Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Review: Chicks Kick Butt

CHICKS KICK BUTT
Edited by Rachel Caine and Kerrie L. Hughes
Urban Fantasy Anthology
343 pages
Tor
Available Now
Received from publisher for review

THE STORY
This anthology includes 13 short stories from some renowned urban fantasy authors including Rachel Caine, Karen Chance, Rachel Vincent, Lilith Saintcrow, P.N. Elrod, Jenna Black, Cheyenne McCray, Elizabeth A. Vaughn, Jeanne C. Stein, Carole Nelson Douglas, L.A. Banks, Susan Krinard, and Nancy Holder.

MY THOUGHTS
As indicated by the title, Chicks Kick Butt is an anthology featuring heroines who might not mind being referred to as damsels but who would certainly take offense to the name if paired with the words "in distress" and the implications that accompany such a label. Though these women often find themselves in no small amount of trouble, they prefer to fight their own battles with sharp minds, sharp weapons, and sharp figurative and literal claws. Majority of the stories in this action-packed collection are highly entertaining, our heroines for the most part reaching through the pages, curling their fists in the collar of our shirts and yanking us into their world where they may temporarily go down fighting but always emerge on top - possibly bruised, most likely bloody, but also irrefutably kick-ass.

PERSONAL FAVORITES
Hunt by Rachel Vincent
In Ms. Vincent's addition to this anthology we are thrust in the brutal and gritty world of her Shifters series, accompanying main heroine Faythe's cousin Abby on a camping trip gone horrifically awry. Even those unfamiliar with the six-book series will be able to connect to this story, one of Ms. Vincent's many gifts being her ability to deny us the opportunity to remain detached, instead forcing us to shore up our courage and join the fight alongside characters who we instantly let into our hearts whether we've met them before or are introduced to them here for the first time. Abby's tale is dark and violent, but as always, Ms. Vincent gives us a young woman with unfathomable strength and resilience, and we draw on her many positive attributes to lead us through the pain and death of her world.

In Vino Veritas by Karen Chance
Ms. Chance has a wonderful sense of humor, giving us a lighter snippet from her Midnight Daughter series featuring a dhampir named Dory who has an uncanny knack for getting caught in the middle of other people's problematic business dealings. This short has her attempting to drink a full vampire under the table in order to help an acquaintance, eliciting many an amused snort from us that beautifully balances some of the seriousness of the other contributions.

Nine Tenths of the Law by Jenna Black
Morgan Kingsley is a demon-possessed exorcist who's just been tasked with exorcising a teenage girl at the request of her of her morally questionable parents. Though some of us might not be acquainted with Ms. Kingsley and how she came to be possessed by the king of the demons, Ms. Black does a fabulous job of making the need for that information irrelevant as we hit the ground running with Morgan and her demonic resident. We know enough to clearly understand and enjoy, but also remain curious enough about Kingsley's history to want to go back and start at the beginning.

There are several more standout stories in this anthology, and as usual, some where we clearly would have benefited from having read the series from which the heroine is pulled. Overall however, this is a solid collection that gives both longtime fans of particular characters a little more time in a world they love, while also providing newcomers the opportunity to find women for whom they can easily root and then walk away knowing where to find more should they color themselves impressed.

Rating: 4/5

34 comments:

  1. Loving the cover, and the summary;THANKS FOR SHARING!

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  2. This sounds really great. I love girl characters that can kick some serious butt. Will add to my to- read list.

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  3. Great title! :) I love strong heroines. Out of your personal favorites, I am most interested in Hunt by Rachel Vincent.
    Thanks for the review!

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  4. It kind of bums me out when authors set their shorts stories in the worlds of their novels (I like to read entirely fresh stories, not spin-offs!), but I've had my eye on this anthology. Glad to hear you enjoyed it! :)

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  5. Some great authors in this collection of stories. And I like they are all about strong female characters. Great review :)

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  6. I like kick-ass chicks, but kick butt, lol, yeah

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  7. Yes! This one I have and can't wait to delve into :) I got it to mostly read each of these ladies writing styles because I haven't read all of them before!

    Great Review!

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  8. Natalie - You're welcome:)

    Laura - I really enjoyed it! I found some series I would definitely like to start:)

    Misha - Me too. And Hunt was my very favorite, I adore her Shifters series. I'm hoping she does a spinoff with Abby and Jace:)

    Lauren - I it both ways - I love fresh worlds/characters, but I also like getting a little extra tidbit from a series that's a favorite.

    Nic - There are! It was a fun read:)

    Blodeuedd - I wonder if you can put kick ass on a cover? It would have been more fitting for these women:)

    Felicia - Yay! Can't wait to see which is your favorite. I really enjoyed Rachel Caine's Weather Warden short in this one, I think I need to try that series!

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  9. Very cool descriptions of the stories. Sounds like a great anthology as well.

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  10. I don't know if I'm missing them or what but I haven't seen many reviews for this book. Thanks for breaking down some of the stories. Gives me a better idea of whether I want to read it or not :-)

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  11. This sounds cool and major kudos for the kick butt cover.

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  12. Most of the authors in this anthology are ones I haven't read anything from. So if I do read this it would give me a chance to see what their writing is like.

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  13. Jan - I had a blast reading it, even the ones with unfamiliar heroines:)

    Paranormal - I haven't seen many either, but I was a fan of this anthology.

    Juju - I love the cover too, it suits:)

    Jenny - It's great for that, and there are some truly fabulous authors in this one:)

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  14. I've been eying (is that spelled right? 'Cause it looks wrong for some reason. Oh well.) this one because I love pretty much all of the authors who contributed a story (Lilith Saintcrow is one of my faves). Jenna Black's story sounds great -- and the others, too, of course. Yep, going to have to read it. Nice review!
    Mary @ Book Swarm

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  15. The title had me going whaaaaaa?! LOL. Yeah I haven't read their work either. Not heard of this book before, thanks for bringing it to my attention Jenny :)

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  16. I'm not usually into the anthologies, but this is one of the rare, positive reviews I've seen. Hmmm, this sounds like a fabulous bathtub and wine read. Thanks for the rec, Jenny!

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  17. Ahhh! Jealous you read this one! I soo need to get it. It would be a good pick me up book. Thanks for the review Jenny!

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  18. Oh I want this one so much! Just love kick-ass heroines and so I already knew this one was for me. Love the sound of your faves!

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  19. Mary - I really want to go back and start the Morgan Kinsley series now, I loved her story:)

    Aly - I know, when I saw it in the catalogue I knew I had to have it:)

    Linds - I'm usually not into anthologies either, unless their longer ones where there's only a couple authors and the stores are 100 or so pages, but this was just a fun read:)

    Savy - It's nice going in and knowing no matter what these ladies are going to win:)

    Melissa - Me too, it was fun to watch them all tackle their problems in a different but equally ass-kicking way:)

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  20. Oooh! Did the story about me make the cut? The Texas gal who chaps hides! LOL

    Nine Tenths of the Law sounds so intense, as do the rest of the stories. And I like it when the stories are connected to a bigger series because then it let's me know if it will pique my interest or not.

    Thanks Jenny!

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  21. Ooh I really want to read Hunt in the anthology. I LOVE Vincent's shifter series. =)

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  22. I've had this book on my radar for a while. Thanks for reviewing it! Looking forward to picking up a copy.

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  23. Okay... I'm freaking LOVING this cover!! Even if it does look a bit space-like.

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  24. Anthologies usually eff with my OCD tendencies of needing a full-length story, but this sounds so good! I love strong MCs...great review, Jenny! :)

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  25. Sounds interesting. I'm not usually a short story person, but it's always nice to read things by authors whose full works you enjoy. I'm curious about the girls with literal claws :-)

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  26. I love the cover of this anthology. There are a few writers in it that I was curious about reading. I do agree with you that it's nice for new comers to get a sense of the writer's world and sense of style, which is how I discovered Meljean Brook! Now, I have to hunt down her books. ;)

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  27. Sounds awesome. Who doesn't like to read about these types of heroines? I've never been really into anthologies though. The stories are always best when the author gives sufficient background information to understand what's happening if it's a side story from a larger series that you haven't read yet. So it's a shame that that wasn't always the case here.

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  28. This looks fun...I love kick-butt chicks...:)

    Ive heard such great things about R.Vincent, I seriously need to read her Academy series.

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  29. How fun! I love the in-your-face cover and title!

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  30. sorry sorry. I meant shifter series...;)

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  31. I want this book solely based on the title! AWESOME! Thanks for the review!

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  32. So much awesomeness compressed into such a small book! I NEED TO READ RACHEL VINCENTS STORY... Oh and maybe Lili's as well... ;)

    Thanks for the great review Jenny!

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  33. This sounds great! So many times, waiting in Dr.'s offices, waiting to talk to the teacher, prinicpal etc (can you tell I've got kids) I need a short story to read. I'd love a story that fires me up, especially when I have to talk to the teacher! Great review! Glad to see some names I recognize. One day, I'll pick this one up!

    Heather

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  34. Short story collections tend to leave me thinking 'meh', but the stand-out stories in this one sound great! Not to mention, you know, the theme. :) Thanks for the review.

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