Tired of sparkly vampires?

[timepiececlock]

If you're feeling down or annoyed or irritated with all the Twilight business, or if you're feeling like you want to read a book about a hot female lead and vampires and werewolves and magic, don't read Stephanie Meyers.

Read Patricia Brigg's trilogy about Mercy Thompson.

Whether you ultimately love it or not, I can guarantee it has the following:

1. Strong, independent-thinking female protagonist who owns her own business and is the opposite of a wet blanket

2. a hot love triangle

3. endearing supporting characters that grow and change over the trilogy

4. some cool-ass magic stuff

5. a murder-mystery plotline

6. werewolves and vampires and shape-shifters and faeries oh my!

Comments

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

You know, I really liked the first two books of that trilogy, for the world and Mercy, despite not really liking either of her love interests(I did like Adam at first, but that died off...never cared much for the other), but couldn't finish the third. Partly because of the Unfortunate Plot Point (a well advertised gripe at my LJ that I won't spell out here because of spoilers) but also because I had the feeling that her only choice was to choose one of the two guys. That is, that she never would have been allowed to choose to stay single, or to be with someone besides them. The way it was playing out, her indepedence had almost become a courtesy thing that she didn't really have.

The trilogy did, though, send me looking for her high fantasy books, all of which I found to be very, very good, including one that had elements that would normally hit my hot buttons, but was handled in a way that didn't.

ETA: I should probably clarify that those are mostly problems I have with a lot of urban fantasy, and that Briggs is a much better writer than a lot in the genre. Especially Meyer.

[littleduchess.livejournal.com]

So, I've never read Twilight but after hearing all the fuss (about sparkly vampires, no less) I decided to check out the trailer. Is it just me or is a girl walking around corners looking vaguely intrigued in a "I wonder what's for dinner tonight" kind of way for the WHOLE BLOODY THING?!

[britt-marie92.livejournal.com]

... I'd also advise Sunshine by Robin McKinley.

[rasielle.livejournal.com]

I see that rec all the time, but haven't read the book so I can never second it ; I can, however, recommend it based on past novels by the author. Robin McKinley is an amazing writer, capable of pulling off both sophisticated high fantasy and more humorous, bubbly fairy-tale-based fantasy; I don't doubt that she can do the same with a modern-day vampire romance filled with sexual tension and character growth. Her protagonists are usually female and incredibly strong-willed, sometimes even moreso than the males with greater authority, and never defined by their relationships alone.

[britt-marie92.livejournal.com]

Exactly!
You know, I actually think ym favorite book by her is The Blue Sword. Harry reminds me of... well, me. In a way-cooler-with-better-hair kind of way.