Home of the Alpha Showdown, and one-stop shop for urban fantasy, paranormal romance and fantasy news and reviews.
Steelheart (Reckoners #1) Brandon Sanderson Published: Sept. 24, 2013 (Delacorte) Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: Purchased Reviewed by: Krista Rating (out of 5): 3.5 stars In the world of Steelheart, a little more than ten years ago, there was an environmental change that gave ordinary people extraordinary powers. Unfortunately these so called ‘Epics’ are nothing like the heroes of... 
Allegiant (Divergent #3) Veronica Roth Published: Oct. 22, 2013 (Katherine Tegen Books) Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: Purchased Reviewed by: Krista Rating (out of 5): 4 stars Note: While this review will be spoiler free, it does reference events from previous books in the series. If you haven’t started this series yet, check out VBC’s review of Divergent. Writing this review was... 
I’m ridiculously excited about the upcoming release of The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead. It’s the fourth book in the Bloodlines series (a Vampire Academy spin-off), and the end of The Indigo Spell set the stage for things to be heavy on the romance and the angst. Both things I love. (You guys knew that, didn’t you?) So how am I dealing with the wait? By devouring the book trailers put out by Penguin... 
Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles #2) Marissa Meyer Published: Feb. 5, 2013 (Feiwel & Friends) Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon Review Source: Purchased Reviewed by: Amy Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars Note: While this review will be spoiler free, it will reference events in the first book. Check out VBC’s review of Cinder. Scarlet starts directly after the end of Cinder. The storyline, while still focusing on... 
In an effort to help you keep that to-read list updated, I’ve compiled the hot urban fantasy and paranormal romance releases for November 2013. 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 and YA is young adult.... 
The Iron Traitor (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #2) Julie Kagawa Published: Oct. 29, 2012 (Harlequin Teen) Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon Review Source: Copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Chelsea Rating (out of 5): 4 stars One of the things I loved most about Julie Kagawa’s original Iron Fey trilogy was the way she transported us to another world and in... 
Earlier this week Book Riot ran a post featuring the 20 most-loved literary characters. It was a fun post and I certainly saw a few of my favorites there, but as I went to go and share the link via VBC’s Facebook page I stopped myself. As lovely as the list was, it wasn’t too heavy on the fantasy end of things. Sure, Gandalf and the Harry Potter gang were there, but it leaned much more toward the... 
Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1) Marissa Meyer Published: January 3, 2012 (Feiwel & Friends) Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon Review source: purchased Reviewed by: Amy Rating (out of 5): 4 stars Cinder takes place in a distant future about 123 years after World War IV devastated civilization. The Eastern Commonwealth now has to deal with Letumosis, a plague that is slowly spreading throughout the city.... 
Countdown Michelle Rowen Published: Sept. 24, 2013 (Harlequin Teen) Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon Review Source: Provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review Reviewed by: Amanda Rating (out of 5): 3.5 stars The Plague has come and gone, decimating over half the world’s population and leaving behind crumbled cities and people desperate to get to the Colony, a paradise of a million... 
In an effort to help you keep that to-read list updated, I’ve compiled the hot urban fantasy and paranormal romance releases for October 2013. 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 and YA is young adult.... 
