The Rec League: Character Driven Urban Fantasy

The Rec LeagueI received this email from Pammie, who is looking for urban fantasy romances that are character driven with fewer leather-pants asskicking episodes. Have a look:

Long time lurker, etc. Listen, there’s been a little thing nagging at me for awhile and I was wondering if I could dump it on your laps. It’s 4 in the morning, I have the flu and can’t sleep – for some reason all I can think about is Urban Fantasy / Romance Plotlandia. I know, you too, right?!! Oh, you were sleeping perfectly fine..? Oh. Well…anyway, I was wondering if it would be okay to get some good book recommendations…?

Now, maybe these points have all been raised before, and there are massive threads out there in the blogosphere on this very point – in which case, feel free to merely direct me to the threads and I will come up to speed bothering you no further!

But! This is the thing. I welcomed the whole Urban Fantasy / Romance thing when it came with open arms and joy. These were the books I was waiting for! And I have found many of my fav author crushes on those shelves (Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs, Jeanine Frost, I am looking at you ladies). But. It’s been a few years now, and I know I can’t be the only one thinking this – lots of them seem to be a bit…samey samey (Now don’t take this the wrong way! I don’t want to break up with you, I’m just raising some small questions, ok?).

There will be an Underdog. She will be vastly overmatched. She will fight against Overwhelming Odds, miraculously emerging with many a bruise/broken limb/bad haircut from horrific fight scenarios, only to solve the murder/mystery/ find the cure/rescue the cute guy/damsel, and retire back to her hand to mouth existence no better off and with few lessons learnt. Further, she will come back to repeat this pattern with small variations for another 5 to 10 books, perhaps turning into a fairy queen along the way, and shagging various cute guys/vampires/werewolves/fairies. Then the series finishes right when the interesting normal stuff starts happening.

Now, some of my favourite books follow this very theme, and perhaps this is the answer in itself – it is a winning formula. Why mess with what works? However….isn’t there anything else they can do? Why are there so many mysteries that need to be solved in the Urban Fantasy landscape? It’s like a Fantasy book and a Who-dunnit sat in a tree and spawned a thousand similar children.

Why can’t there be more Urban Fantasy books that explore the inner landscape instead? I’m thinking of Lois McMaster Bujold here who created the amazing Sharing Knife series. Yes, someone’s bound to point out that those books also followed a fairly traditional Fantasy plotline of travelling and dealing with bandits and mudmen/mystical baddies etc. Still, the beauty of the series was in the growth and change of the characters, the way the author explored both the inner and outer worlds of the characters, both main and secondary in the novels.

Her Chalion series, while again following some Fantasy plotlines was philosophical and again dealt in large with the inner landscape and the nature of humanity, the divine and the choices we make.

I know she’s not the only one, there are also books by PC Hodgell, Sharon Shinn, Robin McKinley, Ben Aaronovitch, Tanya Huff etc (if you think of any others please feel free to pass them on!). However, these are all more Fantasy novels than Urban Fantasy/Romance.

Even the mundane is beautiful at times. Somehow I loved following Sookie around while she tidied the house and mowed her lawn (in between her other exhaustive adventures, see description above (and before anyone gets all stabbie at me, I enjoyed all and loved most of Charlaine Harris’s books and own all of her series that I could get my hands on – my favourites are the Lily Bard series)).

In most Urban Fantasy / Romances, dishes are never washed, nor laundry folded. Surely they would be buried under an avalanche of soiled jocks the way they get about? I don’t even want to think about the probable state of their sheets when the mysterious tall dark and handsome guy finally follows them home (or the state of his sheets either come to think of it). When do they eat or shower? Or recover from their many many many wounds? Their career and monetary woes are usually very well covered, though. So I won’t go there. BTW, this all applies to Fantasy novels too, really.

Why can’t more Urban Fantasy protagonists explore an inner and outer world? Why is self-discovery relegated mainly to YA novels? Let’s face it, we reinvent, reimagine, relearn ourselves at all ages. There are countless hurdles in an individual’s life. Hard times, grief and above all learning and changing. People in all their myriad issues and problems are as capable of kindness, meanness, joy and evil as any created baddie, only with the benefit of having more dimension. All these themes should exist in an Urban Fantasy setting, but are often ignored in favour of the usual mad scramble. Everything doesn’t always have to be apocalyptic, surely?

Don’t get me wrong – I love a good zombie apocalypse – but can’t we have some self-growth while running and shagging?

So, I guess that’s the Challenge or respectful request: Can we have Urban Fantasy / Romances which explore more world building, more character driven plots, more reality (mundane or otherwise), more inner adventures? I don’t think I’m asking for Proper Works of Literary Art. Just…more…And, of course, sexytimes with the requisite vampire/werewolf/fairy lover/s.

Right, now I’ve got all that off my chest, I will try going back to sleep. Thank you Smart Bitches!

I emailed Pammie and asked for clarification:

If I’m reading correctly, you’re after books that feature fantasy elements, some ass kicking, but also character-driven developments that explore the inner world of the characters as much as the external, yes? Less leather pants and superpowers, more spending time in the world that was built?

Pammie wrote:

I like leather pants and super powers, it’s just that I’d like to see them balanced by reflection, relationships and growth. Surely even magical worlds can have a beautiful mundanity. Does it make any sense? Do you know any like that?

My first thought was what Pammie already suggested – Lois McMaster Bujold and Robin McKinley specifically.

Elyse suggests the Dresden Files ( A | BN | K), though that’s not a romance series, alas. Carrie added:

Book The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic I hear you, Pammie.  I’m the same way – I like a good plot, but I’m often more interested in the small moments of life.

It’s easier to find in fantasy.  I just finished “The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Real Magic” by Emily Croy Barker ( A | BN | K ). I loved the attention it gives to mundane detail – but it’s fantasy, not urban fantasy.  I wrote a review at my site.

You might try Holly Black and Charles De Lint.

Also in War for the Oaks ( A | BN | K ), by Emma Bull, there’s plenty of attention to the mundane – the band may benefit from faerie magic, but they still have to practice and lug heavy equipment around and eat (yay Denny’s).

Book Thorn JackI suspect that YA so frequently addresses inner and outer world development that the books Pammie seeks might best be found in that sub-genre. In YA fantasy, not only are the characters younger, but they’re often confined by the mundanity that Pammie is seeking, in locations such as school, group activities, parental/familial expectations, and other common limitations of youth — however those limitations are defined in the world of that book.

Pammie might also like Thorn Jack ( A | BN | K ) by Katherine Harbour, which is YA fantasy, but seems to merge the inner progress of mourning with the external progress of a mystery as Finn tries to figure out what happened to her sister.

Plus, still YA but with much world building and development of the inner and outer worlds of the characters, Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan ( A | BN | K ) (my review: B-).  And, though this is a bit of a stretch, The Demon Lover ( A | BN | K ), the first book in the Fairwick Chronicles by Juliet Dark, might also be appealing.

 

But I know there are a ton I’m not thinking of. Do you have any recommendations for Pammie of urban fantasy with as much attention paid to the mundanity of the world as to the asskicking?

Comments are Closed

  1. Kate says:

    Hooray for all the Lois McMaster Bujold and Emma Bull love!

    For some straight up urban fantasy that nevertheless features a heroine who learns from her experiences and grows with each book, I’d recommend Seanan McGuire’s October Daye series. I’d say the series really picks up with Book Three, An Artificial Night. The fantastical world really develops into something intriguing and any mysteries are intimately connected to that world.

    Jacqueline Carey’s Santa Olivia is fantastic and is very much about the main character, Loup’s, personal development. There’s an element of romance.

    Oh! Gail Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate series, starting with Soulless. Steampunk, but not annoyingly so. Definitely a fun romance.

    M.K. Hobson’s The Native Star, which you could describe as steampunk in the American West, has a great romance, but an even better fantastical world.

    There’s also Daniel O’Malley’s Rook, which isn’t a romance but is definitely urban fantasy. I’d say it’s Buffy meets Torchwood.

  2. Kael says:

    I second the Holly Black rec, especially the Curse Workers trilogy.

    These are YA so there’s not much sexytimes but I’m rec-ing them anyways:

    The Katerina trilogy by Robin Bridges has some great world building and some great character stuff. the main character’s a necromancer who wants to be a doctor in pre-revolution Russia.

    Basically anything by Tessa Gratton. Her character development is perfect and the plots are very character driven. Her world building’s fantastic too.

    The Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr. You want interesting inner conflicts? This series has them, in spades. And some great character driven plots too. Also some implied sexytimes.

  3. Faellie says:

    I’m a bit surprised there’s been no mention of Kelley Armstrong yet.

    If I may be permitted to add another gripe about common paranormal/urban fantasy tropes, I’d like to add a complaint about the all-too frequent “I can eat whatever I like and stay magically slim because my awesome powers take so much energy”.

    Bleeeeergh.

  4. Kim T. says:

    Didn’t see any mention of the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning…it may be a little too much on the leather pants ass kicking side, but it does keep its focus on the character development of the heroine throughout the five book series.  Finally just read Iced (the first in the second series/trilogy) and thought it almost focused on the main character, 14 year old Dani too much but really enjoyed the shift of perspective in some chapters to Christian and Kat.  So pretty decent character development all around.  Plus the actual urban fantasy elements are done perfectly in Iced.  Post apocalyptic meets Celtic fae monsters in Dublin.

  5. SB Sarah says:

    @Kim:

    CRAP. My bad – that was in the email thread and I forgot to add it. Elyse recommended the Fever series. Thank you for that!

    @Faellie:

    I’d like to add a complaint about the all-too frequent “I can eat whatever I like and stay magically slim because my awesome powers take so much energy”

    YES THANK YOU. Surely some of these magical, mystical powers come with a metabolism that slows down to negative-sloth pace.

  6. Tam says:

    Oh cripes, that’s a hard one. Part of why I liked the Sharing Knife books so much was because they were so different from everything else I was reading – they did have that sense of domesticity and growth. I mean, I enjoy leather pants-clad heroines who kick ass and never do laundry (and honestly, I do plenty of laundry in my real life so I’m OK with Kate Daniels and Rachel Morgan never getting around to it) but it’s nice to read about the other sort of heroine too. The heroine of Robin McKinley’s ‘Sunshine’ does come to mind, because she has this fully-fleshed out real domestic life which she’s trying to go on living after a traumatic encounter with the paranormal.

    To be fair, if you’re whizzing around your city and doing mixed-martial arts against werewolves and elves all the time, even a regular person probably CAN eat like crazy and never put on weight. When I was a college athlete and training most days, I was eating two breakfasts a day, hobbit-style, with the second one involving eggs and bacon and fried bread and mushrooms, and I’ve never been leaner. Now, if there’s a heroine who lounges about reading romances all day while eating second-breakfasts who can STILL get into her leather pants… that might stretch my credulity. 😛

  7. Malin says:

    Anne Bishop’s The Others series so far consists of Written in Red and Murder of Crows. I read a LOT of urban/paranormal fantasy, and these hooked me completely, because they’re so different and has such a refreshing take on the genre. They’re set in an alternate universe where paranormal species like vampires, shapeshifters etc. are the dominant ones, and ordinary humans are generally considered legitimate prey. They are absolutely excellent, although the romance side of the story develops very slowly and is more hinted at than front and centre.

    I second the recommendation of Seanan McGuire’s Toby Daye books. The first two are a bit slow and if you aren’t completely hooked by book 3, the series is probably not for you.

    I now love Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files, but the first four-five books in the series are NOT great, and I always recommend people start with book 4, then go back and read the first three once they’re all caught up (if they are desperately completeist).

    Kalayna Price’s Alex Craft books are also good, there are three out so far, and it seems to be taking her forever and a day to get the fourth one out. The release date has been moved three times already.

  8. Alexandra says:

    I think Kristen Painter’s newest urban fantasy series qualifies here. The first book, House of the Rising Sun, was out in May with the next, City of Eternal Night, set for release in December. It takes place in New Orleans and features fantasy/paranormal creatures such as fae, varcolai (shapeshifters), witches and vampires. It’s also set on a future earth where humans have recently learned these guys actually exist. I saw a LOT of room for character development from the leads, Augustine and Harlow, in the first book – and the character development is probably what I’m most excited for the rest of the series. The blurb for the third book is out…do NOT read because it seems to contain a spoiler and I’m a bit upset that I saw it. Will probably be emailed the author and ask her to warn readers maybe?

    Painter has another finished UF series set in the same story universe albeit in another city. It features a colorful cast of characters and a thread of romance as well. First book is called Blood Rights. The covers for these ones are among my favorite book covers ever – they are totally gorgeous! Painter’s books are also told in third person omniscient rather than first person POV unlike a lot of other UF.

  9. ALgae says:

    I second the Rook recommendation – that was a great book.

    Maybe The Lost Girl by Sangu Mandanna. It’s starts out really strong.

    Not quite what you’re looking for and not really romance, but two favorites are Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde and The City and the City by China Miéville. Both of those are more Speculative Fiction than Urban Fantasy, but they’re fantastic.

  10. Beth Not Elizabeth says:

    I really enjoyed and would recommend Jenn Bennett’s Arcadia Bell series. Arcadia is a business owner- time is actually spent addressing those responsibilities. She meets a hot guy (who is older and has a kid) and time is spent developing a *gasp* healthy relationship. It was nice to read a series where each book wasn’t just a reboot with new adventure; Arcadia and her friends all grow and develop. It was refreshing. There is also the fun adventure-y stuff and lots of bad assery and happy sexytimes.
    Also a plus for me was the defined story arc. This is a four book series. I prefer defined story arcs rather than endless volumes that get needlessly complicated and storylines that get hopelessly tangled. But that’s just me.
    Fair warning tho- no vampires or werewolves or fae. Also refreshing for me. I’m kind of over that.

  11. kisah says:

    I second the Gail Carriger, Jim Butcher, M.K. Hobson, & Kalayna Price’s series – some of my faves for just those reasons – sometimes you just want something a little different from the leather-pants-ass-kicking stuff.  Still a fan of that – Kim Harrison, Jennifer Estep, etc – but not too much in one sitting, y’know?

    Might I also recommend Jeri Smith-Ready’s WVMP Radio series, featuring a former con-woman trying to have a normal life – school, job, paying bills – & gets a job at a radio station with vampire DJs.  The series is over now – it was 4 books & a novella, if I’m remembering correctly – but dealt with day-to-day stuff too. 

    Laura Resnick’s Esther Diamond series is really good too – & funny as hell!  The heroine is a struggling actor in New York City (& waitressing between jobs) & she helps her sorcerer friend battle the evils (there’s a different theme of magical element in each book, & the title kinda gives away what it will be in a funny way).  Book 7 is coming out next month.

  12. Sheryl says:

    I have to recommend Stacia Kane’s downside series and Jaye Well’s Prospero’s War series. I second the Jim Butcher recommendation and also have to recommend Kevin Hearne’s Iron Druid series.

    Diana Rowland also writes a fantastic series about demons – the Kara Gillian series. She also has the White Trash Zombie series which is fantastic too.

  13. LisaJo885 says:

    I have to give a shout-out to C.E. Murphy’s The Walker Papers series. That’s virtually ALL internal growth, as in the heroine has to go to her internal garden frequently for growth opportunities and guidance from her spirit animal (yay for respectful treatment of First Peoples and stories set in Seattle!). Jo Walker not only goes into her own garden, she gets into those of her friends/family and those are huge learning experiences for her. She’s a serious kickass heroine – originally a cop – who learns to be a shaman unwillingly at first, and then with an absolutely beautiful acceptance and confidence. Of course you’ve got some Irish mysticism involved, but it’s mostly First People mythology.

    Then of course there is also Murphy’s Negotiator series, which doesn’t have nearly as much character-growth internal to the heroine, but is a great deal of fun to read. Selkies, gargoyles, dragons and djinns, oh my! All being led around by a mixed-race female lawyer in New York. Well… not led around, but rather dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century.

    Also, Vicki Pettersson’s Zodiac Series has a great deal of internal reflection and examination of self to advance in character. The Archer has multiple “identities” and it’s important for her to figure out which ones carry the characteristics needed for her to grow and survive.

  14. LisaJo885 says:

    Addendum to above: I’m not sure I’d be able to choose between Gary and Morrison in the Walker Papers, but I’d take a one-nighter with Thor. I have a crush on Janx in the Negotiator Series, but I’m not sure Hunter is worth it in the Zodiac Series. Yep, romances all.

  15. Amy Raby says:

    I’ll second (third?) the recommendation of Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series. Urban fantasy isn’t even my thing, but those books hooked me so hard I read them all compulsively. So did every friend I loaned the first book to. I would get phone calls: “Do you have the second book in the series? I need it NOW.”

  16. cleo says:

    I want to strongly, strongly second the Charles de Lint recommendation. He’s one of the early creators (founders? popularizer? I don’t know how to characterize it) of UF, along with Emma Bull and Terri Windling and others – he started writing UF in the 80s and he’s still going strong. His early UF, set in Ottawa, is a bit dated but still really good and less stuck in the formula – Moonheart, Jack the Giant Killer, Drink Down the Moon.  And his more recent Newford series is great, although it can be hard to figure out a good entry point – maybe start with the short story collections. I loved Onion Girl and Widdershins – with a middle aged heroine who has both an interior and exterior battle – but I’m not sure how stand alone they are. (also, tw CSA, and there’s a miracle cure in the 2nd book that may annoy some).

    Most of his stories have a romance in them. One of the thing that I love about his writing is that his characters feel like real people, with real problems and real successes. And he’s one of the only authors I’ve read that I think (speaking as an artist and designer) really gets artists right.

  17. Hillary says:

    Eleri Stone’s Twilight of the Gods series is quite good. Romance, adventure and worldbuilding plus consideration of importance of a character’s place and duty in that world.

  18. GHN says:

    There are some good choices here already, but I think the OP should also check out some books by Mindy Klasky, that I think would be right up her alley: her Jane Madison series and her As You Wish series. They can be found here: http://bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/bvc-author/mindy-klasky/

    Also, Katharine Eliska Kimbriel’s Night Calls trilogy, which I absolutely adore. It has very much an Urban Fantasy feeling, despite having an AU historical setting. These books don’t really have much romance to them (the protagonist is an adolescent girl) and the books don’t really have a YA “feel” to them, despite the youth of the main character. http://bookviewcafe.com/bookstore/bvc-author/katharine-eliska-kimbriel/

  19. Kate says:

    I need to third (or is it fourth) the Seanan McGuire October Daye series recommendation.  They are fantastic. She has another series called InCryptid, which may be even more to your taste. Not a great deal of mundane details (unless you consider the heroine’s aspirations to be a ballroom dancer mundane); however, her internal monologue has to do with her life choices more than her love interest.

    Really enjoyed the first of Anne Bishop’s Others books. The second was still enjoyable but for some reason the heroine seemed to get more innocent and naive, rather than grow and become less of an ingenue as a result of the events of the first in the series.

    Great rec request though, will be bookmarking this thread for sure.

  20. Miranda says:

    Maybe Deborah Coates’ series, starting with Wide Open? Hallie is a former soldier who can now see ghosts, due to having died for a few minutes in Iraq. No other powers. She’s irritated pretty much all the time, but I identified with that 😉 This is more prairie fantasy than urban, but I liked the setting.

    Maureen Johnson’s series starting with Name of the Star is a YA that also features a heroine who can see ghosts due to a short death experience. She has to run her adventures around school.

  21. Darlynne says:

    Seconding so many previous recommendations: SUNSHINE, the October Daye series, WAR FOR THE OAKS, NATIVE STAR, The Walker Papers. I loved THE ROOK, no romance, but what a great world O’Malley built.

    Ann Aguirre’s Sirantha Jax series is scifi, but holy moly, talk about inner growth and world-building. Jax hasn’t a clue about handling so many situations and some of them go spectacularly wrong, although not in a TSTL way; just very human and trying to do the most good with few resources.

    Ilona Andrews’ Innkeeper Chronicles might fit the bill quite nicely. How does an innkeeper maintain a B&B for mystical creatures and battle whatever has turned up to destroy everything?

    I just finished—and cannot stop thinking about—Devon Monk’s new HOUSE IMMORTAL. I loved both her Allie Beckstrom and Broken Magic series, which I think might also be of interest to Pammie, and this new one is outstanding. Matilda is “stitched,” sewn together with life thread, and all she wants to do is run the farm, take care of her grandmother and those miniature sheep, handle the leaping lizards and the dragon that lives on the property. The first book ends on a cliffhanger and we have to wait until March for the next installment, but I am filled with good book noise about this one.

  22. Sarah says:

    I love Patty Briggs urban Fantasy, and sometimes the main character gets driven into the fight/recover/save the world, but there is definitely a growth throughout the series, and even in the world builiding- her alpha and omega is another great series.
    Tanya Huff’s Valour series is Sci-Fi, but has great character growth.

     

  23. cleo says:

    Also, Nalini Singh’s Psy/Changeling series might work for you. It’s set in the near future. It gets more character driven as the series goes on, imo, but the whole series is great.

    Meljean Brook – her Iron Duke series is alt history steampunk that’s pretty character driven (I’d say Riveted is the most character driven), with excellent world building.

  24. Heather Greye says:

    I really like the Sentinels of New Orleans series by Suzanne Johnson. http://suzannejohnsonauthor.com/books/by-suzanne-johnson

    They don’t necessarily have the mundanity of everyday life the way you were describing, but they take place during and after Katrina in New Orleans. So, it’s everyday life after a major disaster. I thought it was a really interesting twist to the usual urban fantasy stories.

  25. Amanda says:

    Kelley Armstrong, Kelley Armstrong, Kelley Armstrong. Not so strong on the regular life stuff (except in the first of the Women of the Otherworld Series, Bitten), but personal growth a-plenty.

  26. I want to second the recommendation for Diana Rowland’s Kara Gillian series. It begins as urban fantasy police procedurals with romantic elements, and further along continues as urban fantasy…something else. It’s awesome! The whodunnit/whydunnit/mystery parts of the first few books are first rate (DR has a law enforcement background, check out her bio!), the demon summoning parts (not Judeo-Christian demons, more like aliens from a different dimension) take effort and skill and aren’t a snap, and throughout the books you have a deep-seated trust that the author knows where she’s going with the overall story arc, that there is a plan and every detail works toward it. Oh, and while the heroine is a good cop, she’s not supercop. She likes her junk food and resents having to exercise. And she makes mistakes sometimes. (…I think I need to listen to these books again, soonest! FYI, if you go the audiobook route, the narrator is excellent.)

    For your consideration from my TBR (I’ve read and loved both authors’ other books/series, just haven’t gotten around to these yet…but my UF-loving tweep raves about them, FWIW): The Colbana Files by J.C. Daniels and the Rowan Summerwaite series by Lauren Dane.

  27. azteclady says:

    I don’t read all that much Urban Fantasy, but I believe that the Corine Solomon’s books by Ann Aguirre meet Pammie’s requirements very well.

    Then again, I’m a fan of Ms Aguirre, no matter what she writes, so take that for what is worth.

  28. I admit it.  As much as I love just about all the mentioned authors/series, it is a bitterly difficult irony to see the invisibility of my work in a discussion of character-growth fantasy because (whether one enjoys it or not), that’s exactly why it didn’t thrive in the 90s fantasy market.  At the time, Epic was the trend.  Moral of the story, I guess—don’t underestimate the power of publishing trends if you’re not seeing something you’d like to see.

    Another suggestion from the fantasy side of the force: Patricia Wrede.  And oh! Susan Dexter.  Wonderful, personable stories with an attention to enough life stuff that they feel utterly real.  Not to mention some very fine writing along the way.

    I’m sure it’s a breech of protocol for my first de-lurking comment to refer to my own work, so…whatever grief I get for that, I deserve.  I ran into the discussion too early in my day to look at the big picture of things with the necessary grain of salt.

  29. EC Spurlock says:

    Try some R A Macavoy, particularly Tea With the Black Dragon, a quiet sparkle of a book; the sequel, Twisting the Rope, isn’t quite as good but also fairly enjoyable. If you don’t mind historical urban fantasy, I also recommend The Grey Horse by the same author. Like Emma Bull she doesn’t write nearly enough books for my liking, but every one either of them produces is a gem.

  30. Nicole says:

    Eileen Wilk’s World of Lupi series is a marvelous series for those who enjoy Ilona Andrews and Patricia Briggs type novels. I find no one ever thinks (maybe no one reads?) to recommend the World of Lupi books but they really really hit the spot.

  31. Xandi says:

    Yay! I just recommended RA MacAvoy to a friend who just got back from Ireland. Not sure if this was on your radar, but Karen Chance has two series (Cassie Palmer & Dorina Basarab)…both are excellent – but my favorite is Dorina’s story. She has a fey roomate and a house that maintains itself…imperfectly. Tons of derriere kicking! Mystery, action, characters, and romance…in that order. Also, I really like Carrie Vaughn’s Kitty Norville werewolf U/F….the characters are AWESOME! Check out these YA authors: Lish McBride (Hold Me Closer, Necromancer) and Maggie Stiefvater (The Scorpio Races).

  32. Celia Marsh says:

    I just read a couple that might fall into this general rec. 

    Jessie Shimmer series, by Lucy Snyder (To be honest, my favorite of hers is still Installing Linux on a Dead Badger: http://www.strangehorizons.com/2004/20040405/badger.shtml but t,hat’s not at all relevant in this discussion.  (you should all still read it.))

    I just finished book 2 of Mary Behre’s Tidewater series.  It’s almost contemporary suspense with fantasy elements, but I’ve liked them both, and there is some real growing up in both books.  can’t wait for the next.  I just finished books 1 of Persephone Alcemedi and Prospero’s War, and both had emotional growth and such in them as well.  I got the rest of the Persephone series out while I was still reading book one. 

    To “ditto” some of the other comments—Patricia Wrede’s series starting with Thirteenth Child was WONDERFUL.  the Kara Gillian books are amazing.  Ann Aguire’s books are all fantastic, most relevantly in this case the Corrine Solomon books and the Apparatus Infernum series (set, awesomely enough, in a Faerie that’s basically steampunk (I want to say an Alt-Faerie, but they’re all technically alt, this is just more alt than usual.) 

  33. Hannah says:

    I do agree that young adult books seem to show greater character growth overall, and to that vein, I do have a few series to recommend 🙂

    Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles is a futuristic retelling of various fairy tales which turn out to be intertwined.

    Sarah J Maas’ Throne of Glass series has another assassin heroine that is a beast, but she goes through a lot of self reflection and grows a lot as the series is progressing. The author is also getting a lot better since she started the series at 16.

    Tamora Pierce writes my all time favorite YA novels (might even be considered younger than that). Her Tortall series are amazing, full of strong female leads that are really attempting to empower women. I like the Song of the Lioness and the Immortals series best, however her Protector of the Small series isn’t bad either.

    For UF I’d have to mention Diana Pharoah Francis. Her recent novel Trace of Magic was very well done & her Horngate Witches novels are also pretty amazing. She has written some fantasy, with her Crosspointe Chronicles, which started my love for this author. She’s not well known enough!

    I’d also like to second a recommendation for Anne Bishop’s Others series, but I’d also like to mention her Black Jewels trilogy as a very good read. She’s awesome at world building and I really get sucked into her novels – probably because she always writes about strong women 🙂

    As for fantasy/science fiction (I’ve always been confused as to what the distinction between the two is, because there seems to be a lot of crossover) I have a few authors to recommend that write excellent stories with a lot of character development and world building.

    Robin Hobb – a whole bunch of her stuff is great but her recent Rain Wilds Chronicles are my favorite
    Terry Goodkind – Sword of Truth
    Robert Jordan – Wheel of Time
    Patrick Rothfuss – one of the BEST up and coming authors I’ve read in a very long time. Highly recommended to anyone.

    I also agree with a lot of the previous recommendations, but didn’t want to take up too much room 😛

  34. roserita says:

    It depends on how you define “urban fantasy.”  To me it is the love child of fantasy (with the werewolves, vampires, fae, etc.) and the hard-boiled detective story (which is how you get the first person narration, the mean streets, the lone wolf hero/heroine’s cynical attitude).  After all, did Sam Spade or Zen Moses ever worry about the laundry, or Phillip Marlowe or Sharon McCone care about whether the house is clean?

  35. Katie Lynn says:

    Highly recommend Sarah Addison Allen’s books. They’re loosely connected, some of the characters from one will make an Easter Egg appearance in another, but don’t need to be read in any particular order. They’re definitely heavy on character development and daily life, with some romance and a bit of a mystery thrown in. They’re more like normal little towns where weird magical things happen and everyone who lives there is used to. Favorites are **Garden Spells**, **The Peach Keeper**, and **The Sugar Queen**.

    Another recommendation would be Rachel Caine’s YA series, the Morganville Vampires. It’s a really interesting take on vampires, set in a small town in Texas at a college. They’re surprisingly addictive.

  36. Kate says:

    I absolutely recommend Seanan McGuire’s October Daye series. The main character grows and changes so much throughout the series. The mundane details of life are there (actual traffic that actually impedes the heroine! Badly chosen footwear!). Plus, occasional leather pants. I didn’t like the first book at all- various plot tropes just seemed silly and irksome, but I’m glad I persevered. Once I got a few books into the series, I went back to reread the first and liked it a lot better the second time.

    C.E. Murphy’s The Walker Papers is also a great read. It can get a little heavy on the introspection/inner monologue side of things but there’s plenty of action too.

  37. Mandy says:

    When I was reading your request the series that immediately came to mind was the Disillusionists trilogy by Carolyn Crane. The first book is Mind Games. Highly recommended.

  38. DonnaMarie says:

    I’ll second the rec Vicki Pettersson’s Zodiac books along with her new Celestial Blues trilogy, which features a noir style PI whose after death job is escorting souls to the afterlife until he screws up loses his wings after he spares the life of a journalist with rock-a-billy style. Book three is working it’s way to the top of the tbr pile.

  39. Tam says:

    I think the Sarah Maas ‘Throne of Glass’ books are pretty much the exact opposite of what the OP is after – endless ass-kicking with nary a permanent scratch on our ever-slender heroine, and yes, she turns into a flipping fairy-queen halfway through the trilogy. If Maas was only sixteen when she started them, that explains a lot of the deathless prose too. Example: ‘Celaena issued a jolly laugh and crammed some of the candy in her mouth.’ Issued a jolly laugh?!?!

  40. Mary says:

    While this doesn’t fit the bill since it’s not urban fantasy, I thought some of you may enjoy it due to the immense character-building, and it’s free!  Many years ago I read a LOT of fanfiction.  One of these was the wonderful Lord of the Rings fanfiction “Don’t Panic”, which was written in the beginning as a joke which mocked those “self-insert” fanfictions, in which the author writes themselves into the novel.  Anyway, it’s well-thought out and deals with the day to day issues of being dropped into what you thought was a fantasy world – laundry, feminine issues, language barriers.  It also has a great slow-burn romance.  There is a sequel, “Okay NOW Panic”. 

    https://www.fanfiction.net/s/1690622/1/Don-t-Panic

    (I hope it’s ok to rec fanfiction…)

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