The Poison Eaters: And Other Stories by Holly Black

A collection of short stories all having a fairy tale or fantasy twist to them.

Black has published most of these in other anthologies, she just collected them all here in one novel.

"The Coldest Girl in Coldtown"--vampires
"A Reversal of Fortune" --deal with the devil
"The Boy Who Cried Wolf" --shapeshifters
"The Night Market" --elves and curses
"The Dog King" --shapeshifters
"Virgin" --faeries and unicorns
"In Vodka Veritas" --Bacchus and his followers; fairies (sort of)
"The Coat of Stars" --faeries
"Paper Cuts Scissors" --books, characters out of books (think Inkheart but darker)
"Going Ironside" --faeries in our world
"The Land of Heart's Desire" --faeries in our world
"The Poison Eaters" --far away kingdoms and getting rid of opposition

I don't usually like short story collections, mostly because the stories are really good and I want to keep reading them. With this compilation, I didn't feel that way. Several of the stories could have been longer--I would have loved to keep reading. Most of them had an ending that I was satisfied with and happy to turn the page and go on to the next one. "The Coldest Girl in Coldtown" and "In Vodka Veritas" were my favorites.

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Meghan thought her only worries would be getting the most popular guy in school to notice her. And he notices her all right, enough to publicly humiliate her. But that's the least of her worries--her brother Ethan begins acting strange and even attacks her. Her friend Robbie explains Ethan's been kidnapped and replaced with a changeling.

Meghan can't believe it at first, but Robbie proves his story and the two head off into Nevernever to rescue Ethan. Robbie's real name is Puck, like in Midsummer Night's Dream, and he acts as Meghan's guide. Much more is going on than meets the eye, as Meghan learns of her heritage and the danger facing all the fey.

An interesting first in a series. A lot of character development and action, but the story kind of drags in the middle. Meghan falls for Ash, one of the fey princes, without much of a back story or interaction, and there is some forced dialogue as the author struggles with her themes. A mix between Midsummer Night's Dream and Alice in Wonderland. Despite all of this, I'm still going to be waiting for the next one in the series!

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Sophie is a witch and in big trouble. No matter the reason, every time she casts a spell it goes horribly wrong. She is finally sent to Hectate Hall, where all witches, shapeshifters, faeries, and other creatures go when they fail to fit into a 'normal' existence.

Hex Hall isn't so bad--Sophie's found a good friend in Jenna, her vampire roommate, and a huge crush on Archer, the school's resident hottie. Not that it's all sunshine--some of her fellow witches are showing up dead and Sophie is seeing a girl in green wandering around. Sophie can't help but wonder why her power seems so different from everyone else's and if she can learn how to control it.

I really enjoyed this story. Sophie is a great character, full of smarts, spunk, and her own sense of self. There are instances where the story twists in unexpected ways. If you liked Harry Potter, you'll probably like this one too.

Lament by Maggie Stiefvater

Deidre's life is about to change, even though she doesn't know it. She heads to the high school to participate in a musical competition, nervous about her performance. Then Luke Dillon, the new boy, helps her out and suddenly her life is unraveling. She finds four-leaf clovers everywhere and she discovers she can move things with her mind.

Before she knows it, she's thrust into a large battle with the Faerie Queen, and everyone she cares about is in danger.

A great love story. There is enough action, suspense, and plot here to keep anyone entertained. Deidre is believable even if the adults aren't always, and her and Luke's story makes the novel fantastic.

Note: the sequel to Lament is Ballad and it's about James. I don't want to say much here, because it'll give away some of the things that happen in Lament, but it is another fantastic love story. Again, filled with action, suspense, and a storyline that is believable and fascinating.