Skinwalker (Jane Yellowrock Series #1)

A Nice Thrill Ride

When I spied this book, I knew I wanted to read it. A full blooded Cherokee staring as the heroine of the book instead of ending up on the sidelines only to impart some wisdom and disappear. This story started out in "Strange Brew" under the name "Kits". However, you do not have to read that short story before you pick up this book. This book stands well on it's own.

Within Jane, she has the spirit/magic and energy of "Beast" who in one life was a mountain lion. They share a precarious relationship in which they have to agree who is alpha and control of the body. She is able to tap into Beast's energy and strength, and Beast is also able to tap into her power. It is an interesting relationship and is quite humorous at times. Beast has a better sense of humor than Jane in my opinion. Oh, and before I get into the rest of the review, I must mention "Bitsa" as well. Bitsa is Jane's bike and one I'd love to have (if I had any coordination at all, that is...)

The story is fast paced. I was surprised there would be so much mystery within the rogue vampire as it seemed that her job was very straight forward. Find the rogue, kill it. But with this story, tracking the rogue proved to provide more information than even Jane would have thought possible. Information about vampires she thought she'd never possess and more importantly, information about herself. Now, with her distant forgotten past less mysterious, will she be able to put together all the puzzle pieces to stop the rogue? Did she trust the right people? Heh... not going to tell you. You'll have to pick this one up to find out.

I gave this book 4 stars and recommend this one to anyone to loves a good urban fantasy. "Blood Cross" is the next book in this series which has just been published. I wish I had the second one in my hand, but alas, I have to wait to see what other things Jane discovers.

Oh, and as a little trivia I thought I'd add.. In the book, the vampires hate to be called vamps. They prefer Mithrains. Jane connected it to Mithra, but was not confirmed in her observation. Mithra is a sun god in an old religion. So, the question remains... was Faith Hunter using it as tongue in cheek, or is there more to the story. Hope we find out in this series. :)

13 out of 14 people found this review helpful.

New Author for Me and Love Her!!!

It's wonderful when you come across a new author that just grabs you... Faith Hunter hooked me in with her strong, wild character and new story line of Skinwalker. If you're a fan of Were's, Vampires and other things that go bump in the night, you will likely find her books to rock!!! Liked her so much, I immediately bought the second book in the series and signed up for more on her website.

6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

Very Original concept!

I am a sucker for science-based urban fantasy. When the story is firmly grounded in physics but takes it one step further to develop a complex world I am hooked.

Faith has managed to explain the great mystery as to where mass goes during a shape shift and other mysteries. She brings the typical cast of supernatural characters to her story, but they are dark creatures, no sparkling vampires.

Jane Yellowrock is maybe the last of her kind, a shapeshifting Cherokee skinwalker who uses her abilities to bounty hunt vampires.

I was pulled into the story and enjoyed the character development and attention to detail.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Fantastic New Urban Fantasy Series

I really enjoyed this book. Jane Yellowrock is a vampire hunter with a deadly secret; she is also a skinwalker who shares her body with a panther and together they are Beast. Beast roams the night, while Jane functions for them both during the day. In a world where witches and vampires are the only preternaturals to come out of the supernatural closet, she stands alone amongst her kind. Jane accepts a job by a vampire madam in the Big Easy, to hunt down a rogue vampire who has taken up a new cannibalistic hobby, making a good meal out of the local vampire and human community. The job is risky, dirty and dangerous and puts Jane in jeopardy of coming face to face with a being worse than a rogue vampire...a liver-eater. Faith Hunter has such a gift of intertwining a vividly intricate story that I even found interesting during the slow parts. This story was gruesome, dark, and gritty and adds a fresh new take on vampires. Jane Yellowrock is filled with a twisted dark humor that I love. She's a strong woman who is no-nonsense and tough. She gets the job done, doesn't second guess herself to death, she's not too-stupid-to-live and she doesn't whine and pout. I highly recommend this book and also Faith's Jane Yellowrock short story in the Strange Brew anthology. I also look forward to the next book in the series Blood Cross due out 1/5/2010.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

a super new and thrilling urban fantasy series

In 1962 vampires were outed when Marilyn Monroe was caught trying to turn the president of the United States, but instead the Secret Service staked her. The press learned of the incident and follow-up investigations led to the knowledge that vampires exist. Not long afterward, real witches were revealed as genuine. Vampires do not possess the same civil rights as mortals have; legislation is being proposed to make the vampires adapt their culture to the masses; which would prohibit the practice of owning blood slaves and indentured blood servants amongst other differences.----------

Jane Yellowrock, a skinwalker of Cherokee descent, can change into any animals she chooses; her preference is the panther, the form of Beast whose soul resides in her body. She is stronger and faster than a human and she hunts rogue (insane) vamps as a slayer. In New Orleans, ancient vampire Katherine Fontaneau, Madame Katie of Katie's Ladies, hires her to kill a powerful rogue vampire who is committing genocide against his species. Jane follows the murderous scent in her human and panther bodies, but Beast believes the predator is not a vampire, but instead a liver-eater who is much more dangerous than vampires or witches combined.----------

Beast and Jane have their own chapters which emphasizes their different values and perspective, which is key to believing that two essences share the same body as opposed to the heroine having multiple personality disorder. Their differences are fascinating and at time often amusing as each come to a scenario with a different agenda similar to that of the comedy All of Me starring Martin-Tomlin, but Jane-Beast are in a lethal world. The killer is super while Jane and Beast feel they are always one corpse behind. With a great unique premise on outing the supernatural, Faith Hunter gives her Rogue Mage Thorn St. Croix a respite as she starts a super new and thrilling urban fantasy series.----

Harriet Klausner

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

K.I.S.S.

I'm going to keep this short and sweet, unlike others. This book is full of character. The people, the plot, the story, leave you panting for more. It is the unlimate urban fantasy. Finished this book in about 8 hours reading time. (I read quick). Enjoy this author.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Jane yellowrock

Awesome series !!! Worth reading ! Skin walker, vampires and lots of action. Hope you enjoy! Great author.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Jane Yellowrock and Beast make an intriguing vamp-hunting team!

Jane and Beast share bodies, hunt rogue vamps and kill them. Jane also dances a killer tango and navigates the vampire political hierarchy with skill. Beast is...full of surprises, which I will not spoil here. This is truly paranormal with a unique twist!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Faith Hunter's Jane Yellowrock series is amazing. This series is

Faith Hunter's Jane Yellowrock series is amazing. This series is fast paced and will leave you wanting to read more the minute you finish the book. I give this book and the writer 5 stars and if I could I would give more! This book WILL pull you in to a world full of surprises and tings you do not expect. Please read

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I was impressed

This book is so much better than I thought it would be. Very impressed with the plot.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great loved it

Great, loved it, could not put it down. Very different, now reading the second.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great new series!

So well written and engaging, I was breathless to get to the next installment. A bit of romance, plenty of action, shapeshifters, vampires and all sorts of fun! Grab it quick.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A great start to a unique series

Let me get one thing straight: I don't read romance novels. If romance is included within the scope of main character experience, I'll still read it. But if the main story is magickal, wonderful, soulmate kind of l-o-v-e and there is pining, angst, and ridiculous pretend fights when really they l-o-v-e each other but can't admit it, that's a big fat "pass" for me. "Skinwalker" won't appeal to those who like a little romance with their paranormal. Move along now.

Jane is an interesting, unusual entry into the UF field, featuring an part-Cherokee woman with a one-of-a-kind ability to shapechange. Jane rides into town on her motorcycle Bitsa ("bits of this, bits of that"), interviewing for a job with the New Orleans vampire clan, hunting a rogue vampire that is tarnishing their reputation and hurting their position with the police. After meeting Katie, one of the vampire council representatives and madam of a house of ill repute, Jane gets the job. Efforts to discover the rogue are hampered as Jane is shadowed by a couple of men that might be working with a different agenda.

Lead supporting role in this book goes to Beast, a mountain lion who share's Jane's body. Unfortunately, Jane's memory gaps leave her without explanation for her and Beast's relationship, but that will change after she meets a Cherokee shaman and requires vamp healing during her search for the rogue.

Set in New Orleans, the city proves to be a lush background. Hunter gives a good feel for the details, from cobblestone streets to decorative balconies, to the overbearing heat and humidity. In the UF field, there are many different degrees in an author's ability to use language, and Hunter does well with few missteps. While Jane herself is a very direct person, she does describe things in enough detail to keep the story interesting and unique, from teapots to the smell of a motorcycle. For a first novel, it does a decent job of avoiding the dreaded info-dump, and feeds bits and pieces to the reader in large enough chunks to give context but not bog down the story. It also allows some of Jane's internal humor to show through when she is being professional enough to not say her remarks out loud.

We did get one girly scene of her shopping and then dancing, which makes me wonder a little if Hunter is trying to be all things to all readers. You know--Jane rides a bike, carries a bad-ass gun--but can wear frothy little skirts and dance! Her long hair bothered me as well, especially given Jane as a no-nonsense fighter. I think it makes sense in context of Native heritage, but that's not given as a reason.

Had I been Hunter's editor, I would have asked that they stressed that this is the first time Jane interacts with "normal" vamps. I think she took some uncharacteristic and stupid actions (according to what she says to the reader in the narrative) when she first meets Leo, the head of the council, but that could probably be explained by the newness of the experience. There are a few things along these lines that trouble me about Jane's decision-making. I'm not sure it's internally consistent.

Still, it's a decent book. The mystery of the "rogue vamp" that doesn't act like a vamp moves along nicely. Overall, it's probably a 3.5 read on my personal scale, but I'm rounding up because it's one of the standouts in the field.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Nook reader

I purchased this book because of the positive reviews. I liked the concept, but I found the book very long and skimmed some of the pages. I am a huge fan of Patricia Briggs and Kim Harrison and hoped this would be a new favorite.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Love this book!

I can't get enough of Jane Yellowrock and can't wait for book 3 in the future!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Enjoyable But Lacks Urgency

This book engages the reader with sultry descriptions of New Orleans, intriguing Native American skin-walker mythology and two appealing primary characters, Jane Yellowrock and her big cat alter-ego. The tale is enlivened by the first person narrative which switches between Jane and her inner mountain lion. Also, Jane's interactions with the predatory but civilized Louisiana vamps creates palpable, (sometimes provocative), tension. However, this book lacks the urgent pace and tight plotting necessary to pull off an intensely exciting tale. Instead of a relentless pursuit of the murderous rouge, the flow is periodically slowed by unnecessary side excursions, tangential investigations and irrelevant personal diversions. One of these distractions is Jane's interest in a handsome stranger who has no obvious connection to the killer. Instead of concentrating on finding and killing the rouge, Jane wastes time on a romantic but irrelevant lunch and stroll as well as an eventful but unhelpful night out dancing. Also, the addition of a few more action sequences involving the rouge would have injected more excitement into the story. Despite these shortcomings, the book is entertaining overall. (Notably, action scenes do occur, and an action-heavy climax is reached.) I believe this series has a lot of potential, and I'll probably read the second Jane Yellowrock installment.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

I found this book to be very entertaining and well-written. The

I found this book to be very entertaining and well-written. The characters are unique, and the plot was unpredictable.

Dawne

Well its ok if you can stand baby talk. Her beast side when it is prominent talks and relays its messages in 2 year old language. Me want. Me see. Etcetra etcetra. I found it to be very annoying. Could not get passed it to really enjoy the book.

Treat yourself to an adventure

When I read the Rogue Mage series by Faith Hunter, I loved the characters and the plotlines were good. Loved the fact that jewelry and stones and metaphysics played a big role. I just got frustrated with the constant bang bang bang action and fight sequences, so much so that I kept telling myself that it was a shame really that someone who had such fantastic potential and imagination to write so well just didn't quite get there. I'm so glad I gave the Yellowdock series a try...because I still had "faith" in her potential for greatness. Faith Hunter got it together in spades! She is an absolutely wonderful writer and I'm looking forward to reading her more recent work.

This is the first book in the Jane Yellowrock series. If you en

This is the first book in the Jane Yellowrock series. If you enjoy other urban fantasy series such as Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson novels or Kim Harrison’s Rachael Morgan/Hollows novels, you will probably love this series, as well. Good luck putting the book down once you start!
Welcome to Jane’s world. Jane lives in a version of the modern world, where vampires and witches have been out-of-the-closet, more-or-less, for several decades. Jane herself is a bit unusual, and not just for being a six-foot tall, Harley-riding, leather-clad, weapons-toting, vampire-killing badass! If that’s not enough, Jane is also a Cherokee skinwalker, who is capable of changing her body into animal forms. As far as she knows, she may be the last of her kind. And, on top of that, she has the sentient soul of a mountain lion sharing space in her body along with her own soul! She believes this to be unusual, even for a skinwalker, but she doesn’t know how it happened. But, she does know that she and Beast are stronger and better together than a human or a mountain lion would be separately. Needless to say, when Jane takes an animal form, it is usually the form of a cougar. (By the way, fans of this series really grow to love Beast’s way of thinking and her sense of humor. You might say, she really gets her claws in you and doesn’t let go.)
So who is Jane and what is this book about? Well, Jane walked out of the woods when she was approximately 12, grew up in a children’s home, apprenticed in security work, and started hunting rogue, out-of-control vampires for a living. Rogues are unstable, very young or very old vampires who go on murderous killing sprees. Her business cards state: “Have Stakes, Will Travel”. Older vampires like the humor. Who would have thought it? Actually, Jane’s sense of humor might get her in trouble some day, but you’ll love it!
At the beginning of this book, Jane has just arrived in New Orleans to interview for the position of rogue-hunter for the local vampire council. No. Jane hasn’t worked with or for vampires before, so we learn more about them, their laws, social structure, human blood servants, and so forth right along with her.
Similarly, Jane doesn’t remember much of her past prior to the children’s home, but over the course of this book, Jane starts to recover some of her early memories, so we learn more about her, and Beast, right along with her.
Also, while I wouldn’t call this book a “romance” – no one is finding his or her soul mate and living happily-ever-after by the end of the book -, I would note that Jane does find herself with a few potential suitors and there are some lovely, flirting, teasing, and steaming sexy scenes with some hot men. Will Jane end up with one of them? You’ll have to wait and see, but you’ll have fun wondering! Faith Hunter is a good literary tease.
After you finish Skinwalker, I recommend that you read Faith Hunter’s short story in the Strange Brew anthology. That story and two of the short stories in Cat Tales explain who Jane’s friend Molly is, how Molly came to learn about Jane’s secret skinwalker abilities, and how Jane saved Molly’s daughter and, later, her sister. These events are alluded to in Skinwalker. Another short story partially addresses the mystery of Rick’s uncanny tattoos. However, you’ll want to save that one for later, as the events take place between the second and third books in the series. Don’t peek! It will spoil the plot of Blood Cross!
Happy reading!