Tag Archives: Have Stakes Will Travel

Dance Master by Faith Hunter

June 12, 2020Book ReviewAnimagus, Blood in Her Veins, Dark Fantasy, Faith Hunter, Have Stakes Will Travel, Jane Yellowrock, Strong Womenskyebjenner

Title: Dance Master
Author: Faith Hunter
Series: Jane Yellowrock #3.3
In: Blood in Her Veins (Faith Hunter) & The Jane Yellowrock World Companion (Faith Hunter)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Animagus, Dark fantasy, Strong women
Dates read: 17th May 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Roc
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: He would add the bill to Leo’s account along with his customary thirty percent tip.

After the tumultous occurrences of Mercy Blade, Jane and Bruiser once again unite for a job. And a little dancing.

I have some seriously mixed feelings about Bruiser and Jane ending up together. Mostly, I think that I don’t want it to happen. I have too much of an attachment to Rick. But, there is this great chemistry between them. And reading short stories like Dance Master which tell things from Bruiser’s point of view… then I start to feel a little more inclined towards their eventual relationship. I still prefer Rick, but that may change as the series evolves…

Jane’s love of dancing helps to give her a slightly more vulnerable aspect to her personality. Something that is fun and not all about killing. Even in the middle of this short story, when she is hunting down a rogue, there is still the time to dance. The fact that it also involves a bit of a romantic / seductive moment with Bruiser just ties in everything quite nicely.

Honestly, there isn’t anything ground shaking that occurs in this short story. Rather, it just sets the scene for the continuation of the flirtation between Bruiser and Jane. Or at least, that’s how I’m reading this short story at the moment… I need to actually read Raven Cursed first and see if my hunch is correct. I’m pretty sure that Jane and Bruiser are going to get together soon though…

<- Blood, Fangs, and Going Furry

Raven Cursed ->

Image source: Faith Hunter

Signatures of the Dead by Faith Hunter

October 1, 2016Book ReviewAnimagus, Blood in Her Veins, Dark Fantasy, Faith Hunter, Have Stakes Will Travel, Jane Yellowrock, Native American Mythology, Skinwalker, Strange Brew, Strong Womenskyebjenner

Title: Signatures of the Dead
Author: Faith Hunter
Series: Jane Yellowrock #0.7
In: Blood in Her Veins by Faith Hunter, Have Stakes, Will Travel by Faith Hunter & Strange Brew edited by P.N. Elrod
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Animagus, Dark fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Roc, Roc & St Martin’s Griffin
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: It could only be used in clear life-and-death situations.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Jane Yellowrock, her best friend Molly Trueblood, an earth witch, police detective Paul “Brax” Braxton, and Molly’s husband Evan go after a blood-family of rogue-vampires who killed a local family.

Molly is a fantastic contrast to Jane, and telling the tale of Jane’s most successful vampire hunt through her eyes was refreshing and a very unique way to tell a new tale. Likewise, such a horrifyingly difficult hunt and journey was softened through Molly’s voice. Her ability to sense the dead and feel what they felt made the tale more tender and the deaths of the victims more tragic.

I read this short story after reading Skinwalker, so finding out more about the battle that put Jane on the map (so to speak), was fascinating and enjoyable. It also drove home the prowess and power of Jane in battle; she isn’t soft and is completely fearless and ruthless in battle.

<- Haints

Make it Snappy ->

Image source: Goodreads

Haints by Faith Hunter

September 30, 2016Book ReviewAnimagus, Blood in Her Veins, Dark Fantasy, Faith Hunter, Have Stakes Will Travel, Jane Yellowrock, Native American Mythology, Skinwalker, Strong Womenskyebjenner

Title: Haints
Author: Faith Hunter
Series: Jane Yellowrock #0.6
In: Blood in Her Veins by Faith Hunter & Have Stakes, Will Travel by Faith Hunter
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Animagus, Dark fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Roc
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: She’s making those little puffs of breath that she does when we just can’t wake her.

Molly Everhart Trueblood and Jane Yellowrock try to discover if a local house is indeed haunted. But the problem that they discover is far worse than a ghostly haunting, and far more difficult to solve.

Changing the point of view of a story is always a nice change and a breath of fresh air, and Haints was no different. The Jane Yellowrock series allows us to delve into Jane’s experiences and her feelings about the Everheart family, but Haints tells of Molly’s motherly and caring attachment to Jane.

Throughout the stories Molly is often seen to be the one requiring protection, but Haints highlights her own brand of steely protectiveness. She is soft and motherly where Jane is hard and unyielding. The combination of these two personalities is a beautiful way in which friendships can thrive on diversity and the acceptance of this.

<- Kits

Signatures of the Dead ->

Image Source: Goodreads

We Sa and the Lumber King by Faith Hunter

September 25, 2016Book ReviewAnimagus, Blood in Her Veins, Dark Fantasy, Faith Hunter, Have Stakes Will Travel, Jane Yellowrock, Native American Mythology, Short Story Collections, Skinwalker, Strong Womenskyebjenner

Title: We Sa and the Lumber King
Author: Faith Hunter
Series: Jane Yellowrock #0.1
In: Blood in Her Veins by Faith Hunter & Have Stakes, Will Travel by Faith Hunter
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Animagus, Dark fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Roc & Roc
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: After long time, shadows began to stretch upon the ground.

Beast, with Jane Yellowrock in the background of her mind, observes the lumber camp of white men who are destroying her hunting grounds. She decides to take revenge on the leader of the lumberjacks.

It was incredibly interesting to read a little more about some of Jane’s first years. Not only is it a great way to gain insight into her first transformations, but it also gave me a glimpse into the desecration of the land by white man when they first arrived in the Americas.

This short story was beautifully written – it was structured from the Bobcat / We Sa’s point of view, and the difference in language was both startling and enjoyable. Where Beast is strong and always willing for a hunt and fight, We Sa is aware of her limitations and fearful of the consequences of her actions.

Throughout the other Jane Yellowrock stories, Jane’s connectivity with nature is alluded to, but never highlighted. This short story beautifully ties this intricate relationship into her story and illustrates that although her victims may have changed, Jane is still sassy and uses slightly obscure tactics to get the job done.

<- More Faith Hunter

The Early Years ->