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mlcutter's review against another edition
5.0
Oh my gosh, this one never takes a break! So fast paced I read it in a day and half even though I had to teach classes! Love Jane, Beast is my favorite character ever in any book & the best hunter, and Bruiser makes my heart melt. Sigh. Can't wait for the next one!
lyndz_'s review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
laurenjodi's review against another edition
4.0
Cold Reign
4 Stars
Preparations for the arrival of the European vampires are in full swing when Jane Yellowrock, enforcer to Leo Pellisier, Master of the city of New Orleans, is called in to deal with several rampaging revenants with stranger than usual physical traits and abilities. It soon becomes clear that these long undead should never have risen, and Jane will have to muster all of her powers and resources to battle a ruthless and merciless foe whose lust for domination knows no bounds.
Series note: While not completely necessary, it is recommended that this book be read after the first two installments in Hunter's spin-off series, Soulwood as some character development occurs therein.
Faith Hunter's skill at weaving complex and interwoven plotlines is beginning to rival Rowling's. In this installment, the narrative threads from earlier books come into play and merge seamlessly into the newer ongoing story arc.
In addition to the continued inclusion of various religious mythos (Native American, Judeo-Christian) that enhance both the character and plot development, Hunter also incorporates alternative historical events that enrich the world building even more.
Jane is an incredibly strong, empowered and resilient heroine yet she has also learned the valuable lesson that no one can go it alone, and that she will need the help of allies, friends and family if she is to overcome all of the obstacles that she faces.
In the romance department, it is good to see that Jane has relegated Rick to the past where he belongs, and her continuing romance with Bruiser is going from strength to strength. While the two can be a bit saccharine sweet at times, their connection has been so long in coming that the intimate moments are even more satisfying.
When it comes to the events of the book, all I can say is WOW! This is an absolute rollercoaster of action with several excellent twists that are impossible to see coming.
In sum, another fantastic addition to the series and its going to be a long wait for the next one.
4 Stars
Preparations for the arrival of the European vampires are in full swing when Jane Yellowrock, enforcer to Leo Pellisier, Master of the city of New Orleans, is called in to deal with several rampaging revenants with stranger than usual physical traits and abilities. It soon becomes clear that these long undead should never have risen, and Jane will have to muster all of her powers and resources to battle a ruthless and merciless foe whose lust for domination knows no bounds.
Series note: While not completely necessary, it is recommended that this book be read after the first two installments in Hunter's spin-off series, Soulwood as some character development occurs therein.
Faith Hunter's skill at weaving complex and interwoven plotlines is beginning to rival Rowling's. In this installment, the narrative threads from earlier books come into play and merge seamlessly into the newer ongoing story arc.
In addition to the continued inclusion of various religious mythos (Native American, Judeo-Christian) that enhance both the character and plot development, Hunter also incorporates alternative historical events that enrich the world building even more.
Jane is an incredibly strong, empowered and resilient heroine yet she has also learned the valuable lesson that no one can go it alone, and that she will need the help of allies, friends and family if she is to overcome all of the obstacles that she faces.
In the romance department, it is good to see that Jane has relegated Rick to the past where he belongs, and her continuing romance with Bruiser is going from strength to strength. While the two can be a bit saccharine sweet at times, their connection has been so long in coming that the intimate moments are even more satisfying.
When it comes to the events of the book, all I can say is WOW! This is an absolute rollercoaster of action with several excellent twists that are impossible to see coming.
In sum, another fantastic addition to the series and its going to be a long wait for the next one.
reasonpassion's review against another edition
5.0
Starts fast and doesn't stop. The ability of the author to keep track of multiple threads that have been set from 10 books ago is simply incredible and makes for a powerfully consistent world.
pjonsson's review against another edition
4.0
This book, the 11th installment, in the Jane Yellowrock series is more than any of the other books a non-stop action ride. Although it is a good read I really felt like the constant attacks and fighting was over the top. Every time Jane turned around she seemed to get news that vamp HQ was under attack, that Leo was under attack, that Leo was abducted etc. etc. A lot of the book was repell the bad guys, heal, rinse and do it again.
Having said that, it is still quite a good read. The action is good. There are the usual vendettas and vampire politics and of course the usual bits and pieces of romantic moments. I guess that is a good side-effect of the large amount of non-stop action in this book: there was not so much space left for love triangle nonsens. Sorry guys but that is just not my favorite parts of these books or any other book for that matter.
I did not feel that there was really much development in this book though. Although Jane used her time-bending powers a lot they seemed to be more than a little unreliable in this book. I had quite a bit of difficulty keeping track of all the times they either would not work, went on by themselves, worked without Jane getting hurt, worked and was hurting Jane. Together with all the action I got an overall impression of Jane really not having any control neither of herself nor of pretty much any of the events most of the time.
We have followed this, the European Vampires are coming, thread for quite a few books now. Personally I would not mind closing that chapter and beginning something new in the coming books.
Having said that, it is still quite a good read. The action is good. There are the usual vendettas and vampire politics and of course the usual bits and pieces of romantic moments. I guess that is a good side-effect of the large amount of non-stop action in this book: there was not so much space left for love triangle nonsens. Sorry guys but that is just not my favorite parts of these books or any other book for that matter.
I did not feel that there was really much development in this book though. Although Jane used her time-bending powers a lot they seemed to be more than a little unreliable in this book. I had quite a bit of difficulty keeping track of all the times they either would not work, went on by themselves, worked without Jane getting hurt, worked and was hurting Jane. Together with all the action I got an overall impression of Jane really not having any control neither of herself nor of pretty much any of the events most of the time.
We have followed this, the European Vampires are coming, thread for quite a few books now. Personally I would not mind closing that chapter and beginning something new in the coming books.
librovert's review
4.0
Cold Reign starts right of in the midst of a battle and the action doesn't let up. There's a lot of new information in this book, Jane's power is changing - again. Bruiser is learning more about his Onorio powers. Even though we learn a lot more about Jane's supernatural world, the book does still leave plenty of unanswered questions for future books. The immediate threat is concluded, but the game is still being played.
Jane has spent much of her life alone and isolated and there's a good deal of feels in this book regarding Jane's newfound family. This has been a theme over the past few books, but this book specifically gave me all the feels when Jane muses over the ways her life is changing.
I thought it was great that all of the major players had a chance to have their moment of peace and growth in this book. Eli confronts a small piece of his lingering PTSD from his time as an army ranger. Alex starts to act more like an adult. Edmund gets the chance to prove his worth to Clan Yellowrock. There's also a bit of well-deserved closure for Jane and ex-boyfriend Rick.
The one thing that irked me in this book was that I felt cheated by the Jane and Bruiser situation. I've been 100% rooting for them since the Ricky-bo days, but it still felt anti-climactic (pun not intended, but I'm owning it anyway). The book felt like it was building up to this grand emotional revelation between her and Bruiser and I was kind of let down by it at the end. Unless I missed something, I didn't see the purpose to Jane being out on that boat and it felt like an unnecessarily contrived way to force the issue.
Jane has spent much of her life alone and isolated and there's a good deal of feels in this book regarding Jane's newfound family. This has been a theme over the past few books, but this book specifically gave me all the feels when Jane muses over the ways her life is changing.
I thought it was great that all of the major players had a chance to have their moment of peace and growth in this book. Eli confronts a small piece of his lingering PTSD from his time as an army ranger. Alex starts to act more like an adult. Edmund gets the chance to prove his worth to Clan Yellowrock. There's also a bit of well-deserved closure for Jane and ex-boyfriend Rick.
The one thing that irked me in this book was that I felt cheated by the Jane and Bruiser situation. I've been 100% rooting for them since the Ricky-bo days, but it still felt anti-climactic (pun not intended, but I'm owning it anyway). The book felt like it was building up to this grand emotional revelation between her and Bruiser and I was kind of let down by it at the end. Unless I missed something, I didn't see the purpose to Jane being out on that boat and it felt like an unnecessarily contrived way to force the issue.
texaswolfman's review against another edition
5.0
Really digging this series. Each book just gets better and better. Vamps, Weres, Shifters, Dragons, sharp pointy things and bullets. Could not put it down.
ac223's review against another edition
4.0
This review can also be found at www.thepaperbackaddict.com
I loved Edmund for those words! Eli was struggling in that moment, and when no one else knew what to say he said it perfectly. Jane has transformed so much as a person through this series, and learning to love and trust her new found family is a major part of that growth. Her relationship with Bruiser is as amazing as I hoped it would be, and I can't wait to see what the future has in store for those two.
“There is no going back. There is no revival of our humans. There is no erasure of our horrors. No healing except of time and she is a vengeful mistress, leaving scars that are forever. But there also is no proof of foreknowledge, only of twenty-twenty hindsight. You guessed. You did not know. Knowing is only for God.”
I loved Edmund for those words! Eli was struggling in that moment, and when no one else knew what to say he said it perfectly. Jane has transformed so much as a person through this series, and learning to love and trust her new found family is a major part of that growth. Her relationship with Bruiser is as amazing as I hoped it would be, and I can't wait to see what the future has in store for those two.