Urban-Fantasy

REVIEW: Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews

REVIEW: Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews

Dear Ms. Andrews: Sometimes as a reader your expectations are shaken, but in a very positive way. My expectations in non romance genre books have been set by popular series like those of Laurell K Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, and Janet Evanovich wherein love matches are hinted at but never resolved or take years and several(…)

REVIEW: Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane

REVIEW: Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane

Dear Ms. Kane, I am not a big horror fan. I don’t find movies like Paranormal Activity, Resident Evil or 28 Days Later enjoyable. And for clarifcation purposes, I love Blade Runner, 12 Monkeys and Serenity. I nearly got thrown out of business class once when I kept yelping aloud during Signs and I was(…)

Paranormals by the (Unscientific) Numbers

Paranormals by the (Unscientific) Numbers

Jane’s Note: Someone more adept at gathering and collating information contacted me about doing a guest post on paranormal books from the perspective of what editors are buying. The numbers were interesting and I was glad to post the following: Paranormal has been the hot genre for years now – readers (and publishers) can't seem(…)

REVIEW: Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris

REVIEW: Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris

Dear Ms. Harris: The first time I read Dead in the Family I felt almost hypnotized by the emotional aftermath of the horror Sookie faced in the last book, Dead and Gone. Enthralled by the effects of her trauma and the painfully slow steps she was making toward recovery, I could barely summon my critical(…)

REVIEW: Shadow Blade by Seressia Glass

REVIEW: Shadow Blade by Seressia Glass

Dear Ms. Glass, Fictional diversity is a favorite topic here at Dear Author, and a personal focus of mine. I’m very resistant to the idea that readers don’t want to see more diverse representation in their books because I’m a reader and I very much want to see that. So I was very happy to(…)

REVIEW:  Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs

REVIEW: Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs

Dear Ms. Briggs: I’m pretty amazed and delighted at the consistency of your writing. Even though you have increased your writing schedule to include one more book release, it still seems the quality of your work has remained the same. As my fellow reviewer, Jayne, would say “Huzzah”. I’ll confess that I found the book(…)

REVIEW: And Falling, Fly by Skylar White

REVIEW: And Falling, Fly by Skylar White

Dear Ms. White: I am a reluctant paranormal reader these days. Everything seems so common that it’s hard to generate excitement.   This book came to me on the recommendation of someone whose previous recommendations had worked out for me and so I took a chance. I was so glad that I did.   This is a(…)

REVIEW: On the Edge by Ilona Andrews

REVIEW: On the Edge by Ilona Andrews

Dear Ms. Andrews, On the Edge was the first of your books that I’ve read, but it will not be the last. Rose Drayton and her two young brothers, Jack and Georgie, live in the Edge, an area where two dimensions known as the Weird and the Broken overlap. In the Weird, people have magical(…)

REVIEW: Never After by Laurell K. Hamilton

Okay. So before I begin reviewing the anthology NEVER AFTER I have two warnings. #1: YE OLDE SPOILERS AHOY. Seriously. I am incapable of talking about stories without-talking about stories. #2: This will be disjointed as hell. There are plenty of reviewers who are capable of smooth, cohesive, intelligent reviews. I am not one of(…)

REVIEW: Demon Forged by Meljean Brook

REVIEW: Demon Forged by Meljean Brook

Dear Ms Brook: I participated in a debate the other day on Twitter about whether Romance keeps women in a traditional social position by linking love and the nuclear family to a woman’s ultimate happiness. The Guardians series is one of those I would recommend as an example of how powerfully Romance can subvert traditional(…)

REVIEW: Witch Craft by Caitlin Kittredge

Dear Ms. Kittredge, I have a very hard time explaining why I keep reading this series.   As I’ve mentioned in the past, the main character, Luna Wilder, can be really off-putting at times.   On the other hand, it’s very nice to see her maturing and evolving over the course of the series.   The Luna Wilder(…)

REVIEW: Raven by Allison Van Diepen

Dear Ms. Van Diepen, I can’t remember exactly where I first stumbled across your work. I think it might have been through a string of random link hopping that originated from a list of future Harlequin Teen authors. While your first book from Harlequin Teen won’t be coming out until next year, it turns out(…)

REVIEW: Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs

Dear Ms. Briggs, Even though I adored “Alpha and Omega” in the anthology On the Prowl, the story which introduced readers to the werewolves Charles and Anna, and also loved the first novel in the series which follows these characters, Cry Wolf, I’m not sure I’m the best person to review Hunting Ground, the latest(…)

REVIEW: Spider Touched by Jory Strong

Dear Ms. Strong: I like this book and I think it has great worldbuilding, but my big takeaway was “if I never read cuntlips again, I’ll die a happy reader.” On to the story. Spider Touched is the second in the urban fantasy series started with Ghostland. I think that my understanding of this complex(…)

REVIEW: Mark of the Demon by Diana Rowland

REVIEW: Mark of the Demon by Diana Rowland

Dear Ms. Rowland: I’ve been stuck in a reading rut for months. Nothing has appealed to me.   Even books I was dying to get my hands on 6 months ago have languished away unread on my bookshelves.   After I explained my situation to Jane, she recommended your work and I’m glad that she did.   I  (…)