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Top 5 Urban Fantasy Series That Ended Too Soon

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Bloodshot by Cherie Priest // VBCI love a good binge read, though I don’t get to do it as often as I did before I started reviewing. But there’s a problem with reading like that—if not enough people buy the series when it first comes out, there won’t be enough books to binge. So when you find a series you love, don’t wait to buy all the books, check them out from the library, and tell everyone you’ve ever met how much you love it.

A recent Twitter conversation with @ChelseaVBC got me thinking about some of my favorite series that the publisher decided not to continue.

  1. The Cheshire Red series by Cherie Priest

This is the series that inspired the list, so I had to include it. Badass vampire and master thief Raylene a.k.a. Cheshire Red has a SEAL-turned drag queen sidekick, a blind vampire maybe-love interest, and snark for days. We loved the heist elements that set this series apart from the average vampire urban fantasy, but after Bloodshot and Hellbent, we still have lots of unanswered questions.

If you miss Cheshire Red too, try Owl and the Japanese Circus by Kristi Charish.

  1. The Annabelle Lee series by Stacey Jay

The Annabelle Lee series (Dead on the Delta and Blood on the Bayou) had such an interesting premise: mutant fairies terrorizing New Orleans. Yes, really, like a bunch of rabid Tinkerbells! Their bites are poisonous to most people, so government agents in biohazard gear get sent out into the bayou to control them. Annabelle Lee is one of a small minority who are immune. So she winds up on the front lines. In this case, the author knew book two would be the last so she squeezed Annabelle’s HEA in to the last few chapters, but it really would have worked better as a trilogy.

If you’re missing Annabelle Lee, try The Veil by Chloe Neill.

  1. The Hoodoo series by Adrian Phoenix

More people are probably familiar with Phoenix’s Maker’s Song series, but I loved Hoodoo (Black Dust Mamba and Black Heart Loa.) The magic was dark—souls are stolen—and weird—there’s a sex magic ritual—but it’s fascinating. And the Louisiana setting really shines. Oh yeah, and the love interest, Layne, is a dreadlocked biker. Book two came out in 2011, but the author says she’s working on a third so I hope it happens someday.

If you miss the Hoodoo series, try Bayou Blues by Sierra Dean.

  1. The Generation V series by M.L. Brennan

Generation V features the most unique twist on the vampire myth I’ve ever seen. I love the way Brennan switches up the other supes in the series too. The hero Fort is incredibly relatable, and the exact opposite of most vampire leading men. It’s his sidekick Suzume who’s the badass, and also a smartass, like her trickster kitsune nature would suggest. When we left Fort his life had changed dramatically, and things were looking up. But I would have loved to get more.

If you miss Generation V it’s time for a re-read because there’s really nothing else like it.

  1. The Dark Elite series by Chloe Neill

Rival groups of magic-wielding teens battle it out in tunnels under Chicago. Awesome, right? And while she deals with that, Lily has to navigate Gossip Girl-worthy drama at her new boarding school. Her roommate Scout is one my all-time favorite YA characters. (I think she won me over by blasting Veruca Salt when she wanted to ignore her neighbors.) This series ended at three books but it really needed a fourth to resolve Lily’s boyfriend conundrum.

If you miss The Dark Elite, try Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep.

What’s your favorite series that was gone too soon?

11 Responses to “Top 5 Urban Fantasy Series That Ended Too Soon”

  1. Margaret, our tastes are SO similar! I was so disappointed about the Annabelle Lee series not moving forward. The worldbuilding is outright stunning.

    This list just makes me want to go re-read all the things. (Winter is for re-reading, right?)

    • Margaret says:

      Right. Well, re-reading and catching up on the things you missed earlier in the year. That’s a lot of things this year. It’s quite stressful now that I think about it.

  2. Susan Emans says:

    The discontinuation of Cheshire Red and Generation V broke my heart. Diana Pharaoh Francis’s Horngate Witches stomped on the sad, broken pieces.

    • Margaret says:

      The worst is when you don’t know it’s the last one til afterward and then get all your hopes for the next book crushed. I think Generation V was one of those.

  3. AmyM says:

    Completely agree about Cheshire Red, Annabelle Lee, and the Dark Elite. The only reason I can’t say the other two is because I haven’t read them, but I’ll take your word for it 🙂

    One series I wish had gotten more books was the Alexandra Sabian series by Jeannie Holmes about a vampire Federal agent. It ended with book 2 but it was one of those where it was just hitting its stride. I would have liked to have seen what came next.

    • Margaret says:

      I don’t know Alexandra Sabian, but that sounds good. I’m a little hesitant to check it out knowing how it ended though. (These are all like backhanded book recs, aren’t they?)

  4. Kat L. says:

    I may have missed it but I don’t remember an ending to The Maker’s Song series… I am still waiting for the wrap up of that story line as well as the Hoodoo series!!

    • Margaret says:

      Her Goodreads bio says she’s currently working on Maker’s Song 6 and I think I saw a post from her with more information last year but there’s no release date for it.

  5. Kat L. says:

    I also want another book to properly wrap up the Alexandra Sabian series by Jeannie Holmes…

  6. Angie says:

    Rhiannon’s Law by J.A. Saare was a fantastic series and I wish there were more books. I had high hopes when the publisher re-released the series but it seems it did not do so well.

    • Margaret says:

      I had a big WTF moment at the end of book 1 and didn’t continue the series, but I know some people who loved Rhiannon’s Law.

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