#44 Carniepunk: Daughter of the Midway, the Mermaid, and the Open, Lonely Sea by Seanan McGuire

My library was offering several short stories as audio books so I gave it a try.

I read a lot of Seanan’s McGuire’s stuff and I wasn’t disappointed in this at all. It is a standalone story and give a good sense of what makes a great writer. The story covers a teen girl whose mother is a real mermaid with the carnival she travels with. As the story unfolds you find out that this is the only life she has ever known and everyone is family. But they have returned to a town they haven’t been to in 17 years and some people have a long memory. A good buildup and a bittersweet ending to this story.

#45 Urban Enemies by Jim Butcher; Kevin Hearne; Seanan McGuire; Kelley Armstrong; Jonathan Maberry

This collection is a set of stories told from the villains of various series. Most are the main antagonists of ongoing series so if you are a fan of the writers collected here you will be in for a treat. Most of the stories are new to the collection. The Jim Butcher story is a reprint from another collection but it fits the theme here perfectly. Several of the stories were set in new to me universes but for the most part gave a good taste of the settings they used. The Seanan McGuire story is an Incryptid one and gives great background on cuckoos and just hammers home why Sarah is so different. But the best surprise in here was the Lilith Saintcrow story about Perry’s origin. I was glad to get another peek into this story universe even if it was a short story.

Overall this is a good collection and there will be plenty of stuff for fans of various universes. And if you want a sample of what makes the bad guy sometimes the more interesting than the hero of the story try this out.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley