Urban Fantasy
Nora Roberts 'The Dragon Heart Legacy'
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I think most readers of paranormal / urban fantasy / fantasy novels don't think of Nora Roberts when they want something new to read. She's the queen of romance right? Yes, all her books have an element of steamy romance and you can be sure of a few sex scenes in all her books, plus there's the romantic tension involved in all her works. You know, as well, that a story by Nora Roberts will always have a happy ending even if tragedy seems unavoidable. You can trust her to bring the heroine/hero through scathing tragedy to a happily ever after ending.
But I think what people miss, is that Nora writes in various genres while using the romance category as the overall theme. Her science fiction may not be hard core, but the 'set in the future' police procedure In Death series is in the top five of series I read. I've read the entire series about Eve Dallas and Roarke at least four times from book 1 to the most current at the time. While I'm not a normal fan of the romance genre, Nora knows how to put a great story together and create characters that I want to know, that I want to fall in love with, be friends with, or strangle with my own hands. Her most recent trilogy, The Dragon Heart Legacy, is an Urban Fantasy / Romance for which book 3 is due in November 2022. It's about Breen Siobhan Kelly, born of a human and fae union. Her fae father is dead and her human mother protects her daughter from finding out about her roots by not telling Breen anything of her heritage. Of course, Breen finds out anyway and eventually discovers she may be the key to stopping the destruction of both worlds. While Nora doesn't write in the first person like so many successful authors do today, she has a natural gift for character creation and plot development. The story took me inside the universe she's created and has made me eager for the next book. If you enjoy books about the clash between the magical realms and our present day reality, I strongly recommend The Dragon Heart series. I give The Dragon Heart Legacy series 5 out of 5 stars. https://amzn.to/3Oju0nj |
The Reckoners by Brandon Sanderson
Brandon Sanderson is an author I have not read a lot of. I know him from The Wheel of Time books he wrote after Robert Jordan passed, and for The Reckoners Series. I keep meaning to add The Mistborn and Stormlight books to my TBR list, but they haven't made it there yet.
Sanderson is a good storyteller. I think he sells a lot of books because he reached that threshold where popularity equates great sales. I mean no disrespect to his fans, but that is my opinion. He's a good story teller but I stop short of calling him brilliant. But, like I said, I haven't read all his stories yet and this is my opinion.
The Reckoners Series is three books about anti-superheroes who get created when a strange light in the sky called Calamity shows up. A few ordinary people are given a superpower and it turns them into sociopathic self aggrandizing tyrants. These nightmare people are called Epics.
The Reckoners are a group who is dedicated to killing the Epics. The story revolves around a young (teenage) boy who harbors hatred for the Epics because someone he loved was killed by one. He joins the Reckoners to help get rid of them. In each of the three books David Charleston works hard to do just that, while falling in love and losing more friends to the monsters.
There are impossible situations that David must figure his way out of. There's a girl he is falling for who has a secret, the leader of the Reckoners who also has a secret, and a grumpy, grizzly old warrior who toughens David up to turn him into an Epic killer.
Although Sanderson departs from the Fantasy worlds he is good at building, this more modern Urban Fantasy is well done, fast paced, and hard to put down. The first three adventures are definitely worth the price. I give the series 4 out of 5 stars. You can purchase the full set or individual books on Amazon. www.amazon.com/dp/B01MA1CF2P
(Addendum: I purchased and listened to the audio book 'LUX A Texas Reckoners Novel' and wish I hadn't. It was the Reckoner's story in almost exact detail only the names and super powers were changed. There is an unbeatable Epic, a young boy, a girl, a grizzly old warrior to toughen the boy up... Sanderson just took the boilerplate and twiddled with it a bit. I was disappointed.
Sanderson is a good storyteller. I think he sells a lot of books because he reached that threshold where popularity equates great sales. I mean no disrespect to his fans, but that is my opinion. He's a good story teller but I stop short of calling him brilliant. But, like I said, I haven't read all his stories yet and this is my opinion.
The Reckoners Series is three books about anti-superheroes who get created when a strange light in the sky called Calamity shows up. A few ordinary people are given a superpower and it turns them into sociopathic self aggrandizing tyrants. These nightmare people are called Epics.
The Reckoners are a group who is dedicated to killing the Epics. The story revolves around a young (teenage) boy who harbors hatred for the Epics because someone he loved was killed by one. He joins the Reckoners to help get rid of them. In each of the three books David Charleston works hard to do just that, while falling in love and losing more friends to the monsters.
There are impossible situations that David must figure his way out of. There's a girl he is falling for who has a secret, the leader of the Reckoners who also has a secret, and a grumpy, grizzly old warrior who toughens David up to turn him into an Epic killer.
Although Sanderson departs from the Fantasy worlds he is good at building, this more modern Urban Fantasy is well done, fast paced, and hard to put down. The first three adventures are definitely worth the price. I give the series 4 out of 5 stars. You can purchase the full set or individual books on Amazon. www.amazon.com/dp/B01MA1CF2P
(Addendum: I purchased and listened to the audio book 'LUX A Texas Reckoners Novel' and wish I hadn't. It was the Reckoner's story in almost exact detail only the names and super powers were changed. There is an unbeatable Epic, a young boy, a girl, a grizzly old warrior to toughen the boy up... Sanderson just took the boilerplate and twiddled with it a bit. I was disappointed.
Minimum Wage Magic by Rachel Aaron
Rachel Aaron has written lots and lots of books. I have to confess I had not heard of her until I saw a reader recommend her on TikTok.
Minimum Wage Magic is book 1 of Aaron's DFZ Series.
Opal Young-ae has magic but was never a good student. She lives in the Detroit Free Zone which was taken over by a magical entity that can shift its streets and buildings on a whim.
Opal is a Cleaner, a contract employee who bids on jobs to clean out apartments and get them ready for the new owner. The Cleaner is awarded everything that is left in the apartment and hopes to profit by selling anything found of value.
Opal has been having a streak of bad luck when she comes across a particular symbol in an apartment up for bid. The place looks far too grungy and ordinary to bid on, but she gets excited and ends up with the contract.
What ensues, is a series of encounters with powerful people and entities who could destroy Opal with a flick of a finger. She is led to a quest by things she finds and that quest could well get her killed, or force her to move back home (Worth the price of the book to know what that is about!).
If you enjoy the sort of hero who has no real special ability but survives on their wits and is stubborn enough to risk death to keep their independence, then you will love "Minimum Wage Magic". www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JWFDM2F
Minimum Wage Magic is book 1 of Aaron's DFZ Series.
Opal Young-ae has magic but was never a good student. She lives in the Detroit Free Zone which was taken over by a magical entity that can shift its streets and buildings on a whim.
Opal is a Cleaner, a contract employee who bids on jobs to clean out apartments and get them ready for the new owner. The Cleaner is awarded everything that is left in the apartment and hopes to profit by selling anything found of value.
Opal has been having a streak of bad luck when she comes across a particular symbol in an apartment up for bid. The place looks far too grungy and ordinary to bid on, but she gets excited and ends up with the contract.
What ensues, is a series of encounters with powerful people and entities who could destroy Opal with a flick of a finger. She is led to a quest by things she finds and that quest could well get her killed, or force her to move back home (Worth the price of the book to know what that is about!).
If you enjoy the sort of hero who has no real special ability but survives on their wits and is stubborn enough to risk death to keep their independence, then you will love "Minimum Wage Magic". www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JWFDM2F
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Sarah J. Maas is huge in the fantasy world. At the time I'm writing this she has over 80 novels available on Amazon, is a New York Times Best Selling author, and this book has over 50,000 reviews by itself.
Clearly, Maas is a very successful author.
I did enjoy A Court of Thorns and Roses but I always felt like I wasn't quite there with feeling something for the characters. The action is suspenseful and always had me wondering how the heck Feyre, the heroine of the story, was going to get out of this mess!
Feyre comes from a family that was once very prominent but has fallen into financial ruin. If Feyre can't bring back something from her hunting, the family starves. One day she is hunting an elk and she sees a wolf who looks like it is about to take her kill. She kills it in defense, as her only alternative is to go home empty handed and slowly starve with her two sisters and her father.
By killing the wolf she sets off a series of events and meets one of the super powerful beings, the faeries. It's great entertainment. Perhaps I was expecting more from such a big name. Maybe it's because I'm an old guy, definitely not in the demographics of people who read her work and so couldn't really relate to the characters. There is just something about this story that nagged at me. It seemed like it could be so much better.
On a side note, I really hate the cover. If it had not been a Maas book I would have passed by it!
So if you like overwhelming odds, a tough if perhaps slightly crazy heroine, battling impossible odds and truly evil beings, give this book a try. I give it 3 out of 5 stars. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OZP5VRS
Clearly, Maas is a very successful author.
I did enjoy A Court of Thorns and Roses but I always felt like I wasn't quite there with feeling something for the characters. The action is suspenseful and always had me wondering how the heck Feyre, the heroine of the story, was going to get out of this mess!
Feyre comes from a family that was once very prominent but has fallen into financial ruin. If Feyre can't bring back something from her hunting, the family starves. One day she is hunting an elk and she sees a wolf who looks like it is about to take her kill. She kills it in defense, as her only alternative is to go home empty handed and slowly starve with her two sisters and her father.
By killing the wolf she sets off a series of events and meets one of the super powerful beings, the faeries. It's great entertainment. Perhaps I was expecting more from such a big name. Maybe it's because I'm an old guy, definitely not in the demographics of people who read her work and so couldn't really relate to the characters. There is just something about this story that nagged at me. It seemed like it could be so much better.
On a side note, I really hate the cover. If it had not been a Maas book I would have passed by it!
So if you like overwhelming odds, a tough if perhaps slightly crazy heroine, battling impossible odds and truly evil beings, give this book a try. I give it 3 out of 5 stars. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OZP5VRS