Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance v. 3.0

[C.T. Phipps]

I'm presently debating whether or not to pick up the Hollows prequel or not. The series was never the same after a certain character died and I was primarily interested in the books because of the strong Ivy and Rachel friendship. Frankly, though, I've heard the reason it becomes almost nonexistent was because of a homophobic fan reaction.

I also wasn't blown away by the latest Alpha and Omega book and the previous one wasn't great either. Still, I love the ongoing Mercy Thompson world and hope it continues as my literary comfort food.

I'm trying the Daniel Faust series soon.

Currently, I'm wondering if there's anything like a slasher movie in urban fantasy as I think it's a natural fit since Buffy the Vampire Slayer is based on the premise of the Final Girl fighting back from the beginning.

Mostly I'm reading these to get myself in the headspace to write my third I was a Teenage Weredeer book.

[Lollygag]

NM

[C.T. Phipps]

Agreed 100%

For me the heart of the story was the Ivy/Rachel/Kisten relationship and the oddities involved but once that was gone, it became Rachel's romance with the former psychotic villain as well as friendship with her abusive demon patron.

And that's just not cool.

[LugaJetboyGirl]

On 6/6/2018 at 7:05 AM, C.T. Phipps said:

Agreed 100%

For me the heart of the story was the Ivy/Rachel/Kisten relationship and the oddities involved but once that was gone, it became Rachel's romance with the former psychotic villain as well as friendship with her abusive demon patron.

And that's just not cool.

That's...surprisingly accurate.

 

I recently read Andrea Speed's paranormal romance/urban fantasy series Infected. Anyone read it? I really liked the way it treated shifters. (Cats only, btw.) It treats shifterhood as a medical condition and disease in a way unlike any shifter series I've come across. For example, its a virus, so instead of shifting during the full moon or at will, each person's monthly shifting schedule is based upon their personal viral cycle. The series basically explores aspects of the AIDs epidemic via shifters: no one knows where the infection originated, its transmitted through sex or needles (not bites), infected people are socially ostracized, it physically wrecks your body, and it's a death sentence. All the exotic and romanticized elements that you get in most shifter books are not here: no packs, no complicated social system, no cognizant human minds inside animal bodies, no special senses. For most of the month, you're a normal weak-ass human, and then during your viral cycle you have to be caged, pumped up with pain killers because of the shift, and if you escape you will kill everything you encounter (so the police are authorized to kill you on sight). (Okay, admittedly Roan is slightly different than other shifters.)

I thought it was a refreshing, uncommon take on shifters, but a painfully real one.

Also, I really loved the main character Roan, with his crankiness, loyalty, and music snobbery (never thought I'd read about a UF character who adores Pansy Division's 'Luv luv luv' as much as I do). He was a police officer, the token 'kitty cop,' but he was treated so shittily by the other cops that he became a private detective instead. If you were ever an anti-social, authority-hating teenager, Roan's your man.

[kairparavel]

I've been flipping around looking for a new book and/or series to try out and after browsing some Best Of lists I've started the first book in the Lords of the Underworld series by Gena Showalter called The Darkest Night. I'm a few chapters in and it had potential, I guess. Each book features one of these tormented immortals, with the whole gang factoring into the overall story. We'll see. 

The other book is like this weird mix of Outlander and 50 Shades of Grey. It's called The Highlander's Witch by a first time author named Jennifer France. Also not terrible a few chapters in but who knows. 

[LugaJetboyGirl]

Recently finished THE LAST SUN by K.D. Edwards. 

It's set in the present day, but a little while after a civil war between the families of previously hidden Atlantis wrecked the world. The Atlanteans now live in a new city on the US east coast because Atlantis is no longer inhabitable. They are organized into the Houses of the Tarot, with the family's head the Arcana. The Arcana are basically the closest thing to gods on the planet, with vast powers. The main character is the Scion of Sun House (the heir), but his entire House was destroyed when he was a teen and his family wiped out. He's barely started coming into his sun powers and has limited magic, so he and his best friend/body guard Brand support themselves by solving mysteries/problems as mercenaries (not military style, just find-lost-things or steal-shit-mercenaries). Meanwhile, all the Houses compete with each other as they get up to trouble in New Atlantis.

I thought the world-building was very richly done, with an interesting social and cultural reality, magic system, and cast of characters. There's good queer representation. For a debut novel I think it was quite well done, although I am still not convinced on who the main love interest is supposed to be, which irks me, because I am firmly on one particular Team. Definitely recommend.

(Content warning for sexual violence, though.)

[lady narcissa]

I have read no new Urban Fantasy or Paranormal Romance this year.  Nothing has been calling out to me.  But I was so tired of reading other books that were just not sucking me in that I found myself rereading the entire Sookie Stackhouse series.  Its been super enjoyable.  And its been nice to have had this non stop period of reading where I've been enjoying myself with some light fun reading.  I don't know what I'm going to do when I finish the series in the next day or so.

Also, if I might pimp a friends book...for those of you that enjoy fantasy romance, Grace Draven is coming out next month with the first book in a series called Phoenix Unbound.  She has done pretty well self-publishing her own novels for the past few years but this is being published by Penguin and her editor is Anne Sowards who edits Ilona Andrews, Jim Butcher, Anne Bishop, etc.  So that is pretty exciting for her.  And she is an excellent writer.  So some of you might enjoy it.  Plus on Kindle pre-order right now its only $4.99.

[ants]

Spoiler

 

On 5/22/2018 at 4:22 PM, C.T. Phipps said:

I'm presently debating whether or not to pick up the Hollows prequel or not. The series was never the same after a certain character died and I was primarily interested in the books because of the strong Ivy and Rachel friendship. Frankly, though, I've heard the reason it becomes almost nonexistent was because of a homophobic fan reaction.

......

 

On 6/5/2018 at 5:36 AM, Lollygag said:

Ugh, I had to quit the series after that death as that character was helping to compensate for and was set up as a possible a solution to a lot of problems I had with the writing.

Also lots of jerkchains are pulled on the reader. In the case with the death we're told the character is probably dead (lots of angst), then we get confirmation of the death (more angst), but no, wait, that character is probably alive (more emotion), then find out that nope, definitely dead. And this along side the main character thinking 2 other characters are dead who actually weren't. Just felt like cheap manipulation at that point.

 

On 6/6/2018 at 9:05 PM, C.T. Phipps said:

Agreed 100%

For me the heart of the story was the Ivy/Rachel/Kisten relationship and the oddities involved but once that was gone, it became Rachel's romance with the former psychotic villain as well as friendship with her abusive demon patron.

And that's just not cool.

Personally, I was over the moon when that character died.

 

Hollows spoilers above.

Guys, these posts in conjunction with each other are effectively spoilers.  I get you guys don't like the way the series went, but I know I do and I assume plenty of others would agree given the book sales.  Can you please go back and put spoiler tags around the bits which reveal too much?

[ants]

On 7/26/2018 at 1:30 PM, LugaJetboyGirl-irra said:

I recently read Andrea Speed's paranormal romance/urban fantasy series Infected. Anyone read it? I really liked the way it treated shifters. (Cats only, btw.) It treats shifterhood as a medical condition and disease in a way unlike any shifter series I've come across. For example, its a virus, so instead of shifting during the full moon or at will, each person's monthly shifting schedule is based upon their personal viral cycle. The series basically explores aspects of the AIDs epidemic via shifters: no one knows where the infection originated, its transmitted through sex or needles (not bites), infected people are socially ostracized, it physically wrecks your body, and it's a death sentence. All the exotic and romanticized elements that you get in most shifter books are not here: no packs, no complicated social system, no cognizant human minds inside animal bodies, no special senses. For most of the month, you're a normal weak-ass human, and then during your viral cycle you have to be caged, pumped up with pain killers because of the shift, and if you escape you will kill everything you encounter (so the police are authorized to kill you on sight). (Okay, admittedly Roan is slightly different than other shifters.)

I thought it was a refreshing, uncommon take on shifters, but a painfully real one.

Also, I really loved the main character Roan, with his crankiness, loyalty, and music snobbery (never thought I'd read about a UF character who adores Pansy Division's 'Luv luv luv' as much as I do). He was a police officer, the token 'kitty cop,' but he was treated so shittily by the other cops that he became a private detective instead. If you were ever an anti-social, authority-hating teenager, Roan's your man.

Given the way you describe the series above, you might want to try Kit Whitfield's bareback (I think it is beknighted in the USA).  Its about a world where werewolves actually make up the bulk of the population, and the "barebacks" (who can't shift) are the minority.  It is really well done with a complete culture that rings true, and the story is very good. 

[Darth Richard II]

Beknighted/bareback is one of the books that got me to see the whole genre as something other then trash, so yeah it was pretty good.

[Liver and Onions]

On 8/25/2018 at 9:14 PM, LugaJetboyGirl-irra said:

Recently finished THE LAST SUN by K.D. Edwards. 

It's set in the present day, but a little while after a civil war between the families of previously hidden Atlantis wrecked the world. The Atlanteans now live in a new city on the US east coast because Atlantis is no longer inhabitable. They are organized into the Houses of the Tarot, with the family's head the Arcana. The Arcana are basically the closest thing to gods on the planet, with vast powers. The main character is the Scion of Sun House (the heir), but his entire House was destroyed when he was a teen and his family wiped out. He's barely started coming into his sun powers and has limited magic, so he and his best friend/body guard Brand support themselves by solving mysteries/problems as mercenaries (not military style, just find-lost-things or steal-shit-mercenaries). Meanwhile, all the Houses compete with each other as they get up to trouble in New Atlantis.

I thought the world-building was very richly done, with an interesting social and cultural reality, magic system, and cast of characters. There's good queer representation. For a debut novel I think it was quite well done, although I am still not convinced on who the main love interest is supposed to be, which irks me, because I am firmly on one particular Team. Definitely recommend.

(Content warning for sexual violence, though.)

This sounds intriguing. I've read fairy-based and vampire/werewolf urban fantasy, but not Atlantis. I'll have to give it a try.

I'm actually pretty resistant to the urban fantasy genre as a whole. Not sure exactly why. It could be that I tried out the Anita Blake series years ago and stuck around until (I think) the Harlequin novel. Then I just closed the book one third in and said, "enough."

It seems like there's SO MUCH urban fantasy stuff in my local library that I really should jump back in. I tried out Seanan McGuire's Verity Price books. I didn't dislike them, but I found it hard to drum up enthusiasm. Her October Daye books were more to my liking.

 

[dornishpen]

On 9/7/2018 at 7:07 PM, Liver and Onions said:

This sounds intriguing. I've read fairy-based and vampire/werewolf urban fantasy, but not Atlantis. I'll have to give it a try.

I'm actually pretty resistant to the urban fantasy genre as a whole. Not sure exactly why. It could be that I tried out the Anita Blake series years ago and stuck around until (I think) the Harlequin novel. Then I just closed the book one third in and said, "enough."

It seems like there's SO MUCH urban fantasy stuff in my local library that I really should jump back in. I tried out Seanan McGuire's Verity Price books. I didn't dislike them, but I found it hard to drum up enthusiasm. Her October Daye books were more to my liking.

 

Really, almost any random urban fantasy book you pick up will probably be better than the Anita Blake series. 

[Derfel Cadarn]

It's been about four years since the last Dresden Files book, which is unusual given there was previously only one or two years between books.  

The first Anno Dracula book counts as urban fantasy imho. The overarching plot is that Dracula defeated Van Helsing and went on to marry Queen Victoria, vampires coming out publically. It features a lot of characters from other franchises, including James Bond (called Hamish Bond presumably for copyright reasons).  The second book is set in WW1, the third is essentially a Bond story. I've still to finish the 4th., set in the late 70's. It does have an excellent early section where Francis Ford Coppolla is making a mash-up of Apocalypse Now and Dracula. 

I've read Rivers of London, which was ok but didn't really grab me, and the fate of one character was particularly gruesome.  I got the first three in a boxset, so will finish the last two eventually. Not sure if I'll bother with the rest given the mixed opinions of the series.

If anyone's interested in an urban fantasy set in Victorian Glasgow, there's my newly published book, Resurrection Men. More details are in the Official Blatant but Honest thread. /shameless plug

 

[C.T. Phipps]

In the case of the delay of PEACE TALKS, it was because Jim Butcher got a divorce and decided to build himself a new house rather than buy one--which resulted in massive amounts of delays to him having a space where he could work. Also, he got sidetracked by writing the Harry Dresdem comic books (some of which are quite good) and the Bigfoot short stories that compromise a book on their own.

[Derfel Cadarn]

51 minutes ago, C.T. Phipps said:

In the case of the delay of PEACE TALKS, it was because Jim Butcher got a divorce and decided to build himself a new house rather than buy one--which resulted in massive amounts of delays to him having a space where he could work. Also, he got sidetracked by writing the Harry Dresdem comic books (some of which are quite good) and the Bigfoot short stories that compromise a book on their own.

Its strange - since the last book came out I've met my now-wife, got married, got a new job (same organisation tho), sold my flat, bought a house, got published, and have a baby due very soon.

[Liver and Onions]

20 hours ago, dornishpen said:

Really, almost any random urban fantasy book you pick up will probably be better than the Anita Blake series. 

Ha ha! I might have to try out that experiment.  

[C.T. Phipps]

Anyone here watch VAMPIRE REVIEWS on Youtube? It's a great series where the host (who pretends to be a Goth girl who doesn't quite 'get it') reviews movies, books, and other vampire related media.

She did a great review of GUILTY PLEASURES which highlights how feminism, urban fantasy, and other elements have changed its reception as a series.

 

[C.T. Phipps]

I just picked up the CHICAGOLAND VAMPIRES and have more or less gone through eleven books in the series within a few weeks. It's not really GREAT urban fantasy and has a lot of the usual problems I have with the series but am enjoying it nevertheless.

Anyone have some good vampire series to recommend?

[Deedles]

Picked up The Last Sun and Anno Draculi and looking forward to getting into them.

[ants]

On 9/13/2018 at 8:25 AM, C.T. Phipps said:

Anyone here watch VAMPIRE REVIEWS on Youtube? It's a great series where the host (who pretends to be a Goth girl who doesn't quite 'get it') reviews movies, books, and other vampire related media.

She did a great review of GUILTY PLEASURES which highlights how feminism, urban fantasy, and other elements have changed its reception as a series.

 

Lol.  That lady is kind of hilarious.  Her accent is so annoying, but kind of funny. 

I would say that the Anita Blake books were pretty good, up until about book 7ish.  But a lot of that reviewers' comments are correct, and I would point out I did read them back in the nineties!  And the writing does reflect where the cultural views were back then. I've not been reading the series and didn't realise it was still going. 

I would point out the review spoils the entire book, if anyone wants to read it.