Urban Fantasy series' discussion

Well Hopefully not off topic here just not from this genre but Lee Child's Jack Reacher series which I really enjoyed, The last book The Affair the author goes into some detail during sex scenes thankfully not much detail because i hope for his partners sake he's better at doing than writing about it. Very lame. Then he wrote a prequil short story Second Son which was supposed to give a glance into 13yr old Jacks world so we can understand what made him into the loaner, do gooder of present, instead what we got was a day in the life of said 13yr old. Waste of time.

I'm probably going to get slayed here, but I really didn't enjoy the Downside ghosts series. Maybe I'm just too much of a prude (though I don't think of myself as one) but I found the drug abuse a bit too much. I think it took too much away from the rest of the story - which was fresh and original, I really don't know why the drug abuse had to be so prominent. I pushed through the first 3 books as I kept hoping they would get better (And I have to admit to liking Terrible) but then he went off the deep end for no apparent reason. I think the premise was great but large portions of the personal relationships felt forced and out of place.

But as I said, maybe that's just me!?!?!?

Scotia be careful with Anne Rice. There are some early books (that were basically porn) written under a pen name before the vampire books made it big, and once she had a name the publishers used to to re-sell the, er, lighter reading she hadn't wanted to admit to before. Also personally I didn't care for the post-vampire/witches work as much, but that is just me.

Sharon I won't jump on you, but I love the Downside series because it is gritty. Chessie is so flawed and yet keeps going. I don't think it glamorizes addiction--it just shows us a sort of antihero (who I still like for all that). I have an easier time accepting her doing things she knows are stupid because of her addictions than I do swallowing an otherwise intelligent character having to hold the stupid ball for no apparent reason other than to move the plot forward. Still, to each her own. :)

Here's one that will make me unpopular: I really wanted to like CE Murphy's the Walker Papers, but I just can't. To me it seems to move slowly and the heroine spends a lot of time brooding and working on internal issues that might be better address in therapy. I may seem hypocritical for liking one flawed character who isn't even in recovery and being impatient with another, but that is how I reacted. Just goes to show how different we all can be.

I really wanted to like CE Murphy's the Walker Papers, but I just can't.

i'm having difficulty with queen's bastard and urban shaman as well. murphy is good with words but she's not too great of a writer. she needs to learn to show, not tell.

personally, i'm getting rather fed up with laurell k. hamilton. her fae series is crap (don't hurt me!) and the less i say about the later installments of her anita blake series, the better. ugh.

another one i couldn't get into was anne bishop's daughters of the blood. it was quite possibly one of the dumbest things i have read in a long time. it read like the bad fanfiction of a 14-year-old girl. after all the hype surrounding it, i was crestfallen.

Pikachu wrote: "I really wanted to like CE Murphy's the Walker Papers, but I just can't.

i'm having difficulty with queen's bastard and urban shaman as well. murphy is good with words but she's not too great of a..."

Arrhaaa! Me too there was just too much pointless sex in the Merry Gentry series I've only read the first one. And I struggled through Urban Sharmam does the series get any better does anyone know?

I read reviews for "Wicked as They Come" by Delilah Dawson and was so excited to read it, but it was really dissapointing. Story had a lot of parts that just didn't make sense or have explanations and it got really far fetched with the sea monsters and blud animals and all, not to mention I just wanted the heroine to just go away she was so irritating.

Noreen wrote: "I read reviews for "Wicked as They Come" by Delilah Dawson and was so excited to read it, but it was really dissapointing. Story had a lot of parts that just didn't make sense or have explanations..."

Noreen, Now I'm going to sound really negative, but I had the same reaction to that one too. I wanted to find the love interest sexy and tried to imagine him like Johny Depp in Mad Hatter mode, but he was flat; she was flat; the love triangle was nothing much. Meh.

Tangled wrote: "Noreen wrote: "I read reviews for "Wicked as They Come" by Delilah Dawson and was so excited to read it, but it was really dissapointing. Story had a lot of parts that just didn't make sense or ha..."

Tangled - Have to agree with all that. Also have to agree with you about your comments to Sharon regarding Downside Series. I absolutely love that series, just started it two weeks ago and almost finished with book three now. Like Sharon I thought I wouldn't like Chess bc of her drug addiction, but you just can't help but love her character, and that series has a love triangle you can get excited about.

Rachael wrote: "Pikachu wrote: "I really wanted to like CE Murphy's the Walker Papers, but I just can't.

i'm having difficulty with queen's bastard and urban shaman as well. murphy is good with words but she's no..."

I feel the same way! I really wanted to like this series but it's sort of blah for me. The second book, Thunderbird Falls was a little better. I'm going to keep reading through them. I just hope it gets better after 2nd book. Anyone know?

Gennesse wrote: "Rachael wrote: "Pikachu wrote: "I really wanted to like CE Murphy's the Walker Papers, but I just can't.

i'm having difficulty with queen's bastard and urban shaman as well. murphy is good with wo..."

Someone gave me 1-6 of the Walker Papers and I eventually at least skimmed them all. I don't want to get a "read to hate" rep (I love most books I read), but if you didn't like the first two books, I doubt you'll like the rest. I thought parts of the story were interesting but I wanted to get a red pen and cross out about 80 percent of the main character's inner dialogue (forcing the author to write scenes that show instead of tell) and move all flash backs so that the character's personal issues were not resolved in a fight scene. When I start wanting to rewrite a book it's probably just personal preference; however, the writing style does not change so don't think if you keep reading it will get "better".

It's probably been about six months since I read the first one so I might read the second one soon!
I've also started the Negotiator Trilogy 3 times and not got very far but that's more the audiobook getting stuck than the story! Has anyone read these?

the most disappointing book i've read is linger and forver my maggie stiefvater

I have to agree with May. For all the praise that Shiver, Linger and Forever recieved, I was extremely disappointed with this series. It was a big let down for me.

Greywalker by Kat Richardson. It was such a fun concept. I enjoyed the idea that having a near death experience unlocks the ability to see in between life and death. I hated the boring voice of the main character, the long sections where next to nothing happens, and how I knew exactly who was what and unearthed the mystery by page 60 or so. The foreshadowing was so heavy-handed, I felt clobbered. It was so slow to start, and the main character's whining about not wanting to see dead people got annoying.

Dead to Me by Anton Strout. The idea of a character plagued with psychometry was great and had so much potential. What I couldn't stand was the writing. It read like a bad anime dub, complete with over-the-top reactions and wince-worthy dialogue. It broke my suspension of disbelief near the beginning and it never got it back (why are cultists evil? Because they're cultists of course! Or at least, according to this book that's why cultists are evil *eye roll*). The depiction of what a woman writes in her journal had me laughing in absolute horror.

I think the number one thing that disappoints me most is a brilliant idea bogged down by the execution. Of the two, I'd be more willing to read the next Greywalker book, but I probably wouldn't buy it.

Pikachu wrote: "I really wanted to like CE Murphy's the Walker Papers, but I just can't.

i'm having difficulty with queen's bastard and urban shaman as well. murphy is good with words but she's not too great of a..."

Please, let's not even discuss LKH. I keep reading them despite the fact that I KNOW I will be disappointed. I've invested a lot of time in that series and I guess a small part of me keeps hoping that they will recover. I haven't picked up Kiss the Dead yet...but I will. Eventually.

I was really disappointed in Sherrilyn Kenyon's first book in the Chronicles of Nick. I'm not really a fan of YA and I'm really not a fan of zombies, so it is probably just a personal problem. But there again, I've got a lot invested in the DH series and Nick is a huge part of that, so of course I have to know what happens to him. :)

Angel wrote: "I have to agree with May. For all the praise that Shiver, Linger and Forever recieved, I was extremely disappointed with this series. It was a big let down for me."

Me too, but I figured it was because I'm not a big YA fan. Have to say I didn't even bother with the final instalment :(

Sadly I also have the last Sookie instalment sitting there ready to read and can't find the motivation to read it!

And Lanie -with regards to LKH I'm in the same boat, I've invested too much to stop and I haven't read the latest, but I will and I'm kind of hoping it finishes up really soon.

Schelle wrote: "Angel wrote: "I have to agree with May. For all the praise that Shiver, Linger and Forever recieved, I was extremely disappointed with this series. It was a big let down for me."

Me too, but I f..."

I was the same way with the last Sookie book, but at the end I was glad I read it. Not the best one yet but it was still worth a read.

Me too. Her treatment of the Celtic gods drove me batty. I couldn't even finish book one.Unfortunate when my best friend loved it but it's obvious her research was ...not up to my personal preference. ;)I may try it again sometime, however. Never say never.

Tangled wrote: Someone gave me 1-6 of the Walker Papers and I eventually at least skimmed them all. I don't want to get a "read to hate" rep (I love most books I read), but if you didn't like the first two books, I doubt you'll like the rest. I thought parts of the story were interesting but I wanted to get a red pen and cross out about 80 percent of the main character's inner dialogue (forcing the author to write scenes that show instead of tell)

I was really disappointed by . I bought it, it's waiting on my Ipod, and I just can't seem to get through it =(

Sorry to Sookie fans but I read and I was seriously disappointed. I found Bill and his relationship with Sookie really annoying...

The Sookie series really starts to get going in the second book so don't give up.

I was highly disappointed with the Chicagoland Vampires. I got 2 books into the series and just couldn't read anymore. The author's writing was annoying, the characters were annoying. Thankfully I got them from the library and didn't buy them. I know many people absolutely love this series, but I seriously don't understand why.

Sorry you didn't enjoy Chicagoland Vampires, Vera.
I agree that the first book is mediocre - too much world building that consists of telling rather than showing and a plot that is based on a series of weird coincidences. That said, I enjoyed the dynamic between Merit and Ethan enough to continue the series and since then I've become hooked. The writing and plots are getting better, and I like the characters.

People keep telling me to keep reading and that CLV is good, but i just cant read anymore. There's a bunch of other series that I do enjoy though so I have enough to occupy my reading time lol

Really?? CLV is one of my favorite series! But you know what...I wouldn't waste my time reading something if I wasn't really into it either. There is a popular series I've tried (Jeaniene frost - Night Huntress) series. I've heard so many good reviews about it and so far I haven't been able to get past the first book!

I agree Vera. There are so many good books out there and there is absolutely no point wasting your time on a series you don't enjoy. Not everyone can like the same things - books and life would be boring if they did.

Anne Rice - I can't get into this woman's writing. I struggled through Interview With A Vampire and tried the first of the Sleeping Beauty trilogy - huge mistake, believe all of the horrible reviews it's received.

Laurel K Hamilton - Never have I crashed and burned so hard on a series as I did Anita Blake. If you haven't read it and want to give it a try - read the first 5 books or so and stop. It goes downhill at a break-neck pace.

I haven't been able to get into Sherrilyn Kenyon. I've tried and it hasn't clicked with me so far.

As for CE Murphy - parts of the Urban Shaman series I love - Cernunnos, Billy Holiday, Gary, Morrison, Raven, Rattler, etc. Parts of it I don't - the trippiness of the spirit trips, time travel - which I can't stand. So, for me, the good outweighs the bad - I love the characters so I put up with the rest.

I've heard that a lot about the Anita Blake series. I have only read the first book, but I hear later on in the series it's not as good.

Anita Blake started off good because there was actually a plot, but then it just turned into one big orgy.

Jacki wrote: "Anita Blake started off good because there was actually a plot, but then it just turned into one big orgy."

I heard this about the Anita Blake series and that is one of the main reasons why I keep putting this series on the back burner. I don't mind a hot sex scene in my books when it enhances the romance aspect of it, but if there's too much I tend to scan over them! If there is too much it usually turns me off!

I agree. The occasional sex scene can spice a book up, but I see no point in reading a book that is just sex. I've never been a huge erotica fan.

The sex also caused the total derail of any plot in the Anita Blake books and Richard's character assassination.

I have to agree about the Greywalker series. My best friend really liked it so I read the first book, but I could not get into it.

I also found the Thomas Covenant series a disappointment. The concept sounded interesting, but the main character is just so loathsome that I couldn't bring myself to care about anything that happened to him.

Ivy wrote: "I have to agree about the Greywalker series. My best friend really liked it so I read the first book, but I could not get into it.

I also found the Thomas Covenant series a disappointment. The co..."

Got to agree about Thomas Covenant series it took me 10years to get thru it and I haven't even thought about reading the new ones.

Jacki wrote: "Anita Blake started off good because there was actually a plot, but then it just turned into one big orgy."

Exactly!!! Why did she have to turn into a sex bunny?? I liked her better when she was killing things.