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hirvimaki's review against another edition
4.0
Secrets revealed. Back stories filled in. Relationships made..more complicated! Interestingly, not as much action as previous books, but a satisfying chapter in the Yellowrock adventure.
kathydavie's review against another edition
3.0
Sixth in the Jane Yellowrock urban fantasy series revolving around a skinwalker who hunts vampires. This particular story is set back in Natchez.
I do recommend doing a re-read of Death's Rival, 5, as a refresher on a number of points.
My Take
What a combo! Vampires, hunting, guns, weapons, magical mojo, and computers. It’s fun, fun action with an intense emotional hit. For Jane is almost beyond annoying in her obsession with how she done Rick wrong in Death's Rival.
I wish Hunter had spent half as much time reminding us of how that leash got hooked on Beast in Death's Rival with a reminder of Bruiser’s actions as she does on Jane’s whining about her own bad behavior. I spent more time trying to figure out what had happened and probably missed chunks of this story. I did crack up over the switch in Beast’s viewpoint. Major change in how she focused on Leo and Bruiser. For the most part, I did enjoy the tension between Jane and Rick; they did seem to resolve their issues too quickly, though.
Jane does seem somewhat out of character: moaning about Rick, terrified of Bruiser, wallowing in Eli and Alex, getting all homey-comfy. I’m confused...
I did not understand why Jane and Eli’s initial reception was so intense at Big H’s. Nor did I see the point of Bruiser joining the gang; seemed to be superfluous tension for the sake of the drama. Which is really sayin' something since I just adore Bruiser and would be very put out if he weren't in the story...hypocritical much?
Mmm, nice weapons!
Oh, LOL, I did love Eli’s little bombshell, and I enjoyed Jane’s confusion over the whole idea: the emotional side as well as the more practical, business aspects. They have such a comfortable give-and-take, that it'll be fun to watch develop in future stories. I'm not sure how it’ll work out for him and Turpin, though.
The challenge presented by the Naturaleza---they are just nasty! Trying to figure out what they are, and how to kill them...wow. That part was really good, but I was frustrated with what seemed the mish-mash of events. There was too much.
Then there’s that loose thread about miscommunication between Big H and Leo...hmmm… As angry as Jane is with Leo, when she learns of his machinations, there’s nothing. She isn’t angry, sad, happy, nothing. No reaction. WTF? Very un-Jane-like.
Oh, LOL, it’s a crack-up with the “revelations” Eli and Jane have about each other’s approach to weapons and after-battle care!
Bit of back history on how the Naturleza and the Mithrans came to be as well as the salacious history about Natchez-Under-the-Hill.
The Story
Beast is tied metaphysically to Leo, and Jane is furious. It's one reason why she accepts Big H's contract to clean up the nest of Naturaleza vampires. She’s not too happy though about that plague comment.
Seems everyone is hiding something, some item on the agenda...and it just keeps coming back to bite Jane. It’s all about the cold iron. The three cursed trees. The blood and lightning.
The Characters
Jane Yellowrock is a Cherokee skinwalker, who merged with the soul of Beast, a mountain lion, years ago when Jane was five. Today she has a contract with Leo Pellisier in New Orleans to help his chief enforcer administer the law. Bitsa is her Harley Davidson. Elisi was her grandmother. Eli Younger, a former Army Ranger, and his younger brother, the Kid, um, Alex, who’s a wizard on the computer, are living and working with Jane. Bodat is Alex's very teen-aged World of Warcraft friend, living on pizza and...pizza.
Rick LaFleur, Jane’s pissed-off, former boyfriend, works for PsyLED, the Homeland Security’s Psychometry Law Enforcement Division. His new panther shifter form is useful in investigating supernatural crimes. The peaceful and powerful Soul is just one of his supernatural partners. Brute, a white werewolf, is his other partner; Pea, the grindylow, is the watchdog. Monica is a woman in Rick’s life.
It’s Esmee’s plantation house that got shot up in Death's Rival. She may be old, but she is feisty and much too eager. And she’s been target shooting so she can help Jane. Jameson is the butler-cum-bodyguard her sons, Beau and Gordon, hired; Jameson's wife is a licensed practical nurse. Buddy and Bubba are Esmee's huntin' buddies.
Leo Pellissier is Master of the City of New Orleans and the Southeast USA (minus Florida). He’s also Jane’s boss. Bruiser, a.k.a., George Dumas, is Leo’s Chief Enforcer and right-hand blood meal. And he wants Jane.
Hieronymous, a.k.a., Big H, is Master of the City of Natchez in Mississippi and under Leo. Bryson Ryder is a human CPA and a primo blood servant. Lotus is the Big H’s lover and heir; Zoltar and Narkis are his sons; Clark is his primo; Silandre is another special friend who has operated the Saloon for some time; and, Nostrana is a student who works for Silandre.
Francis Arundel is a captive Naturaleza. An easy, so to speak, way to learn more. Esther MacTavish is on Big H’s kill list; Charles Scarletti is her favorite scion.
The Natchez law enforcement
Sheriff Sylvia Turpin is annoyed with PsyLED and the vampire hunter, although Eli isn’t having any problems, LOL.
Camilla (Misha) Hopkins and Bobby Bates were at Bethel Nondenominational Christian Children’s Home with Jane when they were children. Bobby was slow, and Jane had always protected him. Now she’ll learn he doesn’t need that kind of protection, not this dowsing rod. Camilla, a reporter for the Torch News, is writing a book and wants Jane’s take. An opportunity that allows Jane to view her past with a different perspective. Charly is Misha's dying daughter.
The witches and more
Kathyayini is half-Cherokee, part Choctaw, some Natchez, a bit white, and a spirit walker of dreams. Her son is married to an Acheé witch, one of a group of witches in the Acheé family. Evan Trueblood is a sorcerer and Molly Everhart Trueblood’s husband. Both are still so angry with Jane over events in Raven Cursed, 4. Herman Hosenfeld is the preacher who believes Jane is a Christian warrior.
Aggie One Feather is a Cherokee shaman who has been guiding Jane. Reach is a computer genius and researcher who charges the big bucks for knowing everything.
Fame Vexatum vampires, a.k.a., Mithrans, are the beautiful vampires; Naturaleza vampires drink human blood from the tap, so to speak. Lucas Vazquez de Allyon, a.k.a., Death's Rival, was Master of the City of Atlanta and greater Georgia, and his influence is still being felt.
The Cover
The cover is deep lilac and black with Jane in her black leathers and an interesting handcuff-like bandolier. She’s carrying two long wooden stakes as she whirls in the swirling mist, ready to take on all comers in this moonlit street setting.
It’s the Blood Trade that creates all the problems in this particular story.
I do recommend doing a re-read of Death's Rival, 5, as a refresher on a number of points.
My Take
What a combo! Vampires, hunting, guns, weapons, magical mojo, and computers. It’s fun, fun action with an intense emotional hit. For Jane is almost beyond annoying in her obsession with how she done Rick wrong in Death's Rival.
I wish Hunter had spent half as much time reminding us of how that leash got hooked on Beast in Death's Rival with a reminder of Bruiser’s actions as she does on Jane’s whining about her own bad behavior. I spent more time trying to figure out what had happened and probably missed chunks of this story. I did crack up over the switch in Beast’s viewpoint. Major change in how she focused on Leo and Bruiser. For the most part, I did enjoy the tension between Jane and Rick; they did seem to resolve their issues too quickly, though.
Jane does seem somewhat out of character: moaning about Rick, terrified of Bruiser, wallowing in Eli and Alex, getting all homey-comfy. I’m confused...
I did not understand why Jane and Eli’s initial reception was so intense at Big H’s. Nor did I see the point of Bruiser joining the gang; seemed to be superfluous tension for the sake of the drama. Which is really sayin' something since I just adore Bruiser and would be very put out if he weren't in the story...hypocritical much?
Mmm, nice weapons!
Oh, LOL, I did love Eli’s little bombshell, and I enjoyed Jane’s confusion over the whole idea: the emotional side as well as the more practical, business aspects. They have such a comfortable give-and-take, that it'll be fun to watch develop in future stories. I'm not sure how it’ll work out for him and Turpin, though.
The challenge presented by the Naturaleza---they are just nasty! Trying to figure out what they are, and how to kill them...wow. That part was really good, but I was frustrated with what seemed the mish-mash of events. There was too much.
Then there’s that loose thread about miscommunication between Big H and Leo...hmmm… As angry as Jane is with Leo, when she learns of his machinations, there’s nothing. She isn’t angry, sad, happy, nothing. No reaction. WTF? Very un-Jane-like.
Oh, LOL, it’s a crack-up with the “revelations” Eli and Jane have about each other’s approach to weapons and after-battle care!
Bit of back history on how the Naturleza and the Mithrans came to be as well as the salacious history about Natchez-Under-the-Hill.
The Story
Beast is tied metaphysically to Leo, and Jane is furious. It's one reason why she accepts Big H's contract to clean up the nest of Naturaleza vampires. She’s not too happy though about that plague comment.
Seems everyone is hiding something, some item on the agenda...and it just keeps coming back to bite Jane. It’s all about the cold iron. The three cursed trees. The blood and lightning.
The Characters
Jane Yellowrock is a Cherokee skinwalker, who merged with the soul of Beast, a mountain lion, years ago when Jane was five. Today she has a contract with Leo Pellisier in New Orleans to help his chief enforcer administer the law. Bitsa is her Harley Davidson. Elisi was her grandmother. Eli Younger, a former Army Ranger, and his younger brother, the Kid, um, Alex, who’s a wizard on the computer, are living and working with Jane. Bodat is Alex's very teen-aged World of Warcraft friend, living on pizza and...pizza.
Rick LaFleur, Jane’s pissed-off, former boyfriend, works for PsyLED, the Homeland Security’s Psychometry Law Enforcement Division. His new panther shifter form is useful in investigating supernatural crimes. The peaceful and powerful Soul is just one of his supernatural partners. Brute, a white werewolf, is his other partner; Pea, the grindylow, is the watchdog. Monica is a woman in Rick’s life.
It’s Esmee’s plantation house that got shot up in Death's Rival. She may be old, but she is feisty and much too eager. And she’s been target shooting so she can help Jane. Jameson is the butler-cum-bodyguard her sons, Beau and Gordon, hired; Jameson's wife is a licensed practical nurse. Buddy and Bubba are Esmee's huntin' buddies.
Leo Pellissier is Master of the City of New Orleans and the Southeast USA (minus Florida). He’s also Jane’s boss. Bruiser, a.k.a., George Dumas, is Leo’s Chief Enforcer and right-hand blood meal. And he wants Jane.
Hieronymous, a.k.a., Big H, is Master of the City of Natchez in Mississippi and under Leo. Bryson Ryder is a human CPA and a primo blood servant. Lotus is the Big H’s lover and heir; Zoltar and Narkis are his sons; Clark is his primo; Silandre is another special friend who has operated the Saloon for some time; and, Nostrana is a student who works for Silandre.
Francis Arundel is a captive Naturaleza. An easy, so to speak, way to learn more. Esther MacTavish is on Big H’s kill list; Charles Scarletti is her favorite scion.
The Natchez law enforcement
Sheriff Sylvia Turpin is annoyed with PsyLED and the vampire hunter, although Eli isn’t having any problems, LOL.
Camilla (Misha) Hopkins and Bobby Bates were at Bethel Nondenominational Christian Children’s Home with Jane when they were children. Bobby was slow, and Jane had always protected him. Now she’ll learn he doesn’t need that kind of protection, not this dowsing rod. Camilla, a reporter for the Torch News, is writing a book and wants Jane’s take. An opportunity that allows Jane to view her past with a different perspective. Charly is Misha's dying daughter.
The witches and more
Kathyayini is half-Cherokee, part Choctaw, some Natchez, a bit white, and a spirit walker of dreams. Her son is married to an Acheé witch, one of a group of witches in the Acheé family. Evan Trueblood is a sorcerer and Molly Everhart Trueblood’s husband. Both are still so angry with Jane over events in Raven Cursed, 4. Herman Hosenfeld is the preacher who believes Jane is a Christian warrior.
Aggie One Feather is a Cherokee shaman who has been guiding Jane. Reach is a computer genius and researcher who charges the big bucks for knowing everything.
Fame Vexatum vampires, a.k.a., Mithrans, are the beautiful vampires; Naturaleza vampires drink human blood from the tap, so to speak. Lucas Vazquez de Allyon, a.k.a., Death's Rival, was Master of the City of Atlanta and greater Georgia, and his influence is still being felt.
The Cover
The cover is deep lilac and black with Jane in her black leathers and an interesting handcuff-like bandolier. She’s carrying two long wooden stakes as she whirls in the swirling mist, ready to take on all comers in this moonlit street setting.
It’s the Blood Trade that creates all the problems in this particular story.
debwendler's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
spellboundbybooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
crochetchrisie's review against another edition
5.0
A solid 4.5 stars.
Back in the action straight off with Jane. Love all the things and can't wait to start on the next book.
Back in the action straight off with Jane. Love all the things and can't wait to start on the next book.
alikatson's review against another edition
4.0
I think I might have enjoyed this book a bit more than some of my friends. I found it a pretty intense story with reallly creepy vampires, some great insights into Jane's past, some crazy magic stuff going on - and I feel like Jane finally stood up for herself.
I was also pleased to see Jane
Also Eli had a little something something going on with the mayor of the town. Yay!! He's a hottie and she seemed pretty decent. Jane had realized Eli and Alex were like her brothers so I was happy.
Her relationship stuff though, nope but maybe?
For example Bruiser and Jane decide to run off in the morning to save the witches with Big Evan's help. Literally no discussion between them about it, that is what was all that was said. I felt like some potentially interesting interactions were skipped.
I also loved meeting some people from Jane's past - especially Bobby!
As always the audio was fantastic!
Spoiler
When she refused to let Evan blame her for all his families woes, yaaaaasssss!I was also pleased to see Jane
Spoiler
make nice with Soul. The jealousy before seemed a bit unfair towards the other woman. I'm intrigued by her magic - so I do want to see more, I only wish she wasn't partnered to Rick the Dick.Also Eli had a little something something going on with the mayor of the town. Yay!! He's a hottie and she seemed pretty decent. Jane had realized Eli and Alex were like her brothers so I was happy.
Her relationship stuff though, nope but maybe?
Spoiler
Rick is around strutting around growling at any guy getting close to her, this is so weird for him, honestly. Bruiser shows up to help - which was pretty amazing to me, this is the first time he's actually done this when Leo is not also there. So both of the men are there "circling" as Eli says it - they have a few convos with Jane, some important things and were involved in her crazy stunts. It was really great to see Bruiser working with her (I'm so much more into him now for Jane) but the scenes had them doing crazy action stuff, but skipped parts about their interaction and conversation which felt a bit weird.For example Bruiser and Jane decide to run off in the morning to save the witches with Big Evan's help. Literally no discussion between them about it, that is what was all that was said. I felt like some potentially interesting interactions were skipped.
I also loved meeting some people from Jane's past - especially Bobby!
As always the audio was fantastic!
mamap's review against another edition
4.0
gotta like jane yellowrock. nice to resolve a few conflicts. not nice to leave us on a bit of a ledge.
papidoc's review against another edition
3.0
Jane encounters a new form of vamp, more powerful, more evil, evolving into something else. Of course she overcomes all, but what I liked was the beginning of repairs to her relationship with Molly and Evan and their kids. It's mind candy, but entertaining and creative. A decent way to while away the hours of a road trip.
ktaylor1164's review against another edition
4.0
This is another time when I wish for half stars, because for me this is a three and a half star book--but given my long-standing love of the character of Jane Yellowrock and her Beast, I'm rounding up. There's nothing new here if you've followed Jane's story--at least not in terms of character development--but it's a solid installation in a series I've enjoyed from the start. One aspect of this particular book that moved it up a notch for me, however, is that the reader finally sees some hints that Jane is not doomed to be utterly alone. The addition of Eli and the Kid and a long-overdue conversation between Jane and Evan Trueheart (to say more would spoil) suggest that she will have family again, at least of a sort. I appreciate a little happiness in what can be a very dark urban fantasy world.