Book 87, 2021

True Dead by Faith Hunter

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I was up past my bedtime last night, but I wanted to finish reading True Dead by Faith Hunter. It's the 14th Jane Yellowrock novel, featuring Cherokee skinwalker, vamp killer, and newly crowned Dark Queen, Jane Yellowrock.

After healing in the rift, Jane is enjoying some well-deserved R&R in the mountains with her closest confidantes. However, she can't hide from her responsibilities forever. As the Dark Queen, Master of the City of New Orleans, and Bloodmaster of Yellowrock Clan, Jane has people depending on her. When an attack is launched at vamp HQ in NOLA, Jane is thrust back into the thick of things. Used to being an Enforcer, she is now forced to take a back seat in her role as the Dark Queen. Jane doesn't like it, and neither does her twin-soul, Beast. Not content to sit idly by, Jane begins delving into the history of vampires, specifically from NOLA, in an effort to learn who may be behind the recent attacks. What she learns is that the enemy may be closer than she thought, and that no one in NOLA is safe.

I love this series, period. This book was somewhat of a departure in that Jane wasn't involved in many battles except on the periphery. She still took an active role, working to unravel the tangled threads that had been in place for centuries as she sought to identify enemies and allies both. Near-immortal vampires can afford to be patient as they lay their traps and put their pieces into play. None of them counted on Jane, however. There was a lot of action in this one, stunning betrayals, and some sobering losses. Beast is present but not always forthcoming with Jane. In fact, a lot of people were keeping things from her, and Jane didn't like it.

Favorite lines:
♦ Beast liked secrets. All cats liked secrets.
♦ "I'll be annoyed if you paranormal psychos ruin my wedding."
♦ No way was I giving in to this hilarity.
♦ She was neither disdainful, nor in awe of my magnificent ears.
♦ Cats must always confuse humans. Confusion was why humans loved cats.
♦ I had never been pretty. But by all that was holy, I was badder than bad.

This didn't end on a cliffhanger, per se, but it created a nice set up for the future of the series. I am looking forward to it! Five stars!


Artwork by Cliff Nielsen...I believe?