So, I’m reading Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews ATM ( Ilona, Ilona…beautiful name) and I just hate this block with a passion, but so far, three chapters in, it’s not grabbing me. I had hoped to be done with it by now, to be gripped so tightly by its unique urban fantasy world and reviewed the thing already.
Uh yeah, that’d be a big NO.
So far, our first person main gal, Kate Daniels, is about as interesting to me as a bagel without the cream cheese. Or whatever condiment floats your bagel boat. And this bit of a mental block I’m having with Magic Bites made me think…would this one benefit from a 3rd POV perspective as opposed to its 1st? Because if a 1st POV hero/heroine isn’t very interesting, the rest of the story likely won’t be either.
And I do realize that this is just my (crappy, bitchy, whiny even?) perspective and maybe things will pick up after chapter three. She’s finally met the Beast Lord, and I’ve a feeling he’s a mover and a shaker. But really now, after seeing a lot of points made that all urban fantasy is or must be 1st POV (which I normally dearly love and gorge on with a passion)…is that really the case?
MUST urban fantasy really be 1st POV all the time?
Thinking back on what’s lining my shelves, uh yeah, pretty much every urban fantasy/paranormal fiction book I’ve got is 1st POV, and heroine driven. Looking around on the net for some of the top dogs (in fantasy/scifi publishing) submission guidelines, and I found that DAW (Mercedes Lackey, Melanie Rawn) doesn’t seem to require 1st POV up front. Neither does ACE (Charlaine Harris), or Roc (Jim Butcher, Rachel Caine) for that matter either, although the latter two do urge potential authors looking to submit to them to be “familiar with the kinds of books” they publish. But I know for a fact that not all their books are 1st POV. For that matter and to top it all off, TOR doesn’t list 1st POV a a prerequisite for submission to them either. Huh.
So why the thought that all urban fantasy is or has to be in 1st POV?
But my biggest Q is, are there any urban fantasy books out there, told in the 3rd POV? Because I would love to read one, if only to glean the differences in one as opposed to the more often seen 1st POV ones.
In the meantime, I’m soldiering on with Magic Bites. Dammit. It’s too good a concept to do otherwise.