Home of the Alpha Showdown, and one-stop shop for urban fantasy, paranormal romance and fantasy news and reviews.
In an effort to help you keep that to-read list updated, I’ve compiled the hot urban fantasy and paranormal romance releases for August 2016. All dates are U.S. and tentative. Also: Click the title of any book to visit the Amazon page for pre-order or purchase goodness. I’ve included genre classification with each book: UF is urban fantasy, PNR is paranormal romance, F is fantasy, SF is science fiction,... 
The Interminables Paige Orwin Published: July 5, 2016 (Angry Robot) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Beth Rating (out of 5): 3.5 stars What if saving the world is dependent on an alcoholic, virtually immortal wizard with PTSD who “steals” time from other people, a skeletal concept of war (aka: ghost) with wings and... 
Have you guys heard about J. Patrick Black’s upcoming novel Ninth City Burning? We read the blurb and immediately perked up. It kind of sounds like if Independence Day and Terminator 2 had a baby, only, you know, no time travel (as far as we know). The novel comes out on Sept. 6, 2016 (pre-order it), but we have an excerpt just for VBC readers. Read on for the official book blurb and excerpt from Ninth... 
Chaos Choreography (Incryptid #5) Seanan McGuire Published: Mar. 1, 2016 (DAW) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: purchased Reviewed by: Margaret Rating (out of 5): 3.5 stars Note: While review will be spoiler free, it does make reference to previous books. If you haven’t started this series yet, check out VBC’s review of book 1, Discount Armageddon. When we met Verity Price in Discount... 
Magonia (Magonia #1) Maria Dahvana Headley Published: April 28, 2015 (HarperCollins) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: purchased Reviewed by: Amy Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars Aza Ray Boyle has been dying for as long as she can remember. Her life has been spent in and out of hospitals with doctors stumped as to what exactly is wrong with Aza. Basically, her lungs don’t work like they... 
Arena Holly Jennings Published: April 5, 2016 (Ace) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Amy Rating (out of 5): 3.5 stars In 2054 the Super Bowl will no longer be the most watched sporting event of the year. No, that honor will go to the RAGE (Reality-Alternate Gladiatorial Events) tournament. For all of the pre-season,... 
The Cold Between (Central Corps #1) Elizabeth Bonesteel Published: March 8, 2016 (Harper Voyager) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Amanda Rating (out of 5 stars): 4 stars Decades ago, the Central Corps ship Phoenix exploded near an innocuous wormhole, killing everyone on board. Fast-forward to the present, and... 
Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1) Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff Published: Oct. 20, 2015 (Alfred A. Knopf) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: purchased Reviewed by: Amanda Rating (out of 5): 5 stars This is going to be a difficult review to write, because all the words I have are either a) of the four letter variety or b) unintelligible. Just picture me sitting on the couch, book clutched... 
The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth #1) N.K. Jemisin Published: Aug. 4, 2015 (Orbit) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Jannelle Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars The Fifth Season is a story about just that: a fifth season. In a world seemingly like our own but most definitely not, there is an ever-changing landscape... 
Duplicity N.K. Traver Published: March 17, 2015 (Thomas Dunne) Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: library Reviewed by: Amanda Rating (out of 5): 4 stars Brandon’s just a typical 17-year-old guy, if a typical 17-year-old guy has multiple piercings and tattoos, a BMW he purchased through slightly illegal means, and access to thousands upon thousands of bank accounts, addresses, and Social... 
