Debut Urban Fantasy Challenge

 

I've read a number of  new  Urban Fantasy series in the past couple of months, and I've really enjoyed them. I went looking for more, and found a Debut Urban Fantasy Challenge. The challenge is to read 15 debut urban fantasy books in 2010.  Of course, much of the suggested reading list hasn't been released yet, which means this isn't a challenge I can just breeze through all at once.

I love the graphic for the challenge - would that be a perfect book cover for an Urban Fantasy or what? Tramp stamp, gun, pants half way down her ass, shirt too far up her midriff, long flowing hair.... the only thing missing is a vampire or an animal (presumably a were-animal) in the background somewhere. Although, when you look at the larger version there is a gargoyle on the building and some bats in the sky... so maybe the vampire and the wereanimal are taken care of, after all. Depends on what world you're in.

Here are the 2010 debut series books I've already read:

1. Spider's Bite, An Elemental Assassin Book by Jennifer Estep  (my review)
2. Shadow Blade (Shadowchasers book 1) by Seressia Glass (my review)
3. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith (my review)
4. Gentlemen Prefer Succubi (Succubus Diaries #1) by Jill Myles (my review)

There are also a number of new series I've read that don't qualify for the challenge, since the first book came out last year. However, since I didn't discover the series until this year, and they are new series this year for me, I'll list them here, even though I won't count them towards the challenge:

1. Black Sun's Daughter series by M.L.N. Hanover:  Unclean Spirits and  Darker Angels   (my reviews)
2. Allie Beckstrom series by Devon Monk:  Magic to the Bone, and Magic in the Blood, and Magic in the Shadows, and Magic on the Storm   (my reviews)
3. Jane Yellowrock series by Faith Hunter:  Skinwalker and Blood Cross  (my reviews)
4. October Daye series by Seanan McGuire:  Rosemary and Rue, and A Local Habitation, and An Artificial Night  (my reviews)
5. Jane True series by Nicole Peeler:  Tempest Rising and Tracking the Tempest (my reviews)

Of the series I've read so far, I loved Spider's Bite (Elemental Assassin), and the Jane Yellowrock series. I enjoyed everything else, with the exception of Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter. Here are my ratings for the new Urban Fantasy series I've read (links point to my reviews).

. 5 of 10 Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

. 8 of 10 Allie Beckstrom series by Devon Monk

10 of 10 Black Sun's Daughter series by M.L.N. Hanover
10 of 10 Elemental Assassin series by Jennifer Estep

. 9 of 10 Jane True series by Nicole Peeler

10 of 10 Jane Yellowrock series by Faith Hunter

. 8 of 10 October Daye series by Seanan McGuire

10 of 10 Shadowchasers series by Seressia Glass
. 9 of 10 Succubus Diaries by Jill Myles

To see these ratings at a glance for all series that I've reviewed (not just the new ones), you can go here.

The rest of the books in the official selection list for this challenge are:

• Night Tides (Lady of the Lakes) by Alex Prentiss
• Don't Kill The Messenger (A Messenger Novel) by Eileen Rendahl
• Mind Games by Carolyn Crane
• Embers by Laura Bickle
• Touched by an Alien by Gini Koch
• Black Blade Blues by J.A. Pitts
• Frost Moon by Anthony Francis
• Feed (Newsflesh) by Mira Grant
• Master of None by Sonya Bateman
• Shade Fright (Valerie Stevens) by Sean Cummings
• Shadow Marked: A Demon Bound Novel by Anna J. Evans (May 4)
• Hunted By The Others by Jess Haines (May 4)
• Dark Oracle by Alayna Williams (May 25)
• Red Hot Fury by Kasey Mackenzie (June 29)
• Shadow Bound by Erin Kellison (June 29)
• Blood Law by Jeannie Holmes (July 6)
• A Devil in the Details: A Jesse James Dawson Novel by K.A. Stewart (July 6)
• Death Most Definite (Death Works) by Trent Jamieson (Aug 1)
• Queen of Shadows by Dianne Sylvan (Aug 31)
• Grave Witch: An Alex Craft Novel by Kalayna Price (Oct 5)
• Dust by Joan Frances Turner (Sept 7)

And, a few new Urban Fantasy books out this year not listed:

• A Taint in the Blood: A Novel of the Shadowspawn by S.M. Stirling (May 4)
• Stormwalker by Allyson James (May 4)
• Blood Song by Cat Adams (June 8)
• Shotgun Sorceress by Lucy A. Snyder (Oct 26)

To read other reviews made in this challenge, you can go here.