Top 10 List: Julia’s Paranormal Picks for 2011

You can read all the previous Top 10 Lists HERE

Julia’s Paranormal Picks for 2011

This was my first year diligently updating my GoodReads account, and I was a little shocked to see how many books I had read in 2010 (162 by their count, eep!).  Then I started looking through all of the amazing books that are going to be published in 2011 and I realized my total will be even higher this year.  The hardest parts about putting this list together was how it reminded me of all the books I can’t wait to read, all the books I wanted to re-read, and all the books I still have to catch up on (aren’t those great problems to have?).  Happy New Year, everyone, and happy, happy reading!

#10 Grave Dance by Kalayna Price
July 5, 2011

Description:

Grave witch Alex Craft can speak to the dead, but that doesn’t mean she likes what they have to say . . .

As a private investigator and consultant for the police, Alex Craft has seen a lot of dark magic. But even though she’s on good terms with Death himself—who happens to look fantastic in a pair of jeans—nothing has prepared her for her latest case. Alex is investigating a high profile murder when she’s attacked by the ‘shade’ she’s raising, which should be impossible. To top off her day, someone makes a serious attempt on her life, but Death saves her. Guess he likes having her around . . .

To solve this case Alex will have to team up with tough homicide detective Falin Andrews. Falin seems to be hiding something—though it’s certainly not his dislike of Alex—but Alex knows she needs his help to navigate the tangled webs of mortal and paranormal politics, and to track down a killer wielding a magic so malevolent, it may cost Alex her life . . . and her soul.

Kalayna Price’s Haven series kept popping up on my radar, but never succeeded in making it to my pre-order list.  The Alex Craft series, however, was a slam dunk from Book 1.  While I did like the novel world concept and Alex herself, I must admit, most of my anticipation is due to Death himself.  Mysterious and intriguing, with just the right mix of attraction and danger, I’m looking forward to reading GRAVE DANCE for his appearances alone.

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#9 Hard Bitten by Chloe Neill
May 3, 2011

 

Description:

Times are hard for newly minted vampire Merit. Ever since shapeshifters announced their presence to the world, humans have been rallying against supernaturals--and they're camping outside of Cadogan House with protest signs that could turn to pitchforks at any moment. Inside its doors, things between Merit and her Master, green-eyed heartbreaker Ethan Sullivan are ... tense. But then the mayor of Chicago calls Merit and Ethan to a clandestine meeting and tells them about a violent vamp attack that has left three women missing. His message is simple: get your House in order. Or else.

Merit needs to get to the bottom of this crime, but it doesn't help that she can't tell who's on her side. So she secretly calls in a favor from someone who's tall, dark, and part of underground vamp group that may have some deep intel on the attack. Merit soon finds herself in the heady, dark heart of Chicago's supernatural society--a world full of vampires who seem too ready to fulfill the protesting human's worst fears, and a place where she'll learn that you can't be a vampire without getting a little blood on your hands...

That sword, those pants... even without my enjoyment of past Chicagoland Vampire novels, I would have wanted to catch up just to read this one.  While the series started off slow for me, much of that was a function of Merit’s development as a character.  She has consistently impressed me more and more as the series progressed, and now I’m thoroughly hooked.  Events between Merit and Ethan in TWICE BITTEN had me on the edge of my seat, and I look forward to seeing how their tense stalemate plays out in close quarters.

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#8 The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong
April 12, 2011

Description:

Strange things are happening in Maya's tiny Vancouver Island town. First, her friend Serena, the captain of the swim team, drowns mysteriously in the middle of a calm lake. Then, one year later, mountain lions are spotted rather frequently around Maya's home—and her reactions to them are somewhat . . . unexpected. Her best friend, Daniel, has also been experiencing unexplainable premonitions about certain people and situations.

It doesn't help that the new bad boy in town, Rafe, has a dangerous secret, and he's interested in one special part of Maya's anatomy—her paw-print birthmark.

Kelley Armstrong’s last YA offerings, the Darkest Powers series, had much of what I enjoyed in her Adult offerings, with the sweet tension of adolescent love swirled in for good measure.  That history alone would have been enough to make me eager to read this book, but as the description includes both The Best Friend and The Bad Boy, I’m all about reading this book when it comes out in April.

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#7 Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh
July 1, 2011

Description:

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh's exhilarating world of shapeshifters and psychics is "paranormal romance at its best" (Publishers Weekly). Now comes the story of an alpha wolf named Hawke used to getting exactly what he wants--and of the only woman who dares tangle with him.

Since the moment of her defection from the PsyNet and into the SnowDancer wolf pack, Sienna Lauren has had one weakness. Hawke. Alpha and dangerous, he compels her to madness.

Hawke is used to walking alone, having lost the woman who would've been his mate long ago. But Sienna fascinates the primal heart of him, even as he tells himself she is far too young to handle the wild fury of the wolf.

Then Sienna changes the rules and suddenly, there is no more distance, only the most intimate of battles between two people who were never meant to meet. Yet as they strip away each other's secrets in a storm of raw emotion, they must also ready themselves for a far more vicious fight…

A deadly enemy is out to destroy SnowDancer, striking at everything they hold dear, but it is Sienna's darkest secret that may yet savage the pack that is her home…and the alpha who is its heartbeat…

While Nalini Singh’s Guild Hunters has my undivided attention, I’ve been a fair-weather fan of the Psy/Changlings.  Despite having reading all of the series, the Changlings are the only half of the equation that can get me psyched up ahead of time.  KISS OF SNOW focuses on the SnowDancer wolf pack, which would have been enough to get me excited.  Above and beyond that, KISS OF SNOW is the long anticipated story of Hawke and Sienna.  I have always been interested in how these two compelling characters will manage to find their happily-ever-after without the soul mate “Easy Button”, and I’m so glad my wait is almost over!

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#6 Heart of Steel by Meljean Brook
November 1, 2011

As the mercenary captain of the Lady Corsair, Yasmeen has learned to keep her heart as cold as steel, her only loyalty bound to her ship and her crew. So when a man who once tried to seize her airship returns from the dead, Yasmeen will be damned if she gives him another opportunity to take control.

Treasure-hunter Archimedes Fox isn’t interested in the Lady Corsair — he wants her coldhearted captain and the valuable da Vinci sketch she stole from him. To reclaim it, Archimedes is determined to seduce the stubborn woman who once tossed him to a ravenous pack of zombies, but she’s no easy conquest.

When da Vinci’s sketch attracts a dangerous amount of attention, Yasmeen and Archimedes journey to Horde-occupied Morocco — and straight into their enemy’s hands. But as they fight to save themselves and a city on the brink of rebellion, the greatest peril Yasmeen faces is from the man who seeks to melt her icy heart…

Heeding Abigail’s advice, I made sure to read the the novella in BURNING UP before venturing into THE IRON DUKE.  The one-two punch of both of these incredible stories had me hooked from the get go.  While I will still dip back into THE IRON DUKE to visit Mina and Rhys regularly (in fact, writing this paragraph inspired me to do so just this week), I can’t wait to pick up another book in this series.  Yasmeen certainly caught my attention in previous stories, and there’s nothing like throwing a man off of an airship on to cannibalistic zombies to start a romance off on the right foot.  So, despite the lack of cover art (or any firm pre-order information through a bookseller), I had to include this title on my top 10 list.  Re-reading can only tide me over for so long, I am dying to get my hands on this new story.

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#5 Late Eclipses and One Salt Sea
by Seanan McGuire
March 1, 2011 and September, 2011

October "Toby" Daye is half-human, half-fae-the only changeling who's earned knighthood. But when someone begins targeting her nearest and dearest, it becomes clear that Toby is being set up to take the fall for everything that's happening.

The October Daye series began “in media res,” and since that first amazing book when Toby was fresh out of the water (after being trapped for 14 years in a fish pond), I have been enthralled by the fast action, detailed world-building, and ever deepening mythology that surrounds her.  I was very excited about this series in 2011, with both LATE ECLIPSES and ONE SALT SEA due out, and thus far I haven’t been disappointed.  I had the privilege of reading an ARC for LATE ECLIPSES already (review due out next week), and revelations about Toby’s past (and tantalizing hints about her future) have me trolling the internet for any new details about ONE SALT SEA.

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#4 Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews
May 31, 2011

Plagued by a war between magic and technology, Atlanta has never been so deadly. Good thing Kate Daniels is on the job.

Kate Daniels may have quit the Order of Merciful Aid, but she’s still knee-deep in paranormal problems. Or she would be if she could get someone to hire her. Starting her own business has been more challenging than she thought it would be—now that the Order is disparaging her good name, and many potential clients are afraid of getting on the bad side of the Beast Lord, who just happens to be Kate’s mate.

So when Atlanta’s premier Master of the Dead calls to ask for help with a vampire on the loose, Kate leaps at the chance of some paying work. Turns out this is not an isolated incident, and Kate needs to get to the bottom of it—fast, or the city and everyone dear to her might pay the ultimate price . . .

Much like The Hollows, the Kate Daniels series started out as a sleeper for me.  When I read MAGIC BITES (what seems like ages ago), I never would have guessed those first “Here, kitty kitty,” glimpses of Curran would be the start of one of my favorite couples.  A blend of masterful world building, witty dialogue, and gritty violence, this series has become one I pre-order well in advance and eagerly await.

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#3 River Marked by Patricia Briggs
March 1, 2011

Car mechanic Mercy Thompson has always known there was something different about her, and not just the way she can make a VW engine sit up and beg. Mercy is a shapeshifter, a talent she inherited from her long-gone father. She’s never known any others of her kind. Until now.

An evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River—one that her father’s people may know something about. And to have any hope of surviving, Mercy and her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, will need their help…one father. She’s never known any others of her kind. Until now.

This entry really belongs to both RIVER MARKED and the untitled Alpha & Omega book due out in October, as both are eagerly awaited this year.  Patricia Briggs has a gift for creating memorable character details (the scene with his tail from THE HOB’S BARGAIN being one of my favorites), and her latest books are no exception.  Building on an intertwining cast of characters, Briggs continues to offer deeper and more satisfying glimpses into their lives.  Sustaining interest beyond that first chemical attraction can even harder in books than it is in real life, and Briggs has proven unequivocally that she’s a master at taking the relationship to the next level.  I am so excited to know that this book will show us more about Mercy’s heritage, in addition to getting a glimpse of her deepening relationship with Adam.

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#2 Pale Demon by Kim Harrison
February 22, 2011

Condemned to death for black magic and shunned, Rachel Morgan has three days to somehow get to the annual witches convention in San Francisco and clear her name. If she fails, the only way she can escape death is to live in the demonic ever after . . . for ever after.

Banned from the flight lists, Rachel teams up with elven tycoon Trent Kalamack, headed for the West Coast for his own mysterious business. But Rachel isn’t the only passenger along for the ride. Can a witch, an elf, a living vampire, and a pixy in one car survive for over 2,300 miles? And that’s not counting the assassin on their tail.

A fearsome demon walks the sunlight, freed after centuries of torment to slay the innocent and devour souls. But his ultimate prey is Rachel Morgan. While the powerful witch with nerves of steel will do whatever it takes to stay alive, even embracing her own demonic nature may not be enough to save her.

Kim Harrison books are on my “instant buy” list, in both hardback and eBook (as you never know when a Rachel Morgan emergency will strike).  While The Hollows series started out slow (when I put down DEAD WITCH WALKING, I had no inkling of the relationship I had just embarked on), by now these characters are familiar and dear friends.  Above and beyond that, Kim Harrison is unmatched in her ability to interweave plot elements between books in an organic and natural fashion.  Her books read less like discrete stories than un-varnished glimpses into someone’s life.  Emotional, entertaining, and utterly unaffected, I eagerly await any opportunity to visit The Hollows.  At the end of BLACK MAGIC SANCTION, Rachel had quite a few complicated relationships in her life (both romantic and platonic), and I can’t wait to pick up the story where it left off.

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#1 Archangel’s Consort by Nalini Singh
January 25, 2011

 

Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux and her lover, the lethally beautiful archangel Raphael, have returned home to New York only to face an uncompromising new evil…

A vampire has attacked a girls’ school—the assault one of sheer, vicious madness—and it is only the first act. Rampant bloodlust takes vampire after vampire, threatening to make the streets run with blood. Then Raphael himself begins to show signs of an uncontrolled rage, as inexplicable storms darken the city skyline and the earth itself shudders.

The omens are suddenly terrifyingly clear.

An ancient and malevolent immortal is rising. The violent winds whisper her name: Caliane. She has returned to reclaim her son, Raphael. Only one thing stands in her way: Elena, the consort who must be destroyed…

I had been a casual reader of Nalini Singh before I stumbled upon her Guild Hunter series, and from the first book I have been enthralled.  Elena Deveraux is one of my favorite Urban Fantasy heroines, and Raphael is the only “all-powerful, magical” alpha male that is actually written to be alien, dangerous, and entirely thrilling.  The world building is spectacular, one of the most thorough and dark I’ve ever encountered, and this series is one I’ve re-read on numerous occasions.  I’ve had my copy of ARCHANGEL’S CONSORT pre-ordered for quite some time now, and I am giddy with anticipation for it’s release next week.  This book tops my list if for no other reason than being so close I can taste it…

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Honorable mentions:

• Eye of the Tempest by Nicole Peeler (Jane True #4)
• As-of-yet-Untitled Disillusionist #3 by Carolyn Crane
• Shady Lady by Ann Aguirre (Corine Solomon #3)
• Aftermath by Ann Aguirre (Sirantha Jax #5)
• Defiance by Lili St. Crow (Strange Angels #4)