FRIDAY: Soulless

A few weeks ago I mentioned the book Changeless as one I was eager to read. I realized after I posted that that Changeless was actually the second book in the series. Book one, Soulless, is about a woman in Victorian England named Alexia Tarabotti. In Alexia's London, vampires, ghosts, and werewolves are an accepted part of the culture. Alexia is her own sort of "supernatural," though - she has no soul and therefore can keep a vampire from producing fangs and a werewolf from changing into the wolf. Mysterious things are happening around London and Alexia keeps finding herself in the middle of them - including a vampire attack and a near kidnapping. Her relationships with the Alpha werewolf and an ancient and well-connected vampire draw her further into the mystery until she is in mortal danger.


I have said before, I am picky about my fantasy reading. Up until now the only "urban fantasy" books I have really enjoyed have been Shanna Swendson's Enchanted series and Patricia Briggs' Alpha and Omega series. This book was the best sort of urban fantasy for my tastes. The author's voice and pacing are a lot of fun. I could *hear* Alexia's voice and she sounds (in my head) like someone I'd like to hang out with. She's smart and sassy, my favorite kind of leading lady. I checked this book out from the library, along with the sequel, and by chapter 11, I had bought my own copies of both. (A third, Blameless, is due out September 1, 2010).


While this book is labeled and shelved in the fantasy/science fiction section of the book store, there is a romantic element to the plot, and more sensitive readers should be aware of that.

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FRIDAY: Hunting Ground

As the werewolves gather from all over the world to discuss making themselves known to the humans, one among them is plotting and conspiring for death and destruction.

I know vampires are pretty trendy right now, and zombies are primed to take their place at the top of paranormal fiction, but I find I prefer stories about dragons or werewolves if I am in the mood for urban fantasy. The first story in this series was actually in an anthology called  On the Prowl. The first full book in the series is Cry Wolf (Alpha and Omega, Book 1). I think reading the others in the series would be helpful to understand the background of the characters and how they interact with each other.

I like the main characters in this series and how they relate to one another. This is a much darker series than, say Enchanted, Inc. (Katie Chandler, Book 1), which is another paranormal/urban fantasy series I enjoy. This has some graphic/violent elements that could turn away sensitive readers (I just skip past them). This particular book has a vampire element, but they are the "bad guys." As someone who never cared for the vampire craze in the first place, this was fine by me.

If you are looking for some paranormal/urban fantasy reading, check out this series. The author has written several others, as well. (I haven't tried any of those yet.)


[I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you click to Amazon from one of my blogs and buy something, I receive a small percentage of the purchase price.]