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breezy610's review against another edition
4.0
So much better than the second one. Murphy gets back on track with the character development and the reader learns more about the past with Joanne as she sees herself as a child. She learns to take responsility for her actions. I think she is finally admitting to herself that she has some feelings for her boss, even thought she doesn't admit to herself.
kathydavie's review against another edition
4.0
Third in the Walker Papers urban fantasy series revolving around Joanne Walker, a cop in the Seattle Police Department, who is also a shaman.
My Take
I do love how Joanne envisages her healing powers, using her experience as a mechanic to re-inflate lungs, smooth out the dent in the exterior skin, ease out that air bubble in the line, lol, handle the dehydration in that overheated engine… I just can’t help laughing as well as enjoying the imagery.
I’m feeling so relieved that the steps Joanne took in Thunderbird Falls, 2, and continues to incorporate into her daily routine, are helping Gary get past his heart attack.
It’s like watching a video of Joanne’s teenhood, as we discover what Joanne already knows, and I’m curious, and hoping Murphy goes into more detail in a future story, about whether Joanne was approached by tribal elders and how she reacted. We learn more about Gary as well.
There are lots of revelations for Joanne in this, including the depth of her feelings for various people; what she discovers about her childhood, her relationship with her dad, her schooling, and why she sees cars as a refuge; her early exposure to Coyote; a different perspective on events in her past; the reasons why she lost her touch when she was young — and it makes a warped sense; the truth about Coyote; and, why she is a new soul as well as a different facet I hadn’t considered about being someone with no past lives.
Yep, overt confirmation that Joanne used to be a mechanic in the police garage a year ago; now she’s walking a beat — after the department sent her to cop school.
There’s the overall stupid trope in this. The one in which the protagonist with power doesn’t want to acknowledge it and when they finally do, they dilly-dally their way along, refusing to learn how to use it. It’s a sudden realization on Joanne’s part that facing up is not the same as accepting. Tongue-in-cheek, we need heroes who are more well-read. Who’ll understand that only disaster occurs when you put off learning what you need to learn. And, now I’m trying to figure out what I’m screwing up. What am I ignoring in my life?
It’s all about balance – people living and dying because they knew Joanne. Although, it seems Thunderbird Falls is inspiring people, so it can't be all that bad. Barb’s pursuit of Morrison is also inspiring Joanne, in a decidedly possessive and jealous fashion. In other words… She. Blows. Up. Most interesting. So is Joanne’s trip into Morrison’s garden; who knew it would be so amazing! It’s so at odds with his public persona.
There’s a variation on the Noah’s ark and Flood theme as well as a look at Dine beliefs.
A few niggles… What road was Joanne supposed to travel that caused her mother to will herself to die on a particular day? Is this something Murphy will reveal in a future installment or ??? And what is Joanne thinking that she doesn’t immediately and thoroughly check out anyone new in her orbit? I do get confused as to what’s happening when Jo finally does confront the bad guy. It’s not well described.
That ending was beyond sad. A positive in many ways, and yet, sad. I do wish Murphy had milked this more. It feels sadder to me than I suspect it does to Joanne, and it should be sadder for her. We should also feel good about her accepting the other offer. Murphy needs to get more show into her stories. Wreak my emotions, make me cry and not merely sad. I want to feel what Joanne and Morrison feels.
The Story
Oopsies, Joanne gets stinkin’ drunk at the party and wakes up to a gorgeous man who can cook! How awful…*grin*… Only, it does get bad when Morrison turns up with the news that Billy is in hospital in a coma.
When Robert calls Joanne — she did chase the Thing out of the kitchen after all — to tell her that his mom won’t wake up, Joanne is forced to slip into Melinda's mind, into a confusing dream with an odd cast of characters, Freudian possibilities, and terrifying truths.
Coyote is trapped, caught by forces awakened by Joanne. Saving the world is, again, up to a half-taught shaman. And so is the Seattle Police Department, caught, forced into comas.
And the Navajo wake up, preparing for the End of Days.
The Characters
Officer Joanne Walker, a.k.a., Siobhán Walkingstick, is a new soul, all shaman, and half Cherokee, who works as a police officer in Seattle. Petite is her vintage Mustang. Sheila MacNamarra was her mother. The seventy-three-year-old Gary Muldoon is a taxi driver who has become Joanne’s mentor and main supporter in so many things. Most of her friends think she’s having it off with him. The gift of a medal becomes one of her shields with the Nuada-rapier she got from Cernunno, a Celtic cross pendant from her mother, and her copper bracelet. Annie is Gary’s dead and beloved wife. Coyote is her spirit guide, missing for the past two weeks.
The Seattle PD’s North Precinct
Captain James Michael Morrison is her boss, and Joanne is very attracted to him. Co-workers include Ray, Bruce (his wife, Elise, makes the luscious tamales), and Detective Billy Holliday, who is a cross-dressing friend. He’s also a True Believer who can see the recently dead, a man whom Joanne used to razz. She knows better now. Melinda is his witchy wife; Robert, Erik, Clara, and Jacquie are Billy and Melinda’s bright kids. Dr. Bradley Holliday is Billy’s anti-metaphysical brother. Jen Gonzales is in charge of Missing Persons.
The Seattle PD garage
Nick Hamilton is Joanne’s old boss; Nathan one of her former co-workers in the garage. Edward “Thor” is Joanne’s replacement, and he wants to take her out clubbing!
The too-cheerful Mark Bragg is a hunkalicious man (and English major) Joanne found at the department’s Fourth of July party. Woohoo. His va-va-va-voom twin sister, the bossy Barb, hooked up with Morrison. They worked on Project Rainbow, a physics experiment about dimensions.
The coven from the fiasco of Urban Shaman, 1
Jen. Colin Johannsen, and Faye Kirkland are mentioned. The angry Garth is still furious. Marcia Williams, the Crone, and Thomas still believe in the Goddess, in balance.
Ashley is a little girl who was a victim of heat stroke in whom Joanne has taken an interest. Allison Hampton is her mother. Keith is Gary’s dispatcher. The determined Laura Corvallis is with Channel Two News. Lucas, a.k.a., the First Boy, is the boy young Joanne thought was fair game. Ayita was born second; Aidan was born first.
Phoebe is a friend who teaches Joanne fencing. After events in Urban Shaman, Joanne needs to know how to wield a sword.
Begochidi is the god who has awoken per Navajo legend, the Maker of the world.
The Cover
The cover is a subtle rainbow of blues, green, and red in a forested sky in the background, an angled Petite between the woods and a Joanne who is relaxed and lying stretched out on the desert sands. I suspect she’s lying low as she waits for Coyote.
The title is how Joanne learns, or rather remembers, so much of her past, through her Coyote Dreams.
My Take
I do love how Joanne envisages her healing powers, using her experience as a mechanic to re-inflate lungs, smooth out the dent in the exterior skin, ease out that air bubble in the line, lol, handle the dehydration in that overheated engine… I just can’t help laughing as well as enjoying the imagery.
I’m feeling so relieved that the steps Joanne took in Thunderbird Falls, 2, and continues to incorporate into her daily routine, are helping Gary get past his heart attack.
It’s like watching a video of Joanne’s teenhood, as we discover what Joanne already knows, and I’m curious, and hoping Murphy goes into more detail in a future story, about whether Joanne was approached by tribal elders and how she reacted. We learn more about Gary as well.
There are lots of revelations for Joanne in this, including the depth of her feelings for various people; what she discovers about her childhood, her relationship with her dad, her schooling, and why she sees cars as a refuge; her early exposure to Coyote; a different perspective on events in her past; the reasons why she lost her touch when she was young — and it makes a warped sense; the truth about Coyote; and, why she is a new soul as well as a different facet I hadn’t considered about being someone with no past lives.
Yep, overt confirmation that Joanne used to be a mechanic in the police garage a year ago; now she’s walking a beat — after the department sent her to cop school.
There’s the overall stupid trope in this. The one in which the protagonist with power doesn’t want to acknowledge it and when they finally do, they dilly-dally their way along, refusing to learn how to use it. It’s a sudden realization on Joanne’s part that facing up is not the same as accepting. Tongue-in-cheek, we need heroes who are more well-read. Who’ll understand that only disaster occurs when you put off learning what you need to learn. And, now I’m trying to figure out what I’m screwing up. What am I ignoring in my life?
It’s all about balance – people living and dying because they knew Joanne. Although, it seems Thunderbird Falls is inspiring people, so it can't be all that bad. Barb’s pursuit of Morrison is also inspiring Joanne, in a decidedly possessive and jealous fashion. In other words… She. Blows. Up. Most interesting. So is Joanne’s trip into Morrison’s garden; who knew it would be so amazing! It’s so at odds with his public persona.
There’s a variation on the Noah’s ark and Flood theme as well as a look at Dine beliefs.
A few niggles… What road was Joanne supposed to travel that caused her mother to will herself to die on a particular day? Is this something Murphy will reveal in a future installment or ??? And what is Joanne thinking that she doesn’t immediately and thoroughly check out anyone new in her orbit? I do get confused as to what’s happening when Jo finally does confront the bad guy. It’s not well described.
That ending was beyond sad. A positive in many ways, and yet, sad. I do wish Murphy had milked this more. It feels sadder to me than I suspect it does to Joanne, and it should be sadder for her. We should also feel good about her accepting the other offer. Murphy needs to get more show into her stories. Wreak my emotions, make me cry and not merely sad. I want to feel what Joanne and Morrison feels.
The Story
Oopsies, Joanne gets stinkin’ drunk at the party and wakes up to a gorgeous man who can cook! How awful…*grin*… Only, it does get bad when Morrison turns up with the news that Billy is in hospital in a coma.
When Robert calls Joanne — she did chase the Thing out of the kitchen after all — to tell her that his mom won’t wake up, Joanne is forced to slip into Melinda's mind, into a confusing dream with an odd cast of characters, Freudian possibilities, and terrifying truths.
Coyote is trapped, caught by forces awakened by Joanne. Saving the world is, again, up to a half-taught shaman. And so is the Seattle Police Department, caught, forced into comas.
And the Navajo wake up, preparing for the End of Days.
The Characters
Officer Joanne Walker, a.k.a., Siobhán Walkingstick, is a new soul, all shaman, and half Cherokee, who works as a police officer in Seattle. Petite is her vintage Mustang. Sheila MacNamarra was her mother. The seventy-three-year-old Gary Muldoon is a taxi driver who has become Joanne’s mentor and main supporter in so many things. Most of her friends think she’s having it off with him. The gift of a medal becomes one of her shields with the Nuada-rapier she got from Cernunno, a Celtic cross pendant from her mother, and her copper bracelet. Annie is Gary’s dead and beloved wife. Coyote is her spirit guide, missing for the past two weeks.
The Seattle PD’s North Precinct
Captain James Michael Morrison is her boss, and Joanne is very attracted to him. Co-workers include Ray, Bruce (his wife, Elise, makes the luscious tamales), and Detective Billy Holliday, who is a cross-dressing friend. He’s also a True Believer who can see the recently dead, a man whom Joanne used to razz. She knows better now. Melinda is his witchy wife; Robert, Erik, Clara, and Jacquie are Billy and Melinda’s bright kids. Dr. Bradley Holliday is Billy’s anti-metaphysical brother. Jen Gonzales is in charge of Missing Persons.
The Seattle PD garage
Nick Hamilton is Joanne’s old boss; Nathan one of her former co-workers in the garage. Edward “Thor” is Joanne’s replacement, and he wants to take her out clubbing!
The too-cheerful Mark Bragg is a hunkalicious man (and English major) Joanne found at the department’s Fourth of July party. Woohoo. His va-va-va-voom twin sister, the bossy Barb, hooked up with Morrison. They worked on Project Rainbow, a physics experiment about dimensions.
The coven from the fiasco of Urban Shaman, 1
Jen. Colin Johannsen, and Faye Kirkland are mentioned. The angry Garth is still furious. Marcia Williams, the Crone, and Thomas still believe in the Goddess, in balance.
Ashley is a little girl who was a victim of heat stroke in whom Joanne has taken an interest. Allison Hampton is her mother. Keith is Gary’s dispatcher. The determined Laura Corvallis is with Channel Two News. Lucas, a.k.a., the First Boy, is the boy young Joanne thought was fair game. Ayita was born second; Aidan was born first.
Phoebe is a friend who teaches Joanne fencing. After events in Urban Shaman, Joanne needs to know how to wield a sword.
Begochidi is the god who has awoken per Navajo legend, the Maker of the world.
The Cover
The cover is a subtle rainbow of blues, green, and red in a forested sky in the background, an angled Petite between the woods and a Joanne who is relaxed and lying stretched out on the desert sands. I suspect she’s lying low as she waits for Coyote.
The title is how Joanne learns, or rather remembers, so much of her past, through her Coyote Dreams.
katyanaish's review against another edition
3.0
***3.5***
I'm not liking this series as much as I want to.
The stories are good, for the most part. But there are a couple critical problems that are really keeping me from being as invested as I feel like I could be in the characters.
I don't have a lot of tolerance for heroes that, three books in, are still denying reality. Frankly, I was over this in book 2. For her to still struggle with being a skeptic, at this point, makes her seem ridiculous. She's seen so much extraordinary, clearly supernatural, stuff that it is just unbelievable. As in, I don't believe it. And so it feels forced and unnatural, just to create friction. In other words: bullshit.
For the record, this is equally true of Morrison, but I'll get to that later.
Joanne is REALLY slow on the uptake. The universe seems to send her flashing neon signs when something is wrong, and she doesn't get it. I think the reader understands what is going on, in both book 2 and book 3, about 150 pages before Joanne does. It makes for an incredibly frustrating read. One I kept putting down, out of irritation.
Joanne has a ridiculous martyr complex. I know this is a UF trend, but it is one that I consistently hate. It's fine - it's good - for the hero to take responsibility for stuff they fucked up. It's practically required for them to show compassion and help fix things they didn't fuck up. That's pretty much the definition of heroism. But Joanne puts everything on herself. To me, this is most unforgivable when it comes to the events of book 2. And she's still flogging herself about those things. Are you fucking kidding me? Yes, Joanne was slow on the uptake, but you know what? She was faster on the uptake than the entire fucking coven of people that manipulated her into a situation she didn't understand, and forced her to do ludicrous things without explanation. Yes, she takes a hit for setting her own judgment aside, but the vast, vast, vast majority of the responsibility for that situation is on them. They never once even explained a working to her before they just expected her to do shit. It was so unethical that I frankly pretty much hated book 2, and the entire group of secondary characters introduced in that book.
Taking responsibility for the actions of everyone around you is not only idiotic, it is unbelievably arrogant. Are you a god now, Joanne? Do you have omniscient control over everyone and all the shitty decisions they make? No? Well then shut the fuck up about how all of this is your fault, already. Own up to what you did do, and let the rest of it go.
I don't like Morrison. Like, at all. At. All. The way he treats her is so incredibly douchebaggy that it flabbergasts me. Also led to massive frustration, and me walking away from the book several times. He doesn't get to treat her abilities like a foul, unclean curse, and then show up at her house demanding she drop everything and do them. He doesn't act like a boss, he acts like an OWNER. A slave owner. And he can fuck right off. I seriously, seriously, dislike him. Even worse is that, while ordering her to handle whatever mysterious shit is going on, he then disregards all of her input on it. You can't have it both ways, fucktard. She's either handling it - in which case quit fucking around and pay attention to what she says - or she's not, and you can fucking come up with the solution yourself.
I'm hoping that the way this book ends means that he's out. Permanently. And we don't have to deal with him and his emotional, manipulative, asinine bullshit anymore.
I'm not sure why I'm even interested in reading onward, as, again, I'm not as onboard with these books as I'd like to be. I guess it's because I do like the bones of the story, and I'd like to see how it plays. I just don't know how much more I can do if the characters don't stop being so ridiculous.
Maybe we could just drop everyone else, and do a story about Gary, Billy and Mel. I'd be so down for that.
I'm not liking this series as much as I want to.
The stories are good, for the most part. But there are a couple critical problems that are really keeping me from being as invested as I feel like I could be in the characters.
I don't have a lot of tolerance for heroes that, three books in, are still denying reality. Frankly, I was over this in book 2. For her to still struggle with being a skeptic, at this point, makes her seem ridiculous. She's seen so much extraordinary, clearly supernatural, stuff that it is just unbelievable. As in, I don't believe it. And so it feels forced and unnatural, just to create friction. In other words: bullshit.
For the record, this is equally true of Morrison, but I'll get to that later.
Joanne is REALLY slow on the uptake. The universe seems to send her flashing neon signs when something is wrong, and she doesn't get it. I think the reader understands what is going on, in both book 2 and book 3, about 150 pages before Joanne does. It makes for an incredibly frustrating read. One I kept putting down, out of irritation.
Joanne has a ridiculous martyr complex. I know this is a UF trend, but it is one that I consistently hate. It's fine - it's good - for the hero to take responsibility for stuff they fucked up. It's practically required for them to show compassion and help fix things they didn't fuck up. That's pretty much the definition of heroism. But Joanne puts everything on herself. To me, this is most unforgivable when it comes to the events of book 2. And she's still flogging herself about those things. Are you fucking kidding me? Yes, Joanne was slow on the uptake, but you know what? She was faster on the uptake than the entire fucking coven of people that manipulated her into a situation she didn't understand, and forced her to do ludicrous things without explanation. Yes, she takes a hit for setting her own judgment aside, but the vast, vast, vast majority of the responsibility for that situation is on them. They never once even explained a working to her before they just expected her to do shit. It was so unethical that I frankly pretty much hated book 2, and the entire group of secondary characters introduced in that book.
Taking responsibility for the actions of everyone around you is not only idiotic, it is unbelievably arrogant. Are you a god now, Joanne? Do you have omniscient control over everyone and all the shitty decisions they make? No? Well then shut the fuck up about how all of this is your fault, already. Own up to what you did do, and let the rest of it go.
I don't like Morrison. Like, at all. At. All. The way he treats her is so incredibly douchebaggy that it flabbergasts me. Also led to massive frustration, and me walking away from the book several times. He doesn't get to treat her abilities like a foul, unclean curse, and then show up at her house demanding she drop everything and do them. He doesn't act like a boss, he acts like an OWNER. A slave owner. And he can fuck right off. I seriously, seriously, dislike him. Even worse is that, while ordering her to handle whatever mysterious shit is going on, he then disregards all of her input on it. You can't have it both ways, fucktard. She's either handling it - in which case quit fucking around and pay attention to what she says - or she's not, and you can fucking come up with the solution yourself.
I'm hoping that the way this book ends means that he's out. Permanently. And we don't have to deal with him and his emotional, manipulative, asinine bullshit anymore.
I'm not sure why I'm even interested in reading onward, as, again, I'm not as onboard with these books as I'd like to be. I guess it's because I do like the bones of the story, and I'd like to see how it plays. I just don't know how much more I can do if the characters don't stop being so ridiculous.
Maybe we could just drop everyone else, and do a story about Gary, Billy and Mel. I'd be so down for that.
rvmama's review against another edition
4.0
Loved the characters. Found the out-of-body, other world stuff a bit overwhelming, hence only 4 stars.
mamap's review against another edition
3.0
a little over the top with the whole astral plane, dream world, navajo gods, sleeping sickness, etc. lots of truth and hard choices. like the fact that we all have to learn to live with the choices we make. language.
veronica87's review against another edition
3.0
This third book in the Walker Papers series sees Joanne starting to take her shamanic abilities and responsibilties more seriously. She's also making a stab at a normal social life even as she, finally!, comes to a realization about what she feels for her boss, Captain Morrison. And all this while trying to figure out what or who is causing people all over Seattle, including some very good friends, to fall into a deep sleep.
I continue to enjoy this series, particularly the characters. I appreciate that Joanne doesn't always know what she's doing and that she's not averse to admitting that out loud. She's got some great friends in Gary, her cross-dressing fellow law enforcement officer, Billy, and his wife, Melinda. Captain Morrison continues to be an object of her affection, admiration, and respect. Joanne's relationship with him hits new ground in this installment as certain things are necessarily laid out in the open. That doesn't mean that anything is possible however because he's still her boss and some things may not be meant to be. That ending...gah! I still hold out hope for them though. I just think that the author is slowly laying the needed groundwork. I am typically a fan of the slow burn relationships as opposed to stories where the lead couple is already having sex within two chapters of meeting each other. That said, I wish that the situation between Joanne and Morrison was moving along just a bit faster BUT, I do understand why it's not so.
I still wish that Joanne spent a little more time in the real world and less page time traipsing through the spirit realm but at this point, given her specific abilities, that's not likely to change. I confess to not always following exactly what's going on in the spirit world but I think that's more due to my own lack of visualization talents rather than to a failure on the author's descriptive writing ability. I'm reading more for the characters now than for the magic elements anyway so I guess it works out.
Now I just have to wait for the rest of the series to arrive in the mail. The series will be coming to a close next year when the final two books come out (#8 and #9), in January and December. 2013.
I continue to enjoy this series, particularly the characters. I appreciate that Joanne doesn't always know what she's doing and that she's not averse to admitting that out loud. She's got some great friends in Gary, her cross-dressing fellow law enforcement officer, Billy, and his wife, Melinda. Captain Morrison continues to be an object of her affection, admiration, and respect. Joanne's relationship with him hits new ground in this installment as certain things are necessarily laid out in the open. That doesn't mean that anything is possible however because he's still her boss and some things may not be meant to be. That ending...gah! I still hold out hope for them though. I just think that the author is slowly laying the needed groundwork. I am typically a fan of the slow burn relationships as opposed to stories where the lead couple is already having sex within two chapters of meeting each other. That said, I wish that the situation between Joanne and Morrison was moving along just a bit faster BUT, I do understand why it's not so.
I still wish that Joanne spent a little more time in the real world and less page time traipsing through the spirit realm but at this point, given her specific abilities, that's not likely to change. I confess to not always following exactly what's going on in the spirit world but I think that's more due to my own lack of visualization talents rather than to a failure on the author's descriptive writing ability. I'm reading more for the characters now than for the magic elements anyway so I guess it works out.
Now I just have to wait for the rest of the series to arrive in the mail. The series will be coming to a close next year when the final two books come out (#8 and #9), in January and December. 2013.
hgranger's review against another edition
2.0
I want Joanne to be incredible and interesting because there are so few Native American urban fantasy heroes. I want her to kick butt and take control of her world and destiny. Instead she is self-absorbed, repetitive, insecure, and somehow despite being a woman manages to be incredibly misogynistic. Stop it Murphy! This character has potential to be so much more! Enough with the dreamy blah blah dead zone sequences of boredom and self-hatred. More action, less "I got pregnant, I have to hate myself." More use of and exploration of her powers, less ogling any and all men (including but not limited to: her boss, her co-worker, her 75 year old friend, both present and past, and several gods and demons....)
I may read one more in hopes of a series improvement and if that doesn't happen, I'm giving up. Get it together Siobhan!
I may read one more in hopes of a series improvement and if that doesn't happen, I'm giving up. Get it together Siobhan!
lynseyisreading's review against another edition
4.0
From the opening scene of this book, when Joanne wakes to discover she has the world's worst hangover...and a strange guy in her bed, I just knew I was going to enjoy this more than the first book. It made me realise what was lacking last time, actually, and that was that everything just plodded along too nicely, there was nothing that happened that really ruffled Jo's feathers, but I enjoyed the fact that from the very first paragraph in this book, she was already thoroughly discombobulated.
Now, ideally it would be Captain Morrison she found in her bed, because, let's face it, those two are so gonna get it on eventually. But sadly, no, it was a perfect stranger. One who plays an interesting part in the book and I enjoyed a lot of the scenes with him.
The mystery part of this story was also a lot stronger and easier to follow than the last book. Whether that is affected by my growing understanding of Joanne's magic or whether it was just better is up for your own interpretation...Maybe a bit of both.
As you can see from the blurb, people are falling asleep and not waking up. Joanne, using her ability to touch people's minds when they are asleep or unconscious, determines that it is not a natural sleep. There is some kind of magic, like a dark blanket, holding them to sleep. When someone Joanne cares about is affected, she is determined to get to the bottom of it.
All of this was handled brilliantly, and I really enjoyed this aspect of the story. What I also enjoyed was learning more about Joanne and what happened to her up until she was around 15 and how those events may have helped shape the Joanne we are growing to know and love today.
There was also some progress in the relationship (can I even get away with calling it that?) between Jo and Michael Morrison, her boss. But don't get too excited. Progress is this instance could easily just mean not driving each other insane for five whole minutes, so don't expect anything too spectacular, but there is at least a thawing starting to happen...I think.
Looking forward to the next one!
Now, ideally it would be Captain Morrison she found in her bed, because, let's face it, those two are so gonna get it on eventually. But sadly, no, it was a perfect stranger. One who plays an interesting part in the book and I enjoyed a lot of the scenes with him.
The mystery part of this story was also a lot stronger and easier to follow than the last book. Whether that is affected by my growing understanding of Joanne's magic or whether it was just better is up for your own interpretation...Maybe a bit of both.
As you can see from the blurb, people are falling asleep and not waking up. Joanne, using her ability to touch people's minds when they are asleep or unconscious, determines that it is not a natural sleep. There is some kind of magic, like a dark blanket, holding them to sleep. When someone Joanne cares about is affected, she is determined to get to the bottom of it.
All of this was handled brilliantly, and I really enjoyed this aspect of the story. What I also enjoyed was learning more about Joanne and what happened to her up until she was around 15 and how those events may have helped shape the Joanne we are growing to know and love today.
There was also some progress in the relationship (can I even get away with calling it that?) between Jo and Michael Morrison, her boss. But don't get too excited. Progress is this instance could easily just mean not driving each other insane for five whole minutes, so don't expect anything too spectacular, but there is at least a thawing starting to happen...I think.
Looking forward to the next one!
zeezeemama11's review against another edition
4.0
im hooked on this shaman series, and am impatiently waiting for the next. if you have yet to experience this series do not start with this one start at the beginning. coyote dreams was an explanation book and was not nearly as action pacted or satisfying as her previous novels.