The Jane Yellowrock World Companion

Jane Yellowrock #1.5, 3.3, 6,2

by Faith Hunter

Jane Yellowrock is a shapeshifting skinwalker who means bad news for the undead. Now, she’s back and better than ever, as USA Today bestselling author Faith Hunter gives readers an in-depth glimpse at Jane’s world…plus an all-new Jane Yellowrock novella!
 
The gritty, sexy, and thrilling New Orleans of the Jane Yellowrock novels is about to be exposed in a whole new way. Filled with brand new, original content, this guide is a must-have for any fan.
 
*Delve into the history of the characters in the series, including the vampire clans.
 
*Get better acquainted with Jane’s inner Beast with her in-depth guide to humanity.
 
*Relive all the action with an essential timeline of Jane’s exploits as a vampire slayer and a comprehensive glossary of terms.
 
*Experience Jane’s latest thrilling adventure in an all-new Jane Yellowrock novella.
 
Plus, includes an exclusive sneak peek of the next Jane Yellowrock novel!

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Fantasy, Vampires, Shapeshifters, Magic, Anthologies

254 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 10, 2013

About the author

Faith Hunter's Junkyard Cats novella series is available in Audible, eBook, and "ridiculously expensive" (her words) trade paperback books at this time.

Faith's Jane Yellowrock series is a dark urban fantasy. Jane is a full blooded Cherokee skinwalker and hunter of rogue-vampires in a world of weres, witches, vampires, and other supernats. 15 books and several compilations of shorts

The Soulwood series is a dark-urban fantasy / paranormal police procedural /para-thriller series featuring Nell Nicholson Ingram, an earth magic user and Special gent of PsyLED. 6 books

Her Rogue Mage novels—Bloodring, Seraphs, Host, and the RPG Rogue Mage—feature Thorn St. Croix, a stone mage in a post-apocalyptic alternate reality.

Faith is a full time writer who finally hired a housekeeper when the dust bunnies multiplied, She bakes homemade bread and loves to cook.

Faith researches in great detail, and tries most everything her characters do. Research led to her life’s passions – jewelry making, orchids, Japanese maples, bones, travel, white-water kayaking, and writing.

Faith loves orchids. Her favorite time of year is when several are blooming. Pictures can be seen at her FaceBook page. And yes, she collects bones and skulls. She has a fox, cat, dog, cow skull, goat, a boar skull, a deer skull, (that is, unfortunately, falling apart) and the jawbone of an ass. Her prize skull is a mountain lion (legally purchased from a US tannery) hit by a car in the wild.

Her latest love is Japanese maples, and she has managed to collect over thirty.

She and her husband RV, traveling to whitewater rivers to kayak all over the Southeast. Whitewater Kayaking is her very favorite sport, discovered when she was researching her (Gwen Hunter) mystery book, Rapid Descent. She took a lesson and—after a bout of panic attacks from fear of being upside down trapped in a boat—discovered she loved the sport.

Under other pen names, notably, Gwen Hunter, she writes action adventure, mysteries, and thrillers. As Gwen, she is a winner of the WH Smith Literary Award for Fresh Talent in 1995 in the UK, and won a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award in 2008. As Faith, her books have been on the New York Times and USA Today Bestseller lists, been nominated for various awards and won an Audie Award with Khristine Hvam, among other awards. Under all her pen names, she has more than 40 books, anthologies, and complications in print in 30 countries.

For more, including a list of her books, see www.faithhunter.net , www.gwenhunter.com . To keep up with her daily, join her fan pages at Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/official.fait... and see her website blog at
www.faithhunter.net

Reviews

[Faye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read: October 2015
Rating: 4/5 stars

It has been almost two years since I read my last Jane Yellowrock novel (Blood Trade in January 2014) and a year since I read Black Water - a short story collection set in Jane Yellowrock's world. I had forgotten a lot of the major plot points and some of the main characters so this companion guide was a very timely read for me as a recap of everything that has happened in the series so far before I go on to read Black Arts.

Jane Yellowrock Companion Guide Glossary 2.5/5 stars
A very short alphabetical listing of various Cherokee words and other terminology specific to the series.
The World According to Jane 3/5 stars
A selection of quotes from all of the books from Skinwalker to Blood Trade which best describe or illustrate Jane's outlook on life. My favourite:
Great. Small talk in a hospital. Two things I hated at one time (Blood Cross)
A Partial Listing of Jane's Weapons 2/5 stars
This is exactly what it says in the title :)
Clan Pellissier, Blood Family Historical Chart 3/5 stars
A nice little history of Leo's vampiric and familial bloodline.
The World According to Beast 5/5 stars
I love Beast's voice in this series. She adds a lot of humour and depth to Jane's character and I like the way she is so straightfoward about what she wants - and what she thinks Jane ought to want as well :)
My favourite peice of Beast advice: You must kill and eat lazy humans. Or chase them out of den. (growls). Writer is trying to push Beast away. Says not to kill lazy humans. Writer is stupid.
JY Companion Guide Major Character List 2.5/5 stars
Again, it is exactly what it says in the title; a good way to remind readers like myself who have gone a long time between reading books in the series of all the major characters and why they are important.
First Sight 3/5 stars
Hunter has re-written an extract from Skinwalker from Bruiser's POV detailing how he felt the first time he met Jane. It was an ok read but I did feel that the reaction Bruiser had to Jane when she is threatening to kill him very unrealistic.
Dance Master 4/5 stars
I liked this little story of Bruiser enlisting Jane's help with a minor problem with the club. It is again told from his persepctive but his feelings for Jane are a lot more realistic and I really liked seeing how much he cares for her.
Chronology of Books and Stories 2/5 stars
This is a list of every novel and short stories in the series put into the correct chronological reading order. This would be useful to someone new to the series but someone new to the series isnt likely to start with this companion guide so I'm not sure why this has been included here.
JY Companion Guide Timeline 4/5 stars
This is a really useful re-cap of all the major events that have happened in the series up to Blood Trade. I wish more long running series did this as it is such a good idea and would save me a lot of re-reading :)
Beneath a Bloody Moon 4.5/5 stars
The Plot: Rick needs Jane's help to solve a string of brutal killings that appear to have been done by werewolves.
This was an action-packed novella. I liked seeing the team dynamic between Jane, Eli and Kid and how they worked with Rick. Jane also discoveres something new about herself and her abilities as a skinwalker. If she is bitten by a werewolf whilst in beast form and shifts from that beast form to another one without turning human in between then it somehow negates the effect of the bite and she won't get the 'were-taint.'
Excerpt from Black Arts
I did not read this as I plan on buying this book anyway so I would rather read the Black Arts content in the actual book.

[Marion Over · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love Jane Yellowrock you need this book. Great for a reference when you just can't remember something and don't feel like hunting through all your books because your brain isn't working today.

[Marta Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a companion book designed to help explain the world that Jane Yellowrock lives in. Clearly it's a must for all her fans out there but it's also a fun read for those new to the series as it's full of her trademark action and humour. If you have seen or read companion books to other series then you will know what to expect but it is well worth a read.
Jane Yellowrock is a skin walker and this book gives lots of background information to both old and new readers alike. If you are a huge diehard fan and have all her books then some of what is here you may well know but the aurthor has very cleverly also included points of view from other characters in the series. It's a wonderful insight into the world of Jane Yellowrock .
So what do you get for your money? A new short story, background of characters, her beast answering questions, some of the more memorable quotes and of course a glossary. All the best bits are here and more besides. A delight for existing fans but maybe a good opener for new ones.
It's always hard to rate something like this but I think a four is reasonable. Bring on her next book Black Arts!

[Jen Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ll admit, I am generally not a fan of companion books, but the authors manage to suck me in with well placed novellas buried inside. In this case, I heard there were stories from Bruiser’s POV and I really wanted to hear his voice. Sadly, I found the first 15% of this book to be an utter waste. It starts with an assortment of Jane quotes. Then historical bloodlines. Then a completely inane Q&A with Beast, where I couldn’t even force myself to read all the way through. I’m just going to spare you and jump ahead to the stories.

First Sight – This is one of those Bruiser stories, but it was WAY too short. This is actually his POV on the first time he and Jane meet in Skinwalker. I love how drawn he is to her right away and I enjoyed seeing her through his eyes. But it was only a scant few pages. Less a story and more a vignette.

Dance Master – Another Bruiser story, but this one switches from 1st person to 3rd. Back to back, that felt kind of weird. But this story confirmed for me that Bruiser is the guy who Jane should be with. I haven’t been without my concerns surrounding him, but his inner dialogue proves that he likes and respects Jane for who she is –and has no desire to diminish her. He also sees Rick for what he is, ruminating, “(Rick’s) history suggested that he was incapable of maintaining a romantic relationship with only one woman for any length of time. And it was even more unlikely that he would survive his next full moon, though George wouldn’t wish such pain and madness on anyone, even a faithless, charismatic rival. ” True dat.

This is also sadly short, but it’s satisfying and sexy, and if I wasn’t Team Bruiser before, I am now.

What follows is more filler: a story chronology, a recap of the previous shorts and novels, chapter by chapter. This takes up the bulk of the book. I can only say this may be useful as an alternative to a series reread if you like to do that before new installments. Otherwise, a waste.

Beneath a Bloody Moon – This is the longer novella in the collection and Hunter draws from it heavily with a follow-up later in the Black Water anthology. Rick the Dick calls Jane to the bayou town of Chauvin to track a werewolf problem. She has to put herself in grave danger to make it through the case, and Rick was there, being called her sorta-boyfriend, and setting my teeth on edge. (I hate how his inability to be faithful is just an aside, no big deal, like the color of his eyes.)

Despite my hate for Rick, it’s a fairly good story action wise and we get time with Eli and the Kid. Plus, Black Water makes way more sense if you’ve read this one.

Overall, the story offerings were fairly good. I enjoyed the Bruiser POVs, but they were terribly short. Despite this, I can’t really say it’s worth the money with so much filler content. I’d only recommend it if you can ever catch it on a $.99 sale. I think you’d end up really frustrated if you shell out nearly four bucks for it.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delve deep into the bare bones of the Jane Yellowrock series with this marvelously insightful companion guide.

In The Jane Yellowrock World Companion, we are treated to a detailed list of all the Yellowrock characters, a Jane Yellowrock short story, Beasts' wisdom on many topics while answering fan questions, Favorite and memorial book quotes, and a comprehensive glossary. I have to admit my favorite part of this companion was the quotes. I found myself laughing out loud as I relived some of the best comments from Jane, Beast and her friends.

The Jane Yellowrock World Companion is sure to delight any Yellowrock fan. I left me anxious to burrow back into this brilliant series.

[Marianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although The Jane Yellowrock World Companion has been branded a must read by the publishers, I'd say it's more of a take it or leave it kind of book. Personally, I enjoyed parts of it immensely, especially Beast's Q & A section. Beast's world view is always enjoyable and often my favorite part of the Jane Yellowrock books. This time she's as catty as ever.

There was also a short list of Clan Pellissier's family tree. Interesting - though admittedly most for the die-hard(ish) fans.

If you're only thinking of buying the World Companion for the novellas from Bruiser's POV, you can find them in other anthologies as well, which makes buying this book redundant. I've read Bruiser's stories before, but I enjoy his crisp English accent, stiff upper lip and revolt against Leo's covetousness. (Although... Sorry Bruiser, but I'd LOVE novellas from Leo's POV. Just like Beast, I want Leo as Jane's mate: Hot vamp sex: Ooooh yeeeeeah! ☺)

Overall rating 3.5 ☆

[Fangs for the Fantasy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m a big fan of Faith Hunter’s Jane Yellowrock series so when the companion came into my hands I was excited to delve into it.

Companions can be excellent additions to a series, especially a long book series, bringing together all the information of the series in one place, being a handy one stop guide to questions, elaborating on all those little elements of the series that just cannot be included in the main books but are still hinted about – they can be excellent additions. Any author writing a series as long as this is inevitably going to have scenes and ideas and world building that they just can’t fit into the main series. Oh, they could – but inevitably it would be irrelevant to the plot or involve some massively ridiculous info-dumping that would look convoluted and would drag down the pacing of the story

This is the ideal place to fit in all those notes, rambles, world building development etc that couldn’t fit into the main story.

That’s a companion at its best

At its worst, a companion will merely rehash and repeat most of what has been said in the main series, occasionally interspaced with extras that have been on the author’s website. There will be nothing new, original, useful or interesting in it and it will feel like a bit of a money grab.

Unfortunately this companion falls heavily into the second category. A large swathe of the book is taken up by a brief recap of all the other books. As a reviewer this could be useful to me if I ever want to refer back to something in an earlier book, but really is pretty pointless. If you’ve read the series, you don’t need the recaps. This takes up a pretty huge part of the book.

Add on to this there’s a section which is basically a lot of quotes copied and pasted from the books as well.

We have some brief world building notes – but they’re just lists: like Jane’s list of weapons, a list of characters in the series (no extra information on them, just a list) or a brief history of Clan Pellissier – which could have been interesting if it were more than a list.


There’s a glossary at the beginning of the book, including several Cherokee terms, which isn’t bad – but it’s the kind of thing you normally see tucked into the back of a book in the series rather than part of the guide.

Read More

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great companion book for the series. I particularly appreciated the plot summaries of the books and short stories available! Definitely useful when the next book comes out and I can't remember what happened, or if I want to know which book to re-read to catch up on a particular part. I'd recommend this to any Jane Yellowrock fan as a treat to tide us over while we're waiting for the next installment!

[Judi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this for a companion book. My memory has gotten so bad something like this is almost a must. It's wonderful that Faith Hunter knew that! I wish all series authors would do this!

[Inferno Nightfire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good short stories in this companion. Some interesting material. This was a reread. The good ones tend to be reread.

[Mitticus · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars for Beneath a Bloody Moon (Novellete)
[Take place after Blood Trade, after the short story “The Devil’s Left Boot” in the anthology Kicking It, and before Black Arts. Before Mardi Gras.]

--------------------------------------------
Jane Yellowrock Companion Guide

Include:

-Glossary List
-The World According to Jane
-A Partial Listing of Jane’s Weapons
-Clan Pellissier, Blood Family Historical Chart
-The World According to Beast
-JY Companion Guide Major Character List

-First Sight - Bruiser POV of encounter of ouch type w/Jane (at Katie's)-snippet. Meh.
-Dance Master - Bruiser POV when he calls Jane for an inspection in a club. (short story)It was interesting hear from George, how he really feel about Jane. And
Jane, you are wasting your time with that Rick >_< 2.5 **

-Chronology of Books and Stories
-Jane Yellowrock Companion Guide Timeline

- Beneath a Bloody Moon (Novellete)
[Takes place after Blood Trade, after the short “The Devil’s Left Boot” in the anthology Kicking It and before Black Arts. Before Mardi Gras.] 3.5 ***

Jane and the Younger Brothers goes to take care of some 'wild dogs' near Chauvin, 2 hours from N.Orleans.

#Love the Younger Brothers+Jane

This would be something very different. I’d be working with humans. My humans. Like my brothers, or my family. Possessive, personal, intense. That was the way the instincts made it feel. As if the Younger brothers were my humans.

#Well, I hate Rick, of course. And humoungous EWWW to the insinuation of be able to have sex in animal form to avoid the were-infection. Seriously - Bestialism?? BIG NO-NO, Mrs. Hunter. NO.
#And Jane se las vio coloradas en esta historia, más de una vez ... estiró la pata OO' . En serio. And the Blade Mercy as always really helpful. Not.
#I like the talking of another planes.
#And I guess the ... thing at the end.


-Excerpt from Black Arts
----------------------------------------

Is really valid to buy this book just for the novelette at the end? (because the rest is filler)... I don't think so.

[Torzilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wasn't too thrilled with all the summary stuff. Background info is cool, but I feel like that should be provided on a website as a free and fun feature for fans.

Was ready to give this book a 2 star until I read Bruiser's two mini stories. Those were fun. Gave a great insight to his character and swayed me toward the pairing I'm rooting for. Though I think I've been leaning more toward this couple for a few books now, so....

Started hoping the rest of the the ebook would be similar in nature. Instead, there's this huge monster section of summary. Skipped it, and became a bit disgruntled/worried that the entire three fourths of this was going to be all summary and a waste of money. Dropped it down to 3 stars.

Finally got to a short-ish story that made me less disgruntled and happy I got this, if only to rekindle my excitement for the series again. Next book is coming out soon, which was a great reminder. Terrible fan, I am, for letting grad school distract me from JY goodness.

[Rachel Vance · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this companion book, it explains what has happened in each book up to this point so if you're like me and have been reading them since they first came out this is a good refresher to get us ready for Black Arts. The short story was Jane/Beasts usual exciting tale. Lots of action with a great story, this time about some Werewolves killing people and Rick and his crew are teaming up with Jane and her team to find out what is going on and to put a stop to it. Since I have the hots for Bruiser I was pleasantly surprised and delighted to read some stories from Bruisers point of view. I loved getting to know him even better.

[Jeanny · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was REALLY disappointed in the editing. It was a struggle to read any of the companion/glossary/list type portion of the book. It had serious formatting issues (duplicate terms half definitions etc) Except when it came to the short story & the preview to the 2014 release. Frustrating

I gave it two stars bc I enjoyed Bruiser's POV on Jane, it included a good short story towards the end & preview. Without that i'd have given it a 1 star & returned it.

[Debrac2014 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it! Especially the three short stories!

[Ben Truong · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Jane Yellowrock World Companion is a supplemental/reference text for the Jane Yellowrock series and written by Faith Hunter. To avoid spoilers, it is best to read this anthology after Black Arts as there is a rather large preview of the book.

A large portion of the book is taken up by a brief recap of the first six books of the series (all the books published at the printing of this companion). It is a rather quick synopsis of each book and a handy tool for readers that have taken a break between novels for a significant amount of time and may have forgotten what happened in the series. Otherwise, it is rather repetitive. Furthermore, there is a section which is basically a lot of quotes copied and pasted from the books as well.

There are vast amounts of world building, which couldn’t make it into the core series, but is somewhat wonderful for reference and fandom work. However, it is not extensive or deep, because they are just organized into several lists.

There is a glossary at the beginning of the book, including several Cherokee terms, which is rather helpful, albeit I am not sure of the veracity of it, but I am giving Hunter the benefit of doubt. The end of the book has a pretty big introduction to Black Arts, which when read in publishing order is rather novel, but if one has already read Black Arts, it is just repetitive. There are two sections that are from the Beast’s point of view – one a jokey analysis of the author herself and the other a kind of advice column, which is rather humorous, albeit lacking substance. Included are short stories: "First Sight", "Dance Master", and "Beneath a Bloody Moon".

All in all, The Jane Yellowrock World Companion is a somewhat good companion. It is rather light on substance, world building, and growth, but it is a good reference book for the series.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

The gritty, sexy, and thrilling New Orleans of the Jane Yellowrock novels is about to be exposed in a whole new way. Filled with brand new, original content, this guide is a must-have for any fan.
*Delve into the history of the characters in the series, including the vampire clans.
*Get better acquainted with Jane’s inner Beast with her in-depth guide to humanity.
*Relive all the action with an essential timeline of Jane’s exploits as a vampire slayer and a comprehensive glossary of terms.
*Experience Jane’s latest thrilling adventure in an all-new Jane Yellowrock novella.
This was a nice overview of the world. I also enjoyed the new stories.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

I posted an update on this that I tried to copy so I’ll summarize. First, if you haven’t already read books one to eight, DO NOT read this!! You will be given a lot of spoilers!

Now that’s done I can say that I quite enjoyed the summary of each book and especially many of the novellas & short stories that I haven’t been able to find! It was like reading the entire series in a few hundred pages! I was reminded of details that I had forgotten so I gave this five stars ⭐️ and I definitely recommend reading this to all Jane Yellowrock fans.

[Kris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Annoying. I'd read all the stories already - they were published in *Blood in Her Veins* - ARGH. And why do I need summaries of the book? Every time I buy a "companion" book I'm disappointed. Yes, I did this to myself. I just wanted one more moment in her world. Read the books, skip the companion book.

[Lisa Norvell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

I really enjoyed this synopsis of Jane's stories. With a long running series it can be hard to remember details without reading them all again. This book helps you keep track of Jane's journey.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this more then I expected. I enjoyed the last short story and the snippets from bruisers pov.

[Commentary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very high body count in this one.

[Echo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked the stories. Didn't like Beast's interview, loved the list of recap of the whole journey.

[Sibil · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The shorts are great. The rest of it is good with some good reference material for fans of the series but not quite to the level of the fiction parts.

[Ash · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what I thought it was

Meh,I wanted more bios and insight to the characters and the world. Instead it was kind of a review with a few stories in it.

[Sheila Crawshaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beast is best.

Always an excellent read about Jane and Beast. Faith makes her characters come alive so we want to know more.

[Nefol_ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is a nice synopsis, but if you've read the books and anthologies it's a bit redundant.

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worth it for the short stories.

[Ruth Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A guide

This is an overall retelling of the series. And some of the in between stories. I loved revisiting this world.