Enjoyable Urban Fantasy
921659
I would classify this book as a young adult category book. Having said that it perhaps a bit less young adult than some of the young adult books that I have read. Jennifer Estep has created a new and enjoyable universe where monsters, magiks and mundanes live together. She brings in elements of mob families a' la maffia familiesinto the mix and throws the young but talented thief Lila into the mix. Jennifer has also created some new and interesting magic powers.

All Lila wants to do is to live her life as a thief alone but, not surprisingly, she is soon thrown into the murky waters of family intrigue and, also not very surprising, things start to heat up and Lila quickly gets her hands full defending herself as well as the man she is, somewhat forcibly, hired to protect.

I liked the world building as well as the characters which are well done in the usual Jennifer Estep way. Lila is a good main character, independent, talented, knows how to fight and has a sharp tongue.

The story itself is good with a few twists in it and the main bud guy, at least in the long run, is a thoroughly dislikable character. Although the story is somewhat young adult it is fairly rich, the plot holds together and it is not as silly as in some young adult book. There are a bit of romance (or should I say romances) but it is not overdone and kept on a reasonable level such that it does not intrude on the main storyor becomes a boring filler element.

I liked the book. It is a fun read and I will surely pick up the next book in the series.
1180637
I read a LOT of urban fantasy, it's one of my favorite genres, but it can be stale if not done right. What I love about this particular series is that there is an overarching plot that is interesting and engaging, and the world building makes me feel like I could step into Other Seattle and order a coffee.

The world was introduced in other series by the author, so that part was already fleshed out, but I picked up this book without reading the Cascadia or de laVega books and I had no trouble diving right in. The characters have emotions beyond sexual urges, they have conversations, they have friends, and they are supportive of each other.

These books, especially the females in the books, remind me of the "Goddess with a Blade" series characters. There is snark, but also caring, there is intelligent conversation and silliness, and there is sex. I like sex in books, but not if it drives the entire plot.

So, I give this series 5 stars for the interesting and engaging plot, the fun characters, the fights and the sex.
1212928
Fans of urban fantasy will enjoy this light, fast-paced adventure. A hook is set from the opening scene, and I look forward to learning about the sisters mysterious past.
1114388
Although I wouldn't call this "urban" fantasy, it was still a lot of fun. Despite that the circumstances surrounding the story were quite dire and saddening, it managed to uplift in small portions. I found it entertaining in a way that completely took me off guard. These are not the fairies of childhood fairy tales, that's for sure. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
940930
I'm new to Urban Fantasy (UF) and loved this book! It's got a quick-but-steady pace and kept me coming back for more whenever I had to set it down.
15445
Set in Seattle, a group of dark-hunters who chase after Daimons have moved from New Orleans.  Ravyn Contis, the protagonist in the story who had previously been betrayed by the love of his life, has fallen for a new woman, reporter Susan Michaels.  The downside is that she is allergic to him in his cat form, certainly a damper in the relationship department.  A war is brewing between Seattles dark-hunters and an ultra powerful group of Daimons, which Susan and Ravyn find themselves in the middle of.

 Theres nothing earth-shattering about this novel.  It moves at a good pace and is pleasant to read.  The plot, characters, and style are just okay.  All together, it was a pleasant read and worth reading as far as those things go.  Its just not one of the better urban fantasy novels that I have read lately.

Carl Alves  author of Blood Street
3082390
A fun book, enjoyable, escapism. The writing is fairly strong. The plot is consistent. Like many paranormal fantasies, this one is a little on the whiny side, but not too bad. The characters are pretty well drawn as well, and the motivations are clear. Okay, that review sounds a little dry--I did enjoy the story and the new world, and the possibilities it has for the future--in terms of the multiverse, which was fun--and the voice of the protagonist is engaging. I am looking forward to seeing these characters again.
3085068
I've loved urban fantasy since the 1980's. I got through high school reading War for the Oaks, Gossamer, A Knight of Ghosts and Shadows and the Diana Tregarde books. These days I haunt bookstores and buy Jim Butcher, Tanya Huff, J.D. Robb and Kelley Armstrong in hardcover. I'm always looking for something new and on a par with those authors.

Seanan McGuire delivers.

Rosemary and Rue is a fast-paced, enjoyable book, with likeable characters (I <3 Tybalt), a richly textured world, and witty dialogue. If you like Harry Dresden, Eve Dallas, Victory Nelson, or Paige Winterbourne, you're going to like Toby.

As a note, I also loved the early LKH Anita Blake books, but I've gotten disenchanted with the later books in the series. If you are looking for a Meredith Gentry, you're not going to find her here. The first person, female narrative makes it a natural comparison, but if you are looking for blood-soaked sex, you are going to be disappointed. If you are looking for a kick-ass fairy-tale urban fantasy murder mystery with a heroine who mostly keeps her clothes on? Buy this book.
2660934
This is an enjoyable, well-paced urban fantasy that's perfect for adults or the New Adult demographic. Eighteen-year-old Rose is very easy to relate to. After all, when you're set to start college, it's pretty alarming when your necromantic talents show up--especially when family history proves that the magic makes not-so-good things happen. In this case, it attracts the attention of three lumenancers who want to stop Rose's gene pool for good.

The lumenancers were a weak area in the book. I was left wanting to understand more about them and their motivations. I was also frustrated with Rose through the middle. She didn't take agency and acted too normal, even as she was threatened. Even so, the pace of the book kept me steadily reading on. I loved how Roland used Albuquerque as a setting, too. It's great to see urban fantasies bust out of the New York City rut, and the southwest just begs for more stories like this.
573337
I really like these books. Urban fantasy has a tendency to veer into the vampires-are-sexy-and-arch, the-hero-is-troubled-but-essentially-the-best-person-ever, and everyone-acts-like-the-supernatural-isn't-there-or-is-just-normal territory and it hurts it.

Aaronovitch writes the main character as a rational person motivated by the sorts of things normal rational people are motivated by. He reports the world through a lens of somewhat ironic British detachment, but I know plenty of people with that same perspective. The action is interesting and thrilling. The other characters are believable, and for the most part the supernatural world interacts with regular London in a way that doesn't require you to suspend too much of your disbelief unwillingly.
3032321
I am not a typical reviewer and I don't normally like urban fantasy - whatever that is - but I bought this book and actually enjoyed reading it.  Some of the parts bothered me because I don't think it was completely developed, but generally speaking it was not a bad read and I would recommend it to someone who is looking for something new.
80703
It was a lot of fun.  I don't usually read urban fantasy, and this one was great.
3777279
Demons of Desire is a good mix of urban fantasy and sexual tension and this book series is a worthy inclusion in the Imp stories.  Unlike the Imp series where to get to enjoy the chaos that Sam causes, in the Half-Breed series we get a good insight into how Amber handles her succubus side. Ms. Dunbar has written the right blend of adventure, sex, and paranormal.  I look forward to the next book.
4623796
Surprisingly good urban fantasy.sympathetic lead character ,.nuanced.noncliched romance and sex.
3658435
This is not quite the same kind of urban fantasy books I'd read previously (Dresden Files, Kate Daniels).  For one, Atticus is an ancient druid who tries to avoid attention, and openly consorts (yes, including sex) with goddesses (note the s).  Also, the gods and goddesses in this setting are immortal, but can be killed.  Personally, I find the story to be quite entertaining and easy to read.  My only gripe is that Atticus seems to overcome his problems too easily.  In the first book, he goes against a god who drew a huge amount of power, a horde of demons, AND a coven of witches, and he won.  Granted he is a 2500 yr old druid with some help, but still, this felt kind of overpowered.
4324648
This is the first book in the Dark Cycle trilogy.  This was a good dark YA urban fantasy read.  The book is about a young man (17 yr old) that can see demons.  When things get tough for him and his sister he ends up finding shelter in a home of kids that have strange abilities similar to his.

I listened to this on audiobook and the narration was very well done.  This is definitely a series I would recommend listening to on audiobook if you like audiobooks.

The book moves at a decent pace and has plenty of action and magic.  The book mostly revolves around the main character trying to discover and learn about his own powers.  However, he is also trying to protect his young sister from a demonic awakening that is supposed to happen when she gets to her twelfth birthday.

There are a lot of interesting characters in here and, for the most part, I enjoyed the story.  I did feel like the pacing was a bit off and the story changed focus sporadically.

The first part of the book really focuses on Aiden and his issues.  The middle is more focused on Paranormal Investigations which is the reality show that the house of kids Aiden seeks shelter with runs.  Then towards the end of the book many of the interesting side characters aren't mentioned anymore and the story goes back to focusing on Aiden.

Overall this was a well done YA urban fantasy read.  However, I am not sure if I will continue with this series or not right now.  The took itself a bit too seriously for me and I would have enjoyed some humor in here to lighten up the darkness.  I enjoyed it but towards the end it was getting kind of long.  The story wraps up the immediate issue Aiden and his sister face, but doesn't completely solve things.
4309824
The Veil is the first installment in Chloe Neill's urban fantasy series titled: Devil's Isle. This was a promising first book to a series that will surely grow in popularity. Overall, I liked it. The premise was complicated enough to keep me thinking, the characters were interesting enough to keep me reading, and for the most part, the story was pretty fast paced. Although, I liked it, I didn't love it and I'm sad to have to admit that. There was a portion of this story that had me zoning out a bit and I even considered skipping over whole chapters. The thing is, I can't identify what it was that kept me from feeling completely engaged and invested. I also want to note that while there may be some romantic tension, any actual romance in this book is understated to the point of being almost nonexistent. On the plus side, the potential for romance is enough to keep me interested in reading the next book. I think the characters have some pretty good chemistry.

Ms. Neill's Chicagoland Vampires series completely sold me on her as a writer, and I was very excited to read The Veil. While Chicagoland Vampires is Ms. Neill's love letter to the city of Chicago, The Veil looks to be the start of a love letter to the city of New Orleans. One of Ms. Neill's many talents include drawing the reader into the setting and giving you a reason to want to stay there. The smells, the tastes, the sounds, the visuals...let's just say I want to visit New Orleans now :) Urban fantasy is one of my favorite genres so I for sure will be continuing the series. I have faith in Ms. Neill, and I'm interested to see what she does with this story.

My favorite quote:
"You could take the people out of New Orleans, but youd never get all the crazy."