Based on recent comments, a lot of us are searching for books to devour. Here is our chance.
We want your new favorites: FOR THE HORDE!!!
Please post your book recommendations and/or requests for book suggestions in the comments. All genres, book sizes, formats and tropes welcome.
Things to Keep in Mind
To make this post as helpful as it can be, we ask that the Book Devouring Horde be:
A Focused Horde:
Please limit your comment to one favorite title, unless you are replying to someone asking for something specific.
If you list every Urban Fantasy author in your comments in a giant wall of text, or post 5-6 separate comments with recommendations, people will just skim and ignore. Pick one book and tell us why you liked it so much.
A Pioneering Horde:
Please try to focus on newer books.
We have all read and admired the genre classics, such as the work of Mercedes Lackey and Anne McCaffrey, but this is your opportunity to let people know about your new discoveries! What new subgenre entry have you pillaged recently? Which as-yet-undiscovered book gem has made you do the Bookworm Flollop?
A Considerate Horde:
Please make sure your recommendations are on topic when responding to people’s requests in the comments.
The Horde is well known for our book-devouring proclivities, and we can get…enthusiastic, and it’s easy to hijack the discussion. But if your fellow Devouring Entity is asking for PG 13 books about girl-power dragons who love adventure, recommending Regency romance books by Julia Quinn (as awesome as they are) probably won’t help.
A Fluffy Horde
We’re already exceedingly fluffy, so this is already a given ::preens in fluffiness::
CTR+F is a shortcut that allows you to quickly search a webpage for key words, if you want to check for previous mentions of the book you wanted to recommend. Here’s how to do the same thing on your mobile phone. I just ask that you remember I read all the comments, so if I have to trim or move your comment to the place where everyone else is already discussing your book, please don’t begrudge me.
Edit: I have about 18 comments currently in the deleted folder. *ONE* book per comment, please. If you’ve already +1 replied on someone else’s comment that recommends the book you like, please don’t start another thread for the same book.
If you like YA: Tamora Pierce has several fun series. My favorite is The Protector of the Small quartet, starting with First Test. About a girl in a magical/feudal world who wants to be a knight.
+1 Tamora Pierce. Characters and stories
+1 Tamora Pierce – especially the tortall universe. Holds up even as an adult reader. I recommend going Alanna > Diane > Kel for proper timeline/world building. And then doing all of Beka. The feminism, the diversity particularly in the Beka books- she was way ahead of her time with some of the themes.
She’s the only artist/author I support on Patreon. I can’t say a single bad thing about her. Her books are great, her characters are so three dimensional and her stories are so rich.
Her books are what made me a reader.
Oh, do you know what she’s currently working on or when we can expect a new book?
The last one I heard of was Numair’s first one.
Currently it’s the Numair sequal
+1 a tried and true book world to delve into
+ Tamora Pierce. Loved the “Daughter of Lioness” series. Such a smart and kick ass character.
+1
The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells
it’s from 2011 so not exactly *new* but it’s also lesser-known, I think.
I found it interesting because while Moon finds his “people” it wasn’t one of those serieses where as soon as he finds where he belongs he fits right in and everything is great, and he never really blurs who he is to fit in with them. The Raksura are also different than standard human types and thats fun for me.
the one I REALLY wanted to recommend is only on wattpad and patreon, she’s still trying to get actual publication figured out but vviticus is an amazeballs author
Martha Wells’ newest book is Witch King — going back to her fantasy roots. Great world building and characters. AND her older books are being republished this fall in expanded author’s editions — Book of Ile-Rien (includes Death of a Necromancer) and City of Bones. Another great Texas author.
I really enjoyed the Witch King once I figured out that Wells wasn’t going to spoon feed me all the information about this world and magic structure. She assumes her audience is smart and can work out many details without providing pages of explanation. There is a lot going on and it is a complicated world with a long history. I found I appreciated the trust she put in me to understand it. Highly recommend this one.
Yes! Witch King!
Plus one for Martha wells
Have tried everywhere to get a digital copy of “The fall of Ile-Rien”
Have the print just can’t read without glasses
Also the “murderbot diaries “
Martha Wells seems to be in the process of releasing revised editions of some of her older books. The first one (The City of Bones) was released today (February 5, 2023).
Don’t see the books in “The Fall of Ilie-Rien” trilogy but there’s a different Ile-Rien book (The Book of Ilie-Rien: The Element of Fire & The Book of the Necromancer) scheduled for a revised edition release on February 27, 2024, so maybe she’ll eventually get to the trilogy?
How could Martha Wells Murderbot series not be on this list. I’ve reread twice.
There is a separate comment thread on it 🙂
Hello Moderater R
I’m on ilona-andrews.com, from the HA email newsletter.
Is this the same thing as the”blog” If not, how do I find the blog.
I won’t ask what thread means( it’s not clothes🤔 ) I know it’s another line/ topic of conversation.If I can find the blog ( assuming I’m not on it ) I’ll find the thread.
You go WAY above and beyond what is the norm in dealing with so many people and I appreciate all of your help. I think House Andrews is fortunate to have you.
Thank you, Roger
Hi Roger,
Yes, you are on the blog 🙂. Here is a shortcut link for you too, if you wish to save it https://ilona-andrews.com/blog/
A thread is a string or nest of comments and their replies.
I’ve also emailed you this directly, in case it’s easier to find 🙂.
Thank you so much. I appreciate your help
Yep, me too!
HOORAY for MURDERBOT SERIES!!!!!! Love, love LOVE them. Like pretty much all of Martha Wells, but “first Martha” was the Murderbot…one of the few books I may actually prefer the audio version!!
+1 to the max. I read them in audio. Wonderful narrator.
Totally agree! Couldn’t put them down.
I also loved these books.
+1 for The Cloud Roads series. I love Moon and as an Anthro major appreciate the culture-building.
+1 Tamora Pierce Kel series being the first comment on this post makes me feel some strong camaraderie. That is my favorite series by my favorite author in books appropriate to all ages. Note that intentional phrasing. Just because it’s not too mature for kids doesn’t mean adults won’t love it too. If you haven’t read it, you should.
The city between series, W.R. Gingell
+1 love the city between series. Have you read “A Whisker Behind”?
Yes, sorry for interrupting the thread lol
+1 Tamora Pierce is awesome! quality stuff. I usually recommend starting with Alanna, but my favourite is probably Trickster’s Duet, with Beka Cooper trilogy as a close second.
+1 Protector of the Small
+1
+1. Tamora Pierce was the author who introduced me to fantasy with kickass female characters. The world building! The character growth! For a middle schooler twenty years ago it was the best escape. Gah, cannot say enough good things.
+1 love these books
+1 Tamora Pierce and what everyone else said.
squee to this thread i loved the alanna series from the age of 10 definitely one of my all times faves and stands up to rereading even as an adult
Are all Tamara Pierce books YA? Can I just give my daughter a list of them, have her show me which ones she hasn’t read yet, and go ahead and order them cos they won’t turn out to be adult books?
Thanks 🙏
Yes! 🫡
Will of the Empress does touch on some “first relationship” type stuff, but I would still class it as YA.
Yes. I re-read them as an adult, checking for those kinds of concerns, before i gave them to niece and nephews.
Pleased in that regard, and i am fairly conservative (and Church-going).
Enjoyable as an adult too.
Protector of the Small — and the kindness and empathy toward animals — resonated with me over the years — that was the first series i read by Tamora …
But i can see why people suggest starting with Lioness … another great series!
I believe Alanna starts sleeping with the prince though no description (I kind of was surprised as an adult reading it). Protector of the Small has her go from 11/12-16(?) and she starts responsibly sleeping with her boyfriend (again closed door).
Keladry never slept with anyone in those books. They got to heavy petting but no further.
In Alanna + Protector the FMC sleeps with her boyfriend. closed door
I think the most explicit they get is a verbal mention of “canoodle” (Daine, Immortals series).
In the Alanna series, she deals with hiding signs of her being a female.
I’ve gifted a couple of Tamora Pierce’s books (Alanna series) for my friends’ kids that are ~ 9, and they’ve been a hit! Super nice to see that they’ve held up to the test of time.
100% Tamora is amazing. Strong women, believable characters, lots of representation.
Personally I love the Circle of Magic books the most–love the mundanity/slice of life aspects. I also appreciate that her climaxes don’t always involve some bad dude as a villain.
Hers are my comfort books
+! Classic! I love Everything Tamora Pierce!
Steelflower, by Lilith Saintcrow. Great fantasy action series with a lead female elf sellsword, filled with intrigue, battles and a fresh spin on the fated lovers/soulmate romance. The world building is beautifully intricate as in all of Ms. Saintcrow’s works, and the story is thoroughly engrossing. I highly recommend!
+1 Steelflower series- with caveat that the series remains unfinished!!! Aahhhh!! I also really loved her take on Armageddon zombies in her Roatrip Z series
+1
I love most of her books (and it was my start into fantasy as a teen).
Will of the Empress from Circle of Magic is one of my absolute favourites because it really gets the sibling interaction right. It does work best if you read the two series before it first.
+1
I love this author so much; her books are my comfort reads.
Sourdough: A Novel by Robin Sloan. From 2017, but I just found it. It’s just so quirky and unexpected. I just had to finish it, and have gone back and read it a couple of times.
**Am I first?**
Why did you like it so much? 🙂
The whole concept of being burnt out in your job & your life, trying something new, and just having it work. (that will now make people think that’s the whole book LOL). But it involves high tech problem solving, the mellowing effects of the Grateful Dead on sourdough starter, the benefits of taking huge risks with your life, and finding true love (that’s quite a mix). It also some really, really unexpected plot twists. It kind of reminded me of Mr. Penumbera’s 24-hour Book Store, but way more grown up.
Jolene, I read your recommendation and bought Sourdough. I’m excited to read it! Thanks!
Sigh…. It sounded good. Went to to place it on my wishlist…and I already owned it. Red faced at the moment.
Me too
Just grabbed it.
On the baking theme and with Bob the conscious sourdough starter as a side character- I must recommend A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher – sweet & fun story about good people battling in bad situations with humor and fun and suitable for adults and tweens.
Really anything by T. Kingfisher. Love her writing as she turns classic themes a bit askew. Loved Swordheart! And her Clocktaur War series is a great read. The Gnole characters are a hoot.
Just keep in mind – she publishes under more than one name, but she also writes more than one kind of thing under the T Kingfisher name. There’s her quirky fantasy, her more young adult oriented stuff… and then there’s her horror. Good to know what you’re getting into!
Love the gnoles so much. I just reread the Clocktaur War series. Great characters
LOVE T. Kingfisher! I got hooked on her Saint of Steel series, but Nettle & Bone and Illuminations are equally awesome. Maybe even better. So creative and different!
(I admit, however, that I clocked out of A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking.)
+1
+1, sourdough that fights evil, what could be more fun
love this! And I love T. Kingfisher.
I loved that book! A big plus one!
+1! I just discovered T. Kingfisher and have enjoyed everything I’ve read so far, including this, the Clocktaur series and its spinoffs.
Thanks for the recommendation. I just finished devouring Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking and really enjoyed it!
I’m in hospital at the moment. I feel well enough to read now and was looking for a good book to cheer me up. Sourdough sounds just the job! Bought it on Kindle and about to make a start.
Thanks for the recommendation
Hi Caroline! I hope you’re feeling better. In terms of books for cheering up, I recently read Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree; a charming story about a retired mercenary who opens a bakery. It’s a great tale about love and community and the joy of things built and grown.
The Grateful Dead and sourdough, two of my favorite things. I’m definitely going to have to read this!
Great story! Funny, quirky, unexpected. Turned me onto making sourdough. For which my friends and family are profoundly grateful. 😁
We Don’t Wear Capes by Joshua Guess
In a world full of superheroes and villains with massive power a group of young adults with almost negligible powers are chosen by the government to be trained with the top ranking players as a pilot program to see if the training program can be adapted to a wider range of the population after one of the five most powerful villains is neutralized. You get to follow people that didn’t think they had a useful power for fighting the bad guys learn more about their power and themselves while also learning to work together on a team after thinking their entire lives they would never have this opportunity.
That sounds good! Thanks I didn’t know this one 🙂
Excellent choice. His two Mr Penumbra books (well, book and novella) are also worth it.
I liked Mr. Penumbra a lot
+1
L. E. Modesitt, Jr’s “Spell song Cycle”. Older series (sorry!!), but so good!
I definitely enjoyed this cycle ten years ago. My reading habits have changed (due to inability to concentrate) and I gave the books away. However, little bits of them come back to me from time to time. I love the idea of magic being focused through song.
I actually prefer his “Forever Hero” sci-fi trilogy. I can read it over and over again and never get bored.
Like a lot of his work, got into him via the new Grand Illusion series. gaslamp meets political, it’s not what I normally enjoy and very detail-oriented but I inhaled them.
+1 for Forever Hero series. I love how it follows him through the many, many years as he progresses toward his goals!
West of Jaws by Capes
It’s a really unique world and the characters are totally not what you think. The main characters are a witch and a shapeshifter. I’m waiting for the next book to come out.
LOVED West of Jaws!
Naomi Novik’s Schoolomance series.
Mature YA. The series follows Galadriel “El” Higgins through a magic school straight from nightmares and into the not so fluffy world beyond. Elle’s magic makes her adept at world domination, but all she wants to do is survive with her soul intact.
I actually consumed it in audiobook format, wonderfully narrated by Anisha Dadia.
@Mod R, it’s apparently “El” Higgins. proof that I did audiobook I suppose when you can’t spell the 2 letter MC’s name right. 🤪 can you please fix?
Thanks Stacey! I’ve now read the three scholomance books and I’m on the 3rd Dragon book. Thanks for the excellent suggestions!!!
I second the recommendation for this series! I adore Naomi Novik’s work, & this series is the bomb. The magical school, the monsters that eat the kids, & the not so evil sorcereress are so much fun to read.
+1
The Scholomance books are so well-written. Really great worldbuilding, with strong characters, and lots of humor in the dialogue although it gets pretty serious towards the end.
agreed!…the ending felt a bit unfinished…great series though..
I second the ending being unfinished. I think she had more ideas for a long break then new book like John Marsden when the was began then the ellie series.
+1 for Scholomance series
I would say anything by Naomi Novik. I very much enjoyed this series but I have enjoyed all of her books that I’ve read and would read anything new she writes. Uprooted is also terrific and great as an audiobook.
+ 1 for anything Naomi Novik. First got hooked on her Temeraire series – history + dragons, what more do you need? But everything since is also great.
I really really love the scholomance series
That was an AWESOME series. The narrator was wonderful!
I liked this series a lot. I was hesitant because Spinning Silver was so good and I thought a younger series would be a let down. She has matured as a writer and I. Have moved her into the autobuy column.
+1 for Naomi and her Schoolmance Series!
El is great, and you can’t get a much better opening line than, “I decided that Orion needed to die after the second time he saved my life.”
+1
I just finished these last night and was going to recommend them! She’s definitely one of those authors with a distinct voice and I’ve loved everything of hers that I’ve read so far.
Mal mouths are going to stay with me for a while…
+1
Great series
+1 with glee and enthusiasm. El’s such a great first-person character, and the world she moves through feels natural and real.
I read the book first, but also loved the audio version. The narrator was an excellent match.
+1 for the Scholomance series ( a coworker described it as “Daria” meets “Hogwarts” and I love Naomi Novik’s stand alone books even more.
LOVE this series. Highly recommend.
+1
seconded. anti-heroine. anti-hero. brilliant.
Yes! I read anything by Novik. The Schoolomance is my fav book series of the past few years!
+1 for Scholomance! An awesome and funny hero. I love El’s train-of-thought narration where she initially misinterprets the motivations of both friends and enemies
You’ve inspired me to get the audiobooks – as I loved the series!
+1 I love all Novik’s books (eg Spinning Silver), but the Scholomance trilogy is one of my favorites. I love the snarky narrator and the character growth.
Just read the sample for #1. Really like El! I’m in! Thanks!!!
+1
I finished the first book in this series & enjoyed it. Thanks for the rec I didn’t know I wanted. I’m waiting for book 2 from 3 different county wide library systems in my state. Is this book series perpetually popular? or is the horde everywhere?
+1 Scholomance. This was of the best books I read in years
Ha! The BDH strikes again. I am now #15 On the waitlist for the first book (audiobook) in this series in the Las Vegas (Clarke county) library system.
Eileen Wilks “World of the Lupi” series, starting with “Tempting Danger.” I think Wilks is underappreciated, and does a magnificent job in exploring beings other than human, along with different types of humans with different beliefs and cultural experiences. Stories have an Asian heroine and a lupus hero, and explore magical crimes, cults, politics, and family dynamics.
I love the “World of the Lupi” and wish the last book would be published soon.
+100000000000000000
I really want that last book.
💯 on World of Lupi. I stalk Eileen Wilks’ page to see if there’s a date for final book. She has built such a diverse world that I get lost in each time I read them
From What I remember she lost her publisher and had to get a job. So I don’t know when the next or last book will be done.
+1
Wish she was still writing them…
I absolutely adore the Lupi series, especially grandmother and her dragons.
I keep waiting for the final book Wilks promised. Has she been ill because it’s a few years overdue.
I agree with wanting the last book. People keep putting encouraging messages on her Facebook page in hopes of the ultimate ending. I understand there were issues with her publisher, and the fact she had to go back to a day job to make ends meet. There is a cover and title for the book, but the inside isn’t done.
Absolutely agree, wonderful writer.
+1
+1 love the lupi series in audiobook too
+1. It’s on Graphic Audio. ::SWOON::
Oh yes, I really enjoyed this series! Tough to find as e-books, I borrowed as paperbacks from my local library.
+1
I love the “World of the Lupi” series too! I think we’re all waiting, perhaps in vain, for the final book.
Marcia B-C, your description really captures the essence of the series. Wilkes characters, major and minor, really come to life on the page. Their relationships are complex and real.
+1
+1
One of my favorite for the world building.
The UF series with the most romances I care about.
Thank you for thus recommendation! Devoured book 1 last night. I really enjoyed the different take on “the Chosen”… also the side character of her pet cat is really fun. Lots of fun twists and turns, my favorite part of this was really what a great writer Eileen Wilks is… very good quality of writing that was almost poetic at times. 😎
+1
I just bought this based on your recommendation and am enjoying it very much.
Thank you Marcia.
+1
Nice Dragons Finish Last
Heartstrikers, Book 1
By: Rachel Aaron
It is a special moment when you find a new book, a brand new world, it is a treasure.
Why did I like it? Dragons and done in a new quirky way. Fun, fun, fun.
+1. Read the whole series. Sympathetic main character. Amusing story. Interesting plot twists. Surfed a bit near end of series — didn’t like everything about it — but some solid enjoyment along the way. Not HA … not by a long shot … but i read them all and enjoyed them.
What does HA good mean?
House Andrews (Ilona Andrews) levels of good 😀
She also writes as Rachel Bach and has a space faring kick ass heroine series which I adored. I actually am inspired to do a relistening now. The first in series is fortunes Pawn it’s not a new series tho. I did love the spin-off dragon DFZ series more than the main series it felt more “matured” somehow in writing style and I liked the story flow better…
Loved this series!! And there are a 1 complete and another started spin-off series in the same world that are equally good!
+1 for this series and everything else by this author. The writing is easy to read, fun, definitely quirky, okay for teens or adults.
+1
There’s two other series set in the same world! Minimum Wage Magic (3 books, finished), and by a Silver Thread (1 book for now)
+1 it’s fun urban fantasy and has an unusual protagonist, who is willing to go to great lengths to promote his non-violent ideals.
one of the few fantasy books where might doesn’t make right, shows a different type of power.
+1 Although the MMC initially annoyed me, he grew as a character and got sooooo much better. Definitely recommend these.
I enjoyed her other 2-book Crystal Calamity series (The Last Stand of Mary Good Crow & The Battle of Medicine Rocks). Interesting Wild West setting with strong female characters who are troubled, magic & occult elements and Lakota. Found it on Kindle Unlimited and bought it after reading a sample (I’m not a member of KU). Reminded me slightly of Charlaine Harris’ Gunnie Rose world, but it has its own merit. I’ll have to try these books.
I agree! I was delighted to find Rachel’s books and she just started a new spin off series.
I am a big fan of this series. It has a lovable, very sympathetic and well drawn protagonist, some wonderful action sequences, intricate, very original world building, and a twisty plot that kept me totally engrossed throughout the series. Highly recommend to anyone who wants to read a slightly different urban fantasy series.
Love this series! Great characters, vivid world, sticks the landing. Also really enjoyed Minimum Wage Magic, spin-off series set in the same world.
Recently #booktok recommended Rowan: The Lochlann Feuds, it wasn’t HA good but I enjoyed the enemies to lovers with a strong female lead trope. The best part is if you are KU member the 4 book bundle is free, and the audiobook comes in the 4 book bundle as well.
You know… not to be any kind of brown noser but it is SO HARD to try and make a rec that I could say is “HA good.” I’m gonna check your rec out asap and I appreciate the sentiment that it’s worth the read even if I won’t be rabid over it like I might over HA writing.
Author? (In case I can’t find it – I am old…)
Robin D. Mahle & Elle Madison, based on the Amazon entry for the book 🙂
The Left-Handed Booksellers of London is a very entertaining book, by Garth Nix. His other work is very good too, sometimes a little dark however.
There’s a sequel. The Sinister Booksellers of Bath. I love both of them. I didn’t really like the two main characters at first, but the story got me – and it turned out to be perfectly reasonable that they were how they were.
I would recommend both of these books, too. I actually lived those years here in the UK and have the feeling that those things were really going on right under my nose, as the rest of the world is absolutely right.
His work ranges from kids to YA/adults, with the Booksellers among the older range.
… did you mean the Sabriel/Old Kingdom series? I’ve read this series repeatedly since I was young, and it hasn’t become stale yet!
love the sabriel series!
+1!
I swear, HA, Nalini Singh, and Garth Nix have soothed my mental state many a time!
+1 to both Garth Nix & Nalini Singh! Love their styles & world-building
Sabriel! So good. I liked but didn’t love the left-handed booksellers books
+1
+1 love the Booksellers of London, quirky take on magical creatures. Garth Nix is an autobuy for me
Yesssss, Garth Nix is so good at world building. I haven’t read this series, but especially knowing it’s more older -oriented than some of his stuff, I’m definitely going to check it out.
the abhorsen/Sabriel books were some of the biggest in my life as a kid, but The Ragwitch was something really special
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik.
I love Naomi’s other works (even if I haven’t finished Temeraire yet), so it was a toss up between this and the Scholomance trilogy (also excellent). Spinning Silver is a take on Rumpelstiltskin with a whole lot more in it. The story initially centers around a moneylender’s daughter who boasts a bit too loudly and is noticed by the Staryk. As a woman of Jewish descent, it was really interesting and exciting to see Jewish people in an alternative fantasy world. I found the protagonists really exciting as they all come from different backgrounds and have different perspectives. It is a standalone novel.
I loved this one so much – it still makes me happy to think about it. Same – I am Jewish and I just felt seen with this book. NN in general is always worth reading I think.
I have Jewish friends but am Catholic. For some reason I feel like this book gave me a much deeper emotional understanding of the depth of the history of the Jewish people than most of the other conversations and reading I have done.
Same! Also Jewish and loved her fantasy medieval take on it! Love her writing, world-building, treatment of culture, difference and power.
I also loved her other fairytale-esque novel Uprooted based on Polish/Slavic folklore!
I loved Uprooted! Spinning Silver too but Uprooted was so unique in its setting and mythology.
Whoops, I am referring to Spinning Silver.
+1
I loved her takes on fairy tales. They felt so applicable to modern day! I haven’t yet read the series (serieses?) but they’re on the list!
I really enjoyed the Tea Princess Chronicles by Casey Blair. It’s a story of a misfit princess who goes looking for her place in the world and finds it in a tea house. It was really good world building (not as good as House Andrews but still good). I loved that it was centered on tea ceremonies and that just felt cozy.It’s more SciFi than urban fantasy. There are 3 books in the series.
Good suggestion! I also read this one and really enjoyed it. I would say it’s fantasy with romantic elements. And had realistic/believable sister dynamics.
And a book of short pieces and a novella. I bought all of them after I finished reading the first.
+1 for the coup of tea series as well! I really enjoyed this one this year as well, the world building is layered beautifully and it has some of the elements I really enjoy from a cozy read while incorporating the complexity and higher stakes (by the end) of a more traditional series. I enjoyed both, and the heroines growth as the author does her best with some pretty nuanced topics about privilege and gentrification etc.
+1 really enjoyed it, excellent characters and interpersonal dynamics.
I agree with you Kelsey C that it was a nuanced handling of privilege and race, though it was jarring to read modern terms like ‘systemic bias’ in a hegemonic feudal magic-industrial queendom :P.
The romance and magic are great too!
+1 for this series! Loved it, I binged-read the three books in a week.
Also recommend this series, was delightful. And so nice to see an answer to the question of how do I serve done this way.
Thank you for the recommendation of the Tea Princess Chronicles. I just finished the first book and have already purchased the next two. Lovely story!
Dragonbone chair, by Tad Williams. It’s the first in a series and it’s old but utterly brilliant in the concept of new world with a hero, Simon Mooncalf, who is pretty inept and yet you want him to survive! I’m told that Game of Thrones was inspired by this series
This series is older than me and the bloom is gone off my chicken, or my rose is no longer in spring or whatever that expression is 😉 .
Let’s please *try* and recommend newer discoveries or at least keep it to this century. There have been previous book recommendations threads where everyone already recommended/knows these classics 🙂
I read this in the 80’s and remember loving it. It is so old many may not know of it.
Never heard of it! Buying now.
No. not everyone. Back then I think I was reading romance novels. But I had never hear of Tad Williams. I’m having fun today finding a bunch of authors I’ve never read. I think I was supposed to do yard work. Oh well!;)
You didn’t specifically say I couldn’t put an ‘old’ book here! It may be old but it’s still brilliant and very few people seem to have heard of it. Clear I’m as ancient as the hills as I read it when it was first published…
I know this is an old book but the author recently returned to the series after a long hiatus with a book called The Witchwood Crown that i very well written and features the next generation.
Shucks, I wanted to recommend an author (husband and wife team) from the last millennium. Perhaps another blog topic with the same rules except the book has to be from the last century?
+1
Dragon Heist by Alexander C. Kane
Why did I like it? Dragons + Heist
It may lack a bit in character development but it was fun, and irrelevant, didn’t take itself too seriously.
I buy anything from him. Dragon Heist is just the latest out of his fertile imagination. I highly recommend any of his books, but I buy audio books. The dragon in this story has a strong southern accent and was such a delight that the minute I finished the story, I started all over and listened again.
I thought Bitter Medicine by Mia Tsai was a fresh approach to urban fantasy with a strong romantic subplot. The magic system is based on Chinese folk religion, and it has that element of family- both found and blood- that I always find appealing in a series. I’ll be looking for more from her!
+1, I really liked this one too
+1 I was going to suggest this too! I also loved the incorporation of different languages being spoken.
Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
Why did you like it? 🙂
+1
Murderbot is the best book series I’ve read that explores what it is to be human, seen through the eyes of an artificial intelligence/construct (or cyborg, if that term describes it better). Murderbot tries to remain separate and indifferent to the humans it is contracted to protect, but ends up being drawn into relationships it has never experienced and doesn’t understand. Friends? are they friends?
One of my favorite comfort reads after HA.
And the first MurderBot book has just been published by Graphic Audio, with more to follow.
+2
Love the Murderbot series as well. Definitely a great comfort read. The final book in the series (Murderbot diaries book 8) will be released on Nov 14th.
Oh my goodness – Murderbot book 8!!!!!!!!!! Thank you for the heads up – love that snarky, grumpy, sarcastic, good-hearted ‘droid (though not sure what the Sec Unit equivalent of a heart might actually be…). From a NYT review that captures my feelings about the main character “Murderbot’s voice, [is] a beautiful blend of exhausted cynicism and deep, helpless love.”
I love that NYT description of the Murderbot character’s inner monologue. It perfectly captures the essence of that most human of decidedly not human characters.
I’ve read, reread and listened to the audiobooks several times. It’s a fascinating exploration of what it means to be human, without being heavy or preachy. Excellent sci-fi with humor and plenty of snark. I consume all things Martha Wells, but this series is just incredible. All but one of the books are really novella-size so they are easy reads. It’s probably why I’ve re-read them so many times, I burn through them, and on subsequent rereads, I get more insight into the characters and story.
+1000000
+1
Forgot to say why:
It’s well written- story doesn’t get lost in infodumps or action sequences overload. It just feels like every word is on point and adds to the story.
And the main character is just wonderful. The waves of not caring and descriptions of Murderbot’s love of media, stealthy downloads- it’s just great.
And somehow every word is just the right combo for me in the book. I just felt like I could visualize everything and the series is something that leaves me with a smile on my face.
Murderbot! best character ever in sci fi
+1
Murderbot is very funny, and so relatable! A robot who becomes self-aware ends up NOT wanting to do their security job, and just wants to be left alone to binge their favorite series.
+1 sanctuary moon!
+1 Fantastic character! Enjoyed the pull and push of interacting with humans – I don’t like people either much of the time😉
Murderbot rocks, his observations of things are funny as heck yet the book is also touching, you come to care for him. He is a kind of cyborg with living and synthetic elements but ends up in a sense finding for lack of a good word his humanity. He claims indifference but then finds himself caring about some of the people around him,as uncomfortable as it can make him. And yes, his love of devouring human dramas, especially ones involving romance, is great.
Love Murderbot. One of my favorite quotes is
“She paused to untangle my verbs.” (Not 100 sure it’s accurate, but it always makes me laugh.)
Murderbots relationships are pure gold. It’s one of the main comfort reads my hubby and I share.
Heh. This is interesting. I, too, love the Murderbot series, for all the reasons stated above. But I always think of Murderbot as a “her” in my reading!
+1 devoured this series! So funny and a really interesting premise!
See also my comment further down on Martha Wells’ newest book, Witch King; and the new editions of her older fantasy books being published this fall.
+1 for Murderbot.
I love the main character.
I’m relistening to the series right now. One of my favourites.
+1 all things Murdbot. A life changing series for me.
+1. Murderbot is an awesome series, a read I shared with my grandsons, which turned them onto Martha Wells. I reread the series as often as I reread HA books!
+1000
I love the InCryptid series by Seanan McGuire. The world building is good and there is a variety of characters who all get a chance to shine. The idea that there are “monsters” in world we regular humans never see and the lives they lead are amazing. Now.. bear in mind, I’ve tried 3 different times to start the October Daye series and failed. Discount Armageddon dragged me in before the end of the first chapter.
I love Seanan McGuire, she is such a prolific writer too. So many great series to choose from, I follow both Incryptid and October Daye religiously, though I’ve read lots of other titles by her.
A friend sent me an email showing that Humble Bundle had the Seanan McGuire books. Unfortunately when I clicked, it said it was not available in my area. Someone in a country other than UK might want to check it out. Other authors are showing up as only having 8 days left in their promotions.
October Daye is so good! It starts slow and then you start to see how everything fits together. I was very happy to do the humble bundle to get all but the last book for a great price.
I really enjoy these books too!
If it helps (since you are already a fan of InCryptid), ROSEMARY AND RUE really is the weakest book of the series. It’s helpful for world building, but the series really does get better with every book and is a MASTERCLASS in long series creation with tiny details in early books having huge impact on later story arcs. I like InCryptid, I am ride or die for the Toby Daye books LOL
BTW, since you do like InCryptid, make sure check out the SparrowHill Road trilogy too since they intersect!
Have to say I love October Daye, which is magic magic magic but intertwined with the human frailties, sorrows and hidden mysteries.
FYI The first books starts after October has been a fish! 1995-2006? Woo ha! Rah rah rah we loves our fishies. We only meet her after her years in a pond.
she has 2 October Daye books coming out this fall. they are the same story…one from October’s perspective and one from Tybalt (her husband)
is it allowed to say I am on the countdown for the latest release…4 days to go. rock on 5th sepppt 🙂
She just has a humble bundle, I’m not sure if it’s still available but it was Both October Daye books and Incryptid books! I got 25 for 25$.
Yes, it is still available!
never heard of humble bumble, just went to check it out. Lots of Seanan Mcguire books for not much money!!! Thanks for the info
The October Daye series can be a little ponderous. I’ve read it all so far, and can’t quite bring myself to read the latest. I haven’t tried the InCryptid series for that reason. I think I’ll try them now.
I loved both the Incryptid series and October Daye.
same. I loved them right up until maybe the last 2. I kind of feel the same about the Incryptid series as well. It could just be menopause brain that isn’t allowing me to concentrate like I used to.
I agree. I can’t any more. I don’t think poor Toby is allowed to be happy. Every book starts out “I felt a brief throb of joy. Then the front door blew open.”
I agree. And more than a bit dark at times.
Toby’s mother scares me silly
I found that the InCryptid books hit me very differently depending on the narrator. Verity’s books are just such a romp, even when they’re really dark. And I’m predisposed to like Alice and Thomas… even if the books away from Earth just aren’t as resonant for me. Some of the other narrators I was really excited for in theory, but less so in execution.
She also writes under the name Mira Grant. Darker more horror based stories but still awesome.
I really want a crossover story – Kate and Curran on a double date with Toby and Tybalt that goes south. All their respective mentees get to stand around and snark.
I didn’t know about that pseudonym. I’ll have to check it out.
I am not much of a horror fan, which is more what Mira Grant books are, but I loved the Feed series about zombies. Kept me on the edge of my seat and swept me up into the world. There are 5 books in the series. I did find myself waking up one day after speeding through the series and looking for zombies! Lol.
I forgot to say Feed is the first book in the series.
The mermaid ones are fun and different! Rolling in the deep and Into the drowning deep, I think.
Seanan writes under a lot of nom de plumes.
A. Deborah Baker is another one
They’re both characters with:
An amazing ability with blood
Feline boyfriends who have let them semi adopt an adoptive child/ward…
And
spoilers (for both series)
A need to overcome the thought patterns they were raised with (and to re-examine their father figure/mentor’s motives).
An extremely powerful parent who thinks they know what’s best and is somewhat delusional.
long lived aunts whose mere mention brings fear to everyone (actually that’s another discussion I want to see…the Rose Of the Tigris and The Sea Witch)
Definitely some discussions to be had among all parties
I love Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children series and Middlegame books. Will highly recommend Wayward Children to those who love portal books and clever writing. Middlegame is… I don’t even know how to describe it but it’s so captivating and clever. She definitely has a knack for interesting world building.
Have yet to read InCryptid or October Daye though!
Wayward Children is a series I wish I could have taken a college course on. There are so many metaphors throughout the series and each world, and the writing and messages are beautiful. Antsy’s book was my favorite (though this installment’s not for everyone, it’s a bit dark), Lost in the Moment and Found.
yay Devon Monk!!
❤️❤️ Ordinary Magic for a light fun read
❤️ ❤️ Allie Beckstrom for kick ass lady heroine
Haven’t read House Immortal yet, but it’s on the list!
plus!! she gives away the Cutest knit toys in her newsletter. This month it is TV Guy and a Dino Hatchling.
Just chiming in to second the recommendation for Devon Monk’s Ordinary Magic series.
Fun fact: Graphic Audio has the dramatized adaptations for Books 1 to 8 of Ordinary Magic (the GA adaptation of Book 9 isn’t out yet). Michael Glenn, whose voice we know as Curran Lennart in the KD GA adaptations, is also part of the Ordinary Magic cast. He voices Travail Rossi, the vampire “prime” of the town.
Thank you! I will be going to Graphic Audio right now.
+1 for Incryptid! just read the first book and it is the closest thing to Innkeeper so far in terms of cultural sensitivity and knowing all about different species. it also has the wacky family vibe like Hidden Legacy. definitely gonna continue.
happy to find this, as I tried Rosemary and Rue (first October Daye) and didn’t like it. wasn’t into the toxic past relationships and lots of alpha males around one female protagonist.
My fave October book is the 4th one. An Artificial Night.
I just started the InCryptid series and I love it!!
I agree! I would love to have the Aeslin Mice! hahaha
Aeslin Mice for the win! Just too darn cute and lovable.
Yay for Aeslin Mice!
Yes, I enjoyed that series too. lots of fun, interesting central characters and good world building
+1 for both comments about Seanan.
You are not alone. I love the Incryptid series, but didn’t care for the October Daye.
I agree about the InCryptid series by Seanan McGuire, amazing worldbuilding, fun characters, and a lot of lighter and darker themes intertwining. I could not get into the October Daye series as easily, but I am still planning to give it a try again. However, I sincerely recommend InCryptid… Aeslin mice are the cutest!
I completely agree with that, couldn’t read Oct. Faye at all. Dragged myself through one, tried to start the next, and just came to the conclusion that I really just didn’t like the protagonist or her world.
However, everything else she’s written as McGuire or Grant is really excellent, Indexing, Doors, tho some of the Newsflesh books gave me nightmares for… well, still do.
+1 these are fun reads with strong (mainly) female lead characters with romance but not the main focus. I probably like Verity’s books the best, Annie’s series felt a little whiny initially, although better on the second read, and the future books are presumably going to get more tangled with characters, but this series is still a must buy for me.
Agreed re loving InCryptid and trying three times to get into October Daye and failing. Strange, right??
You are not alone! I attempted reading October Daye and just could not finish the first book. I just wasn’t into the story.
I adore Seanan McGuire!! Top author for me along with HA. My fave series of hers is Incryptid— love her characters and their interactions (and how we see their different perspectives on each other), protecting/building relationships with the magical folk (of different cultures). Second fave is October Daye— it has a lot more pain in it (and character growth) but worth it. Wayward Children is my least favorite series of hers, though I still love it.
First Grave on the Right
A Charlie Daavidson book
By: Darynda Jones
Why do I like the book?
Great world building. Sense of humor. At first I thought the main character was a stereotypical female badass (hate that trope), but she really is a badass but does not take herself too seriously.
I learned to love this series. I wasn’t sure about the first book, but it is So good.
So glad my library has this series, I listened to the audiobooks via hoopla or Overdrive (now Libby).
I like her Sunshine Vicram and In Betwixt books also.
+1
Similar in vein is:
The Foundling Series by Hailey Edwards
“Deep in the humid swamps of the Mississippi bayou, a mysterious, half-wild child is dragged just in time from the murky waters. She has no memories, no family and is covered in strange markings, the meaning of which no one is able to decipher.”
The markings reminded me of Michelle Sagara’s Chronicles of Elantra series.
I love Sagara’s world building in the Elantra series
Me, too.
I read just about anything Sagara writes. I love both the Elantra series and the Essalieyan series she writes as Michelle West.
I agree that the world building in the Chronicles of Elantra is excellent. I love the varied cast of characters. The different species and their various cultures are so thoughtfully explored and developed throughout the series. Kaylin can be a little immature and a lot stubborn, but she’s essentially a very likeable protagonist. And the other characters in the series are equally well drawn.
I forgot to mention that the magic system in The Chronicles of Elantra is quite unique. Actually, there is more than one magic system and all of them are fascinating and very different.
+1 – I agree. I’ve just finished the first book in the Edwards’ Foundling series, and I have found it unique enough from a character perspective to buy the second book. I do love the intricacy of Sagara’s books, but have gotten a bit weighted down by the complexity of the plot in the Elantra series – find I need to dip out and then dip back into it. The timing of this thread is perfect, I’m itching for new authors to discover!
+1 to Hailey Edwards. Also like Jenny Schwartz (interplanetary so not just shifters and magic)
+1 for sure!
+1 haven’t read all the books in the series (on my to buy list) but love the humour, and would totally buy t-shirts with the chapter slogans on them 😁
Speaking of T-shirts with clever statements, Patricia Rice’s books – like The Indigo Solution – have a wonderful boho protagonist who’s seen wearing at shirt that says:
“If the world really was flat, all the cats would have already pushed everything over the edge.”
Anything by Darynda Jones is great- such a good sense of humor.
Nova Terra series by Seth Ring. 10 book series about a young man with a genetic disorder who enters a virtual world while doctors try a new therapy to help him, and his adventures there. Excellent world building, wonderful characters and great storytelling. I laughed out loud at time, got excited with the characters and wished I was there with them.
The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros! It’s new, and reminiscent of Hunger Games with dragons and very compelling relationships. I stayed up way too late finishing it and had a book hangover for days.
Love this book can hardly wait until the fall for the 2nd book, the word building was magnificent, hated the main character at first then grew to love her warts and all. I am interested to see where the family relationships will go. On a side note Yarros’ latest contemporary novel – name escapes me but it is the most recent release – is getting a lot of rave reviews as well. I appreciate how she has gone from a solid contemporary genre to fantasy – and done well. I did this as an audio book – 21 hrs but well worth it
+1 I wasn’t sure about this one but was talked into trying it, and boy am I grateful my friend insisted. I loved it. With deep characters and lots of action, I was all over it, even if the MC’s were younger than I normally like to read. I can’t wait for the second book to come out.
+1 Cannot wait for the sequel. The ultimate misuse of power, reminded me of certain present day countries in many aspects.
I also really liked this one, well written and draws you in
+1
I loved this book too and I especially loved that the main character has chronic pain/disabilities. I have the same condition and this representation was so positive.
This book was sooo good I’m hooked!
+1 Oh, absolutely! I loved everything about this book. Pre-ordered the sequel and fingers crossed it will be as good. I particularly enjoyed the many instances of “what you think is true really isn’t” throughout the book.
+1. Can hardly wait for the second book.
+100!
LOVE this story! Underdog young woman forced (by mother) to take a different career path and be a dragon rider.
The audio book narrator is not great but the story is good eno to ignore her faults.
+1 I love this book so much. Part of what I love is the deep and compassionate sibling relationships violet has. I feel like it’s rare to find such loving and supportive relationships in other YA books.
+1
+1! Came here to say that loved how many plot twists there were and how the main character knew her own mind and stood for herself
So obsessed and loved it so much! Searched the page specifically for this book rec since I expected someone would recommend it!!
Love this book! Can’t wait for the next one. Big departure for her
+1 Fourth Wing is my all time favourite book ever. Which I’m sure you guys can agree is saying something. Why? Because while I don’t have EDS (like protagonist Violet) I have a bunch of other stuff which has all the same symptoms etc. So, on top of detailed world building, compelling characters and story, there is true chronic illness representation without it being the focus. And to this 30 something who’s been sick since the age of 11 and never fit in? Absolutely everything. Plus, it’s Rebecca Yarros. She is one of 3 adored, unicorn, auto buy authors for me. Our Author Lords being one of the other 2, and the third is Mariana Zapata if anyone cares 🤣
But yes, fantasy fan or not, this book is something very special.
Yep. I am going with Fourth Wing. Hands’ down. With the exception that the second book won’t be out for a few more months…
I loved it. highly recommend!
I wasn’t sure I would like this book because it seemed like it might be a little to YA for me but I ended up loving it. Now I can’t wait for book 2.
yup great book, highly recommend this on. very real likeable main character and good relationship dynamics, in that they are true to life.
+1
+1 I just found this book yesterday and have already read it through for the first time. The author’s ability to draw you into the character is incredible. I am really looking forward to November when the next book in the series is released.
I just finished this book in 3 days. A co-worker told me she’s read it 3 times already. It was so good. I can’t wait until Iron Flames comes out on Nov 7.
I really, really appreciated The Fourth Wing b/c you rarely get a heroine/hero with an *invisible* physical disability. It felt so amazing to see a character succeed in a fantasy world that I could relate to on so many levels.
I also agree the world build was really good. I got a little frustrated with one particular antagonist being allowed to continue escaping justice for so long, but overall it was a really, really good read.
And as I said– seeing a disabled main character was so refreshing.
+1
I loved this book! It was really thrilling and kept me engaged. I would recommend it for fans of the ACOTAR (A Court of Thorns and Roses) series by Sara J. Maas, as it reads like a new adult fiction and is rather explicitly spicy.
Thank you for this recommendation! I read this book and love it. +1
1+!
I just finished it yesterday and can wholeheartedly agree.
Was unsure if it‘s too YA for me, but my friend (who knows my taste) insisted and I‘m glad.
I was surprised how mature Violet handles her situation and communicates her feelings.
Personal favorite part: dialogues between Violet and Dragon(s)…hilarious and reminds me of HA humor.
Can’t wait for the second book!
“The Graveyard Book” by Neil Gaiman is a recent find of mine and I want to read more of his books. It is a quick read but a novel concept, well executed. – (Juvenile Fantasy)
Love this book!
Loved Neil Gaiman books “The Graveyard Book”, “Neverwhere”, and “Good Omens”. Recommend the audiobooks and performances — Good Omens audiobook narrator did an amazing job on all characters plus the tv series is very good. Books are different, bizarre, and entertaining. Enjoyed some of his other books but thought “Stardust” movie was better than the book.
Yes to the audiobooks! Neil Gaiman reads them and I absolutely love getting his intonations and, well, everything about them. He’s a treasure.
Agree! Never met a Neil Gaiman book I didn’t like. And he always does a great job of choosing narrators for the audiobooks. He is also one of my favorite narrators.
I regularly reread Tempting Danger by EileenWilks then continue with the rest of the series. She is a Chinese cop in SanDiego. He is a Werewolf prince. But at its heart its a story about family. Hers. a upper middle class Chinese family with a traditionalist mother, a grandmother who can turn into a tiger when necessary,and Lily, the middle sister who is ambitious, a straight arrow cop who believes in the law, hardwork, and doing her job. And he, Rule, the scion of a powerful Lupi clan, who drives a Porsche, is sexy as any movie star,loves opera, adores his young son whom he has to hide and does P.R for his family. The characters are intelligent, strong,compelling, and likeable, the stories are complex, the series opens up as the relationship develops between Lily, Rule, his father, his son, his best friend, and the always fascinating grandmother.
Adore the series
Love her books..
reread them frequently. I just wish the final one would come out.
Her books are also available in Graphic Audio.
Eileen Wilks does a wonderful job with the Lupi clans. They aren’t new, but well worth the read.
Natasha Pulley
Her Watchmaker is phenom. it’s a series too!!
so Mod R doesn’t have to nudge me(I thought I was being short and sweet!)
Her books and so immersive and well researched with deep characters. I love it
I’d recommend Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots. It is the villain origin story I didn’t know I needed. It was published in 2020 and is currently available on KU. It is more speculative fiction rather than UF, but any villain who uses data analytics to take down not-so-super heroes is okay in my book. Second book is due out in September 2024 and is on my must-buy list.
oh I loved Hench!! thank you for bringing it up. I can’t wait for the next one(I seem to remember it felt like it would be a series, but maybe I dreamed it).
What?!?! I didn’t know book 2 was happening! oh yaay that makes me so happy. I used to recommend this all the time. Hench is fantastic.
inna similar vein, I am excited to read Starter Villain by John Scalzi when it comes out.
+1 for Hench! It was so good, and I loved the take on superheroes, supervillains, and the “average” people who worked for them
Thank you so much for the rec. I loved the author’s writing style and the characters! It really felt relatable. Data analysis everywhere should read this. 🙂
Burning Bright by Melissa McShane
First book in a complete series! It’s regency fantasy (maybe not regency – set during the Napoleonic Wars and I’m not brushed up on where those lines are) with romance on the side (each book follows a different lead and love interest). The first one pulled me in because I read and loved The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle as a kid. I stayed for the whole series because the magic concept is so fun and the author explores beyond the typical “European world view” with some well researched, fully fleshed out locations and characters. Wish I could read this again for the first time!
ooo yes I really enjoyed this book and series!
+1 for this author. Wonderful characters
If you like Regency fantasy, check out Stephanie Briggs’ Good Neighbors (more recent), and also two older series- Patricia C. Wredes’ Mairelon the Magician (female guttersnipe thief who can sense magic caught by real magician who doesn’t know she’s a girl and adventures ensue), and author joint project by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer, Sorcery and Cecelia, or the enchanted Chocolate Pot. Lots of fun to read- mystery to be solved, lots of snark and adventures.
Last one is epistolary and told by two friends writing letters to each other- so much fun, because that’s exactly how the two authors wrote the story- trading sections at a time and reacting.
(good neighbors is by stephanie burgis)
Speaking of Patricia c Wrede, Her Enchanted Forest Chronicals (YA) books are a total hoot. I must have re read my copies to tatters. Princess Cimorene is unapologetically no nonsense and practical. And she Definitely-Does-Not-Need-Rescuing-Thank-You-Very-Much. A total breath of fresh air.
Did you also love The Witch of Blackbird Pond? I loved both of these books so much when I was 10!
A Serpent in Heaven
Gunnie Rose Book 4
By Charlaine Harris
Why did I like it?
The series is a slow starter, slow burn for me. Ms. Harris writes very different worlds from the Aurora Teagarden, to Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire books. This is totally different, an alternate history world where the USA collapsed during the Great Depression and was divided into several different countries. How does one survive and how does one survive if female with fewer rights and restrictions than what we have now. How does one survive if there is real magic and it is nasty. How does one survive messed up family. This book is from the POV (point of view) of the younger sister. I listened to the audiobook.
+1 for all the Ginnie Rose books
Gunnie
The Gunnie Rose series is excellent. Maybe even better than her Sookie Stackhouse series. And the audio books are done by Graphic Audio, and that’s a big plus.
Oh, I love the Gunnie Rose series. I didn’t realize there was another one out.
I loved this series too.
+1
I really like the voice of the character, and the ‘real life’ way that the plot is not fully linear or fully explained.
Now also being released on Graphic Audio
Book 5 out next week.
I really liked this series, my favorite one now of all of hers.
+1 to Gunnie Rose. Also LOVE the Midnight Texas series and the Harper Connelly Series, both urban fantasy-ish.
I first got hooked on the Lily Bard mystery series, though. Darker than the lighter Aurora Teagarden mystery books.
T. A. White’s Firebird Chronicles. I love all her works, but I really enjoy this series. Space, magic, great world-building, a protagonist that I like and respect – great escapism. When I read, I want to be swept away to another reality or world and feel invested in it. One of the reasons I am a member of the Book Devouring Horde!
+100. Love love love Firebird series by TA White. So much fun reading dialogue and character of main characters!
Compelling characters, fascinating world building, plot, dialogue … internal and external conflicts …
enjoyed at gut level and as entertainment and as an English major … so much good going on!
Went on to read all of TA White’s books … Firebird is still my favourite.
I always check if she has something new out … HA is still my absolute favourite!! But White fills the gaps between HA books … and that’s what this post is about, right? 🙂
I don’t watch TV.
Ps for other readers of Firebird: i met a buff smart guy named Grayson (or was it Graydon? 🙂
and was speechless: he exists! 🙂
Anyway, his name is whichever the book guy is not, but i still sometimes get tongue-tied and call him the book name. Super nice guy.
I have read this series at least 4 times, one of my all time favorites. fantastic storytelling and wonderful characters. love the slow burn romance and all the action!
Love, love, love T.A. White! Her Broken Lands series is just as good as the Firebird Chronicles. I love that she has both strong female and male characters and explore how they work together. Just fantastic! Have read through both series many times.
I agree – both Broken Lands and Firebird Chronicles series were hard for me too put down. I’m not sure how many hours of sleep I missed lol.
Love it – I actually enjoy everything she writes and like HA books will read and reread . The stories and world building is wonderful . Just brings me joy to read and that is usually my bar for books 🙂
ALL of T A White’s series are fantastic reads. Her world-building feels fresh vs same old tropes. But most of all her heroines are SMART and like Kate, often beat foes by outsmarting them.
+1 t. A. White does a great job of slow burning the past relationships, romantic and otherwise. Makes the characters feel real and the reactions to what the characters do believable.
+++ Firebird Chronicles also one of my favorite series (like TA White’s other books as well, but this series is my favorite). Still good on rereads (I only reread 3 authors).
Interesting premise, protagonist well-developed – she grows and changes with time, a lot of fun to read. Space, aliens, ‘magic’, action, humor.
+1 on Firebird Chronicles! I never get bored when reading this series. It’s a great mix of fun fight scenes, meaningful relationships, and humor. I also enjoy her Aileen Travers series.
I was going to suggest this series, too. I like all of her series, but for some reason, I’m obsessed with this one. I’ve reread this series to many times. She’s working on the next one. Woohoo!
Yaaaaaaassssss!!!! One of my all time favorites series and authors!
+100 for anything by TA White though the Firebird series is my favorite.
+1 my fav author after house Andrews. Firebird is my favourite series but dragon ridden series is good too. They all are.
+1
Another vote for T.A.White & her Firebird chronicles. It is so well done. Like HA she does an excellent job of building worlds with deep complex characters. The action flows with the plot and somehow she expands the world and story without losing quality. I think space gives her a canvas to create new species/settings/problems but the way she writes you relate and connect with all of it. But every book builds on the one before in a way that lets you know she’s thought of the whole series the whole time.
+1 for Firebird Chronicles. Want more Kira / Jin!!!!
+1 for TA White – I love her Dragon Ridden Chronicles
+1
T.A. White is a fabulous author; all her books are great. Firebird series is my favorite as well. The character development is extraordinary.
+1 Love the firebird chronicles as well. Great characters, amazing world building, interesting magic theories and creatures. read it so many times.
Chronicles of St. Marys by Jodi Taylor. First book is”Just one damn thing after another”. Great books, with historical references and strong female characters. Love this series.
Yes! a roller coaster ride of a series she is so funny
Yes, I have devoured this series and have now moved on to her Time Police spin-offs which are also excellent!
Forgot to mention that it is about historians who travel back in time to” only observe” but things never work that way.
If you like that try The Invisible Library series by Genevieve Cogman. They’re dimension traveling librarians trying to collect important 1st editions to each realm.
+1 so fun!
Love this series! Historical time travel but unique story. Super funny and smart. I devoured this series.
I’m asking for recommendations:
I am in a very big LitRPG reading phase, it helps with my anxiety. The scene is still fairly indie, so finding good books is a bit hit and miss.
I prefer progression LitRPGs, cosy or base-building vs battle focused. I’ve already read and loved Beware of chicken, I know that’s the first thing people suggest 🙂
Don’t know if you’ve read one of the bug names in Litrpg, He Who Fights With Monsters, by Travis Baldree aka Shirtaloon. It’s one of my favorite litrpg series. It has detailed world building, humor, and a diverse group of characters who you love seeing how the grow over the series. Currently has 9 books out right now with the 10th coming in november.
+ 1 on He WHO fights with monsters, also devoured the “ten realms” by Michael Chatfield. Fantastic books.
+1 for Chatfield Ten realms. have reread it several times. love both main characters and how they progress. very interesting world.
I don’t play any games in any form, but surprised myself loving this genre.
Legends & Lattes by Baldree is awesome, too!
Not POSITIVE this counts as LitRPG, so YMMV.
It’s called “I have the halo of an overbearing president,” it’s a woman reborn into a “system” as the villainess, but the world glitches when she refuses to do “villain” things, so have her and the system sucking it out for several rounds, the system re-assigns her the role of “overbearing president.” 😂
So the world wants her to do things like say “no one messes with my woman” to the worlds FL… even though both are straight 😂. And she levels up and gets additional powers when she completes “missions” like that.
It’s pretty funny. It’s a web translated Chinese novel
You might enjoy This Used To Be About Dungeons on royal road. it’s a completed story about a fellow who starts out planning for a grind through dungeons with a super awesome group he min/maxed. He learns that isn’t all there is to life though and the story is slice of life following the members of the dungeon party.
it’s a really fun story that digs into interesting philosophical questions.
If slice of life isn’t your thing then I’ll recommend Super Supportive, also on royal road. it’s a super hero progression story that is definitely a slow burn with amazing character progression (Kibby forever!). I love this story for the characters and the deep mystery behind how the system works. I’ve reread the story once already and I’ll definitely be doing it again in the future.
Iron Prince , Bryce O’Connor and Luke Chmilenk for your progression needs.
It is battle focused, but the scenes are really well written imho.
It’s effectively one long training montage with some Potter-ish vibes thrown in as it’s a school setting.
Total brain candy, romance is very light and considering all the fighting it doesn’t get too dark. Not too much thought required and book 2 is imminent.
Have you checked out Annie Bellet 20 Sided Sorceress? She’s a Sorceress (obviously😂) on the run from a bad mentor/love interest. She owns a Game Shop and hosts dnd while on the downlow. Of course it blows up and she gets exposed and the adventures begin.
Lots of Magic including Shifters.
+1
+1 to Annie Bellet 20 Sided Sorceress, too!
Have you tried The Second Age of Retha series by A.M. Sohma? They’re a fun read! The first book is called The Luckless.
I’ve also really enjoyed the second age of retha series by A.M. Sohma! Who is also K.M. Shea so we know, solid writing 🙂 the only bad thing about the series for me is that it’s not finished yet, I’m dying!
My 11 year old is obsessed with KM Shea/AM Sohma, it is so fun to introduce her to some of my faves.
I was just going to recommend this. It’s the first of KM Shea’s books that I read and I loved it. I’m sad that the series is unfinished but I believe she is actively working on the next book. Yes there are battles but the main character is so underpowered that is more about using resources wisely than about a true battle.
Agreed! Fun read. The author is definitely working on it. She talks about it in her
Newsletters. She is working on multiple series, and had some hurdles to get through with her health over the last few years. Pretty sure it will be a rollicking ride once it’s complete! Hopefully she is healing up and writing away;)
Barrow King (Realms series) by C.M. Carney. I read the first two books. They’re pretty interesting. Main character goes into the online world to save his sister.
My adult son got me hooked on the NPC series by Drew Hayes – the POV switches between the people in our world playing the game, and the NPCs in the game world – the first book starts out with a group of NPCs taking over the quest from a group of gamers who perish in a tavern (belonging to one of the NPCs) in order to save their town. My whole family is now waiting hopefully for the 6th book in the series.
+1 – also Forging Hephaestus by the same author. “Gifted with metahuman powers in a world full of capes and villains, Tori Rivas kept away from the limelight, preferring to work as a thief in the shadows. But when she’s captured trying to rob a vault that belongs to a secret guild of villains, she’s offered a hard choice: prove she has what it takes to join them or be eliminated..”
There’s decent character progression, an engaging plot and a really nice paternal-ish relationship between Tori and her assigned mentor – formerly the most notorious villain in the world and now working as a middle manager at a tech company when he’s not at Villains Guild meetings. Plus the author clearly had fun making up the names – Doctor Mechaniacal, Thuggernaut and Arachnobro being some of my favourites.
I also loved his “Fred, the Vampire Accountant”. What happens when you are a cowardly accountant (running away is his best athletic skill) who always wears buttons down shirts, sweater vests and khakis, are absolutely passionate about accounting, and find yourself left on the street after having been assaulted and then—find that you have become a vampire? The answer will definitely surprise you. It is a wonderful series in book form, GraphicAudio, and audible.
J.M. Clarke- Mark Of The Fool series. Books 1-4 are available on Kindle. The main character is unexpectedly marked as one of a team of heroes by a god and is not happy about it. No one knows he is the Fool. He escapes to another country with his family and enrolls at a wizarding school. Trouble follows. I’m reading the 4th book now! One more to be published.
I’m not quite sure if this fits your request since I’m not sure I understand the request, but it made me think of a book recently recommended to me:
“Role Playing” by Cathy Yardley, a Gen-X romance featuring a grumpy 48 yr old heroine who joins an online gaming guild as Bogwitch and meets a healer named Otter. it was add to my TBR pile but can’t vouch for it officially
“Role Playing” was my recent first read by Cathy Yardley, and I loved it! Her characters are great (flawed in relatable ways, come across as real people that I still like despite their flaws), and the stories also come across as very “real.” Current with technology usage and with challenges people face with diversity in society.
More Travis Baldree to recommend: Legends and Lattes and its sequel. I stole this review off of amazon (stated much better than I could (an author), but I completely agree.) ““Legends & Lattes is a uniquely beautiful book. Its cast of endearing characters have no interest at all in killing one another. There is no Great Evil, no bloody battles, and yet the pillars of great fantasy―resilience, fellowship, and a desire to make the world a better place―are all here. It’s wonderfully wholesome, and I hope heralds the rise of a ‘slice-of-life’ sub-genre in modern fantasy.””―Nicholas Eames, author of Kings of the Wyld
Legends and Lattes was like a lovely weekend vacation. I needed some peace and sweetness.
A great book to read when you are frazzled or depressed
+1. This cozy fantasy is great and a safe read when one’s anxiety can’t take too much drama or high stakes tension. It did make me crave a lot of warm lattes.
I really liked this too, definitely a feel-good book.
Yup. Seconded. I’d never heard of “cozy fantasy” before, but this one definitely fit the bill.
Another +1 – I loved this book. I mostly listened to it – the audiobook version, narrated by the author, is great.
Legends and Lattes is a warm hug of a book. Reading it is a bit like sitting in a comfortable chair, curled up under a soft warm throw, sipping on a cup of your favorite hot beverage, while outside the snow is slowly drifting down.
+1 delightful cosy
You might enjoy Unintended Cultivator by Eric Dontigney (edontigney) on Royal Road ( https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/67362/unintended-cultivator-a-xianxia-inspired-cultivation ) It is progressive fantasy, Xianxia inspired cultivation following a young street boy picked to be a disciple by a very powerful master. The author consistently posts chapters quickly, and has nearly 3 volumes posted on RR. I enjoy following the main character’s journey and like the side characters, particularly the ghost panther.
Cradle series by Will Wight! so good and one of my fav series! I think IA turned me on to it. The writing g is very clever, the characters are all great, and it is a completed series.
Currently listening to the audiobooks of this series and loving every minute!
I’ve just finished The First Law of Cultivation by KrazeKode and loved it! It’s an Xianxia/Isekai novel with spirit beasts, found friendships and alchemy.
I really liked the scientific approach to Qi cultivation and Labby the spirit rat is so cute and funny.
Although I fully agree with the recommendations for the He Who Fights With Monsters series, another author whose LitRPG books I really enjoy (and who I follow to get notified when the next book is out) is Tom Larcombe. His current series is Natural Laws Apocalypse which has 7 books to date, and I also enjoy his completed 5-book series Light Online. What’s nice is that they are on Kindle Unlimited so you can try them out to see if you like them if you have a KU membership.
LitRPG referral, Aleron Kong has several different series. As a gamer, I can def recommend
I’m not sure if this is quite what you are looking for, but Book of Firsts by Karan A Anders is based on a lot of gaming with the main character as a sort of chameleon avatar. I have read it many many times. It is so soothing.
It was also inspired by Ouran High Host Club, so has a very manga feel to me. Younger characters at a posh boarding school in a vaguely magical setting. They are all competent people, trying to take care of each other with good communication.
Battle Mage Farmer series by Seth Ring is worth checking out. I liked the world building and the way the characters grew through the story.
Don’t know if anyone has suggested it yet, but I absolutely adore “Welcome to Blade’s Rest” by Tom Watts. Town building, found family. Very soothing.
I liked the Beware of the Chicken initially but at some point it got a bit too much.
There is the Natural Laws Apocalypse series by Tom Larcombe. While I wouldn’t describe it as cozy it is a base builder. Not finished series – currently at 7 books. There are the Haley and Nana books by Maggie Hogarth (M.C.A. Hogarth), which are both cozy and base builders. The series is finished – 6 short stories. They can come across as a little preachy but I have read much worse.
Millennial Mage by J.L Mullins is a nice progressive read. I didn’t realize it was LitRPG when I first picked it up and eventually realized the conflict I expected didn’t exist but ai didn’t miss it. nice world building without the attempts to overlay a “controling” world on top.
Have you tried Dungeon Crawler Carl? It’s a LitRPG and hilarious.
ModR, what’s LitRpg?
It’s a book genre 🙂 – short for “literary role playing game”, it combines the conventions of computer role playing games with fantasy or isekai (transdimentional travel). In LitRPG, game systems or game-like challenges form an essential part of the story, and visible games stats are a significant part of the reading experience. Typically, the main character in a LitRPG novel is consciously interacting with the game or game-like world and attempting to progress within it, increase skills, chose classes, increase inventory establish base, fulfill quests for reward chests etc.
I´ve fallen into the rabbit hole that ist litrpg as well^^”. I hope it is ok as an answer to you question to recommend more than one book.
– “Awaken Online” by Travis Bagwell
– “Bushido Online” by Nikita Thorn
– “He who fights Monsters” by Shirtaloon
– ” The Primal Hunter” by Zogarth
– “Dungeon Crawler Carl” by Matt Dinniman
– “Chrysalis” by RinoZ
The are two Series who feel more like pure fantasy then LitRPG but they can be counted I think
– “All the skills” by Honour Rae
– “Mother of learning” by Domagoj Kurmaic
They are all 4 to 5 Stars reads for me and I hope they will get more love in the furture from readers
I enjoyed Defiance of the Fall by TheFirstDefier on KU.
Leans heavily into the LitRPG and Progression fantasy, but I liked the thought process of the lead.
It also moves in directions I was not expecting later on in the series.
Not as light as Beware of Chicken, but also not as dark as some “system” type books.
Easily my favorite new series I’ve found this year is Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. It is AMAZING! I would listen to the audible version and book 1 takes off within a few chapters. It is about a man and his ex-girlfriends cat at the end of the world getting put in a dungeon. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve laughed out loud with my buds in my ears in public from this series. Recent book just came out Friday and hubs and I leave on vacation Saturday and plan on listening together on our road trip.
You might check out A.M. Sohma’s Chronicles of Retha, which is a fun romp that starts when Something Goes Wrong (as always, right?) while the MC is stuck in play as the world’s worst character build in an immersive rig. Books 1-3 are out and the good author promises us book 4 next year. It’s humorous and full of heart. Also available on KU, if that matters. 🙂
On another note, Piers Anthony wrote Killobyte in 1993, way ahead of any actual MMORPG and possibly invented LitRPG, as far as I can tell…? Check it out for a blast from the past!
Probably the coziest LitRPG I’ve seen was Cinnamon Bun by RavensDagger. If cutesy is not ever your thing avoid, but I enjoyed it.
I would recommend the Teixcalaan duology by Arkady Martine (A Memory Called Empire and A Desolation Called Peace). I call it “thinky” sci-fi because you better pay attention or you’ll get lost. I’m not sure why I liked it so much, but it itched something in my brain. (Translation State by Ann Leckie also did similar brain itching/scratching.)
They are great because the world building is so amazing and has a vastness to it that’s incredible, even though the story remains focused on the specific experiences of a few. It makes my brain sort of spin into oblivion, in addition to providing a great story.
+ one for the A Memory Called Empire–so immersive, and the poetry for social power was so cool
+1 loves both of these series. Both hard sci-fi written by women, very literary. Arkady Martine takes on empire and the margins— culture, power, and individuals within those systems. it is not Eurocentric, and it is really cool.
Ann Leckie is ship- based and like murderbot has a gender less narrator, with its own unique pov. Her trilogy is one of the best I’ve ever read, with a brilliant conclusion.
Beware of Chicken by CasualFarmer. It started an a free web serial that has since become a multi-book hit on Kindle. The premise is that a young man from our world wakes up in the body of a bullied martial artist in a Chinese Xianxia-inspired world. Realizing he’s in for pain and frustration if he stays, he decides to flee the chance at power and heroism and instead become a farmer in the lowest-magic, most obscure place in the empire he can find.
The story is sweet and funny but always treats its characters with an earnest depth that keeps it from being to saccharine. Romance, magic, politics, epic powers, village life, character growth, and an ever-expanding cast of found family. Very fluffy.
Loved this one, an absolute joy to read. All the tropes and the isekai, with a really comforting shell 🙂
Frequent comfort read and listen for me. Very much looking forward to the third book coming in November.
I just devoured Vol 1, have downloaded Vol 2, and assume I’ll be eagerly awaiting Vol 3 as soon as I finish 2. These are an utter delight, thanks for recommending!
I love Beware of Chicken and want to point out that it’s still ongoing at Royal Road (RR). Although CasualFarmer, the author, has to remove chapters that make it to Kindle Unlimited (KU), all chapters not yet published in KU books are available for free on RR, and are being added at around 10 chapters/month.
To confuse things a bit, he split RR book 2 into two parts on KU, so books 2 & 3 on Kindle are all in book 2 on RR.
The author really elevates the story to a whole new level starting with the second half of book 2 (RR) aka book 3 on KU (the tournament and the resolution of BD’s discovery). All of the characters shine so brightly, grow so much and are just so endearing! (And it’s lovely to see the author’s skill growing as well.)
As a bonus, the vibe in the chapter comments in RR are reminiscent of the BDH here. (i.e. supportive and enthusiastic).
Gideon the Ninth and the other books of the Locked Tomb series (by Tamsyn Muir). It’s sci-fi mindfuc*ery at its finest. Witty, funny, and badass FMCs who are equally horrible and flawed. Quirky cast of supporting characters. Great narrator for the audiobooks (Moira Quick).
+1 I like to describe this one as “lesbian necromancers in space, Hunger Games edition.” Loved the creative worldbuilding and the love/hate relationship between the FMCs.
+1 this series! I spent all of book 2 saying “WHAT!?” every 20 pages or so. May not be for everyone, but not much surprises me in these genres anymore and it was a delight to be shocked so often.
+1 loved this series too
I am waiting for this, its on hold at the library for either the audio or ebook. Your rec is making me excited!
I just read Gideon the ninth and Harrow the ninth and I think Harrow broke my brain. Great world building and fantastic characters but man it was hard to wade through and keep track of.
Nettle and Bone by Ursula Vernon is a beautiful book. It’s like a fairy tale for adults (Brothers Grimm not Disney).
Ursula Vernon also writes under the pen name T Kingfisher.
This was going to be mine. I’ve been devouring all of her work under Kingfisher.
I’ve seen that name pop up under my Kindle recommendations.
+1 T. Kingfisher/Ursula Vernon
Love her quirkiness, voice, and non-traditional protagonists.
+1
One of the best books I’ve read in the last few years!
I also love some of her T Kingfisher books (I can’t read horror so had to skip those, sadly.)
Wonderful writer
Nettle and Bone is a good one! It starts off a bit dark, but it really is like a fairy tale for adults.
+1 t.kingfisher is great, a unique voice and lots of snarky fun ideas, in all her books.
she just came out with Thornhedge, a sleeping beauty retelling. very gentle and lovely
The SPI FILES novels by Lisa Shear. A “Man in black” type of organisation regulating mythological monsters, with magic, good characters, an heroine who doesn’t fall for the mandatory hot partner and stories that are fun and doesn’t take itself too seriously. Its perfect escapism, just what the doctor ordered!
Yay!! Lisa Shearin!!
Both SPI Files and the Raine Benares series are outstanding IMO.
+1
I love Lisa Shearin! Her magic found books are excellent as well.
1+
All her books are great!
SPI Files by Lisa Shearin. I read the first short story in an anthology called Night Shift, about a new Seer’s first night on the job–trying to keep three leprechauns out of jail. (Title is Lucky Charms) Hilarious. She’s great at striking a balance between drama and laugh out loud fun.
I think there are 8 books in this series now. Good world building and characters. Lisa also has another series that she crosses over with this one. It’s more gritty than SPI, but still fun.
I found her after reading Night Shift too and bought the first book in the series “The Grendel Affair”. The protagonist is an underrated, relatable woman who’s a lot of fun and, so far, wins the day.
Lisa Shearin does win for the best opening line in a book! She set the tone for the series and it is so fun to read!
Jennifer Crusie (with writing partner Bob Mayer) just put out her first new work in 10+ years in July, and it’s a trilogy that’s wrapping up later this month (3 books over 3 months!!). The first one is called Lavender’s Blue and it’s the kickoff to a romantic mystery series with a lot of humor. The first two books have been really great about wrapping up specific plots but moving the overall story along, I’m looking forward to book 3 in a couple of weeks.
Thanks, Gail! I will look for these. Crusie stopped writing and her older works were a scream. Most are out of print now. So excited to see new titles from her!
Actually all of her books were just RE-printed. I’m a librarian and was looking to replace old titles and they were all just reprinted- maybe by a small/private press because they are kinda pricey paperbacks, and I don’t recognize the publisher, but they ARE back in print
Oh my gosh, that is great to hear I really like her stuff and wondered what happened.
She’s talked some about what happened on her blog. TLDR writer’s block plus burnout on the traditional publishing world experience. She and Mayer are self-publishing the new series, which apparently changed the dynamic enough to move everything along.
Agree! I was so glad to find the first 2 books in this series last week!
Thank you for this recommendation, I love her books and just heard not long ago that there are new ones and was wondering how they are.
I was beyond excited to see JC back. I adore Agnes and the Hitman and was glad to see her back with Bob. I devoured both books.
I have Agnes in three different formats. One of my all time favorites.
Oh TYSM for this review. I loved Jennifer, all those years ago & am getting her new one immediately. Too bad this wasn’t yesterday. I could have gotten 2x points at Amazon. LOL
Funny and suspenseful. I want to be friends with them.
Have you checked her blog? It’s tons of fun and I love for Good Book Thursday. I have gotten so many great recommendations there and made friends.
Woot! I am loving these. Crusie is one of my favorite authors and this collaboration is working so well. I’m so glad to see it recommended here!
Just found Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer — great reads, sooo sharp and funny and great values underlined. Add in mystery and bad guys/gals with karma kickback – my delight.
I read a bunch of these a long time ago. I hope the new ones are as good as the old ones. I remember they were fun.
OOOHHH THANK YOU!! I’ve been missing Jennifer Crusie’s books so much! I have all I could find (including all of her older titles) and have many of them on audiobook, too. Love her books – so charming!
For the shifter fans, LJ Breedloves series Wolf Harbor. The 1st book is Alpha Female. When an anthropology professor goes to a fitness spa. The treatment, however, has ‘side effects’.
Thanks!!!
“Keeper of Enchanted Rooms” by Charlie N. Holmberg!
Merritt Fernsby inherits a haunted house that refuses to let him leave, and Hulda Larkin of the Boston Institute for the Keeping of Enchanted Rooms (BIKER) steps in to mediate. I love the humor and those details given for each school of magic, plus specific consequences of actually using magic (i.e., augury=soothsaying/divination, repercussion of forgetfulness).
+1
+1
+1
Dragon Bound
The Elder Races Series
By Thea Harrison
Why do I like it?
Because when I read the reviews people HATED the heroine because she was everything a heroine is not supposed to be. Pia comes across as a dizzy female who makes poor choices in ex-boyfriends and makes sure her nails are done. She does not come across as the brightest bulb in the closet. People need to take a grip on their expectations on what kind of person can be a hero. I like the unexpected and Pia is unexpected.
Great world building.
This is a great book. I gave it to my daughter when she was in highschool and frustrated that she couldn’t find anything good to read. It hit the perfect romance/ fantasy combo and she loved it. Next I handed her the Kate Daniels series. So, this book will always hold a place in my heart for introducing my kid to her favorite adult genres and continuing her love of reading in that tough teen time when so many teen authors were covering topics she didn’t want to read – I’m looking at you Colleen Hoover :(.
I didn’t read Pia that way at all. But i loved all the books in the series.
What I like about this book (and the entire series) is that Pia isn’t a pushover when things get serious. She even tells Dragos where to head in when he’s being stupid.
Bayne’s book Outlaw Magic is due out on Dec. 31.
Yay! I need to pre-order it. What a way to kick off the new year!
OMG so excited there’s a new book coming out!
Also I don’t read Pia as described.
Love this series and is a fave of mine after KD.
The world building is epic and Carling is probably my favourite character of all.
Dragon Bound
I love this series. I felt Pia was a more “realistic” heroine, I liked the way her character built & changed over the years til she was a kickass. It’s a shame about Thea’s health that made her cut short this series & her new “Witch” one. I hope she recovers & writes again.
Thea Harrison’s The Elder Races Series is one of my favorite series to re-read. Love the series. The banter between Pia and Dragos is fun — Thea’s writing is magic at its best.
I wholeheartedly agree with this recommendation. I am a diehard Elder races fan. the characters and the world building are excellent. Its like a separate supernatural world operating alongside the human world and beholden to no human authority i.e. supernaturals police supernaturals
I found it easy to immerse myself in the Elder Race world. The female and male characters are different and not predictable. Each Elder race character are predators and not to be messed with. Did I mention that there are elves, goblins, gorgons,mages, etc that make up the Elder races?
The “Scarlet Odyssey” series by C. T. Rwizi. African milieu (but not on Earth) combining tribal magic with hints of fallen tech. Great character development which humanizes the villains as well as the heroes.
+1 I really enjoyed this series!
Added to library lists!
The Livi Talbot urban fantasty series by Skyla Dawn Cameron, starting with Solomon’s Seal.
The tagline is “Ex-debutante. Single mother. Treasure hunter.” I love that she is a single mother who is also a bad-ass treasure hunter, we don’t see enough of those in fiction. The series has all the urban fantasy stuff I love: lots of action, adventure and magic, a hint of romance, plus a series long arc with some OMG twists and turns that had me clicking the next book as fast as I could.
I came here to say this very same thing.
I just read Kiss the Girl by Zoraida Córdova and it was a delight!
It’s a modern day The Little Mermaid retelling where Ariel is a huge pop star and Erik is an up-and-coming musician who doesn’t recognize her. She joins his tour undercover as his merch girl to escape her controlling father, and the whole book is just packed with feels and found family. Loved it!
I just finished this and came to post about it. I loved it! the Little Mermaid + Contemporary rock star romance?! yes please. I thought the author did a great job modernizing the relationships between Ariel and her father, sisters, Sébastien, and Ursula’s motivations. And spotting the Easter Eggs was a fun hunt. I didn’t read the previous two retelling in the series, but I got in the library queue for By thee Book, the Beauty and the Beast retelling by Jasmine Guillory.
I was hoping someone would mention this author! I haven’t read this one yet, but I fell in love with her works when I read The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina. It was so different. The voice was unique but also I loved that it wasn’t big world shattering magic. It was all about family.
I highly recommend All the Paths of Shadow by Frank Tuttle. Not a well known book or author but the heroine is a brilliant young sorceress who has to solve multiple crises simultaneously through very hard work and excellent reasoning. I really loved the fact that there was no violence, no excessive emotional drama. Just a variety of people from generous and clever to somewhat clown like. The politics were real but the book is infused with kindness and the world of the book is gentle steampunk with lots of charm. There is less violence than Innkeeper series but the heroines are similar in that it is their hard work and brilliance that solves the problems.
+1 – one of my favorites! Also, mathematical magic!
The Lord of Stariel by AJ Lancaster
Magical industrial world set in vaguely Britain, but focused on ancient estate and inheritance thereof. Main character is black sheep of the family who works in the theatre in the city, and there is much drama and romance and the Fae! Complete 4 books on kindle unlimited, binged it quick. Fun read.
Love this series – great characters, interesting world-building
+1 to this series as well! Another favorite read this year. It was a funny one for me because I started it and tapped out maybe a chapter in, then months later tried it in a different mood and binged the whole series 🙂
Hmm, my comment disappeared. I’ll just give the title this time.
This Bird has Flown by Susanna Hoffs
Likeable but struggling one hit wonder indie rock star, Jane Start, has a surprise adventure and meets an Oxford literature professor. Romance ensues. This book was SO much fun. Lots of music references and there is a fantastic playlist by the author, who was a member of the 80s rock group The Bangles, on Spotify.
K.F. Breene,
Leveling up series
First book: Magical Midlife Madness
It’s about a woman in her fourties’ who has recently divorced after a long loveless marriage. She gets invited to be the care taker at a mansion only to realize it’s magical and a whole world of magical people exist in a world she previously thought was ordinary and boring.
A great series about self image and self discovery after decades of being a wife and a mother and not feeling like you have your own identity. Also has great humor and lots of small “real” moments that are relatable to “mature” women, like inconvenient moments of incontinence.
Yes! I love this series! Felt like it was written for me.
+1
+1
I laugh so hard reading these books.
+1
The series is very funny, with an odd and unexpected cast of characters. The audio version is amazingly done and makes it even funnier because you KNOW the voices are the character.
You are introduced to the “found family”, though the MC has a hysterical mother and father who you meet early on and then later.
Her ‘Staff’ pulls on some little known creatures and some (un) stereotypical others. Unexpected depths in the side characters also gives these books great charm, and lots of momentum.
This is a wonderful series!
Came here to say this! There is a whole new genre called Women’s Paranormal Fiction, all featuring heroines over 40. Delightful! Magical Midlife is my favorite.
YASS +1 I Love these books, I listened to all of them on audiobook and thoroughly enjoyed them. I love the banter between all of the characters. I can’t wait for the next one to come out.
I recommend this serious constantly to friends. Even if you just read the first one, it’ totally worth it – so much laughing. And weirdly relatable for a fantasy series.
I love the first page when her husband asks for a divorce and she immediately agrees. ‘Cause he’s an idiot and she’s aware she can do better than the life she’s living. No angst over the break up, just a grown up women who knows her own mind and is ready to move on.
These and others like it featuring older heroines are a refreshing break from all the magical academy supernatural teen books dominating the genre right now! (haven’t been a teenager for 50 years)
Next to House Andrews, KF Breene’s books are my favorites! The Leveling Up series is great and I also love the Demon Days Vampire Nights series too! Her characters have such great personalities.
Me, too.
I love all of KF Breene’s books, but my absolute favorite series is the Demigods of San Francisco. I absolutely love the characters and the tie-in with Greek mythology.
Love love love DDVN!! I listen while running and actually stumbled because I burst out laughing. Twice. Great series. I’m anxiously awaiting the release of book 6 on Graphic Audio in a few weeks!!
+1 for DDVN
I’ve been furiously reading for YEARS to find a Kate Daniels comparable, and Reagan from Demon Days Vampire Nights is the closest I’ve found!
Thank you, bought it right now 😘
+1 Thanks for the recommendation!
Agnes and The Hitman
By Jennifer Crusie
Why do I like it?
Agnes. Agnes is great, she is not perfect, has a temper, and she can cook. The novel is a sort of a rom com. I love the way a hitman can be human and not a psycho, it is just a job. Very real fleshed out people.
OMG, this is one of my all time fav books and stalked JC for years waiting for her to publish again. That said, I bought the new ones but haven’t had time to read them yet…
Loved this book, laugh so much!
LOVED LOVED LOVED that book. I’m rereading her right now until the 3rd of the new series with Bob comes out then bingeing!!!
+1
You would think a hitman, mafia, dead bodies would be a bit grim, but it has that kinda nutball silliness that takes you from laughing to rooting for Agnes to find the love she deserves. It was a fun detour from my usual fare.
Bec McMaster writes in wide variety of genres – steampunk, dragon shifters, high fantasy, and dystopia. I am particularly fond of the second London Steampunk Conspiracy set – interesting characters with varying skills, a mysterious foe, and strong world building. All of her series have strong women.
I loved her London Steampunk series and her sequel series the Blueblood Conspiracy!
This is paranormal steampunk and they’ve got Vampires and Werewolves amongst other things and it’s a lot of fun especially when you realize the overarching plot.
+1, loved the characters and worldbuilding in this series
Sinister Magic, the first book in the Death Before Dragons series by Lindsay Buroker. The characters are well developed, snarky and a bit on the unique side. It had me hooked after the first chapter, and by the end of the book I had ordered the rest of the series.
Love that series! Matti’s spin-off is also really cool; less epic, but fun in a different way with Val and her dragon showing up too!
I read Matti’s series first and absolutely loved it. –Hammered (Legacy of Magic)
Then I went back to the original series and loved that too.
I was scrolling through this list to see if anyone mentioned Lindsay Buroker! I adore her Emperor’s Edge series (even if the protagonist keeps making the same bad choices over and over), and really loved the Death before Dragons series as well. She also has a handful of sci-fi adventure stories that read like a crossover between Star Wars and Firefly, so pretty much a win all around!
I’m just getting ready for a reread of her books!
+1 and I think this counts as new because the last book in the Matti series was just released. Lots of snarky fun.
I’ve really enjoyed listening to the audiobookS of the Death Before Dragons Series by Lindsay Buroker. I that Series has nine books in it. It was then followed up with the Legacy Of Magic Series. I believe this one has six books in it. She has a sense of humor that’s reminiscent of the Andrews. Both the audiobooks and ebooks are enjoyable.
+1 I love both Valvand Mattie’s series. If you are a fan of space opera, her Star Kingdom series with Casmir is a fun read or listen.
Yes, Lindsay Buroker is an amazing author – I love all her books. They remind me of House Andrews in many ways, but lighter/less “end of the world” seriousness. Snarky humor. She has many series, all of which are delightful, but Death Before Dragons is one of the best. Also, the fantastic Luisa Preissler does the illustrations for Death Before Dragons also!
Not new but rediscovered. Frank Tuttle — The MarkHat Files. Markhat is a finder,which is pretty much what it sounds like, in a multiple magical creature world. Funny, told with empathy for unlikely creatures.
I meant to say unlovely creatures. The trolls and ogres in this series are just the best. Mama Hog is badass. There are actually many, many strong female characters from a mysterious sorceress to a country girl come to the big city, but the thing is the author takes these tropes and turns them inside out and backwards. just really fun.
I really like the Markhat series too! Bump! The first is “Three Mean Streets” which is actually 3 books in 1: The Mister Trophy, Dead Man’s Rain, and The Cadaver Client.
I’ve been rereading Gretchen Galway’s Sonoma Witches series, and while the most recent one is from 2021, she’s done a cover update to try to get more readers onto the series and I think it’s so worth it!
It’s a fun paranormal mystery kinda cozy, kinda suspenseful series, and it has really cool world-building with witches, demons and fae.
She’s writing the sixth one and I basically just want more people to read it so I can get more of this series 😂
Yay!!!
I love this series too. I was seriously thinking of mentioning it (but I’ve already put up two 😂) so I’m here to +1
such a refreshing heroine and I love the magic in this series.
Your second OP comment was deleted 🙂 – the rule is ONE book.
Dead Witch on a Bridge, the first book, is free on Amazon.
The Sir Yaden series by beryll brackhaus
It’s a fantasy/sci-fi series, centered around found family
A fairly recent release that I read and loved this year is The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen, one of my favorite reads in 2023 together with Magic Tides and Magic Claims of course. I enjoyed it because it has great wordbuilding, and has an excellent enemies to lovers romance, that developed through letter writing. Really fun banter as well. Plus it’s a standalone! It’s so hard to find good fantasy romances that are standalones.
This book left me SOBBING, it’s so good omg. I read it late last December and it was easily one of the best books I read last year and I wouldn’t shut up about it during Christmas
ditto
+1000
(I was sobbing too!!!!!) 🥹
+1 this one was SO GOOD. Very unique world, also loved that we got something so in depth from a stand-alone. Yes yes yes read it!
My Luck by Mel Todd. really interesting magic system and likeable Characters. Somewhat on the YA side, but enjoyable readable by adults too.
Love this series!
+1
I loved this too and the MC enters adulthood though the course of the series so it may start in YAish territory but doesn’t stay there. I loved that the character wasn’t looking for romance (asexual/aromantic), the non-traditional relationships and the interesting reason behind the odd happenings in her life. Interesting magic system and solid cultural world-building.
One of my new favorite urban fantasy authors is K.D. Edwards. Incredible world building, great humor, inventive and interesting characters. Win-win all around.
You should start with “The Last Sun”. The link is actually to my Goodreads review — I hope that’s ok.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2413120724
Oh, yes, these are great – found family, fascinating magic, definitely check trigger warnings in advance if you are sensitive but there’s nothing gratuitous.
I really love this series and am waiting impatiently for the next in the Tarot Sequence to come out
I’ve been listening to this series on audio and the narrator does a fantastic job! The series only started a few years ago and I have already re-listened to it several times. In fact I was just on KD Edwards website today seeing if there was an update on when the next book would be released- sadly i did not see anything posted yet. I highly recommend too!!
Love K.D.Edwards, The Tarot Sequence…great worldbuilding, characters that you care about and lots of lovely snark. LGBTQ+ characters who have depth and are interesting to read. Three books plus a side novel out already (nine books in total to be published) and if you go to his website lots of additional treats and extra stories. Also, follow his X (twitter) account and get snippets of WIP plus cute pics of his cats.
Anne Bishop’s Written in Red is the first in an exceptional series of book written about “the others”. Sort of a cross between urban fantasy and alternate reality that is thoroughly enjoyable.
Great book! Loved the whole series
+1 love this series!
+100
Me too! Love the different take on world building. Super well written.
This is a good one! It is a world where humans are tolerated ( it is basically an alternate earth) where shape shifters and the ultimate biggies, the elders, control the world. Great characters, while it can be brutal, the interaction between the humans and the others gives a lot of reflection on both. How would humans react if they weren’t the top of the heap? There is also a lot of humor in it, I love Simon the wolf main character and his cousin, Vergil ( in a spin off series ) are fun. It also is a story of a sweet young woman who has been abused by humans who finds herself within the world of ‘,the others”
what spin off series? I absolutely love The Others and have read ALL of the books multiple times. what is the name of spin off series PLEASE!!!!
Look for World of the Others, the first one is Lake Silence. I loved these books too and have re-read all of this series multiple times.
Just found Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer — great reads, sooo sharp and funny and great values underlined. Add in mystery and bad guys/gals with karma kickback – my delight.
Absolutely love Agnes and the Hitman! Read Shane and The Hitwoman today and it’s just not the same without Agnes..
+1 Loved this series. Beautifully written.
+1 I read this series awhile ago so I’m fuzzier on it, but I also remember really enjoying it. Anne Bishop creates worlds that feel like plunging underwater sometimes because of the detail or “on edge” feeling if the differences, in this case it was a lot to wrap around a world where humans really truly are only just tolerated, but it makes sense. It didn’t quite go where I thought it would (the series) but I thought the author stayed pretty true to what actually made sense for the characters rather than just glossing things over for a fluffy ending (true to most of her books)
I loved the audio versions of this series as well
The Others books have some *SERIOUS* problems once you get past the first one. The fifth book’s portrayal of a black character’s trashy relatives did not sit well with me, and one of the books in the spin-off series (Wild Country) was basically a misogynistic r*pe apology that I threw across the room.
Recommend- read, reread and reread.
Has an especially original world.
The protagonist is a young woman who has been isolated from everyday life – sweet and childlike with great determination – other characters rich, varied and surprising. Clear bad guys and complicated good guys.
Unlike Black Jewels series this isn’t romantic though it has a lot of heart.
Love this