Reviewed by Breanna F. for TeensReadToo.com
PRETTY MONSTERS is a collection of nine short stories; all of which were quite interesting. Here is a sentence or two about each story...
1. The Wrong Grave - Miles Sperry decides to dig up his dead girlfriend, Bethany Baldwin, to get back some poetry that he wrote for her after she died and wasn't smart enough to make copies of. When he opens the grave, he has discovered that it is the wrong one. Now he's got some strange dead girl following him around all night.
2. The Wizards of Perfil - This is about a boy named Onion and a girl named Halsa. Onion's parents have died and Halsa's mother is watching after him and the other children. While in the market of Perfil, she sells Onion to someone who says they will take him to the Wizards of Perfil. For some reason, they bring Onion right back and take Halsa instead. Once Halsa is there, she discovers that the Wizards are incredibly vain and super lazy. But there is something that neither Onion or Halsa knows about the wizards.
3. Magic for Beginners - A boy named Jeremy Mars and a few of his friends are obsessed with a show called The Library. Jeremy's mother and father have some problems getting along because Jeremy's father is a writer. When his father puts Jeremy in one of his books and then kills him off, his mother insists that she and Jeremy go to Las Vegas to see the wedding chapel she has inherited from her late sister. But Jeremy is afraid that he'll miss the next spontaneous episode of The Library!
4. The Faery Handbag - Genevieve's grandmother, Zofia, has a mysterious handbag that is apparently a family heirloom and over 200 years old. She never lets the bag out of her sight. Zofia tells Genevieve crazy stories about how a whole little village lives in that bag, and a nasty dog, too. If you open it up and aren't careful, you could get sucked into the handbag and not come out for years, even if you are only in the bag for one day. When Zofia dies, Genevieve is to be the keeper of the bag, but once Zofia is gone Genevieve can't find the handbag anywhere.
5. The Specialist's Hat - Samantha and Claire are identical twins who live with their father on the second story of a huge house. Their father is writing the history of the Eight Chimneys where they are currently living. Samantha and Claire have a babysitter who tells them about The Specialist, who apparently goes around the house killing people and that she herself used to live there and has seen The Specialist when she was younger. Things get a little creepy when The Specialist himself shows up that night.
6. Monster - Bungalow 6 has to go on their campout before camp ends for the summer. It's pouring out but they still want to go. The boys from Bungalow 4 say they saw a monster and they are determined to see it. James Lorbick is kind of the loser of the cabin, and Bryan Jones dares him to put on a dress once they've set up camp. He puts it on and ends up wearing it most of the night. When their counselor, Terence, goes down the hill to help out a female camper, the monster shows up...
7. The Surfer - Dorn is kidnapped by his father and taken to Costa Rica to see the elusive Hans Bliss, who was picked up by aliens years before and was told that they would come back to Earth some day. After landing in Costa Rica, they are quarantined because of the flu pandemic that has been killing for quite some time now.
8. The Constable of Abal - After Ozma's mother, Zilla, has killed the constable of Abal, they flee to a place called Brid that Ozma hates. Back in Abal, ghosts were quite the fashion. Zilla made them that way, but in Brid Ozma's mother acts like she despises ghosts and makes Ozma dress as a boy.
9. Pretty Monsters - Lee and her friends Nikki, Maureen, and Bad capture Czigany and (not on purpose) her sister, Parci, for Czigany's "ordeal" which is a ritual in their all-girls school. While on Lee's aunt's farm, Lee keeps pulling out her current book about a girl named Clementine and a boy named Cabell.
I enjoyed each of these stories. A few of them were so far-fetched and crazy! You can definitely tell that Ms. Link has a crazy imagination, which is incredibly awesome. I think my favorite story of the bunch was Monster. The ending of that one was just so strange to me, and also sort of funny. If you're in the mood for some crazy out-of-this-world stories, then this book is definitely for you. This would be a great one to read during the Halloween season because of all the spooky aspects and whatnot.
PRETTY MONSTERS is a collection of nine short stories; all of which were quite interesting. Here is a sentence or two about each story...
1. The Wrong Grave - Miles Sperry decides to dig up his dead girlfriend, Bethany Baldwin, to get back some poetry that he wrote for her after she died and wasn't smart enough to make copies of. When he opens the grave, he has discovered that it is the wrong one. Now he's got some strange dead girl following him around all night.
2. The Wizards of Perfil - This is about a boy named Onion and a girl named Halsa. Onion's parents have died and Halsa's mother is watching after him and the other children. While in the market of Perfil, she sells Onion to someone who says they will take him to the Wizards of Perfil. For some reason, they bring Onion right back and take Halsa instead. Once Halsa is there, she discovers that the Wizards are incredibly vain and super lazy. But there is something that neither Onion or Halsa knows about the wizards.
3. Magic for Beginners - A boy named Jeremy Mars and a few of his friends are obsessed with a show called The Library. Jeremy's mother and father have some problems getting along because Jeremy's father is a writer. When his father puts Jeremy in one of his books and then kills him off, his mother insists that she and Jeremy go to Las Vegas to see the wedding chapel she has inherited from her late sister. But Jeremy is afraid that he'll miss the next spontaneous episode of The Library!
4. The Faery Handbag - Genevieve's grandmother, Zofia, has a mysterious handbag that is apparently a family heirloom and over 200 years old. She never lets the bag out of her sight. Zofia tells Genevieve crazy stories about how a whole little village lives in that bag, and a nasty dog, too. If you open it up and aren't careful, you could get sucked into the handbag and not come out for years, even if you are only in the bag for one day. When Zofia dies, Genevieve is to be the keeper of the bag, but once Zofia is gone Genevieve can't find the handbag anywhere.
5. The Specialist's Hat - Samantha and Claire are identical twins who live with their father on the second story of a huge house. Their father is writing the history of the Eight Chimneys where they are currently living. Samantha and Claire have a babysitter who tells them about The Specialist, who apparently goes around the house killing people and that she herself used to live there and has seen The Specialist when she was younger. Things get a little creepy when The Specialist himself shows up that night.
6. Monster - Bungalow 6 has to go on their campout before camp ends for the summer. It's pouring out but they still want to go. The boys from Bungalow 4 say they saw a monster and they are determined to see it. James Lorbick is kind of the loser of the cabin, and Bryan Jones dares him to put on a dress once they've set up camp. He puts it on and ends up wearing it most of the night. When their counselor, Terence, goes down the hill to help out a female camper, the monster shows up...
7. The Surfer - Dorn is kidnapped by his father and taken to Costa Rica to see the elusive Hans Bliss, who was picked up by aliens years before and was told that they would come back to Earth some day. After landing in Costa Rica, they are quarantined because of the flu pandemic that has been killing for quite some time now.
8. The Constable of Abal - After Ozma's mother, Zilla, has killed the constable of Abal, they flee to a place called Brid that Ozma hates. Back in Abal, ghosts were quite the fashion. Zilla made them that way, but in Brid Ozma's mother acts like she despises ghosts and makes Ozma dress as a boy.
9. Pretty Monsters - Lee and her friends Nikki, Maureen, and Bad capture Czigany and (not on purpose) her sister, Parci, for Czigany's "ordeal" which is a ritual in their all-girls school. While on Lee's aunt's farm, Lee keeps pulling out her current book about a girl named Clementine and a boy named Cabell.
I enjoyed each of these stories. A few of them were so far-fetched and crazy! You can definitely tell that Ms. Link has a crazy imagination, which is incredibly awesome. I think my favorite story of the bunch was Monster. The ending of that one was just so strange to me, and also sort of funny. If you're in the mood for some crazy out-of-this-world stories, then this book is definitely for you. This would be a great one to read during the Halloween season because of all the spooky aspects and whatnot.
This book was a total bore. It was way too weird for my taste. I don't see the interest that people have in this book, I just couldn't finish it.
I wasn't really overly impressed with any of these stories. I guess I'm not really a short story person. Most of the stories were written well and for most part, I enjoyed them. Then they would abruptly end and I would be thinking... what the heck? With most of the short stories she spent a long time describing to us what was going on, getting to know the characters, etc and then it would just end. I guess I'm more into long stories. I wanted more for the ending then a lot of these had. The only story out of all of these in which I felt sated was The Constable of Abal. It went through a thorough story and stopped with a complete ending. I'm not sure if I'll read any of Kelly Link's other books. They all seem to be short stories and I just don't think I'm into it. I would like to see a full length book from her on one story. I think she writes very well.
This was a collection of nine stories by Link. Some of them were really good and some were just so-so. Like most short story collections there is a lot of variability. My favorites were âThe Faery Handbagâ and âThe Constable of Abalâ. You can see a short description of the stories in this collection and what I thought about them below.
Overall it was a decent collection of short stories. While it's not a great collection of short stories there are some neat ideas in here. Link's writing style is very unique and if you are a Kelly Link fan I think you will enjoy this collection of stories. I personally wasn't a huge fan of Link's writing style; it was a bit too stark for me.
âThe Wrong Graveâ (3/5 stars)
This is the story about a teenage boy who digs up his girlfriend's grave to retrieve some of his old poetry and ends up digging up the wrong girl. The ending was a bit confusing and also a bit ironic. It was okay.
âThe Wizards of Perfilâ (4/5 stars)
This was a longer story about a young woman who gets sold off by her parents to the Wizards of Perfil. As war approaches she is frustrated by the wizards lack of action. This was an interesting story and well written. I liked the twist at the end, even though it was a bit predictable.
âMagic For Beginnersâ (4/5 stars)
This was a strange and rambling story about a boy living in a TV episode called the Library who is obsessed with a TV show called the Library. In this episode of the Library Jeremy has to save a character in his version of the Library from dying. It's a bit hard to follow but ended up being an interested if somewhat twisted story. I ended up enjoying it.
âThe Faery Handbagâ (5/5 stars)
I really loved this story about a girl who is supposed to find and keep track of her grandmother's handbag. Supposedly her grandmother's handbag contains a whole town of people and when the heroines boyfriend disappears into the handbag she is determined to get him back. This is a fun and imaginative story and was one of the most cohesive stories of this collection so far.
âThe Specialist's Hatâ (3/5 stars)
A quick story about two young girls who have a strange babysitter. This was an okay story about ghosts and a creepy hat. It was pretty short and a bit difficult to tell what happened in the end.
âMonsterâ (3/5 stars)
This story took place at a camp where some goes go out for an overnight hike and are terrorized by a monster...kind of. It was okay but again a bit ambiguous and confusing about what was going on.
âThe Surferâ (3/5 stars)
There was some good world-building in this short story. It takes place in a future Earth that's plagued with influenza outbreaks. Our protagonist is kidnapped by his father who is taking him to go see aliens when they are quarantined in Costa Rica during a flu outbreak. What's follows is a lot of soccer playing in an airplant hanger, a bit of irony, and a very open ending. It was okay but again not a lot of point.
âThe Constable of Abalâ (5/5 stars)
I enjoyed this story a lot. This is about a girl and her mother who help people collect ghosts as pets, taking advantage of both the money people are willing to pay the ghosts and the ghosts themselves.. Then the girls mother has a change of heart and moves to a town of Gods. There her mother tries to be devout and is frantically looking for something. I loved the ending and thought some elements of the story were intriguing (at one point the girl is able to turn herself into a boy and then back into a girl again). I thought it was very creative and really loved it.
âPretty Monstersâ (4/5 stars)
This was an interesting story that was really two stories woven together and then those were woven under a third story. The main story is about some girls who are taking one of their girlfriends out for her Ordeal (kind of like hazing). One of the girls involved in planning the Ordeal is reading a YA paranormal romance novel and half of the story is the story she is reading. There is an additional twist at the end. It was a creative way to structure and story but was still a bit confusing; some of the ideas here could have been communicated better. I ended up liking it.
Overall it was a decent collection of short stories. While it's not a great collection of short stories there are some neat ideas in here. Link's writing style is very unique and if you are a Kelly Link fan I think you will enjoy this collection of stories. I personally wasn't a huge fan of Link's writing style; it was a bit too stark for me.
âThe Wrong Graveâ (3/5 stars)
This is the story about a teenage boy who digs up his girlfriend's grave to retrieve some of his old poetry and ends up digging up the wrong girl. The ending was a bit confusing and also a bit ironic. It was okay.
âThe Wizards of Perfilâ (4/5 stars)
This was a longer story about a young woman who gets sold off by her parents to the Wizards of Perfil. As war approaches she is frustrated by the wizards lack of action. This was an interesting story and well written. I liked the twist at the end, even though it was a bit predictable.
âMagic For Beginnersâ (4/5 stars)
This was a strange and rambling story about a boy living in a TV episode called the Library who is obsessed with a TV show called the Library. In this episode of the Library Jeremy has to save a character in his version of the Library from dying. It's a bit hard to follow but ended up being an interested if somewhat twisted story. I ended up enjoying it.
âThe Faery Handbagâ (5/5 stars)
I really loved this story about a girl who is supposed to find and keep track of her grandmother's handbag. Supposedly her grandmother's handbag contains a whole town of people and when the heroines boyfriend disappears into the handbag she is determined to get him back. This is a fun and imaginative story and was one of the most cohesive stories of this collection so far.
âThe Specialist's Hatâ (3/5 stars)
A quick story about two young girls who have a strange babysitter. This was an okay story about ghosts and a creepy hat. It was pretty short and a bit difficult to tell what happened in the end.
âMonsterâ (3/5 stars)
This story took place at a camp where some goes go out for an overnight hike and are terrorized by a monster...kind of. It was okay but again a bit ambiguous and confusing about what was going on.
âThe Surferâ (3/5 stars)
There was some good world-building in this short story. It takes place in a future Earth that's plagued with influenza outbreaks. Our protagonist is kidnapped by his father who is taking him to go see aliens when they are quarantined in Costa Rica during a flu outbreak. What's follows is a lot of soccer playing in an airplant hanger, a bit of irony, and a very open ending. It was okay but again not a lot of point.
âThe Constable of Abalâ (5/5 stars)
I enjoyed this story a lot. This is about a girl and her mother who help people collect ghosts as pets, taking advantage of both the money people are willing to pay the ghosts and the ghosts themselves.. Then the girls mother has a change of heart and moves to a town of Gods. There her mother tries to be devout and is frantically looking for something. I loved the ending and thought some elements of the story were intriguing (at one point the girl is able to turn herself into a boy and then back into a girl again). I thought it was very creative and really loved it.
âPretty Monstersâ (4/5 stars)
This was an interesting story that was really two stories woven together and then those were woven under a third story. The main story is about some girls who are taking one of their girlfriends out for her Ordeal (kind of like hazing). One of the girls involved in planning the Ordeal is reading a YA paranormal romance novel and half of the story is the story she is reading. There is an additional twist at the end. It was a creative way to structure and story but was still a bit confusing; some of the ideas here could have been communicated better. I ended up liking it.
