Although I’m still struggling to keep up with all the details, I enjoyed Blood Cross a lot more than Skinwalker. A lot of the groundwork is out of the way and I feel like that let the story captivate me much more – and I do REALLY like the Jane Yellowrock world.
I think my favorite thing is the blending of Native American lore – Jane is a Cherokee Skinwalker – with some of your more standard paranormal woo-woo elements – namely vampires and witches. And even those “normal” elements feel fresh, because Hunter really gives them a fresh spin. I wasn’t expecting the religious twists – Christianity and its role on vampire lore shows up quite a bit – nor would I have expected to enjoy those twists so much. It’s just all very unique.
I also love Molly – Jane’s witch friend – and her kids, especially the freakishly powerful Angie. I can’t wait to see how the story develops around that gifted little witch. And they were a HUGE part of Blood Cross – which they weren’t in the previous book, so that was a bonus.
I get the extra players a bit confused though. Jane has nicknames for a lot of the guys – like Bruiser and WWF Guy – and while I think the names are funny, it doesn’t help me keep people straight. I know who Bruiser is, but use his real name and I’m lost for a bit. I think it would help if I could keep people straight a bit better for the overall feel of the story, which I liked a lot as it is.
I have to mention that Beast didn’t bother me AT ALL this time around – I had mentioned not enjoying those bits as much last time, despite seeing them as very well written and smart portrayals. I don’t know if I just expected it, got used to Beast, or if something changed – but I thought they were still really well written bits that I enjoyed much more.
I also still really enjoyed Khristine Hvam’s narration – she does incredibly well with the pronunciation of the ancient Cherokee language which leaves me baffled at both her and Faith Hunter. Pulling out your Spanish or French or even Latin is nothing like pulling out Native American. That’s not something you just HAPPEN to learn as you go through school. So hats off to both ladies, seriously. But especially Faith. Wow!
If you like Urban Fantasy and Native American elements, this is a series for you. I’m glad I picked it up and hope to get caught up with it this year! (This review was from 2015 and I haven’t read anymore… so I failed at that goal 🙁 maybe this year?)
Oh I have these on my list. Good to know it’s growing on ya. Not too often you read a skinwalker so that’s pretty neat!
I couldn’t agree more, that’s what pulled me to it! And honestly, I know plenty who didn’t have any problem with the first book, so it was quite possibly me – timing, mood, etc.
I haven’t read any urban fantasy in so long, but this series sounds really good. Glad you enjoyed it!
I definitely go through phases and I think it’s time for another UF phase 🙂
Oh… glad to hear the audiobooks are growing on you. I own the first couple. I think this will be my next audiobook binge read, as soon as I catch up with a few odds and ends I’m listening to.
I would like to go back to it and just binge away, but I have a few things on my plate too that I’m further into. I can’t seem to manage all the series I have going !
I’ve had this series on my list for awhile and can never seem to get to it. You know how it goes. lol I will though. I WILL! 😀
LOL I really really do know how that goes 🙂 Good luck getting to it!
I wasn’t a huge fan of the first one either and so I am not sure if I want to try another one but you make it tempting. I am glad I am not the only one who wasn’t a fan of Beast. I am glad it didn’t bother you as much this time but I am not sure if that would happen for me as I really couldn’t stand it and wanted to fast forward my audio…lol. I am not sure why it bothered me so much but I hated it. Just can’t bring myself to spend a credit on it when I could get something else…lol. 🙂 Great review!
Man Beast was rough in the first book – I think mainly because she’s so clearly NOT human and it’s a hard mind to read, though it’s kinda brilliant if you think about it. Doesn’t make it easy to read. I’m not sure why Beast didn’t bother me this time, I wish I could put my finger on it. You can borrow mine if you want, just FB message me if you’re interested 🙂
I’m really enjoying the urban fantasy genre at the moment, and this series sounds like an exciting one! Hopefully the details become easier to keep up with as you continue the series. Great review, gonna have to add this series to my TBR 🙂
Oh man, I LOVE Urban Fantasy – this has been pretty good so far, though it’s definitely not my favorite … YET at least. Have you hit Patricia Briggs yet? Her books are what got me started on UF 🙂