Skinwalker

So after reading Faith Hunter's apocalyptic fantasy series, I figured I'd check out her urban fantasy Jane Yellowrock series.

Pros: Good details. Vampire politics seem fine and I like the touch that human servants serve as much to help retain the vampires' sanity over time as anything else. Good twist on shapeshifting, with an eye toward things like conservation of mass (even if it is, ultimately, still just magic). Beast is pretty well written. The book stands alone.

Cons: Pacing (for the first two-thirds of the book I had decided I wouldn't follow the series because there was a lot of description and very little of anything happening). "Tough chick" character who has romantic undercurrents in dealings with multiple men feels pretty cliche. The "everyone wants to know what Jane is" plot thread wears thin pretty fast - maybe she can sniff out cameras pretty easily, but it would not be that hard for someone who really cared to see something.

Overall? Okay read. I may try the next book, but it's not an immediate desire.

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