Tag Archives: urban fantasy

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

Apr 11 2015
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Mini Book Review: A Perfect Blood by Kim Harrison

A Perfect Blood by Kim Harrison

Title: A Perfect Blood

Author: Kim Harrison

Series: The Hollows #10

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: Ritually murdered corpses are appearing across Cinci, terrifying amalgams of human and other. Pulled in to help investigate by the I.S. and FIB, former witch turned day-walking demon Rachel Morgan soon realizes a horrifying truth: a human hate group is trying to create its own demons to destroy all Inderlanders, and to do so, it needs her blood. She’s faced vampires, witches, werewolves, demons, and more, but humanity itself might be her toughest challenge yet.

The Mini Review:

I don’t know what happened, but somewhere around book 8 this series went from great to freaking amazing. There are so many things I love about these books, and I talk about all of them in my review of Pale Demon. So for the sake of avoiding repetition, suffice to say I still love this series just as much and am genuinely sad that I’m getting close to the end (I’ve been savoring them). What I loved about this book in particular is that, even though it was kind of a tangent from the main story arc of the series, it progressed a couple of the plot points I’m most interested in. I loved the mystery of the whole thing and especially appreciated Rachel’s resourcefulness. Also, the villains in this one are just plain old humans, but somehow managed to creep me out more than any other supernatural creature to date…go figure. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and it reaffirmed why The Hollows is my favorite urban fantasy series. If you haven’t read it yet, start with Dead Which Walking and be ready for it to get better and better with every book!

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Mar 19 2015
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Book Review: Skinwalker by Faith Hunter

Skinwalker by Faith Hunter

Title: Skinwalker

Author: Faith Hunter

Series: Jane Yellowrock #1

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

The Overview: Jane Yellowrock is the last of her kind-a skinwalker of Cherokee descent who can turn into any creature she desires and hunts vampires for a living. But now she’s been hired by Katherine Fontaneau, one of the oldest vampires in New Orleans and the madam of Katie’s Ladies, to hunt a powerful rogue vampire who’s killing other vamps…
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The Review:

I have been experimenting with different urban fantasies over the last couple of years by reading the first book of each of the series. Granted, I haven’t been doing it on purpose, I just have reading ADD. Nonetheless, I’ve read quite a few, and have to say Skinwalker was one of the better ones. It wasn’t a particularly original story, but it was definitely entertaining.

I don’t know what it is about New Orleans, but they seem to have the lion’s share of paranormal activity. I can’t tell you how many urban fantasy and paranormal novels I’ve read in the last ten years that took place in New Orleans. I don’t really focus on clichés, but I do notice them enough to recognize when someone offers something a little different… and that’s what I feel Skinwalker did. I can’t really even lay my finger on what exactly made the atmosphere of this one so much more interesting than the usual hodgepodge, but it was. Maybe because the focus was more on the modern, urban side of things whereas most novels fixate solely on Bourbon Street and the Bayou. Now, don’t get me wrong – if those settings don’t make an appearance at some point I will be disappointed, but it’s nice to see someone start out with a slightly different flair.

I liked the main character, but felt like I really didn’t get to know her very well. I’m hoping for more depth going forward with her, and for all the other characters too, for that matter. I also spotted what I think may have been a potential love interest, but as of yet am not certain (which probably bothers me more than anything else). I’m not saying the love story had to smack me over the face – if I wanted that I’d pick up a romance – but I can thrive quite happily for a whole series on mere potential… something which this novel failed to deliver. This is not a dealbreaker though – I’m still clamoring for the next one.

I really enjoyed the whole concept of the skinwalker, including the beast “entity” that the main character is kind of sharing a body with. It gives her the advantage of heightened senses, even when she’s in human form, which added a nice dynamic the story. I do, however, have a couple of reservations. The first one is that anytime she refers to this entity, she calls it her beast, “My beast was hungry.” and “My beast could smell it.” and so on. I don’t know about you, but when I read something phrased like that, I can’t help but laugh at the unintended euphemism. If you need me, I’ll be over here giggling… Seriously though, it took away the gravity of several scenes when it definitely wasn’t supposed to.

The second reservation was how the author handled the beast’s POV (if you’re anything like me, your laughing at what I just wrote…). She tried to convey a more primal personality, not through behaviors and thought processes, but through shortened, clipped sentences. It’s like she systematically went through and cut out every word until the passage was just shy of being unintelligible. I have to say, those sections were difficult to get through, and almost boring. I feel like I understand what she was trying to do, but don’t feel like she succeeded. I’d like to point out that, other than those passages, I quite enjoyed the writing style. I’m willing to chalk it up to a writing experiment gone wrong.

Overall, I’m looking forward to what the series offers next. It seems to have all of the components I enjoy in urban fantasies, but just didn’t quite reach its potential in the first book. That’s okay though – there seems to be a consensus that the series gets better as it goes. I can’t wait. :)

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Feb 27 2015
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Mini Book Review: Tinker by Wen Spencer

tinkerTitle: Tinker

Author: Wen Spencer

Series: Elfhome #1

Genre: Science Fiction

Rating: 4/5 stars

The Overview: Inventor, girl genius Tinker lives in a near-future Pittsburgh which now exists mostly in the land of the elves. She runs her salvage business, pays her taxes, and tries to keep the local ambient level of magic down with gadgets of her own design. When a pack of wargs chase an Elven noble into her scrap yard, life as she knows it takes a serious detour. Tinker finds herself taking on the Elven court, the NSA, the Elven Interdimensional Agency, technology smugglers and a college-minded Xenobiologist as she tries to stay focused on what’s really important — her first date. Armed with an intelligence the size of a planet, steel-toed boots, and a junkyard dog attitude, Tinker is ready to kick butt to get her first kiss.

The Mini Review:

The overview above is not inaccurate, but I don’t think it does the essence of the story justice. I regard Tinker as one of the most unique books I’ve ever read, mostly because it’s a really cool mix of genres. The setting, atmosphere, and characterization read very much like an urban fantasy. The concept is very futuristic/science fiction. And the plot sits comfortable in the romance genre. And the elves… let’s not forget about that fantasy element. Even for such an eclectic mix of ideas, everything works together brilliantly. I loved how resourceful and creative the main character, Tinker, was and reading about her was easily my favorite element of the novel. Overall, if you are sick of the same old stuff, give Tinker a try – it is an experience if nothing else. This is the second time I’ve read this novel because the third book FINALLY came out and I wanted a refresher… you lucky ducks who haven’t read it yet won’t have to sit and wonder for six years whether or not there will be a conclusion.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Feb 23 2015
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Book Review: Dead Heat by Patricia Briggs

dead heatTitle: Dead Heat

Author: Patricia Briggs

Series: Alpha & Omega #4

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Release Date: March 3, 2015

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: For once, mated werewolves Charles and Anna are not traveling because of Charles’s role as his father’s enforcer. This time, their trip to Arizona is purely personal, as Charles plans to buy Anna a horse for her birthday. Or at least it starts out that way…

Charles and Anna soon discover that a dangerous Fae being is on the loose, replacing human children with simulacrums. The Fae’s cold war with humanity is about to heat up—and Charles and Anna are in the cross fire. 

The Review:

Patricia Briggs has always been a fantastic writer and storyteller, but these last few novels have been absolutely spectacular. The crime-solving mystery elements are interesting and complex and are partially responsible for why the books are such page-turners. Not to mention that the characters are all lovable and dynamic, the world-building is rich with history and culture, and the plot gains momentum with each chapter.

The stakes of this world have gotten higher with each novel, and I find each new story adds to the momentum of the series. The more I find out about werewolves and their culture, the more I want to know. The more I find out about some of our favorite characters and their origins (much like in Shifting Shadows), the more invested I feel in their plight. The same goes for the other supernatural creatures. The Fae have, up to this point, been involved in the story, but mostly on the periphery. There has been a lot of mystery surrounding them, so each new discovery about their nature has me devouring the pages to learn what they’re going to do next and how our heroes are going to respond.

As great and momentous as the broad conflicts have been, my favorite element has been smaller conflicts – the dynamics between the characters themselves. Family drama is always a problem, but when you add to that magic and pack hierarchy, things get a lot more difficult. Seeing the bad guy brought down at the end is always great, but seeing the characters find solutions to these familial conflicts is what leaves me feeling truly satisfied at the end of her books.

After all this time with the series, the characters have such depth and history that it’s impossible not to enjoy reading about anything involving them. I also love that there are two different sets of POV characters within this saga (Mercy vs. Anna & Charles) and I would be hard-pressed to tell you who I enjoy reading about more. Their stories are separate, but integrated within the world enough that I don’t think I could enjoy one nearly as much without the other. I’ve definitely never seen a spinoff add so much to the saga as a whole, but the Alpha and Omega series continues to blow away my expectations at every turn.

A neat attribute to this particular novel is the slight focus on horses. I have gotten the impression that Patricia Briggs is just as passionate about her horses as she is about writing. It’s a whole other aspect of her life that she hasn’t really expressed in her writing to this point. It was a lot of fun to get a sneak peek into that world, and I’m glad she finally found a way to work it in. It made it more personal and special in a way. Although there are wonderful things about each of her novels. It’s a small wonder I’m always chomping at the bit to devour each one that comes out (pun intended).

Overall, I consider Dead Heat another masterpiece from an amazing writer. I love the characters, the world, the magic, the story, and pretty much everything else about this book (and saga). There’s a reason Patricia Briggs is considered a staple in the urban fantasy genre and a reason why she continues to be one of my favorites! If by some chance you haven’t read this series yet, I would highly recommend reading it alongside the Mercy Thompson series in a specific order based on the publication date (starting with Mercy Thompson #1: Moon Called). You won’t be disappointed!

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Feb 19 2015
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Book Review: Stolen by Kelley Armstrong

stolenTitle: Stolen

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Series: Women of the Otherworld #2

Genre: Urban fantasy

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

The Overview: It was in Bitten, Kelley Armstrong’s debut novel, that thirty-year-old Elena Michaels came to terms with her feral appetites and claimed the proud identity of a beautiful, successful woman and the only living female werewolf. In Stolen, on a mission for her own elite pack, she is lured into the net of ruthless Internet billionaire Tyrone Winsloe, who has funded a bogus scientific investigation of the “other races” and their supernatural powers. Kidnapped and studied in his underground lab deep in the Maine woods, these paranormals – witches, vampires, shamans, werewolves – are then released and hunted to the death in a real-world video game. But when Winsloe captures Elena, he finally meets his match.

The Review:

I absolutely devoured Bitten, the first book in the series (I’d been trying out different urban fantasies over the last several months and Bitten was easily one of my favorites). Then someone mentioned that it had been adapted for a show in Canada and, even better, that it was on Netflix. Flash forward two days (because I binge watched it) and I was completely hooked! I knew I loved the author’s writing, the characters, the story, and the show, so you’d better believe I scrambled to get ahold of the second book.

There was only one problem: the first book was meant as a standalone, so reading Stolen felt like reading another first book.

Normally, this would feel like a tragedy, as I love seeing the progression of a plot line over several books. In this case however, it kind of worked. Stolen was at least told from Elena’s perspective, and the writing was just as killer as ever. And the show “Bitten” did a fantastic job tweaking the story in a way that allowed them to end with a cliffhanger, which means the second season will at least give me that continuation I so desperately crave. Everybody wins… well, I do anyway.

That said, I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of Stolen. Just as with the first book, I was completely absorbed, dragging it out whenever there was a spare moment to see what happened next. I read a lot, but I seldom feel addictively drawn back to a book, and Kelley Armstrong has managed to do that not once, but twice to me… needless to say, I will be continuing on. Although I admit I am a bit nervous about that. You see, she changes characters from here on out, and I’m so attached to Elena that I’m afraid I won’t enjoy it as much. At least I can be sure that whatever direction the story takes, the writing is going to be superb! And the craft – Armstrong has an incredible instinct for story, which makes me think I will love whatever tale she decides to weave together.

Overall, I wish I hadn’t waited so long to pick up this author. I can definitely see why she is considered a staple in the urban fantasy genre. I would highly recommend her to anyone who enjoyed authors like Patricia Briggs and Kim Harrison. I would doubly recommend the show to fans of True Blood – it was great for all the same reasons… in fact, I may have loved it even more.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes