Sunday, October 19, 2014

From the Archives: Urban Fantasy

I began keeping a reading journal several years before I began blogging. I find it interesting to sift through my thoughts of books that I read back then. My reviews were often brief and contained little substance, but I thought it'd be fun to document them here on my blog as well as share them with you. Here are two from November and December of 2005: 


Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn
Grand Central Publishing, 2005
Fantasy; 259 pgs

Laurell K. Hamilton and Kelley Armstrong whet my appetite for tales of werewolves, and so I could not resist reading Kitty and the Midnight Hour. Kitty is a werewolf who, practically over night, becomes the host of a popular radio talk show that deals with the supernatural. She's the last person on earth one would expect to be a werewolf. Suddenly, she finds herself on the hit list of the vampires, in the middle of a pack power struggle, and working with the police and a werewolf hunter to solve the brutal murders of prostitutes in the city. This was a light and sometimes funny novel. Kitty is a likeable and endearing character. I look forward to reading more about her adventures.



Bite by Hamilton, Laurell K. et al
(2005)
 (Fantasy) (297 pgs)

Anita Blake, Vampire Executioner and Animator, is hired by a mother to stop her teenage girl from willingly being turned into a vampire; Sookie Stackhouse, telepath, has unexpected visitors who have come to give her more than just the legacy of her recently deceased cousin; Dr. Sophie Tourneau veterinarian and vampire, believes several recent suicides are not what they seem and she is determined to uncover the truth; witch and former school teacher, Caroline Lang, joins forces with the vampire Galahad to stop an evil army from multiplying; and microbiologist, Daniel Hart’s dreams are dashed when a vampire steals everything from him, including his fiancée and is so bent on revenge, he is determined to destroy the vampire and free his fiancée, even if it means turning into a vampire himself. Laurell K. Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, Mary Janice Davidson, Angela Knight, and Vickie Taylor join together to create this anthology of short stories. Tough, mysterious, sexy, and fun, it’s hard to resist being swept into the worlds created by these five authors. Angela Knight and Vickie Taylor are new authors to me and although I doubt I will be seeking their books out, I did enjoy their tales.  It was fun to revisit some of my favorite heroines in Laurell K. Hamilton, Charlaine Harris' and Mary Janice Davidson's stories.  


© 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

12 comments:

  1. These two books sound like fun read! I've not read urban fantasy for a long time. I need to find some time for reading them. ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Melody - I have enjoyed all the Kitty Norville books I have read so far. I've read quite a few now, although I'm behind on the series.

      Delete
  2. I need to get back to the Carrie Vaughn series as it is one of my favorites! So many books though, right? :) You know I love my urban fantasy!! great reviews!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Samantha - Me too! I haven't read a book by her in about three years, I think. It's such a shame because I really do like her books.

      Delete
  3. These sound like perfect reads for October! Did you end up liking Kitty's other adventures?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A.M.B. - Yes, I've enjoyed all the Kitty books I've read in the series so far. I think I've read six. It's a fun series.

      Delete
  4. When I first joined Goodreads, I remember seeing these books a lot in others' bookshelves. I was reading a lot of supernatural books in those days. I don't think I've checked this one out though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Athira - It's one of my favorite urban fantasy series.

      Delete
  5. Somehow I never read any Laurell K. Hamilton. I remember when she first came out and it seemed like everyone was talking about her books but for some reason I never picked any of them up. Carrie Vaughn is a new to me name. I've been really wanting to try Kelly Armstrong though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Katherine - I loved the earlier Anita Blake books, but I lost interest in them the more erotic they became. They just lost their appeal to me, especially since my favorite part of those books was the mystery aspect.

      Kelly Armstrong is definitely an author I would recommend. And if you like urban fantasy, Carrie Vaughn as well.

      Delete
  6. A big fan of the Kitty series, I have read the first fur books and need to buy books 5 and 6 before reading book 7 which I have on my TBR pile.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tracy - I think I left off after finishing book 6. I have the next two on my shelf to read. It's nice to meet another Kitty fan. :-)

      Delete

Thank you for taking the time to visit Musings of a Bookish Kitty. Don't be shy! I would love to hear from you. Due to a recent increase in spam, I will be moderating all comments for the foreseeable future. Please be patient with me as it may take a few hours before I am able to approve your comment.