Prom Nights from Hell by various (anthology)

Prom Nights from Hell (2007) (HC Children's Books) (anthology)
Meg Cabot / Lauren Myracle / Kim Harrison / Michele Jaffe / Stephenie Meyer
Grade: C
Genre: anthology / young adult / paranormal
Source: own

TBR RBC 2015: A book on HarperCollins' backlist 

In this collection by five best-selling young adult authors, prom nights take on a whole different meaning … in Meg Cabot’s The Executioner’s Daughter, Mary is on a mission to take out a vampire who has bewitched her best friend and destroyed her family … in Lauren Myracle’s The Corsage, Frankie takes desperate measures to bring back the one she loves … in Kim Harrison’s Madison Avery and the Grim Reaper, Madison’s prom night takes a turn for the worse when she accepts a ride home from a beautiful stranger … in Michele Jaffe’s Kiss and Tell, one of Miranda’s clients turns out to be a Very Wanted Person … and lastly in Stephenie Meyer’s Hell on Earth, one minor demon is intent on ruining prom night for everyone … these short stories take prom nights to a different paranormal level …

This is another oldie and another book I’m glad I’ve got out of the way. I’ve never been particularly fond of anthologies and this one further shows why. There’s just not enough space for an author to do justice to their characters and plot, and not enough time for the reader to connect with the characters and their relationships. While I like all these authors to varying degrees individually, reading the equivalent to a fifth of a regular book from each (or a tenth, in Stephenie Meyer’s case!) is a different story altogether. Nevertheless, there were some particularly good elements. To note, Meg Cabot is her punchy self, The Corsage was by far the creepiest of the lot and I was impressed by my first introduction to Lauren Myracle’s work. If you like young adult anthologies, then try this one. If you don’t, then like me, learn to stick to regular books.

Image courtesy of Book Depository.