Monday, December 27, 2010

Best of 2010 - Adult Urban Fantasy

I love urban fantasy, it is probably my favorite genre and there are a ton of great series out there.  Below are my favorites from this year.

Kitty Norville by Carrie Vaughn
Kitty's House of Horrors (Kitty Norville, Book 7)
This was my favorite book in this series.  The whole series has been pretty solid, the first three books in it weren't great but later installments have been pretty awesome.

Cheshire Red Reports by Cherie Priest
Bloodshot
A great new urban fantasy series by Priest.  Seriously she can do no wrong as a writer.  I love everything she writes.  This book is lighter than her Clockwork Century stuff and lots of fun.  I look forward to reading the next book Hellbent when it comes out.

Jane Yellowrock by Faith Hunter
Blood Cross (Jane Yellowrock, Book 2)
A very awesome urban fantasy series.  The characters are spectacular, wonderful action and all around just a great read.  Check it out if you haven't.  The first book is Skinwalker (read it last year) and the third is Mercy Blade (due out in Jan..yes I have it pre-ordered).

Ilona Andrews
Magic Bleeds (Kate Daniels, Book 4)Bayou Moon (The Edge, Book 2)
Magic Bleeds- Kate Daniels series (my review)
Bayou Moon - The Edge series (my review)
Husband and wife writing team are top notch authors.  There books are full of awesome characters, kick-butt action scenes, creative worlds, and lots of fun.  Absolutely love everything they've written.  Kate Daniels is probably my number one favorite urban fantasy series right now...along with the series shown below.

Elemental Assassin by Jennifer Estep
Spider's Bite (Elemental Assassin, Book 1)Web of Lies (Elemental Assassin, Book 2)Venom (Elemental Assassin, Book 3)
Super creative, fun, and just perfectly balanced series.  Gin is an assassin who can wield elemental magic.  Really enjoy the action, humor, creativity, and wonderful characters in this series.  Along with the Kate Daniels series it is my favorite.

Thursday Next by Jasper Fforde
Lost in a Good Book (A Thursday Next Novel)The Well of Lost Plots (Thursday Next Series)Something Rotten (Thursday Next Novels)
A smart, hilarious, and interesting series.  I really enjoy these, although they are not quick reads.  There are layers of satire and jokes in these that are wonderfully complex.  Not really urban fantasy, but kind of, more speculative fantasy.  Includes alternate realities, time travel, and many journeys through literature (literally).

Jaz Parks by Jennifer Rardin
Bitten in Two (Jaz Parks, Book 7)
Another wonderful series featuring assassins and loads of magic of all sorts.  Jennifer Rardin sadly and unexpectidily passed away this year, but of course her books survive.  The series was completed before her death so we can expect the final book in the summer of 2011.

Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
Changes (Dresden Files, Book 12)
What can I say about the Dresden Files that someone else hasn't already?  This is a great series, read it!  The books just keep getting better and better...

Dorina Basarab by Karen Chance
Death's Mistress (Dorina Basarab, Book 2)
A great series by Chance.  I never really got into her Cassandra Palmer series but I really do like this one.  Dorina is funny and tough and there is a lot more action and magic in this book than in the Palmer series.

Spellbent by Lucy A. Snyder
Spellbent
Not for the faint of heart this is a gritty book with loads of violence.  The down to earth characters, crazy scenarios, and wonderful action scenes made it a joy to read.  Lots of fun here, I am reading the second one in the series Shotgun Sorceress right now.

Geoginia Kincaid by Richelle Mead
Succubus Shadows (Georgina Kincaid, Book 5)
A wonderful addition to the Georgina Kincaid series.  This is a great series and this was a wonderful book.  Adult fans of her Vampire Academy series should definitely check out this series too.

October Daye by Seanan McGuire
A Local Habitation (October Daye, Book 2)An Artificial Night (October Daye, Book 3)
A great series featuring faerie.  This has been a very creative and interesting series with great characters and writing.  I thoroughly enjoy this series and can't wait to see what happens next in it.

Nightside by Simon Green
The Good, the Bad, and the Uncanny (Nightside)
I have been reading The Nightside books for a while now and still love them.  The last few books were a bit less good than previous ones.  This book returned the series to its previous state of craziness and wittiness.  Love how creative this is, love the quirky characters, and the wonderful world.  You never know what will happen next...





No comments:

Post a Comment