Urban Fantasy discussion
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What are you reading? (Part 1)
I am reading The Enchantment Emporium by Tanya Huff and I'm having a REALLY hard time with it. I'm only 35 pages into it and I started to read it two days ago! I'm actually avoiding reading because this book is so confusing. Cousins sleeping with cousins, people with antlers, people who can travel on a mystical pathway. It's all over the place, with no explanations, like I should know all this already, yet it's the first book in a new series. This is the first time I've read anything by this author. Has anyone else read this yet? Most of the reviews here on goodreads gave it 4 or 5 stars and I'm ready to give up!
Oh. I haven't read Emporium yet. Sounds like it presumes a deep familiarity with the genre. Horns makes me think of Herne of the Wild Hunt and mystical highways makes me think of ley lines.Was there a short story perhaps that precedes it?
I'm thinking there might have been a short story for me to feel so lost. They say stag in relation to the antlers. They are obviously magical. I'm going to keep going, but I'm interested in what others thought of this book.
Melissa wrote: "I am reading The Enchantment Emporium by Tanya Huff and I'm having a REALLY hard time with it."That's too bad. I've loved everything I've read by Huff, some of her books are at the top of my list of favorites even. This one sounds kind of strange though. I'll probably buy it anyway just for completion's sake, but I'll wait for the paperback now instead of checking out the hardcover. I looked and I didn't see a mention of a short story anywhere. If you check out some reviews though, a lot of people though the beginning was confusing. Here's an excerpt from one review:
"The book is a difficult starter. There is next to no background given for the world building done here, so the reader has a steep learning curve at the beginning trying to make sense of it all, while also following the plot as it develops. However, all that straining to make the pieces fit quickly pays off as the story starts to hit its stride."
So maybe just keep trying, but I think if you've read 100 pages or so and still aren't digging it, maybe just give up.
Thanks for finding that review, Shannon! I'm just getting to the part where the cover synopsis explained so I'm hoping it will start to flow. I usually don't abandon a book until I've read at least 1/3 of it, so the 100 pages sounds about right.
Currently reading The Hob's BargainI'm having a hard time getting into it, but its for a gorup read so I'm going to keep at it. Hopefully it picks up.
I finished Hunting Grounds and gave it 5 stars. I am now starting the fourth J. R. Ward Brotherhood of the Black Dagger book.
Steph wrote: "Hey Carrie!I loved the Morganville series too. I can't wait for Fade Out! Yeah I read Halfway to the Grave and loved it. I'm gonna start reading One Foot in the Grave soon. I also like the House of Night series. I have read Marked and Betrayed so far its pretty good for YA."So far At Graves End is pretty good (I'm over halfway). YA is my favorite genre though. There's is just something about all the emotions and changes going on in the characters that I love to read about. I haven't read House of Night yet only because I know a lot of people that get really annoyed with the later books and stop reading it (or enjoying it). I will read it one day though.
I finished The Sharing Knife: Passage by Lois McMaster Bujold, Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs and Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman and will start reading White Knight by Jim Butcher.
Jessica wrote: "Currently reading The Hob's BargainI'm having a hard time getting into it, but its for a gorup read so I'm going to keep at it. Hopefully it picks up."
I liked that book, but it's my least favorite by Briggs.
Melissa wrote: "I am reading The Enchantment Emporium by Tanya Huff and I'm having a REALLY hard time with it. I'm only 35 pages into it and I started to read it two days ago! I'm actually avoidin..."That book took me about two weeks to finish. There were several times when I considered putting it down, but I stuck with it. Was it worth it? Not really. The cousins sleeping with cousins thing REALLY bothered me... and they aren't just sleeping with each other, they're having threesomes. Eww. On GoodReads, I believe I gave it 3 stars, but if I'd had the option, I would have given it 2-1/2.
Finished the first in the second series of the Hendee's Noble Dead stories; In Shade and Shadow. I notice a bad review here somewhere so I would like to give it a good review.It does center around Wynn, the Sage who is starting to grow-up and have a great many of her disillusions of the noble cause of her Sage Guild exposed for political maneuvering and not pure scholarship.
Its a book that fills in a lot of plot detail that is sure to come into play in the future so it hasn't much High Adventure/Sword Play as previously. It does expose the religious/social forces behind keeping the truth of the return of the 'great evil' that's the core of the series a secret.
It left many unanswered questions so I'm sure to read the next one. Chane the vampire has a role also which will be interesting to see in how it plays out. Plus a good deal of Occult Philosophy on how magic works in this world which I enjoy but which must bore others.
Michelle M. wrote: "Anne, if you've read Good Omens, you already have a good idea of Pratchett's style! He wrote A LOT of that because Gaiman's schedule was less flexible than Terry's at the time. "A great piece in the printing I read was the interview of the two Authors in the back talking about why they wrote Good Omens. Hilarious!
Michelle M. wrote: "Oh. I haven't read Emporium yet. Sounds like it presumes a deep familiarity with the genre. Horns makes me think of Herne of the Wild Hunt and mystical highways makes me think of ley lines."I read The Enchantment Emporium a few weeks ago and LOVED IT. It has nothing to do with Huff's previous stories. Here the women work the magic but men hold the "power" of the land/sex (myth of the horned god) 'The Aunties' baking pies they're always spelling to interfere with their children (all the cousins)...so funny.
Huff does like you to keep guessing as to what is going on. If you need a simple straight forward plot you're reading the wrong book.
I recommend it mostly for the humor in it (running joke about yo-yos) and quirky characters. It did seem like a stand alone but its not impossible to see it as series.
Go ahead with Outlander - beginning (set-up of main character and setting) is slightly sluggish, and yes, there are some rather "rough" spots, but they are part of the life and time. Don't deny yourself the pleasure of the rest of the book and the entire series. I absolutely loved all of them, and can't wait until more come out.
Just finished The Passage by Lois McMaster Bujold, and noted the Sharing Knife series Bujold is much like Gabaldon's Outlander series, in that both authors are gifted crafting at secondary characters who become as integral to the story and important to the reader as the main one(s). I always am sad when a Bujold series ends (Vorkosigan, Chalion, Sharing Knife); I always miss and want to hear more about her people.
Sammy wrote: "okay I was going to start outlander and have gone back to read some more reviews on it. I have read there is alot of rape and abuse and am debating on whether to follow thru with it now. Can anyone..."Oops, see my comments above re Outlander. I had hit wrong reply button.
Michelle M. wrote: "Anne, if you've read Good Omens, you already have a good idea of Pratchett's style! He wrote A LOT of that because Gaiman's schedule was less flexible than Terry's at the time. "I had no idea he wrote most of Good Omens! It's one of my favorites! I'm going to try to find some of his books today.
I'm starting Cry Wolf this afternoon. I read the first few pages the other day and really liked it! It made me really wish the next Mercy book would hurry up and come out already!
From a blog I received regarding the first North American Discworld Covention: Terry discussed some of the plot from his new book 'Unseen Academicals' and his next book, which he is writing now, is a Tiffany Aching book and is titled 'I Shall Wear Midnight.' Tiffany is a favorite of mine, I'm looking forward to all Pratchett's future work as he: <>
full article at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/eld...
And he's such an intelligent and creative man. He's inspired a lot of people by being open about his illness.
Just finished Reckoning (Jeaniene Frost)in the Anthology Unbound. I liked the story wish i had read it prior to reading her Night Huntress series. It's a good introduction to Bones. I admit to bias as I would love Bones in anything...... Can't wait for book 5 in the Night Huntress series. Starting Wolf Moon by Charles De Lint. It's the first of his works I have read I am only on the second chapter, it hasn't sucked me in yet but i'm still hoping.
I am starting Lover Unbound by J.R. Ward. I really liked Lover Revealed.
Theresa wrote: "Melissa wrote: "I am reading The Enchantment Emporium by Tanya Huff and I'm having a REALLY hard time with it. I'm only 35 pages into it and I started to read it two days ago! I'm ..."I'm FINALLY in the home stretch and it's seriously killing me how I am so undecided about this book. I have never felt this way, love it one minute, hate it the next. UGH! At this point, I have to finish, but I don't recommend this book to anyone not already a Tanya Huff fan.
Dawn wrote: "Just finished Reckoning (Jeaniene Frost)in the Anthology Unbound. I liked the story wish i had read it prior to reading her Night Huntress series. It's a good introduction to Bones. I admit to bias..."I have loved everything Charles de Lint has ever written, but I haven't read Wolf Moon yet. Please let me know if you like it!
Kelli,I literally finished reading Wolf Moon 30 minutes ago. By chapter 2 i was sucked in. I kept thinking about how all i wanted to do today was read this book. I actually left work early so i could finish it. It was a pretty quick read at 245 pages and I really did love it. It was kindo of hard for me to get my hands on, I had to order it from a small independant local book store because it wasn't in stock in my normal chain stores and I didn't want to wait a week to get it from them. I wish i had it electronically i would be happy to share. That's the one I miss relating book info on boards rather than with a local book club you can't really share your own library. Seems a shame to just put the book on my shelf when I know many other people would enjoy it......
Dawn wrote: "Kelli,I literally finished reading Wolf Moon 30 minutes ago. By chapter 2 i was sucked in. I kept thinking about how all i wanted to do today was read this book. I actually left work early so ..."
Goodreads already has a swap feature, but it's still in development. In the mean time, it could be possible for this group to add a swap topic. So if you wanted to share a book like Wolf Moon with other members, you could post there and members who were interested could PM you. Just a thought. Another GR group I'm in does have a swap topic, though it isn't tremendously active.
I finished Lover Unbound and will start Lover Enshrined in the morning.
I finished Cry Wolf last night. Very good! I'm going to start the next book in the series, Hunting Ground, this weekend. I love Patricia Briggs books! Reading Cry Wolf really made me antsy for the next Mercy books to come out. I'm also going to read Undead and Unwelcome in the next few days. I hope it's good! I've heard mixed reviews about it, so I'm kind of preparing myself for the worst.
Dawn, I do have a copy of the book (Wolf Moon) on my TBR shelf. There's just way too many books there right now. But I am looking forward to reading it.Right now I'm reading the Vampire Diaries series by L.J. Smith. Its a really quick read and I'm enjoying it. Its hard to put down. :)
Shomeret, That's a great idea. Most of my books are digital, but the few I have I would love to trade.
I finished Hunting Ground last night! I can finally start reading Undead and Unwelcome today.
Crowgirl wrote: "I read The Enchantment Emporium a few weeks ago and LOVED IT. It has nothing to do with Huff's previous stories."I have to correct myself. I recently started a 1998 series by Tanya Huff, Summon the Keeper and within a few pages she says: "...magic-users known as Cousins and Keepers. The Cousins are less powerful than Keepers, but there's more of them. Keepers, who are always referred to as Aunt or Uncle for reasons no one has ever been able to make clear..."
So 10 years ago she developed the whole theme of magic using children of gods who protect the world from evil magic, although the Summons books are a bit different (less of a huge meddling magic family as in The Enchantment Emporium.)
Summon the Keeper has a very funny talking cat who works with the young Keeper in trying to seal up a hole to Hell in the furnace room of an old Boarding House. Lots of dry humor and funny characters including Canadian jokes about Americans. Looking forward to the other 2 in the series; The Second Summoning and Long Hot Summoning.
I am taking a break from The Brotherhood series even though I haven't finished Lover Enshrined. I am getting upset with all the angst. So I am now reading Naked Pictures of Famous People. I figured I could use some laughs.
I finished Undead and Unwelcome, and I liked it. I'm going to start reading Dark Lover next. I peeked at the first few pages yesterday and got a little nervous because there is a glossary in there!
Still reading The Strain. Super freakin' creepy. I brought it to work with me so I can get more reading in and hopefully will finish it tonight. I'm really surprised I didn't have nightmares last night lol.
Dawn wrote: "That's the one I miss relating book info on boards rather than with a local book club you can't really share your own library. Seems a shame to just put the book on my shelf when I know many other people would enjoy it..."Shomeret wrote: "Goodreads already has a swap feature, but it's still in development. In the mean time, it could be possible for this group to add a swap topic. So if you wanted to share a book like Wolf Moon with other members, you could post there and members who were interested could PM you. Just a thought. Another GR group I'm in does have a swap topic, though it isn't tremendously active."
Mostunexpected wrote: "That's a great idea. Most of my books are digital, but the few I have I would love to trade."
I've created a thread for the book swapping... here you go: Book Swap
Anne wrote: "I finished Undead and Unwelcome, and I liked it. I'm going to start reading Dark Lover next. I peeked at the first few pages yesterday and got a little nervous because there is a glossary in there!"I felt the same way about the glossary, Anne. It is very helpful and is changed slightly with each book.
Hope you enjoy Dark Lover.
Lynda
most of what is in the glossary is covered in the books without requiring you to check the glossary out anyway. Its just there in case you can't quite recall something. Most of it is common sense though.
You're right, Jessica, most of the glossary is common sense or covered in the book. I'm about halfway through and really enjoying it!Lynda, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who was a little freaked out by it! How many have you read so far?
Colleen,for message #421:
You have heard that Lois McMaster Bujold's next book is a Vorkosigan book? It comes out sometime next year, I think...
I am starting Lover Avenged. I have been working my way through the Brotherhood of the Black Dagger books and I admit they leave me frustrated. There is so much going on in these books.
Finished Dark Lover last night. I really liked it! Next up, The Colour of Magic (Discworld 1)!
Finished The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Ninth Grade Slays by Heather Brewer.About to start Zodiac by Neal Stephenson.
Dawn, I loved Wolf Moon! Now on to start Jim Butcher's books. I'm not very far into it yet and already love it!
Julia wrote: "Finished The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Ninth Grade Slays by Heather Brewer..."I sat in on several of her panels at dragoncon and thought she was brilliant. It prompted me to go out and pick up The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod Eighth Grade Bites. I look forward to reading it.
Lynda wrote: "I am starting Lover Avenged. I have been working my way through the Brotherhood of the Black Dagger books and I admit they leave me frustrated. There is so much going on in these books. "A lot going on! I sadly gave up on Butch's book...lost my interest and skipped over to Lover Unbound. I love these books, but reading about a different character each book throws me off, so much that if im not feeling the chacter I wanna skip it...and i hate quitting!
Gosh it has been way too long since I've been out here!:( Shame on me!!! And great to see so many new members!!So since I posted last about 2 weeks ago I finished
, 
& am halfway through
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Urban Fantasy
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Connie Willis (other topics)Kim Harrison (other topics)
Jeaniene Frost (other topics)
Jeaniene Frost (other topics)
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Hey Carrie!I loved the Morganville series too. I can't wait for Fade Out! Yeah I read Halfway to the Grave and loved it. I'm gonna start reading One Foot in the Grave soon. I also like the House of Night series. I have read Marked and Betrayed so far its pretty good for YA.