Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Debbie Wiley | Urban Fantasy and Fantasy Book Recs
Author Guest / August 13, 2020

by Fresh Fiction Senior Reviewer Debbie Wiley Did you guys hear my loud squeals of joy over some of the recent urban fantasy novels? This summer has been the book equivalent of winning the jackpot as far as I’m concerned. Earlier this summer, we had Kim Harrison return with AMERICAN DEMON but now we have several of my other favorite authors also releasing books. Let’s face it… I’m not really going anywhere regardless (thanks, Covid-19) but who wants to leave the house anyway when such great books are at my fingertips? So let’s skip the chatter and my squeals of joy and jump right into the books! It’s been six years since we’ve had a new Dresden Files book from Jim Butcher. Six looooonnnng years. And now, we have PEACE TALKS out with BATTLE GROUNDS soon to follow in the same year! Ah, this almost makes up for some of the misery of 2020. In PEACE TALKS, various supernatural entities are gathering in Chicago in an attempt to broker a peace deal. The White Council is assisting with security, and Harry Dresden finds himself in a dubious position as his support within the Council is wavering. Worse yet, his vampire half-brother is…

Deb Wiley | When Beloved Long-Running Series Come to an End
Reviewer Column / January 10, 2019

The new year is always a time to reflect on the past year while looking ahead to starting fresh. One of the things that stands out about to me from 2018 is the ending of some long-running and very beloved series. However, endings often signal new beginnings as well, so 2019 offers up some new series for me to love. How does one end a favorite series? Well, if you are Simon R. Green you take two beloved series and put all the characters at odds with each other and watch the mayhem that ensues. The hardest loss for me of 2018 was seeing the end of two series by Simon R. Green as he ended his Secret Histories and Nightside series in true Simon R. Green style. NIGHT FALL heralded the end of both long-running series as we saw the Drood family take on the Nightside, with all our favorite characters at risk of dying. Heck, Simon R. Green even throws in the Ghost Finders series, as we bit our fingernails and quickly turned the pages, hoping against hope that all would end well. I’m not going to lie- I cried a little over the ending of Secret Histories…

Fresh Pick | MAGIC BITES by Ilona Andrews
Fresh Pick / January 10, 2011

Kate Daniels #1 April 2007 On Sale: March 27, 2007 Featuring: Kate Daniels 272 pages ISBN: 0441014895 EAN: 9780441014897 Paperback $6.99 Add to Wish List Fantasy Urban Buy at Amazon.com It’s a new year, make a resolution to read a well established series from the beginning Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews Atlanta would be a nice place to live, if it weren’t for magic… One moment magic dominates, and cars stall and guns fail. The next, technology takes over and the defensive spells no longer protect your house from monsters. Here skyscrapers topple under onslaught of magic; werebears and werehyenas prowl through the ruined streets; and the Masters of the Dead, necromancers driven by their thirst of knowledge and wealth, pilot blood-crazed vampires with their minds. In this world lives Kate Daniels. Kate likes her sword a little too much and has a hard time controlling her mouth. The magic in her blood makes her a target, and she spent most of her life hiding in plain sight. But when Kate’s guardian is murdered, she must choose to do nothing and remain safe or to pursue his preternatural killer. Hiding is easy, but the right choice is rarely easy… Kick-ass…