Last long weekend (no post out of a deep-rooted respect for the long weekend) I made a return to urban fantasy, one of my all time favourite genres, after a very long spell submersing myself in decidedly non UF reading. Recurve, by Shannon Mayer, coincidentally ended up on my radar when I also decided to try Kindle Unlimited (out of curiosity) and my other interest in trying more indie authors (also out of curiosity).

So how did it go? By the end of the weekend I'd made it to book four.

Shannon's series is typical urban fantasy fare - a woman, named Larkspur, is a unwary chosen one for her species of magically gifted elementals (similar to elves or fairies) even though she is shunned by the very people she is asked to save. It's the kind of starting point that a hundred other urban fantasy series have started from and the plot follows a similarly predictable urban fantasy format: chosen one does battle with dark forces and we are introduced to a world of supernatural politics and a handful of potential love interests.

But man is it ever done well - and readable! Despite having a good idea where the plot is going I couldn't put these down. The world is imaginative and the characters interesting despite following a UF formula. Shannon's writing is so engaging I couldn't put it down.

Who is this for?: Love urban fantasy and don't mind some light romance? then give the samples a try.

Pass?: There is no way around it- this series is formulaic. That's not a bad thing. A lot of readers want urban fantasy, which this series popularity and Shannon's sales show. Another author and I likely would have put this down, but Shannon is such an incredibly engaging author I found myself unable to put this down.

From Amazon: “My name is Larkspur, and I am an Elemental.”

My people use the power of the earth to sustain life and defy our enemies. I should be at my father's side as a royal princess. But as a half-breed, bastard child, that isn't going to happen.

I've been accused of attacking the queen, my wicked stepmother, and my life is suddenly on the line. I have only two options left to me: banishment, or training to become one of the King's Elite Guards, an Ender.

Option one will kill me.
Option two is meant to break me but is the only way to survive.

Did I mention I have no power like the rest of the elementals, and my connection to the earth is worth next to nothing?

Could things get any worse? Of course they can.
Welcome to being an Elemental.

What Am I Reading? The Elemental Series by Shannon Mayer