Urban Books - Page 13

Magic Lost, Trouble Found (Raine Benares, Book 1)

Lisa Shearin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 51 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

I can't believe I paid $7.99 for this book! 1 out of 5 stars.
4 of 6 people found this review helpful.

As others have already mentioned, within the first 30 pages or so I got lost in all of the characters that were being introduced. Here are my issues with this book.
1. Too many characters.
2. Too much handed to you via first person narration.
3. Two possible love interests? Enough already! Is this even necessary?
4. Level of the plot is YA!

I'm not sure how anyone rated this anything above three stars! I will not be reading the sequel. The only reason I finished reading this title is that I lived in hope that at some point the author would redeem herself. Unfortunately, the only way I was able to get through the entire book was by reading every other page and then simply skimming the pages that I actually stopped on.

An interesting, fast-paced novel 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This novel, though considered urban fantasy, is actually set in it's own world. I think the handsome goblin idea -though a more interesting take- did not work for me.
Now here are the Pros and Cons:
Pros:
Intriguing bad guy (you never really know where it's at),strong heroine, edge-of-your-seat love triangle, Mychael, Phaelan, and Raine's witty comments.
Cons:
Tam, the Sarad Nukpana is so sexy thing, Talon, the way Raine does indeed get out of every situation unharmed, and the lack of descriptions on clothes and meals.

Buton the whole I had to give it 5 stars because the pros way outnumber the cons (in importance)

Editorial Review:

Raine Benares is a Sorceress Seeker of average ability until she comes into possession of an amulet that amplifies her powers-and her enemies.

Dates From Hell

Kim Harrison, Lynsay Sands, Kelley Armstrong, Lori Handeland

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 34 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Waste of Money, and Time !!!!!!!!! 1 out of 5 stars.
1 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I went based on all of the good reviews.. and boy do I regret it !! These stories had me yawning. I flipped quickly hoping for a decent ending to make up for the rest of the stories. Nope.. Turns out each ending was as bad if not worse than the beginning. Save your money !!!

Editorial Review:

She thought her date was out of this world.
Actually, he was not of this world . . .

We've all been on bad dates, nightmare dates, dreadful experiences that turned out to be uniquely memorable in the very worst way. But at least our partners for these detestable evenings were more or less . . . human!

Now Kim Harrison, Lynsay Sands, Kelley Armstrong, and Lori Handeland -- four of the very best writers currently exploring the dangerous seduction of the supernatural -- offer up dating disasters (and unexpected delights) of a completely different sort: dark, wicked, paranormally sensual assignations with werewolves, demon lovers, and the romantically challenged undead. Sexy, witty, chilling, and altogether remarkable, here is proof positive that some love matches are made someplace other than heaven.

The Man With the Golden Torc

Simon R. Green

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 29 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Ok, but not as good as the others 3 out of 5 stars.
2 of 4 people found this review helpful.

First I read the Nightside series and that was great; it was his best work and that made me a Simon R. Green fan. Then I read (what books I had) of the Deathstalker series; it was very good at parts, but tiresome at others. It was no Nightside. Now, I'm reading the man with the goden torc. It's Ok, but it seems as if the books are going downhill; Nightside is the best, Deathstalker is in second place, and now man with the golden torc. It seems as if he's trying to make another Nightside; same story, diferent people.
It would be great if he did what he's trying to do and write another Nightside, but instead of doing the exact same story with different people, the the Drood line has been going for centuries, so make an earlier version of the family. Have them have cruder versions of the high tec weapons and make them have more limitations on their stuff that they have to work out. Maybe set the whole thing set a few hundred years before they "discovered" America.
Just a thought.

Edward C. Jones III

Editorial Review:

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Deathstalker and Nightside series comes a new kind of hero in an old kind of war.

All those things you hear about as a kid? The boogeyman under the bed? The creature in the closet? They're for real, people.

Eddie Drood knows they're for real. His family has kept humanity safe from the things that go bump in the night. For ages, they've held back the nightmares, locked the doors, barred the gates, and put righteous boot to monster arse on a nightly basis.

But now Eddie's in trouble. One of his own has convinced the rest of the family that Eddie's become a menace, and that humanity needs to be protected from him. So he's on the run, using every trick in the book, magical and otherwise, hoping he lives long enough to prove his innocence. And he knows how dangerous the Droods can be-because he's one of them

Chill Factor (Weather Warden, Book 3)

Rachel Caine

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Chill Factor 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I found Chill Factor to be a bit scattered but still entertaining. I found myself skipping some pages because some parts of the book were more wordy than I would have liked. David and Jo still have that tortured relationship and the abuse to it seems to be getting worse. If you are a Dave and Jo fan, you will not like the ending. I was pleased at the progress Lewis and Kevin had made. My disappointment in Jonathan continues. This is still a great series and I look forward to reading Windfall.

other books I enjoy: Kim Harrison- Rachel Morgan series, Jenna Black-Morgan Kingsley series, Larissa Ione- Demonica series, Ilona Andrews- Kate Daniels series, Richelle Mead- Georgina Kinkaid series and Dark Swan Series, Audra and Stella Price- Eververse series, Yasmine Galenorn- Sisters of the Moon series, Vicki Pettersson- Zodiac series; Jackie Keller- Hell on Earth series, T.A. Pratt- Marla Mason series; Mark Henry- Happy Hour of the Damned

Editorial Review:

Weather Warden Joanne Baldwin has protected the human race from monster storms, been killed, reborn as a Djinn, and then restored to her original form. Now she's throwing the dice to stop an infinitely powerful, deeply disturbed kid-who is holed up in a Vegas hotel-from bringing on a new ice age.

Hellboy, Vol. 6 : Strange Places (v. 6)

Mike Mignola

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Mignola's Hellboy at his very best 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Hellboy is one of the stalwarts of comics today - since its creation in the early 1990s, Mignola's work on the book, from his witty, well-researched writing to his deceptively simplistic, blocky artwork, has never dipped in quality. Indeed, in this sixth volume of Hellboy, Strange Places, we find Mignola at the very height of his narrative and artistic powers.

Having left the BPRD (Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense), Hellboy travels to Africa, where he eventually ends up in the depths of the sea and runs afoul of the Bog Roosh, a dreaded sea monster, and three mermaids, and is made prisoner. After achieving his freedom (I won't tell you how), Hellboy washes ashore on an island that has become a ship's graveyard and holds a castle harboring dark secrets - secrets related not only to the occult origins of the earth, but also something very close to Hellboy.

While Hellboy is, without question, a sort of postmodern horror comic, Strange Places is especially powerful in its ability to merge and re-interpret fairytale and folk motifs (mermaids, etc.) as well as literary influences (Mignola notes that the latter parts of the volume were inspired by famed horror author William Hope Hodgson). It is by turns moody and jovial, light and heavy, violent and spirited. Not to be missed.

Editorial Review:

Mike Mignola returns with his first new Hellboy collection since 2002's Conqueror Worm. After leaving the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, Hellboy's travels take him briefly to Africa, then for a two-year stint at the bottom of the ocean. An ancient witch doctor, a giant fish woman and keeper of the secret history of the universe force Hellboy to either accept his role in the coming apocalypse, or have that role stolen from him. Weird undersea creatures and talking lions populate this turning-point adventure, which reveals secrets buried since Hellboy's very creation. This volume collects Harvey-and-Eisner-award winner Mike Mignola's Hellboy series The Third Wish and The Island with over a dozen unused pages and a new epilogue.

Seduced by Magic (Magic Series, Book 2)

Cheyenne McCray

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 29 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Copper Ashcroft is an accomplished D’Anu witch, but the magic she wields is a potent force—strong enough to hurl her into a mysterious Otherworld when a spell backfires. Before Copper can escape, another being is pulled into her realm—Tiernan, a powerfully virile Tuatha D’Danann warrior. Blond, blue-eyed, and shamelessly seductive, Tiernan could be Copper’s savior…and his touch sets her body on fire.
 
Like others of his kind, Tiernan stands alongside the D’Anu witches to battle the demons of the Underworld. Obligation to his cause and his people cautions against any entanglement with Copper, yet each second spent with this beautiful, uninhibited woman stirs an insatiable hunger. Desire explodes into carnal bliss, but the visions that haunt Copper’s dreams are growing stronger, and they foretell a terrifying evil waiting to be unleashed…
 
Saving the city will take more than brute strength…more than witchcraft. Only together can Copper and Tiernan find a way to overcome the dark forces—and seize a passion that has bewitched them both.

Stray (Werecats, Book 1)

Rachel Vincent

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 66 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Borrowed too heavily from Bitten 1 out of 5 stars.
0 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This book was mildly enjoyable, though the main character was very annoying. Another reviewer labeled her too stubborn to live, which I agree with. So overall, nothing great, but good mindless fun.

Thats not why I rated it 1 star though. This book was released in 2007. Bitten, 2004. The overall idea, basically the same. I could have lived with that, two authors with two takes on one idea. No big deal.

But right now I'm reading Bitten for the first time, and almost every scene was mimicked in Stray. Motivations are similar, minor character actions and personalities are similar. The only real difference is that the motivations and emotions in Bitten make sense while in Stray they're just going through the motions.

I'm very disappointed to see how much was taken from another author.

Editorial Review:

There are only eight breeding female werecats left . . .
And I'm one of them

I look like an all-American grad student. But I am a werecat, a shape-shifter, and I live in two worlds.

Despite reservations from my family and my Pride, I escaped the pressure to continue my species and carved out a normal life for myself. Until the night a Stray attacked.

I'd been warned about Strays -- werecats without a Pride, constantly on the lookout for someone like me: attractive, female, and fertile. I fought him off, but then learned two of my fellow tabbies had disappeared.

This brush with danger was all my Pride needed to summon me back . . . for my own protection. Yeah, right. But I'm no meek kitty. I'll take on whatever -- and whoever -- I have to in order to find my friends. Watch out, Strays -- 'cause I got claws, and I'm not afraid to use them . . .

Paths Not Taken (Nightside, Book 5)

Simon R. Green

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Search for Nightside's Origins 5 out of 5 stars.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.

Paths Not Taken (2005) is the fifth urban fantasy novel in the Nightside series, following Hex and the City. In the previous volume, John Taylor finally discovered the identity of his mother when she visited Strangefellows, but quickly regretted the knowledge. Walker and his minions invaded the bar to destroy Taylor, but are defeated by Taylor's friends and relative.

Bad Penny stabbed Taylor and was permanently banished from Strangefellows and everywhere else. Merlin even nullified the Speaking Gun. Then Taylor tipped his mother out of the bar back the way she had come.

In this novel, Taylor has a visitor at the office. Unfortunately, he is actually present at the time. When asked his complaint, Eamonn Mitchell says that he is being hounded by other versions of himself. Then such other versions appear, armed with change wands, and make a mess out of Cathy's carefully filed paperwork [snigger]. Taylor and Tommy Oblivion -- another Nightside PI -- track down the man behind the plot and reason with him.

Taylor is impressed by Tommy's talent and invites him along on a trip back through time. Suzie Shooter invites herself into the party. Old Father Time sends them into the far past, but not quite far enough.

In this story, Taylor and associates find themselves in the Nightside of sixth century AD. Taylor figures than Lilith has interfered with the time transfer and gets VERY angry. After he cools down enough, they decide that their best chance to go further back in time is Merlin Satanspawn.

Failing to locate Merlin at the Londinium Club, they next try the current version of Strangefellows. Taylor recognizes the exterior view of the Avalon from a prior experience. They find Merlin inside and shortly thereafter Nimue the witch appears.

Nimue is a bubbly little golddigger. A former Druid, she had run away and then convinced Merlin to teach her real magic. Now Taylor talks her into helping them, but their plans go dreadfully wrong. Despite all this, Taylor and Suzie go back further in time, but not quite far enough.

Taylor finds someone, or something, else to send them even further in time. Finally Taylor gets back to Nightside's origins. It's not much like his expectations, but he does have a confrontation with his future mother.

This story parallels the previous novel. He meets people, or things, that he had encountered in the previous novel during his excursions back in time. Naturally, these persons or things have some memory of Taylor when they later -- or earlier -- meet him in the future.

Highly recommended for Green fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of tough detectives, various magics, and a personal quest through time.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Editorial Review:

John Taylor just discovered his long-gone mother created the Nightside--the dark heart of London--and intends to destroy it. To save his birthplace, he will have to travel back through a very distant--and probably deadly--past.

Strange Candy

Laurell K. Hamilton

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 56 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Fanstasy With No "Dumb Bunnies" 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I really enjoyed reading this collection, especially because it is different from Hamilton's Anita Blake or Merry Gentry series. I am really surprised that a book like this would be considered bad erotica since the content is more sensual, than actually erotic. No, there aren't any gratuitous sex scenes (no real sex at all, come to think of it), but that is what makes it pretty great. I was able to read the book uninterrupted by someone trying to get in someone else's pants. Not that there is a problem with erotic scenes, but Hamilton covers that many times over with her other novels. I was happy to say that the purchase was worth it, especially the cupid story, which was fun to read because it was light, and breezy.

Editorial Review:

The #1 New York Times bestselling author's short story collection-including an all-new Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter story-now in paperback.

From a woman who marries into a family of volatile wizards to a couple fleeing a gang of love-hungry cupids, from a girl who seeks sanctuary in the form of a graceful goose to the disgruntled superhero Captain Housework, readers will revel in the many twists and turns of fortune in these fantastical fairy tales and lush parables. Even hardened vampire hunter and zombie animator Anita Blake gets blindsided by the disturbing motives of her clients in the new "Those Who Seek Forgiveness" and in "The Girl Who Was Infatuated with Death."

Enchanted, Inc. (Katie Chandler, Book 1)

Shanna Swendson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 94 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

DON’T MESS WITH HEXES

Katie Chandler had always heard that New York is a weird and wonderful place, but this small-town Texas gal had no idea how weird until she moved there. Everywhere she goes, she sees something worth gawking at and Katie is afraid she’s a little too normal to make a splash in the big city. Working for an ogre of a boss doesn’t help.

Then, seemingly out of the blue, Katie gets a job offer from Magic, Spells, and Illusions, Inc., a company that tricks of the trade to the magic community. For MSI, Katie’s ordinariness is an asset. Lacking any bit of magic, she can easily spot a fake spell, catch hidden clauses in competitor’s contracts, and detect magically disguised intruders. Suddenly, average Katie is very special indeed.

She quickly learns that office politics are even more complicated when your new boss is a real ogre, and you have a crush on the sexy, shy, ultra powerful head of the R&D department, who is so busy fighting an evil competitor threatening to sell black magic on the street that he seems barely to notice Katie. Now it’s up to Katie to pull off the impossible: save the world and–hopefully–live happily ever after.