Happy Mother’s Day! While it’s true that most urban fantasy heroines tend to fly solo, there are a handful that manage to balance supernatural smack downs and motherhood.
Showing posts with label patricia briggs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label patricia briggs. Show all posts
13 May 2012
Posted by
Abigail
at 12:00 PM
Labels: Gail Carriger, Ilona Andrews, Jenn Bennett, Kelley Armstrong, Kelly Gay, Lori Devoti, patricia briggs, Sophie Littlefield, Top 5, Urban Fantasy
Labels: Gail Carriger, Ilona Andrews, Jenn Bennett, Kelley Armstrong, Kelly Gay, Lori Devoti, patricia briggs, Sophie Littlefield, Top 5, Urban Fantasy
14 March 2012
06 March 2012
Today is the release of FAIR GAME, the third book in Patricia Briggs Alpha and Omega series (a spin-off of her Mercy Thompson series), which I reviewed earlier today saying that “Briggs is a master storyteller and her deft handling of mythology makes even the most fantastical supernatural worlds feel not just plausible, but every bit as real as our own.” In celebration of the new release, Ace has offered a copy of ON THE PROWL, which contains the first Alpha and Omega story. Did I mention it’s signed by Patricia Briggs!
Giveaway provided by Ace Books
One signed copy of ON THE PROWL by Patricia Briggs, Eileen Wilks, Karen Chance, Sunny
 | Title: Fair Game
Sexual Content: A couple brief sex scenes. References to rape, sodomy, molestation & torture Rating:
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Posted by
Abigail
at 6:00 AM
Labels: 3rd in series, 3rd person, 4 bats, Ace Books, Alpha and Omega, Paranormal Romance, patricia briggs, Review, Urban Fantasy
Labels: 3rd in series, 3rd person, 4 bats, Ace Books, Alpha and Omega, Paranormal Romance, patricia briggs, Review, Urban Fantasy
08 August 2011
 | Title: The Urban Fantasy Anthology
 Sexual Content: No explicit sex scenes, but references to sex, rape, and incest are made. Rating:
Good - A fun read with minor flaws. Maybe read an excerpt before buying. |
Description
Star-studded and comprehensive, this imaginative anthology brings a myriad of modern fantasy voices under one roof. Previously difficult for readers to discover in its new modes, urban fantasy is represented here in all three of its distinct styles—playful new mythologies, sexy paranormal romances, and gritty urban noir. Whether they feature tattooed demon-hunters, angst-ridden vampires, supernatural gumshoes, or pixelated pixies, these authors—including Patricia Briggs, Neil Gaiman, and Charles de Lint—mash-up traditional fare with pop culture, creating iconic characters, conflicted moralities, and complex settings. The result is starkly original fiction that has broad-based appeal and is immensely entertaining.
Review
This is my first experience with this type of broad, category driven anthology, and I find myself as enamored with the physical organization of the book as I was with it’s contents. Opening with Charles de Lint’s exploration of Urban Fantasy and it’s more precise sub-categories, the book itself is divided into “Mythic Fiction”, “Paranormal Romance”, and “Noir Fantasy”. Each section begins with an essay that explores the origins and characterizations of this genre so much of us enjoy, and while the stories in each section don’t actually match the content from de Lint, Guran, or Lansdale’s essays, they do have an interesting relationship to one another that makes this anthology as thought provoking as it was enjoyable.
De Lint’s essay opens the Mythic Fiction section and sets the stage for stories with a mood of wonder and uncertainty. The magical threads in this section dip and weave underneath reality and bring to life the myths of older worlds, gods and unicorns and Fae. My favorite stories of the mythic fantasy section were Neil Gaiman’s The Goldfish Pool and Other Stories and Peter S. Beagle’s Julie’s Unicorn. Gaiman mixes the gilt of Hollywood with the everyday magic of reverence in a way that creates a quiet pool of the extraordinary that I know I will return to. Julie’s Unicorn explores the real world consequences of magic, but without letting camp overcome a sense of infinite possibilities. My least favorite story in this section, Jeffrey Ford’s On the Road to New Egypt, reminded me of FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS with magic in place of either as the drug of choice. Chaotic and arbitrary, if this story was reaching for greater significant or religious meaning, it missed the target with me.
While the stories in Mythic Fiction completely fit my concept of that sub-genre, the Paranormal Romance selections seem out of sync with their heading. Rather than the highly sexual, magic driven Happily-Ever-Afters that I associate with this sub-genre (and that Guran references in her essay), the Paranormal Romance section of this anthology serves only as a bridge between the wonder of Mythic Fiction to the less upfront portrayals of common paranormal creatures in the Noir Fantasy section. For the purpose of this anthology, “Paranormal Romance” means stories where both readers and characters recognize the magic they’re dealing with: vampires and zombies, ghosts and werewolves. There is little more than references to sex and other than Patricia Brigg’s Seeing Eye and Bruce McAllister’s Hit, none of these stories have anything close to a romantic happily ever after. However, once I adjusted my expectations, I found some things to enjoy. This was my second experience with Seeing Eye, previously published in STRANGE BREW, and it was my stand out favorite for the section. Briggs is adept at setting her characters into place quickly, without ever resorting to caricature, and I can never finish one of her short stories without hungering for more. I also enjoyed Suzy McKee Charnas’s Boobs for her new take on an empowered adolescent heroine and the werewolf mythology, and Norman Partridge’s She’s My Witch, which brought a crazy Bonnie and Clyde vibe to the paranormal table, with a tone that manages to engage, concern, and creep out, all at once. Francesca Lia Block’s Farewell, My Zombie seemed out of place for this section, more in line with the borderline realities and questions of the noir fantasy section, but despite this mismatch, the heroine was so bleak and compelling that the story left me shattered.
As I mentioned above, the third and final section in this anthology, Noir Fantasy, takes the vampires and werewolves we urban fantasy fans are so familiar with and turns the mythologies on their head. Either through the addition of mundane details, as in Susan Palwick’s heartbreaking Gestella, or through a questionable narrator, as in Thomas M. Disch’s The White Man, the stories in this last section marry the tone of Mythic Fantasy with the headliner paranormal phenomenon established in Paranormal Romance. I adored Holly Black’s The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, which managed to create both a stellar heroine and an interesting world in the short space allotted (and is one of the few stories in this anthology that was deep enough to introduce characters I would want to read more about), and found Tim Powers's world building and characterization in The Bible Repairman haunting and gritty. Joe R. Lansdale’s own On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folks didn’t contain a single woman who wasn’t a prostitute, a zombie prostitute or a cultist, and reaffirmed why few post-apocalyptic stories ever get any reaction out of me other than rage and/or a personal intention to bury myself in a bunker should society ever collapse. My reaction is meant more as a affirmation of my preference for pleasant, escapist reading material than any indictment of Lansdale’s well entertaining, if utterly bleak, story.
Upon finishing all three Urban Fantasy sub-genres, I realized that despite essays that discuss the commercially prevalent brand of Urban Fantasy that is fueled by “kickassitude” and happy endings, THE URBAN FANTASY ANTHOLOGY is composed of an older and darker strain of selections than I would have expected from the title. The stories I’ve mentioned above are only a few of the offerings, but overall, this book’s tone brings home the sense that magic doesn’t guarantee happiness (and sometimes can’t even save your life), but it is always, and inevitably, fascinating to poor humans and preternatural creatures alike. Unerringly provoking (both in a good and bad sense), while I sometimes found myself wishing for something different, I never could have asked for anything more out of these stories. This is one book I will be sure to keep on my shelf so I can revisit these varied moods and conundrums in the future, but while the essayists themselves point out that these stories aren’t meant to capture all aspects of the Urban Fantasy genre, it feels Beagle and Lansdale only focused on the bleaker side.
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Posted by
Julia
at 3:30 PM
Labels: anthology, Charles de Lint, Holly Black, patricia briggs, Urban Fantasy
Labels: anthology, Charles de Lint, Holly Black, patricia briggs, Urban Fantasy
10 June 2011
 | Title: Mercy Thompson: Moon Called, Volume One
 Sexual Content: Semi nude depictions of Mercy Rating:
Good - A fun read with minor flaws. Maybe read an excerpt before buying. |
Description
Five Mercy Thompson novels have topped the New York Times best-seller list, and her premiere graphic novel did the same. Now Patricia Briggs' heroic shape-shifter returns to comics! Mercy Thompson inhabits two worlds without truly belonging to either. To the human inhabitants of the Tri-Cities she's an oddity, a female mechanic operating her own garage. To the town's darker residents, werewolves, vampires, and fae, she's a walker, a last-of-her-kind magical being with the power to become a coyote. Mercy warily straddles the fine line dividing our everyday world from that darker dimension... 'till a boy, mauled by vicious werewolves and forever changed by the attack and on the run from those who committed the crime, appears at her door. Now her two worlds are about to collide! Outnumbered and out-muscled, can Mercy possibly save the boy... or even herself?
Review
I’m not usually a graphic novel fan. I’m too impatient to take everything in and tend to gobble down the text and turn the page with out really taking in all the illustrations. It’s a bad habit that I can’t seem to break. But this was the first graphic novel I’ve read on my iPad and that made all the difference. I could restrict myself to one panel at a time and absorb both the text and the illustrations. I’m still not a complete convert to this medium, but I am learning to appreciate it.
I read the MOON CALLED novel years ago, so it was nice to revisit and refresh my memory about Mercy, my favorite coyote shifter. The story is told a bit out of order, which I can understand from a graphic novel perspective, but I was a little surprised at the depictions of both Sam and Bran. They looked so different from what I’d been imagining that it threw me. I did love the violence that was captured here. The books deal with a lot of violence, but it doesn’t have the same impact as seeing, for example, the werewolf attack on Mac in the beginning. Powerful stuff.
If you haven’t read MOON CALLED yet, I’d recommend starting there before picking up this graphic novel as there isn’t the same character development here and the story is liberally abridged. But for fans of the series it’s a fun new was to re-experience this series. Volume one takes us up until Mercy, Adam, and Sam are leaving the Marok and heading back to the Tri-Cities, and we do get a bonus story at the end which shows how Mac was captured and turned that was never explained in the original novel. I’m already planning on picking up volume 2.
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Posted by
Abigail
at 6:30 AM
Labels: 1st in series, 3 bats, graphic novel, mercy thompson, patricia briggs, Review, Urban Fantasy
Labels: 1st in series, 3 bats, graphic novel, mercy thompson, patricia briggs, Review, Urban Fantasy
21 February 2011
 | Title: River Marked
 Kissing. References to sex. References to homosexuality. References to rape.
My Rating:  Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now & pre-order the sequel. |
Description
Car mechanic Mercy Thompson has always known there was something different about her, and not just the way she can make a VW engine sit up and beg. Mercy is a shapeshifter, a talent she inherited from her long-gone father. She's never known any others of her kind. Until now.
An evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River-one that her father's people may know something about. And to have any hope of surviving, Mercy and her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, will need their help...
Review
Why does it always feel like Christmas come early when a new Mercy Thompson book comes out? Oh right, because it’s Mercy Thompson. Mercy has changed drastically over the course of this series going from someone who was wary, tough, and very independent to a much softer, more playful, and embracing woman. It’s taken me a little while to adjust to this new Mercy, but I think RIVER MARKED is probably my favorite Mercy book since IRON KISSED. Mercy is a lot more emotional this time, and not without reason, as she has to deal with revelations about her father, her heritage, and what the future of her relationship with her mate will be like.
The majority of RIVER MARKED takes place outside of the Tri-Cities, and as much as I like all the wolves, vamps, fey, and human characters we’ve met since MOON CALLED, it was nice to pare down to just Mercy and Adam. We do meet some rather significant new characters who provide real answers and explanations about Mercy and Walkers in general. I know Briggs has said that she was nervous about delving into Mercy’s Native American origins, but she' needn’t have been. It never felt like information overload. Most of the explanations—apart from one about Joe Old Coyote—felt logical and interesting.
And after missing Stefan in BONE CROSSED, I was very pleased with the scenes he got in RIVER MARKED (including my favorite description of him to date: “He was like Superman, but with fangs and oddly impaired morals”). I’m guessing here, but I’d be surprised if Mercy #7 didn’t deal heavily with Stefan and the Seethe. We’ll have to wait until 2012 to see if I’m right.
The Mercy Thompson series is one of the best in the urban fantasy genre for good reason. The mythology of the series is rich and complex, borrowing just enough fact to feel real, and mixing just enough fantasy to feel magical. Mercy’s world is about to get much bigger in RIVER MARKED when she learns, in a lot of ways, that she is not nearly as alone in this world as she thought. Overall, Mercy 2.0 may be more domesticated than the, pardon the pun, lone wolf mechanic we met in MOON CALLED, but her transformation into the woman we see now has been believable and hard won.
Mercy is happy now in a way I don’t think she imagined possible. And I’m happy for her. Of course Mercy’s happiness is about as far from boring as it gets. In RIVER MARKED she battles river monsters, Otterkin, and Native American gods armed only with her wit and walking stick. And she does it all with the same cool and tenacious attitude that endeared her to so many of us six books ago, and hopefully for many more books to come.
Posted by
Abigail
at 6:30 AM
Labels: 1st in series, 4 bats, 6th in series, fey, mercy thompson, native american, patricia briggs, Review, Urban Fantasy, Vampires, werewolves
Labels: 1st in series, 4 bats, 6th in series, fey, mercy thompson, native american, patricia briggs, Review, Urban Fantasy, Vampires, werewolves
11 February 2011
I always take note when one of my favorite authors is going on tour. When that author happens to be Patricia Briggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson series [she’ll be on tour this March to support the release of RIVER MARKED (Ace Hardcover; March 1, 2011; $24.95)] I enter the crazy fan stratosphere. So it’s probably a good thing for Patricia that Arizona didn’t make the list of stops this year and both of us can be spared my desperate inquiries about when Mercy and Stefan are going to get married and have lots of walker-vampire babies.I’m may be out of luck, but are you going to be able to see her? Feel free to steal my question when you meet her if you happen to live in any of these cities:
Tour Dates & Locations:
TUESDAY, MARCH 1st7:30 PM PST
HASTINGS (9745-Richland)
1425 GEORGE WASHINGTON WAY
Richland, WA 99354
(509)-946-1060 (store)
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2nd
7:00 PM CST
BORDERS BOOKS
1500 16th St Ste D
Oak Brook, IL 60523
(630)-574-0800 (store)
THURSDAY, MARCH 3rd
7:30 PM EST
BORDERS BOOKS & MUSIC
Crossroads Center
5871 Crossroads Center Way
Bailey's Crossroads, VA 22041
(703)-998-0404 (store)
FRIDAY, MARCH 4th
7:00 PM CST
BARNES & NOBLE
2100 North Snelling Ave
Roseville, MN 55113
(651)-639-9256 (store)
SATURDAY, MARCH 5th
6:00 PM CST
MURDER BY THE BOOK
2342 Bissonnet St
Houston, TX 77005
(713)-524-8597 (store)
SUNDAY, MARCH 6th
2:00 PM PST
MYSTERIOUS GALAXY
7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
Ste 302
San Diego, CA 92111
(858)-268-4747 (store)
MONDAY, MARCH 7th
7:00 PM PST
UNIVERSITY BOOKSTORE
4326 University Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105
(206)-634-3400 (store)
TUESDAY, MARCH 8th
7:00 PM PST
POWELL'S BOOKS
Cedar Hills Crossing
3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd
Beaverton, OR 97005
503-643-3131
15 January 2011
You can read all the previous Top 10 Lists HERE
Julia’s Paranormal Picks for 2011
This was my first year diligently updating my GoodReads account, and I was a little shocked to see how many books I had read in 2010 (162 by their count, eep!). Then I started looking through all of the amazing books that are going to be published in 2011 and I realized my total will be even higher this year. The hardest parts about putting this list together was how it reminded me of all the books I can’t wait to read, all the books I wanted to re-read, and all the books I still have to catch up on (aren’t those great problems to have?). Happy New Year, everyone, and happy, happy reading!
#10 Grave Dance by Kalayna Price
July 5, 2011
Description:
Grave witch Alex Craft can speak to the dead, but that doesn’t mean she likes what they have to say . . .
As a private investigator and consultant for the police, Alex Craft has seen a lot of dark magic. But even though she’s on good terms with Death himself—who happens to look fantastic in a pair of jeans—nothing has prepared her for her latest case. Alex is investigating a high profile murder when she’s attacked by the ‘shade’ she’s raising, which should be impossible. To top off her day, someone makes a serious attempt on her life, but Death saves her. Guess he likes having her around . . .
To solve this case Alex will have to team up with tough homicide detective Falin Andrews. Falin seems to be hiding something—though it’s certainly not his dislike of Alex—but Alex knows she needs his help to navigate the tangled webs of mortal and paranormal politics, and to track down a killer wielding a magic so malevolent, it may cost Alex her life . . . and her soul.
Kalayna Price’s Haven series kept popping up on my radar, but never succeeded in making it to my pre-order list. The Alex Craft series, however, was a slam dunk from Book 1. While I did like the novel world concept and Alex herself, I must admit, most of my anticipation is due to Death himself. Mysterious and intriguing, with just the right mix of attraction and danger, I’m looking forward to reading GRAVE DANCE for his appearances alone.
#9 Hard Bitten by Chloe Neill
May 3, 2011
Description:
Times are hard for newly minted vampire Merit. Ever since shapeshifters announced their presence to the world, humans have been rallying against supernaturals--and they're camping outside of Cadogan House with protest signs that could turn to pitchforks at any moment. Inside its doors, things between Merit and her Master, green-eyed heartbreaker Ethan Sullivan are ... tense. But then the mayor of Chicago calls Merit and Ethan to a clandestine meeting and tells them about a violent vamp attack that has left three women missing. His message is simple: get your House in order. Or else.
Merit needs to get to the bottom of this crime, but it doesn't help that she can't tell who's on her side. So she secretly calls in a favor from someone who's tall, dark, and part of underground vamp group that may have some deep intel on the attack. Merit soon finds herself in the heady, dark heart of Chicago's supernatural society--a world full of vampires who seem too ready to fulfill the protesting human's worst fears, and a place where she'll learn that you can't be a vampire without getting a little blood on your hands...
That sword, those pants... even without my enjoyment of past Chicagoland Vampire novels, I would have wanted to catch up just to read this one. While the series started off slow for me, much of that was a function of Merit’s development as a character. She has consistently impressed me more and more as the series progressed, and now I’m thoroughly hooked. Events between Merit and Ethan in TWICE BITTEN had me on the edge of my seat, and I look forward to seeing how their tense stalemate plays out in close quarters.
#8 The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong
April 12, 2011
Description:
Strange things are happening in Maya's tiny Vancouver Island town. First, her friend Serena, the captain of the swim team, drowns mysteriously in the middle of a calm lake. Then, one year later, mountain lions are spotted rather frequently around Maya's home—and her reactions to them are somewhat . . . unexpected. Her best friend, Daniel, has also been experiencing unexplainable premonitions about certain people and situations.
It doesn't help that the new bad boy in town, Rafe, has a dangerous secret, and he's interested in one special part of Maya's anatomy—her paw-print birthmark.
Kelley Armstrong’s last YA offerings, the Darkest Powers series, had much of what I enjoyed in her Adult offerings, with the sweet tension of adolescent love swirled in for good measure. That history alone would have been enough to make me eager to read this book, but as the description includes both The Best Friend and The Bad Boy, I’m all about reading this book when it comes out in April.
#7 Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh
July 1, 2011
Description:
New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh's exhilarating world of shapeshifters and psychics is "paranormal romance at its best" (Publishers Weekly). Now comes the story of an alpha wolf named Hawke used to getting exactly what he wants--and of the only woman who dares tangle with him.
Since the moment of her defection from the PsyNet and into the SnowDancer wolf pack, Sienna Lauren has had one weakness. Hawke. Alpha and dangerous, he compels her to madness.
Hawke is used to walking alone, having lost the woman who would've been his mate long ago. But Sienna fascinates the primal heart of him, even as he tells himself she is far too young to handle the wild fury of the wolf.
Then Sienna changes the rules and suddenly, there is no more distance, only the most intimate of battles between two people who were never meant to meet. Yet as they strip away each other's secrets in a storm of raw emotion, they must also ready themselves for a far more vicious fight…
A deadly enemy is out to destroy SnowDancer, striking at everything they hold dear, but it is Sienna's darkest secret that may yet savage the pack that is her home…and the alpha who is its heartbeat…
While Nalini Singh’s Guild Hunters has my undivided attention, I’ve been a fair-weather fan of the Psy/Changlings. Despite having reading all of the series, the Changlings are the only half of the equation that can get me psyched up ahead of time. KISS OF SNOW focuses on the SnowDancer wolf pack, which would have been enough to get me excited. Above and beyond that, KISS OF SNOW is the long anticipated story of Hawke and Sienna. I have always been interested in how these two compelling characters will manage to find their happily-ever-after without the soul mate “Easy Button”, and I’m so glad my wait is almost over!
#6 Heart of Steel by Meljean Brook
November 1, 2011
As the mercenary captain of the Lady Corsair, Yasmeen has learned to keep her heart as cold as steel, her only loyalty bound to her ship and her crew. So when a man who once tried to seize her airship returns from the dead, Yasmeen will be damned if she gives him another opportunity to take control.
Treasure-hunter Archimedes Fox isn’t interested in the Lady Corsair — he wants her coldhearted captain and the valuable da Vinci sketch she stole from him. To reclaim it, Archimedes is determined to seduce the stubborn woman who once tossed him to a ravenous pack of zombies, but she’s no easy conquest.
When da Vinci’s sketch attracts a dangerous amount of attention, Yasmeen and Archimedes journey to Horde-occupied Morocco — and straight into their enemy’s hands. But as they fight to save themselves and a city on the brink of rebellion, the greatest peril Yasmeen faces is from the man who seeks to melt her icy heart…
Heeding Abigail’s advice, I made sure to read the the novella in BURNING UP before venturing into THE IRON DUKE. The one-two punch of both of these incredible stories had me hooked from the get go. While I will still dip back into THE IRON DUKE to visit Mina and Rhys regularly (in fact, writing this paragraph inspired me to do so just this week), I can’t wait to pick up another book in this series. Yasmeen certainly caught my attention in previous stories, and there’s nothing like throwing a man off of an airship on to cannibalistic zombies to start a romance off on the right foot. So, despite the lack of cover art (or any firm pre-order information through a bookseller), I had to include this title on my top 10 list. Re-reading can only tide me over for so long, I am dying to get my hands on this new story.
#5 Late Eclipses and One Salt Sea
by Seanan McGuire
March 1, 2011 and September, 2011
October "Toby" Daye is half-human, half-fae-the only changeling who's earned knighthood. But when someone begins targeting her nearest and dearest, it becomes clear that Toby is being set up to take the fall for everything that's happening.
The October Daye series began “in media res,” and since that first amazing book when Toby was fresh out of the water (after being trapped for 14 years in a fish pond), I have been enthralled by the fast action, detailed world-building, and ever deepening mythology that surrounds her. I was very excited about this series in 2011, with both LATE ECLIPSES and ONE SALT SEA due out, and thus far I haven’t been disappointed. I had the privilege of reading an ARC for LATE ECLIPSES already (review due out next week), and revelations about Toby’s past (and tantalizing hints about her future) have me trolling the internet for any new details about ONE SALT SEA.
#4 Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews
May 31, 2011
Plagued by a war between magic and technology, Atlanta has never been so deadly. Good thing Kate Daniels is on the job.
Kate Daniels may have quit the Order of Merciful Aid, but she’s still knee-deep in paranormal problems. Or she would be if she could get someone to hire her. Starting her own business has been more challenging than she thought it would be—now that the Order is disparaging her good name, and many potential clients are afraid of getting on the bad side of the Beast Lord, who just happens to be Kate’s mate.
So when Atlanta’s premier Master of the Dead calls to ask for help with a vampire on the loose, Kate leaps at the chance of some paying work. Turns out this is not an isolated incident, and Kate needs to get to the bottom of it—fast, or the city and everyone dear to her might pay the ultimate price . . .
Much like The Hollows, the Kate Daniels series started out as a sleeper for me. When I read MAGIC BITES (what seems like ages ago), I never would have guessed those first “Here, kitty kitty,” glimpses of Curran would be the start of one of my favorite couples. A blend of masterful world building, witty dialogue, and gritty violence, this series has become one I pre-order well in advance and eagerly await.
#3 River Marked by Patricia Briggs
March 1, 2011
Car mechanic Mercy Thompson has always known there was something different about her, and not just the way she can make a VW engine sit up and beg. Mercy is a shapeshifter, a talent she inherited from her long-gone father. She’s never known any others of her kind. Until now.
An evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River—one that her father’s people may know something about. And to have any hope of surviving, Mercy and her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, will need their help…one father. She’s never known any others of her kind. Until now.
This entry really belongs to both RIVER MARKED and the untitled Alpha & Omega book due out in October, as both are eagerly awaited this year. Patricia Briggs has a gift for creating memorable character details (the scene with his tail from THE HOB’S BARGAIN being one of my favorites), and her latest books are no exception. Building on an intertwining cast of characters, Briggs continues to offer deeper and more satisfying glimpses into their lives. Sustaining interest beyond that first chemical attraction can even harder in books than it is in real life, and Briggs has proven unequivocally that she’s a master at taking the relationship to the next level. I am so excited to know that this book will show us more about Mercy’s heritage, in addition to getting a glimpse of her deepening relationship with Adam.
#2 Pale Demon by Kim Harrison
February 22, 2011
Condemned to death for black magic and shunned, Rachel Morgan has three days to somehow get to the annual witches convention in San Francisco and clear her name. If she fails, the only way she can escape death is to live in the demonic ever after . . . for ever after.
Banned from the flight lists, Rachel teams up with elven tycoon Trent Kalamack, headed for the West Coast for his own mysterious business. But Rachel isn’t the only passenger along for the ride. Can a witch, an elf, a living vampire, and a pixy in one car survive for over 2,300 miles? And that’s not counting the assassin on their tail.
A fearsome demon walks the sunlight, freed after centuries of torment to slay the innocent and devour souls. But his ultimate prey is Rachel Morgan. While the powerful witch with nerves of steel will do whatever it takes to stay alive, even embracing her own demonic nature may not be enough to save her.
Kim Harrison books are on my “instant buy” list, in both hardback and eBook (as you never know when a Rachel Morgan emergency will strike). While The Hollows series started out slow (when I put down DEAD WITCH WALKING, I had no inkling of the relationship I had just embarked on), by now these characters are familiar and dear friends. Above and beyond that, Kim Harrison is unmatched in her ability to interweave plot elements between books in an organic and natural fashion. Her books read less like discrete stories than un-varnished glimpses into someone’s life. Emotional, entertaining, and utterly unaffected, I eagerly await any opportunity to visit The Hollows. At the end of BLACK MAGIC SANCTION, Rachel had quite a few complicated relationships in her life (both romantic and platonic), and I can’t wait to pick up the story where it left off.
#1 Archangel’s Consort by Nalini Singh
January 25, 2011
Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux and her lover, the lethally beautiful archangel Raphael, have returned home to New York only to face an uncompromising new evil…
A vampire has attacked a girls’ school—the assault one of sheer, vicious madness—and it is only the first act. Rampant bloodlust takes vampire after vampire, threatening to make the streets run with blood. Then Raphael himself begins to show signs of an uncontrolled rage, as inexplicable storms darken the city skyline and the earth itself shudders.
The omens are suddenly terrifyingly clear.
An ancient and malevolent immortal is rising. The violent winds whisper her name: Caliane. She has returned to reclaim her son, Raphael. Only one thing stands in her way: Elena, the consort who must be destroyed…
I had been a casual reader of Nalini Singh before I stumbled upon her Guild Hunter series, and from the first book I have been enthralled. Elena Deveraux is one of my favorite Urban Fantasy heroines, and Raphael is the only “all-powerful, magical” alpha male that is actually written to be alien, dangerous, and entirely thrilling. The world building is spectacular, one of the most thorough and dark I’ve ever encountered, and this series is one I’ve re-read on numerous occasions. I’ve had my copy of ARCHANGEL’S CONSORT pre-ordered for quite some time now, and I am giddy with anticipation for it’s release next week. This book tops my list if for no other reason than being so close I can taste it…
Honorable mentions:
- Eye of the Tempest by Nicole Peeler (Jane True #4)
- As-of-yet-Untitled Disillusionist #3 by Carolyn Crane
- Shady Lady by Ann Aguirre (Corine Solomon #3)
- Aftermath by Ann Aguirre (Sirantha Jax #5)
- Defiance by Lili St. Crow (Strange Angels #4)
Posted by
Julia
at 6:30 AM
Labels: chloe neill, Ilona Andrews, Kalayna Price, Kelley Armstrong, meljean brooks, Nalini Singh, patricia briggs, Seanan McGuire, Top 10 List
Labels: chloe neill, Ilona Andrews, Kalayna Price, Kelley Armstrong, meljean brooks, Nalini Singh, patricia briggs, Seanan McGuire, Top 10 List
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