Fated

I really wanted to like this book more. I've seen it on quite a few of those recommended lists and was excited to finally get a copy of the first one. Unfortunately, it just didn't feel unique enough to me. If you've read The Iron Druid Chronicles and The Dresden Files this feels somewhat similar. (To be clear, I don't think Alex Verus is a rip off. I think his powers are interesting and I liked his sidekick.) There was some decent world building I love Arachne, and her relationship with Alex. I felt pulled into her scenes. It just...didn't grab me? If I had a friend who was fan, I would probably keep reading so we could discuss them. As it is, this world doesn't stand out to me enough to keep going.

Executive Summary: After a rough start I liked the second half of this book enough that I'll probably continue on with the series.Audiobook: Gildart Jackson did a pretty good job, and helped keep me mostly attentive during all the setup of the first half of the book.Full ReviewThis one has been in my library for awhile. I'm sure I got a daily deal or I probably wouldn't have bothered. I used to love Urban Fantasy and read a ton of it, but after awhile I just got tired of it and pretty much everything new I've tried has felt derivative or uninteresting.For the first half of this book I was ready to lump this book in with all those others. Not only did this pale in comparison to Dresden Files, the origin story felt like copy/paste. It can be hard to remember that [b:Storm Front 47212 Storm Front (The Dresden Files, #1) Jim Butcher https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1419456275s/47212.jpg 1137060] is not the best written book.However it was the first urban fantasy book I read, so I didn't know any better at the time. And now I'm so many books into the series that it's hard to separate my love for the series and characters from the quality of the writing and story.So however unfair it may be the first book of a new Urban Fantasy series book, I'm always comparing it the entire Dresden Files series, not just [b:Storm Front 47212 Storm Front (The Dresden Files, #1) Jim Butcher https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1419456275s/47212.jpg 1137060].I think if I'm being completely fair this book is probably slightly better, even if I liked it much less. The second half finally started to differentiate itself from Dresden Files.In particular, despite their near identical backgrounds Harry and Alex are quite different. Harry is a bruiser. He prefers to take the fight to the bad guys and solve his problems with fireballs and bullets.Alex however is a planner. His magical ability to walk possible futures means he's all about being prepared and avoiding the worst of what might happen. It is for this reason that I found the book growing on me as it went along.That said, it's still the first book in a series and that comes with some of the setup that comes for that. There thankfully seems enough here to differentiate itself from most other urban fantasy I've read. I'll probably pick up the audio for the next book whenever I'm in the mood for something lighter.