I have always been a fan of Charlaine Harris but this threw me! Totally unlike anything else of hers that I have read, I found it just as engrossing but it felt unlike anything I have read by her before. I would never have guessed she authored it. No light-heartedness to balance the heavy situations. No snarky dialogue to make you grin. Simple, gritty action takes you through stories that manage to show excellent character development despite their short lengths.

Wow. Thank you to NetGalley, Charlaine Harris, and INscribe Digital for giving me the chance to read this story and share my honest thoughts and opinions with others.

Charlaine Harris is an amazing Storyteller! Every single book I read of hers is great! Can't wait for her next book!!

I was so sad when this book ended. I have adored Charlaine Harris for YEARS, and I always gobble up anything she writes. I sincerely cannot think of a negative thing to say, except that perhaps this book of a few intertwined short stories just simply was not long enough! Anne (Twyla) is so interesting and dangerous, and I would want to be friends with her, were she real. I hope this anti-hero hero is heavily featured in future Charlaine Harris books..... and I would watch a TV series with these characters, so HINT, HINT, producers! ( I never missed an episode of True Blood or Midnight, Texas , although I read the books before the shows. Definitely a new favorite.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and I was really disappointed when it ended. This is a story for those people who like grey characters. These are characters who are neither good nor bad, they just are and they get the job done.

Principal Anne DeWitt is very protective about her kingdom. Travis High School is her domain and she will ensure that all runs well and that the teachers teach and the pupils flourish or else!

The 'or else' is for those who don't toe the DeWitt line and Anne has ways of making sure that her kingdom is well run and woe betide you if you cross that line because problem solving is what Anne does best.

In her previous life Anne was Twyla Burnside and Twyla was a first class trainer in a clandestine training school for dangerous people who did lethal things. When the danger became too real for one of her students Twyla took the fall and Anne started a new life.

She isn't who she says she is. Her former husband isn't real, neither is her sister, her parents or her nose, but her skills are and she uses those skills to make her school efficient, effective and a great place to learn and nothing shall distrub this small kingdom!

One morning a man tries to murder her and Anne is late for school but this disturbance creates a ripple that uncovers both allies and enemies and for Anne new opportunities, because after three years she quite likes her job and her kingdom and she will do all she needs to do to protect it.

This is a collection of four short stories about Anne and her kingdom. She is tough, ruthless and efficient and yet I cheered her on. She isn't a likable character at all and that's really what I enjoyed most. This is probably because I am weird and proud of it. I like heroes who probably aren't heroic at all and if they heroic they are only heroes from Monday to Friday. Anne is that heroine/villain.

I do hope we will get longer Anne stories in the future. I would love to read a full novel length story about her. I loved how she was hard and ruthless but at the same time human and surprisingly caring but not in a soft way! I enjoyed the suspense and the clinical approach to ruthless action.

Don't ever cross the Principal!

There are also some delicious twists and turns in these stories which are hard hitting and gripping.

So I just wanted more.

Copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

This book was a little different than what I am used to when it comes to Charlaine. The style is similar but I was happy to read something that was more off the beaten path.

This were some super entertaining stories like nothing I'd seen before from Charlaine Harris! This compilation of four short stories about Principal Anne DeWitt were unique, quick reads that were amusing to read. Living under an assumed identity to hide her past as an instructor of a covert operations training camp, Anne now lives under a strict set of principles and goals surrounding the success of her high school. Each story is about an incident either where her past cycles back into her life or her history influences the action she takes with a situation surrounding a student. All interesting and fun to read.

I received an advanced digital copy of this book from Netgalley.com and the publisher and author.

Ms. Harris' fans are sure to enjoy this collection of short stories. While very different from her other popular works, Ms. Harris' skill for writing engaging stories with her flair and southern nuance shines through.

4 out of 5 stars. A good read.

This is as it is titled a short story collection, however when picking it up I thought it was going to be brand new stuff, unfortunately it wasn't the case. I love Charlaine Harris and her writing and the writing of her portion of this intertwined short story book (which is more of a novella all together) is good as always. But content wise i could have used more.. it was just too short for me. The main character Anne DeWitt was great and I really wanted more of her and her story. Overall the writing was good though. But the length just kind of killed it for me.

Charlaine Harris is a master. I have read and enjoyed everything she's written. Finding this collection of short stories (Small Kingdoms/ Sarah Smiles/ Small Chances/ Small Signs) tickled me pink. Anyone who enjoys stories with an edge and just a wee bit off center and surprising twists will love this.

Entertaining collection of short tales (Small Kingdoms/ Sarah Smiles/ Small Chances/ Small Signs) - laced with the author's trademark dark, deliciously dry, wry humour. I do enjoy this author's work - particularly the Aurora Teagarden mysteries - and this collection was an absolute treat. Recommended for Charlaine Harris fans, who will surely not be disappointed - and anyone who loves to read something just that little bit different!

I've loved pretty much every book Charlaine Harris has come out with (and they take up the bookshelf space to prove it) so I was excited to see a new book with a new-to-me character. Small Kingdoms & Others Stories is unique because we are introduced to Anne DeWitt through four small, wonderfully written short stories. Anne is a high school principal and was formerly, under a different identity, a training instructor for survivalist assassins (there's no clear title for what they train but this seems like a close guess). Anne's past invades her present and we see it play out over these stories. Another great story by Charlaine Harris.

Let me preface this by saying Charlaine Harris is one of my must-read authors. I don't care what she's written, I must read it!

She did not let me down. I absolutely loved reading these short stories about the mysterious and secret bad-ass Anne. In fact, I could read an entire series of books about her! Anne has a very unique (and somewhat violent) background and has started a new life as a principal of a high school. The stories take into account how utterly deep she is as a character; you'll see how she reacts to several scenarios. She didn't always make the decisions I thought she'd make. And I will admit, I admire her strong sense of self-control and rational decision-making.

My critique? I wish this were longer. I want more. I crave more. Give me more!

I actually enjoyed this more than I thought I would! I’ve read many of Charlaine Harris’ books, mostly her Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood novels, but also Grave Sight and some short stories, and I’ve had mixed feelings about them in the past. While I most often enjoyed them, there was always an uncertainty in whether it would keep being entertaining or if the story would take an unexpected turn in a direction I didn’t enjoy as much.

This anthology is split into four separate short stories following Anne DeWitt and Holt Halsey. The stories are linked, and centers mostly around maintaining the reputation of the high school which Anne heads, with some questionable methods, while also keeping Anne’s past a secret.

I have to be fully honest, I had my doubts when I started reading; the synopsis sounded a little silly (right?) and I thought the number of pages was far too small to contain any story of substance. To my surprise it somehow felt perfectly balanced, and not silly at all! The short stories still managed to convey a much larger story, and after finishing the collection, I actually felt more as if I’d finished a series of books, or a TV-series, than the actual 100 pages I’d read.

The plot is pretty straight-forward, but still entertaining in their simplicity. The world-building and setting were not described thoroughly, but it wasn’t something that bothered me; Harris simply let the reader fill in the gaps, and for a short story, I think that works well.

Every short story was introduced by the author with a small text, giving a background on how Harris had come up with the idea of the plot or characters, which also added to the general story and reading experience.

I enjoyed reading about Anne DeWitt and her rule of her small kingdom (the high school), and I wouldn’t mind returning to her world in the future. While the stories were short, they gave a lasting impression.

Enjoyed this book of short storied from Charlaine Harris.

I had not read these previous 4 stories so this was all new and entertaining to read.

I love how descriptive and vivid these stories are written that once I started this book, I could not put it down till I finished.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆☆
Within the first sentence, I was officially hooked. Oh, how I had missed Charlaine Harris' unique voice whispering in my head as I read her stories. To be honest, I had no clue what these shorts were about, but was beyond curious after that first sentence. I knew I was going to be entertained.

Small Kingdoms & Other Stories (not entirely sure why that is the title, to be honest) features four short stories, which I will call episodes, featuring Anne DeWitt. She was a trainer at a camp, which I can only assume put the trainees through harsh situations to 'toughen' them up for classified work.

Anne is thorough, dedicated, slightly unemotional yet loyal. There's a sarcastic air wafting from her interactions with others. An empowering quiet confidence.

Under an assumed identity, Anne DeWitt is a high school principal, determined to keep her cover while making the best of her current situation. The first two stories feature 'helping' students, which had a sociopathic vengeance, poetic justice component. Anne had a unique way of helping, as well as a new cohort.

The final two episodes are centered more on Anne, personally then people from her past, perfectly tying all the shorts together.

All four episodes in the life of Anne DeWitt made me hungry for more. I'm on the fence if I want a full-length novel in a linear timeline or appreciate the way this novel was written. I was thoroughly entertained, able to read an episode in one sitting, without fear of losing reading momentum due to life interruptions. Each short was a tasty snack.

Anne DeWitt was an intriguing character, as was Holt. I hope Harris is inspired to bring readers more stories based on these unique characters.


Sarah – ☆☆☆☆☆
This is a fabulous collection of creepy short stories about a rather disturbing high school principal. Charlaine Harris never disappoints and Anne DeWitt is one of her best characters ever. Anne is delightfully amoral and her cold, calculating logic is terrifying.

There isn’t a supernatural element to this story, but Anne’s skills and resources are almost super human. Anne never quite reads human – she studies people and mimics human behaviour very skillfully. I love her otherness as much as I love the idea of a headteacher with such dark secrets. As a teacher myself, the creepiest thing about Anne is how closely she resembles some of the real life headteachers I’ve worked for. I’ve learned to never underestimate the lengths a headteacher will go to in pursuit of an improved inspection result.

I really loved these stories and I’d love to see Anne DeWitt in her own TV show. This is a short book and each of the stories can probably be read separately.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆☆
I loved this collection of short stories, which all fitted together, but were rich in their own right. The explanation of how Harris considered the impact of having a routine disrupted can affect a day set up the first story beautifully, and made it all the richer.

If you are a fan, then I am sure that these will be a no-question read, but if you have never read Harris before, then I reckon that these would be a great introduction into the quality of her writing, the depth and breadth of plot, and the richness of her characters.

Highly recommended.

Small Kingdoms and Other Stories is a compilation of 4 short stories that were previously published separately. In these stories, we follow DeWitt, who is currently a no-nonsense high school principal, but was previously some sort of training agent in a top-secret agency (you know, the assassin sort of agency). Somehow details about her new life have trickled into the hands of past enemies, and DeWitt must juggle her public persona with some gritty taking care of business behind the scenes.

I absolutely LOVE the character Principal Anne DeWitt and there is huge potential for bigger stories about her. This collection, though? Meh. I think this would have been much stronger if the original stories had been properly reworked into being a more cohesive singular unit. It was a bit frustrating that each story provided some background (necessary if you were reading the shorts out of order, but not needed in a single book), and I found myself wishing that the words spent on rehashing were instead fleshing out this world more.

The other books I've read (and loved) by Harris all had deep, intricate world building. It felt sorely lacking here, and that's too bad, because the premise here is fantastic! I'd absolutely read more about this character, but I didn't love this collection.

Thanks to NetGalley and INscribe Digital for providing me with a DRC of this book.

Charlaine Harris is still a genius! Anne DeWitt is the kind of heroine who is probably on the wrong side of the moral right, but still, she’s the kind of heroine you can’t help but root for!
With four short stories, Small Kingdoms & Other Stories kind of made me hungry for more, too!
Anne really intrigued me from the start, and she still does! But Harris still made it so that I felt like I got to know her a little bit - and the way she went from chilling killer to modest principal just made her even more intriguing.

Anne DeWitt wasn't always Anne DeWitt. Once upon a time, she was known as Twyla Burnside. Nor was she always a high school principal. In these 4 short stories, we see how her past affects her present.

It begins in "Small Kingdoms" where Anne's normal routine is interrupted and she has to kill a man and dispose of the body. It continues in "Sarah Smiles" where we get a pretty good idea of how Anne deals with some of her students' problems. This is followed by "Small Chances" where someone tries to ruin Anne's carefully built reputation. The collection concludes in "Small Signs" where her past catches up with her.

Although Anne is remorseless and perhaps a little bit of a psychopath, I still liked her. She works hard at being a good principal and improving her school. Coach Holt Halsey plays a good second to her. He's a good supporting character and appears in all 4 stories.

The stories are well-written. They move quickly. There is no extraneous material. Everything works toward the ending. There is just the right amount of telling and showing. Unlike her Sookie Stackhouse series or her Midnight, Texas series, there is no paranormal activity. The closest character that Anne resembles is Olivia in the Midnight, Texas series.

Small Kingdoms and Other stories by Charlaine Harris was published May 28th, 2019 by JABberwocky Literary Agency, Inc.

I give this collection 5 out of 5 stars. It's well-written with interesting characters and imaginative plot lines. I would love to see more stories about Anne DeWitt. I recommend this collection to people who enjoy short stories that are thrillers or mysteries.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions herein are my own and freely given.

Fantastic. There is something about reading a Charlaine Harris book that sucks you in on page one and doesn’t let go.
I loved these 4 short stories. Having the 2 main charters in all 4 stories and with others. Just brilliant. A must read for all your fans. New and old.

Charlaine Harris! People, come on - this woman can write! If you were a fan of True Blood, you know you'll love anything she writes. In this series of short stories, all with the same central characters, we get to know another cast of quirky folks. I super enjoyed being in this world with these characters and would gladly gobble up more.
I provided an honest review in exchange for a free advance readers' copy.