Monday, March 14, 2011

The Poison Eaters by Holly Black

The Poison Eaters: And Other StoriesFrom Holly Black's Website:
In her debut collection, New York Times best-selling author Holly Black returns to the world of Tithe in two darkly exquisite new tales. Then Black takes readers on a tour of a faerie market and introduces a girl poisonous to the touch and another who challenges the devil to a competitive eating match. These stories have been published in anthologies such as 21 Proms, The Faery Reel, and The Restless Dead, and have been reprinted in many "Best of" anthologies. The Poison Eaters is Holly Black's much-anticipated first collection of stories, and her ability to stare into the void--and to find humanity and humor there--will speak to young adult and adult readers alike.
I really enjoyed this anthology. I'm not going to get into each story, but as a whole the book was dark and fun. Not all of these stories have a happy ending, but all are deliciously twisted. Some stories stood out a bit more than others but as a whole they all seem to fit together. Not as entwining stories, but more as stories with the same sense of supernatural darkness. This is also a collection of YA "faerie stories" that adults will enjoy as well as the YA crowd. Especially those sick of the swooning too soon female and the arrogant male that gets away with everything. Also, I enjoyed the fact that several societal issues faced currently were incorporated into some of the stories.

I give this anthology 4 1/2  stars. Some stories I might even rate a 5. Oh and yes... I should mention that there is a few stories on poison. It's not just in the title. Some *coughStephanieoftheMisfitSaloncough* will thoroughly enjoy just based on that dark fact. ;) This book will be published March 22, 2011.

I received this ebook from the publisher and no compensation for my review was given.

16 comments:

  1. Great review! I'm anxious to see if any of these will become novels.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh! Hadn't heard of this one. Now I'm definitely curious.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Awesome! Twisted is a good thing :) I am not the only one who see things that way right?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Deliciously twisted you say? Sounds like something I would like to read, especially if the "swooning too soon" aspect is absent. Very excited about that little tidbit:) I'll have to add this one to my list, thanks Melissa!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I really want to read this one. I love faerie stories!!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm really not into anthologies but I'm tempted by this collection as I'm looking for something like this that is a bit more grownup and, dare I say it, lacking in the swoon department, thanks for the recommendation.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am usually not a fan of short stories, but since it's Holly Black they got my attention. I liked her dark fairy world

    ReplyDelete
  8. Ohhhh! I like twisted! And Yes, I need a change from the usual in YA PNR.

    Thanks Melissa!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sounds deliciously poisonous - thanks for reviewing it!

    ReplyDelete
  10. As a matter of fact, I've read this book....and surprise, surprise, I LIKED IT! Black even included a story set in the Philippines, which was a lovely surprise. I should've included this in my poison week...Next time ***wicked laugh***

    ReplyDelete
  11. I love Holly Black and I had never heard of this before... So, totally excited to get my hands on it!
    Thanks for the review Melissa!
    ;)

    ReplyDelete
  12. sounds great! even though Im not a big fan of anthologies...

    Great review hon!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I am not a huge fan on anthologies but this one sounds more my type, twisted and unique. Great review :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. I don't do short stories a lot, but these do sound great.
    Brandi from Blkosiner’s Book Blog

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oh, I remember seeing a little of this one around a short while ago. But didn't really "hear" that much on it. Hmmm, sounds like a great read! And an Anthology...

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I've never read Holly Black :3 maybe I should start with this? Maybe?

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for commenting! I ❤ comments!