Zowie! It's Yaoi!: Western Girls Write Hot Stories of Boys' Love Book

I'm going to review this by each story, because it is unfair to give an overall rating when the styles vary so much.

The opening story, Kai Stubborn, was... not the most captivating start. I felt as though I was thrown into the center of a plot where the background foundations were unexplained and ran on without caring if the reader kept pace. This felt more like a drab fanfiction then an individual story. It was unclear which character was dominant and which was submissive, and even where the dynamics of their relationship started. The best was to summarize this is that is lacked development. Big questions, such as "Why?" were also greatly ignored. I wonder if this story could have been stronger as a full novel where things are slowed down and details are not neglected or rushed over.

The second story, The Hungry Ghost, I rather enjoyed a lot. The perspective was easier to follow and the main character had an interesting voice. The theme also captivated my interest without over explaining itself. The ideas behind the ghost was not preachy, as the author left it up to you if this incident was a figment of his imagination or if he actually had a spiritual encounter. My heart skipped a beat or two as I experience the emotional turmoil with the main character - a clear indicator that the author is able to connect with her reader. He was relatable and I sincerely care about his fate. This chapter made the purchase worth it alone (so far).

A Princely Gift started off with a few bad notes, but slowly started to prove itself. Yaoi is a genre created for women, so being sexiest towards females seems like a bad idea to me. However, the two comments made were brief, and once I got past that I allowed the simple plot line to work its charm. The relationship dynamics felt a bit fast, yet justified with their circumstances. It becomes easy to follow. I also find the erotic descriptions the author used to be rather tasteful. It is not quite strong enough to carry the rest of the stories, but this helps me not regret picking up this book.

That is as far as I currently have read, but to be honest, finding the motivation to continue is difficult. If I were the editor of this collection I would have been a lot pickier.