|
|
Title
|
Broken
Soul
|
|
Author
|
Faith Hunter
|
|
Genre
|
Urban
Fantasy
|
|
Publisher
|
ROC
|
|
Pub Date
|
October
7th 2014
|
|
Source
|
ARC courtesy of the publisher via
NetGalley
|
Jane Yellowrock is the incarnation of
courage: she feels plenty of fear, but does not let it stop her from doing what
she believes is necessary and right.
Publisher’s Description:
Jane
Yellowrock is a vampire killer for hire—but other creatures of the night still
need to watch their backs....
When the Master of the city of New Orleans asks Jane to improve security for a
future visit from a delegation of European vampires, she names an exorbitant
price—and Leo is willing to pay. That’s because the European vamps want Leo’s
territory, and he knows that he needs Jane to prevent a total bloodbath. Leo,
however, doesn’t mention how this new job will change Jane’s life or the danger
it will bring her and her team.
Jane has more to worry about than some greedy vampires. There’s a vicious
creature stalking the streets of New Orleans, and its agenda seems to be
ripping Leo and her to pieces. Now Jane just has to figure out how to kill
something she can’t even see….
What I
liked
The
characters. Jane Yellowrock is one of my favorite heroines out there. She is
tough *and* vulnerable. She is, for me, the incarnation of courage: she feels
plenty of fear, but does not let it stop her from doing what she believes is necessary
and right. She’s uncomfortable in relationships of any kind, friendship to
romance, because she has been hurt and abandoned by family and friends and
lovers in the past, and yet she continues to find and forge those relationships,
often in unexpected ways. And it’s not just Jane. Hunter brings a rich cast of
characters to life in these stories. Good guys, bad guys, monsters. Sometimes
all three at once.
The
action. In addition to simply terrific storytelling, Hunter describes the
action so vividly that you can easily picture it. She pays the same attention
to describing all the senses, as Jane and Beast use sight, sound, taste, and
touch to determine the mysteries surrounding them. Some readers may complain of
Hunter’s detailed descriptions of clothing, hair, and weapons, but I find them
all integral to Jane’s worldview.
I did
mention terrific storytelling. Hunter gives us a multi-layered world, bringing
together elements of European, Christian, native American, and meso-American
mythology, as well as military tactics, strategy, fighting, and technology, sword
fighting and physics. There’s also time for a few memorable meals, some
scorching sex, and always a carefully brewed cuppa tea.
This is the 8th Jane Yellowrock
novel, which means we have a pretty rich backstory already well developed.
Hunter can give brief mention of characters who don’t even have page-time in
this book, like Jane’s best friend, the witch Molly, and her family, or Jane’s
former boyfriend Ricky and their complicated, broken relationship, and fans of
the series will fill in with memories from the previous novels.
What
I didn’t like
To be
honest, I felt like I was stumbling a little in the first couple of scenes. It’s
absolutely in Jane’s voice and character, dropping us right into the action
with her, in the pell-mell pace that is Jane’s everyday life. I wondered if a
reader who wasn’t familiar with the previous novels would be lost. Was I
reading with a too-critical eye before I relaxed and let the story take over? Perhaps
so, but soon enough, I was swept up and into the story and left those concerns
behind.
Caveats
(potential triggers)
Frankly,
if you don’t enjoy reading sex and violence, then dark urban fantasy isn’t
probably a good genre for you. There is reference to a previous…let’s call it
an intimate assault (not a rape, and not a fight scene), during a sex scene.
There’s a fair amount of blood and gore and graphic descriptions of fighting,
and some more explicit sex than has been in most of the previous Jane
Yellowrock stories.
Summary
Hunter
has created a rich and complex story with genuine characters, and I plan to
continue reading as long as she keeps writing. Jane Yellowrock is a modern
heroine with unexpected depths, and she will do whatever it takes, including
great sacrifice to protect the people she loves and to do what she believes is
right.
I give
Broken Soul 4.5 out of five “sparks”.
#
And so, with a loving heart, I offer you
Namaste
I’ve heard many translations. Here’s one I love:
The light of the universe that shines within me recognizes
the light of the universe that shines within you.
|
Dogs
in House
|
Houdini, Brindle
|
|
|
|
|
Music
Playing
|
O
Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack
|
|
|
|
|
Time
writing
|
~45 minutes
|
|
|
|
|
October
word count
|
909
|
