Archive for kelley armstrong
Based on Amazon sales rankings here are the Top 10 urban fantasy books. Since their list contained books that aren’t out yet this list only contains books that are available for purchase by April 30th.
See also:
- Hot New Releases: Urban Fantasy Books for May 2008
- Hot New Releases - Best Urban Fantasy Books for June 2008
- New Releases - Best Urban Fantasy Books for July 2008
| 10. |  |
Storm Front (The Dresden Files, Book 1) by Jim Butcher |
| 9. |  |
All Together Dead (Southern Vampires Mysteries, Book 7) by Charlaine Harris |
| 8. |  |
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks |
| 7. |  |
Magic Burns (Kate Daniels, Book 2) by Ilona Andrews |
| 6. |  |
Embrace The Night (Cassandra Palmer Series, Book 3) by Karen Chance |
| 5. |  |
Personal Demon (Women of the Otherworld, Book 8 ) by Kelley Armstrong |
| 4. |  |
From Dead to Worse (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 8 ) by Charlaine Harris |
| 3. |  |
The Outlaw Demon Wails (Rachel Morgan, Book 6) by Kim Harrison |
| 2. |  |
His Dark Materials Trilogy (Boxed Set) by Philip Pullman |
| 1. |  |
Small Favor (The Dresden Files, Book 10) by Jim Butcher |
We recently reviewed the first book “Dime Store Magic” and the second book “Industrial Magic” in the Paige Winterbourne urban fantasy series. Let’s look at the third book in the series titled “Haunted.”
Key Points
This book focuses on Savannah’s dead mother, Eve Levine. Eve was a powerful witch that practiced black magic and as such was ostracized by other witches. Eve is causing trouble in the afterlife by constantly attempting to cross back over to make contact with either Paige or her daughter. The 3 fates, who not only determine when someone dies but also controls the afterlife, are not amused but see an opportunity to send Eve on a mission that will utilize her talents. Eve agrees to this because the fates did her a big favor in the previous book. However, he end goal is to get enough leveraging power to convince the fates to send her back to present day life.
As you’ve probably discerned, this book spends a lot of time exploring the afterlife that Eve inhabits. The world building is superb and helps move the story along. Although Paige, Lucas, and Savannah have significant roles in this book Kelley Armstrong introduces new characters like a demon living in a castle and an angel that likes reading celebrity magazines.
This book is the most action-packed of the three in the series. It’s also the most funny. Urban fantasy readers will find the book to be thoroughly enjoyable.
Interested? Get Haunted. It will be a great addition to your collection.
See also: Fantasy Stories Worth Reading: For a Few Demons More
The first book in the series, Dime Store Magic, was recently reviewed. Let’s take a look at Industrial Magic, Women of the Otherworld Book 4 in the Paige Winterbourne urban fantasy series.
The heroine, Paige Winterbourne, is a witch that’s trying to start a new coven of her own. She’s been removed as leader of the American Coven and wants to start a new one that’s more progressive and that will be open to using spells that historically have only been used by sorcerers.
Paige is in a serious relationship with a sorcerer lawyer, Lucas Cortez. Lucas is estranged from his father, a powerful cabal leader. When his father asks Lucas and Paige to join forces to find a killer, they’re reluctant to agree. However once they discover that someone is murdering the children of cabal leaders they decide to help find the murderer. This forces Lucas to spend time with his father, whose underhanded business practices don’t appeal to him.
To find the killer Paige and Lucas enlist the aid of a centuries old vampire, a celebrity necromancer, a ghost, and several werewolves! The closer they get to the killer the more dangerous their lives become.
This novel is action packed, funny, and warm hearted. Urban fantasy doesn’t get much better than this.
Interested? Grab Industrial Magic for your collection.
As promised I’m writing short reviews or “quickies” of the contemporary and urban fantasy books that I believe every urban fantasy reader should have in their collection. My goal is to publish one of these every few days. I have quite a few books to cover so this will keep me busy for a while.
First up is Dime Store Magic by Kelley Armstrong. Kelley Armstrong writes the Women of the Otherworld series that I love so much. One series deals with witches, the second series focuses on werewolves. This review takes a look at the first book from the series about witches.
Key Points
The heroine, Paige Winterbourne, is a witch who inherits the title of Leader of the American Coven of Witches when her mother dies. Paige is looking for hidden grimoires, books filled with powerful spells that she hopes will help witches regain their place in the supernatural world. By only practicing white magic, witches have become weaker than sorcerers, their male counterparts. Paige wants the witches to regain their power and use it not for profit, like the cabals, but for the purpose of doing good.
Paige also inherits the responsibility of looking after Savannah Levine, a rebellious 13-year-old who’s mother (also dead) practiced black magic, something taboo to the witches in the coven.
Savannah, like her mother, is also interested in black magic and is an extremely powerful, but untrained, witch. This makes her attractive to the leader of a cabal, a sorcerer-owned high-powered corporation that uses witches and clairvoyants against their competition. Savannah’s long lost father wants to use her for this purpose and plans to fight Paige for custody.
Paige meets a lawyer who happens to be heir to the most powerful cabal in the world. Although he’s a sorcerer he’s not interested in his father’s cabal business. When Paige gets into trouble he comes to the rescue. Although witches and sorcerers have hated one another for centuries, Paige forms a friendship with the lawyer.
There’s lots of action in this book; most of it is linked to Paige’s attempts to keep Savannah in check (you try dealing with a powerful untrained 13 year old witch), her efforts to fight off Savannah’s deadbeat dad for custody, and her attempts to keep both of them safe from a female half-demon that seems to be holding a grudge against Paige. After reading this book, the first in the Paige Winterbourne urban fantasy series, I was hooked.
If you don’t have this book you should get Dime Store Magic while it’s on sale.
