Paranormal & Urban Fantasy, Monthly Group Reads discussion

Per Tricia's idea of having a challenge folder, I volunteered to put together a mini-challenge for our group.

Every month we will have a dual-themed challenge, and the minimum goal is to read 2 books. For more voracious readers, you can read more.

The theme for July is taken from our group's name - Paranormal and Urban Fantasy.

With a slight twist, the challenge goal is to read one Paranormal Romance book and one Urban Fantasy book.

There are many ways to define these two closely-related genres, so I'm going to just come up with a definition that will work only for this challenge.

PNR book is a book that has paranormal elements and have a clear Happily-Ever-After for the hero and heroine at the end of the book.

Urban Fantasy is a book with paranormal elements which setting is today or contemporary times.

To sign up, just simply pick your books and post it. Again, you can read only 2, 4, 6, etc, depending on your interest, time, book availability and reading speed.

Have fun reading!

(TIP: If you read our month's Book Reads, you will meet this challenge.)

I'm game...

PNR: Lover Unbound I got behind on the group read :( but I'll get caught up again this month
UF: Undone Very excited for this book!

My two choices:

PNR: Kiss of a Demon King by Kresley Cole

UF: Marked by P.C. Cast

A ok since I am planning on reading Magic Bites I will sign up for this one too.

I will sign up for this one too..



UF:


Magic Bites - DONE (LOVED IT!)

PNR:


Playing Easy to Get

FINALLY gonna start the Cole series lol, I have had this one for a while in my TBR list!

Briansgirl: The difference between PNR and UF is the romance. A paranormal romance is basically a typical romance novel with paranormal elements. It will have one hero and one heroine who fall in love and end up together in the end. If it doesn't have this, then it's not a romance and wouldn't be PNR.
Urban fantasy would just be any book with paranormal elements that takes place in a contemporary or real world setting - basically a fantasy book that takes place in the real world rather than one that's been invented. Sometimes there is a love interest or sex in an urban fantasy book, but it's not the primary focus of the story and rarely ends in a clearly defined "HEA".

So if Intertwined has a hero and heroine who fall in love, then it would be PNR whereas if your other book does not have a clearly delineated romance, it would not be PNR.

I can't tell the difference, so I'll just forget it.

thank u Nichole i never knew the difference.. :)

i read
(UF)
Ashes To Ashes By Jennifer Armintrout
All Souls' Night By Jennifer Armintrout

PNR :)

ok i didnt get to the PNR book.. but then again i have been so busy and its been so hot here ugh...

I'm gonna try for:

Fallen Angel by Margaret and Lizz Weiss (PNR)
and maybe Street Magic by Caitlin Kittredge (UF)

Finished!

We certainly don't want you to drop out of the challenge, Briansgirl. The whole point of these challenges is to have fun reading, not to get caught up in the technical definitions. I think if you want to try dipping your toe into paranormal books, and want to use this challenge to do it, you totally should. No one's going to be upset if the books you choose don't strictly fit the definitions of the categories.

I also think the definitions will make more sense once you've read a few books in the genre. The difference between paranormal romance and urban fantasy can be tricky, but the more you read the easier it is to tell. I didn't get it at first either, but by now I've read tons of both and it's pretty easy for me to tell them apart. But even now I come across books that really blur the line.

But you basically have to ask yourself, if I took out the paranormal aspect of it, would it be a romance novel, or a mystery/thriller? Sometimes mystery novels have some romance in them - the lead character has one or more love interest, there may even be a little sex, but it's still a mystery novel, not a romance. That's all the difference is here, only these books have paranormal elements.

This challenge should be pretty easy since I can cross over with the PNR challenge. I think I can do two from each category:

PNR:
Mine to Possess
Ashes of Midnight

UF:
Storm Born
The Dead Girls' Dance - this is YA, but I think it still counts as urban fantasy?

I had a hard time differenciating between UF & PNR at first too! It took me asking LOTS of questions in order to understand the difference. In fact I remember Nichole & Yz explaining the differences to me on several occasions (Thanks by the way). Now that I've read more from each genre the differences seem completely clear. You'll get it BriansGirl!

PNR -
Edge Of Hunger by Rhyannon Byrd 7/17

UF - Grimspace by Ann Aguirre 7/25

COMPLETED.

Nichole, I would definitely say the Morganville books count as UF =)

Haha, more reading challenges for me. But as Nichole suggested, I can combine it with some of my other challenges for the month. Oh, and can someone verify that the Anya Bast novel is, indeed, PNR? I've never read her before and am not familiar with the series, so I'm not sure. I'll pick something else if it isn't. =)

UF
by Rachel Vincent
[image error] by Richelle Mead

PNR
by Kresley Cole
by Anya Bast

Which book by Anya Bast did you pick? My screen isn't showing it to me for some reason.
But if it's one of the elemental witches books, I can positively confirm that those are indeed PNR. I've only read the first one but I liked it a lot - super steamy.

I'm excited, we get to read Storm Born together! And I hope you love the Kresley Cole book as much as I did.

UF- Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur
PNR- Midnight Awakening by Lara Adrian

PRN:
[image error]

UF:

[image error]

Nichole wrote: "Which book by Anya Bast did you pick? My screen isn't showing it to me for some reason.
But if it's one of the elemental witches books, I can positively confirm that those are indeed PNR. I've onl..."

Yeah, it's Witch Fire. Glad to hear it fits the category. =)

Another book done as my husband was happily glued to the 360 all day yesterday. Oh, and I'm swapping out one of my PNR title for the latest Lara Adrian which I'd planned to read last month, but sadly was lost in the post.

UF
by Rachel Vincent 03 Jul *****
[image error] by Richelle Mead

PNR
by Kresley Cole 05 Jul *****
by Lara Adrian

You are a fast reader! :D

I've needed to change my two books - haven't gotten to Undone yet

Pair 1 - / [image error] COMPLETED BOTH!

Pair 2 - / [image error] (currently reading Lover Enshrined)

My two choices:

PNR: Kiss of a Demon King by Kresley Cole - finished 7/3

UF: Marked by P.C. Cast - finished 7/3

Goal achieved!

I am slowly reading through Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews for the BOM and this challenge as well. I just was reading some other books that I enjoyed reading.

If I can I will read Witch Fire by Anya Bast to complete this challenge. Great picks btw you guys =D.

UF- Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur
PNR- Midnight Awakening by Lara Adrian

I have a few days left~ I will have to power read my second book! lol

lol I have one book left for another challenge that i have to power read as well.

Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews

Is slow going for me but not uninteresting. I think I am just on a Erotic Romance kick right now.

I am going try and make a reading schedule I can stick with to complete my challenges =D.

I adored Magic Bites, but ya it could be that you are just in a diff mind set to read certain books right now hehe

Almost done with my second! weee it looks like I will make the deadline! :D