Sometimes you step tentatively into a book, not quite sure where the intersection of your hopes and expectations will lie. Urban Fantasy is not generally a must-read genre for me, but I’ve become a fan of Kristi Charish’s Adventures of Owl. Having said that, however, I know that much of the appeal in that series (for me, at least) is in the archaeology and the mythology. As such, I really wasn’t sure if I was up for a more, for lack of a better word, generic urban fantasy. Well, let me spare you the suspense and declare that The Voodoo Killings marks the start of another fantastic series – one that I wouldn’t have otherwise been drawn to, but which I am very glad I was. It’s a ghost story with a twist, and a voodoo tale with far more depth than even a fan of her work might expect. Strange is a very different sort of heroine than Owl, more likable in personality and more deliberate in her planning, but still just as compelling. Where the book really began to win me over, though, was with our first trip into Seattle’s Underground City – and not the one tourists get to explore. There’s some real world building here, establishing…

Here’s a rundown of the books we think you should look out for in coming in the week. See any that you are really looking forward to? Find any you had not heard of yet? Know of books we missed? We know we don’t have everything and would love to hear what you feel we may have overlooked.   FANTASY          URBAN FANTASY           SCIENCE FICTION   FANTASY       URBAN FANTASY   SCIENCE FICTION   FANTASY          URBAN FANTASY           SCIENCE FICTION     Children of Earth and Sky Kay, Guy Gavriel 5/10/2016 NAL The Voodoo Killings Kristi Charish 5/10/2016 Vintage Canada Central Station Lavie Tadhir 5/10/2016 Tachyon Whisper of Southern Lights Lebbon, Tim 5/10/2016 Tor.com Too Like the Lightning Palmer, Ada 5/10/2016 Tor Books The Wolf in the Attic Paul Kearney 5/10/2016 Solaris

Last year’s Owl and the Japanese Circus was a solid 3-star read for me, an entertaining urban fantasy that managed to reignite my excitement for a genre that I felt had become tiresome and repetitive. Granted, the whole “Indiana Jane” aspect was a big part of that – I’m a sucker for any sort of archaeological, tomb-raiding adventure – but Kristi Charish really impressed me. I went into Owl and the City of Angels hoping for more of the same, but not really knowing where she’d take the story next. The simple answer to that? To a whole other level. This is one of those sophomore efforts that manages to top the book before it in every way. It’s a bigger, bolder story, and one that really does an exceptional job of building upon all the elements of the first. Owl is, as everybody around her likes to remind us, an absolute train wreck. She’s neither the smartest nor wisest of young women, her choices are often suspect, and her selective morality is . . . well, just about perfect for a professional antiquities thief. Owl is defined by her contrasts and her contradictions, and what makes her exasperating for some readers is what makes her fascinating for others. Personally, I…