lizpatanders

If you are a fan of the paranormal genre, Kiss Me Deadly is a must read for you. I don’t know about you guys, but I constantly feel as though I am being consumed by my TBR pile. (Get it? Consumed? Okay, moving on.) This anthology was awesome because it allowed me to get a sampling of some authors who novels I’ve been wanting to read, such as Sarah Rees Brennan, Carrie Ryan, Rachel Vincent and Michelle Zink. Thankfully, this anthology has motivated me to take a look at these authors, as well as a few others.Kiss Me Deadly was a thoroughly enjoyable read for me, and if you follow my blog regularly you know that I took my sweet time with it. I think the best way to approach an anthology of stories or poetry is to read one and then let it stew for a few days, as opposed to moving on right away. I will admit that after reading several stories, the plots began to look a little similar, and that by the end I was ready to put this book down. There were some stories where I felt like the author wasn’t giving me enough information, or the ending just kind of fell float. Honestly, though, I’ll definitely re-read parts of this collection. There was more than enough awesome to make up for the stories that were lacking. Instead of continuing this review by being vague or harping excessively on the negative, I’m going to write a little bit about some of the stories I found particularly noteworthy. “The Assassin’s Apprentice”Kids, this is my idea of starting off an anthology right. This story had a great plot, a kick butt female heroine and an appealing male. Honestly, what’s not to love?“Lost” by Justine MuskThis story had a fantastic balance between intriguing and haunting, making for an atmosphere that drew me in. On top of this, it has realistically relationships and a beautiful ending. This is quite possibly my favorite story from Kiss Me Deadly.“Hare Moon”I confess: I have not read anything by Carrie Ryan, although I do have a copy of The Forest of Hands and Teeth lying around. Now I realize I need to remedy this ASAP. Ryan’s writing was gorgeous and emotional. More zombies, please!“Familiar” by Michelle RowenWhen I first started this story, I thought I’d really dislike it and that it would be far too bizarre for my taste. Instead, it turned out to be fun, adventure filled story. I wouldn’t mind winding up in a bizarre circumstance such as the one Brenda encounters with her familiar.“Fearless” by Rachel VincentOf all of the stories in this anthology, “Fearless” has stuck with me the most. While I do wish Vincent had been a bit more specific at times, the concept of the story is terrifying. I am still wary of falling asleep at night, even though I read this two weeks ago.This is only the tip of the iceberg of awesome that you’ll find within Kiss Me Deadly. If you love paranormal, I think you’ll definitely find a story or two here you’ll really enjoy. Thank you so much for the publisher for sending me a review copy!