Monday, July 29, 2013

Shards & Ashes edited by Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong

HarperCollins, 2013

This story collection features some of YAs most popular authors of supernatural and dystopian literature.  Nine short stories + nine amazing authors = a book you'll read cover to cover. 

The best part of any story collection is that when one of them captures the reader's attention, it becomes a bridge into other novels written by that particular author, which can became a gateway into a genre they can revel in.  All it takes is about 40 pages per short story and the hook is cast.  And these short stories have some excellent authors luring readers into a world of dystopic proportions. 

Below is a short synopsis of all of the stories within this collection.  The best part?  Asking the students which stories they liked best...

Also, think of the pairing and even book displays you can create around a story collection like this!  Ideas are churning....
Recommended for JH/HS

Hearken by Veronica Roth: Darya has to make a choice in a post-apocalyptic world to be a Hearkener, listening to people's life or death songs in a world struggling to survive.  It's her decision, but will she make the right choice?

Branded by Kelley Armstrong: Inside the walls you're safe, but The Outside is where the unnatural try to survive amid the ruins of the Old World.  Braeden was found guilty, and Priscilla will stop at nothing to find him again.  He can survive outside, but can she?

Necklace of Raindrops by Margaret Stohl: If you live hard and fast enough, you will be dropped.  Everyone only has so many credits until it's their turn and living beyond the safety net requires more credits.  Jai has lost her brother to the drop, and now faces the cruel reality that Z, the one she loves most, will be next.  Jai must choose between loving and trusting someone so reckless.  But at what cost?

Dogsbody by Rachel Caine: Corporate handed out free tickets to those lucky enough to get them from the lower levels, but Zay saw the horrible slaughter that occurred when the train stopped.  The only way against the Corporate is to infiltrate it from within.  Little does he know about political maneuvering and how truth is told through lies.

Pale Rider by Nancy Holder: Dana scavenges as much as she can from the debris of the city.  Alex knows the life of expensive cars and jet planes.  Together, the two possess a power they don't understand, but will lead them to the border or magic and reality.  Is it too late, or has the border been breached?

Corpse Eaters by Melissa Marr: Harmony's sister was killed by the Others, and now she has taken her place, along with Chris, to destroy as many corpse eaters as they can.  But a traitor will rock their world and place them in the path where they become the hunted.  They have survived so much loss and death, are they ready for theirs?

Burn 3 by Kami Garcia: Phoenix and Sky live inside the Dome where the UVA rays can't scar their skin as much.  Everyone has scars, but Phoenix has protected her little sister, a rarity with blond hair and blue eyes.  Now Sky is missing and Phoenix goes down into the Abyss and finds out the awful truth of what happens in the Dome.  Is Phoenix too late in saving her sister and can she battle the Protectorate to do so?

Love is a Choice by Beth Revis: He narrowly escaped death by the hands of the Eldest and now hides in the Recorder Hall, where the long forgotten literature of the Sol-Earth resides.  Mag finds him there and joins him in pursuit of the truth, but at what cost?  Will she be the end of him or his strength in time of rebellion?

Miasma by Carrie Ryan: Frankie saw the doctors and their beasts arrive.  They came to sniff out those who have lived too near the decaying and rotting ruins of the Old World in the miasma.  The only way to save her sister from death is to steal from the wealthy she works for.  But when she's caught,  Frankie knows all hope is lost.  Can she outwit the dark arrivals in their beaked masks or will she become their victim?

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