Curse on the Land by Faith Hunter
Summary
Set in the same world as Faith Hunter’s New York Times bestselling Jane Yellowrock novels, the second Soulwood novel tells the story of a woman whose power comes from deep within the earth.
Before Nell Ingram met skinwalker Jane Yellowrock, she had no one to rely on, finding strength only in in her arcane connection to the dark woods around her. But now she has friends in the newly-formed PsyLED team to keep her grounded—even if being part of the agency responsible for policing paranormals presents dangers of its own...
After training at the PsyLED academy, Nell returns home to her woods to find the land feeling sick and restless. And that sickness is spreading. With the help of her team, under the leadership of agent Rick LaFleur, Nell tries to determine the cause. But nothing can prepare them for the evil that awaits: an entity that feeds on death itself. And it wants more.
Book Details
Curse on the Land by Faith Hunter
Soulwood Series #2
Published November 1st 2016 by Roc
Urban Fantasy, 328 pages
Source: NetGalley
My Rating: 4 Stars
Review
CURSE ON THE LAND is the second installment in the Soulwood Series and is set in the same world as Faith Hunter’s Jane Yellowrock novels. It continues the addicting story of Nell Ingram’s connection to the earth and her rising powers. This is an exciting and original urban-fantasy series filled with magic, science, cool gadgets, and plenty of paranormal going-ons.
Spook Squad, a Missing Vampire, Witches and Brother Ephraim’s Cursed Essence
Curse On the Land picks up after Nell has completed her “Spook Squad” training and jumps into a case where the residents and wildlife of Knoxville, Tennessee are acting strangely near a site that may have had psy-contamination—only Nell and the PsyLED unit find out the case is much more.
The plot in this story is terrific with twists, conspiracies, magic and science bringing all the members of the team to the forefront. I loved getting to know them better and Nell is really coming into her own as a member, while the story continues to test her growing other-like abilities.
“The earth reached up to me, knew me, and took me back into itself the way a mother hen gathers a chick beneath her wings.
I stretched out on the lawn, face and body contact with the ground, hands extended to my sides, and reached deep into the earth.
I spread myself across the life there, rich and fecund and content. I didn’t know what I was, not really, not yet, but I knew my land, and it knew me. I was home.”
From missing vampires to powerful witches to the powers of Soulwood, Faith Hunter brings readers into an exciting world of mystery and the paranormal.
Each member has an exciting back story, and in this installment, we really start to get a good feel for PsyLED team’s abilities. Rick LaFleur definitely had an interesting backstory, as well as more hints and revelations about just what Nell is. There is a slow, simmering romance developing that I really enjoyed as well and I’m excited to see where Faith Hunter takes it. My curiosity about the nature of Soulwood and Nell’s unique family background was an important aspect of this installment, making me anxious for more in the next release.
In the End
Recommended to fans of Urban Fantasy and of Faith Hunter. Curse on the Land is an exciting edition to the series and surpassed my expectations.
