Books Under $5 - READERS Group discussion
Fantasy and UF
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by J. C. Daniels? Yeah, it's violent. It's still one of the best books I've read all year. This is a must read.
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Confessions of a D-List Supervillain
by Jim Bernheimer
This is a comic book superhero type of novel. Was very well-written, funny in spots and a fun read.
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by Anna Elliot. Yeah, it probably has one of the worst covers I've ever come across too, but don't let that put you off. It's an awesome read!
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Frank Tuttle has numerous works out, some by small publishers and some self-published. There isn't a bad one in the lot. Wistril Compleat is a self published anthology--and a good intro to Tuttle's humor and skill as a storyteller. His Markhat series is published by Samhain (I think all of them) and is a fantastic and imaginative series. Love it. Dead Man's Rain is a good place to start the Markhat books.
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Chance in Hell
Definitely worth a look. Some bad puns (very bad) but pretty much in keeping with the age-group. Some of the characters were something else. :>)
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Also Hollowland by Amanda Hocking. Dystopian YA --page turner. Great characterization.
For steampunk fantasy you could read Lindsay Buroker's The Emperor's Edge I haven't read the sequels yet but the first was very good.Also for a time travel kind of romantic fantasy you could go with Out of Time which also has a sequel that I haven't read yet. Hm. May have to get on that.
Anyway, for adventure fantasy starring thieves, there is always the The Crown Conspiracy book one of six. Has humor, sort of a buddy bromance, lots of hithering to and fro stealing and hiding and whatnot for good or ill.
Maria wrote: "HOW could I forget 
by J. C. Daniels? Yeah, it's violent. It's still one of the best books I've read all year. This is a must read."OK, how did you get the cover pic in there? You have magic powers!
I read this and was blown away, then re-read it after I read book #2 in the series. And at the 2nd read I was more dubious - she still had me hooked (and I am so looking forward to book #3) but I was really annoyed by Kit! Something about the interaction with the H had me itching to give them both a piece of my mind...
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by J. C. Daniels? Yeah, it's violent. It's still one of the best books I've read all year. This is a must read."OK, how did yo..."
When you post, look at the top of the post box. There's a addbook/author link. You click that, enter the author or book name. At the bottom of THAT box, there is a selection to put either the link or the cover! Magic!
I don't know that the first would stand up to a second reading...and I am putting off book 2 until book 3 is out. The description sounded like Book 2 would be full of stupid angst. And I am harsh on angst (mostly feels like a contrived plot to keep two people apart who are obviously attracted to each other...)
What was your take on that? Was book 2 a bit contrived? Or just...what?
Contrived? No, not really - the lines are there all along, it seems like it's consciously plotted and it's not all a "let's throw some trouble at them so we can have lots of make-up drama" either. I'd say she is really going for a wham-bang third book, there are a lot of dark clouds piling up on the horizon, this on top of the beating Kit took in book 2. (Not really a spoiler, that - I was worried about reading it as the author kept tweeting responses she'd got about how bad she was to the h in the book.) (Violent, yes. OTT, no, not really.) And not too much of a cliffhanger either, though I do want to read book 3 the moment it drops into my kindle:)
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The blurb for book 2 made me think that Kit was going to play everything really stupid and not utilize her partner's strengths in book 2. I will hold out hope that is not the case...
I get from Twitter that the author is working as fast as she can, but the release is scheduled (Nov?). I'd say you can read it now, but that's just me. Anyone else read it and can chime in?
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We are the only two in the universe who have read the series...
Must be. Just re-read book #2 with your comments in mind and am really looking forward to your take on it:)
I found The Puppet Maker's Bones to be very entertaining. It's got a bit of urban and a bit of historical and it has some darkness in there too.Meant to be eventually part of a series, but I wouldn't be put off by that. I thought it worked very well as a standalone.
Writing - very good
Story - interesting and it felt fresh
Shade - fairly dark
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. Alisa has also written another book that I liked a lot despite it uses a storytelling technique I'm not particularly fond of. Under the Looking Glass. It's not a fantasy, more a surreal psychological mystery.
Both books have been reviewed on my site if you're looking for more details.
I recently finished Game of Souls which I can recommend. I don't know if I would say it's sublime, but it was enjoyable, had an interesting magical system and didn't inundate the reader with info dumps.It's the first in a series/trilogy and I'm not sure how long it will be until the next is out. The author seems busy on more than one parallel project so it could be a while. Although there are some resolutions it clearly leads towards a second episode.
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This sounds less dark than the first one. I've followed your blog off and on. Is it safe to say you lean towards the dark side in your reading?? :>)
I guess I do prefer darker fiction. It's not that I don't like happy things, it's just that they need to be surrounded by sadness and despair. ;)Actually, I didn't mention Pale Queen's Courtyard and The Whitechapel Gambit two quite different fantasy stories from the pen of Marcin Wrona. One is a more traditional fantasy set in a fantasy world modelled after Mesopotamia and the other was a Victorian Steam/Clockpunk work. I enjoyed both and will be reading more from this author.
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Actually, I didn't mention Pale Queen's Courtyard ..."
I know someone on this forum who happens to love steampunk! I take it it's not really too dark?
Oh good, we'll make sure and make suggestions for you that have despair...gah!
I checked out The Whitechapel Gambit and the description is so annoyingly vague. I might have to give it a try at some point.Just finished Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic which I believe is small press. I liked it, even though it hit some of my pet peeve buttons. Good main, interesting (if a bit vague) magic and werewolves and a vampire to boot. Not to mention all sorts of cupcakes and chocolate.
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Now I find myself craving cupcakes and chocolate. Dang it.
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I wouldn't say it is cozy - don't let the cupcakes throw you off. I think you might like it, yes. Not positive of course, you're so finicky...;-) There is a mystery - who is killing people by draining out their blood? - and some interesting interaction with the local werewolf pack who are investigating and the enforcer vampire who is working with them to find out the murderer. The main is dimmer than I like but pretty decent as they go.
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Oh that's good. I'll add it to the wish list.
April wrote: "I checked out The Whitechapel Gambit and the description is so annoyingly vague. I might have to give it a try at some point.One of the best things about this book is the world the author created. It really is quite fascinating. It's not a thick book so it's not lavishly detailed, but I still enjoyed it.
It's dark in the sense that all Victorian-style societies tend to have quite a bit of darkness - and the main character is a young, small lad who becomes rather quickly destitute, so you see some of the seedier sides of the city.
I think I remember there were some parts of the story where the action was a little confusing as you actually have some time jumps between older and younger Squeak.
But I definitely enjoyed it overall.
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One of the best things about this book is the world th..."
I started this and it's actually quite good. The character is done well and the whole thing is unique. Kindle somehow lost my place for me at the moment (and really threw me for loop with an age change!) I think overall it may not have enough action to keep me glued to the book, but it's enjoyable, different and intriguing.
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I feared it was going to leave the ending hanging for the next book, but it was a satisfactory ending.
I would have preferred that the same old tired legend not be used for some of the characters/background but that is because if I never have to read any of that same legend again, I would be happy. I happen to loathe most retold fairy tales of any sort and this one in particular. The author certainly has the imagination to put together unique world building without relying on such.
Characterization is quite good and varied. There are lots of characters/types and that kept things interesting.
My only real complaint is that the battles became rather endless--just kill the guy/other guy/that guy. I'm tired of seeing you fight the same old guy and one or the other of you gets away. It's a common theme in books of this nature (think Robert Crais, Lee Child, Clive Cussler -- only the UF version). I began to skim battle scenes.
The tension and storytelling was well-done, but a few less battle scenes would have made the book a stronger read for me overall. A constant "upping" the ante was used and generally with good skill, but it did wear on me mostly because this story was at the edges of what I'll read rather than the type of story I hunt out.
Romance: The character doesn't know the meaning of the word, so no, there isn't any. Okay, okay, the character thinks there is some, but I still deny it. The hopping into bed was the other part that was overdone for me, although the author was clever about providing plot reasons and even at times the main character suspected he might be being setup. Let's hope if there is another book the author doesn't use the same trick and that the protag gets smarter. I think it worked in this book (not to say it didn't annoy me) but like with female protags who are too well loved by every male (Charlaine Harris, I'm looking at you) that theme wears thin.
There were minimal typos, but several run-on sentences where two sentences were joined by commas. This wasn't all that frequent and was most often done during dialogue so it may have been done on purpose in some places.
Overall I think the writing and plotting could be 4 stars, but I probably won't rate the book that high because my personal preferences of what I like in a story aren't quite that high.
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Of course, it's terribly implausible much like Susanna and the Spy but has quite the character set to make it enjoyable. The ending was the best part with a nice set up for book 2.
The writing was flawless, the words and accents of the characters just enough.
This is NOT my normal genre, but it is well-written for what it is. If you're looking for a light read to pass the time pleasantly, this book fits that bill.
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From what little I can gather the author has a small publisher that handles the print copies. I'm not sure how the ebooks come about.
This story is a MUST READ for anyone who likes UF. I absolutely loved it.
Maria wrote: "Finished Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective Wow. Just wow. Quite possibly the best UF I've read this year, and certainly for a while. This is right up there with the very best UF out there. F..."
On the list it goes!
Caleb wrote: "I recently finished Game of Souls which I can recommend. I don't know if I would say it's sublime, but it was enjoyable, had an interesting magical system and didn't inundate the reader with info d..."Just an update on this recommendation. I completed a formal review on my site. If you're interested in what I thought about it, here's the link: http://papyrus.calebblake.net/2013/07/19/game-of-souls-by-terry-c-simpson/
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Good, in-depth review. You put a lot of thought into your reviews. I found the comparisons you made interesting although I've read neither book. I love it when an author masters "info" versus "info dump." :>)
Just read the prequel novella Raw Deal which leads into the Bite Back series. I very much enjoyed it and am now going to look into getting the first in the series Sleight of Hand. Anyone who likes good UF with good characterization and an interesting mystery should give this one a try.
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Cool. I just listed Raw Deal in the bargains and freebies section!
April wrote: "Just read the prequel novella Raw Deal which leads into the Bite Back series. I very much enjoyed it and am now going to look into getting the first in the series Sleight of Hand. Anyone who like..."Nabbed it - thank you!
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I like the covers - none of the standard painful poses in inappropriate clothes. Nothing to write home about artisic-wise, but decent with nothing to put someone off at first look.
I'm the opposite. I really hate that style of cover. But it does follow the trend of Urban/Paranormal Fantasy covers of today, so it's doesn't seem fitting to be too critical.
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I like the model, but I think it could be blended better so she fits into the scene a bit more. But I'm hypercritical of those things.
Trust me, Caleb, those covers sell better for UF than other styles. They are an instant marker of the genre for most readers. They know what to expect. The more traditional fantasy type cover art, well, it has been branded as fantasy so UF readers may well overlook a good UF because they assume it's epic fantasy. YMMV.
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I recently read The Takers by R. W. Ridley. They advertise it as a cross between Stephen King and Wizard of Oz - but I'm not so sure that was a great comparison to make.I did like the story. It's more YA than adult, but still fairly dark. The story itself moved along well and I did get into it. It has a few mechanisms I don't usually like in stories - one obviously triggered the comparison to Wizard of Oz. However, overall I enjoyed it.
It's part of a series of six books so far and I already own the first three so I'll probably progress to the next when I have a gap in my reading schedule.
If you don't like any YA feel at all, I'd probably skip it, but if you don't mind a blend of darkness and YA, this IPPY award winner might be worth a go.
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I did like the story. It's..."
Interesting. I've been reading a lot less YA lately and partly because so much of it is dark. I also have a relative who is very into the dramatics lately...which some YA overdo. And some relatives overdo...
Thanks for the writeup.
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So yeah, she does a good job with tension and in this story, all the other pieces are there too--a good plot/mystery, pacing and some interesting characters. I couldn't totally empathize with a love of theater (not at all if you must know. I don't watch movies or show or dramas or theater. I read.) Some of the analogies for one's spirit and soul were so spot on that I found myself nodding.
It's not really your standard UF, but I can't place my finger on why that is. Maybe because the heroine is so *normal*. She's not a chosen one, or kick-ass or particularly rich or lucky. She's just getting by acting, waitressing two jobs, etc.
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Books Under $5 - READERS Group
Books mentioned in this topic
WBI: Witches Bureau of Investigation (other topics)Nice Dragons Finish Last (other topics)
Wildfire (other topics)
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (other topics)
Clean Sweep (other topics)
More...
Illegal Magic This one is wacky, but fun. Decent read with some cozy elements (crazy family).
Stained Glass Monsters This is a five star fantasy read. Really enjoyed it. It's got all the necessary elements for "epic" without going into long descriptions or boring sides. Two great protags, this was an awesome adventures.
In the UF category I have to mention The Man Who Crossed Worlds Good stuff. This one is so futuristic in nature, I didn't really categorize it as UF until I talked with someone else about it. Yeah, I guess it's UF. This is tough guy UF--and the guy could stand to eat more. :>) I enjoyed this a lot and am eagerly awaiting the next book.