Rift in the Soul

Rift in the Soul (2024) Faith Hunter (Soulwood #6)

Having read both Rift in the Soul and Final Heir now (and fairly recently after each other) my impression is that she just wanted to stop writing about Jane — and by extension any of the characters closely related to Jane, including Nell.

In short, like Final Heir I found the story disappointing, particularly because I thought the book that preceded this had been one of the better entries.

Soul is missing. Vampires are acting weird.

Ming’s hair was down, a long straight sheen of hair, blacker than night, falling to midthigh. She was dressed in a purple fuzzy robe tied at the waist. She was barefoot, wore no makeup, her eyes closed. Her fingernails and toenails were painted, each a different color, with flower appliqués

Esther is miserable because although she is no longer pregnant, she has two babies and is a single mother.

On the plus side, Yummy and Nell are finally friends.

We were more acquaintances than friends. We had shared tea. Talked about life. If that was a best friend in Yummy’s life, her life was a barren shell.

On the negative side, we get more church info dumps, and this one is particularly nasty.

“The teenaged males who hit their majority, who don’t fit well into church life, are traditionally…kicked out of the church as soon as they reach eighteen. Sometimes sixteen, if they are gay, or too studious, or violent troublemakers.”

Honestly, the “historical” practices, passed down by “oral tradition among the women” seemed less cruel.

“From the chief eunuch, they also learned how to castrate their weak human offspring, so they could control breeding, the way we do sheep and goats and cattle.”

Additionally, Rick finally gets “paired off” in something that felt a lot like what happened to him with Paca.

While Margot remains alone and still a bit of an outsider, despite the fact she was far more deserving of an HEA than Rick.

ALSO, Nell seems to view Esther and Mud very differently, even when their actions are similar.

Not on my land. The last four words thundered into the earth.

Yes, I thought.

But didn’t let her hear the question on its heels. The uncertainty, doubt, and maybe the fear of what my sister was becoming.

But when Mud threatens Firewind, Nell is simply proud she isn’t “acting like a churchwoman”.

And the final bits with Soul? Soul in this book had almost no relation to the Soul who had been introduced in the Jane Yellowrock series. Nevermind the fact Soul conveniently solved the problem of the military wanting to control the Rift.

Characters: Nell Nicholson Ingram, Esther Nicholson, Mindy/Mud Nicholson, Occam, Rick LaFleur, Josephine Anna “JoJo” Jones, Thom Andrew “Tandy” Dyson, Tammie Laine “T. Laine” Kent, Margot Racer, Mama Carmel, Mama Grace, Mama Cora, Maw-maw Maude Hamilton Vaughn, Micaiah Nicholson, Sam Nicholson, Yvonne Colstrip/Yummy, Ayatas FireWind, Lieutenant Colonel Leann Rettell, Gonzales, Ming Zhane of Glass, Cai, the Green Knight, Noah and Ruth Nicholson, Amos and Rufus Nicholson, Zebulun Nicholson, Tomás de Torquemada, Bishop Don Alonso Suarez de Fuentelsaz, Carlos Contreras, Don Inigo Manrique, Domingo Ponçe, Miguel de la Peña, Dora Wincome, Arial Holler, Brenda Jabroski, David Jones Meechum, Pearl, Opal, Cerulean, Brother Thaddeus Rankin, Gad Purdy, Uriah Lambert, Harmon Stubbins, Balthazar Jenkins

Cover art by Cliff Nielsen

Publisher: Ace

Rating: 5.5/10

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