SNOW: Stories of Forbidden Love, Wattpad Anthology

I have lately begun to rediscover my love of the short story, whiling my Sunday afternoons away on my back porch, reading the many wonderful anthologies that are beginning to grace the digital shelves at Amazon. Reading short stories allows me to sample an author’s work without investing in a longer book by an author whose work is unknown to me. Also, it allows me to read work written by authors whose work I know and love. This week, I am talking about SNOW, Stories of Forbidden Love, an anthology of tales written by Wattpad Stars. These authors have some of the highest rated works on Wattpad, with millions of fans all over the world.

But first THE BLURB:

One cabin. Sixteen stories of forbidden love.

With an online audience of over ONE MILLION combined followers, and hundreds of millions of reads on their stories, the SNOW ANTHOLOGY showcases talented Wattpad authors from around the globe.

Journey into the woods where you will discover a cabin surrounded by snow, filled with secrets…

The SNOW ANTHOLOGY features sixteen original novellas and novelettes in multiple genres, including Young Adult, New Adult, Contemporary Romance, Historical Romance, Urban Fantasy, Supernatural and Paranormal.

Brought to you by USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR KELLY ANNE BLOUNT and available for a LIMITED TIME ONLY! Don't wait for the snow to melt before you uncover these stories of love, loss, and self-discovery.

MY REVIEW:

All the stories in this volume are excellent, well-written, and in some cases, deeply thought provoking. At no time did I feel compelled to skip forward. Several stories, however, stood out above the others, in my opinion.

The first that struck a chord in me was Red Snow, by Debra Goelz. This is a true fairy tale, harsh, violent, magical, and mysterious. Children are disappearing in the forest, for reasons both frightening and sinister. I wanted to know more about Daphne, and why she was tied to the forest as she was. Eugene, the man who’d been changed to a snake, was really intriguing also. Goelz presents the situation, doling out information in just the right bits so that when the final denouement comes, it is both in keeping with the tone of the tale and satisfying.

The second story that resonated and left me thinking was Faun, by Gavin Hetherington. Faun is another fairy tale, this one featuring a boy of sixteen, who is on a Christmas vacation in a cabin the woods with his family. Freddie is at odds with them over something that fundamental to him but which deeply offends his father and has been ostracized. After a quarrel at dinner, he runs away into a blizzard, finding his way to a nearby village. What he finds in the village is both moving and heartwarming.  

The third story that I want to talk about is by one of my favorite authors, Shaun Allan. The fact that his work was featured in this anthology was why I purchased it in the first place. Wings is a journey into despair and the need to be loved. Megan has been given a second chance, and opportunity to bring love into people’s lives and change the world. But her own emotional pain is too much, and she begins to find satisfaction in bringing misery to the world. Shaun Allan has a knack for getting deep into the dark corners of the human psyche, which is why this tale resonates with me and why I seek out his work. What begins as a quest for personal revenge soon takes a form Megan is completely unprepared for, threatening the world she knows, and deep inside still loves. Allan illustrates the growing darkness of Megan’s soul and a rising sense of doom with a deft hand, illuminating the darker places in our own souls, the places we would prefer not to look.

I enjoyed this anthology from start to finish and highly recommend it. SNOW, Stories of Forbidden Love, is available from Amazon for your Kindle.