A gritty, gory, urban fantasy that takes shape-shifting to a whole new level.

I have to premise this review with the fact that this is my first ever Faith Hunter novel. I have been looking forward to reading something by this author, as she has the best blurbs. Sadly, I was a little disappointed by Skinwalker. Although touted as being the first in a new series around Jane Yellowrock it just read like the third book. And I do so hate it when I’ve given tit-bits of background story when they’re referenced in such a way as to suggest that I should have already read the story. It’s one of my pet peeves.

This book has some serious gore. The slicing and dicing, the eating and slurping... I could feel the bile rising – do not snack while eating this book. Obviously I avoid horrors for a reason! It’s not gratuitous though, the blood and guts is within context, and fits the storyline well.

There is plenty of action, the plot premise is great, and the ending twists are wonderful. But by the time we got to the ending I was just a little bored of the whole thing. I’m afraid to say that a good beginning is essential to my enjoyment of the whole book, and this one just let me down. A gun-start of a beginning will carry me through the often boring bits of character and story development. Having to plod through all of that on my own without the adrenaline running is just painful.

I also found the beast aspect confusing at first. It made sense, of course, once the story had developed and we’d had these things explained. The horror involved in the flash back discovery was great, but also got a little lost with everything else that was going on.

This has the potential to be a really great series, but I’d love to read the earlier books by Faith Hunter to establish the writing style, and hopefully some of the back story, at least in my own mind.

Although Jane Yellowrock has been compared to the likes of Mercedes Thompson, I just don’t think she’s developed enough as a character yet. One day perhaps, but not yet. Think more early Anita Blake (Laurel K Hamilton) or Joanne Walker (CE Murphy) – she’s a character still trying to find who and WHAT she is.

A good story with lots of potential. Just make sure you leave your sence of realisim and expectation at the door so you can sit back and enjoy this urban fantasy ride.

Fans of Urban Fantasy must be stunned with delight with the Jane Yellowrock series by Faith Hunter. The first book in the series Skinwalker is a fascinating and detailed introduction to a dangerous world of vampires, witches and magic.

Jane Yellowrock is a Cherokee with two souls, her own and that of a mountain lion, that are often at odds with each other. As a skinwalker Jane is able to change into different creatures, although the process is sometimes excrutiatingly painful and when in cat form the cat soul within her battles for dominance. Despite that she is able to use her heightened senses, increased speed and strength and ability to heal quickly in order to track and kill rogue vampires.

Faith Hunter wasn’t content with the normal shapeshifter mythos. In her version we get two beings in one body. Jane is a wonderfully tough biker-chick who’s eyes well with tears of love for her best friend’s daughter, loves good tea and adores to dance. She’s very much her own person but her personality is so well revealed that you have to love her, quirks and all.  Incredibly, we also come to understand and love her Beast – the cat soul within her that is a complete predator. How they came to be bound in one body is slowly revealed throughout the book through a lot of clues, but when the past is revealed it’s with an awful understanding of how they have both suffered. They now co-exist, largely as partners but also sometimes in a fight for dominance.

There’s also a wonderful cast of supporting characters, with false romantic leads (or maybe not hmmm?), a terrifyingly suspenseful plot and true emotional depth.

This book was near impossible to put down. As a page turner it excelled, as a suspense it made your heart pound, as a new creative world it made me think and as a book with depth it made me care about Jane. Got the picture yet?  Yep this is a keeper!