LAURA’S TOP 10 URBAN FANTASY SERIES
Anita has to be one of the first and ultimate heroines of urban fantasy. The early books are just awesome. I love the fact she is as tough as nails and the books combine horror with gritty action.
2
Mercy Thompson – Patricia Briggs
Mercy is a shapeshifting coyote and VW mechanic, who has the uncanny ability to get herself into trouble. The first few books are compulsive reading, gritty and at the centre have a fantastic love story.
3
Women of the Otherworld – Kelley Armstrong
‘Bitten’ is the first urban fantasy novel I ever read and opened my eyes to fantastic new worlds. I read it in a day and rushed out to buy the sequel ‘Stolen’ straight away. My favourite novels of this series has to be the ones on Elena and the werewolf pack, followed closely by Paige the witch.
4
Night Huntress – Jeaniene Frost
There isn’t very much I can say here other than Kat and Bones! It’s the relationship between these two characters that makes these books, as full of humour as it is with sizzling chemistry and bloody battle scenes.
5
Kate Daniels – Ilona Andrews
First of all Kate has a wicked sword! Second, welcome to Atlanta, a place that is at one time dominated by magic and the next by technology, giving us an absorbing new world to suck our imaginations into. Then there’s the very sexy Beast Lord, Curran. But perhaps the best part of these novels is Kate herself, a gutsy, tough heroine – just the way I like them!
6
Fever – Karen Marie Moning
Karen Marie Moning has created a vivid and unique world in her Fever series. With unbearable cliffhangers at the end of each book. It will take you to the depths of despair until you miss hours of sleep in your desperation to reach its conclusion.
7
Sookie Stackhouse – Charlaine Harris
The books that gave us the TV series ‘True Blood’. I adore the innocence and wholesomeness of Sookie combined with the darkness of the vampire world she gets sucked into. Small town America has never been so fascinatingly macabre.
8
Shifters – Rachel Vincent
Faythe is a character that goes on an immense journey throughout this series. A werecat surviving in a world where women are scarce are expected to marry and bear children she is fighting for independence. And I defy you not to at least sniffle at the unbearable love triangle.
9
Downside Ghosts – Stacia Kane
Chess is an incredibly different character, a drug addict that borders two worlds the respectable world of the church, and the underground world of violence, drug dealers and prostitutes of the downside. This series also has the most unusual hero, there are very few writers brave enough who write an ugly one and make it work.
10
The Hollows – Kim Harrison
Meet Rachel Morgan, witch and runner for the Inderland Services until she finds herself unscrupulously fired. Starting up her own business with living vampire Ivy, Rachel is slightly calamitous. She also must have the best sidekick in urban fantasy in the shape of Jenks the pixie, guaranteed to make you laugh out loud.
Some other series that did not quite make my top ten, but are still worthy of a special mention:
Kitty Norville – Carrie Vaughn
Meredith Gentry – Laurell K Hamilton
Weather Warden – Rachel Caine
Dark Swan – Richelle Mead
Dante Valentine – Lilith Saintcrow
Signs of the Zodiac – Vicki Pettersson
25 Comments
I totally love most of these series! And I agree with the number 1 slot.
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Great choices! These are either waiting to be read or very very high on my wishlist.
And thanks for recommending Bitten, I adoored it! Waiting to find time to read Stolen and hopefully get my hands on Bitten and the rest. Bitten was a library borrow, and I'm going to want to reread that. The only other urban fantasies I've read have been the first 3 Sookie books, Working Stiff and I'm starting on Magic to the Bone now which is really really good so far.
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Great list!
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I love Patricia Brigg's Mercy Thompson series! So very very good. I've just picked up Magic Bites, the first book in that series. I've been looking at Dead Witch Walking for some time now. I read the first Sookie Stackhouse book, and enjoyed it. What are the Fever books about? I haven't heard about them. I have book 1 of the Weather Warden series too, though I haven't read it yet.
This is quite a list you have here! What about Laura Ann Gilman's retriever series, do you enjoy that?
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You should *definitely* read the Fever series. It’s about a sidhe-seer in Dublin, Ireland. Any more and I’ll give it away
Dead Witch Walking is excellent also, probably much higher on my personal list than is shown here. The more urban fantasy you read, the more Mercy Thompson will probably disappoint. IMO, it’s one of the most overrated series, and totally not as worth it as others.
Also worth checking out is the Dresden Files series (true Urban Fantasy, rather than just Paranormal Romance) by Jim Butcher and the Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne. (Storm Front, Jim Butcher and Hounded, Kevin Hearne)
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Awesome books
And I really must try the Kim H ones
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I'm reading one, and I have 5 series waiting for me to start reading them. *sigh*
Anyway, thank you for listing the great among UF! =D
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All of these are on my to-read, except Sookie, since I've already read 1-9 and will be picking up 10 and 11 soon.
I'm a bit intimidated by Anita Blake since there's sooooo many books! But one day I'll get to it.
Angie @ Pinkindle Reads & Reviews
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Great list, these are high up on my TBR list!
Jessica from Booked Up!
http://www.bookedupbloggers.blogspot.com/
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I love most of the top ten (the others I haven't had a chance to read yet
) but I noticed that you didn't mention Patricia Briggs' Alpha and Omega series. If you ever get the chance you really should read it – it's as well written as Mercy and is a spin off from that series 
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Great list, I love 9 of your choices and that's only because I haven't read the Sookie books (despite having every single one of them on my shelf!).
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@James thanks! Can't beat a bit of Anita. I've just started one of your books actually
@Hannah I'm so glad you enjoyed Bitten! I've read some of the Magic to the books also
@Amy thanks
@Susan of the fever books are goooood! You should check them out
I've reviewed the last three on here of you want to read a review. I've not heard of the Laura Ann Gilman books but I'm going to look them up now!
@Blodeuedd thanks
the Kim H ones are definitely worth reading
@Dazzling Mage by Tbr list is like that too! Glad you liked the list
@Angie the first Anita books are better than the rest maybe start with the first couple?
@Jessica thanks!
@Ilona I have read the alpha & omega books, although I think they are a bit more paranormal romance and I have to say I think I prefer the Mercy books
@My Keeper Shelf you should start the Sookie books & join our read-a-long
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There are several I need to check out. While they lost me on the later ones, I'm a huge fan of Sookie and Anita's first books!
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Great list! While I'm not in love with the Anita Blake series, I like the Sookie Stackhouse series and absolutely adore The Hollows and the Night Huntress series. A lot of the others are on my TBR pile.
I'd never heard of the Downside Ghosts' series – it sounds really interesting!
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Great list !! I love all your choices – except Fever because I haven't read it yet
PS: If I may correct you – it's Cat (not Kat)
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@Alyssa do the Sookie books lose it a bit towards the end of the series then? I hope not as I enjoy them a lot
@Mierke oh you must check out th Downside books, they're very good!
@Juliette you're completely right it is Cat and not Kat, brain melt moment there. Thanks for spotting that one
The Fever books are fab & I'd highly recommend them.
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Nice list. I red most of these series, but I have one big comment: The Anita Blake series. They start of incredibly strong, but the later books are just awfull. When I start a series, I always finish them even when the books become of a lesser quality. But the Anita Blake books were the exception to the rule. Absolute shame.
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Thanks Anthony.
I’ve just reviewed KISS THE DEAD In the Anita Blake series and I have to agree, the early books are sooo good, but they have deteriorated in the latter books. But I do love the early books so much.
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Not really into Anita Blade, but really enjoy The hollow series, and Mercy T. I enjoyed L.A. Banks (R.I.P.) Vampire Huntress series
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The Anita Blake series does deteriorate considerably towards the end, but the early books are superb.
Love Hollow series and Mercy T too
I did read a couple of books in L.A.Banks vampire huntress series and they didn’t totally blow me away.
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Great list! Some I have read and some I can’t wait to read, thanks for the insight!
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Thanks Jeanette, any new ones you feel like trying?
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i just started reading urban fantasy last year so i haven’t gotten to all these series yet but i’m gonna give the ones i haven’t read so far a shot
i think the hollows should have been closer to the top Rachael and ivy are two of the strongest female leads i have seen yet and the spark they have going on really keeps me coming back for more
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Ooh I hope you enjoy them, they are all great.
I have to admit I found it really hard to order them. But read the rest as there are some really great heroines in the others too!
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I have read 5 of the 10 on your list so I trust your choices.. I will be completeing your top 10 over this next year.. Thanks for the help.. email me if you add a new series..
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