Review: Skinwalker by Faith Hunter
Skinwalker
Urban Fantasy
Roc (July 7, 2009)
Roc (July 7, 2009)
336 pages
ISBN: 978-0451462800From Amazon:
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. But now she’s been hired by Katherine Fontaneau, one of the oldest vampires in New Orleans and the madam of Katie’s Ladies, to hunt a powerful rogue vampire who’s killing other vamps...I'm on the last few chapters of this one, so the review will be up shortly.This is the first novel by Hunter that I've read, and it will not be the last. With Skinwalker, Hunter managed to captivate me with a story that feels so complete, yet left me anxious more.
While Jane can be compared to other warrior woman characters, like Kate Daniels and Rachel Morgan, she's also a stand-out amongst the scores of Urban Fantasy heroines. Her strength lies in her utter uniqueness. Not only does she appear to be the last of her kind, but her origins are cloaked in mystery. Even she is clueless about her mysterious life before she surfaced amongst humans at age 12. Compounding on her confusion is the fact that she's sharing her body with another soul - whom she refers to as Beast. Beast has been a part of her since she appeared from the woods. She's unsure of how the situation came to be. All that she knows is that Beast still harbors some resentment. If it continues, Jane's struggle with Beast will add greatly to the sotry over the course of the series. Due to all of the enigmas surrounding her, Jane remains closed-mouthed throughout the novel about who (and what)she really is - which only ratchets up the already high level of tension created by Hunter's great plot.
Another great plot element is the fact that Jane's mission in New Orleans has her encountering what she calls "sane vamps". As a rogue hunter, all of her prior encounters with members of the vampire race have been less than pleasant. As a result, her interactions with the more civilized, society vamps that hire her are strained at best, adding to the overall feel of danger.
There's no romance to be found in this one, but there is plenty of romantic and sexual tension with promises for much more in future installments. The entire novel takes place over about ten days and, within the first few, Jane manages to capture the attention of not one, but three men. The mysterious bad-boy/player Rick LaFleur, the sexy bodyguard/right-hand-man Bruiser, and his boss - blood-master of all New Orleans vampires - the dangerous Leo Pellisier, all have Jane in their sights. Whether any of them spell love or trouble for Jane is a matter for future exploration.
Overall, the story-arc seems promising. I can't wait to find out what happens during Jane's next job (one that was offered to her at the end of this book). I'm also anticipating more revelations about Jane's past and what impact her findings will have on her future. Make sure to check this one out on July 7th.
Grade: B
Read the first 32 pages of Skinwalker.
6 Comments:
Sounds like a very interesting character. I'll have to keep my eye open for a copy...
This sounds really good. Right up my alley. Will need to keep an eye out for this one in the book store.
If you enjoyed this book, Faith Hunter also has written a trilogy (with a possible fourth coming) called the The Rogue Mage Series. The books are Bloodring, Host, and Seraphs. They are very good. Also, look up Gwen Hunter for mysteries by her.
I, myself, can's wait to read Skinwalker.
Looks like something I would read. Going to have to read an excerpt, but I think this one is going on my TBR pile. Thanks for sharing. =)
Great review! I'm going to read the first 32 pages, although I'm pretty sure that this is a book to my liking :D
I love to find out about new Urban Fantasy series! I do hope there's a plan for a romance in the book. And too, the wonder of which four will be cool. Another to add to the huge wishlist! Thanks on this!
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