Vacations From Hell >> Book Review

Vacations From Hell by various authors

(5 short stories)

paperback pages: 280

My Overall Rating 3.5 stars

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 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. When vacation time comes, you definitely won't want to leave this collection at home!

My Review

Vacations From Hell is a book that holds 5 short stories. Stories about vacations, that didn’t end up well. And of course each of them had their share of paranormal.

I will review each one of them. It’s really hard to give you an idea for each of them without spoiling them because of their short length, the stories start right away.
So I’ll try my best.

CRUISIN, by Sarah Mlynowski
My Rating 1 star

This story follows two girls that are cruising when they hear rumours of vampire attacks on cruises. Basically these two girls go on vacation without their parents and the one of them has a goal to achieve. This goal though seems to be interrupted by vampires or maybe not. I can’t say much because I will spoil it. 

Overall I didn’t like it.

I DON’T LIKE YOUR GIRLFRIEND, by Claudia Gray
My Rating 5 stars

This story is about witches and a group of women that practises their magic. 

Every summer they gather together in order to practice magic together. For their husbands it’s a vacation, because one of the rules says that men are forbidden to know about their magic. 
Cecily doesn’t want to go because Kathleen will be there. They hate each other. 
Cecily though finds out that Kathleen has been messing around with magic, breaking one of the rules. She tries to tell her mother but she doesn’t believe her so it’s up to her to try to solve it. 

I liked this story, it’s my favourite of all five stories and I would definitely read it if it was a novel. There was an incident actually that I wanted to share with you. My highest rated stories were actually kind scary and definitely creepy. So when I was reading this story, there was a scene where this Cecily was practising her magic under the light of some candles. And while I was reading the exact scene the lights in my house went off, and if I was alone I would surely have freaked out! Lol.

Overall I would suggest reading this short story if you like reading about witches.


THE LAW OF SUSPECTS, by Maureen Johnson
My Rating 5 stars 

I loved this story! 
It’s about two sisters who go to Paris for the summer but they end up in an old village where there is no phone line and their cell phones don’t have any bars. If it wasn’t only for that, there aren’t also any people near them expect their really scary neighbour that lives next door. 

I can say there isn’t anything really paranormal in it but it’s for sure creepy and scary. I now look at my neighbours with another eye. Lol.

There is also a small romantic encounter in this book. Nothing as a full length book could provide but let me tell you something I got from this story. Looks can deceive.

Overall loved it and I hope it becomes someday a full length novel.

THE MIRROR HOUSE, by Cassandra Clare
My Rating 3.5 stars

Ok, this reminded me her trilogy Mortal Instruments. The story wasn’t similar to her trilogy, but the sister and brother thing was. 
So this is a story about a brother and sister who are in love. 

They are not actually blood related but by law related. Their parents got married and now they are on their vacation all together trying to hide the fact that they are more than brother and sister.

As the days pass they find a beach where a strange lady lives in a house full of mirrors. That lady captures her brother and now it’s up to her to find the way to save him. 

Overall, not crazy about it. The brother and sister set me off a little, mostly because she has already done it but the story line didn’t appeal to me much.

NOWHERE IS SAFE, by Libba Bray
My Rating 4.5 stars

I liked this story a lot! And it was the scariest of them all!

So this story is about 4 Americans who travel around Europe and they come across a small village with a weird name and even weirder reputation. In their travel brochure it says that the village is haunted by evil spirits. They laugh about it and think they should see the place thinking it will be an ordinary, even boring village.
What they find though is human sacrifices to the Satan and they wish they hadn’t gone there.

I can’t say much but it’ll make your skin crawl.

Overall I would like to read this as a full length story but I would make sure it’s day and long before I go to bed.


Frosy


Buy the book at Amazon | Book Depository  (Format Hardcover)
and Amazon | Book Depository (Format Paperback)