Paranormal romance is the subgenre of my heart for so many reasons, I return to it when I’m stressed, when I’m happy, when I need comfort…so basically all the time. My theory is the genre and the subgenre you originally grew up reading is the one you subconsciously return to. I grew up reading Christopher Pike and Anne Rice so I love paranormal the most.

One of the things I enjoy the most about paranormal books is the different powers they get to utilize. I love to see the unusual talents in books and the inventive ways authors come up with for the characters to use them.

In Allie Therin’s Magic in Manhattan series she builds such an interesting world in 1920s NYC. Rory’s power is psychometry, meaning he can see an object’s past by touching it, which is not one I’ve seen in many other books. This unusual power becomes even more interesting…and powerful, as the series continues. The other MC, Arthur, has no magical abilities in book one, however, in book 2 and 3 things get interesting in that regard. I love how the powers twists and turns in this series!

CW: racism, homophobia, past death of a parent

In Jenn Bennett’s Arcadia Bell series, Cady is able to kindle Heka from the moon and to see halos, which identify Earthbounds…and all of those words make sense in that world. She can also use her powers to summon demons that live on another plane. Cady works with Lon, a demonologist, and their chemistry is off the charts. They use sexual potions. Sexual. Potions! What more do you need to know!? And with those potions they can do so many different things, so the powers in this world felt almost endless. I love this whole world, it’s inventive and so original.

CW: violence, past death of parents

Binding Shadows by Jasmine Silvera is set in Prague, which is a different setting for a romance and I was so excited to read it. Barbara is a research assistant, working with Professor Tobias and has some weird things happening around her, which she doesn’t understand, but turns out to be a ‘grace’ for finding lost books, and then turns into even more. The world is already established as this is a spin-off of her Death’s Dancer series. There are necromancers who communicate with the dead, wizards, and zombies – so many different powers in this book! I love that there are shifters in this world but that my focus was still on Barbara and her powers for most of the book.

CW: References to death of parents, violence, death, sexual harassment

There are so many paranormal romances to love, and so many different powers authors come up with – what are some of your favorites? And Barbara’s power in particular with books made me think of what my power in a PNR would be…maybe not finding lost books! I think I would choose the most impossible of all the reading powers – reading everything I buy within the same year I buy it. (I know, I can’t stop laughing right now.)