Jane Yellowrock is a skinwalker. Through meditation and some ancient Cherokee magic, she is able to take on the form of different animals, as long as she has access to their DNA. However, unlike any other skinwalker (though they are extremely rare and possibly extinct), she also shares a soul with Beast. Beast is the soul of a mountain panther. Jane is not quite sure how this came about, but she is sure that it is unique. She can take on Beast’s form without any meditation or access to her DNA. Jane does not have a family or a mentor, nor does she know of any other skinwalkers. Though she has created a life for herself, using her special abilities and training to hunt rogue vampires, she knows that there is more that she does not know about her abilities and her past, and she wishes to somehow fill those knowledge gaps.
This is simply Jane’s backstory. It is not the main point of the novel, although it is most definitely an underlying subplot that will continue as the series goes forward. The uppermost story in this first book of the series is that Jane has been contracted to find and kill a rogue vampire who has been terrorizing New Orleans’ French Quarter and the vampire clans who make it their home.
Because this is an urban fantasy, we get to travel through present-day New Orleans and imagine it full of vampires and witches. Faith Hunter does a fabulous job of recreating the atmosphere of one of the most famous cities in the US. Her addition of magic and vampires fits in seamlessly to the world of jazz music, spicy and wonderful food, and sultry weather. The author’s vampires also have an interesting backstory that seems to connect somehow to the history of Christianity–possibly tying in the popular legend of vampires being threatened by crosses and other Christian symbols.
The vampires, while all beautiful and with magnetic personalities, are not the only characters who stand out. Meeting with a local ne’er-do-well, the police, a local chef who is also a witch, and a local Cherokee shaman, Jane effortlessly learns more about her employers than they wanted her to know. Her interactions with some of the vampire servants are some of the most interesting scenes in the book. But don’t get me wrong, she isn’t just playing detective–she also gets to do some knock-down, drag-out fighting and showcase her prowess with knives, stakes, and claws.
While I felt that there was some repetitiveness in Jane’s inner dialogue, for the most part the story flowed smoothly and kept me interested and turning pages. In my opinion, there were also some very small instances of implausibility. One example: while I do not have a waist-length head of hair, and have never tried to braid what I do have into tiny little braids, I imagine that it would be a very time-consuming task and that hiding a derringer in said braids so that it is not visible and does not fall out but is still easily accessible in an emergency would be as close to impossible as to make no nevermind. But, hey, she is a kick-butt heroine; she has to have some mad weapons skills, right? These were minor issues, though, and for the most part Hunter does a wonderful job keeping Jane balanced in her role as bad-ass Rogue Hunter, deadly predator Beast, and fun and caring Aunt Jane who promises a doll for the daughter of her best friend.
I was entranced all the way through, and when I finally came to the last page, I was very excited that I already had the sequel on hand so that I could jump back into Jane’s story without a lengthy wait. With vivid descriptions and breathtaking scenes, Skinwalker was a very fun read, and the Jane Yellowrock series is one I will definitely be following. Anyone who has read Ilona Andrews or Jim Butcher will most likely enjoy this heroine with her humor, her skill in taking down the bad guys, and her overall humanity.
