Zombies vs. Unicorns (can’t we just all get along?)

Could there be a book better for the bleak midwinter than this totally over the top, fun anthology? I doubt it. In Zombies vs. Unicorns, YA genius ladies, Justine Larbalestier and Holly Black have put together a collection of short stories, half about zombies, half about unicorns, and even though they say you need to choose a team, I say you can just read every single one and enjoy, without worrying about whether or not you’d vote for the shambling undead or the sparkly horse-type creatures. That’s what I did anyway. (Though if forced, I think I know which team I’d be on – more on that later).

The list o’ authors reads like a lineup of the coolest and bestest YA authors writing right now, including: Libba Bray, Scott Westerfeld, Maureen Johnson, Meg Cabot, Cassandra Clare and more. I confess I felt hip just holding the book. It has this edgy look and the cryptic cover made people on the subway peer at me to see what I was reading. Some of the stories are hilarious, some are dark, and some are both, but I promise you’ll enjoy each one. My favourite was Carrie Ryan’s (who knows a thing or two about zombies, for sure). Hers is a zombie-ish pirate tale – gorgeous and gory.

Inspired by this delightful romp into all things undead and pastel sparkly, I have decided to put the following books head-to-head in my own mini-battle:

I’m going to read them back to back and when I’m done, I will tell you which team I’m on.