Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst Posted by Tiffany at 12:50 PM

Title: Drink, Slay, Love
Author: Sarah Beth Durst (site)
Published: September 13th, 2011 by Margaret K. McElderry
Pages: 320
Buy: Amazon/ Book Depo/ Powell's 
Source: GalleyGrab
Rating: 3.5/5
Synopsis: Pearl is a sixteen-year-old vampire... fond of blood, allergic to sunlight, and mostly evil... until the night a sparkly unicorn stabs her through the heart with his horn. Oops. 

Her family thinks she was attacked by a vampire hunter (because, obviously, unicorns don't exist), and they're shocked she survived. They're even more shocked when Pearl discovers she can now withstand the sun. But they quickly find a way to make use of her new talent. The Vampire King of New England has chosen Pearl's family to host his feast. If Pearl enrolls in high school, she can make lots of human friends and lure them to the King's feast -- as the entrees.

The only problem? Pearl's starting to feel the twinges of a conscience. How can she serve up her new friends—especially the cute guy who makes her fangs ache—to be slaughtered? Then again, she's definitely dead if she lets down her family. What's a sunlight-loving vamp to do? (Goodreads)

Review: I didn't realize until I was looking at the author's site (to see if there was going to be a sequel to DSL) that this is not my first book by Durst. Last year I read a wonderful book called Into the Wild about a girl whose mother is a character who escaped from a fairy tale. This is trouble enough, but as the book begins we learn that the fairy tale wants its characters back. Julie has to try and rescue her mom and save the city while trying to keep from getting sucked into one of the fairy tales around her. I loved this book! I think I read it right before I started blogging and never got around to reviewing it. I would love to go on and on here, but my point is this- already a fan of Durst. 

Drink, Slay, Love was very different from Into the Wild. However, one of my favorite aspects of Julie's tale was present in Pearl's as well- irreverence. This is a very fun story, a strange mix of scary and silly. The vampires are remorseless, murderous, and evil. Pearl's nonchalant attitude toward violence and the whole people are livestock was somehow funny and casual, although her family leaned more toward terrifying. Even after she begins to change, there is a detachment and moral ambiguity that were amusing. The story moves quickly, there aren't really any lulls. Some of the plot twists were just plain absurd, but it fit in well with the odd/crazy/silly vibe of the story. I liked the characters, but I can't say that I really came to love them. It was a fun ride and I'll definitely pick up whatever Durst puts out next, but I won't be up nights wondering what is going to become of Pearl.

A Thousand Flowers by Margo Lanagan: A Zombies vs Unicorns story Posted by Michaela at 12:59 PM

Summary: A man is accused of a crime he doesn't commit, and a princess gets pregnant. There is really no other way to summarize this without giving everything away.

Okay, Tiffany was all up in arms about Justine Larbalestier spoiling something big about this story (In fact, she went and ripped that badger to pieces. At least I don't have to worry about that anymore.), but honestly, I'm kind of glad about being warned. I won't give it away here, but just a heads up, there is a big spoiler in the introduction to this story.

Anyway, I really can't decide whether I like this story or not. I adored the way the story was written, but the content was rather strange. There was a common theme between her story and her book, Tender Morsels. Still, this was one of my favorites. The characters were good, and I can't think of anything I didn't like besides the plot. I give this a solid four out of five campers saved, and it actually pushed me even further into Team Zombie. Sorry, unicorn lovers. My chances of converting are getting pretty slim.

Bougainvillea by Carrie Ryan: a Zombies vs Unicorns story Posted by Michaela at 12:41 PM

Summary: When the mudo come, Iza's father is prepared. He takes them to Curacao, an island where they stave off the undead on the shores. But how long can they stay safe?

I loved this story. It's set in the same world as The Forest of Hands and Teeth, but it's right after the Return. The main character remembers things from before the zombies came, which I think is really cool, because you're able to see how things are compared to life today. This was beautifully written, and the ending was TREMENDOUS. I definitely recommend this story to lovers of TFHT as well as any person with eyes and the ability to read. Five out of five campers saved, and firmly rooted in Team Zombie.

Love Will Tear us Apart by Alaya Dawn Johnson: a Zombies vs. Unicorns story Posted by Michaela at 4:27 PM

Summary: Boy meets (zombie) boy. (Sorry for taking your summary here, Tiffany. I just don't know of any other way to summarize this.)

Okay, sorry it's taken so long for me to get this review up. Things are quite hectic around this edge of the forest since that badger moved in and started causing all this trouble. You leave one severed limb out on your lawn and everything falls apart.

Anyway, this story kind of surprised me. I did not expect this "boy meets boy" thing, but I did enjoy the writing style. There were a lot of f-bombs dropped, though, so it might not be best for younger readers. There were quite a few plot holes that I noticed, but over all it was pretty good. I give this 3.7 out of 5 campers saved. This didn't influence my current standing very much, so I am still firmly rooted in Team Zombie.

The Highest Justice by Garth Nix (A Zombies vs. Unicorns installation) Posted by Michaela at 2:14 PM

Summary: A princess goes back to a castle (after using a unicorn to revive her dead mother) in order to avenge her death.


You don't realize how much it hurts me to say this, but I was not very fond of this story. I thought it was drawn out and didn't have much of a story line. The characters didn't have as much dimension as they did in his other works (and yes, I know that character development is very hard in short stories, but I just didn't buy it here). Tiffany thinks I'm insane, and who knows, I might be.


I loved Garth Nix's book, Shade's Children. It was tremendous. This story didn't really live up to my expectations, and it kills me. It could very well be that I just hyped myself up too much.


No matter the reason for my disappointment, I feel like this was a poor start to this anthology. therefore, I am firmly planted on Team Zombie, not only because I was already a little biased toward the undead, but because this story really made me think poorly of unicorns. I am going to have to give this a two out of five campers saved.

Zombies vs. Unicorns Posted by Tiffany at 10:32 AM

Title: Zombies vs. Unicorns
Editors: Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier
Authors: Alaya Dawn Johnson, Maureen Johnson, Carrie Ryan, Scott Westerfeld, Meg Cabot, Garth Nix, Kathleen Duey, Margo Lanagan, Naomi Novik, Diana Peterfreund, Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare
Published: September 10th, 2010 by Margaret K. McElderry
Pages: 432
Price: $11.49 Book Depository $11.55 Amazon 
Rating: 5/5
Synopsis: It's a question as old as time itself: which is better, the zombie or the unicorn? In this anthology, edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier (unicorn and zombie, respectively), strong arguments are made for both sides in the form of short stories. Half of the stories portray the strengths--for good and evil--of unicorns and half show the good (and really, really bad-ass) side of zombies. Contributors include many bestselling teen authors, including Cassandra Clare, Libba Bray, Maureen Johnson, Meg Cabot, Scott Westerfeld, and Margo Lanagan. This anthology will have everyone asking: Team Zombie or Team Unicorn? (Goodreads)


Quick Review: This was a FANTASTIC anthology! If you don't have it yet, GO OUT AND BUY IT RIGHT NOW. Some stories are better than others, but they're all on the scale of Great to Freakin' Amazing. I wanted to be Team Unicorn, but I'm afraid Team Zombie has me. I'll do a quick story-by-story. WARNING: Do not read the blurbs at the beginning of the story. For Lanagan's story, Justine Larbalestier completely gave away the ending. I've never been so mad! I can't believe no one made her take that out. There is a quote by Cherie Priest, but no story. I would've loved to see her contribution! I also wish that Holly Black had put one of her stories in. I'm guessing there were just too many amazing stories.

1. "The Highest Justice" by Garth Nix. Girl tries to avenge her mother's death. If you haven't read Nix before, you are really missing out. He's one of my favorite authors of all time and I couldn't believe that he was in this anthology. The unicorn in this one is a real bad-ass. The story had the typical dark, dangerous feel of his Sabriel series. One of the best in the anthology.
2. "Love Will Tears Us Apart" by Alaya Dawn Johnson. Boy meets (zombie) boy. This was probably my least favorite, which isn't saying much. It was still great. If I had to sum it in two words, they would be: "cute" and "funny". My problem with it was that I didn't see what he saw in the zombie guy. I don't know why he would throw everything away for him. More insight into what the soldier was thinking would have been better. Also, tons of f bombs in this one.
3. "Purity Test" by Naomi Novik. Down-on-her-luck New Yorker gets drafted into rescuing unicorns. This one overturns some common misconceptions about unicorns. A smart-ass unicorn practically forces a homeless girl to help rescue some unicorns. The heroine was no nonsense, only helping to get the unicorn off her back. Novik's Temeraire series was fantastic, you should check it out. A funny story, but not one of the best.
4. "Bouganvillea" by Carrie Ryan. The daughter of a ruler in post-apocalyptic times learns that no one is truly safe. This one has the beautiful, haunting writing that I've come to expect from Carrie Ryan, and seems to be set in the same world, but that's where the similarities end. This just might be my favorite story, although it's hard to pick one. I loved the pace- everything was perfectly wrapped up by the end, nothing dragged. There wasn't the feeling that you were missing out if you hadn't read her other work, it was entirely self-contained. I don't want to give anything away, but the main character was great! So much stronger than her female characters usually are. I would love to see her reappear in Ryan's other series.
5. "A Thousand Flowers" by Margo Lanagan. A commoner finds a princess who has been attacked and is blamed for the attack.  One of the editors completely gives away the ending, which is meant to be a shock to the reader, before you even start the story. I'm not sure that if would've been quite so obvious if I hadn't read Tender Morsels, Lanagan's novel, but it's still  stupid. As in her novel, the writing is beautiful, some of the subject matter disturbing, the finished product a vague, beautiful, sad tale. Not really appropriate...for anyone. Why is Lanagan so fixated on that particular topic? I do not enjoy reading about it at all. Her stories are always a bit brutal, which (I suppose) is realistic for the time period. Don't let younger teens read this one.
6. "The Children of the Revolution" by Maureen Johnson. American student stuck without funds in England is hired to babysit some very bizarre children. I always enjoy Johnson's short stories and this one was no exception. The story would have been better if you didn't know from the start that it's a zombie story, but I suppose that was unavoidable. I love that they were poking fun at some of the crazy cult/religions out there right now. Very fun.
7. "The Care and Feeding of Your Baby Killer Unicorn" by Diana Peterfreud. Girl whose cousins were killed by a unicorn ends up saving and raising a baby unicorn.  Rampant has been at the top of my list for a while now. I love the idea, but I've been afraid that the execution would be a bit cheesy. After reading this short story set in the same world, I can't wait to get to it. Her family's strict religious beliefs made her story so much more interesting.  I would love to read more about her. There was a huge cliffhanger ending. I'm hoping that she appears in the novels, I need some closure! One of my favorites from the anthology.
8. "Inoculata" by Scott Westerfeld. A group of kids living on a farm in zombie-infested America long to escape their tiny world.  One thing that bugged me: it took me forever to figure out the sex of the main character. This one is different in that the main characters are all young, rebellious, basically idiotic teens who don't seem to take the zombie threat seriously. I would love to see where this one is going, I'm hoping that he continues their story. I have tons of other questions and comments, but I don't want to give anything away. A great story! I love Scott Westerfeld.
9. "Princess Prettypants" by Meg Cabot.  Stereotypical unicorn ends up in modern day America. I don't read a lot of her books, because they always sound so stupid, but when I do get sucked in I'm always surprised by how much I enjoy them. This story was no exception. The best thing about her writing is her cast of oddball characters. Best line: "You might want to rethink your decision to not hand over your cell phone to me, Spank. Or my unicorn is going to smash in your face." A great story with a unicorn who turns out to be not nearly as lame as she first appears.
10. "Cold Hands" by Cassandra Clare. Story of two lovers who live in a town under a curse that brings all the dead back as peaceful zombies. This was a crazy story. I loved the cursed town, the zombies who pretty much just walk around and watch, and the general creepy feel of everything. About the romance: I can't decide if it was very romantic or very creepy. I would love to see a series set in this same town. This was another of my favorites.
11. "The Third Virgin" by Kathleen Duey. Soul-stealing unicorn wanders the earth alone. This was a very sad story, with a crazy murderous unicorn. It was good, but I'm still left feeling that there wasn't a lot of resolution.
12. "Prom Night" by Libba Bray. Teens and children police and run a small town in the middle of the desert after all of the adults have been infected. This was another desperate, sad story. Everyone is striving so hard for normalcy, but you know that their days are numbered. I would like to know why only the adults were infected, and also why she decides not to address the problem that is revealed at the end of the book. Surely she should at least try?! A very good story.

And so begins my journey.... Posted by Michaela at 5:52 PM

If you enjoy having free time, do not join theatre. That is all.

With that out of the way, I have just finished Clockwork Angel (review on the way, I promise) and I can't wait to get my hands on Zombies vs. Unicorns, potentially the greatest anthology I will ever read. In fact, I am so excited that I have decided to log my journey through the stories on here, and I can't stop believing now (although it will definitely be hard to get all of my reviews up on time.)

That was a bit sketchy. To elaborate, I am going to post a review of each individual story with my current standing in this war (zombies or unicorns), as well as my expectations for the next story.

In closing, I will say that my expectations for Garth Nix's "The Highest Justice" because of his book, Shade's Children, that I read in third grade. It was tremendous. I can only hope that this story is just as good (though I don't know if that's possible, seeing as it is about unicorns instead of zombies, but I'll give it a try.)