Published in the An Apple For The Creature anthology
Book 5.1 of the Kate Daniels series
Genre: urban fantasy
About An Apple For The Creature:
Includes a never-before-published Sookie Stackhouse story!Source: Info in the About An Apple For The Creature was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13543159-an-apple-for-the-creature on 10/10/2012.
What could be scarier than the first day of school? How about a crash course in the paranormal from Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner, editors of Home Improvement: Undead Edition? Your worst school nightmares—taking that math test you never studied for, finding yourself naked in school assembly, not knowing which door to enter—will pale in comparison to these thirteen original stories that take academic anxiety to whole new realms.
In #1 New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris’s story, "Playing Possum," Sookie Stackhouse brings enough birthday cupcakes for her nephew's entire class but finds she's one short when the angry ex-boyfriend of the school secretary shows up.
When her guardian, Kate Daniels, sends her undercover to a school for exceptional children, teenaged Julie learns an all-new definition of "exceptional," in New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews's "Magic Tests."
For those who like fangs with their forensics, New York Times bestselling author Nancy Holder offers "VSI," in which FBI agent Claire is tested as never before in a school for Vampire Scene Investigation.
And in New York Times bestselling author Thomas Sniegoski's "The Bad Hour," Remy Chandler and his dog Marlowe find evil unleashed in an obedience school.
You'll need more than an apple to stave off the creatures in these and nine other stories. Remember your first lesson: resistance is fruitless!
Includes stories by: ILONA ANDREWS, AMBER BENSON, RHYS BOWEN, MIKE CAREY, CHARLAINE HARRIS, DONALD HARSTAD, STEVE HOCKENSMITH, NANCY HOLDER, FAITH HUNTER, TONI L.P. KELNER, MARJORIE LIU, JONATHAN MABERRY, THOMAS SNIEGOSKI
"Parenting, kick-ass Kate Daniels style."
Magic Tests is a short story in the Kate Daniels series featuring the experiences of Julie, Kate's adopted daughter. The story is also narrated from Julie's point of view (POV). It is very short and doesn't have much room for a lot of things, so the world building in the story is minimalist. So minimal that a lot of the readers who are not familiar in this world would miss a lot of the subtle nuances in the story. So this story is solely for old Kate Daniels followers. Even if this is a short novella, I still have to admire Ilona Andrews for thier ability to create a solid plot and good story building! I believe this to be one of the main reasons why I found this novella a very enjoyable read! More than any other story in the anthology. And this is a short story right? Plus, factor in the fact that the story telling quality is very very good... which makes this story feel like a one-minute read. Pace-wise? Very quick indeed! But please keep in mind that I am not un-biased, I am an old Ilona Andrews die-hard fan.
For this story alone, I would say that this anthology was worth buying for.
Empirical Evaluation:
Story Telling Quality = 5
World Building = 3
Character Development = 4
Plot = 4.5
Pace = 5
Story Itself = 5
Ending = 4
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries
Books In The Kate Daniels Series:
Ugh, gee thanks! D: I started this series forever ago, think I read book one and two, but now I want to reread them and get caught up on the series. MORE BOOKS, I cannot lurk your blog anymore. My pockets are empty as it is, and you keep making me want! <3
ReplyDeleteJessica Noreault - Girl, you're worse than me :)
DeleteCool, since I have not read this short story
ReplyDeleteIt's a curse...it's what I do? xD
ReplyDelete