Bookish Wednesday: Past Tense by John Van Stry

This week for Bookish Wednesday I’m back with a series I stumbled across fairly recently. It’s Past Tense, Book 01 of the Days of Future Past series, by John Van Stry!

Plot Synopsis: Paul’s been having a bad day, perhaps one of the worst days he’s ever had. And now into the middle of all this, his instructor just got drafted by some mystical goddess to help save a world. As for Paul? Well, he’s really not supposed to be there, and if he thought he was having a bad day before all of this, it just got worse, a lot worse. He’s now on a one way trip, forced to help a man who despises him…

Plot: The plot is pretty good, nothing spectacular, but not super terrible either. It was entertaining and I enjoy the use of Native American mythology in conjunction with more standard Fantasy. I won’t say more about the plot, because this book is fairly short, but it’s good for quite a few laughs.

Characters: The cast is pretty good, and while Paul is occasionally incredibly dense as hell, he’s not a terrible lead character. Of the side characters I think Heather is my favorite, if only because she’s quite true to her own nature.

Overall: A good first book in an fairly interesting series. Worth a read if you like Fantasy.

For those who like: Action, Adventure, Drama, Romance, Fantasy, Native American Mythology, Good Plot, Decent Csat of Characters.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

Bookish Wednesday: Blood Cross by Faith Hunter

This week for Bookish Wednesday I’m covering the second entry in the Jane Yellowrock series. It’s Blood Cross by Faith Hunter!

Plot Synopsis: As a vampire hunter and skinwalker, Jane Yellowrock is public enemy number one to the vampire community – even though she is also the key to their survival. Now, she’s about to learn that working for the enemy is 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 Jane quickly realizes that in a community that is thousands of years old, loyalties run deep, mythos have real power, and the past often has more force than the present.

Plot: The plot is pretty fast paced, and while I didn’t enjoy the tension between Jane, Bruiser, and Rick, the rest of the plot was very good. It’s probably one of the better second entries in an Urban Fantasy series I’ve read in a while.

Characters: We get introduced to some new characters, including Angie and Molly who are probably my favorite of the newcomers. That being said Jane still is my favorite for being a badass female lead and snarky.

Overall: An excellent sequel and second entry, this is a must read for Urban Fantasy lovers.

Bookish Wednesday: Skinwalker by Faith Hunter

This week for Bookish Wednesday I’m covering a brand new Urban Fantasy series I started listening to the other day. It’s Skinwalker, Book 01 of the Jane Yellowrock Series, by Faith Hunter!

Plot Synopsis: Jane Yellowrock is a supernatural skinwalker, a Native American supernatural creature. When the rogue-vampire hunter is hired to hunt down a particularly nasty vamp, Jane is drawn into the volatile New Orleans vampire society.

Plot: The plot is wonderfully fast-paced and has enough mystery to sate my tastes for that genre. However it’s mainly an action series and it doesn’t fail to deliver on that.

Characters: Jane is a wonderful lead character, embodying many female qualities I admire and enjoy in books. Being a badass who isn’t afraid to take care of business, among many other things including being snarky. The rest of the cast is great as well, with Troll and Rick being my personal favorites of the bunch.

Overall: This is looking to be an excellent series that takes Mercy Thompson and mixes it with Harry Dresden’s mystery aspect. A must read for any Urban Fantasy fan.

For those who like: Urban Fantasy, Action, Drama, Excellent Cast of Characters, Fantastic Plot, Badass Female Leads.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.