Robin Talley

Marieke Nijkamp

Shaun David Hutchinson

Alaya Dawn Johnson

Suzanne Young

Stephanie Kuehn

E. C. Myers

Brandy Colbert

Justina Ireland

Tim Floreen

Follows ten teens who are left alone in the wilderness amid a three-day survival test.

Feral Youth

Elissa Bowe LeBeau

The premise was extremely interesting and for the first few pages I though I may have found a new favorite. However, the stories and writing styles were incredibly disjointed. There are some that were so amazing I wish they were full novels because I would read them immediately; they captured my attention and the story I needed to hear perfectly. 
Yet, some of them were not the right fit and I was just reading quickly to get back to the main story. 
Happy I read it, but happy it’s finished and I can move on.

Flavia Louise

This sadly wasn't really it for me for the most part. Like 2.5 stars.

Ten teens are left alone in the wilderness during a three-day survival test in this multi-authored novel led by award-winning author Shaun David Hutchinson. At Zeppelin Bend, an outdoor-education program designed to teach troubled youth the value of hard work, cooperation, and compassion, ten teens are left alone in the wild. The teens are a diverse group who come from all walks of life, and were all sent to Zeppelin Bend as a last chance to get them to turn their lives around. They’ve just spent nearly two weeks hiking, working, learning to survive in the wilderness, and now their instructors have dropped them off eighteen miles from camp with no food, no water, and only their packs, and they’ll have to struggle to overcome their vast differences if they hope to survive. Inspired by The Canterbury Tales, the characters in Feral Youth, each complex and damaged in their own ways, are enticed to tell a story (or two) with the promise of a cash prize. The stories range from noir-inspired revenge tales to mythological stories of fierce heroines and angry gods. And while few of the stories are claimed to be based in truth, they ultimately reveal more about the teller than the truth ever could.

Samuel

3.35 stars average. 
I like the way the book was set up. Instead of having a story at a time it was more each character getting their own side shows while continuig the main show. 

The butterfly effect by M.Nijkamp
This was a cool perpective into a pyromaniac ish person. Since I grew up around people like that, during scout camp. But the storyline is a bit confusing. The writing style is fine but it is not making me want to read other works alone.
3 stars

A ruthless dame by T.Flooren
I really like this story. The film noir inspiration in the story is super interesting. Also the visual I created for this story are quite cool. And that plot twist at the end is gold.
4 stars

Look down by R.Talley
I really don't like scary stories, and this is a scary story. The constant ups and down of reasurance and tension is really well done here. But I really don't scary things. I MEAN I AM TERRIFIED OF THE DARK, LIKE terrified..
3.5 stars

Big brother, part 1 by E.C.Myers
Ok, when I started reading this, I thoughts that David was maybe misunderstood, or simply a plain jerk. Pun intended. But the start of this story made me steer towards jerk a lot more also creep. But as the story continues, I really want to know more and see how it turns out. For now im saying he is a creep. And that's that.. 
3.5 stars

The subjunctive by A.D.Johnson
This was really confusing to read. I think I might need to read it again to understand it better. The writing style is very vague and jump back and forth too much for me. It is also kind of poetic. The story itself feels like it has no meaning, unless I read it again. 
1 stars

A cautionary tale by S.Kuehn
Fuck yes. This is such a good story. Probably the best one in this book, but I'll see later.
5 stars

Big brother, part 2 by E.C.Myers
Ok that was a bad ending. I really donnt believe what did that did that *trying really hard not to spoil*. That was not a good ending in my view, and I donnt really feel bad for David. But the writing style is nice, so I could look into other works by Myers.
2.5 stars

Self-portrait by B.Colbert
I really like this story and for sure would love a whole novel from it. This is a really good story, and I love the moral dilemma of it. Also the character are really interesting.
4 stars

A violation of rule 16 by S.Young
This is cool. I really don't understand how some people don't see an issue with a strict rules concerning appearance. Since it mostly affects girls, it makes it a very sexist rule.
3.5 stars

The chaos effect by M.Nijkamp
Ok, that took a turn. Wow. That was a super well presented. Nothing is really said outright only hinted. And I really liked that. The writing of it is a bit off but I think it's only because of the way it presented. 
3.5 stars

Emily

This was... very strange. Admittedly, I still very much enjoyed it. It's hard to describe my feelings on a collection of stories that vary so greatly. The standouts in here (to me) were "A Cautionary Tale" by Stephanie Kuehn, "A Ruthless Dame" by Tim Floreen, and oddly enough, "Big Brother" by E.C. Myers. I really appreciate what this book set out to do and the overall construction of it was very interesting. 

Some stories were severely weird. And I don't mean that lightly. I have no idea where the idea for "Big Brother" came from, and frankly, I would rather let that remain a mystery. And, one must keep in mind, that my appreciation for "Big Brother" and "A Ruthless Dame" strictly come along with how the balance of fiction and fact was maintained by the narrator. If that extra layer had not been a factor, I would have found them significantly less meaningful.

Some of these stories were a bit underdeveloped and cliché like "Jackie's Story" by Justina Ireland, and others were cluttered and utterly confusing like Alaya Dawn Johnson's "The Subjunctive."

The ending of the book itself holds a message that undeniably aligns with Hutchinson's usual style. 

Overall, this collection held a lot of valuable ideas, and I thoroughly enjoyed working my way through it.

Feral Youth

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