The only urban fantasy I've been reading the past year have been the Hiram Woolley books by DJ Butler and Aaron Michael Ritchey. It's kinda historical urban fantsy, or "rural" fantasy. Takes place in 1930s rural Utah.
Again so many interesting recommendations from you! I just recently tried out a few urban fantasy series. I read the first Dresden and the first Sookie Stackhouse books and did really enjoy it. I'm kinda dependent on my library with those long series because I can't buy that many books I'm not sure of yet, but I will definitely look into the Kate Daniels one, sounds sooo good! Kim Harrison also sounds really interesting, I usually like slow pacings.
Both of those would be great places to start - I personally liked them both more than Dresden and Sookie but they do take a little time to get going. I feel ya sooo much on being limited by library availability. The highest priority on my list is Jane Yellowrock, but I keep picking up other things because I’d have to buy each one. I keep hoping for a sale or something lol.
Great list, I agree that some of these series have a very weak first book. I love the Kate Daniels series and other series by Ilona Andrews. I also liked the Night Huntress series.
Thank you! I’m glad I discovered that before I started getting really ornery with books because I don’t think I’d like the genre quite so much. I’ve been really interested in Night Huntress for ages but for whatever reason haven’t made time for it. It bodes well that you like both those and IA books!
I really enjoyed the Iron Druid series, except for the last couple of ones. I read all the shorter stories too. And I never got enough of Oberon! I’ll be interested to see what you think.
Oberon is so delightful haha. I’ve heard the series doesn’t end well, so I’m going to have to weigh that when deciding to pick it up again. I did the short stories for these too and liked them a lot!
Love Kim Harrison! Can't wait for the next book. Alpha and Omega is definitely more on the line of Paranormal Romance than Urban Fantasy, the earlier books for sure. I need to give Andrews a try. I will say I hated how Iron Druid ended. I'm a huge fan of Jane Yellowrock. Frost one is definitely more PR. I quit the series after a few books.
Me too!! She’s a highlight each year, I’m so glad she’s continuing to write more Hollows. Yes, Andrews takes time. If you’re not loving it by the end of book 3, then I’d say pass. Iain said that too about Iron Druid. I may have to finish just to see what I think lol. The only reason I haven’t continued Yellowrock is that I’d have to buy them all. I’m getting close to just breaking down and buying them. I’m holding out for a sale…
@@TheObsessiveBookseller Jane Yellowrock is almost finished if that helps. One just came out, I think there's going to be a group of short stories, then one more book. It might have been two, but I'm pretty sure it was just one.
Hi 👋 you have a lot book on ur TBR.... I have too TBR list goes up and up lol 😂 I’m currently reading Fools errands by Robin Hobb so far luving it.... do u ever DNF books???? Happy reading to you!! 😊🍁🍂
Alright so I got a question about UF, but first some context lol (sorry in advance for the upcoming essay lmao) I read the first two book in The Dresden Files last month and I was not super high on either of them. I have come to a realization after reading those two books that I dislike specialized POVs because they make non-specialists look worse than they are. I gave this example to another booktuber so I will just copy and past below lol "Imagine reading a war story told exclusively from the POV of the military and the entire thing is just anecdotes of soldiers and officers whining about how civilians are constantly acting like idiots during campaigns and how they are always ruining missions. After a while you just get tired of hearing about all the dumb crap the civvies are getting up to this time. That is how reading The Dresden Files feels to me. The problem with a series like The Dresden Files, for me personally, is that we are locked into the point of view of a specialized individual. This results in making non-specialized people, lol normies, look like complete idiots in most situations. Its hard for me to like the series because Harry is constantly dealing with folks who don't understand magic and therefore I get frustrated because they are always making the literal worst decision in any given situation. And knowing the in-world reason as to why the normies are so dumb, like technology not working around magic, knowing that doesn't make reading about them any less frustrating lol" "I'm gonna also touch on Murderbot Diaries here because I want to compare Dresden to a non urban fantasy example so it doesn't seem like i'm just picking on one genre lol . This special POV is the same problem I have with the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, a story is told from the POV of an artificial intelligence, which therefore makes all human look really dumb by comparison because the main character is way more intelligent that they could ever hope to be. Specialized POV is not just a problem that can show up in an urban fantasy like Dresden Files since Murderbot Diaries is a science fiction example of a series I struggle to enjoy because of it. I can see why both series are super popular, but for me personally the normie side characters just end up being annoying because of how unhelpful they are and the POV character becomes annoying because of their constant whining about normies lack of understanding lol My favorite parts of Dresden so far are when Harry is dealing with other magical folks and my favorite parts of Murderbot Diaries are when protagonist is dealing with other AIs" Lol now that we have all that context out of the way (lol again sorry for the essay XD but it was mostly copy and paste from a different booktuber and I was too lazy to reword), do you have any recommendations for UR books and series that manage to avoid this issue that I had with Dresden and Murderbot? One's with either fewer side characters or side characters that are at least competent or in-the-know about all the fantasy and magic stuff that is happening around the main POV, or one's were the main POV is not specialized and is the normie in context of the story who has to learn alongside the reader?
Yes I do haha. That’s really interesting - I never thought about it in those terms before, but the feeling of superiority and general annoyance at everyone not in the AI “club” (or magic club, as the case may be), is what I like MOST about those books. Maybe it appeals to my time in customer service, or just to my overall jadedness in general (I’m kidding… mostly), but it’s precisely that which has me so entertained by those books. But it only works for me if they have legit reasons and perspectives to justify that attitude. I’d say Moon Called by Briggs is a great place to start. Mercy is in the supernatural community, but she’s nowhere near the most remarkable. Generally a really humble character. And Briggs doesn’t do anything to perpetuate that attitude because there aren’t really that many “normies” around. That’s my favorite one for you, but I also think checking out Kate Daniels (beyond the first book), and Rachel Morgan would work for you as well (at least within the context of your objection. If you like any of these I can suggest more. If you don’t, we can go a different route. :)).
@@v3rmilli0nair3 Wow you weren't kidding - that's an ambitious lineup for sure! I need light reads between large tomes too, so hopefully those will work for you. I'm fixin to make my tbr ambitious as well. lol
If you don’t really like where the Anita Blake series has gone, the Merrideth Gentry series gets there even quicker, she sleeps with every male in sight
I really loved Neverwhere as a standalone and the Dresden Files as a series so i started to look for more Urban Fantasy with the Green Bone Saga and the Iron Druid The Green Bone Saga has been cool (80s style triad wars) but the Iron Druid not so much. I can see the similarities to Dresden but it reads like a male power fantasy
I didn’t realize Green Bone was more UF, that makes me want to read it more. I’m actually hoping to get to that soon. I’ve been always hesitant to read anything by Gaiman. People love him so much but I get the sense that he just won’t be my jam.
@@TheObsessiveBookseller Well Green Bone book 3 is out this month i belive so it will finish the triology. As for Gaimen, i have seen many people who do not like it at all but i guess you never know until you try. There is a current read along of American Gods at the Shelf Space server but it can be a big book to start. Neverwhere is much shorter and a faster read
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The only urban fantasy I've been reading the past year have been the Hiram Woolley books by DJ Butler and Aaron Michael Ritchey. It's kinda historical urban fantsy, or "rural" fantasy. Takes place in 1930s rural Utah.
I haven’t heard of those! Are they local Utah authors?
@@TheObsessiveBookseller I know Butler is, I’d imagine Ritchey is too.
Again so many interesting recommendations from you! I just recently tried out a few urban fantasy series. I read the first Dresden and the first Sookie Stackhouse books and did really enjoy it. I'm kinda dependent on my library with those long series because I can't buy that many books I'm not sure of yet, but I will definitely look into the Kate Daniels one, sounds sooo good! Kim Harrison also sounds really interesting, I usually like slow pacings.
Both of those would be great places to start - I personally liked them both more than Dresden and Sookie but they do take a little time to get going. I feel ya sooo much on being limited by library availability. The highest priority on my list is Jane Yellowrock, but I keep picking up other things because I’d have to buy each one. I keep hoping for a sale or something lol.
Great list, I agree that some of these series have a very weak first book. I love the Kate Daniels series and other series by Ilona Andrews. I also liked the Night Huntress series.
Thank you! I’m glad I discovered that before I started getting really ornery with books because I don’t think I’d like the genre quite so much. I’ve been really interested in Night Huntress for ages but for whatever reason haven’t made time for it. It bodes well that you like both those and IA books!
I really enjoyed the Iron Druid series, except for the last couple of ones. I read all the shorter stories too. And I never got enough of Oberon! I’ll be interested to see what you think.
Oberon is so delightful haha. I’ve heard the series doesn’t end well, so I’m going to have to weigh that when deciding to pick it up again. I did the short stories for these too and liked them a lot!
I enjoyed Oberon and Owen when he came in , but the ending was a little off and put of nowhere.
Love Kim Harrison! Can't wait for the next book.
Alpha and Omega is definitely more on the line of Paranormal Romance than Urban Fantasy, the earlier books for sure.
I need to give Andrews a try.
I will say I hated how Iron Druid ended.
I'm a huge fan of Jane Yellowrock.
Frost one is definitely more PR. I quit the series after a few books.
Me too!! She’s a highlight each year, I’m so glad she’s continuing to write more Hollows.
Yes, Andrews takes time. If you’re not loving it by the end of book 3, then I’d say pass.
Iain said that too about Iron Druid. I may have to finish just to see what I think lol.
The only reason I haven’t continued Yellowrock is that I’d have to buy them all. I’m getting close to just breaking down and buying them. I’m holding out for a sale…
@@TheObsessiveBookseller Jane Yellowrock is almost finished if that helps. One just came out, I think there's going to be a group of short stories, then one more book. It might have been two, but I'm pretty sure it was just one.
@@FantasyNerd365 That definitely helps!
Hi 👋 you have a lot book on ur TBR.... I have too TBR list goes up and up lol 😂 I’m currently reading Fools errands by Robin Hobb so far luving it.... do u ever DNF books???? Happy reading to you!! 😊🍁🍂
Hi! Oooh I love that one. Yes I DNF books more now than ever. I finally realized I won’t ever have time to read them all so I have to be mindful!
Alright so I got a question about UF, but first some context lol (sorry in advance for the upcoming essay lmao) I read the first two book in The Dresden Files last month and I was not super high on either of them. I have come to a realization after reading those two books that I dislike specialized POVs because they make non-specialists look worse than they are. I gave this example to another booktuber so I will just copy and past below lol
"Imagine reading a war story told exclusively from the POV of the military and the entire thing is just anecdotes of soldiers and officers whining about how civilians are constantly acting like idiots during campaigns and how they are always ruining missions. After a while you just get tired of hearing about all the dumb crap the civvies are getting up to this time. That is how reading The Dresden Files feels to me. The problem with a series like The Dresden Files, for me personally, is that we are locked into the point of view of a specialized individual. This results in making non-specialized people, lol normies, look like complete idiots in most situations. Its hard for me to like the series because Harry is constantly dealing with folks who don't understand magic and therefore I get frustrated because they are always making the literal worst decision in any given situation. And knowing the in-world reason as to why the normies are so dumb, like technology not working around magic, knowing that doesn't make reading about them any less frustrating lol"
"I'm gonna also touch on Murderbot Diaries here because I want to compare Dresden to a non urban fantasy example so it doesn't seem like i'm just picking on one genre lol
. This special POV is the same problem I have with the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, a story is told from the POV of an artificial intelligence, which therefore makes all human look really dumb by comparison because the main character is way more intelligent that they could ever hope to be. Specialized POV is not just a problem that can show up in an urban fantasy like Dresden Files since Murderbot Diaries is a science fiction example of a series I struggle to enjoy because of it. I can see why both series are super popular, but for me personally the normie side characters just end up being annoying because of how unhelpful they are and the POV character becomes annoying because of their constant whining about normies lack of understanding lol My favorite parts of Dresden so far are when Harry is dealing with other magical folks and my favorite parts of Murderbot Diaries are when protagonist is dealing with other AIs"
Lol now that we have all that context out of the way (lol again sorry for the essay XD but it was mostly copy and paste from a different booktuber and I was too lazy to reword), do you have any recommendations for UR books and series that manage to avoid this issue that I had with Dresden and Murderbot? One's with either fewer side characters or side characters that are at least competent or in-the-know about all the fantasy and magic stuff that is happening around the main POV, or one's were the main POV is not specialized and is the normie in context of the story who has to learn alongside the reader?
Yes I do haha. That’s really interesting - I never thought about it in those terms before, but the feeling of superiority and general annoyance at everyone not in the AI “club” (or magic club, as the case may be), is what I like MOST about those books. Maybe it appeals to my time in customer service, or just to my overall jadedness in general (I’m kidding… mostly), but it’s precisely that which has me so entertained by those books. But it only works for me if they have legit reasons and perspectives to justify that attitude.
I’d say Moon Called by Briggs is a great place to start. Mercy is in the supernatural community, but she’s nowhere near the most remarkable. Generally a really humble character. And Briggs doesn’t do anything to perpetuate that attitude because there aren’t really that many “normies” around. That’s my favorite one for you, but I also think checking out Kate Daniels (beyond the first book), and Rachel Morgan would work for you as well (at least within the context of your objection. If you like any of these I can suggest more. If you don’t, we can go a different route. :)).
@@TheObsessiveBookseller These sound great
@@v3rmilli0nair3 Wow you weren't kidding - that's an ambitious lineup for sure! I need light reads between large tomes too, so hopefully those will work for you. I'm fixin to make my tbr ambitious as well. lol
LKH has gotten back on the rails with the Anita Blake series. The most recent two books were really good.
Really?! Oh that’s awesome. I’m definitely going to make her a priority again. Ty 🥰
I feel like this genre is underrated, so happy this vid popped in my feed!
Thank you! I’m hoping to generate at least a little excitement for it. Many of my all-time favorite books are UFs.
If you don’t really like where the Anita Blake series has gone, the Merrideth Gentry series gets there even quicker, she sleeps with every male in sight
Oh no lol. Thanks for the warning!
I really loved Neverwhere as a standalone and the Dresden Files as a series so i started to look for more Urban Fantasy with the Green Bone Saga and the Iron Druid
The Green Bone Saga has been cool (80s style triad wars) but the Iron Druid not so much. I can see the similarities to Dresden but it reads like a male power fantasy
I didn’t realize Green Bone was more UF, that makes me want to read it more. I’m actually hoping to get to that soon. I’ve been always hesitant to read anything by Gaiman. People love him so much but I get the sense that he just won’t be my jam.
@@TheObsessiveBookseller Well Green Bone book 3 is out this month i belive so it will finish the triology. As for Gaimen, i have seen many people who do not like it at all but i guess you never know until you try. There is a current read along of American Gods at the Shelf Space server but it can be a big book to start. Neverwhere is much shorter and a faster read