Audiobook Review - Death’s Rival (Jane Yellowrock, Book 5) by Faith Hunter (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 336 pages
Publisher: Roc
Release Date: October 2, 2012
ISBN: 978-0451464859
Stand Alone or Series: 5th book of the Jane Yellowrock series
Source: Audiobook through Audible.com
Rating: 5/5 stars

This is the fifth book in the Jane Yellorock series. It was a spectacular book. We learn a ton about Jane’s past. Things come to a head between Jane and Leo. Beast plays a large role in the story as well.

I listened to this on audiobook and it was absolutely amazing. The narrator captures Jane’s personality perfectly and does an excellent job distinguishing between voices. I actually enjoyed listening to this series more than I enjoyed reading it. So I highly recommend listening to this on audiobook if you enjoy audiobooks.

Vamps are breaking out in a horrible virus of sorts, the only cure is provided by a mysterious master who comes in and takes over their territory in exchange for the cure. Jane is asked to look into this virus and figure out who the mysterious master vamp is. Jane also hires in two guys to help with her home security; this adds a lot of fun to her house and to the story.

Excellent continuation of this series. We learn a lot more about Jane's past and Beast plays a large role in this story as well. There is a ton of action and an interesting mystery that ties in with Jane's past nicely. The book is also full of Jane’s sarcastic humor and wit.

A lot is revealed about Jane’s character in this book. Her bloody past is discussed and she is forced to confront some truths about the nature of skinwalkers in general. Things also come to a head between Jane and Leo and the result is a rather painful truth that Jane is forced to face.

Bruiser and Rick are in the story quite a bit as well. It was wonderful to see Rick, but watching him and Jane struggle with their relationship was painful at times. Bruiser is an interesting character and watching how he is torn between Jane and Leo says a lot about his character.

Beast comes to the forefront in this story. The balance between Beast and Jane is changing; Beast is becoming more intelligent and more prominent in Jane’s thoughts. It’s interesting to watch Jane and Beast come up with some sort of balance. It’s also fun to watch Beast interpret Jane’s human thoughts and actions.

The plot that drives the story about the vampire virus was an interesting one. I loved how it all tied into events that happened in previous books and also ties in with Jane’s origins.

This book was incredibly well written, very interesting, and very nicely tied in with the rest of the series. Some surprising things happen in the story that left me very curious to see what happens next. I thought this was the best book in the series yet.

Overall an absolutely wonderful continuation of this series. The plot is interesting and we learn a ton about Jane’s history and about the history of the Skinwalkers. Some of Jane’s struggles to balance Beast and the men in her life are painful to read about; but Jane’s witty sarcasm and Beast’s cat-like humor add a lot of fun to offset the darkness. The book is action-packed and just so interesting. I can’t wait to read what happens next. This whole series is highly recommended to fans of action packed urban fantasy.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge