Mysteria [Mass Market Paperback]

I had debated about buying this book even though I had been looking forward to its release. Some of the early reviews put me off but I'm glad I finally bought it and read it. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the stories. I guess I was able to overlook some of the other criticisms of story continuity, etc. I'm sure that this is a challenging type of book to write with 4 different authors having to weave some continuity into several main characters. Suffice to say that I think if anyone is hesitating due to some reviews that they should give this book a chance. I couldn't stop reading it once I got it and was very entertained by all of the stories.

This was a fun anthology. I simply loved it! I enjoyed all the entries but I have to admit Susan Grant's story about the demon was my favorite. I laughed and even shed a tear. I hope these authors get together again and do more stories in this enchanting town.

Welcome to MYSTERIA, a town founded by a group of supernatural rejects after an unexpected random act of kindness by a demon....

Susan Grant opens the anthology with "Mortal in Mysteria" which follows up on Lucifer's punishment of the demon who perpetrated the random act of kindness. The demon, appropriately named Damon, lands naked before Harmony Faithfull, pastor of an empty church in Mysteria. Damon is willing to settle into a mortal lifestyle with Harmony but will Lucifer give up that easily?

"Mortal in Mysteria" is an excellent beginning for the anthology as Susan Grant portrays the town well. Her vivid descriptions of Lucifer's attempts to attack Damon are hilarious. The scene with Annabelle O'Cleary is both humorous and poignant as it demonstrates the resiliency of children, even against flying monkeys!

"Alone Wolf" by MaryJanice Davidson chronicles the story of werewolf Cole Jones' attempt to find his place in this world. Having survived a series of foster homes (some worse than others), Cole finds a home in Mysteria- only to find it inhabited by the prickly ghost, Rae. He meets the love of his life, Char Houtenan, but she has a secret that will limit their time together.

MaryJanice Davidson's entry had a lot of potential with the concept of a werewolf surviving the foster care system and a very entertaining ghost! However, the plotline quickly became confused with a variety of secondary characters who were interesting but diverted too much attention away from the core story. Queen Potameides Naiad was intriguing but the details of her story had little relevance and would perhaps be more enjoyable in a separate, fully developed story.

"The Witches of Mysteria and the Dead Who Love Them" by Gena Showalter is about witch Genevieve Tawdry and her obsession with psychic vampire slayer Hunter Knight. Hunter is also attracted to Genevieve but knows that a romantic entanglement with her will lead to his death. Genevieve is willing to try anything, however, and Hunter will have to decide if she is worth dying for.

Gena Showalter paints a fabulous portrait of a desperate woman. Unfortunately, the character of Genevieve is not as likeable as this reviewer would have hoped. Romeo was an enjoyable secondary character, however, and one this reviewer would like to read more about!

"Candy Cox and the Big Bad (Were)wolf by P.C. Cast concludes this anthology with the love story of non-magical teacher, Candice Cox, and her former student and werewolf, Justin Woods. Candice wants nothing more than to finish her master's degree so she can escape teaching those horrid high school (team mascot, the Fighting Fairies!) teenagers! Instead, Candice and Justin discover their own brand of magic while finding themselves in the process.

P.C. Cast's story is perhaps the cleverest of the anthology. Candice's references to teaching high school will resonate with anyone who has spent time with a teenager and the vet scene is a classic! The concept of a teacher dating a former student will make some uncomfortable, but Justin is hardly just out of high school and Candice is very open about her own discomfort with the situation.

Overall, MYSTERIA had some excellent moments but at times appeared as if something was missing. Only after finishing it did this reviewer realize that all four stories are drawn from the anthology BEWITCHED, BOTHERED, AND BEVAMPYRED, and this may explain some of the confusion. Fans of this genre will probably enjoy MYSTERIA but this is a rather disappointing effort by four exceptional and very talented authors, all of whom are on this reviewer's auto-buy list.

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

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