When you can’t get enough of your favorite books, these series bonus shorts can come in handy. And these bite-size books can add to the series by giving insight into side characters, as well as making the wait for the next book a little bit easier. Some add more value to the series than others, and I attempt to give you the lowdown below.
Book: Hana (Delirium #1.5) by Lauren Oliver, HarperCollins, February 28, 2012
Book Info: eBook, Purchased kindle edition, 64 pages, $2.99
The lowdown: Worth a read
Hana takes place during the Delirium time frame and is told from the POV of Lena’s friend Hana. I thought I had Hana all figured out, so it actually came as a surprise to find out I had it completely wrong. As Lauren Oliver fans have come to expect, this story has a cliffhanger ending and gives a little hint to the direction of the final book Requiem, where it’s rumored that Hana will have a bigger part. This story is longer than many other bridge stories, and adds value by giving insight into events from Delirium from a different character. I’d prefer all ebook short stories like this to cost $1.99 or less but the writing and character insight makes this a worthwhile read. I read it after reading Pandemonium, but I believe it was intended to read between the first two books.
Book: Tortured (Birthmarked #1.5) by Caragh M. O’Brien, Roaring Brook Press, December 6, 2012
Book Info: eBook, Free kindle edition, 32 pages, includes a Birthmarked bridge story and a teaser for Prized.
The lowdown: A free bonus story told from a different character perspective. Can’t beat that!
This ebook bridge story fills the gap between Birthmarked and Prized and is told from Leon’s perspective. It gives some insight into his character and motivations after the events of Birthmarked. There are no earth shattering reveals, it is just a nice sized bonus chapter. Recommended for fans of the series – read it before Prized.
Book: Portrait of a Starter (Starters #0.5 An Unhidden Story) by Lissa Price, Delacorte Books, February 14, 2012
Book Info: eBook, Purchased kindle edition, approx. 20 pages, $1.99
The lowdown: Nice to have
This ebook was released prior to Starters as an intro to the series. It is a prequel to Starters told from the POV of Callie’s friend Michael. I read this after Starters and it interested me to learn more about Michael, who is kind of a mystery in the the book. I liked getting some insight into Michael, and finding out what’s going on in his head as he starts to become suspicious of Callie. Michael will be featured more in the second book Enders and this book helps to give a better sense of the character. There are two more short stories planned (due July 10 & October 9) before Enders release in December. I’m actually eager for the next ebook installment.
Book: The Seeds of Wither (The Chemical Garden ebook sampler) by Lauren DeStefano, Simon & Schuster, November 15, 2011
Book Info: eBook, Purchased kindle edition, Includes a previously unpublished short story The First Bride, first 6 chapters of Wither, a Fever teaser, Map of the wives floor, link to the Wither book trailer and Fever cover shoot, $0.99
The lowdown: Buy Wither and Fever instead
When I bought this book last year, it was $1.99 and I’m glad to see the price has since dropped. I bought this before Fever‘s release to get a preview of the book and to read the short story prequel. The short story is a nice-to-have look at Linden’s first marriage through the eyes of first wife Rose. It is a fine bonus story but is quite short and doesn’t add any essential information about the series. I just noticed a map of the wives floor of the mansion is included & that’s a nice touch. Recommended only for the most hard-core Chemical Garden fans. On an unrelated note – I wonder what the last book of the trilogy will be called.
Related articles
- Tortured (Birthmarked #1.5 ~ a short story) by Caragh M. O’Brien (thebookhookup.com)
- Review: Hana (mybooksinlife.wordpress.com)
I’m curious about the title for the last Chemical Garden book, too! I was disappointed with the short story in that one … compared to a lot of the other short story, companion books I’ve read this year, that one is painfully short. I wanted more background!
Hana was really good! I didn’t know it was rumoured that Hana would play a bigger role in Requiem … I hope she does, though Lena did say that Hana would’ve been “cured” at some point in Pandemonium. I wonder if she is or not!
Great mini reviews!
Thanks, Kristilyn! The Wither short story is particularly short, isn’t it? Definitely looking forward to finding out the title for the last book. Curer? Forever? Sever? Wager? LOL
I heard that Requiem is told from the POV of Lena and Hana. Yes, so curious to see if Hana is cured!
I love these mini reviews, I often don’t think they rate a mention but they can be a great bridge when you’re waiting on the next book in a series!
I wanted to just mention Hana because that one really does shed some light into events from Delirium, but then I thought I’d lump them together. True, they are good to read while you’re waiting on the next book 🙂
Love the dystopian-themed roundup. 🙂 I need to read Hana and Pandemonium! And Fever and Seeds of Wither! Why haven’t I done it yet? Oh that’s right, they’re battling with the zillions of other books, hah. Thanks for posting this, Lucy.
Wendy @ The Midnight Garden