Tag Archives: urban fantasy

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

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