#101 The Poison Eaters: and Other Stories by Holly Black
The Poison Eaters is a slim volume of a dozen short stories by fantasy author Holly Black. Although there were couple of of stories 
that I didn’t like as much, the majority of the stories are really strong. They often take interesting new perspectives on established tropes, such as vampires and unicorns. Some stories are lighthearted and fun, while others have a rather enchanting fairy tale quality to them. The collection reads lightning fast (I read the majority in just one setting) and should find appeal with young adult readers, as well as adult ones. Fans of Black’s Modern Faerie tale series will want to take note that two of the stories collected here take place in that universe, and even have some of the same characters.
For a brief review of each story, please continue.
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown- This story takes our current obsession with romanticizing vampires, and turns it on it’s head by telling the story of a girl slowly transforming into a vampire and trying to fight off the hunger by using alcohol. Before picking up this collection, I had already encountered this book in the anthology The Eternal Kiss. Once again I found myself fascinating by the setting and appreciating it’s powerful ending. 5 stars
A Reversal of Fortune- Having recently read and enjoyed “A Reversal of Fortune” in the collection The Coyote Road, I was happy to experience it again. This story tells about a girl who challenges the devil to an eating contest. If she wins, the devil will stop her dog from dying. If she loses, the devil wins her soul. I thought this was a clever take on the “deal with the devil trope” trope and enjoyed the clever way that the heroine manages to outwit her oponent. 4.5 stars
The Boy who Cried Wolf- A story about a bookish boy who discovers flowers that are said to be able to turn a person into a wolf. This collection doesn’t have too many child narrators, so I appreciated the change and thought Black did a good job capturing his perspective. I found this to be an interesting take on the werewolf myth. 4.5 stars
The Night Market- A teenage girl in the Philippians must save her ailing sister by visiting the mysterious Night Market. I didn’t enjoy this story as much as when I first read it in The Faery Reel but I once again found that I enjoyed the rich setting and it’s take on faeries. 4 stars
The Dog King- Like “The Boy who Cried Wolf” this story tackles the werewolf myth, although it’s not as well executed. "The Dog King" is a very short story, and is certainly written well and has a lot of in interesting twists. Unfortunately, I couldn’t help but feel that it needed a little fleshing out in order to become a more successful story. 3.5 stars
Virgin- Stories of unicorns often feature a young female virgin. "Virgin" puts an interesting spin on this myth by introducing a male virgin with a tortured past. I feel like I appreciate what they were trying to do with this story, but it really struggled to find its feet. Not a bad story, but not that great of one either. 3 stars
Vodka Veritas- In one of the most humorous stories in the collection, our teenage narrator finds himself without a date for prom and decides to cause some mischief instead. Then he runs across the Latin Club, who have a very different idea of mischief. I really enjoyed the protagonist in this story, as well as the twist behind the Latin Club. This story should resonate particularly well with Black’s young adult fans. 5 stars
The Coat of Stars- A gorgeous story about a man who’s first love was stolen by faeries, and his attempts to get him back. I loved the fairy tale-like atmosphere to this book, as well as the more real life elements (such as the relationships that can be found in a family). I also found the ending to be incredibly satisfying. 5 stars
Paper Cuts Scissors- Occasionally you love a story due to it’s beautiful writing or life like characters. Other times, you fall in love with a story because the subject matter appeals to you so much that it seems like it was written just for you. As a librarian, I enjoyed this story about a young library science student who’s girlfriend can fold herself up into a book. I loved the fact that the individual sections were named after Dewey Decimal numbers. I just clicked very well with this tale, that often made me think of Kelly Link’s work. 5 stars
Going Ironside- A quick story related to Black’s Modern Faerie Tale series about two faeries who have entered the human world. It’s an interesting little piece but ultimately feels like part of a bigger story, leaving me feeling blah. 3 stars
The Land of Heart’s Desire- This is second story that takes place in Black’s Modern Faerie Tale series, and it features the characters Corny and Roiben. I enjoyed how the story explored the two characters a little more, but suspect that the tale will not appeal as much to readers unfamiliar to the series, as not too much happens. 4 stars
The Poison Eaters- The final story, which tells of three sisters who can kill with a kiss, is also my favorite in the collection. It has a beautiful fairy tale like quality to the writing, fascinating characters, and an ending that honestly surprised me. I can tell why the collection was named after this particular tale. 5 stars
The Poison Eaters: and Other Stories is a satisfying little collection filled with some great stories. I am happy I picked it up.
Rating: four and a half stars
Length: 212 pages
Source: paperbackswap
Other books I've read by this author: Tithe, Valiant, Ironside, Kin, The Field Guide, The Seeing Stone
Next I will be reviewing Children of the Mind by Orson Scott Card and Wolfsbane by Patricia Briggs.
xposted to temporaryworlds, bookish, and goodreads
that I didn’t like as much, the majority of the stories are really strong. They often take interesting new perspectives on established tropes, such as vampires and unicorns. Some stories are lighthearted and fun, while others have a rather enchanting fairy tale quality to them. The collection reads lightning fast (I read the majority in just one setting) and should find appeal with young adult readers, as well as adult ones. Fans of Black’s Modern Faerie tale series will want to take note that two of the stories collected here take place in that universe, and even have some of the same characters.
For a brief review of each story, please continue.
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown- This story takes our current obsession with romanticizing vampires, and turns it on it’s head by telling the story of a girl slowly transforming into a vampire and trying to fight off the hunger by using alcohol. Before picking up this collection, I had already encountered this book in the anthology The Eternal Kiss. Once again I found myself fascinating by the setting and appreciating it’s powerful ending. 5 stars
A Reversal of Fortune- Having recently read and enjoyed “A Reversal of Fortune” in the collection The Coyote Road, I was happy to experience it again. This story tells about a girl who challenges the devil to an eating contest. If she wins, the devil will stop her dog from dying. If she loses, the devil wins her soul. I thought this was a clever take on the “deal with the devil trope” trope and enjoyed the clever way that the heroine manages to outwit her oponent. 4.5 stars
The Boy who Cried Wolf- A story about a bookish boy who discovers flowers that are said to be able to turn a person into a wolf. This collection doesn’t have too many child narrators, so I appreciated the change and thought Black did a good job capturing his perspective. I found this to be an interesting take on the werewolf myth. 4.5 stars
The Night Market- A teenage girl in the Philippians must save her ailing sister by visiting the mysterious Night Market. I didn’t enjoy this story as much as when I first read it in The Faery Reel but I once again found that I enjoyed the rich setting and it’s take on faeries. 4 stars
The Dog King- Like “The Boy who Cried Wolf” this story tackles the werewolf myth, although it’s not as well executed. "The Dog King" is a very short story, and is certainly written well and has a lot of in interesting twists. Unfortunately, I couldn’t help but feel that it needed a little fleshing out in order to become a more successful story. 3.5 stars
Virgin- Stories of unicorns often feature a young female virgin. "Virgin" puts an interesting spin on this myth by introducing a male virgin with a tortured past. I feel like I appreciate what they were trying to do with this story, but it really struggled to find its feet. Not a bad story, but not that great of one either. 3 stars
Vodka Veritas- In one of the most humorous stories in the collection, our teenage narrator finds himself without a date for prom and decides to cause some mischief instead. Then he runs across the Latin Club, who have a very different idea of mischief. I really enjoyed the protagonist in this story, as well as the twist behind the Latin Club. This story should resonate particularly well with Black’s young adult fans. 5 stars
The Coat of Stars- A gorgeous story about a man who’s first love was stolen by faeries, and his attempts to get him back. I loved the fairy tale-like atmosphere to this book, as well as the more real life elements (such as the relationships that can be found in a family). I also found the ending to be incredibly satisfying. 5 stars
Paper Cuts Scissors- Occasionally you love a story due to it’s beautiful writing or life like characters. Other times, you fall in love with a story because the subject matter appeals to you so much that it seems like it was written just for you. As a librarian, I enjoyed this story about a young library science student who’s girlfriend can fold herself up into a book. I loved the fact that the individual sections were named after Dewey Decimal numbers. I just clicked very well with this tale, that often made me think of Kelly Link’s work. 5 stars
Going Ironside- A quick story related to Black’s Modern Faerie Tale series about two faeries who have entered the human world. It’s an interesting little piece but ultimately feels like part of a bigger story, leaving me feeling blah. 3 stars
The Land of Heart’s Desire- This is second story that takes place in Black’s Modern Faerie Tale series, and it features the characters Corny and Roiben. I enjoyed how the story explored the two characters a little more, but suspect that the tale will not appeal as much to readers unfamiliar to the series, as not too much happens. 4 stars
The Poison Eaters- The final story, which tells of three sisters who can kill with a kiss, is also my favorite in the collection. It has a beautiful fairy tale like quality to the writing, fascinating characters, and an ending that honestly surprised me. I can tell why the collection was named after this particular tale. 5 stars
The Poison Eaters: and Other Stories is a satisfying little collection filled with some great stories. I am happy I picked it up.
Rating: four and a half stars
Length: 212 pages
Source: paperbackswap
Other books I've read by this author: Tithe, Valiant, Ironside, Kin, The Field Guide, The Seeing Stone
Next I will be reviewing Children of the Mind by Orson Scott Card and Wolfsbane by Patricia Briggs.
xposted to temporaryworlds, bookish, and goodreads