Review: 16. Mercy Blade by Faith Hunter...

This could be a really really SHORT review, 'cuz I can say it in just one word: WOW. But, because this is a serious review blog, I shall endeavor to expand on that WOW. Just for y'all... Aren't you glad I like you? *wink*

Title: Mercy Blade (Jane Yellowrock #3)
Author: Faith Hunter
ISBN-13: 9780451463722
eBook
Publisher: Penguin Group, 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Purchased

drey's thoughts:
In this highly-anticipated third installment in Faith Hunter's Jane Yellowrock series, Jane's headed to the Big Easy, to do a job for the Master of the City, Leo Pellisier. Not too much of a hardship, as her new main man--undercover cop Rick--is there too. But it's not too long before their jobs get in the way of their relationship...

To add to the man-undercover-angst, her boss Leo's not too fond of Jane right now (after the events in Blood Cross), so she also has stay-under-the-radar angst. But when trouble shows up in the form of weres (dogs AND cats), that doesn't stop her from trying to head off a revenge-motivated retaliation against Leo. Unfortunately for Jane, all of this action's just the side dish to Leo's main task for her: find the vamp who's returned to his territory, and tell him to get lost. Or else.

Character: Jane rocks. She's tough, mentally and physically. And yet she's still vulnerable, especially when trusting her heart to others. So you're totally with her when she starts having doubts about Rick, especially when she hasn't seen him in ages, and it looks like he's hanging with another gal. But I'd expect her to not be so darn wishy-washy about him. You get the facts and then deal with it. Not dwell in angst.

I really like Bruiser in this installment, his character's much more fleshed out, and if Rick weren't in the picture (is he still? I'm not telling!), I'd say take Bruiser for a ride! *wink* The werecats who show up could've been featured more, I think, but maybe that's just because I'm curious, darn it. Yes, yes, I know all about curiosity and cats... Still...

Pace & Plot: Well. Faith Hunter doesn't make you wait for the action, that's for sure. And when the plot gets going, you want to make sure you've got a chunk of time carved out for this book, because this is jam-packed with stuff. If this were an action film, there'd be car chase scenes and explosions and death-defying feats all over it... (cue Quantum Solace theme song... yes, I'm a Daniel-Craig-as-Bond girl...) But since it's a book, you just get fight scenes, fight scenes, and more fight scenes. Phew.

Lest you think it's all action and no substance, you also get Jane wondering about her and Beast, and why there aren't more of them... Some questions get brought up, and I sure hope they get answered! I'm impatiently waiting on the next one.

drey's rating: 5/5 Outstanding! If you haven't read Faith Hunter's Jane Yellowrock urban fantasy yet, well, why not?

Have you read Mercy Blade? What did you think?

43. Host by Faith Hunter...

Title: Host (Rogue Mage #3)
Author: Faith Hunter
ISBN-13: 9780451462466
eBook
Publisher: Penguin Group, 2009 (reprint)
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon

FTC Disclosure: My copy of Host is an eBook I purchased myself. I am an IndieBound and Amazon affiliate, and any purchases made by clicking on the cover or the links provided may result in monetary compensation.

drey's thoughts:
Hahahahahahahaha! Thorn gets a new buddy in Host. This one was sent from her former home, the New Orleans Enclave. Yes, the one that threw her out in the first place. Cheran Jones is a prissy and arrogant metal mage whose duty is to instruct Thorn in the arts of diplomacy. Apparently she's not polished enough to represent the neo-mages in Mineral City, even if she's been too busy hiding, killing demon spawn, and containing the Dragon, to worry about "media relations". Along with the Seraphs, the Earth Invasion Heretics, her ex-husband, the town preacher, and all the colorful cast members in the series, Thorn must now defeat the succubus queen if they are to live to see another day.

I like Thorn. She tries to do the right thing, she really really does. But when the "right" thing is asinine, or completely objectionable, she redefines the meaning of right to ensure that her loved ones, her friends, and even the townspeople who don't care for her much, are as safe as she can make them. Host is a satisfying conclusion to the Rogue Mage series. I'm kinda hoping for more Thorn, though...

drey's rating: 3.5/5 Very Good

Challenges: 100+

39. Seraphs by Faith Hunter...

Title: Seraphs (Rogue Mage #2)
Author: Faith Hunter
ISBN-13: 9780451462442
eBook
Publisher: Penguin, 2007
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon

FTC Disclosure: My copy of Seraphs is an eBook that I purchased once I'd inhaled Faith's Jane Yellowrock series. I am an IndieBound and Amazon affiliate, and any purchases made by clicking on the cover or the links provided may result in monetary compensation.

About the book:

Living among humans in a post-apocalyptic ice age, neomage Thorn St. Croix has learned to count on her friends, but she's lost count of her enemies. She is a source of both fear and fascination for the people of Mineral City: Her powers can save them from the forces of evil, but also attract demon spawn and succubae. And fighting on her own turf nearly gets Thorn and those she holds dear killed.

But Thorn's ultimate test awaits deep under the snow-covered mountains beyond the village, where an imprisoned, fallen seraph desperately needs her help. There, hidden in the hellhole, the armies of Darkness assemble to ensure this subterranean rescue will be Thorn's final descent.

drey's thoughts:
Ah, Thorn. Now her neo-mage secret is out in the open, and nobody's sure how to feel about her. Never mind that she's lived among them for the last 10 years. In any case, she has bigger fish to fry. Like something living in the depths of the mountains. Is it good? Is it bad? Is there anything in between?

But there's hardly time to think about this, when there are demon spawn to kill. Before they are killed themselves. So an uneasy peace becomes the status quo between Thorn and her neighbors, and they learn to work together to try to defeat the evil forces (omg! I so want to add "of the Decepticons" here, lol!!). At least for now...

Like a good post-apocalyptic yarn? Then pick up Bloodring and Seraphs. And let me know what you think!

drey's rating: 3.5/5 Very Good

Challenges: 100+

25. Bloodring by Faith Hunter...

FTC Disclosure: My copy of Bloodring was bought and paid for. I am an IndieBound and Amazon affiliate, and any purchases made by clicking on the cover or the links provided may result in monetary compensation.

About the book:

In a novel filled with lush imagery and exhilarating action, Faith Hunter creates a near-future world caught in the throes of an ambiguous apocalypse-where a woman with everything to hide finds her true destiny revealed.

As humanity struggles with religious strife and seraphs and demons fight a never-ending battle, a new species has arisen. "Neomages" are human in appearance, but able to twist left-over creation energy to their will. A threat to both humans and seraphs, they are confined in luxurious Enclaves.

Thorn St. Croix is no ordinary neomage. Nearly driven insane by her powers, she is smuggled out of an Enclave and now lives among humans, channeling her gift of stone-magery into jewelry making. But when Thaddeus Bartholomew, a dangerously attractive policeman, tells her that her ex-husband has been kidnapped, Thorn risks revealing her identity to find him. And for Thorn, the punishment for revelation is death.

drey's thoughts:
I picked up Bloodring after reading Faith's Jane Yellowrock books, Skinwalker and Blood Cross. Apparently I can't get enough Faith... =)

I like Thorn. She is strong, powerful, and on the lam. Well, in hiding, anyway, since she's been in the same place for 10 years now... Then her ex-husband goes missing, and the cops come knocking on her door. To further complicate things (because she really really REALLY needs it complicated), Thorn finds a stash of gemstone that talks to her... And she gets herself involved in the fight between heaven and hell.

Thorn's world is stark and unyielding, and amazingly detailed. The residents of Mineral City have their own factions, from the conspiracy theorists to the unyielding religious. And not all of them are happy when Thorn comes out of hiding to save her--and their--home.

Heavenly deities, elemental magic, and a big bad scare-the-bejeebus-outta-you baddie provide the supernatural in this romp through Thorn's post-apocalyptic world. I don't know how I missed this when it came out a few years ago, but I'm glad I read it (and the following books, Host and Seraph too... because I never read just one!).

drey's rating: 3.5/5 Very Good

Title: Bloodring (Rogue Mage #1)
Author: Faith Hunter
ISBN-13: 9780451462411
eBook
Publisher: Penguin, 2008
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon

Challenges: 100+

16. Blood Cross by Faith Hunter...

FTC Disclosure: I am an IndieBound and Amazon affiliate, and any purchases made by clicking on the cover or the links provided may result in monetary compensation. My copy of Blood Cross was purchased for my nook.

About the book:

The vampire council has hired skinwalker Jane Yellowrock to hunt and kill one of their own who has broken sacred ancient rules-but Jane quickly realizes that in a community that is thousands of years old, loyalties run deep...

drey's thoughts:
Well. That blurb above really doesn't say much, does it? But don't let that deter you from picking up this 2nd book in Faith Hunter's Jane Yellowrock series... I mean, just look at that cover! How much more bad-ass can she be? *grin*

All kidding aside. I loved Skinwalker, and I have to say that Blood Cross did not disappoint at all. Jane is awesome! Even when she's tired, covered in blood, hiding from Leo, and hunting the rogue.

I cannot wait for more Jane. I am off to go stalk Faith to find out more, lol!

drey's rating: 4/5 Excellent

Title: Blood Cross (Jane Yellowrock #2)
Author: Faith Hunter
ISBN-13: 9780451463074
eBook
Publisher: Penguin Group, 2010
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon

Challenges: 100+, Pub

13. Skinwalker by Faith Hunter...

I picked up Skinwalker after reading a post on C.E. Murphy's site about a possible collaboration between her and Faith Hunter, with Joanne Walker and Jane Yellowrock. I was intrigued, and while shopping for eBooks for my new nook (yay!), picked up Skinwalker and Blood Cross...

FTC Disclosure: I am an IndieBound and Amazon affiliate, and any purchases made by clicking on the cover or the links provided may result in monetary compensation. Skinwalker is all mine.

About the book:

A year ago Jane nearly lost her life taking down an entire blood family of deadly rogue vampires that preyed on the helpless local populace of an Appalachian town. Now, after months of recuperation, she’s back and ready to fight again. Except this time, she’s hired by those she’s trained to kill—vampires…

Jane Yellowrock is the last of her kind—a skinwalker of Cherokee descent who can turn into any creature she desires and hunts vampires for a living. Back from hiatus, she’s hired by Katherine Fontaneau, one of the oldest vampires in New Orleans and the madam of Katies’s Ladies, to hunt a powerful rogue vampire who’s killing other vamps.

Amidst a bordello full of real “ladies of the night,” and a hot Cajun biker with a panther tattoo who stirs her carnal desire, Jane must stay focused and complete her mission—or else the next skin she’ll need to save just may be her own…

drey's thoughts:
Jane Yellowrock is a complex character. She's tough, inside and out. She's alone most of the time, except for the Beast. And she's not what you'd expect from the get-go, so try to read this one without any preconceptions... And she's now in my group of favorite urban fantasy heroines.

The story in Skinwalker starts out deceptively simple - Jane shows up to take on a job. There are brief references to the last job she'd completed, nothing in-depth, nothing to give away what she is, other than vamp hunter. LOVE her calling card, by the way--"have stakes, will travel"...

Faith Hunter keeps you reading, not just with the plot and action, but with gradual revelations about Jane. And at every reveal, I thought to myself, ok, I can see that, I get it now. But you don't. Not till she's been completely unwrapped, and the big "whoa" gets you. This one should be on the TBR pile for urban fantasy fans.

drey's rating: 4/5 Excellent

Title: Skinwalker (Jane Yellowrock #1)
Author: Faith Hunter
ISBN-13: 9780451462800
eBook
Publisher: Penguin, 2009
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon

Challenges: 100+