Urban Fantasy discussion
GROUP READ OF THE MONTH--ARCHIVE
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December Group Read: Voting is Done: Bitten by Kelley Armstrong Wins!
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Odd Thomas by Dean KoontzFrom Amazon.com:
Odd Thomas, who narrates, is odd indeed: only 20, he works contentedly as a fry cook in a small fictional California town, despite a talent for writing. The reason for his lack of ambition? A much rarer talent: Odd sees and converses with ghosts, the lingering dead who have yet to pass on, a secret he has kept from nearly everyone but his girlfriend, an eccentric author friend and the local police chief, whom he occasionally helps solve terrible crimes. Odd also has the ability to see bodachs, malevolent spirits that feast on pain and whose presence signifies a likelihood of imminent violence. The proximity of bodachs to a weird-looking stranger in town, whom Odd dubs "Fungus Man," alerts Odd that trouble is brewing; breaking into Fungus Man's house, Odd discovers not only hundreds of bodachs but a shrine to serial killers that helps him deduce that somehow Fungus Man will wreak widespread havoc very soon-so Odd is caught in a classic race against time to deter catastrophe.
The Chronicles of the Virago: Book 1 The Novusby Michael Bialys
Beg For Mercy by Toni AndrewsFrom Amazon.com:
I've never been certain I'm human
Oh, the X-rays and blood tests are normal, and most people have no reason to suspect I'm more than I appear to be. But if I tell you to do something? You do it—no ifs, ands or buts.
I call my power the 'press.'
My name is Mercy Hollings, and if you think that having the power to control people makes my life easy, you're dead wrong.
Because when I get angry, everyone around me is at risk—Sukey, my friend who has frightening taste in men; my clients, who, ironically, come to me for help; my neighbors, who regard me as a loner; and Sam, a man who wants to know my darkest secret.
I have hurt people in the past, and I don't want that to happen again. But now a powerful stranger is threatening the new life that I've made for myself.
And I'm afraid my anger is taking over.
Magic to the Bone by Devon MonkUsing magic means it uses you back, and every spell exacts a price from its user. But some people get out of it by “offloading” the cost of magic onto an innocent. Then it’s Allison Beckstrom’s job to identify the spell-caster.
Allie would rather live a hand-to-mouth existence than accept the family fortune—and the strings that come with it. But when she finds a boy dying from a magical offload that has her father’s signature all over it, Allie is thrown back into his world of black magic. And the forces she calls on in her quest for the truth will make her capable of things that some will do anything to control…
"Blood and Chocolate" by Annette Curtis KlauseCharacterizing the adolescent experience as monstrous is not exactly a new idea. M.T. Anderson's woefully confused teen vampire in Thirsty and Jean Thesman's reluctant young witch in The Other Ones serve as excellent examples of this metaphor set to fiction. But no one really captures how our hormones make us howl as well as Annette Curtis Klause. Blood and Chocolate chronicles the longings and passions of one Vivian Gandillon, teenage werewolf. Her pack family, recently burned out of their West Virginia home by suspicious neighbors, has resettled in a sleepy Maryland suburb. At her new school, Viv quickly falls for sensitive heartthrob Aiden, a human--or "meat-boy," as her pack calls him. Soon she is trying to tame her undomesticated desires to match his more civilized sensibilities. "He was gentle. She hadn't expected that. Kisses to her were a tight clutch, teeth, and tongue... His eyes were shy beneath his dark lashes, and his lips curved with delight and desire--desire he wouldn't force on her... he was different." But Vivian's animal ardor cannot be stilled, and she must decide if she should keep Aiden in the dark about her true nature or invite him to take a walk on her wild side.
Klause poetically describes the violence and sensuality of the pack lifestyle, creating a hot-blooded heroine who puts the most outrageous riot grrrls to shame. Blood and Chocolate is a masterpiece of adolescent angst wrapped in wolf's clothing, and its lovely, sensuous taste is sure to be sweet on the teenage tongue. (Ages 13 and older) --Jennifer Hubert
I don't know if it has been a choice before but if not, I nominate:City of Bones by Cassandra Clare.
When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing -- not even a smear of blood -- to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?
This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . .
Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.
Looked back to check for previously read titles, hope I didn't miss this somehow :DBitten (Women of the Otherworld, Book 1) by Kelley Armstrong
Just joined this group, so let me know if I misstep here. Nightlife by Rob Thurman
In New York, there's a troll under the Brooklyn Bridge, a boggle in Central Park, and a beautiful vampire in a penthouse on the Upper East Side. Of course, most humans are oblivious to this, but Cal Leandros is only half-human. His father's dark lineage is the stuff of nightmares-and he and his entire otherworldly race are after Cal.
He and his half-brother Niko have managed to stay a step ahead for three years, but now Cal's dad has found them again. And Cal is about to learn why they want him, why they've always wanted him...for he is the key to unleashing their hell on earth.
I would also be interested in seeing Odd Thomas on the voting list.
Do we have a running list of books we read in prior months? If we haven't read this one yet, then I am nominating Greywalker. Greywalker by Kat Richardson
From Amazon:
PI Harper Blaine sees a strange shift in clientele in Richardson's dizzy urban fantasy debut. After being dead for two minutes as a result of a clobbering by an angry perp, Harper discovers icky side effects complicate her Seattle life in unexpected ways—she sees ghosts and attracts otherworldly business as she pops in and out of a shadowy overlapping world. Harper seeks the assistance of Ben Danziger, self-proclaimed "ghost guy" and linguistics professor, and his wife, Mara, a witty Irish witch. They educate Harper on the Grey, "a place between our world and the next." Harper tries to maintain a normal life, dating a sexy antiques expert while battling wits with Seattle's vampire king, but being a Greywalker means she can only "pass for human." Fast-paced fun, this first novel will captivate fans of Charmed, Buffy and Charlaine Harris.
And that is it... I'll set-up the polls now to run until the 23rd.
Gbina, I created a list here with a list of past Group Read titles.Thanks for bringing to my attention that this would be helpful!
Someone suggested "Moon Called" by Patricia Briggs. That could be fun. Or "Tithe" by Holly Black.
Sidhe1, we've already closed the nominations portion of the Group Read for December. See the polls to vote...
The rules for submitting a book title:
1) One submission per UF member
2) Please submit the title and author
3) Must be a UF title
4) It must be the first book in a series or a stand-alone title
NOTE = If the title is in a series, but can be read without previous knowledge of the earlier books, feel free to submit it.
5) (NEW RULE) If we have already read and discussed the first book in the series as a group, the second title can be submitted.
Let's go to a total of 10 nominations or an end date of Sunday, November 16th - whichever comes first.
And, (NEW) in a change from previous months, at voting time, we're going to use the Polls option instead of submitting votes in the topic... this will hopefully make it easier to track the votes. The only negative is that I believe the Polls only allow for one vote per person.
Please start nominating titles... and newcomers, please don't be shy - we would love to hear from you!
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1. Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
2. The Chronicles of the Virago: Book 1 The Novus by Michael Bialys
3. Beg For Mercy by Toni Andrews
4. Night Child by Jes Battis
5. Magic to the Bone by Devon Monk
6. Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause
7. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
8. Bitten by Kelley Armstrong
9. Nightlife by Rob Thurman
10. Greywalker by Kat Richardson