Tag Archives: urban fantasy

Dec 27 2013
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2013 Review Recap!

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 The end of the year is finally here! And I’m celebrating by putting together the post I’ve been most looking forward to: the annual book review recap!

 I started a book blog for a couple reasons, but one of them was because it is a great way to keep track of all the fantastic books I’ve read (one that didn’t involve a journal and printouts of the covers – the method I was using before I discovered the wonders of blogging).

Sharing my love of books has become a passion all its own, and I have discovered some profound things in my own reading habits that I may not have if not for the blog. Most notably, I have come to truly appreciates the idea that life is too short to read boring books. I finally figured this out at the beginning of the year when I had published three posts in a row with 2.5 or lower ratings a week before sharing the top ten books on my spring reading list. It was eye-opening because I realized the books I was most looking forward to reading were getting left on the shelf in favor of books I felt like I was obligated to read (does anybody else have that problem?). Anyway, I made the decision to read the books I was most excited for first rather than last, and it has made for the best year of reading I have ever had!

So without further a do, here’s a look at The Obsessive Bookseller’s year of book love:

 (You can find full-length reviews for all of these titles under the Review Archive tab at the top of the blog)

DNF:

1 Star:

2 Stars:

2.5 Stars:

3 Stars:

3.5 Stars:

4 Stars:

4.5 Stars:

5 Stars:

Look how many are above 4 stars!! Reading the books at the top of your list, rather than the ones you feel obligated to read really does make a difference – here’s hoping 2014 is an even better year!

 I will say this year seemed rather focused on Young Adult. I couldn’t help it, there were just too many great books in that genre and there are many I still have yet to read. Although, because I’ve recently combed through and reorganized my Fantasy novels, I’ve been reminded of how many awesome looking books I still have in that genre and am thinking 2014 could be a great year for a High Fantasy focus…

What awesome books did you read this year?

Dec 9 2013
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Top Ten Books on My Winter 2013 List! (12/10/2013)

Top ten Tuesday pink

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

 By far, this is my favorite TTT list to create because I love the process of figuring out which books excite me the most. Here’s the thing, I still have books from my Fall, Summer, and to Spring lists to get through (and because I wanted to read them the most, I feel like I should give them priority). A few books from those lists (like Throne of Glass) are actually at the top of my TBR pile, but I feel like it would be cheating to put them up again. So, aside from the unexplored awesomeness of the previously listed books, these are the:

Top Ten Books on My Winter 2013 List!

 In strong contrast to the last one of these that I did, I have mostly adult speculative fiction (as opposed to YA) on my list. Something about this last month has really made me in the mood for robust novels. I think the one I am most looking forward to reading is the finale to Rachel Aaron’s Eli Monpress series, Spirit’s End… followed very closely by the Trudi Canavan. I would normally have said The Fiery Heart, but for some reason I’m feeling in the mood to save it for a rainy day.

What books are at the top of your reading list?

by Niki Hawkes

Dec 4 2013
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Out This Month – Noteworthy Releases December 2013!

A dance of mirrors

One of my favorite things about working in the shipping department of a large bookstore was opening up boxes of new releases – it felt like Christmas all year round! So now that the holidays are actually upon us, here’s a look at some new and upcoming releases for the month:

December 3, 2013
December 17, 2013
December 3, 2013
December 3, 2013
December 10, 2013
December 3, 2013
December 3, 2013
December 24, 2013

 I wish I could say I was excited to read any of these novels… The trouble is, I’m not caught up enough in the series to enjoy any of these this month but I will say the Gini Koch books always catch my attention.

What releases are you excited for?

by Niki Hawkes

Dec 2 2013
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Top Ten 2014 Releases I’m Dying to Read (Excluding YA)!

Top ten Tuesday pink

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

The topic a couple of weeks ago was the Top Ten Sequels I Can’t Wait to Get My Hands On, which kind of killed my momentum for this post because I featured all upcoming releases (I guess I should have looked ahead). Anyway, because all but one of the books on the aforementioned list were YA, I’m devoting this list to the adult genres:

Top Ten 2014 Releases I’m Dying to Read (Excluding YA)!

There are a lot of fantastic authors on this list but I’d have to say the one I’m most looking forward to reading is the final Patrick Rothfuss book (It remains my favorite fantasy to date). Although, I am also super eager for anything new by Abraham/Corey!

What 2014 releases are you looking forward to?

by Niki Hawkes

Dec 2 2013
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November 2013: Review Recap!

Review Recap

Ever feel obligated to read certain books? I used to all the time, whether it be a popular seller, and advanced book, or even a continuation to a series I only kind of liked. Somewhere around March of this year I decided that I’d had enough of reading books that I wasn’t immediately excited about – especially considering my perpetual 20+ list of books that I’m just dying to read. As a result, I have had more fun reading in the last several months than I’ve had since I was a kid. Here’s my new motto and I’m sticking to it: Life’s too short to read books that don’t excite you!

So here’s a look at what I’ve been up to this month:

The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
False Sight by Dan Krokos
Perdition by Ann Aguirre

The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes – 5/5 stars

False Sight by Dan Krokos – 2.5/5 stars

Perdition by Ann Aguirre – 4/5 stars

Alienated by Melissa Landers
Champion by Marie Lu
Blue Diablo by Ann Aguirre

Alienated by Melissa Landers – 5/5 stars!

Champion by Marie Lu – 4/5 stars

Blue Diablo – 3/5 stars

Even though they weren’t all five-star books, I was still super eager to read each one. My favorite this month was probably The Naturals followed very closely by Alienated!

 Waiting on Wednesday features:

Considering how much I love Richelle Mead, it’s no surprise that the book I most looking forward to reading is Silver Shadows.

What amazing books did you read this month? :-)

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 I want to start out by thinking Blog of Erised for hosting such a fun challenge.

Last month, I figured out that my challenge count was a bit inaccurate. I was only counting the dystopians I’d read and reviewed, leaving out the ones I hadn’t done a post for yet. According to the rules, all read books count so this month we will see a rather larger jump in my overall score. :-)

This month, I finish the following dystopians:

 A total of 6 – add that to the 19 books accumulated as of last month and we end up with:

 The Official Tally:

25/24

Level 4: Leader!

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Yay – challenge met!

What dystopians did you read this month?

by Niki Hawkes

Nov 28 2013
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Book Review: Blue Diablo by Ann Aguirre

Blue DiabloTitle: Blue Diablo

Author: Ann Aguirre

Series: Corine Solomon #1

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Rating: 3/5 stars

The Overview: Corine Solomon is a handler. When she touches an object she instantly knows its history and its future. Using her ability, she can find the missing, which is why people never stop trying to find her. Like her ex-boyfriend Chance, who needs Corine’s gift to find someone dear to them both. But the search proves dangerous as it leads them into a strange world of demons and sorcerers, ghosts and witchcraft, zombies, and black magic…

Blue Diablo

The Review:

I think it’s safe to say I’m on an Ann Aguirre kick. I’m really fond of her works and have been making an effort to get caught up in all of her series. Blue Diablo of the Corine Solomon series happens to be the last unexplored territory. Compared to her other works, I think this might be my least favorite so far, but compared to other urban fantasies (especially those with the Southwest feel) it was pretty good.

Perhaps the main reason I didn’t like it as much as, say the Sirantha Jax series was due to the love story. I’ve come to expect from this author the most epic, memorable relationships (which are not necessarily the romantic ones) and hoped for the same delivery here. While Blue Diablo had great relationships, the most important one between Corine and Chance was a little subpar. It essentially came down to a couple of ex-lovers debating whether or not to rekindle the fire between them. It was interesting, and well done for what it was, I just couldn’t get behind it. Mama always said “why would you want to take a bite out of the same turd twice?” and I feel the same way about literary relationships. It just lacked that bit of romantic tension. All I have to say is, thank goodness for that handsome law enforcer…

Because these characters already have a lot of baggage, it actually allowed the plot to jumpstart right into the meaty conflicts of the story. It was grabbing right from the beginning, and one of the best redeeming qualities of the story. We knew right away what the main arc of the story was going to be because the inciting moment took place within the first few pages (I love it when authors do that). It lost a little steam in the middle, but was for the most part a thrilling, action-packed book.

Overall, I enjoyed it enough to be interested in continuing in this series. It had a great atmosphere and I’m hoping it will gain the same momentum as the Jax series if I keep on reading.

Recommended Reading: I would probably suggest this series to a customer if they’ve already read most of my Top Ten Urban Fantasies. A warning to my wary readers, this book contains sexuality, language, and creepy-assed violence.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes