Tag Archives: urban fantasy

Jul 29 2015
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Book Reviews: The Dresden Files [Books 5-7] by Jim Butcher

Death Masks by Jim Butcher
Blood Rites by Jim Butcher
Dead Beat by Jim Butcher

The Dresden Files [Books 5-7]
by Jim Butcher

I can definitely see why Jim Butcher is considered a staple in the Urban Fantasy genre – he has an excellent main character (who is a tad whiny at times, but that’s kind of why I like him), loads of paranormal that will continually ding your creep-o-meter (even though I admit it doesn’t take much to set mine off), and plenty of action, humor, and intrigue. Overall, if you’ve never read an urban fantasy, this author is a great place to start. The best thing about him is that he seems to get better with each book.

Death Masks

I have the least to say about this book because admittedly I’ve read so many of them recently that it took me a couple of hours and some seriously strenuous brainpower to remember what Death Masks was about… That could be because I’m partially brain-damaged, or because this one didn’t stand out with the clear theme as much as all the other books have. I do remember the Fae being involved, which means there’s a chance I’m mentally combining this one with the book before it and actually remember more than I think I do (kapeesh?). In any case, I enjoyed this one at least as much, and especially loved the addition of Mouse. The best thing I can say is, up to this point the series doesn’t seem to be losing any of its momentum.

4/5 stars

Blood Rites

Just when I think the over-sexualization of every female character in sight might be finally starting to mellow a little bit, Butcher sets this novel in the middle of a freaking porno film studio. I don’t necessarily find the content offensive (although I probably should, but I’m really sick of hearing about people being offended about everything), but I do find it funny, so I sometimes have trouble taking any of these characters/villains seriously. Despite that, somewhere around the middle I found myself really engaged in the story and think Blood Rites might be one of my favorites yet (although that’s not saying much because all the books have been on pretty equal footing). What made the difference was Murphy, who was heavily involved in the plot – I especially loved learning tidbits about her background. Frankly, as much as I love Dresden, anytime I get to hear more about Karen Murphy makes me incredibly happy. I’ve read a few harsh reviews about this novel in specific accusing Harry of being too chauvinistic and annoying… I can see their point, but have yet to find myself at odds with the main character. Whatever his personality, he always makes me laugh. I will say, while I’m enjoying the series immensely, I’m not as emotionally invested in Harry as I could be and I often find myself more concerned with what’s happening to the people around him. Not being emotionally invested is usually a deal-breaker for me, but I’m still enjoying the series so much for all of its other factors (especially the humor) that it doesn’t seem to be a problem. Overall, Blood Rites was just as entertaining as all the books before it.

4.5/5 stars

Dead Beat

Dead Beat focused on necromancers and zombies and I thought they were sufficiently creepy. And can I just say how happy I am that finally the over-sexualization of every woman in sight was finally toned down in this novel – and for the first time, I felt like I could really take them (and the plot) seriously. Granted, a novel focused primarily on the undead was a lot less glamorous than the ones focused on Fae, vampires, or even werewolves, but the handful of female characters introduced were still gorgeous and sexy without the descriptions taking them to the ridiculous. But really, that issue is only been a minor criticism for me. I have to say, it’s a mark of a great author that his books have been consistently four star ratings for me and, if anything, getting stronger with each one. I’m as excited to continue the series now as I was near the beginning. Also, Butters rocked my world. Alas, my only lament is Dead Beat didn’t have much to do with Murphy…

4/5 stars

If you haven’t picked up a Dresden book yet, just know you’re in for a well-conceived and sustainable series, jampacked with scary monsters and a lot of snark. I consider them a must-try for any fan of the genre.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

May 31 2015
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Tackling the TBR [2]: June 2014

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(I’m still going to need a better banner)

I started this feature last month as a possible solution to my desperate need for a good TBR system. And you know what? I’m LOVING it so far! It has allowed me to stop stressing about all the unread books in my life because it channels my focus onto the authors I deemed the highest priority – I rest assured that, despite the fact I’m not making my way through my collection as quickly as I’d like, I am at least focusing on the best books first. It also takes away a little bit of that “I’m overwhelmed” factor because there’s usually only twenty books at most in my shortlist (which also gives me a remarkable sense of achievement every time I get to check one off that list). Finally, I love it because I still feel like I get to follow my reading whims – there is a lot of variety within my smaller pool of choices. I think I’ll keep this feature around for a while!

If you missed the Introductory Post, here’s how Tackling the TBR works:

1. At the beginning of each month, I select an author from each of my favorite genres
2. I compile all of their unread books onto my TBR Tackler shelves (physical & digital)
3. I pick from that pile throughout the month as the mood strikes me

Here is my TBR Tackler Shelf for June 2015:

Fantasy: Robin Hobb
Sci-Fi: James S.A. Corey
Urban Fantasy: Kim Harrison
Young Adult: Susan Ee
New Adult: Jamie McGuire

I am stoked. There are a lot of excellent titles here for me to choose from (with a large number of them sporting bird wings on the cover, oddly). I’m including Kim Harrison again this month because I just didn’t get a chance to pick her up last time and she is still my number one priority in the Urban Fantasy category. I can’t wait to get started on this list, and that is an awesome feeling!

This experimental system was so much more fun and rewarding because I didn’t do it alone – thank you to all my friends and blogging friends who tried it with me!

I will be sharing this post on the first of each month at least until the end of the year (we will see how it goes). I am also going to include a linky on each post so we can support each other in Tackling our TBRs! Even if you don’t specifically use my system, feel free to share your versions of how you manage your TBR pile… Maybe we can help make each other’s systems even better. :)

What authors are you Tackling this month?

^Yeah, you totally have to click on the frog to see everyone’s links… wish I had been smart enough to figure that out before now (especially since it says so right on it).

by Niki Hawkes

May 22 2015
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Mini Book Review: Ever After by Kim Harrison

Ever After by Kim Harrison

Title: Ever After

Author: Kim Harrison

Series: The Hollows #11

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Rating: 4/5 stars

The Overview: The ever after, the demonic realm that parallels the human world, is shrinking. If it disappears completely, so does all magic. It’s up to witch-turned-daywalking-demon Rachel Morgan to avert catastrophe and keep life from changing… for the worse. While saving the world is important, it isn’t Rachel’s only motivation. There’s also the small fact that she caused the ley line to rip in the first place, setting off a chain reaction of unfortunate events. That little mistake has made her life forfeit unless she can fix it. It’s also made her more than a few enemies, including the most powerful demon in the ever after—a terrifying entity who eats souls and now has an insatiable appetite for her. He’s already kidnapped her friend and goddaughter to lure her out, and if Rachel doesn’t give herself up soon, they’ll die. But Rachel has more than a few impressive and frightening skills of her own, and she isn’t going to hand over her soul and her life without one hell of a fight. She’s also got a surprise: elven tycoon Trent Kalamack. With this unlikely ally beside her—a prospect both thrilling and unnerving—she’s going to return to the ever after, kick some demon butt, rescue her loved ones… and prevent an apocalypse before it’s too late. Or, at least that’s the plan…

The Mini Review:

Ever After wasn’t my favorite book of the genre, but it was still a dang good book. I’m fascinated with the ever after itself (where the demons live), and loved learning more about how the magic involving it and the Ley lines worked. It seems like this series is building towards an epic ending and I’m both excited and sad to see it finish. I currently have two more books to go before I get there… I’m savoring them. Ever after advanced the growing friendship between Rachel and Trent, but not as much as I was hoping for at this point. Although I did learn a little more about Trent’s Elvish heritage and even more about Al the demon, which always makes my day. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention gargoyles! The gargoyles, specifically Bis, got a greater role in the story and I loved every sequence involving him and his kin. Overall, aside from gushing about all the things I love about this series, that’s pretty much it. I enjoyed it as a continuation and am eager as ever to pick up the next one. The Hollows is my favorite urban fantasy series, and I recommend it strongly (although it did take a couple of books before I realize just how much I loved it).

Trouble on Reserve by Kim Harrison

I read this novella immediately after Ever After and have to say I was a bit disappointed. I think coming off of this amazing, slow burning story that provided a satisfying ending left me unprepared for a little ten page adventure without any real resolution. When I picked it up I was thinking it was going to be a seamless continuation from where Ever After left off… not so much. I almost wish I had read it with a bunch of other short stories because then maybe my focus would’ve been a bit different. I guess it just goes to show that expectations are everything. I’d recommend it, but not for the same feel-goods I recommend the main series for.

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Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

May 17 2015
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Tackling the TBR [1]: An Introduction

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Tackling the TBR: An Introduction
(I’m going to need a better banner)

I’ve always been envious of those people who are perfectly happy reading only one book/series at a time. I used to be like that – back in my adolescence where the closest bookstore was an hour and a half away – but that changed as soon as I became a bookseller. It got worse when I became a book blogger. My level of awareness of the sheer number of amazing titles on the market skyrocketed, and I suddenly found myself struggling to read ALL THE BOOKS.

My solution at the time was to purchase all of the titles I might want to read, resulting in a 4000+ book collection and a massive TBR. The books sit on my shelves, taunting me as I walk by, just begging to be read. I’m desperately trying to get through them all, but the math just doesn’t work: if I read 100 books a year, it will take me 40 years to get through my current collection. That doesn’t even take into account new titles coming out. I need to downsize, but that’s a topic for another post… In any case, it has led me to the following philosophy:

 The TBR pile is simultaneously a book-lovers best friend and worst enemy.

 So, no matter how much I’m enjoying a particular title, I always have one eye on my shelves, wishing I was reading those books too. If I spend too long on one series, I get impatient, and that sucks the fun out of the whole process. It also stresses me out to have unread books from favorite authors, especially since many of them reached their series-enders more than a year ago and I still haven’t managed to finish them. It’s reading ADD at its finest, and I’ve already implemented many different strategies to try and counter it and make my reading process as enjoyable as possible (such as the mantra “only read the best books first” and “life is too short to read books you’re not enjoying” – both of which have been life-changing), but it’s not quite there yet… I’m still stressed.

So what I need is a system that’s flexible, allowing me to bounce around between series and genres, but I also need one that helps me finish series I’ve started and keep my favorite authors at the top of my priority list. Today, I had an epiphany on how to make that happen… I’m calling it “Tackling the TBR” And it works like this: 

  At the beginning of each month, I will select an author from each of my favorite genres, compile all of their unread books onto my TBR Tackler shelf, and pick from that pile throughout the month as the mood strikes me.

 I think it’s brilliant.

 But then again, I haven’t actually tried it yet. :P

  I did try a version of this method where I devoted a month to a particular genre, but that didn’t give me enough flexibility to follow my moods. I also seem to feel more satisfied when I use TBR shortlists and can see it getting smaller as time goes by, so the fact that I’m compiling specific authors, but from a range of speculative genres into one place to pick from, is incredibly appealing.

 I know I’m starting a little late, but here is my TBR Tackler pile for the remainder of May 2015:

 Science Fiction: Rachel Bach
Urban Fantasy: Kim Harrison
 Fantasy: Sara Douglass
Romance/NA: Ann Aguirre
Young Adult: Rae Carson

These are all the unread titles from my chosen authors… So many good ones! Instead of posting updates, I will probably just keep using the same post to track my progress, kind of like what I do with my Bout of Books posts.

 I’m really excited to try out the system – I’m hoping it will help me focus my reading while giving me the excuse I needed to finally finish some of these series. Wish me luck!

 Anybody want to try out Tackling the TBR with me? Let me know in the comments – I could use all the help and support I can get. :P

by Niki Hawkes

Apr 30 2015

Book Reviews: The Dresden Files [Books 2-4] by Jim Butcher

Fool Moon by Jim Butcher
Grave Peril by Jim Butcher
Summer Knight by Jim Butcher

The Dresden Files [Books 2-4]
by Jim Butcher

That’s right, I’m reviewing in bunches now because 1) reviewing them by themselves just seems so repetitious unless I’m willing to discuss spoilers (which I’m not), 2) there are so many books in this series that to review each one individually would totally bombard you with Butcher, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I like a little more variety on my blog, 3) I’m reading so much faster than I’m reviewing these days that if I waited to do these individually you wouldn’t hear about them until next year (totally not kidding… I finished Fool Moon in June 2014) and finally 4) after three years of book blogging I finally figured out that I make my own rules for my blog and can review more than one book at a time if I want to… This seems like a really stupid epitome, but it has been liberating (I am blogger, hear me roar)!

So let’s talk about The Dresden Files for a minute. :-)

I can definitely see why Jim Butcher is considered a staple in the Urban Fantasy genre – he has an excellent main character (who is a tad whiny at times, but that’s kind of why I like him), loads of paranormal that will continually ding your creep-o-meter (even though I admit it doesn’t take much to set mine off), and plenty of action, humor, and intrigue. Overall, if you’ve never read an urban fantasy, this author is a great place to start. The best thing about him is that he seems to get better with each book.
                                                                                                                                                                

Fool Moon:

I think this one might of been my least favorite so far, but when you’re dealing with 4 to 5 star titles, that’s not really a big deal. If you read negative reviews of this author, one of the number one complaints is the objectifying and over-sexualization of women in his novels. While I definitely see what they are talking about, I personally didn’t find it offensive… I found it funny. And because I found it funny, it made it difficult for me to take the book seriously. The story would start to spike my adrenaline with these ridiculously scary werewolves running around tearing people to pieces, then they would switch back to human and creepy went out the window in favor of bodies, bodies, and more bodies (and not of the deceased variety). I can’t quite figure out if Butcher is doing it on purpose or not – oversexualizing every female so that the most normal and relatable woman in the story, Murphy, stands out even more. If it was in fact a deliberate misdirection, it’s brilliant… Murphy always looks the most appealing to me because she has the most substance, and she’s one of the main reasons I was excited to keep reading at this point in the series.

4/5 stars
                                                                                                                                                                

Grave Peril:

I remember hearing an interview where Jim Butcher talked about Grave Peril being the book where most fans thought the story came alive, and I can’t say I disagree – there seemed to be a lot more in-depth character development, as well as richer side characters who really added to the completeness of the story. Now was there still ridiculously over-sexualized women at every turn? Totally, but this time it felt like it was integral to the plot, making the bad guys seem a lot more dangerous in their allure rather than just being over the top for kicks and giggles (of which I have no issue with, other than they don’t add much substance to the plot that way). I also thought this book was the funniest one so far and think Bob is one of the best sidekicks I’ve read to date. Where Fool Moon dealt with werewolves, Grave Peril focused on Vampires, and I appreciate that each book seems to have a different paranormal focus. For the record, this one scared me the most… but keep in mind that I’m a wimp.

4.5/5 stars
                                                                                                                                                                

Summer Knight:

The “whodunit” framework for this novel was a lot of fun – especially since the culprits were Fae and poor Dresden got caught up in their politicking. I think the overall atmosphere for Summer Knight was my favorite element – it had lots of magic, some interesting creatures, and we got to learn a lot more about the Fae and how they operate. Even though the “monsters” in this novel were a little more lighthearted than in the previous ones, the internal conflicts Dresden faced were as serious as I’ve seen them. Even though there was a lot of character growth (which I always like), there was no shortage of paranormal, action, and overall plot advancement. I think this one may have been my favorite so far simply because Murphy was really involved in the plot – I love the dynamics between her and Dresden. As of now, the series is going strong and I am eager as ever to pick up the next book.

5/5 stars
                                                                                                                                                                

Overall, The Dresden Files are a ton of fun to read and I recommend them to anybody who likes urban fantasies… In fact, you’re kind of not in the cool-kids club until you’ve read them… just sayin’. I’d heard amazing things about Butcher for ages before I finally picked up Storm Front, but it was only after I read a couple of his blog posts I knew we’d get along. He had this one hilarious post where he copied and pasted at least fifty soul-crushing, vicious reviews of his books, and I’m talking pages and pages of Butcher-hating slander, then at the very end simply wrote* “sometimes it’s hard to get motivated.” And lucky for those of us who love him, his books are permeated with that awesome humor.

*Disclaimer – it has been years since I’ve seen that post and I haven’t yet taken the time to look it up, so forgive me if I misquoted him…. you get the gist, though.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Apr 29 2015

Coming Soon: The Drafter by Kim Harrison

drafterTitle: The Drafter

Author: Kim Harrison

Series: The Peri Reed Chronicles #1

Genre: Urban Fantasy (?)

Release Date: September 1, 2015

The Overview: The Bourne Identity meets Minority Report in this first highly anticipated installment in #1 New York Times bestselling author Kim Harrison’s sexy new suspense trilogy, featuring a brilliant special task agent at the top of her field and set in a futuristic Detroit. 

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Waiting on Wednesday
Hosted by Breaking the Spine

There’s always nerves present when picking up a new series by an author you adore… Will it be as good? Will I still love the writing without all my favorite characters around? What happens if I don’t like it? But I have had so many profound reading experiences with Kim Harrison that I trust her implicitly to deliver another series that’s going to knock my socks off… especially if Peri Reed is even half as badass as Rachel Morgan. :-)

What book are you waiting on?

by Niki Hawkes