Book Review: Zombies vs. Unicorns anthology

Title: Zombies vs. Unicorns
Author: Holly Black & Justine Larbalestier (features short stories by many YA faves including: Libba Bray, Meg Cabot, Scott Westerfeld, Maureen Johnson, Cassandra Clare, Carrie Ryan)
Genre: Short Stories, Anthology, Humor, Horror, YA*
Published: 2010

The deal with Zombies vs. Unicorns is half the stories are pro-zombie, half pro-unicorn, with each story introduced by either Holly Black (Team Unicorn) or Justine Larbalestier (Team Zombie), in attempt to convince the reader to choose a side.

The first few stories didn't do a whole lot for me, honestly, so I skipped around to the authors I was familiar with and read the book in a non-linear way. I greatly enjoyed Maureen Johnson's story of a nanny to a nursery of zombie tots whose mother may or may not have been a famous celebrity parent known for adopting children internationally. I also loved Scott Westerfeld's post-zomb-acolypse survivial tale, somehow with a love story and infection control thrown in, Meg Cabot's typical snarky teen girl tale with added bad-ass unicorn, and Libba Bray's sad but ... yes, sad survival zombie story of high school kids trying to have prom among the world of the undead.

The stories are mostly inventive, but a few I found a bit confusing or uninteresting.  I put an *asterisk next to Young Adult for genre because I think this is appropriate for upper-end YA. Maybe I'm a big 'ole prude, but the language and horror scenarios of several stories may make some younger readers (and their parents) uncomfortable. Just because there are cartoony pictures on the cover does not mean it's OK for a 12-year-old (think South Park or Family Guy - animiated but adult humor).

Can't Wait For... Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Sometimes I'm totally pulled in by a book cover. I love the combination of this cover and the title:

I already want to read this based on visual appeal alone. The description sounds decent, too. From Goodreads:

Amy Goodnight's family is far from normal. She comes from a line of witches, but tries her best to stay far outside the family business. Her summer gig? Ranch-sitting for her aunt with her wacky but beautiful sister. Only the Goodnight Ranch is even less normal than it normally is. Bodies are being discovered, a ghost is on the prowl, and everywhere she turns, the hot neighbor cowboy is in her face.

If this manages a haunting, vibey feel, a little bit of darkness with wit, I'll be all over it. Early reader reviews are mostly positive. The book releases this week, and my question is not whether or not I will read it, but do I get the e-book or buy the hard copy so I can have that pretty cover? (Now there's a case of #firstworldproblems...)

Book Review: Torn by Erica O'Rourke

Title: Torn
Author: Erica O'Rourke
Category: YA paranormal*
Pub Year: 2011

Torn opens with Maura, nicknamed Mo, wounded in a hospital after an attack that killed her best friend Verity. Mo's mother and her Uncle Billy watch out for her since Mo's father has been in jail for most of  her life, reportedly for a mob scandal. The stigma attached to Mo's family draws the attention of police investigating Verity's death. The police, and her uncle, believe Mo was the target of the attack, perhaps relating to her uncle's secretive dealings with the mob, which he lies about to Mo. There are things Mo is not able to explain about the shadowy dark figures who attacked them. She's not sure they were even human.

While her family and the police are convinced Verity's death is related to mob dealings, Luc, a mysterious guy with a southern drawl, shows up to tell Mo to keep quiet about what she saw. Through Luc, Mo pieces together the life her best friend really lived, going far beyond Chicago. Verity had secrets, which Mo needs to uncover in order to find out who - or what - really killed her.

The story does a great job of illustrating multiple paths characters can take depending on whether they keep secrets or share the truth, and thankfully, it works without being preachy. There's a love triangle here, and a good one, too. Mo is frustrated with, and enamored by, Luc, an heir to a magical destiny of sorts, and Colin, Chicago tough-guy (with a sensitive side, of course) who is hired by Mo's uncle to protect her from what he thinks are mob hits.

I put an asterisk next to paranormal here since much of the book has a contemporary feel, and the hidden magic world Verity had been a part of is slowly revealed. I liked the mix of Mo's Catholic school life in Chicago and the intricities of her family along with a pretty cool magic worldview complete with swords, spells, magic sources and creepy dark beings. I think the writing is strong with minimal points of over- description that could potentially pull a reader from the story. Some of the magic worldview explanation could get murky, but if you accept it as magic, it's a little easier to not be concerned with all the rules. Mo is figuring it out herself which helps the reader put the pieces together.

I got this as an e-book for under $7 which is a great deal. This is the Erica O'Rourke's first published book, and Torn is set as a trilogy. It's a fast, interesting read, and I enjoyed the character development.