The Canberra Times' Colin Steele reviews Scary Kisses
Scary Kisses falls below the Ticonderoga high standards of Warren and Slatter, partly because the stories by fourteen authors vary in quality and partly because many, such as Canberra author Nicole Murphy's "The Anstruther Woman" need greater length to develop plot and character. Murphy's imagined closed community of Barrengarry, whose farm stock is threatened by outsize dogs, and is the backdrop for a woman's developing relationships, deserved more space in that context . Angela Slatter and L. L. Hannett with "The February Dragon" benefit from a greater length, as a young girl, a hybrid of dragon and human, struggles to find her true home in a misogynistic and brutal society. Scary Kisses' title, and a blurb that promises "paranormal romance with bite", seem at odds with the content of a number of the stories.
(Sunday Canberra Times, 30/01/11)
Because we love Scary Kisses, we think that comparing it to Dead Sea Fruit and The Girl With No Hands is like comparing apples and pears, but that could just be sour grapes on our part. Check the books out for yourself and tell us what you think.
