Extremities: Stories of Death, Murder, and Revenge (Galley) Book Review

Hi Guys,
I hope you are enjoying your Summer vacation, I know I am. So far I've finished 3 books over this summer vacation, which started Friday for me. On my last post I explained that I was on an amazing book streak. Well, that's not the case anymore, and you guys will see in my next review just which book I didn't enjoy so much. Although, the book I'll be reviewing today is one that I very much enjoyed. Extremities: Stories of Death, Murder, and Revenge by David Lubar is a collection of short-stories that revolve around... well... death, murder, and revenge. I've never really reviewed a short-story compilation, so this is new for me. I will list the title of each story, and under it, I'll explain how I felt about it, and give each story a rating between 1 and 5 stars. Here's the synopsis of the overall collection from Goodreads:

Master of the macabre David Lubar turns his attention to dark and twisted tales for teens with Extremities: Stories of Death, Murder, and Revenge
A group of high school girls takes revenge on their sadistic gym teacher in the most fitting way possible. Two stowaways find themselves on a ship for the dead. An ancient predator stalks the wrong victim. Here are thirteen tales of death, murder, and revenge from the fertile and febrile imagination of master storyteller David Lubar—his first story collection for the teen audience.

My first impression of this book was that it would be decent. I'm not a real fan of the cover, and you guys know how I can't help but judge a book by it's cover. Although, the overall idea of it sounded really neat. I love reading short stories, especially about dark, morbid, and creepy things. This compilation didn't disappoint, either. Let's jump right into the stories!

"Running Out of Air" 

I really enjoyed this story, I'm not a fan of revenge stories, because I end up feeling bad for the original "bad guy". This, however, was a story that I felt could be straight from the local news. Teens always have quarrels with their gym teachers, and this coach went a little too far. I loved that it was quite realistic, and it, of course, made me feel bad for all parties. I give this story 3/5 stars.

"Split Decision"

OH MY GOD, I LOVED THIS STORY! This is definitely one of my favorites from the entire collection. I thought that it was a really neat idea, and I enjoyed reading it. I loved that it was short and to the point, which didn't allow it to drag out in some parts. I also loved the idea of the story, and also the way things tied up at the end. I'm still a little unsure why he chose to run away because of his step-mom's pregnancy, but it's fine, because that part didn't need to be explained for me to understand the story. I give this story 5/5 stars.
 

"Apparent Motives"

This was a good story. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it... quite frankly, I forgot what it was about, and I just had to skim over it again. Uh-Oh. I did actually think it was a good story, though. It was a lot to take in at first, but once I finally understood exactly what was happening, Lubar through a twist ending that was heart-breaking to say the least. I give the story 3/5 stars. 
 

"Feelings"

 This story seemed to last FOREVER for me. I don't know if it's because the three before it were so short, or because this one was just boring, but I was stuck on this one for a bit. I did like it though, I liked the first couple pages, then it got boring, then I enjoyed it again, then it got boring...again, and it did this up until the end where I was captivated and couldn't turn the page fast enough. This was the first story to feature a paranormal element, and so far I liked the "everyday life" stories better. I  give this one 2/5 stars.

"Every Drop"

This story was very interesting, I was captivated from start to finish, and I loved the idea behind it. It started off like one of the "everyday life" stories, but quickly changed, and I really enjoyed it. I thought the ending was appropriate, and it was an overall enjoyable story about revenge. I give this one 4/5 stars.
 

"Patterns of Fear"

THIS STORY!!! OH MY GOD! IT WAS AMAZING! I loved everything about it, it was perfect in my eyes. I wanted to read an entire novel about this story, it was THAT good. I'm telling you guys, "Patterns of Fear" and "Split Decision" are tied for first right now. There's nothing else I can say, I don't feel like I could come anywhere close to giving it justice. I give this story, as if it wasn't obvious already, 5/5 stars.
 

"Free Seas"

This story was probably my least favorite of the entire collection. It wasn't long enough to let a story develop, in my opinion. It also wasn't that great, or original, of a story. One reason I know I didn't like it as much was because it had to follow "Patterns of Fear", and this was definitely a "NO-CONTEST" situation. I give this story 1/5 stars. 

 "Blood Magic"

Uh, can you say creepy? I really enjoyed this story for the first half, and then when someone started bleeding, then it was just creepy. It did have tons of action, and intrigue. I did love learning about this certain someone, but I was so weirded out about it, that I couldn't really enjoy it. I give this story 3/5 stars.

"A Cart Full of Junk"

  This story was really interesting, it sort of reminded me of "Split Decision" because of it's foreshadowing, and the outcome. I really enjoyed this story and I couldn't see anything wrong with this one either. I give this story 5/5 stars.
 

"Morph"

 This was another long story, but I actually thoroughly enjoyed this one. It was very original, and entertaining. I loved the characters, the plot, the creatures, and the story all together. I give this story 5/5 stars.
 

"Whoodoo"

This story was very short, but very enjoyable. I loved this story, coming from a broken family, I could empathize with what the main character felt about his parents' upcoming divorce, and wanting them to fall in love again. But this story had an added twist that made this story awesome. I give this story 4/5 stars.
 

"The Ex Box"

This was a generally good story. It wasn't creepy, it wasn't scary, but it was interesting. I loved reading about these characters, and even though I thought that one of the characters was a certain supernatural being, I put that thought aside thinking that that would be too mainstream/obvious. But then Lubar shocked me by doing the most obvious thing, which I really liked. I give this story 3/5 stars.
 

"Evil Twin"

 This story was another very original story. I want to read a novel all about this story... it is so good, and leaves you with a question. "Was she the good twin, or the evil twin? I loved the idea so much. I give this story 5/5 stars.

This compilation was amazing! I really liked it, I give it 4/5 stars overall. I not only loved the stories, I also loved the illustrations that went along with each story. I can't wait for it to release on July 23rd, so you guys can read it. It's so amazing, I NEED SOMEONE TO TALK TO ABOUT THE STORIES! I can definitely see myself re-reading these stories. You guys definitely need to buy this book ASAP, and read them, and if you are like me, re-read them.

Charm & Strange (Galley) Book Review

Hi Guys,
I know, I know... I haven't been posting reviews like I need to, I apologize. I can't help it, my schedule has been hectic this semester, and things are just starting to die down now that I only have two exams left to take. Although, you guys should be pleased to learn that I've been reading quite a few books since I last posted a review. I would also like to say that I've been on an amazing book streak, every book I've read in the past month has been phenomenal. One of those phenomenal books just so happens to be the book I'll be reviewing today: Charm & Strange by Stephanie Kuehn. I received this a few weeks before it was released as a galley from the publisher. So I want to give a huge thanks to St. Martins Griffin publishers, I really appreciate the opportunity to read this book early. Here's the synopsis from Goodreads:

When you’ve been kept caged in the dark, it’s impossible to see the forest for the trees. It’s impossible to see anything, really. Not without bars . . .
Andrew Winston Winters is at war with himself.
He’s part Win, the lonely teenager exiled to a remote Vermont boarding school in the wake of a family tragedy. The guy who shuts all his classmates out, no matter the cost.
He’s part Drew, the angry young boy with violent impulses that control him. The boy who spent a fateful, long-ago summer with his brother and teenage cousins, only to endure a secret so monstrous it led three children to do the unthinkable.
Over the course of one night, while stuck at a party deep in the New England woods, Andrew battles both the pain of his past and the isolation of his present.
Before the sun rises, he’ll either surrender his sanity to the wild darkness inside his mind or make peace with the most elemental of truths—that choosing to live can mean so much more than not dying.

My first impression of this novel was that it was going to be really good. I e-mailed the publishers, and they sent me a galley copy of this, and I was very excited. This book starts off very weird, but amazing. I read the first half of the book in an hour, and I didn't want to put it down. This book is separated by alternating chapters, matter and anti-matter. Matter being what is presently happening to Win, and anti-matter being something that Win has previously experienced. The further I got in this novel, the more I understood, but with every one thing I understood, I got ten more questions about Win and his circumstances. This is definitely a good mystery novel, not because Win is trying to find a killer, or a thief, but because he is trying to find himself. I went through half of this book believing one thing about Win, and the other half questioning my belief and trying to make sense of the information the book gave. This book has several plot twists, and I loved learning about Win, and how he came to be the way he is. I loved this book so much, it is eerily amazing, and unbelievably dark. It is like a slightly more dark and sinister version of The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. Before reading this book, I was in a slump, and this novel definately brought me out of it. I give this book 4/5 stars, not for any particular reason, it just didn't seem like a 5-star book to me. You guys definately have to check this book out when it is released on June 11th. This book has impacted me immensely, and I find myself thinking about it, even now, a month after reading it. It's dark and impactful nature definitely makes this book one of my favorites. Mark your calendars, June 11th.