Eternally Yours is an anthology of 15 YA short stories by popular authors such as Casey McQuiston (I Kissed Shara Wheeler), Chloe Gong (These Violent Delights), and Kalynn Bayron (Cinderella is Dead). Each of the stories include fantasy and paranormal elements and some sort of romance or love interest. Here’s a quick breakdown of all the short stories:
- Undead Ghoul Meet-Cute by Kendare Blake: Frankenstein-esque “enemies to lovers” romance involving a lonely ghoul and a severed head.
- A Thousand More by Chloe Gong: An immortal tries to reconnect with his mate after they are both reincarnated.
- Who Will Save Me by Julian Winters: A guardian angel struggles to perform his duty whilst falling in love.
- In the Eyes of Angels by Alexis Henderson: A romance blossoms after a recovering addict rescues a fallen angel.
- My Demon Prince Charming by Sandhya Menon: In the hopes of securing a date to a party, a girl uses a love spell and accidentally summons a demon.
- Katrine and Rowan’s Exit Interview by Sarah Gailey: Told in script, a shipwrecked couple is forced to give an interview before they are allowed to leave a cursed island.
- Bride-Heart by Marie Rutkoski: To help provide for her family, an 18-year-old marries a mysterious stranger and, upon learning his secret, enlists the help of a goat farmer.
- If You Give an Asura a Cookie by Akshaya Ramon: An asura (human by day and demon by night) hopes to discover the identity of the fellow asura she meets with annually whilst in demon form.
- Kiss the Boy by Adib Khorram: A merman finds himself unexpectedly mated to the human boy who saved his life.
- Piano Sonata No. 13 by Kalynn Bayron: A piano prodigy finds herself inexplicably drawn to a cursed piece of music and the killer demon that the music summons.
- Once Upon a Time in Charleston by Melissa de la Cruz: A vampire questions the mating bond that was imposed upon her after she meets a handsome traveller.
- Pierce My Soul by Kat Cho: A girl runs into a past love whilst hunting a vampire.
- Banes and Blessings by Hafsah Faizal: A boy attempts to stop a siren-like creature’s killing spree.
- Bloody, Lovely by Casey McQuiston: A teen gains the courage to come out as trans after bonding with the “bloody Mary” stuck in her bathroom mirror.
- La Bruja y la Sirena by Anna-Marie McLemore: A sea witch and a mermaid seek revenge on an abusive and entitled human.
A multitude of themes and topics are discussed in this short story anthology, such as fate versus free will, love and heartbreak, revenge, desire to escape, companionship, identity, loneliness and isolation, life and death, and family. Eternally Yours may be best suited for teens and young adults who enjoy reading paranormal and fantasy romance, but may entice older readers who enjoy some paranormal, as well as those who enjoy reading short story anthologies like My True Love Gave to Me or Summer Days and Summer Nights by Stephanie Perkins et al. In my opinion, the ideal time to real this anthology would be in the autumn or around Halloween since all the stories include paranormal or spooky elements!
Since I’m not a fan of horror, I appreciated that, whilst being paranormal and spooky, none of the short stories were scary or overly gory. It was great that more than half of the short stories in this anthology included an LGBTQ+ couple. Additionally, the stories were quick reads (only around 30 pages each) and standalones (so you can skip any stories that aren’t of interest), but can sometimes be challenging to read as one doesn’t have time to connect with the characters and get invested in their storyline.
Lastly, my favourite short stories included in this anthology were A Thousand More by Chloe Gong, If You Give an Asura a Cookie by Akshaya Ramon, and Bloody, Lovely by Casey McQuiston. Furthermore, all the romance elements included in A Thousand More was delightful, the mystery aspects in If You Give an Asura a Cookie intriguing, and quite the unique concept and heartwarming twist in Bloody, Lovely.
Overall, this paranormal romance anthology is a quick YA read that’s perfect for the upcoming autumn and Halloween season!
Eternally Yours is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
Will you be picking up Eternally Yours? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Vampires and merpeople, angels and demons—the paranormal is full of unusual beings. The stories in this anthology imagine worlds where the only thing more powerful than the supernatural, is love.
Contributors include: Kalynn Bayron (Cinderella Is Dead); Kendare Blake (Three Dark Crowns); Kat Cho (Wicked Fox); Melissa de la Cruz (Blue Bloods); Sarah Gailey (When We Were Magic); Hafsah Faizal(We Hunt the Flame); Chloe Gong (These Violent Delights); Alexis Henderson (The Year of the Witching); Adib Khorram (Darius the Great Is Not Okay); Anna-Marie McLemore (When the Moon Was Ours, The Mirror Season); Casey McQuiston (Red, White, and Royal Blue; One Last Stop); Sandhya Menon (When Dimple Met Rishi); Akshaya Raman (The Ivory Key); Marie Rutkoski (The Winner’s Curse); Julian Winters (Running With Lions; Right Where I Left You)
