Review - The Curiosities by Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton and Brenna Yavonoff

Series: None

Genre: Short Stories 

Source: Purchased

Published: Lerner Publishing Group (2012)

Hardcover - 304 pgs

Add it // Buy it 

Rating: 4/5

From acclaimed YA authors Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff comes The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories.

- A vampire locked in a cage in the basement, for good luck.

- Bad guys, clever girls, and the various reasons why the guys have to stop breathing.

- A world where fires never go out (with references to vanilla ice cream).

These are but a few of the curiosities collected in this volume of short stories by three acclaimed practitioners of paranormal fiction.

But The Curiosities is more than the stories. Since 2008, Maggie, Tessa, and Brenna have posted more than 250 works of short fiction to their website merryfates.com. Their goal was simple: create a space for experimentation and improvisation in their writing—all in public and without a backspace key. In that spirit, The Curiosities includes the stories and each author's comments, critiques, and kudos in the margins. Think of it as a guided tour of the creative processes of three acclaimed authors.

So, are you curious now? 

These three ladies pack a powerful punch. Each one has a great style and their stories are fantastic. Unlike most short story collections this one is full of writing advice and guidance as well.  All three authors talk about the challenges they faced while writing and how these particular stories in this collection challenged them. Plus the authors are critique partners and talk about how their friends have grown while writing which is really interesting. I loved reading how each author experimented while writing this collection. This would be a lovely addition to your collection if you were an aspiring author.

These short stories are not short on impact though. During many of the stories my hair stood on end, I laughed and cried. They are crafted so well and all the authors have mastered the short story. There were ones that appealed to me more like you see in any collection. While I thought I would favor one author’s style over the others, they varied a lot in the different stories and I ended up enjoying them all equally. I’m anxious to read a full length novel by Tessa Gratton or Brenna Yovanoff now that I’ve read these! Check out this collection! There is even a second set of stories now.

Happy Reading!