Skinwalker

Jane Yellowrock, a shape-shifting bounty hunter, is hired to hunt down a rogue vampire in New Orleans. I have no idea how successful she is in the end, or who the vamp is, because 161 pages in (more than halfway into the book!) basically nothing plot related has happened. Jane describes her outfits. Jane describes her beeeeeautiful flowing hair. Jane bemoans how much she has to eat all the time because shape-shifting takes mad calories, and makes fun of women who eat salad. Jane just puts on a little lipstick and she's the prettiest lady in the room and everyone checks Jane out and all the other ladies are jealous. Jane beats up her bosses' various bodyguards, I guess so the audience knows how tough she is. (Although maybe not beating show more up your fellow employees is a good idea? Maybe? Given that the worse anyone does is check out her irresistably hot legs?) Jane goes to an authentic New Orleans cafe and is more mystical than the Magical Negro behind the counter. Jane is a better tracker than any tracker and a better fighter than any cop/soldier/mercenary and blah blah blah.

Jane is apparently so splendiferous that it takes 161 pages just to describe two-and-a-half days of her splendiferous life. She ignores numerous really obvious clues and several really obvious leads, and instead focuses her time on dressing up for vampire parties, shopping, and going on dates. I wish I were exagerating!

Jane Yellowrock is the most annoying try-hard version of Anita Blake I have ever read. In fact, even Anita Blake is not as annoying as Jane. Even Anita Blake's lack-of-plot books have more plot than this book did. And even Laurell K Hamilton can describe mystical crap in a less annoying way than Jane's "Beast" pov, which is as cheesy as it is unbelievable.

Thankfully, this book is so blandly mediocre that within a week I'll have forgotten it and every way in which it annoyed me. show less

This is the first book in the Jane Yellowrock series by Faith Hunter. Currently Hunter has three books sold in this series. The second book "Blood Cross" is due out on Jan 5 of 2010. I really, really loved this book. It was fast-paced action with a great world, great characters, and an interesting mythos behind Jane's character.

Jane Yellowrock is a Skinwalker, at least she thinks she is. She doesn't remember anything before her twelfth birthday and was raised in an Orphanage from that point on. She carries the Beast inside her and they dwell in harmony in one body. Her specific talents have lead her to hunting rogue vampires as a way to make a living. Her current assignment leads her to New Orleans to hunt a rogue that is taking out show more both humans and vampries alike. This time though, she may be in over her head, this vampire rogue is more than it seems. During the chase things get strange as she begins to regain memories from her past.

This is one fast paced novel. Jane is always on the go and there is a ton of action. The action scenes are very well done and, paired with Jane's humourous and sarcastic tone of voice, this book is a very fun read. All of the characters are very well-developed. There is a hint of sexual tension between both Jane and Leo (head vampire) as well as between Jane and Rick (a bad-boy who wanted the job that Jane got). Jane's a good girl at heart though and never lets things get out of hand with the boys. Really the things that made this book shine were Jane's unflappable personality and the tightly written action scenes; then there were the guns, the bikes, the dancing...all of those things made the book a fun and exciting read.

The plot was very well executed and very gripping. Definitely a page turner. I like the world that Hunter has created and hope that it is clarified better in the next novel. The writing style itself is very dense. If you miss a word you could miss something important; despite this it was a very quick read and hard to put down. If I have any complaints with this book it is a small gripe; I didn't like the writing style that Hunter used for the parts where Jane is Beast. I understood that she was trying to give Beast a distinct voice, but well, Beast sounded a bit like a savage or Barbarian and the halting writing style was tough to read at first. By the end of the book I got used to it, so I can't complain too much.

Will I read the next book? You betcha' I will. I am eager to learn the mystery behind Jane's past and to watch her further interactions with the residents of New Orleans. I think if you liked the early Anita Blake books, Jaz Parks, or Kate Daniels series you will get into this series. It focuses on the action and the mystery, not the romance, and was my type of book! show less

I’m not sure why I took so long to start this long and recommended series, but when I was gifted the first e-book by a Goodreads member who surprised me with the sweet gesture (thank you Layla!), I read and became majorly hooked. Majorly – which is perfect for a series junkie like me. It meant weeks of binge reading a series with over ten books published in it. Not much that I enjoy more in my reading life.

Jane is an unusual specimen – she’s a shapeshifter but not a were, someone hired to help vampires in New Orleans when she usually kills them instead. Her business card and website humorously read “Have Stake, Will Travel.” While investigating the rogue and solving that particular mystery, she’s meeting the fascinating show more characters – supernatural and non – that make up the cultural town. In between this she finds out hidden mysteries about herself, especially long-hidden mysteries that revealed she once did a twisted version of dark magic.

Jane is humorous – she’s tough, she’s different, she’s special, and no one knows what she is – I love when the Main Characters have secrets that everyone wants to know, and when they are pursued by complex and powerful characters who she’s shying away from. A classic game of cat and mouse hunt. Between the local police department, Rick on the bike, Leo as the Master of the City and his determined bodyguard, Katie with her twisted family, and meeting a few other people thrown in – there are plenty of intrigued AND intriguing people popping up all over the place. Between exploring the town in lion form, exploring the streets in human form, spying on secret rituals by other paranormal races and awkward but enlightening vamp soirees, the book takes one addictive turn after another.

Jane is downright intriguing after all, although I prefer the books later when she’s more at peace with Beast and knows more. The Native American Folklore history and meeting Aggie with the ritual was interesting enough, although it didn’t grab me as much as the modern-day happenings did. She’s a funny main character, she’s tough and has secrets, she’s compassionate and driven and protective. Can’t complain.

Leo is yummy and fascinating, but there is a tragic turning point at the end of the book that ties into the heart of the mystery. Watching their back and forth argumentive banter is fun stuff. “Bruisier” – AKA George – doesn’t have quite a huge presence yet but he’s a well-done supporting character. Ah, those dance scenes!

Rick never made an impression on me much but he still holds some promise in the first story sometimes, even though it’s clearly he’s not fully trustworthy. Having the main character having to interact with others who are so different from her – from Katie’s ladies to the unusual and formal vamp world – makes the book even better. And of course Beast is fascinating, being in her head over Janes or seeing them debate stuff.

Mystery wise its rich enough to earn it’s high start rating too. There are plenty of twists and turns and misleading leads, a shocking culprit, several battles, and large fight at the end that is a series changer.

Since I’ve read the rest of the series in a row before writing this review, I will point out the series improves much and keeps getting better. I enjoyed this first book quite a bit, but if there were a few things that bugged you about it, most of the things improve. In this first book the shifting seems a bit too hard on her, and I don't like so many dependent crutches being needed, but this becomes a non-issue later.

Jane’s bond with Beast grows more secure, the personalities of both emerge fully, more layers pop up on all the characters you meet in the first book that may seem slightly one-dimensional right now, and the politics and twist-turns get even more focused and twisted as the stories go on. show less

I'm on a UF kick again. I'm trying out a bunch of titles to see what grabs me. Or hunts me. Or toys with me, or makes me play buddy-buddy with the cops, vamps, and trolls.

One could say that most of these UFs are somewhat formulaic. And it's true. But it's also equally true for the entire genre of mystery which this so closely resembles. AND THAT'S OKAY. What matters is that we have fun.

And I definitely had fun. More fun than I've had in quite some time.

I've had a so-so relationship with werewolves in UF. I tolerate them or hope they just... go away... in a gore-strewn mess.

Happily, the Skinwalker in this one isn't really a were! She's a Shapechanger! Wooo! And I was very pleased with how she was handled. All the page-time devoted to show more smells?

Delightful.

And as for the rest of the mystery, vamp, and snark elements? They're all familiar, fun, and several of these elements definitely KICK ASS.

Let's not forget the most important element: it must flow. It has to have spirit and spunk and it should never get boring. Ever.

I think it's safe to say this succeeds very, very nicely. :) show less

Well Faith Hunter, you have my attention. In my quest for new Urban Fantasy to read, I stumbled across Jane Yellowrock's series. It sat on my to-be-read pile for ages, and now I fully regret not getting to this book sooner. Skinwalker is the whole package. A shapeshifting, half-Cherokee, snarky and kick-ass heroine? Yes please! For the love of all things bookish, yes please.

I'm totally a Jane Yellowrock fan now. Her character somehow manages to walk that line between being too cocky, and being just sarcastic enough to keep things fresh. Jane is intelligent. She's funny. She doesn't let any man tell her what to do. In fact, that's what I loved most of all! A lot of UF has a heavy focus on romance. This book fights those rules. Jane is show more single, and she's not looking to change that anytime soon. Oh, and did I mention she rides a motorcycle? My kind of girl!

Jane shares her body with Beast, the main form she shifts into. Beast is a predator. A big cat who, while her mind is more simplistic than Jane's, is extremely intelligent and therefore just as dangerous. I liked being in Beast's head. Her thoughts were clear, and the perfect way to see further into the mystery of the rogue vampire that Jane was hunting. I will say that after finishing this book, I think I'll read the next one rather than listen to the audio book. I feel like Beast's thoughts would be better on paper.

I loved that this book was set against the vibrant backdrop of New Orleans. What better place for ages old magic than a city who pulses with the stuff? Good music, good food, and vampires. Who needs anything more? Jane's story flew by as I watched her navigate the city, meet the locals, and hunt down the rogue. This was a great start to a new series! I'm eager for the next book to be in my hands. show less

Jane Yellowrock, incognito Cherokee skinwalker with an alter-ego/beast inside, is hired by a Vampire Council in New Orleans to kill a rogue vamp who is killing and eating both humans and vampires. Jane walks a fine line between vampires and humans while maintaining her secret identity. As she stalks her prey in Beast form hiding in shadows she has to figure out how this rogue is managing to keep under the radar. This book has lots of gory violence with a mix of black humor and narrow escapes. I'll be interested to see where this goes in the next volume.

A fun, thrilling and well written urban fantasy.

Jane Yellowrock was a fun and feisty heroine; beautifully flawed, exceedingly powerful and stubbornly independent. The introduction to the world of witches, vamps and other supernaturals was simple but worked perfectly. I really enjoyed this story, and I'm going to be moving into book 2 as soon as I can.