book recommendations and reviews

[indigo_rose99]

I read scifi, fantasy, romance, and a bit of mystery. I like a well-written kids book, and I do not mind "historical" attached to the front of my genre. I like my books to be fiction and reasonably well written. Lately, I have noticed that I tend toward books that are a mix. Fantasy romance or scifi romance... Some people ask me for recommendations. So, here are some thoughts.

Author	Short version	Books, series titles, and comments
Kelley Armstrong	Worth buying, especially Bitten	Werewolf adventure with a romantic bent. Bitten was the best of the lot, though some are still decent.  Generally good writing.  Likable characters.  She posts free novellas on her website.
Jenna Black	Perhaps buy cheap or get from library.	First book in what looks like a demon posession series, first book is The Devil Inside.  Liked the world building.  Main character was somewhat tough for me to relate to, and I found it distracting from the book.  She is supposed to be a hot tempered modern woman, but was not logical enough to appeal to me.  There were some references to S&M (mostly not to the taste of the main character) that worry me a bit -- I can see future books going farther down this path.
Patricia Briggs	Buy everything you see with her name on it.  Always.	One of the best authors I have encountered any time recently.  Her books range from very good to spectacular.  I would consider her Mercy Thompson series (were coyote, fantasy with a bit of romance, first title is Moon Called) her worst books, and own them and will probably reread them.  The Hob's Bargain (fairy tale) was fantastic.  Raven's Strike and Raven's Shadow were great.  I went to the trouble to find her very out of print first book, Masques (fantasy adventure, with a tiny bit of romance) and it was surprisingly worthwhile.
Lois McMaster Bujold	Wonderful!  Really, really recommend!!	The Sharing Knife series, starting with Beguilement.  Strong on the romance and character building, based in a well-built fantasy world. The Miles Vorsigan series is popular scifi.  Worth reading. Paladin of Souls, The Curse of Chalion, and The Hallowed Hunt were amazing fantasy with a romantic element.
Rachel Caine	Dubious	Weather Warden series, starting with Ill Wind.  Could never relate to the main character, but makes up for it in fast-paced action.  Like the idea of the world.  More fantasy action in a world very much like ours, less romance.
Jacqueline Carey	Slow first half, but worth it.	Fantasy.  Good world building.  I do not relate to the main character at all, but I never cared.  Kushiel series, first book is Kushiel's Dart.
Karen Chance	Probably worth it.	Vampires, magic, weres world, the Cassandra Palmer series.  Decent action and writing.  First book is Touch the Dark.
MaryJanice Davidson	Light, fun, funny.	Vampire Queen Betsy series, starting with Undead and Unwed.  Good enough to reread.  Not a serious book at all. The mermaid series is all right.  Funny, but not as well done as the vampire series. The Wyndham werewolf series, gorgeous series, and the royal series are all right, but nothing special.  Perhaps get them from the library.
Christine Feehan	A waste of paper.	I like the idea of the series -- lost vampire males, searching for their one true mates who can save them.  However, all of the men are overbearing assholes who cannot wait to enforce their whims with force.  By the end of the books the women are all about the "Oh, yes dear.  I see how you are always correct. I will do whatever you say."  *retch*  But if you like the idea of the books, I recommend Katie MacAlister.
Laurel K Hamilton	First few books are worth buying.	Anita Blake series with werewolves, magic and vampires.  First four books are fantastic!  Slow down after that. The Merry Gentry series is good if you like fairy porn.  I like the idea of the series, and wish she would emphasize the plot more. Her standalone Nightseer book was well done.
Lori Handeland	Worth buying, at least the first one.	Werewolf series, starting with Blue Moon.  I really like dthe first one, though they went downhill from there.  Emphasis on the romance.
Charlaine Harris	Worth buying.	Sookie Stackhouse series.  Telepathy, werewolves, vampires...  Very well done.  Sympathetic characters.  I actually like the main character. Harper Connelly mysteries.  A bit of scifi and romance in these mysteries.  Very well done.
Kim Harrison	Try the first one, see if you like it.	Magic, vampires, post-apocolypse... Well done world building.  I don't always relate well to the main character, but the action is pretty well done.  First book is Dead Witch Walking.
Emma Holly	Get from library	More erotica than fantasy.  Demon's Daughter and Prince of Ice are set in a fantasy 1800s England.  Setting and back story is pretty cool.
Marjorie M Liu	Get from library	Tiger Eye was all right.  Fantasy romance.  A bit too he-man for my taste.  Not memorable in any way that would merit a reread.
Katie MacAlister	Funny and completely worth it!	When I first picked up A Girl's Guide to Vampires from the Dark Ones series, I thought it was a joke on Christine Feehan's famous books.  And maybe it is, but Katie isn't talking about it that way.  And the 2nd book, Sex and the Single Vampire is so much better than Feehan's books!  The male vampires are all about the "You are my soul mate, you will save me!  And now you should always do what I say."  And the women laugh and do what they please.  Mostly the men spend their time trailing at a hilariously bewildered distance.  I can even see why  most of the characters fall in love with each other. Aisling Grey series is all right, though I liked the first one the best.  Her hystorical romances were all right.  Of her contemporary romance, The Corset Diaries was side-splitingly funny. She also writes Dark Ones books for teenagers under the name Katie Maxwell -- Circus of the Darned and Got Fangs? were fun.
Robin McKinley	Loved her books.  A must own.	Known for her retelling of fairy tales: Beauty was my childhood fav, and Deerskin (adult fary tale) was eerie. But her best book in my opinion is Sunshine.  Vampire story for adults.
CE Murphy	Well done.  Worth buying.	Modern world with magic.  First book in the Walker Papers is Urban Shaman.  Fast paced, I like many of the characters.  The romance is very subtle and takes a back burner to the adventure/mystery. The negotiator series so far is looking all right.  The Heart of Stone is about a gargoyle.
Lisanne Norman	Not worth it	Kinda liked the first scifi book, Turning Point, but it went so sharply downhill from there that I cannot even recommend that one book.
Savannah Russe	Nothing special.  Get from library.	The Darkwing Chronicles are vampire spy books, starting with Beyond the Pale.  According to her website, the fifth one is out and I have not bothered reading beyond the first one.  It was all right, but not enough to compell me to pursue the other books.
Michelle Sagara	Has potential.	Fantasy starts with Cast in Shadow.  I have only read the one book at this point, though I am willing to read the next one.  It felt like the start of a book, not a complete novel.
Susan Sizemore	Try from library.	The Laws of the Blood series seemed kinda frustrating to me.  Perhaps they will get better after the first one. I rather liked the world building idea of the Primes Universe series, but am dubious about the character development of the romantic characters.  I could not see what they would see in each other.
Sherwood Smith	Fantastic!	I not only recommend Crown Duel, I immediately went out and bought a copy after reading it in my library.  Can be found in the children's books.  Romance in a sort of medieval world. Also enjoyed the Wren books, starting with Wren to the Rescue.  You can also find these in the children's section. Fantasy.
Maria V Snyder	Good!	The study series starts with Poison Study, which I really recommend. The others are not as good, but you will likely be sucked in by then.  Fantasy adventure with a romantic element.
Wen Spencer	Really good!  I highly recommend!	I have reread Tinker and  The Wolf Who Rules several times.  Not too deep, but well developed worlds, fast paced, good action, and interesting. I also recommend the Ukiah Oregan modern fantasy series, starting with Alien Taste. She just published a standalone book, Endless Blue, also well done.
Carrie Vaughn	Good.  Worth buying, at least the first one.	Kitty series, starting with Kitty and the Midnight Hour.  Werewolf books.  Well written, especially the first one.  Good characters, good action.
Lynn Viehl	Read from library	The Darkyn series is about vampires in the modern world, chased by an insane section of the church.  The first book is If Angels Burn and the romance started in it carries into the subsequent books.  They vary in quality from bleh to readable.  None are worth a reread, though I have not donated the ones I own.
Elizabeth Vaughan	Really recommend!	Warprize is another world but at about a 1700s level of technology.  The main character is a princess and a doctor caught within a war.  I have reread it several times and highly recommend it.  The 2nd and 3rd books are not as good, but you will probably be sucked in by then.

Comments

[pamwheatfree.livejournal.com]

I really like Kelley Armstrong and Lori Handeland and Laurell K. Hamilton. I have read everything of Armstrong's and most of Handeland's but it is taking me a while to work my way through Hamilton's. I think I have worked my way through about 6 of her books so far. I really like them but I have to wait for them from the library. Apartments are not good places to store books and the library lets me take them back after I have read them. I like that in a book store.

[ovrclokd.livejournal.com]

have you read anne bishop's black jewels trilogy? good story with a female heroine growing into her strength, somewhat dark... her belladonna & sebastian novels have some beautiful worldbuilding, as well.

my favorite fantasy novels ever are patricia mckillip's riddlemaster of hed trilogy... harder to find, but so worth it. the forgotten beasts of eld is also enjoyable.

one nitpick: laurell k. hamilton's merry gentry novels are elf porn, or faerie porn, more than fairy porn.

[indigo-rose99.livejournal.com]

Yes, read Bishop. It must have been on a back row (literally) or it would have been on this list.

Why fairie and not fairy? The dictionairies I just wandered through put them as definitions of each other. Are you trying to avoid the slang meaning of fairy?

[ovrclokd.livejournal.com]

"fairy" to me implies little glittery things with wings, e.g. tinkerbell. "faerie" to me implies the fae, the sidhe, the "other". she's definitely not writing tinkerbell porn. now i'm curious which spelling she uses in her books...