Review: Overall a good book with some incredible stories inside
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 3, 2012
Make believe is a collection of 6 fantasy and paranormal short stories. The content and feel of the stories are varied; from Terry Rochenski's tale of a girl forced to sacrifice herself to a goddess to save her father, to Jennifer M Eaton's interesting fantasy dystopian crossover about two civilisations that both believe the other to be diseased.Sacrificial Oath by Terri Rochenski - I thought this was a beautiful, well written story. Showing a girl whose mistake means she must be sacrificed to a goddess live her final days this is a tale about love and someone willing to give up their own life for someone else.The Amulet of Ormisez by J. Keller Ford - This story had a nice idea but it felt very rushed, nothing seemed to be explained particularly well and the ending in particular felt very hurried. I think this probably would have worked much better as a longer novel.Birthright by Lynda R. Young - Birthright was an interesting tale but I didn't find it to be particularly memorable and it was overshadowed by all the other excellent stories in this anthology.Petrified by Kelly Said - I thought Petrified was a lovely little fantasy story. It has a fairy tale quality to it that made it unique and I loved the concept about Wiccae and I think this world would make a great basis for a longer book.Last Winter Red by Jennifer M. Eaton - This was probably my favourite story; it is just so intriguing. The idea behind it is brilliant and Jennifer is clearly a brilliant writer. She perfectly portrayed someone who is learning that their entire life has been a lie and leaving behind everything they have ever known.Escort to Insanity by J.A. Belfield - J.A.Belfield is an excellent writer whose books are always amazing so I had high expectations for Escort to Insanity and it did not disappoint. It was funny, tense and action packed all at the same time. Definitely a story to read.Whilst I prefer reading longer books, short stories in an anthology like this give you an opportunity to sample the writing style of several authors and you might just find some that you love. My two favourite stories in this anthology were Last Winter Red by Jennifer M Eaton and Escort to Insanity by J A Belfield. Whilst I have read and enjoyed many of Belfield's books already, I have not read anything of Eaton's but after how good her short story was I definitely intend to read other books she writes in the future.*I recieved a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, this has not affected my review in any way*