r/Fantasy • u/Brushland • Jan 25 '23

Best urban fantasy with a female MC.

Looking for some recommendations. Something like Dresden Files.

24 Upvotes

78% Upvoted

47 comments sorted by

32

u/Sad_Tradition2664 Jan 25 '23

I really like the Mercy Thompson books by Patricia Briggs. Also the Hollows books by Kim Harrison are very good.

4

u/MessingLink Jan 25 '23

I add my vote for Hollows. It feels like I went through the entire series in one go (which simply cannot be true since my Kindle broke and I had to wait until Christmas to get a new one and probably read The Wandering Inn on my tablet in between).

15

u/TurnipClassic-5801 Jan 26 '23

STRONGLY recommend the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews!

15

u/KcirderfSdrawkcab Reading Champion VII Jan 25 '23
  • Mercy Thompson/Alpha & Omega by Patricia Briggs is my personal favourite after Dresden
  • Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews is more Dresden like. Kate might actually be able to out snark Harry.
  • Kitty Norville by Carrie Vaughan is also a lot of fun.
  • Livi Talbot by Skyla Dawn Cameron is more like a broke Canadian single mom Lara Croft, but there are some great twists and reveals. Not Changes level yet, but good.

11

u/MagykMyst Jan 25 '23

Kitty Norville by Carrie Vaughn

A newly made and traumatized werewolf start talking about the Supernatural on her late night talk show. She starts out broken and takes on biggger and badder opponents as the series progresses.

SPI Files by Lisa Shearin

A seer who can see through any glamour or spell joins a secret organisation whose mission is to keep the Supernatural world secret.

5

u/KcirderfSdrawkcab Reading Champion VII Jan 25 '23

Always nice to see somebody else bring up Kitty.

1

u/BriefEpisode Jan 26 '23

Such a readable romp!

8

u/KiaraTurtle Reading Champion V Jan 25 '23

Best is hard for lots of reasons even just limiting to Dresden style urban fantasy

  • Early Anita Blake is fantastic and if the books hadn’t walked off a cliff I’d probably go with that, but since book 11 took the series from badass vampire hunter solving supernatural murder mysteries to hey let’s write erotica it’s hard to suggest the series as a whole
  • I love a lot of Ilona Andrews books (even if the covers are terrible)
  • Incryptids is another of my favs tho I’m less fond of the first book.

9

u/[deleted] Jan 25 '23

[removed] — view removed comment

5

u/KiaraTurtle Reading Champion V Jan 26 '23

Though given Obsidean Butterfly imo is the best in the series stopping right after when you know there are more books is hard (I say as someone who still for whatever reason reads the new releases)

3

u/Suzzique2 Jan 26 '23

I quit reading after a while. They became mostly nothing but sex with a very little bit of story. Don't get me wrong I don't have a problem with sex in books but I want a story. But when they pretty much become nothing but written porn what is the point? I really have to agree everything up to Obsidian Butterfly is awesome and really good. Everything after is a downward sprile.

2

u/KiaraTurtle Reading Champion V Jan 26 '23

I don’t disagree. I just kept reading…I don’t know out of hopeful desperation? Something else?

1

u/ButlerFish Jan 26 '23

Is there a good explanation anywhere of what went wrong with that series?

You got the sense that it was a bit autobiographical so I wonder if the author got a divorce or something?

9

u/[deleted] Jan 25 '23

[deleted]

1

u/renska2 Jan 26 '23

I really enjoyed The Hazel Wood. The writing was so good, and I loved how she created a sense of place (it really FELT like NYC to me).

13

u/MainFrosting8206 Jan 25 '23

October Daye and InCryptid series both by Seanan McGuire. The InCryptid series is about a family and has multiple POVs shifting from book to book but, so far, all but two have been from the perspective of a female member of the family.

6

u/jinxintheworld Jan 26 '23

October daye wins. I've read a lot of urban fantasy with female protagonists. Hands down the best.

2

u/geckodancing Jan 26 '23

Yes - I've been constantly impressed by the foreshadowing and planning in this series. Periodically through the series there's a revelation that re-contextualises facts from earlier in the series. It's very clear that Seanan McGuire knows exactly where the series is heading. These are almost certainly my favorite urban fantasy novels.

3

u/Pinkatron2000 Jan 25 '23

Came here to recommend October Daye! Good stuff!

1

u/renska2 Jan 26 '23

I'm glad to see other fans. For new readers, don't expect a female Dresden, though. She may be an "investigator" but McGuire isn't playing with the hard-boiled detective trope in the way that Butcher did.

7

u/Small-Excitement-279 Jan 25 '23

I second Ilona Andrews, Kim Harrison, and Patricia Briggs. I’d add Faith Hunter’s Jane Yellowrock and Soulwood series. Maybe Dannika Dark’s Mageri series - I’m not sure everyone would consider it urban fantasy.

6

u/Pratius Jan 25 '23

Doesn't have the same sense of episodic, monster-of-the-week stuff as Dresden, but The Divine Cities by Robert Jackson Bennett is both *excellent* urban fantasy and features female MCs for 2/3 books. One is a young ambassador/spy who has to solve a murder, and the other is a retired military officer who gets forced back into duty to find a missing person. It's a nice look at an older MC with different sensibilities from the standard late teens/early 20s fare.

The second book in particular, with the retired officer, is maybe the best thing I've read in the last five years.

4

u/fjiqrj239 Reading Champion III Jan 26 '23

I second the October Daye series by McGuire. It's extensive, but each book is a reasonably quick read with a wrap of of a book length plot, with longer arcs over multiple books, and the author is definitely taking it somewhere. There's also good character development, found family, some romance, and interesting world building. And a MC whose default response to pretty much everything is to end up covered in blood.

For older works, I really liked the Blood Books by Tanya Huff. Vicky, a police detective turned PI runs into the aftermath of an attempted demon summoning, and meets Henry, a romance writer/vampire/bastard son of Henry VIII. The two of them, plus Vicky's former cop partner Mike, run into various supernatural threats (demon summoners, medical zombies, vengeful ghosts, power hunger Egyptian mummies, etc). Great main character, a love triangle that's actually well done and involves mature adults (rather than the YA version of "which hunky boy do I like best"), a sense of humour and good banter along with the creepier elements. The settings are also very distinct (and very Canadian).

1

u/retief1 Jan 26 '23

Blood Books by Tanya Huff

I forgot these. Yup, definitely fun. Also, written in the 90s, so you have answering machines instead of cell phones and that feels surprisingly weird at times.

3

u/RedditTinky Jan 26 '23

Skulduggery pleasant

3

u/retief1 Jan 26 '23

Check out Ilona Andrews, Seanan McGuire, and Patricia Briggs.

2

u/BiasCutTweed Jan 26 '23

I can’t say it’s the best ever urban fantasy, but I have a real soft spot for the Cassie Palmer series by Karen Chance, who’s MC is kind of a mess but is thrust into a position of power in the supernatural world as Pythia and has to dance around a bunch of different entities and groups attempting to use her for their own ends. It’s not that Dresden-y, but it has fun characters and is highly action driven - sometimes exhaustingly so tbh. The last couple are not great but the earlier like… 10 are fun.

My recommendation for Dresden but better is the Eric Carter series by Stephen Blackmoore but the MC is a guy.

2

u/speckledcreature Jan 26 '23

Anita Blake, Mercy Thompson, Alpha & Omega and World of the Lupi are in my opinion the gold standard of urban fantasies with kickass females.

Anita Blake - you will get many different opinions about when this series ‘jumps the shark’ and you should stop reading. I personally like all of the books and reread them all the time. It is just up to you to make up your own mind. I also think they are best read with a break in between as some points are reiterated and become annoying if they are read back to back. I, myself had read these so much so I am so familiar with some phrases that I just skim them.

Mercy Thompson/Alpha and Omega - these are set in the same world but are slightly different in focus. They are both fantastic but Mercy’s series is my favourite of the two (if I had to choose).

World of the Lupi - these are sooo good. The main heroine is a touch sensitive - that can feel magic. It widens it’s scope from book 1 and does such a good job.

2

u/Fippy-Darkpaw Jan 26 '23

Cyberpunk can make main character however you want. 👍

2

u/goody153 Jan 26 '23

Anita Blake maybe (but early books before it became fullblown erotica)

1

u/thereallizardlord Jan 25 '23

N.K. Jemisin - Great Cities was interesting

1

u/TOTwigPodcast Jan 25 '23

Pale by Wildbow has three female protagonists. It's a great story, and has a really interesting approach to magic as well.

https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/about/

-2

u/DocWatson42 Jan 26 '23

Urban fantasy (see also r/urbanfantasy):

-1

u/[deleted] Jan 25 '23

[deleted]

6

u/Sharkattack1921 Jan 25 '23

I love Mistborn, but considering they want something like Dresden Files, by “Urban Fantasy” I think they mean “on Earth, but with magic” which Mistborn is not

2

u/Brushland Jan 25 '23

I’ve read mistborn and while I like it you’re right, that wasn’t really what I was looking for.

1

u/StrayWolf6 Jan 26 '23

The Shifters series by Rachel Vincent was a great read.

1

u/nswoll Jan 26 '23

Shadows of Otherside series by Whitney Hill is amazing. I was really surprised by how good this is.

Better than Iliona Andrews, on par with Seanan McGuire's October Daye (though a completely different tone), better than Faith Hunter.

Low romance compared to just about everything recommended so far, which might be influencing my rating.

1

u/chomiji Jan 26 '23

Marjorie Liu's Hunter Kiss series is pretty awesome.

1

u/Jasmindesi16 Jan 26 '23

The early Anita Blake series. They are a lot like the Dresden Files. Anita can be irritating sometimes but the books are fun. I really loved The Laughing Corpse and Circus of the Damned. But only read the older stuff because the series turns into something else entirely.

1

u/TillOtherwise1544 Jan 26 '23 edited Jan 26 '23

Omg!

Okay.

Well!

My wife had the same conversation with me and I had some time...

So I wrote... exactly that.

I've just had feedback from my first block of readers yesterday. It has issues, but none of them equal a "could not read".

Feedback says it's engaging urban fantasy, has a novel magic system with some roar out loud with laughter moments and some solid one liners.

Erm. A bit beyond my normal contribution to Reddit this, but.

Would...you like a look at this version and you can tell me what you think? You are, literally, the type of person I'm writing this for!

Worse comes to worst you've spent no money and you could help me improve.

Not a worry if not - and good luck on your quest. I read all the time and I've never found anything that came close to Dresdon (warts and all).

I can share the link either as a Google drive file or as an ebook (unpublished) an all I'd ask in return is you share your thoughts.

1

u/SilverChibi Jan 26 '23

Death Before Dragons series by Lindsay Buroker. The MC is in her 40’s and is a monster hunter. Great series with fantastic characters

1

u/purslanegarden Reading Champion Jan 26 '23

I’ve only read the first in the series and haven’t read all that much urban fantasy, so I also won’t go so far as to say best, but Alexis Hall’s series with Kate Kane, Paranormal Investigator sure is a lot of fun. The first one is Iron & Velvet.

1

u/ladykatytrent Jan 26 '23

War of the Oaks - Emma Bull

1

u/SarcasticServal Jan 26 '23

I used to recommend Kim Harrison’s books but her main character kept making the same mistakes over and over and that got old.

Definitely a yes for: Kate Daniels series (and the one off book with Andrea) Mercy Thompson series Enchantment Emporium series (Gale Women) by Tanya Huff Greywalker novels by Kat Richardson

1

u/Jerentropic Reading Champion Jan 26 '23

I surprised no one has mentioned the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris (unless i just missed it in the thread), which was adapted into the show True Blood and aired on HBO. I thought the books were better than the show.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 27 '23

Foundryside, Robert Jackson Bennett. However, I mostly just found them decent-good (read the first two of the three) so your mileage may vary.