Review: Killing Rites

Well, we finally know for sure who the Black Sun's Daughter is --and Jayné has some really tough decisions to make. Now that she realizes she is carrying a rider within her, her first impulse is to get it out. But things are much more complicated than a simple possession. This entity has saved her bacon over and over again. Jayné must struggle with the true nature of the spirit and she questions the right course to take.

Ex is a big force in this story. Aubrey and Kim have been phased out. Chogyi Jake is still recovering and is absent through the first half of the book. Only Ex has been at Jayné's side as she comes to terms with the source of her strength. And he is the one who introduces her to the priests who set out to perform an exorcism. The priests are a big part of Ex's history and in spending time with them, Jayné learns alot about what has shaped Ex into the man he is today.

I've been waiting and waiting for Jayné and Ex to make the connection I've always thought was simmering beneath the surface. The guy is clearly in love with her, but just because his heart is in the right place, that doesn't mean he has all the right answers. This book is markedly different from the last in that the lion's share of it is an internal struggle, as opposed to an external one. Jayné has to figure out her true nature; who she can trust; and what she wants for her future. Not every question gets an answer and that's frustrating. So many things happened in the last book. This one is more about her realizations. Ex and Chogyi Jake have important roles and even the old vampire Midian shows up, but mostly it's just about Jayné --and the Black Sun's Daughter.

It was slower, but good. It was important for the series. But I wish I had the next book in my hands to read. I want to see what Jayné will do with what she's learned. And I want her to get with Ex, dammit. (My patience is not without limits.) 4 stars.

*ARC Provided by Pocket Books

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Killing Rites

by MLN Hanover (Daniel Abraham)

Release Date: November 29, 2011

Publisher: Pocket Books