Tempest's Fury (Jane True #5) Review

Tempest’s Fury (Jane True #5)

Nicole Peeler

Publisher: Orbit

 Jane's not happy. She's been packed off to England to fight in a war when she'd much rather be snogging Anyan. Unfortunately, Jane's enemies have been busy stirring up some major trouble -- the kind that attracts a lot of attention. In other words, they're not making it easy for Jane to get any alone time with the barghest, or to indulge in her penchant for stinky cheese. Praying she can pull of a Joan of Arc without the whole martyrdom thing, Jane must lead Alfar and halflings alike in a desperate battle to combat an ancient evil. Catapulted into the role of Most Unlikely Hero Ever, Jane also has to fight her own insecurities as well as the doubts of those who don't think she can live up to her new role as Champion. Along the way, Jane learns that some heroes are born. Some are made. And some are bribed with promises of food and sex.

Poor Jane! She just can’t catch a break. Ever since she discovered that her mother was a Selkie and she is a Halfling with some pretty impressive powers, Jane has been hunted, chased and intimidated by other supernatural powers. She never takes it lying down and has managed to carve out friends, powers and abilities of her own. Now she is expected to be the champion of right and unite the supernatural world as Morrigan and Jarl attempted to raise evil long thought defeated. But at least she has Anyan by her side…

Jane, Anyan and Blondie, one of the Originals leave Rockabill and head to London to tackle the growing threat and meet a variety of new supernaturals. I love the way Nicole Peeler has used London as a background to the struggle and woven in different areas of the UK. I loved Borough Market getting a high profile visit – it’s one of my favourite places in London and the amount of food on offer is always a fantastic outing for your tastebuds  - I raise some stinky cheese to Nicole for perfectly capturing the sights, sounds and tastes of the market. I also enjoyed the visits to Brighton, Paris, York and Whitby, with the atmosphere of each place being well captured. As a ‘local’ I love it when it feels like the UK has been portrayed correctly – nothing winds me up when someone misinterprets the environment or geography of somewhere I know!

The action is well paced with the plot gathering twists and turns as Jane and co race to prevent Morrigan raising an ancient evil. The fight scenes are tense and exciting while nicely balanced with character moments as Anyan and Jane figure out their new relationship – plus Jane’s libido and stomach have their say as always! One element I love with this series is how human Jane remains despite her growing powers and expanding world view. She worries about her Dad and her job and cares about protecting people who can’t protect themselves. Off many UF heroines I’ve read, Jane has remained grounded and human while still adapting to her new life and I just adore her for that.

This book moves the overall arc of the series forward significantly and rackets up the tension like never before. And that ending! Yes, there is a cliff-hanger that will leave you going “Noooo….” I feel almost lucky that I’ve been saving Tempest’s Fury for so long as it means that there’s not long to go before Tempest Reborn is out! Exciting, fun and a very relatable heroine makes this one of my favourite UF series - and I can’t wait to see how it turns out!

Recommended for fans of Patricia Briggs and Jaye Wells. 8.5 out of 10