Review: Skinwalker (Jane Yellowrock, Book 1) by Faith Hunter

 

I seem to be on a roll with new Urban Fantasy series. And Skinwalker, the first Jane Yellowrock book, is a home run. A seriously good book.

Great worldbuilding, a kick ass main character with a history that is, well, unique, to put it mildly. And a whole lot of really good secondary characters.

And the plot? It had enough twists and turns to make me dizzy at times. It's one of those books you're tempted to start over again from page one as you finish the last page.

There is humor, with several laugh out loud moments. The dialogue is well done, and the author is skilled at bringing the sights, sounds, and smells of the setting and the action to life for the reader. The pacing had a few problems, but it was mostly well done. As the first book in the series, Skinwalker requires a lot of explanations needed about Jane, her history, and the world she is living in. But the explanations are woven into the story in an engaging manner.

I don't want to give spoilers, so perhaps I'll just give the blurb at this point:

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…

Skinwalker gets a 10 of 10 from me. I don't rate series after only one book, but I have high hopes for the second book in the series. I'm a bit disappointed that I'll have to wait until January for book three, though.

Book Rating: Skinwalker: 10 of 10

If you enjoy the Mercy Thompson series or the original (first half dozen or so) Anita Blake books, you'll enjoy Jane Yellowrock.






1. Skinwalker
2. Blood Cross
3. Mercy Blade (Jan 2011)