| Title | : | Blood Cross (Jane Yellowrock, #2) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0451463072 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780451463074 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Mass Market Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 321 |
| Publication | : | First published January 5, 2010 |
The vampire council has hired skinwalker Jane Yellowrock to hunt and kill one of their own who has broken sacred ancient rules — but Jane quickly realizes that in a community that is thousands of years old, loyalties run deep...
With the help of her witch best friend and local vigilantes, Jane finds herself caught between bitter rivalries — and closer than ever to the secret origin of the entire vampire race. But in a city of old grudges and dark magic, Jane will have to fight to protect both sides, even if no one will protect her.
Blood Cross (Jane Yellowrock, #2) Reviews
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3/12/17 - rerereread b/c Steven.
Reviewed by:
Rabid Reads
Blood Cross begins with house guests, a power outage (b/c hurricane), and restless villagers.
And by "villagers" I mean vampires. FYI.
Molly is visiting Jane with Angie-baby and Little Evan while Big Evan is doing whoknowswhat in Brazil. Leo is deep in the dolore (<------when vamps fluctuate at varying levels of crazy b/c SAD), and sees Jane's inability to call for help as an opportune time to seek revenge for thatwhichisnotherfault, and shows up with some of his top scions to literally burn Jane out of New Orleans.
With torches and gasoline and shit.
Dolore also means drama queen, I think.
But before things can get too heated (HA!), Angie strolls out on the upper balcony and starts asking questions/saying things like, "I like fire. Can I come play?" "What's your name?" and "Mama says you eat people."
*snickers* LAWD, I love that kid.
Fortunately, Leo isn't so far gone that he wants to kill Jane badly enough to go through children to get to her. He warns her that, "This isn't over," exits, stage left, and leaves his scions raising their eyebrows, b/c he nearly had them burn a couple of kids alive, and as Master of the City, it's his responsibility to be in the know about these kinds of things.
The next day George (aka Bruiser) shows up with a letter from Leo (handwritten on vellum, and sealed with wax and blood, b/c YEP, dolore = drama queen) ordering her to leave the city immediately after completing her contract with the vamp council, or else.
The contract is to find and eliminate the rogue vamp maker we were made aware of in Skinwalker, and it doesn't take long for Jane to figure out that the rampaging baby vamps and a long-running string of disappearing witch children are connected.
Do you see where this is going?
No place good, that's for dang sure . . .
YEP . . . not long after that both Bliss (one of Katie's Ladies in denial about her witchy heritage) and Angie and Little Evan are kidnapped.<------so, so bad.
Molly is nearly killed in the attack, but Bethany (creepy, hella old out clan vamp) heals her, and when Jane shuts down emotionally, b/c 1. she's bad with FEELS, and 2. she's blaming herself for not making Molly leave when she found out about the missing witch children, BEAST takes over . . . yes, you read that correctly---Beast takes over, comforts Molly, and promises pain and death for "thief of kits."
Beast is kind of badass.
In Skinwalker we learned that Jane spent an indeterminate number of years in cat form before wandering out of the woods in Jane form and being placed in a Children's Home. Jane had no memory of being in cat form, and doesn't shift again until she's 18 and stumbles upon the ability. After that she's aware of Beast's presence, and sometimes Beast fights Jane for supremacy, but unless Janes's in cat form, the most Beast can do is make her uncomfortable or seek petty revenge the next time Jane shifts.
Or so it seems . . .
In Blood Cross, Beast takes over Jane several times, and whether she's able to do this as a result of Jane being off balance and emotionally distraught, or b/c she has more control than we originally thought, but exercises restraint, we don't know . . . but it's unnerving. It also provides valuable insight into what makes Beast tick.
And Beast isn't the only character to benefit from this kind of development. We also learn oh-so-many interesting things about George, Rick, Angie, and about vampire history in general (if you're the kind of person who views extremely altered versions of biblical events as origin stories for supernatural creatures as heretical, I'd skip this one). ALSO---there may or may not be some seriously HOT developments with one (or MORE) of the above mentioned men . . . it's a possibility . . . *taunts* *blows nose at you* *maybe even throws a cow . . . *
All in all, a most satisfying second installment to the Jane Yellowrock series. Next up---Mercy Blade!
My other reviews for this series:
Skinwalker (Jane Yellowrock #1)
Black Water (Jane Yellowrock #6.3, 6.4, 6.5)
Broken Soul (Jane Yellowrock #8) -
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾 -
*** 4.35 ***
Another Wednesday, another great Urban Fantasy!
This book could have easily gotten the full 5 star rating, but it was a bit too repetitive at times, enough to be noticeable... In many ways it reminds me of another of my favorite UF series - they are very exciting, have kick ass leading ladies, and act first think later approach to fighting evil. Gin and Jane are strong and have powers, but still barely get out alive at the end of each book, mostly because they have luck like no other! They also have very loyal and supportive friends, who must really rethink their friendship, since just because they are in the vicinity of our heroes, get almost killed and often hurt as leverage... I think, for their safety, they should move far, far away from wherever those ladies are at any given time!!!
The second book deliveres a great follow up to the debut With Skinwalker. Only this time the stakes are even higher and the bloodshed even more disturbing. We get to spend some time with the most adorable baby witch, who together with her baby brother and her mom Molly, come to visit Jane in New Orleans while she is on the hunt for a rogue Vampire who is creating new vamps and leaves them to fend for themselves, crazed with bloodlust and unable to maintain any control feed and kill people at random. Jane is happy to have her friends with her, but danger is looming over the city and vampiric powerplay for control of the city puts everyone in the middle...
As I said, very exciting and addictive book with a ton of action, magic and blood feedings... I loved it and I hope you guys do as well! Gooooo Big Cat, go!!!
I wish you all Happy Reading and many more wonderful books to come!!! -
Jane Yellowrock is like that girlfriend you have that is totally great in every aspect of her life except men. She is totally badass and I love the skinwalking aspect of her with Beast. It is a really cool concept and her being Native American really fits in with the mystery and history to her character but she is totally clueless when it comes to men.For a gal who had been out of circulation for a few years, I was getting a lot of attention. Too bad they were cop, blood-servant, and angry vamp. I’d be lucky to survive.
Normally this would be a dealbreaker for me. But I like just about everything else about Jane that I’m going to let it go for now…but well will discuss it later in the review. Jane is still in New Orleans hunting the rogue vampire that seems to making young vampires with no training. Leo in the throws of a vampire depression of sorts wants to kill her and her witchy woman friend has come to visit with the kids. Jane has her hands full at the moment.
Let’s just say that I totally love Molly and the cutest little witch ever Angelina. I hope we get a lot more of them in the next books too. I do like that Jane has something resembling a family in them.
The plot is pretty good. Jane needs to find the feral vamps and who is making them. She is also trying to figure out who is stealing witch children and why. Anytime there are kids involved the story gets a bit more intense for me. I liked meeting some more quirky characters, specifically Bethany who seems just on this side of sanity. There was also a really cool revelation about the origins of the vampires and why they are cursed. This was a pretty good ride and it seems like Jane is finding all kinds of new friends to work with in New Orleans. I liked how the search wrapped up as the fight was really intense.
Now back to the abysmal men in Jane’s life.
So far our options are Leo – He is totally out for me because he has tried to kill her a few times. Seriously how is he even in contention?
Then we get Bruiser (George) who is Leo’s blood servant so basically he is always going to take Leo’s side over Jane’s and isn’t going to be there when she really needs him. But at least they have some decent chemistry and he seems like a semi-solid dude.
And then we get ‘The Joe’ a.k.a. Rick. I hate him and I’m going to jump on the burn him with fire train. He is a liar, manipulator and a player. We learned that in the last book, she actually saw him having sex with someone else that he was just using for information while he was actively trying to get her into bed. NO…just NO.
The only guy in this that I found remotely jumpable was Derek an ex-marine that is probably too old for her that helped her in the Vampire Hunt. He is the only good guy in this so far.
So Jane needs to gets some dating/picking a mate skills but her ability to kick some vamp ass is pretty solid so I will stick around, probably longer than some of the dudes in this. -
You know that great feeling when you’ve discovered a wonderful new series and to your delight, the author has already written like 10 books in it you have yet to read? Score! This is just superb. There’s a hurricane in New Orleans. Jane has been hired to take out a rogue vampire menace in the area. There’s something creepy going on with the local witches, and Leo, Master of the Dead, wants to kill her fr the events of Book One.
Jane’s love life heats up some in this one, although I confess The world-building and plotting in this series are AWESOME. Like being in New Orleans and with richly complex plots. And of course, Jane makes a great UF heroine. Yay for book three!
Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader. -
"For a gal who had been out of circulation for a few years, I was getting a lot of attention. Too bad they were cop, blood-servant, and angry vamp. I’d be lucky to survive."
Any hope of the hot union between Jane and Leo that was teased in the first book was kind of blown to smithereens at the finale of Skinwalker – the second book takes off where Jane hasn’t been wise enough to leave town yet, and her relationship with the MOC has changed big time as a result of a certain death. Leo....well, he's definitely not the hunky vamp from the first story
Big time bonding with Angie and Molly as the witches are introduced more than through phone calls, more yummy Bruiser scenes, Rick coming across more interesting in his player way, a strange dressmaker, the bonding scene with Katie’s girls. Bethany is a bizarre one but another example of how workable the world building is with this one. Rick still isn’t a worthy character by this point since you just can’t trust him, but I do find still like him by this second book. I can’t complain about any of the characters.
Sometimes the mystery plot lost me a little bit, but the ending had a heavy bang with Angie’s help. Jane learns a little more about her past and her connection with Big-Cat with her family history. As always Beast is a hoot to be in the head of, but I do wish Jane were a little stronger in her own skin – she seems to almost get killed too much and too easily in this one.
We do get more background on the vampire legend and creation, which I only find semi-interesting – I’m more interested in the current characters in the series than their race origins. The same with Jane’s past – it’s good to know but I get a little impatient sometimes living too much in the past.
Any delays are made up with awkward party scenes, Leo’s roaring takedown again some vamps itching to take off, Bruiser’s reluctant flirting, Jane getting more intuned with her inner beast, Beast’s amusing addiction to the witch children as “kits”, and a violent ending that delivers this as a twisted but fascinating Urban Fantasy series. Addicting stuff.
Oh, but couldn’t' we get more details with a certain pairing at the end other than a sentence?? After all that build-up, it's just sneaky. 0_0
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4.5 stars. I really like this series and the main protagonist, Jane Yellowrock. Despite the fact that professionally she is the Business, she is vulnerable in personal relationships. I love the fact that she is an ugly crier! This was high action adventure - Jane could, and nearly did,have died several times in this book. Beast is also a character in her own right and seems to be coming to the fore.
Jane Yellowrock has joined the ranks of Kate Daniels, Mercy Thompson and October Daye as one of my Urban Fantasy staples. Welcome to the gang, Jane! -
Say what?!
Ok, not as good as the last one, but I really really liked it! And what I absolutely loved was the story, the myth, the "history" of this series.
As I said, for me, a great UF/PNR needs to have some fantastic world-building. Yes, other stuff matter too, but for me, this is one of the most important. And boy, am I enjoying this one! -
Vampires and witches and skinwalkers, O MY!
Faith Hunter’s 2010 novel Blood Cross, the second in the very entertaining Jane Yellowrock series, is a fun entry into the genre.
Hunter’s excellent world building and writing distinguishes this series from the sub-genre of urban fantasy female Cherokee skinwalkers who actively hunt and kill vampires and are befriended by witches in an alternate history universe. Jane is head and shoulders over the rest; skinwalkers like Tina Tailfeather, Trudy Turkeyneck and Barbi Bearclaw.
This starts up a little while after the events in the first book,
Skinwalker, first published in 2009. Jane is still in New Orleans and still working for the Blood Master of the city (a Mercedes exec) and hunting rogue vampires.
Hunter’s coolest addition to the vampire mythos is her magic rules. In her vampirology, a newly turned vampire is like a zombie (like what she did there?) a mindless eating machine who must be chained and kept for YEARS before they turn into the suave and sophisticated undead ready for primetime. There’s lots of such rules and rule breaking and shenanigans and this all blends into her fun story.
Another cool addition to her building is her vampire origins. Won’t throw down any spoilers and I have not researched whether her ideas are original or if she is borrowing from another origin myth, but she pulled it off nicely.
All in all a very cool urban fantasy and recommended for more than just fans.
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08/02/2017 Another great buddy read with the awesome girls and guy over at BB&B.
Jane is still in New Orleans and the vampire council has hired her to hunt and kill the rogue who is letting loose newly turned vampires on humanity. A job that has put Jane smack in the middle of vampire politics and rivalries. And if that’s not enough she has to watch her back because Leo Pellisier, the Blood Master of New Orleans, is still blaming her for his son’s death and is out to seek revenge on Jane.
Luckily for Jane her best friend, who is a witch and the local vigilantes/mercenaries are there to ask for help, because the more clues Jane follows the closer she comes to sacred vampire secrets, that no one is supposed to know about. And when Jane realises that witch children has being going missing, time is suddenly running out. Jane will have to do what she does best – hunting a rogue vampire before it’s too late.
To be honest I’m a bit torn about this series. I like Jane and I love Beast, although I’m getting a bit tired of every vampire wanting Jane’s blood and her body. It’s a little weird. And the way she acts around the three different love interests, how hot she finds them, thinking of mating with them is making her seem like a cat in heat. And that is frustrating and off-putting.
I am not impressed at all with Jane’s selection of love interests. I liked Leo in the first book, he was a mysterious and intriguing guy but in this book he was batshit crazy. Really crazy. For someone his age you would think he would be able to think logical even when he was grieving. But the way he tried to kill Jane…..this guy is totally bonkers and needs to be staked. Then there’s Bruiser, Leo’s second and bloodservant. I liked him in the first book, and I liked the chemistry between them in this book, but although his loyalty to Leo is admirable, I don’t admire blind loyalty and he’s definitely not the right guy for Jane because Leo will always come first to him. Then there’s Rick the lying slimeball of the previous book, who was a lot better in this book (probably because the other two in comparison were not up to par) but I still don’t like and trust him. He’s too smooth, too charming. Can’t we get a better love interest for Jane?? Please.
The best parts of this book was the plot (which was excellent) and Molly and her cute children. I enjoyed the suspense with Jane hunting the rogue, trying to figure out who he/she was (although I wish she would stop getting hurt so much, because the way the vampires has to help her every time makes me damn nervous). And the vampire politics and secrets were so damn interesting! I also enjoyed learning more about Jane’s Cherokee heritage. Then there was Molly, Jane’s best friend who is a witch and her small children. Molly is awesome and I love how she supports Jane. And her daughter, Angie is adorable! I just love that little girl and how powerful she is.
I am really liking the intriguing plot and Jane and totally loving Beast, so hopefully the romance part will be sorted soon and I can enjoy everything about this series.
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2022 Re-Read
When I need a quick, fun reread, I turn to urban fantasy. Right now, Jane Yellowrock is my heroine of choice. Today started with snow and I wanted a hit of comfort. Yes, blood and vampires, my comfort literature! The next volume is already waiting for me at the library, so I'll have my next dose ready to go as soon as I go fetch it. Very, very good.
Original Review
***2017 Summer Lovin’ Reading List***
Jane Yellowrock is growing on me. Faith Hunter is a good writer and I’m enjoying the world that she has crafted to show off Jane’s talents. I appreciate that Jane has female friends right from the get-go. And they tease her about the various men who are circling, trying to win Jane’s favour. Also a pleasant change is the mystery and puzzle-solving aspects of the book taking higher priority than the personal relationships. Not that I mind a love interest, but I prefer when it isn’t the be-all and end-all in the book.
Jane is a smart leading character. She can put information together, find ways to get others to help her willingly, and see through problems that have stymied others. She’s tough, as is her alter-ego Beast, and she needs to be in the line of work that she has chosen.
The side-line into Cherokee culture as Jane reconnects with her roots was intriguing as well. Volume 3 was an easy decision—I’ll be reading it asap. -
The first book of this series was one of the best supernatural fiction reads, and best action heroine books, that I've ever read. It had me fully prepared to continue reading every installment of the series. This second novel picks up just a few days after the end of the first; the denouement of the latter was only the beginning in cleaning up some dark skullduggery afoot in the vampire community of Hunter's slightly alternate New Orleans. As expected, this one thrust Jane into even more high-risk action and deeper into the mysterious secrets of the Undead race. But even though I gave it just one star less than the previous book, it was ultimately a disappointment, and I won't keep on reading the series.
To be sure, the four stars are earned; this book has many of the same strengths as the previous one. I'd be lying if I said I didn't really like most of it, and almost to the very end, I fully intended to continue with the series. Hunter's prose is as compelling and her plotting as strong as ever. The vivid sense of place, and the masterful evocation of the author's world that draws you in for a complete immersion, is here too. Nor has her genius for characterization, skill at depicting human interactions, and ability to evoke emotional reactions from the reader deserted her. Her deft handling of the vampire mythos, and the exploration of the relationship of Jane and Beast, still fascinates. The serious exploration of Cherokee spirituality is a plus, and I appreciate Hunter's continued restraint in the use of bad language. As always, she writes action scenes really well; I admire Jane's prowess as a fighter and willingness to risk her life for things worth fighting for, and I continue to honestly like her as a person. (I did have an issue with the casual drug use of her occasional allies from the projects; in real life, I wouldn't trust stoned or half-stoned fighters with automatic weapons anywhere near me. But that wasn't my biggest problem with the book.)
One of the things that drew me, as a person of faith myself, to the series and to Jane's character is the fact that she's depicted as a professing, church-attending Christian. While I don't expect her (or anybody else, in fiction or real life) to be a plaster saint, I appreciated a character who shares a common commitment to God and Christ and to the striving for a Christian ethical standard in daily life. The character portrayal in the first book was consistent with this. So nothing prepared me for being blindsided in this book by sexual behavior on Jane's part (including unmarried sex) that's in total disregard of Christian sexual ethics, and which makes her come across as someone who's as hormone-driven as the least responsible members of the adolescent community. And I'm not speaking here of a regretted instance of lost self-control by someone who's trying to save sexual expression for the marriage relationship; there's no particular indication that she has any problem with her own behavior. I could (and do) accept that kind of behavior in a non-believing heroine who doesn't share a Christian understanding of sexual ethics; but from one who claims to be Christian, it's too drastic an exercise in false advertising; I felt gypped and betrayed by the author.
Despite my disappointment with that aspect of the novel, it was a thought-provoking read in some ways, raising the question of what it means to be "human." Because she's a shapeshifter, Jane is told by one person, and thinks herself, that she isn't human. But she's a full-blooded Cherokee (which, if she's not human, is a contradiction in terms!), and she's physically, mentally and spiritually just as human as you and I are --she just happens to be differently abled in one respect. In my estimation, that doesn't make her any more non-human than other people who are differently abled compared to me, like the majority of people who, for instance, can hear tonal differences in music that I can't, or the small number of people who can guide themselves in the dark by echolocation (and yes, I thought that was strictly fictitious, too, until I learned that it isn't). Related to this, I've often said that I don't like super-hero stories, because I prefer heroes and heroines with human limitations and vulnerabilities. But I like supernatural yarns about vampires, werewolves, etc. --and the thought struck me, in reading this book, that the difference is less real than one might suppose. In a very real sense, Jane could be called a super-heroine, since she has abilities normal humans don't. But she's not SO super-enabled that she's immortal and above human vulnerability. In the future, I think I might look at super-hero tales with a more nuanced perspective because of that insight! -
One of the absolute best books I've read this year.
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Enjoyed it. Nice follow up to her first book. Current urban fantasy that is more action/problem solving than romance, although she does have a couple of interested men around. More character building, and I enjoyed seeing the relationship develop between Jane and her best friend Molly, and Molly's children. I also enjoyed a side trip into purification rituals that helped remind Jane of her heritage and help prepare her for her confrontations.
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Entertaining.
I enjoyed the book, perhaps more than the first one, but again, I wasn't deeply connected to it, not without that deeper emotional element that in my opinion is missing here just as it was in book 1. In fact, after 2 books I am kind of shocked that we are getting no romance at all. There are some male with potential, and some sexual tension, but the story doesn't pause to explore those relationships at a deep, emotional or even carnal level. Very disappointing.
I would also appreciate more character development for the people surrounding Jane, specially for Leo, Bruiser and Rick, since I am hopping for some kind of reverse-harem situation (not gonna happen) - like in the Anita Blake series.
The very end of the book wasn't satisfactory for me. I don't mean the conclusion of the plot, I mean the actual closure. Secondly, Rick is my least favorite of the potencial male partners. He is just a human, just a cop, lame. While on the other hand, we have a master vampire and a few hundred years old "human". Fine, they both are pretty messed up, but come on! I am not reading a fantasy series to get interested by a mere human, seriously. Besides, Rick hasn't come up in a very good light to me, Jane sees him positively, mostly, but some of his actions make me dislike him. Like when I don't like it, I don't like him. I hope he doesn't last long as a romantic interest for Jane. So, yeah, not a great ending for me...
Moving forward, I am going to miss Molly and specially Angelina. Molly because it gives Jane that friendship/family bonding aspect that I think is so necessary for everyone in order to have a balanced life. And Angelina because, hello, she is an adorable super powerful little girl, duh.
Also, there are some religious elements here and as always, I never like those, specially in fantasy books. So that plays agains the book/series in my eyes.
On a side note, I found kind of funny a couple little aspects mention in this series that obviously came right out of the Twilight series:
1 - In the first couple of minutes of the book 1, a mechanic named Jacob is mentioned, he fixes 2 bikes for Jane that were junk. He keeps one as payment, the other went to her.
2 - She is a native american shapeshifter, a.k.a a skinwalker, but not a were.
3 - She smells delicious to vamps, more so than humans or other supernaturals.
Does anyone hear any bells ringing or what?
I am moving on to the next installment now.
P.S.: I can't help comparing these books with the
Night Huntress series. I feel like the
Night Huntress series has all those elements that I find lacking here, and I am starting to get an itch to reread them for the hundredth time.
Skinwalker (Jane Yelowrock, #1) - 3 stars.
Ravel Cursed (Jane Yelowrock, #4) - DNF. 2 stars. -
The series is getting better and no longer quite follows the paths already trailblazed by many other UFs. That's not to say that it doesn't borrow heavily from one source or another, because it does, but HOW it is all put together means everything.
And I likey.
The writing is quite fun and the pacing is particularly delicious, but it's the worldbuilding, the history of the magic users, and especially the vampires that make this stand out. For all you other kinds of fans of the genre who are in it for the sexytimes, there's plenty here to enjoy, but for me, I appreciated how judicious it was applied. We weren't thrown into deadly battles only to get naked in the next moment without good reason or consideration of circumstance. WEIRD, no?
I'm really enjoying the series. I love the implications. I also can't help but wonder if it borrowed from Jim Butcher's earlier take on demons and applied it to vampires, but that's okay. The ideas are still COOL. -
2.5 tars
The first book in this series surprised me into enjoying it and checking out the rest of the books. Unfortunately, this book is a disappointing follow up to the first book.
Jane Yellowrock is still in Louisiana, even after completing her job for the Vampire Council. It seems she has been hired on to do some more work for them: a rogue is making new vampires and must be stopped.
For a long while the story just seemed to be going nowhere, so I went back and checked the synopsis, and it was vague, much like the story itself: there was not much of a sense of the plot moving forward to some sort of culmination. It remained flat until the final few chapters, where it picked up a bit, but by then I couldn't care less about any tensions or happenings that had to be resolved, I just wanted the book to end.
I also found myself returning to my initial assessment of Jane (you know, before the turn of magic that had me change my mind about the first book) as a rather uninteresting character to get to know. The one thing that perked me up was her relationship with "Bruiser", which alas, seems to be fated to either go nowhere or be part of a love triangle/quadrangle.
I was really disappointed in this installment. I think I will go on to read the next book in series to gauge whether the first book was a fluke or if it's truly worth coming along for the ride.
And...the cover is horrible. Womp. -
4.5 Stars ★★★★☆
Somebody in New Orleans is creating rogue vampires and Jane Yellowrock has been employed to hunt them down. But with employers who look at her and see their next meal, she needs to tread carefully.
This series is completely astounding! It's reminiscent of Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series and Jennifer Estep's Elemental Assassin series, but Faith Hunter somehow manages to do everything just a little better.
Synopsis ★★★★
Cover ★★★★☆
Book ★★★★☆
Overall ★★★★☆ -
4.5 "When Witches and Vampires Mix" Stars for the story and 5 stars for the narration!
Can't wait to continue with this series!
Source: Owned copy. -
This second book in the Jane Yellowrock series was not as great as the first one for me, mainly because Jane's love interest didn't turn out to be the one I preferred. However, the story, the writing and the dialogue were still great.
I was disappointed because the love scene with Jane's choice of bed buddy was not detailed at all, just one sentence near the end.
Oh well, maybe the author is saving the juicy stuff for when Jane comes back to her senses and chooses *grin* *love sigh*, regardless of the fact that he's tried to kill her two or three times.
The character of Angelina, Molly's little witch daughter was not quite believable for me. I mean, the kid had way too much power and practically . Will she become a Goddess when she turns 18?? Way to much power for a little girl.
I'm starting the third installment though, just to see if has a bigger (more romantic) role in Jane's life.
I'm not worried about the author's writing style getting worse (as I've experienced with other writers in their second or third installments). Faith Hunter is a wonderful story-teller and character-builder. I loved her new spin on Judas and the birth of vampires.
I'll take away one star, to show my disapproval of . I really hate the guy. -
I have no idea what happened at the end of this, absolutely manic. A bit slow to get going again but i like the characters and i’m intrigued by world enough to keep reading. Definitely in the UF mood at the mo.
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Reread on 02/27/17 Wow what a difference 6 years makes! I really liked the book this time. I could do without the love triangle - the other guy didn't stand a chance especially with the relationship he was currently in. I loved how Jane kept her sense of humor even with her past that could/would make most people morose and world weary. Now this book is a favorite. Who knew I'd do such a huge flip on this book?
Previous review on 02/04/11 This book takes place almost directly after the first book. Leo is still angry with her and she's still on the trail of the vampire who is making new ones without supervising them during their first appearance and the subsequent blood lust. I didn't like this book as much as I liked the first one. There is a love triangle between her, Bruiser and Rick. But even when she finally picks someone, it doesn't seem to be for any other reason than that man would pay more attention to her. Both were not there at the final showdown, so I don't know her reasoning. I'm on the fence about getting book #3. I think I'll hold off for a few months before I order it from the library. 3 out of 5 stars. -
[4 Stars] Didn't love this quite as much as the first, but it was still awesome! I really like the complex world building in this series and am even more intrigued about Beast and Jane's past now. I want to know MORE. Can't wait to dive into the next one!
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Spoiler Free
It's a must read in order series.
Blood Cross is book two in the Jane Yellowrock series by Faith Hunter.
Jane completed one job for the Council, but now the Council has hired her for another job. She has to navigate the Vampire world, stop a war, and make sure that she doesn't die or step on anymore toes.
When we last left Jane she was still in New Orleans. Molly and the kids have come to visit. It was so nice to see Molly, the kids, and Jane with them. I absolutely enjoyed learning more about Jane and her Beast. Their was some great character growth and change for both of them. We also get some very important information about the vampires and their history. That information was mind-blowing. I loved watching Jane navigation the Vampire world, but still there's so much more for her and us to learn.
I really liked the slow mystery that developed throughout this series. I liked the hunt for the Rogue vampire, the suspense, and learning more about the Vampires and Jane.
Blood Cross was a fantastic urban fantasy to read.
Rated: 4 Stars
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I'm definately enjoying this series but I found myself torn with this installment. I was caught thinking often that we were getting a 'better view' of something (i.e., plot, character development, romantic progress, Jane's history), then conversely feeling that we could have used just one more tidbit. I'm glad that the majority of smaller issues in the previous book found resolution here. I was not pleased with the choice in romantic partners though, but realized that said choice was most likely not long for this earth (or Jane's bed, imo) so I won't stress about it. This book definately established the secondary and tertiary characters better/well so I felt that overall, this book had more to offer than the first. You also definately came away knowing more than you anticipated knowing about vampire culture. I am very interested in seeing the development of Angelina and little Evan (and their entire family/witch aspect) and what role they play in the future of the series.
3 1/2 stars -
I skimmed, I really hate skimming. I'm a book-a-day reader and this took me 3 days to get through.The story was bogged down with too many long talks of vamp politics and unclear visions or dreams of Jane's past. Even the action scenes were convoluted and seemed rushed. I was left wondering how, what, when, and that's it? Completely anticlimatic. Still not digging the love interests and the witchy bffs husband and sister show up in this one and are even more mysterious then Jane. Her best friends husband barely spoke just stood around looking menacing. He was only there because of his kids but really didn't do much to help or enhance the story. Weird. Plus Jane is supposed to be this bad ass and yet she almost dies in every encounter. Blehhhh. I feel so cheated and used. I had such high hopes for this series and just ended up being disappointed. Definitely not going any further.
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4.5/5.0
REALLY enjoying this series! My very favorite type of Urban Fantasy are those that hold a strong action/world blend along with a great romance on the side. The romance area is the ONLY thing I see as a bit week in this book - Jane’s choices are not anything readers who are invested in her happiness would ever want to see her with. The rest is top-notch addictive enjoyment!
Note: While I rated this a “clean” read (no sex), it is full of violence - mostly against vampires, monsters and other urban fantasy types. -
Jane Yellowrock badass vampire slayer.
Allow me to hit the ground running. I loved this one, Jane turns into a Alpha female to the nth degree. She killed Leo's not son in the last book and he is still pissed and wants her dead. Let me say this; I love Leo. I really do. I think he is well just unf. (That is still a thing right?)
Molly and her kids are here she is having her house remodeled. So Jane is on high alert. I loved this one because it shows how wonderful Jane really is. I mean I loved the wit that she has with the characters in this one. She winds up using Bruiser, yep George is back. I think that in the end she is going to wind up with that man. She likes him; I want her to be with Leo because really he makes me happy in the lady pants... Yep, I said that. I really, really do not like "the Joe" Rick, I mean sure he is good for her right now. But, I think that there isn't enough of an Alpha there for her. She needs someone that she isn't going to break.
Leo... -coughs- Leo...
Now, let's get to the meat of it Angie baby oh my god I loved that little girl... she is cute and funny."I like fire. Can I come play?" "What's your name?"
"Mama says you eat people."
this cracked me up it made Leo stop and think. "we don't eat people"
This story kicked me in the gut and called me names. Made me cry I loved when a book can make me cry. It means the author is doing something right.
Someone is kidnapping witch children to make sure that when they make vamps they come out of the ground ready to roll. This killed me on the insides... Jane comes in kicking and ready to take some one out especially when Molly get's attacked and the children are taken. We get to meet one of Molly's sisters and Evan. I love how they all come together, I love how they did not all the way blame Jane.
Let me just go out with saying that Beast makes these books in many ways, she is funny and witty and really. She is just amazing... I will be reading the 2nd book because really I want more of these characters and I have to see who jane winds up with...
Happy reading!!
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Blood Cross
4.5 Stars
Excellent world building and characterization. The detailed explanation of the origins of the vampires and their unique brand of politics is distinctive and intriguing as is the information on the witch covens and their cold war with the vampires.
The plot revolving around the creation of new, rogue vampires and the attempt to keep them sane by sacrificing witch children is fast-paced and absorbing, especially as the villains soon hit very close to home.
Jane is a fascinating heroine and the dynamics of her connection with Beast are particularly compelling as they must coexist within the same body mass and work together for shared goals yet have an almost adversarial relationship. The secondary characters are also fleshed out more - Leo is having trouble coping with his grief, Molly and her children are staying with Jane, which leads to some cute domestic scenes, and Jane must deal with the two men in her life. This is actually, the weakest aspect of the book.
While some UF readers may not consider this a drawback as romance is not usually the focus of the genre, the author, nevertheless, introduces at least two possible love interests but fails to sufficiently develop the relationships. George (aka Bruiser) Dumas is seriously sexy and shares an intense chemistry with Jane. Unfortunately, he is also a blood servant, which lends a certain ickiness to his character and makes Jane's preference for the second leading man, Rick LaFleur, quite understandable. The problem here is that Jane and Rick lack said chemistry and he comes across as more of a consolation prize.
On a final note, Khristine Hvam's narration of the audiobook is incredible as always. She has an amazing ability to make even the most mundane passages come alive. -
Since I actually thought the first book, Skinwalker was pretty good, Blood Cross has been sitting on my TBR pile for a long time for no reason other than I buy way more books than I can possibly read and I am always chasing the next new release, so somehow this made it to the lower strata of the pile without getting read. But someone clued me into the free download of a short story prequel to the series (Kits) which pulled me back into the world of Cherokee, rogue vamp hunting, shape shifting, Harley riding, Jane Yellowrock.
There were definitely things that I liked about Blood Cross. I liked Jane's visits to the Cherokee shaman - I thought that the rites were interesting and after the first one, I was hoping that the second would bring back a bit more of Jane's lost past. I also enjoyed the presence of witch Molly and the kids in Jane's life and how they bring out Jane's Beast's soul's nuturing nature. I also thought that the way that the information Jane discovers about the Sons of Darkness explains so much of the vampire mythos was really interesting.
I did have a few nits with the story though. Despite her 'killer' legs and fancy new hunting leathers, Jane is more the master of research in this one than the kick-butty hunter she was in the first book, where she was able to handle the vamps on her own. Jane doesn't fare so well this time around and needs rescue, healing and a helping hand from a magical minor in confrontations except when dealing with baby vamps. I also had an issue with Molly's husband Big Evan heaping the blame on Jane
On the whole still I enjoyed enjoyed Blood Cross, but I did notice that Blood Cross didn't leave me with that 'got to read the next one now' feeling when all was said and done. But I do already have the next book Mercy Blade (I snagged it when it was a free preorder) so I'll likely continue with the further adventures of Jane.
