Foretold (anthology) : review

Title: Foretold
Author: Carrie Ryan (editor) plus the fourteen authors listed below for the stories themselves.
Genres: ya prophetic anthology, short stories.
Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Richelle Mead, Lisa McMann, Michael Grant, Meg Cabot, Laini Taylor, and nine more of the hottest YA authors to hit the shelves explore the concepts of prophecy and prediction in this story collection edited byNYT bestselling author of The Forest of Hands and Teeth, Carrie Ryan. 

Have you ever been tempted to look into the future? To challenge predictions? To question fate? It's human nature to wonder about life's twists and turns. But is the future already written—or do you have the power to alter it?

From fantastical prophecies to predictions of how the future will transpire, Foretold is a collection of stories about our universal fascination with life's unknowns and of what is yet to come as interpreted by 14 of young adult fiction's brightest stars.

I am pretty sure this is my first anthology. Or at least for YA fiction. I've read collections of essays, etc. But those don't really count. Anyway, I am very satisfied with this anthology, and I've split up my review to be a few sentences on each of the short stories.

(In order)

Laini Taylor - Gentlemen Send Phantoms
Loved it!! Wish it was expanded to a whole novel...but at the same time it was good short. Sweet and creative, makes me want to go back to finishing Daughter of Smoke and Bone...

Burned Bright -Diana Peterfreund
Since the pov is from the inside of a cult during the ending of the world...I took an immediate dislike but as soon as it doesn't all happen like it's supposed to, super exciting! haha. Great ending too, unexpected. Though, I still like her other short better. Across the Nameless Stars.

The Angriest Man - Lisa McMann
Eerie, made my skin crawl. Makes me think of picking up the only book I haven't read of hers, Cryer's Cross, because she sure has a way of getting into your head with the psychological thriller stuff.

Out of the Blue - Meg Cabot
Sci-fi. It was okay, but I'm not a fan of her writing style. Light, fun and easy.

One True Love - Melinda Lo
I haven't read anything by her before, and her writing was okay, but I didn't get pulled into the story so I skimmed just a bit...

This is a Mortal World - Michael Grant
Same for this one, except for I just skipped it after the second page.

Misery - Heather Brewer
First impression: an episode of The Twilight Zone. Immediately caught my interest and totally freaked me out at the same time. Probably my favorite story!!

The Mind is a Powerful Thing - Matt De La Pena
Little disturbing, not the best. Main character seemed crazy, but not the cool/interesting kind. The run away quickly kind. And the ending was weirdly abrupt, not going the way I expected.

The Chosen One - Saundra Mitchell
Sweet. Reads like a fairy-tale, in the classic sense. Good ending for once, too. Not so foreboding and almost funny.

Improbable Futures - Kami Garcia
Carnivals always wig me out. And this story was about a carnival gypsy. Well written and spooky!

Death for the Deathless - Margaret Stohl
It's a take on Nostradamus's predictions, saying what if some immortal beings were behind it all. Takes place in France so automatic points there, and the only thing is I didn't get the last few sentences, they just didn't make sense. Maybe worded funny or something?

Fate - Simone Elkeles
Uhh...what did that have to do with prophecy and prediction? Nothing. So it was overly mushy/sweet. Reminder of why I'm not a fan of her books. But it was okay I guess, just seemed like it was in the wrong anthology.

The Killing Garden - Carrie Ryan
Excellent story!! Rich and harsh, and totally unputdownable. Reminds me of a could-be dystopian setting, or just as easily fantasy. Almost my favorite in the book; I hadn't realized she had written more than the introduction/editing.

Homecoming - Rachael Mead
I started reading this with not much enthusiasm...then realized it was a sort of extention to her Vampire Academy series, so I put it down. Maybe if I ever do read those book, it'll be more interesting.

~

You'll notice I really didn't explain any of the stories. That's because there isn't any summary for them individually, so it's kind of nice just diving in knowing vaguely the genre of prophecies but nothing else. So I tried not to divulge too much, because I loved bring surprised.

I would definitely recommend Foretold to any fan of ya paranormal books!


The next anthology on my list is Shards & Ashes, for which I'm super excited to read!!!

-Jane