Tag Archives: Native American Mythology

Coyote Speaks by Ari Berk & Carolyn Dunn

December 12, 2019Book ReviewCarolyn Dunn, Easy Reading, Native American Mythology, Non-fictionskyebjenner

Image result for book cover coyote speaks

Title: Coyote Speaks: Wonder of the Native American World
Author: Ari Berk & Carolyn Dunn
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Native American mythology, Non-fiction
Dates read: 16th October – 14th November 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Non-fictional text
Publisher: Abrams
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: The beauty and commercial value of these objects can make people greedy, even people who should know better.

Imagine
a time when there was only a thin line between the realms of humans and animals, and they could speak to each other and share their knowledge, or transform from one into the other through magic.

Imagine
a world where Coyote makes the heavens by holding all the stars in a blanket and then throwing them into the sky, where they become the constellations that we still see today.

Imagine
a land where people emerged into this world by growing like corn from beneath the ground.

Imagine
ancient objects, amazing journeys, mysterious symbols, and magical stories.

Now imagine all these things exist, for in Native America, they do.

I really don’t know much about Native American mythology. I’ve never had the exposure, and other than one character in the Mercedes Thompson series, I’ve not read any books that feature people of this heritage. So of course, I was extremely excited and fascinated to pick up this book and learn something new. Which, this was a perfect introduction to. I now know that I want to read further along about this mythos, but as a broad overview… this was fantastic.

This broad introduction was beautifully graphic. I spent more of my time staring at the pictures than actually reading the words. It was just beautiful and unforgettable. I’ll pick this up again and again, just because I loved the layout and print of the work.

I’m well aware of how many of the world’s Indigenous cultures and beliefs are frequently disrespected. So I was very happy to find that this was not only informative and a great introduction, it was also incredibly respectful to the mother culture. Now I just need to start slogging through that great bibliography at the end!

<- More Native American mythology reviews

More non-fiction reviews ->

Image source: Amazon

How Raven Made His Bride by Theodora Goss

May 19, 2019Book ReviewNative American Mythology, Poetry, The Coyote Road, Theodora Goss, Trickstersskyebjenner

Title: How Raven Made His Bride
Author: Theodora Goss
In: The Coyote Road (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Native American mythology, Poetry, Tricksters
Dates read: 22nd April 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Poem
Publisher: Firebird Fantasy
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: While she lay sleeping, he stole

Raven needs to win a bet and create the perfect bride. So how is he going to go about it?

This is a nice, quick and fun poem. It’s an easy read, but one that has many hidden layers. I read it twice before I started trying to write this review. After all, the hidden layers were happy to tell me something new each and every re-read.

I really enjoy stories about Coyote and the Native American tricksters. There is something that is a lot more fun and entertaining than some of the other tricksters in mythology. It is a little less dark than many other trickster stories. But there is still that great, fun sense of vengeance and selfishness. A sense of equality in their very presence.

This poem had a very origins feel to it. Kind of like “how the porcupine got its spines” or “how the camel got its hump” sort of story. Which worked in brilliantly well with the trickster theme that runs throughout not only this poem, but also the collection that I found it in.

<- The Fortune-Teller Review

Crow Roads Review ->

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Blood Cross by Faith Hunter

October 4, 2016Book ReviewAnimagus, Dark Fantasy, Faith Hunter, Jane Yellowrock, Native American Mythology, Skinwalker, Strong Womenskyebjenner

Title: Blood Cross
Author: Faith Hunter
Series: Jane Yellowrock #2
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Animagus, Dark fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Roc
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: That was low.

As a vampire hunter and skinwalker, Jane Yellowrock is public enemy number one in the vampire community – even though she’s also the key to their survival. Now she’s about to learn that working for the enemy can be just as dangerous as hunting them.

The Vampire Council of New Orleans has hired Jane to hunt and kill one of their own who has broken sacred ancient rules. But she quickly realizes that in a community that is thousands of years old, loyalties run deep.

With the help of her witch best friend and local vigilantes, Jane finds herself caught between bitter rivalries – and closer than ever to the secret origin of the entire vampire race. But in a city of old grudges and dark magic, Jane will have to fight to protect both sides, even if no one will protect her.

The second full novel in the Jane Yellowrock series was a great, fast paced read and a fantastic follow up to the first story. Set not long after the explosive ending of Skinwalker, Jane is thrust further into the intriguing world of vampires and their politics. Molly’s presence in the story brings a much wanted layer of softness to the story to balance out Jane’s strong and unyielding presence.

There is nothing like some saucy love interests and sexual tension to boost the octane of a plot, and Hunter has done this beautifully. With three potential interests in Skinwalker, Jane falls further into the laps of these men. These raunchy scenes are a great, pulse-quickening way to further the storyline and raise the stakes. It is also a fantastic way to highlight Jane’s independence – she is attracted and interested, but not willing to fully commit.

My favourite thing about this story is the love and care that Jane shows towards the children. They gain her protection and care above all else. Hunter shows Jane’s stunning ability to care for others, but she also reminds us of Jane’s own isolated upbringing. Her inability to believe in a positive future for herself plucks at the heart strings as she fights for the future of others.

<- First Sight

Mercy Blade ->

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First Sight by Faith Hunter

October 3, 2016Book ReviewAnimagus, Blood in Her Veins, Dark Fantasy, Faith Hunter, Jane Yellowrock, Jane Yellowrock World Companion, Native American Mythology, Skinwalker, Strong Womenskyebjenner

Title: First Sight
Author: Faith Hunter
Series: Jane Yellowrock #1.5
In: Blood in Her Veins by Faith Hunter & Jane Yellowrock World Companion by Faith Hunter
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Animagus, Dark fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Roc
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: And I smelled the scent of burning flesh, remembering only then the cross in her hand.

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It is in Skinwalker that Jane Yellowrock first meets George Dumas (Bruiser) and Leo Pellissier. Now, in “First Sight”, that encounter is revisited – only this time from Bruiser’s point of view.

Many of the Jane Yellowrock short stories are written from the point of view of other characters in the series, which is very enjoyable. First Sight is the first story that divulges the first impressions of another character within the stories. Especially when this first impression is that of a man who is interested in her.

Molly reminds us of Jane’s vulnerability, and Beast and We Sa show the animalistic side of her skinwalker nature, but Bruiser’s retelling of their first meeting places her in the context of an attractive woman. Something I hadn’t considered previously.

Reading of Jane and Bruiser’s first meeting also helped to further explain the relationship between himself and Leo. The potence of the blood bond between vampire and servant is incredibly strong, and learning about it from the point of view of one who is bonded was incredibly insightful.

<- Skinwalker

Blood Cross ->

Image source: Goodreads

Skinwalker by Faith Hunter

October 2, 2016Book ReviewAnimagus, Dark Fantasy, Faith Hunter, Jane Yellowrock, Native American Mythology, Strong Womenskyebjenner

Title: Skinwalker
Author: Faith Hunter
Series: Jane Yellowrock #1
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Animagus, Dark fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Roc
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: Fine.

Last year Jane nearly lost her life taking down a deadly family of vampires who preyed on the helpless local populace. Now, after months of recuperation, she’s back and ready to fight again. Except this time, she’s been hired by those she’s trained to kill – vampires.

Jane Yellowrock is the last of her kind – a skinwalker of Cherokee descent who can turn into any creature she desires – and hunts the undead for a living. But now she’s been hired by Katherine Fonteneau, one of the oldest vampires in New Orleans and the madam of Katie’s Ladies, to hunt a powerful rogue vampire who’s killing other vamps.

Amidst a bordelllo full of real “ladies of the night,” and a hot Cajun biker with a panther tattoo who stirs her carnal desire, Jane must stay focused and complete her mission… or else the next skin she’ll need to save may be her own.

I have never read anything like this novel. I’ve heard of skinwalkers before, and I have read a plethora of books about vampires, but nothing like this novel. And that is saying something! Books that have a supernatural spin and are based in some form of mythology usually focus on the European mythos, so it was really exciting to read about Native American mythos. It is an area that I find fascinating, and I love the uniqueness of such a tale.

The tone and language throughout this book is very adult, definitely not good if you want to read something less mature. Some of this is because of the sexual content, but it is more than that. The voice is that of a woman who is independent, strong, and mostly alone in the world. This translates beautifully in the point of view of the story. It also gives a slightly darker spin to a world, that, quite frankly, can be treated a little too light-heartedly in some novels. There was also a stark contrast in the way that sections were written – when Beast is in charge, the sentences are shorter, the explanation of the surrounds much more visceral.

Jane is a truly dual-natured heroine. She incorporates Beast and her human embodiment, basal-predator and human-hunter. There is an uneasy truce between the two sides, and for me, this is a great reminder of the constant war between our desires (what we want) and our responsibilities (what we need).

<- Make It Snappy

First Sight ->

Image source: Amazon

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.

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

Kits by Faith Hunter

September 29, 2016Book ReviewAnimagus, Blood in Her Veins, Dark Fantasy, Faith Hunter, Jane Yellowrock, Native American Mythology, Skinwalker, Strong Womenskyebjenner

Title: Kits
Author: Faith Hunter
Series: Jane Yellowrock #0.5
In: Blood in Her Veins by Faith Hunter
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Animagus, Dark fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Roc
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: Storm fell apart.

When Molly Everhart Trueblood doesn’t show up for her shift at Seven Sassy Sisters Herb Shop and Café, Jane Yellowrock goes to the house to check on her. There Jane discovers a black cloud of wild, out of control magic attacking the small home. How can Jane save the small family?

Kits further highlights two aspects of Jane’s life; her love for children, especially the Everhart girls, and the simple and honest friendship between Jane and Molly. The previous short stories have focused on Jane’s early life and her isolation from everyone else. Finding Molly and her small family is a beautiful moment in which Jane is able to have family and loved ones – people that she wants to protect.

This pivotal moment in Jane’s life is beautifully retold and plucks at the heart strings – a vulnerable and maternal side to the vampire hunter is highlighted. The potency of Angela’s powers are also a great foreshadowing for potential future storylines and the difficulties that Molly and Evan are forced to face.

<- Cat Tats

Haints ->

Image source: Goodreads

Cat Tats by Faith Hunter

September 28, 2016Book ReviewAnimagus, Blood in Her Veins, Dark Fantasy, Faith Hunter, Jane Yellowrock, Native American Mythology, Skinwalker, Strong Womenskyebjenner

Title: Cat Tats
Author: Faith Hunter
Series: Jane Yellowrock #0.4
In: Blood in Her Veins by Faith Hunter
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Animagus, Dark fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Roc
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: She was dressed in white, the bodice close fitting, pushing up her breasts like a corset might.

In this story from the Jane Yellowrock universe, undercover agent Rick LaFleur has been working on gaining access to Leo Pellissier, Master of the City of New Orleans. But he wakes up naked and bound in an old barn, at the mercy of a magic-working tattoo artist and an insane vampire.

Rick’s tatts in Skinwalker are a great source of fascination and intrigue. The story behind this provided a small insight into this fateful moment is both tragic and left me with a feeling of an unfinished future together. I love this idea of fate and future, and the ways in which Jane and Rick seem to have ties to each other and each other’s lives.

Reading a story from Rick’s point of view changed the way that I perceived him. He becomes far sweeter and less of a pompous character when explaining his choices and movements. His journey into the police force and subsequent undercover work is beautifully explained, and many of his actions throughout the following storylines become far less insidious.

This short story was not at all what I expected, and it was such a pleasure to read. The change from Jane’s story was refreshing, and I thoroughly enjoyed finding more about Rick.

<- Snafu

Kits ->

Image source: Goodreads

Snafu by Faith Hunter

September 27, 2016Book ReviewAnimagus, Black Water, Blood in Her Veins, Dark Fantasy, Faith Hunter, Jane Yellowrock, Native American Mythology, Shapeshifters, Skinwalker, Strong Womenskyebjenner

Title: Snafu
Author: Faith Hunter
Series: Jane Yellowrock #0.3
In: Blood in Her Veins by Faith Hunter & Black Water by Faith Hunter
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Animagus, Dark fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Roc & Roc
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: I said, “Anton Jevers and Wayne Roles Junior.”

Fans are always asking about Jane’s early life and training, about how she went from the children’s home to rogue-vamp hunter. Well, here’s a small insight into how.

I love this short story – it takes us on a journey into Jane’s first job. It was so fun finding out more about Jane’s first day as a PI, and the way in which she had to prove herself to her new employer. The run down locale and shop front perfectly suits Jane’s persona, and it is incredibly easy to see her put in such a position. If Hunter had placed her chief protagonist in a place of good standing and a tidy, respectable front, it would be far more difficult to envisage.

Jane is beginning to come to terms with her dual nature in this story, and I love how she refers to Beast as the “crazy part”. Beast represents the id within us all – that part that just seeks pleasure and sustenance, without any real consideration for the future. We all have that inner voice in our head, but the presence of Beast makes it all the more real and to the fore. An aspect of Jane that she is constantly forced to negotiate with.

<- The Early Years

Cat Tats ->

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Earth and Skye

The ramblings of a bibliophile.

Tag Archives: Native American Mythology

Coyote Speaks by Ari Berk & Carolyn Dunn

How Raven Made His Bride by Theodora Goss

Image source: Amazon

Blood Cross by Faith Hunter

First Sight by Faith Hunter

Skinwalker by Faith Hunter

Signatures of the Dead by Faith Hunter

Haints by Faith Hunter

Kits by Faith Hunter

Cat Tats by Faith Hunter

Snafu by Faith Hunter