Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #484: Rift in the Soul by Faith Hunter

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings.

From the publisher: Nell Ingram and her team face a dire, supernatural evil in this newest thrilling paranormal procedural in the New York Times bestselling Soulwood series.

Nell Ingram draws her powers from deep in the earth, and uses them to help Psy-LED, the Psychometric Law Enforcement Division, which solves paranormal crimes. When a local vampire calls to report a dead body on her compound, Nell knows she and her team have to be ready for anything.

But the dead body is just the beginning of a mystery that involves supernaturals of all kinds, including some of the most powerful vampires in the country. As Nell gets closer to the truth, she begins to understand that the perpetrator is tracking her too—and that there is something personal about this crime. Something with roots that go almost as deep as those in Soulwood.

Rift in the Soul  by Faith Hunter is expected out March 5th, 2024 from Ace.

Why am I waiting on this book? This book is the 6th book in the Soulwood series featuring Nell and her coworkers. It takes place in the same world as the Jane Yellowrock books with some crossovers possible. I have enjoyed watching Nell grow in confidence and abilities as the series has progressed. She works well with the rest of the Psy-LED team she is a part of. I'm wondering just what they will be up against this time and how Nell's abilities will play into it. If you like urban fantasy, this is a good series.

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Happy Book Birthday to Final Heir by Faith Hunter!

 

From the publisher: 

The stakes couldn’t be higher in the newest novel in the New York Times bestselling, pulse-pounding Jane Yellowrock series.

Jane Yellowrock is the queen of the vampires, and that makes her a target as she fights to maintain control and keep peace in the city of New Orleans. She has enemies at every turn, because vampires live forever, and they keep their grudges alive with them. That includes the Heir, the vampire sire of the Pellissier bloodline, which gave rise to Leo Pellissier himself—Jane’s old boss and the former master of the city.

With the Heir and all the forces of darkness he can muster arrayed against her, Jane will need all the help she can get. She’ll find it in her city, her friends, her found family, and, of course, the Beast inside of her.

Final Heir by Faith Hunter is the fifteenth and final book in the Jane Yellowrock series. It's available starting today from Ace.

I'm currently reading and enjoying it. Review to come soon.

Book Review: Of Claws and Fangs by Faith Hunter

 

From the publisher:

Collected together for the first time, this volume contains shorter works featuring heroines Jane Yellowrock and Nell Ingram, as well as a host of other characters from the Jane Yellowrock and Soulwood series. Faith Hunter is “an expert at creating worlds filled with intriguing supernatural elements and exciting scenarios”* and her skills are on full display in this collection. From a vampire-filled Halloween evening in New Orleans to the searing tale of how a certain were-leopard first got his spots, this collection has something for everyone, and each story is sure to put the super in supernatural.
 
With eighteen stories in all, Of Claws and Fangs will enrich and entertain—it’s a must-have for Faith Hunter’s readers and all lovers of fantasy.

Of Claws and Fangs was published May 3rd, 2022 by Ace.

My thoughts:

The stories may have been previously published, but not all of them are readily available elsewhere. Faith Hunter puts a note at the beginning of the collection about this as well as brief notes before each story explaining its origin and where it might fall in the timeline of things. 

I thought all of the stories were excellent which is often unusual in a collection or anthology. While I enjoyed them all, the story "Bound into Darkness" stood out to me. It's a little longer than the rest, but it held me rapt. It's got Liz Everhart and Eli Younger as the main characters. It's told in alternating points of view between the two. There's plenty of action and magic. And there's loads of suspense.

Overall, I give this collection 5 out of 5 stars. I agree with the publisher that this is a must read for anyone who enjoys Faith Hunter's books. Other fans of urban fantasy might enjoy the book as well. It could serve as an introduction to Jane Yellowrock, Nell Ingram, and other characters and elements of their world.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This did not affect my review.

Happy Book Birthday!

 

Instead of my usual Teaser Tuesday, I want to wish a Happy Book Birthday for a couple of books coming out today. Both books are being released by Ace.

The first one is Heroic Hearts ed. by Jim Butcher and Kerrie Hughes.

From the publisher:

An all-star urban fantasy collection featuring short stories from #1 New York Times bestselling authors Jim Butcher, Patricia Briggs, Charlaine Harris, Kelley Armstrong, and more . . .

In this short story collection of courage, adventure, and magic, heroes—ordinary people who do the right thing—bravely step forward.
 
But running toward danger might cost them everything. . . . 
 
In #1 New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher’s “Little Things,” the pixie Toot-Toot discovers an invader unbeknownst to the wizard Harry Dresden . . . and in order to defeat it, he’ll have to team up with the dread cat Mister.
 
In #1 New York Times bestselling author Patricia Briggs’s “Dating Terrors,” the werewolf Asil finds an online date might just turn into something more—if she can escape the dark magic binding her.
 
In #1 New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris’s “The Return of the Mage,” the Britlingen mercenaries will discover more than they’ve bargained for when they answer the call of a distress beacon on a strange and remote world.
 
And in #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong’s “Comfort Zone,” the necromancer Chloe Saunders and the werewolf Derek Souza are just trying to get through college. But they can’t refuse a ghost pleading for help.
 
ALSO INCLUDES STORIES BY Annie Bellet * Anne Bishop * Jennifer Brozek * Kevin Hearne * Nancy Holder * Kerrie L. Hughes * Chloe Neill * R.R. Virdi 

The second book is a short story collection by Faith Hunter. 

From the publisher:

Collected together for the first time, this volume contains shorter works featuring heroines Jane Yellowrock and Nell Ingram, as well as a host of other characters from the Jane Yellowrock and Soulwood series. Faith Hunter is “an expert at creating worlds filled with intriguing supernatural elements and exciting scenarios”* and her skills are on full display in this collection. From a vampire-filled Halloween evening in New Orleans to the searing tale of how a certain were-leopard first got his spots, this collection has something for everyone, and each story is sure to put the super in supernatural.
 
With eighteen stories in all, Of Claws and Fangs will enrich and entertain—it’s a must-have for Faith Hunter’s readers and all lovers of fantasy.

Happy Reading!

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #419: Dead Man's Hand by James J. Butcher

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings.

From the publisher:

On the streets of Boston, the world is divided into the ordinary Usuals, and the paranormal Unorthodox. And in the Department of Unorthodox Affairs, the Auditors are the magical elite, government-sanctioned witches with spells at their command and all the power and prestige that comes with it. Grimshaw Griswald Grimsby is…not one of those witches.
 
After flunking out of the Auditor training program and being dismissed as “not Department material,” Grimsby tried to resign himself to life as a mediocre witch. But he can’t help hoping he’ll somehow, someway, get another chance to prove his skill. That opportunity comes with a price when his former mentor, aka the most dangerous witch alive, is murdered down the street from where he works, and Grimsby is the Auditors’ number one suspect.
 
Proving his innocence will require more than a little legwork, and after forming a strange alliance with the retired legend known as the Huntsman and a mysterious being from Elsewhere, Grimsby is abruptly thrown into a life of adventure, whether he wants it or not. Now all he has to do is find the real killer, avoid the Auditors on his trail, and most importantly, stay alive.

In the tradition of his renowned father, James J. Butcher’s debut novel is a brilliant urban fantasy about a young man who must throw out the magical rule book to solve the murder of his former mentor.

Dead Man's Hand by James J. Butcher is expected out October 11th, 2022 from Ace.

Why am I waiting on this book? I like urban fantasy. This looks like a promising start to a new series.

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Book Review: True Dead by Faith Hunter

 

From the publisher:

Jane Yellowrock goes back to the city where it all began in the newest installment of this thrilling New York Times bestselling series.

Jane used to hunt vampires, but now she’s their queen. She’s holed up in the mountains with the Yellowrock Clan, enjoying a little peace, when a surprise attack on her people proves that trouble is brewing. Someone is using very old magic to launch a bid for power, and it’s all tied to the place where Jane was first drawn into the world of Leo Pellissier—the city of New Orleans.

Jane is compelled to return to NOLA because someone is trying to destabilize the paranormal world order. And because she now sits near the top of the vampire world, the assault is her problem. She will do what she must to protect what’s hers. Her city. Her people. Her power. Her crown.

True Dead by Faith Hunter was published September 14th, 2021 by Ace.

My thoughts:

This is the fourteenth book in the Jane Yellowrock series and the second to last novel in the series. That it's been so long running shows that there are readers who enjoy it as well as a talented author.

The world building is detailed and complex. There are many cultures and magic systems. For Jane, the center of it all is New Orleans. It's where things started and where things may end. As the Dark Queen, Jane is responsible for many different people and beings. And because she is the Dark Queen she will be challenged. It's hard to keep the many cultures straight. Lucky for her she has people to help with that.

Jane herself is not just Jane. Beast also resides within her. The relationship between the two has changed over the years and is complex. Both of them continue to grow as more responsibility is thrust upon them. It's interesting to watch how they view the same situations differently.

There's plenty of action in the book. It seems a little slow at first, but it picks up soon enough. With each action scene, the stakes seem to get higher. 

This book should not be read as a standalone. There are plot points that refer to previous occurrences in the series. While some explanation is given, there's so much more richness to be gotten from reading other books in the series first.

Overall I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars. It's a well written, complex piece of urban fantasy. If you have read other books in the series, this is a must -read. If you like urban fantasy, you will probably enjoy this series.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.