Vacations from Hell by Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, Claudia Gray, Maureen Johnson, Sarah Mlynowski

Genre: Young Adult

Sub Genre: Paranormal Romance; Vampires, Magic, Werewolves, Witches

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Back Cover: Life's a beach . . . and then you're undead? In this must-have collection, five of today's hottest writers—Libba Bray (A Great and Terrible Beauty), Cassandra Clare (City of Bones), Claudia Gray (Evernight), Maureen Johnson (13 Little Blue Envelopes), and Sarah Mlynowski (Bras & Broomsticks)—tell supernatural tales of vacations gone awry. Lost luggage is only mildly unpleasant compared to bunking with a witch who holds a grudge. And a sunburn might be embarrassing and painful, but it doesn't last as long as a curse. Of course, even in the most hellish of situations, love can thrive. . . . From light and funny to dark and creepy, these stories have something for everyone. You definitely won't want to leave this collection at home!

This anthology of great writers is very well written. Each story is very nicely written. I will not go into each of the stories as they are short but very delightful. The is one of those books that you can’t help but love. Even for being short stories they are complex. All the authors shine in this and I would be interested in seeing more like this. Or even if one of these starts another series.

Publisher: Harper Teen

ISBN: 006168872X

Pages: 288

Series:

Volume:

Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

Genre: Young Adult

Sub Genre: Urban Fantasy; Witches, Magic, Time Travel

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Back Cover: “Your daughter will be one of the most powerful we have ever seen in this family. She will be a beacon for us all.” Tamsin Greene comes from a long line of witches, and on the day she was born, her grandmother proclaimed she would be one of the most Talented among them. But Tamsin’s magic never showed up. Now, seventeen years later, she spends most of her time at boarding school in Manhattan, where she can at least pretend to be normal. But during the summers, she’s forced to return home and work at her family’s bookstore/magic shop. One night a handsome young professor from New York University arrives in the shop and mistakes Tamsin for her extremely Talented older sister. For once, it’s Tamsin who’s being looked at with awe and admiration, and before she can stop herself, she agrees to find a family heirloom for him that was lost more than a century ago. But the search – and the stranger – prove to be more sinister than they first appeared, Ultimately sending Tamsin on a treasure hunt through time that will unlock the secret of her family, and unleash a power so strong and so vengeful that it could destroy them all.

This is one of the first urban fantasy stories about witches, that is written for young adults that I have seen. Tamsin is a beautiful character who feels like she’s not in the right family. That they even like to, through the fact that she doesn’t have magic in her face. Then things begin to change for her very fast, and they come one right after another. Soon not only is she treasure hunting but also trying to save her sister without destroying timelines. Gabriel is a brilliant love interest/partner for Tam. The two of them want to pursue their growing feelings for one another, but at the same time have to fix the problems that they have created. This is one of those stories that keeps you guessing what will happen. Tam's whole world changes after a chance encounter. And it just runs, but in a brilliantly written way. The characters are great and you really get a feel for them very quickly. I can't wait to see what happens next in Always a Witch.

Publisher: Clarion Books

ISBN: 0547417306

Pages: 312

Series: Witch

Volume: 1