Love is Hell
Melissa Marr, Scott Westerfield, Justine Larbalestier, Gabriell Zevin, Laurie Faria Stolarz.
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers
ISBN: 978-0-00-734174-0
Age: 13+
Blurb: Sure, love is hell. But it’s totally worth it. In these supernatural stories by five of today’s hottest writers including Melissa Marr and Scott Westerfeld, love may be twisted and turned around, but it’s more potent than ever on its quest to conquer all.
From two students who let the power of attraction guide them to break the hard-and-fast rules of their world to the girl who falls hard for a good-looking host with a score to settle, the clever, quirky characters in this exciting collection will break your heart, then leave you believing in love more that ever.
Review: Love never runs smooth whoever we are, and in these stories there is true love, heartache and heartbreak that would make them stronger. From five of the best teen authors in the business, five stories were born; Sleeping with the Spirit by Laurie Faria Stolarz, Stupid Perfect World by Scott Westerfield, Thinner Than Water by Justine Larbalestier, Fan Fictions by Gabrielle Zevin and Love Struck by Melissa Marr.
In "Sleeping with the Spirit," by Laurie Faria Stolarz, Brenda is haunted by a voice in her dreams and every time she wakes she finds bruises on her body. She wakes from dreaming about a man who wants her to believe there are such thing as ghosts, that he needs her help. He grasps her and shakes her in desperation, and she resists. Teenage life is difficult enough with school, fitting in when you are new, studying and taking exams without deciding which clique you're going to be in. By day Brenda struggles with the politics of school life, but it's night when she has to battle the darkness. Marr manages to inject a little humour into a rather haunting story very well.
"Stupid Perfect World," by Scott Westerfield. Keiran has Scarcity class where students learn how people lived back in history during bouts of disease and starvation. As it isn't a real course with a qualification at the end, everyone gets bored with it, though no one wants to fail as they would have to take the class again the year after. Keiran must be bored with the course, yet he finds a way to pass the course, dreaming about older times, ancient ways of living and the dangers of living there. The story is set in the far future where people's sleep is monitored and everything is high-tech, so when Keiran delves into the past, he does so without knowing it at first. This is a nice shift from the usual with past/future overtones.
"Thinner Than Water," by Justine Larbalestier. Robbie and Jeannie are in love, but she is unsure as how long their love will last. Jeannie lives in an old fashioned tourist village where they updated the traditiinal way of life. This life is a fusion of pagan and Christian beliefs, as fairies are believed to exist. Robbie loves her, yet he has to leave and where he is going, Jeannie can't come. Justine's story is full of old world beliefs and customs many teens might not have heard of. It's nice to see romance isn't dead though, even in this old world story.
"Fan Fictions," by Gabrielle Zevin. Ms Penn is the new librarian at school and there's a new boy around who has heard all about her and how the boys want to get to know her as she is so lovely - and perfect. She likes romance novels like Wuthering Heights by Paige doesn't even think she should. Paige hasn't seen the new boy until he wants her to and confesses to her he's moved from several different schools. She soon finds his name is Aaron and he takes a liking to her. Paige likes to be around him, but she finds his habits unusual as he's hardly at school even though he's seventeen. He doesn't eat, she never sees his home, he never talks about his family and he's no plans for the future i n terms of college of university. All these facts she finds strange, but even stranger still is the story Aaron tells Paige. Love is hard and at times hurtful, though Paige could be the girl for him who could love him for who he is.
"Love Struck," by Melissa Marr. Being at a party on the beach is one of the best times for teenagers. Alana acts bored with the party and remains on her own on the beach when a man approaches her. She pushes him away, and he warns her that much worse than him will come for her. She finds his words strange as she is neither drunk or high at the party. He is right though, she meets someone else and this meeting seals her fate for life as he isn't a normal man. Marr sets the scene for a romance with a difference. So far we've had men from other past worlds, now its the turn of a mythical creature to be t4sted to see if he is in love.
After thoughts: Love is Hell gives us five of the best romance writers a chance to show their skills with short story writing. The supernatural is still a popular genre among teenage girls. Each writer grips the reader with their settings whether they are at school, in a library, or at a party and if readers liked this one, then they might like the following:
Prom Nights from Hell, a Collection from Meg Cabot, Stephanie Meyer, Kim Harmon, Michelle Jaffe and Lauren Myrade.
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