Fans of urban fantasy, if you haven't read this, you should. First and foremost, Black Swan Rising felt real. I could imagine everything that Garet was experiencing actually happening. So many urban fantasy novels are fantastical to the point of unbelievability, and it takes away from the fact that they are supposed to take place in our world, in our time. That is not the case here. Garet is an interesting character with an interesting family, friends, and hobbies. She isn't the most multidimensional character I've ever read, but I feel like this story is more plot centered than character based, so I won't complain. She handles herself well in a crisis, makes her own decisions, and learns quickly. She doesn't know martial arts and isn't ridiculously tough. The plot is excellent as well. When I think back on it now it seems really simple, but I was engrossed in this book completely and hung on every word. The writing grabbed me from the start. The description of the Fair Land was so beautiful I had to write it down, and the description of the vampire sight in the night was one of the most realistic and gripping I've read (and I've read plenty of vampire books). From there the book keeps up it's pace with Garet learning abilities and finding out more about her mother and the John Dee situation. I feel that this is what urban fantasy should be. A believable main character, in a realistic situation, with a bit of the paranormal mixed in. Black Swan Rising doesn't have a trash talking heroine that gives everyone and attitude and has every guy in town drooling over her. There is no investigative agency or mystery here, just a heartfelt standalone story. I love it.