Your Urban Fantasy Blog 2013 IN BLOGGING
http://jetpack.me/annual-report/44398007/2013/
Not bad! Especially since I didn’t really move the blog to its own domain until about a month into 2013. I’ll be very curious about 2014′s stats.
Your Urban Fantasy’s 2014 To Do List!
Have you voted yet on my poll for The Most Anticipated Read of 2014? If not, make sure you do! I am going to keep this brief because if I think too much on it you will see a never-ending post! Aside from reading the new releases of my usual series I want to catch up on a few others. My biggest goals for this blog include books and events! And they are:
BOOKS
The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
Book Count: 15 (oh boy!)
Many of my book friends rave about it. It won the Goodreads Choice awards in its category for 2013. You’d have to be living under an urban fantasy rock to have not heard about them. I’ve seen them on the shelves for years. And now I shall finally take the plunge! I can’t guarantee how many Dresden books I plan to read this year, but I hope to get through as many as possible. Like The Hollows, I hear the books get better as they go.
The Black Dagger Brotherhood Series by J. R. Ward
Book Count: 12
I left off on book 2 for this one so though there will be 12 books in all in 2014, I will be 10 behind. I didn’t manage to make any progress on this series in 2013. I know Book 3 is a fan favorite so I will give this series a couple more chances to rope me in. At this point I’m not loving them, though I did think the second book was better than the first one.
Allie Beckstrom Series by Devon Monk
Book Count: 9
This series comes highly recommended from my friend, Autumn Leaves. I didn’t quite manage to read it in 2013 like I planned, but I will certainly do it in 2014.
The Riley Jenson Guardian Series by Keri Arthur
Book Count: 9
I’m showing the second book because I already read the first one. So for me I only really have to read 8. It didn’t seem like much to write home about in all honesty, but I want to give it a chance to grow on me. I am a few books behind on her current Dark Angel series spin-off, but I feel like I want to read these first before playing catchup with those.
The Wool Series by Hugh Howey
Book Count: ??? Still not totally sure. He has omnibuses and then there are like 8 novellas or something. Either way I’m reading them.
I met Hugh at a book event signing last year (I was primarily there for Kim Harrison) and he was really cool and had a great outlook on the future of books. All of my friends who have read this series praise it so I’ll probably get into this one pretty soon after I finish the Mistborn books.
Signs of the Zodiac Series by Vicki Petterson
Book Count: 6
I already purchased these with a really good book deal. I couldn’t really get into her new fallen angel series, but this one seems a bit different so I’m willing to give it a try, especially since I own them already.
The Covenant Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Books: 5
She has quickly become one of my favorite authors! I have made it my mission to read all of her fantasy books including those under her pen name, J. Lynn. Heck, I might even read her contemporary stuff just for the heck of it! Her writing has been consistently enjoyable.
My 2014 goal will be 100 books, much like the previous years. So I definitely have my work cut out for me. These books alone will account for 61% of my reading goal. I’ll have my series regulars like The Hollows, Kate Daniels, Mercy Thompson, Bloodlines, Lux, and Night Huntress, Night Prince (hopefully), etc. to help fill out the rest. I might want to take a stab at more Larissa Ione books because she really stood out to me this year. Then of course there are the ARCs that will come my way. And I can’t forget the kindle freebies that just pile on. They have some gems every so often. So I definitely have enough lined up to reach that goal! I just hope I can do it!
EVENTS
Kim Harrison Signing for The Undead Pool Tour
New York City - March 3, 2014
I always have a ball at these things and I don’t think this year will be the exception. Besides, I have to get Kim to sign this very special page in person :P.
San Diego Comic Con 2014
July 24-27, 2014
More celebs! More movies! More TV shows! More Authors! More Parties! More COSTUMES!!! I. Can’t. WAIT!! I just hope SDCC approves me for a press pass ***fingers and toes are crossed***
If any of you are planning to attend either of these please drop me a line!
POLL!! The most anticipated read of 2014. YOU decide!
While Ever After (Hollows #11) managed a healthy lead last time, there’s a new batch of books coming to town! I’ll be sharing my “to do” for 2014 soon enough, but I want to know what you guys simply can’t wait for in the new year. And no, you can’t vote for more than one! Muahahaha! I plan to read several of these, though not all of them. Happy Voting!
2013 Year in Review!!
So I recently completed my Goodreads Reading Challenge for 2013! If you also participated in the challenge feel free to share! It was touch and go there as to whether or not I’d actually finish it, but I managed to get it done! I’m on vacation until the new year so I will likely not be reading any new books (heck I still need to review a few), but I’ve definitely got enough material for my Best of 2013 wrap up. Here are my top 10 favorites of 2013! Some books are probably rated better than others but I pretty much ranked these based on how much I enjoyed them and how much I am anticipating their sequels.
10.
The Night Prince Series by Jeaniene Frost
While I like Cat & Bones, I LOVE Vlad! He is my favorite character of the Night Huntress universe (yes, even over Bones) and I have been enjoying Frost treating him to his own series. I look forward to how she wraps up his trilogy. My reviews in case you missed them:
9.
The Mistborn Series by Brandon Sanderson
I plan to review this trilogy all together so that’s why I haven’t provided a review for this particular book yet. While there is a lot of world building, overall I really enjoyed the story. I loved the magic and I will absolutely read the sequels in January. I’ve only heard they get even better.
8.
The Immortal Circus by A. R. Kahler
This remains my favorite Amazon Prime freebie of the year! The circus theme and the magic totally rocked. I didn’t enjoy the sequel quite as much, but it was still a good read. My reviews:
The Immortal Circus
The Immortal Circus: Act Two
7.
Archangel’s Legion (Guild Hunter #6) by Nalini Singh
This is my favorite angel series and it all started with Raphael and Elena, so I was glad to see this book return to their storyline. Here’s hoping my favorites, Venom and Ilium, can get their own books soon! My review:
Archangel’s Legion (Guild Hunter #6)
6.
Origins (Lux #4) and Obsession (Arum Novel) by Jennifer Armentrout
I lumped these together because they are from the same series. Obsession is not surprisingly an adult spinoff while Lux is filed under YA. These are my favorite novels of the series! My reviews:
Origin
Obsession
5.
The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani
This was probably my favorite debut novel of the year! I enjoyed it from beginning to the end (well, almost), but all in all I am definitely hooked and plan to be back for more. And there WILL be more! My review:
4.
Unchained by J. Lynn (Jennifer Armentrout)
After finishing this book I realized I am clearly just a fan of Jennifer Armentrout’s writing. I think she chose a pen name because this was an earlier work and it kind of showed, but I was still invested from beginning to end. Making my top 10 with 2 series (three if you want to get technical) is definitely a clear sign if I ever needed one. I have decided to read all of her paranormal novels. That is not a guarantee for every author I enjoy, including some of my favorite authors, so I think she’s pretty special. My review:
Unchained (Nephilim Rising #1)
3.
Magic Rises (Kate Daniels #6) by Ilona Andrews
This was a true game changer for the series and it is probably my favorite Kate Daniels book to date. I so love it when authors make their series STRONGER as the books go on. And better yet, there’s clearly a LOT more story to tell and I plan to be there for them to tell it! My review:
2.
Bloodlines Series by Richelle Mead
If someone told me a year ago that I’d finish the Vampire Academy books and it’d be its spinoff that would end up being my favorite YA/NA series…yeah I’d have called the loony bin for said person. But here we are! Richelle Mead’s writing tends to polarize people and that’s why I’ve stayed away because I felt like I’d be more likely to side with the disgruntled bunch, but damn it if she doesn’t have me by the balls on this one! I adore the series and can’t wait to read Books 5 and 6. My reviews:
Bloodlines overview
The Fiery Heart (Bloodlines #4)
***1.***
The Hollows Series by Kim Harrison
SHOCKER!!! Yeah, I’m j/k. If you’re a follower of this blog this series needs no introduction or my continued fangirling…but I’m going to do it anyway :P. The two books here really are the pièce de résistance of the series and I am so happy that this is my favorite of favorites! Next year I’ll likely place The Undead Pool and Hollows #13 in this slot for the last time and that makes me a little sad, but hey, it’ll go out on top! Below is my review for Ever After. I’m working up one for The Undead Pool so I’ll post my link to the teasers and quotes. I plan to re-read it this week to finalize my review and I will update this link:
The Sharpest Blade (Shadow Reader, #3) by Sandy Williams
Synopsis: McKenzie Lewis’s ability to read the shadows has put her—and …those she loves—in harm’s way again and again. The violence must end, but will the cost of peace be more devastating than anyone ever imagined? After ten years of turmoil, the life McKenzie has always longed for may finally be within her grasp. No one is swinging a sword at her head or asking her to track the fae, and she finally has a regular—albeit boring—job. But when a ruthless enemy strikes against her friends, McKenzie abandons her attempt at normalcy and rushes back to the Realm.
With the fae she loves and the fae she’s tied to pulling her in different directions, McKenzie must uncover the truth behind the war and accept the painful sacrifices that must be made to end it. Armed with dangerous secrets and with powerful allies at her side, her actions will either rip the Realm apart—or save it
Review: I read the first Shadow Reader novel a couple of years ago, but due to the supposed cliffhanger nature of the second book I decided to hold off on continuing the series until it was completed. After a back-to-back read I don’t feel either novel was as strong as the original.
I do appreciate the world that Sandy Williams creates and how it intertwines and conflicts with the human world. The fae culture is very developed and unique in this series. I definitely wouldn’t say it’s a boring read because things are constantly happening, but I honestly didn’t feel as if I was on the edge of my seat waiting for what would happen either. I kind of figured out where things would go, it was just a matter of how the story would get there.
Most of the time I actually felt these books could be better suited to the young adult genre than the adult genre. Part of that could be due to how immature McKenzie is sometimes along with the usual interrupted opportunities. I am a big fan of good characterization (most of the time that keeps me engaged better than a plot will) and I felt like there was more to be desired when it comes to personality from these characters. I liked all of them more in the first book, but in the sequels there was more self-centered drama that I could have done without.
I felt like the love triangle was already settled in the first book, so I was annoyed with the perpetual reminders about why she chooses who she chooses. The life bond situation served to annoy me more than entertain because it unnecessarily reinforced that idea. That and its place in the story still didn’t make sense to me. She felt how she felt about that person before the bond, so why would she doubt her feelings now just because the feelings between both of them are connected? “Oh boo hoo, I’m connected to someone who loves me more than anything. Whatever shall I do?” Ultimately, I just really didn’t like the dynamics of the trio.
Though I have my gripes, I do think it’s a fairly solid trilogy overall.
*ARC Provided by the publisher.
POLL! Hollows News: Kim Harrison’s 2014 Tour Stops. Will you be there?
Hi everyone! The Hollows re-read is in full force and if you haven’t joined in yet the group is on book 6, The Outlaw Demon Wails, and it’s still available for $1.99 on ebook through December 18th. I just finished it tonight. This was one of my favorites at the time. It still is though it’s considerably lower on the list compared to the latest books. I’m having a great time with this trip down memory lane! The clues are sooo obvious now that I know what they mean.
If you didn’t know, Kim Harrison has announced all of her tour stops for The Undead Pool tour. Though she’s hitting the east coast pretty hard, I will have to travel the farthest to meet her this time (San Diego Comic Con doesn’t count, lol). I suppose I can’t complain considering how she won’t be visiting the west coast at all! And of ALL books, this is NOT the one where I wouldn’t regret missing this signing. They are just so much fun and I look forward to going every year. So it’ll be a road trip yet again for me. It looks like New York, New York will be the place, the place. Raleigh, NC is also a possibility (though less likely). They are equidistant from me. Is Kim coming to a city near you? If you’re planning to attend either the NYC or Raleigh, NC signings as well, let me know!
Loading ...Sanctum (Guards of the Shadowlands #1) by Sarah Fine. Fine’s Work is Fine Work!
Synopsis: “My plan: Get into the city. Get Nadia. Find a way out. Simple.” A week ago, seventeen-year-old Lela Santos’s best friend, Nadia, killed herself. Today, thanks to a farewell ritual gone awry, Lela is standing in paradise, looking upon a vast gated city in the distance—hell. No one willingly walks through the Suicide Gates, into a place smothered in darkness and infested with depraved creatures. But Lela isn’t just anyone—she’s determined to save her best friend’s soul, even if it means sacrificing her eternal afterlife.
As Lela struggles to find Nadia, she’s captured by the Guards, enormous, not-quite-human creatures that patrol the dark city’s endless streets. Their all-too-human leader, Malachi, is unlike them in every way except one: his deadly efficiency. When he meets Lela, Malachi forms his own plan: get her out of the city, even if it means she must leave Nadia behind. Malachi knows something Lela doesn’t—the dark city isn’t the worst place Lela could end up, and he will stop at nothing to keep her from that fate.
Review: This was my first time reading Sarah Fine’s work, and it was fine work! I thought the world building was particularly stellar. The Shadowlands (a purgatory-like environment for those who commit suicide) and its inhabitants were well-developed. Some creatures were downright scary and not always because of their appearance. The psychological mind games were disturbing at times because of how normal some of the creatures and villains initially behave.
I particularly liked our leading lady and lad, Lela and Malachi. Though she’s not perfect and is capable of making critical mistakes, I appreciate Lela’s values and her selflessness. Her checkered and tragic past explains a lot about why she is the way she is. Malachi’s character is more of a mystery for a while, but he is a warrior through and through. They have great chemistry together, but I found myself appreciating most of the relationships in this book, platonic or otherwise. There were intriguing twists and turns that made the novel really hard to put down. Though this is a young adult novel, most of the time it really didn’t feel that way. The novel deals with very sobering subject matters from drug use to suicide to genocide to child abuse to rape. Let’s not forget the violence either. But the characters have motivations for a better tomorrow and that’s reason enough for me to root for them. While that works for me as someone who typically prefers adult series to YA, it may not sit as well with other readers.
Whenever I pick up a book and feel like I’m believably transported to another world, the author has done their job. I am really looking forward to the sequel.
The Immortal Circus: Act Two (Cirque des Immortels #2) by A.R. Kahler
Synopsis: Vivienne is almost content with her new life in the Cirque des Immortels. She has moved up from selling cotton candy to telling fortunes, she has a gorgeous, magical boyfriend, Kingston…and no one has been murdered since the clash between the otherworldly Courts. Her life under the faerie big top would be perfect, in fact, if not for the nightmares and visions that compel her to seek and confront her half-remembered past. But for Viv, not knowing her past may well be a blessing. There’s a reason she ran away. But can she truly escape herself? The second act of the fantastically evocative Cirque des Immortels series, The Immortal Circus: Act Two draws readers further into a world that’s at once wonderful, seductive…and deadly. Step right up…
Review: I purchased this one as a kindle serial when it’d started, but I didn’t read it until it was completed. I’m very glad I made that decision. I was excited to finally read this as I was very impressed with the debut. And while I thought it was still a fairly strong read, it didn’t quite hit the mark for me as much as book 1 did. There were a lot of revelations and plots twists that weren’t always predictable, but I didn’t necessarily enjoy where they led. Its short page count tends to limit character development as well, so some characters (villains especially) came off as more two-dimensional. Kingston is probably my favorite character in this series. His magic abilities are always interesting and the story really comes alive when he’s on the page, but his secrets could lead to steep consequences so trusting him may not be very easy or smart.
The plot lines relating to the circus were good, but when Viv gets more involved in faerie politics it kind of lost me. It wasn’t necessarily bad and it does answer lingering questions, but it wasn’t very engaging or as unique. It also finishes with an open end. I wouldn’t quite call it a cliffhanger, but it wasn’t totally satisfying either. It would not surprise me if this series is a trilogy because this book felt like a trilogy’s second book, providing new developments while still leaving a lot on the table. Gripes aside, I am looking forward to Act 3 next year. I doubt I will read that one as a serial either because certain chapters were total cliffhangers.
Damon (The Protectors, #1) by Teresa Gabelman
Synopsis: Damon DeMasters is a vampire warrior who has taken an oath to protect his own kind as well as humans. As a social worker, Nicole Callahan fights for the right of every child placed in her care. Damon has been ordered to train Nicole and her colleagues against the dangers they now face. Even as sparks fly, Nicole and Damon depend on each other to protect the children of both races.
Review: I’m all about Amazon freebies and that’s why I gave this one a shot. I normally don’t set my expectations too high for novellas, but there are some that can surprise me on occasion with a very balanced and engaging story that makes the most of its page time. This one unfortunately wasn’t one of them for me. Though the goal of the heroine is noble, honestly I found the plot and dialogue fairly juvenile at times and I couldn’t really connect with the main pair. Though I’m not a grammar nazi, there were distracting mistakes as well that made it difficult to understand what the characters were saying and who was saying what. There are other books in this series but I probably won’t be keeping up with them.
Snow White and the Vampire (The Cursed Princes #2) by Marina Myles
Synopsis: Fog And Fascination
Alba Spencer thought her past in Romania and the dark magic that haunted it was behind her forever. She is one of the first female barristers now, safe in London. But London has its dark side, too. A man called the Ripper stalks the midnight streets. There are rumors that her hated stepmother has found her again, suggestions that the nightmares of her childhood are returning. And with them appears the cursed Gypsy boy she once loved, grown into a man more seductive and more terrifying than she ever could have dreamed…
Dimitri Grigorescu has become a surgeon, a gentleman—and a vampire. The lusts that drive his body are scarcely under control, and even he does not truly know what he is capable of. To fight evil and confusion, Alba must rely only on her wits—and a desire that overwhelms her doubts…
Review: Being the fan that I am of crossovers and retellings of old tales, I figured this would be right up my alley, cheesy cover aside. I’m a sucker for Disney and I make no apologies for it. After reading it I can confidentially say that the story is definitely better than the cover suggests.
One of the challenges of doing crossovers and retellings is that the author has to make the plot flow as cohesively as possible. I felt like this was handled well for the most part though there were a few subplots I didn’t care about. Above all the novel needs to be able to stand on its own and I think there was enough original content, world building and history to accomplish that. Though I know how Jack the Ripper, Snow White, and Dracula end, I wasn’t able to predict the direction of this book, which is a good thing.
While the story was enjoyable, I thought the actual characters were fairly flat and I wasn’t totally invested in the romance. It was nice to see Alba Spencer’s character as a barrister (a type of lawyer if you didn’t know) and in a position to solve problems, but it just wasn’t as compelling as I was hoping it would be for the majority of the novel. Her position does become more relevant and interesting toward the end, but by then it was too little too late for me. Dmitri’s inner turmoil got a little tiresome at times as well, but his position as a surgeon leads to a few interesting plot twists.
If you plan to give this a shot keep in mind that this book is the second novel in this series, but it is written as a standalone. I haven’t read the first book, but it’s completely different and features different characters.
*ARC provided by the publisher.
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