Zombies vs. Unicorns - Holly Black & Justine Larbalestier - 2010

Title: Zombies vs. Unicorns

Author: Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier (editors)

Year: 2010

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry

Date Read: 1-27-2011

Overall: Since this is an anthology, I cannot rate it as whole, because there were some stories I loved and some I was not a fan of.

GoodReads Blurb: It's a question as old as time itself: which is better, the zombie or the unicorn? In this anthology, edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier (unicorn and zombie, respectively), strong arguments are made for both sides in the form of short stories. Half of the stories portray the strengths—for good and evil—of unicorns and half show the good (and really, really bad-ass) side of zombies. Contributors include many bestselling teen authors, including Cassandra Clare, Libba Bray, Maureen Johnson, Meg Cabot, Scott Westerfeld, and Margo Lanagan. This anthology will have everyone asking: Team Zombie or Team Unicorn?

My Review (aka, Stories I Really Liked): Since this was a compilation of stories, there were some that I really enjoyed, and some that I found hard to get into. Since this is a really fun compilation, I am just going to list a few highlights.

Zombie Stories I Really Enjoyed:

Love Will Tear Us Apart by Alaya Dawn Johnson - What if a zombie fell in love?

Bougainvillea by Carrie Ryan - I liked the seriousness of this one, it was really convincing

The Children of the Revolution by Maureen Johnson - The creepy zombie babies were just awesome, and everyone should follow Maureen on twitter

Unicorn Stories I Really Enjoyed:

Purity Test by Naomi Novik - I'm not really sure why, but this story cracked me up

The Care and Feeding of Your Baby Killer Unicorn by Diana Peterfreund - I loved this story, it amused me to no end

Princess Prettypants by Meg Cabot - I loved the kick-butt rainbow-farting unicorn!

My Team: Unicorn!

I definitely recommend this anthology. It's just so fun, and there are so many different views on zombies and unicorns. There were quite a few authors I had never heard of, and it was great to get read new writing styles. I know a lot of people are team zombie, but I just love that unicorns can be so bad@$$ and so kind and awesome all at the same time.

To Buy: Amazon

Currently Reading: XVI by Julia Karr

Books Read in 2011: 10

Bleed - Laurie Faria Stolarz - 2006

Title: Bleed

Author: Laurie Faria Stolarz

Year: 2006

Date Read: 1-26-2011

Overall: * * (2/5)

GoodReads Blurb: Over the course of a single summer day, ten teenagers in Salem, Massachusetts, will discover important truths about themselves and each other.

There is Nicole, whose decision to betray her best friend will shock everyone, most of all herself; Kelly, who meets the convicted felon she has been writing to for years; Maria, whose definition of a true friend is someone who will cut her. Then there is Sadie, a chubby eleven-year-old whose mother forces her to wear a “please don’t feed me” sign stapled to her shirt; while Joy, a fifteen-year-old waitress hoping for true intimacy narrowly escapes a very dark fate. Derik discovers that his usual good looks and charm won’t help him hold onto the girl he wants, while nineteen-year-old drifter, Mearl, is desperately looking for a place to call home. Sean is torn between his loyalty to his girlfriend and the possibility of finding something more with her friend, while Ginger’s single-minded pursuit to bring down her nemesis only proves that they may be more alike than she thought.

Seamlessly woven together, this incredibly powerful and compelling collection of stories chronicles the very real trials of today’s teen experience.

Plot: * * (...Was there one?)

Characters: * * (Undeveloped)

Style: * *

My Review: I really was not a fan of this book. I felt like there might be more than one chapter from each person's perspective. Instead, it was a bunch of short stories, that sort of intertwined, but didn't really. They weren't long enough to have any message or conclusion. Really, each of the character's was just a tidbit crazy, and they all kind of needed a reality check. I think if this book had a little more depth and a little more of a plot line and an end point, it could have been really interesting. I was curious about how each character would end up. Instead, their stories are just left off in the middle. I'm assuming Stolarz wanted to leave her readers with questions, but I really didn't gain a connection to any character with the exception of 11 year old Sadie. I would not recommend this book to others. I will stick with the Touch series though, because those books have good strong characters and plot lines.

To Buy: Amazon

Currently Reading:

For School: Forever by Judy Blume, Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block

Other: XVI by Julia Karr

Book Read in 2011: 9