Shadow Rites

Shadow Rites (2016) Faith Hunter

It’s the final days before the witch-vampire conclave, and preparations for the conclave are supposed to be finishing, but as with all group projects, problems keep popping up.

The first problem is an attach on Jane. Then things start to spiral out of control from there.

Molly and Evan and the kids are in for the Conclave, and Angie’s magic is remaining out their control.

On the bright side, Jane and Bruiser are working out the relationship.

I love the details of the security that Jane and Eli work on. It’s probably wonky of me to do so, but at the level they have reached, it’s either the big picture or noting little details that others have missed.

I leaned around Wrassler, to Brenda and Eli. “Which pocket?”

“I couldn’t spot a thing,” Brenda said.

“Right,” Eli said. He had a fifty percent chance of being right. And he was.

“Good guess,” I said.

“Not a guess. Wrassler’s got a weak hand from the injury. He’ll always use his strong hand to insert the tracker.”

“Huh,” Wrassler said. “He’s right. And we have to assume that the European Vamps have intel on everything inside.”

And Beast is taking more initiative, which always delights me.

I went back and pawed the ring. Part of it was missing. What happened to the blue ring?
Beast ate it.
Was that wise?
Tasted of blood of Anzu. Beast chuckled. Makes Beast strong.
I didn’t like the idea of her swallowing the magic of another creature, but it was a bit late to argue about it.

Smell of Edmund was strong in yard. Vampire had fed each of them. Vampire had given much blood. Vampire is good hunter and good mother to kits.

Inside us, Jane laughed. I’ll be sure to tell him that.

Beast’s pragmatism always delights me.

And Eli, there is of course Eli.

“That’s what all the old women say. The young ones want to bump bones.”

“Uncle Eli, what’s bump bones?” Angie Baby asked from the living room.

“Crap,” he whispered. ..“These are shish kebabs, Angie.” He indicated a platter on the edge of the table as she walked up. “And when you remove them from the stick, and they bounce, that’s bumping bones.”

I nearly choked trying to swallow the beef half-chewed and not laugh at the same time.

“Uncle Eli,” Molly said from the living room, censure and glee in her tone.

“Sorry,” he said. “Best I could do on short notice. I’ll do better next time.”

“I suggest there be no next time.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said. “That would clearly be the best decision on my part.”

So, there were lots of bits and pieces of the story that I loved. How did I feel about it as a whole? Jane is getting more powerful, but she is also suffering greater consequences with those uses of power. However, to offset that, she is also building a family, which seems to reduced Beast’s claims that Jane is a killer only.

And although it is frustrating, I do like that there are issues that come up but aren’t resolved within a single book–or even multiple books, and that things happened in previous books that come back to haunt Jane later. That feels like real life.
Rating: 8/10

Published by Roc

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