a task she would rather not complete... A haunting ghost story that explores the delicate relationships between women. Part of the 'Mary Hades' series. ‘The Sleeping Goddess’ by Zoe Cannon. On the eve of a once-in-a-thousand-years celestial event, the last surviving priestess must decide whether to obey her goddess and destroy an entire race… or follow her heart and let her own people die.‘Before the Pageant’ by Susan Fodor. In a dystopian city where appearances are everything, Ambrose Addams spends all her time striving to be number one. With classical beauty, the hottest boyfriend in Tealé, and the most sought after position in the city, Ambrose should be happy; things rarely go the way they should. One fortuitous exchange will not only change her priorities, but the whole course of her life. ‘Comet Cotillion (A Celestial Mini-Wave)’ by Sutton Shields. Marina Valentine spends her days in The Helena Hambourg House for Maladies, where each hour presents a new fight for survival. Life in an institution isn’t exactly ideal, but for Marina, nothing could be more dangerous than being caught in the middle of a vicious scheme cooked up by the evil Head Hoodooess, Madame Helena. Now, Marina and her quirky friends must find a way to escape before everything that makes them special is taken away forever. ‘Comet Cotillion’ is a short, fun-filled prequel to the events occurring in The Merworld Water Wars series by Sutton Shields. ‘The Shadow Keepers’ by Anya Allyn. At the terrifying moment that seven-year-old Molly discovers her mother dead, she sees a stranger standing in the a teenage girl. The girl holds a shocking secret. A new story from The Dark Carousel series.‘Tragic Magic’ by Jamie Campbell. A stalking ex-boyfriend is one thing. When he is a demon, it’s a whole new ballgame. Lacey would like to think she is an average teenager, except the witch is anything but. In order to get rid of her crazed ex, she must draw on all her powers to vanquish him forever.‘The Greenhouse Gas’ by Ariele Sieling. Galya wakes up to the flash of a falling comet, and discovers that her escape pod is floating in a graveyard of spaceships. Confused and scared, she and her brother set out to search the destroyed ships for signs of their father... or any life at all. This story retells Hansel and Gretel is set in outer space.‘Project #45’ by Marijon Braden. The Brightness wasn’t the end of the world, but it might as well have been. Now, Amy and her family are trying to rebuild their lives, trying to return to some kind of normalcy, all the time wondering…why did it happen? How? And when will it happen again? And a million years (Miles? Worlds?) away, the answer is so simple…‘Moon Warrior’ by H.S. Stone. Separated from her tribe after a sand dragon attack, Luna finds herself alone with no food or shelter. She must cross a desert wasteland to find her people again, but when she loses their trail, she discovers that her warrior instincts may not be enough to save her.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Short Stories, Paranormal, Dystopia, Anthologies

295 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 5, 2014

About the author

Jamie was born into a big, crazy family of 6 children. Being the youngest, she always got away with anything and would never shut up. Constantly letting her imagination run wild, her teachers were often frustrated when her ‘What I did on the weekend’ stories contained bunyips and princesses.

Growing up, Jamie did the sensible things and obtained a Bachelor of Business degree from Southern Cross University and worked hard to gain her membership with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia.

Yet nothing compared to writing. Quitting the rat race to spend quality time with her laptop named Lily, Jamie has written several novels and screenplays. Spanning a number of genres and mediums, Jamie writes whatever inspires her from ghost stories to teenage love stories to tantalising murder mysteries. Nothing is off limits.

A self-confessed television addict, dog lover, Taylor Swift fan, and ghost hunter, Jamie loves nothing more than the thrill of sharing her stories.

Reviews

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining fantasy listening 🎶🔰

This novella e-book is free on Amazon. Oh how I love 💘 those free books 📚!

This is a ten short story collection by various authors. Each story is different with interesting well developed characters lots of action and misdirection leading to each conclusion. I found it to be family and friends relationships adventure thriller with ghost 👻, magic, witches, and just normal people.

I found this collection is more a women's prospective. I found it to be enjoyable. I would recommend that you give it a try it may or may not work for you. 2023 👒😀😡🏡

[Kindle Ninja · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of 10 Young Adult stories with ‘comet’ as the main theme. I must say, the stories exceeded my expectations. I believe that putting ‘Shadow’ by Sarah Dalton as the first story is a brilliant move because it really gets you all prepped for that comet-themed reading marathon.

... And it ends with ‘Love Me or Love Me Not’ by Katie Hayoz, which gives a somber yet disturbing end to the anthology.

In between are stories from authors who spin edgy new yarns for the new generation of readers.
Here’s my 5-word reviews of each story.

‘Shadow’ by Sarah Dalton – Extra sense is bloody scary!

‘The Sleeping Goddess’ by Zoe Cannon. –- Nothing’s fine, she is torn.

‘Before the Pageant’ by Susan Fodor. –- Teens really obsessed with ranking.

‘Comet Cotillion (A Celestial Mini-Wave)’ by Sutton Shields. --Kids, never trust asylums. Ever.

‘The Shadow Keepers’ by Anya Allyn –- Monsters are real and here.

‘Tragic Magic’ by Jamie Campbell. –-Demon not taking breakup well.
‘The Greenhouse Gas’ by Ariele Sieling --Hansel. Gretel. Space. No cake.

‘Project #45’ by Marijon Braden. –-Apocalyptic overture in bright lights.

‘Moon Warrior’ by H.S. Stone. –-Nature’s GPS to the rescue.

‘Love Me or Love Me Not’ by Katie Hayoz -- Tragic end from misplaced reverence.

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Celestial by Jamie Campbell is a collection of short stories that is heavens/sky/stars related. The variety is amazing. The stories are wonderful! My favorite in this book is 'Shadow' by Sarah Dalton that had me shocked and stunned. A must read story. All were great.

[kathleen spalding · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Anthology!!!

The stories are strong, imaginative, and unique. Some of them are superb! Great mix of sci-fi and real life, well written, suitable for probably ages 13 and up. Definitely pulls on one's heartstrings!!

[Bella Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the sleeping goddess by Zoe Cannon and it was devine. Almost as good as the bone knife. Out of 10 I would give it a 9,5 just because the elf in the bone knife was way hotter that the human in the sleeping goddess..

[Vitea · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Shadow" by Sarah Dalton is such a wonderful, touching, sad and beautifully written story. I really enjoyed reading it, almost cried at the end.
I strongly recommend the "Mary Hades" series to you.

[Shanna Cushing · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, especially the story by Marijon Braden. I would love it if that story was made into a full blown novel.