Discount Armageddon

I've never really been intrigued by urban fantasy. I'm a faux-medieval secondary world sort of girl, and though I've found Jim Hines's cover parodies amusing, I'd not really been tempted to pick up anything in the genre myself. But a good friend had introduced me to Seanan McGuire's blog, and there she was on WoGF list, so Discount Armageddon became my second challenge selection.

The Urban Fantasy genre seems to specialize in kick-ass women protagonists, something I can only applaud, since there was a severe lack of Kick-Ass Women in fantasy when I was growing up. What distinguishes Verity Price, the heroine of Discount Armageddon, from the rest of the pack is her avocation as a professional ballroom dancer. I really expected to see this angle explored more; it seemed to serve mostly as a vehicle to explain her amazing skill at high-kicking her various opponents and stabbing them with her stilletto heels. This was an enjoyable read with unusual characters (the Aselin Mice cracked me up every time) and lots of sassy banter, so if kick-assery and sassy banter is what you like, you will probably like this.