I have a longstanding love affair with Faith Hunter's writing (see my DYTR... post for SKINWALKER, the first book) and DARK HEIR has only furthered my admiration for her writing. In the series' ninth book, Hunter has managed to expand the world Jane lives in, in so many ways.
In DARK HEIR, the stakes are incredibly high (if you'll pardon the vampire-related pun). Jane has to track down and subdue one of the original vampires: Joses, one of the Sons of Darkness. It's an incredibly daunting mission but one she has no choice to accept because her city and her friends are in serious peril. Jane has faced down some serious foes in previous novels but there's a real sense of danger and potential failure in DARK HEIR. As events unfold, I honestly couldn't figure out how Jane was going to get out of the pickle she's in this time around. Joses is seriously powerful and Jane is seriously outmatched.
As always, the fight scenes and action are beautifully written but what really resonated with me was the way that Hunter has developed the different relationships in Jane's life. The Youngers, for example, are such a great addition to Jane's world, adding a great sense of family and a lot of humour to the series. I'm particularly fond of Eli - he's such a great partner for Jane! We also get some lovely progress in her romantic relationship with Bruiser, which always makes me smile. Hunter writes Jane's baby-steps in the romance department with such talent and I really enjoy watching Jane adjust to being in a happy and accepting romance. And then, of course, there's the dicey dance she does with Leo, which is always Entertaining with a capital "E".
There are so many reasons to love the Jane Yellowrock series and I feel like I've gushed about it time and time again. I won't belabour the point here. I'll just say that I think this is one of the strongest and most consistent urban fantasy series out there and you're missing out if you've not given it a shot.
You've described it perfectly! I love Jane, Beast, and the rest of the cast. They are so very well developed, and I love the interactions and growth over the series.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of this series before. I may check into more UF soon. That's the one genre that I don't read enough of.
ReplyDeleteI have this one on pre-order! I have seven more days to wait until I find out what Jane has been up to lately. I love the progression of the story and Jane's character throughout this series.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Brenda! I feel exactly the same way. :)
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoy it! I noticed you've started reading the series too :)
ReplyDeleteYou won't be sorry, Lekeisha!
ReplyDelete