Laini Taylor was inspired to write these three short stories by "The Goblin Market" by Christina Rossetti. The first story is about a girl who longs to be wanted and that longing attracts a goblin's attention. The second is about a girl cursed into silence which is only challenged by first love. The third is a complex story told in a non-linear way about a woman running from her past and her daughter trying to find out who she is. These stories are spooky and creepy and I love them. I can see why this was a National Book Award finalist. Jim Di Bartolo, Laini's husband, illustrated this book beautifully. I posted a picture of the hardcover with his art gracing the cover. The newer paperback edition has a different cover which I do not like. I recommend this story to anyone who enjoys dark faerie stories.
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
A menacing carnival comes to an Illinois town and 14 year olds Will & Jim try to fight the main baddie, owner Mr. Dark. While Will & Jim may be the main characters, Will's dad, the janitor at the public library, is really the heart of the story. I love Fahrenheit 451 so I expected to love this. I did not. I liked it, but no love. It can get pretty wordy at times. There was something about the writing in this book that made me think Stephen King read it as a young boy and it influenced him. I read that Dandelion Wine takes place in the same town as this book and it makes me want to read it to see the differences.
I really enjoyed Wicked Lovely and thought it was about time I read it's companion book. Ink Exchange has some of the same characters as its predecessor but the story focuses on new characters. Leslie has been trying to avoid her brother and his drug dealer friends. She hasn't even told her best friends the entire truth about how bad things have been at home. In order to reclaim her life and her bodyLeslie saves up to get a tattoo. The tattoo she chooses however has dangerous repercussions and will tie her to one of the dark faerie court. Ink Exchange is darker than Wicked Lovely. I like that most of the characters are not good or bad, but have facets. I will definitely read the next book, Fragile Eternity, which is a sequel to Wicked Lovely. I'm super excited that I'm going to Cincinnati this weekend to see Melissa Marr and several other teen paranormal fiction authors!