Dark Queen by Faith Hunter – a Review

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Description:
As Enforcer to the vampire Master of the City of New Orleans, Jane Yellowrock stakes her reputation and her life on keeping her territory safe. But Leo has been issued a blood challenge by the emperor of the European vampires, who seeks to usurp all of his power and possessions. If Leo loses the match to the death, the city will be forfeit, and the people of New Orleans will suffer the consequences. Jane can’t let that happen.

Preparing for the duel requires all of Jane’s focus, but with so much supernatural power in play, nothing goes according to plan. She has to rely on herself and the very few people she knows she can trust to stand and fight. Only two things are guaranteed: nothing is sacred, and no one is safe.

Review:

Dark Queen by Faith Hunter is the 12^th book in her fantastic Jane Yellowrock series.  Wow..Dark Queen was an incredible emotional rollercoaster of ride. At the end of everyone of the 12 book in this series, I have noted that each book gets better and better.  Dark Queen takes this even further, as it enthralled me from the start, and shattered my heart so many times.  With saying that, it is no doubt that Dark Queen is the best book in the Jane Yellowrock series.  Faith…I am in awe how you pulled me in and never let go, even to the final moment. 

Dark Queen picks up a short time after the previous book ended, as Jane, her team and the Master of the City’s team prepares for the upcoming battle with the European Vampires.  With days remaining before the battle for rule of Europe and America, Jane is in the middle of major security preparations. They all know that if Leo and his team lose, it will be the death of so many, as the Europeans would assume control, and kill everyone working for Leo.   Jane, Eli and Alex are in the middle of some pre meeting attacks that are attempts to hurt and destroy the American team, which warns of betrayals to Leo, the Master of the City; including former friends, dangerous witch and enemies.

Jane also finds herself in a personal issue, as someone from her past arrives throwing her for a loop.  She must reconcile the possibility of this being real, or just someone using her.  This was an interesting development that we probably will explore in the future.   I loved how Beast continued to play a big part sharing the battles with Jane. I got a kick out of Eli becoming closer to Beast, which was a short release from all the tension.

Closer to the halfway point, Leo calls a meeting of all his clans and staff; to complete the preparations for the upcoming battle, as well in the event of his death.  This was an awesome meeting, which turned out to be one of the many highlights that I fully enjoyed.  Heirs were named, Clans tightened, and a new clan created…Clan Yellowrock.  I loved seeing all the new members of Jane’s clan that she added, in order to be their protector.  I loved this part so much, that I went back three times to read it again, as well as the final 1/3 of the book.

When the story moves to the battle of the Leo and Titus, the tension rises and there are no breaks along the way.  It was totally nerve wrecking, and emotional; constant violent action, as well as horrible deaths for all sides. I could not put the book down, and forced myself to read slower for fear of what will happened next, and who will we lose.

It is always great to spend time with Jane’s continued growing team, many of whom we have come to love.  Eli has is great, as Jane’s loyal second;  Alex, the techie, who is fully coming into his own; Bruiser, Jane’s love interest, whom I have come to love; Edmund, Jane’s Primo, who is also Leo’s heir: Molly, her best friend, who is a powerful witch; Brute, the wolf who can’t shift; plus many more we continue to meet. Of course, needless to say,   I adore Beast, and especially as now they are fully one; stronger, better, smarter, and unbeatable. I loved seeing Jane begin to learn to use more of her powers, as she rises up to be a true Dark Queen.  But will that be enough to save them all?

The last half of the book is not only violent, intense action & mind boggling battles, but the emotional toll we feel from the shocks we suffer after many deaths we did not expect, as well as the fear of how much more we will lose.  As much as we have prepared ourselves over the last few books about the European vampires coming to destroy the Master of the City and take over America; Faith Hunter has taken us by surprise at how far this would go.  Jane as the Dark Queen is a fantastic heroine, and Is more powerful then she has ever been, as her and Beast were a force to reckon with.    

I will not give spoilers, as this is certainly one story you need to read.  What follows is an exciting, wild, intense, action packed  adventure that has Jane, Eli, Leo, Alex, Edmund, Molly and Bruiser and so many of the secondary characters that we have known throughout the growing evolution  of this series, fighting for their lives. We have little time to breath, as one fight after another finds Jane in the middle of death defying situations.  Will Jane be able to stop the ultra powerful enemies, and save her friends?  Will Leo survive or will the European vampires succeed in their takeover attempt?

Dark Queen is a fantastic mind-boggling addition to the Jane Yellowrock series.  For those of you who have not read this series, you are missing a great series, a super wonderful bad-ass heroine in Jane Yellowrock, and author who kills it (& us) every time.   Please Faith, though you ripped my heart out, please  keep on giving us more of Jane Yellowrock. I am not ready to let her go.  Warning:  Dark Queen does end in a cliffhanger.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher