BLOOD OF THE EARTH kicks off Faith Hunter's new Soulwood series. This series is a spin-off from the Jane Yellowrock series and is set in the same world. While you can still enjoy this book as a standalone, I would definitely recommend reading the Jane Yellowrock series first just because the author doesn't waste time in explaining the worldbuilding or its politics with this first book. She already assumes that readers know how the world works, which I think can be confusing to some of the brand new readers who may be trying her writing for the first time.

The main heroine of this series is Nell Ingram. She is a character that we've seen in the Jane Yellowrock series that the author has chosen to focus more on. I would say that while Nell is fierce in her own way, she's a little more calm and composed than Jane. Jane is a little more badass while Nell feels more grounded. There's an old world quality to her that displays a great amount of maturity so I'm curious to see how Hunter will show Nell's growth over the course of the series.

If this is your first time reading Faith Hunter, she has a very simple writing style that works very well for this genre. The style reminds me a little of Patricia Briggs so if you are a fan of Briggs and haven't tried Faith Hunter, I think you should give her a shot. Hunter takes a more slower pace to Urban Fantasy, but at the same time, it still has the right amount of thrills throughout the story. Despite the fact that this is a spin-off series, Nell's character and her world stands separate from Jane's and I liked that Hunter explored those avenues in this book. It makes the loyal readers see the world in a whole different way. BLOOD OF THE EARTH is a fantastic start to the Soulwood series.

Book Summary

Set in the same world as the New York Times bestselling Jane Yellowrock novels, an all-new series starring Nell Ingram, who wields powers as old as the earth.

When Nell Ingram met skinwalker Jane Yellowrock, she was almost alone in the world, exiled by both choice and fear from the cult she was raised in, defending herself with the magic she drew from her deep connection to the forest that surrounds her.

Now, Jane has referred Nell to PsyLED, a Homeland Security agency policing paranormals, and agent Rick LaFleur has shown up at Nell’s doorstep. His appearance forces her out of her isolated life into an investigation that leads to the vampire Blood Master of Nashville.

Nell has a team—and a mission. But to find the Master’s kidnapped vassal, Nell and the PsyLED team will be forced to go deep into the heart of the very cult Nell fears, infiltrating the cult and a humans-only terrorist group before time runs out…

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