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Junkyard Cats #3
Junkyard War
It’s find retribution or die trying in Shining Smith’s ultimate challenge, from the author of the “Jane Yellowrock” and “Soulwood” series.
Shining Smith and her crew have obtained the weapons they need to rescue one of their own from the grips of their mortal enemy, Clarisse Warhammer. But to mount an assault on her fortified bunker, they have to cobble together an army of fighters.
That could be the biggest battle of them all.
Shining will need to step back into the biker world she left behind to broker an uneasy peace, then lead rival factions into a certain death trap. Can Shining take Warhammer down without having to compel more and more people to do her bidding? And will her feline warriors, the junkyard cats, remain loyal and fight alongside her? Or will Shining have to become something and someone she hates, so that vengeance can finally be hers?
Shining Smith and her crew have obtained the weapons they need to rescue one of their own from the grips of their mortal enemy, Clarisse Warhammer. But to mount an assault on her fortified bunker, they have to cobble together an army of fighters.
That could be the biggest battle of them all.
Shining will need to step back into the biker world she left behind to broker an uneasy peace, then lead rival factions into a certain death trap. Can Shining take Warhammer down without having to compel more and more people to do her bidding? And will her feline warriors, the junkyard cats, remain loyal and fight alongside her? Or will Shining have to become something and someone she hates, so that vengeance can finally be hers?
200 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 8, 2022
About the author
Faith Hunter
90 books5,631 followersFaith 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.
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.
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 writes full-time, tries to keep house, and is a workaholic. She gave up cooking for lent one year and the oven hasn’t been turned on since. Okay – that’s a joke. She does still make cold cereal and sandwiches. Occasionally, she remembers to turn on Roomba (that she named Duma$$ because it fell down the stairs once.)
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.
Jewelry-making was the occupation of two of her characters: Thorn St. Croix, the Rogue Mage, and the main character of BloodStone, written by her pen name, Gwen Hunter. She fell in love with the art form. Though she doesn't have time for jewelry as much as she used to, Faith makes, wears, and sometimes gives away her jewelry as promo items to fans and as prizes in contests. See her FaceBook Fan Page at http://www.facebook.com/official.fait... for pics.
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. Many of her orchid pics are juxtaposed with bones and skulls —a fox, cat, dog, cow skull, goat, and deer skull, (that is, unfortunately, falling apart) and the jawbone of an ass. She just received a boar skull, and the skull of 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 in one year.
She and her husband RV, traveling to whitewater rivers all over the Southeast.
And that leads Faith to kayaking – her very favorite sport. Faith discovered whitewater paddling 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.
Faith is a voracious reader.
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 , and www.magicalwords.net. To keep up with her daily, join her fan pages at Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/official.fait...
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.
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.
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 writes full-time, tries to keep house, and is a workaholic. She gave up cooking for lent one year and the oven hasn’t been turned on since. Okay – that’s a joke. She does still make cold cereal and sandwiches. Occasionally, she remembers to turn on Roomba (that she named Duma$$ because it fell down the stairs once.)
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.
Jewelry-making was the occupation of two of her characters: Thorn St. Croix, the Rogue Mage, and the main character of BloodStone, written by her pen name, Gwen Hunter. She fell in love with the art form. Though she doesn't have time for jewelry as much as she used to, Faith makes, wears, and sometimes gives away her jewelry as promo items to fans and as prizes in contests. See her FaceBook Fan Page at http://www.facebook.com/official.fait... for pics.
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. Many of her orchid pics are juxtaposed with bones and skulls —a fox, cat, dog, cow skull, goat, and deer skull, (that is, unfortunately, falling apart) and the jawbone of an ass. She just received a boar skull, and the skull of 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 in one year.
She and her husband RV, traveling to whitewater rivers all over the Southeast.
And that leads Faith to kayaking – her very favorite sport. Faith discovered whitewater paddling 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.
Faith is a voracious reader.
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 , and www.magicalwords.net. To keep up with her daily, join her fan pages at Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/official.fait...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 140 reviews
March 27, 2024
Read, silly fun. Hunter doesn’t do SF, but she does bike gangs and cats. Parts of the biotech seem well imagined, some gets a meh, particularly the AI and alien backstory. Lots of details on gang politics but minimal on the world politics (except that they’d charge the MC and dump her in prison). Felt like a very open ending, although enough of one that you could call it a HEA.
Two and a half bikes, rounding down.
Two and a half bikes, rounding down.
January 3, 2023
The 3rd in Faith Hunter's Junkyard Cats series has more battle suits and tanks and guns. The series owes a lot to a comic that was around in the 1990s called Tank Girl and honestly the bits that channel the spirit of Tank Girl are the best bits.
Everything else is entertaining enough but I love the despotic cats and the rats.
Everything else is entertaining enough but I love the despotic cats and the rats.
February 20, 2023
Unique and eclectic trilogy I started out listening to because the first one was free on Audible. That's how I got schnuckered into two more, but you know what? I ain't even mad. If you can capture my interest with a gumbo of biopunk nanobot ants, telepathic cats, post-apocalyptic junkyards, militant biker gangs, and a cyberpunk spiderman, you've earned my credits.
I'd rate this an R for swearing, violence and gore, sexual themes, and adult content such as references to sex/labor trafficking.
Original review published 2/14/2023.
I'd rate this an R for swearing, violence and gore, sexual themes, and adult content such as references to sex/labor trafficking.
Original review published 2/14/2023.
March 28, 2023
What can I say? I'm a fan and this was pure fan fare. Six hours of what mostly amounted to one long and bloody fight, preceded by some quirky negotiations. Mostly, with a description like that, I'd pass but this is Faith Hunter and she excels at this stuff.
It's not just that her fight scenes are so vivid that they completely envelop me in the action, or that the technologies involved are scarily plausible or even that Khristine Hvam's narration is a pleasure to listen to. It's that, over the course of Junkyard Cats and Junkyard Bargain, Faith Hunter has gotten me so invested in the Shining Smith and her diverse crew that I need to know what happens to them and it needs to be something that pulls together everything from the previous two books and she knows how to satisfy the appetites she's created.
OK, it's a long battle scene, mostly. But there are highly intelligent Junkyard Cats with their own agenda and with the hierarchy and planning and communication skills to achieve it. There is an army of monster rats marching in lockstep and ready to eat Shining and her crew. There are not one but two AIs, one of which was built by aliens. There's a deeply damaged man, now more cyborg than human, who struts through the battle in a towering, heavily armed warbot. There are people in thrall to Shining Smith because they've been infected by her nanobots and they will do anything to please her, whether she wants them to or not.
Then there is the way Shining Smith, who believes she's not good at politics, forms an alliance amongst rival Motorcycle Clubs and gives them enough incentives not just to work together but to commit to destroying her enemy.
Finally, there's Shining herself. A woman who has gained enormous power that she'd rather not have. A woman who doesn't think she deserves to command but who shoulders the responsibility anyway. A woman set on revenge at any price. A woman who, nevertheless, regrets almost every kill she makes along the way.
Yeah, all of that was enough to keep my wheels spinning.
This might be the last Junkyard Cats book. It certainly brought an end to key story arcs but it also changed the game for both Shining Smith and the Junkyard Cats, offering up all kinds of future possibilities that I hope will entice Faith Hunter to deliver more of this series.
It's not just that her fight scenes are so vivid that they completely envelop me in the action, or that the technologies involved are scarily plausible or even that Khristine Hvam's narration is a pleasure to listen to. It's that, over the course of Junkyard Cats and Junkyard Bargain, Faith Hunter has gotten me so invested in the Shining Smith and her diverse crew that I need to know what happens to them and it needs to be something that pulls together everything from the previous two books and she knows how to satisfy the appetites she's created.
OK, it's a long battle scene, mostly. But there are highly intelligent Junkyard Cats with their own agenda and with the hierarchy and planning and communication skills to achieve it. There is an army of monster rats marching in lockstep and ready to eat Shining and her crew. There are not one but two AIs, one of which was built by aliens. There's a deeply damaged man, now more cyborg than human, who struts through the battle in a towering, heavily armed warbot. There are people in thrall to Shining Smith because they've been infected by her nanobots and they will do anything to please her, whether she wants them to or not.
Then there is the way Shining Smith, who believes she's not good at politics, forms an alliance amongst rival Motorcycle Clubs and gives them enough incentives not just to work together but to commit to destroying her enemy.
Finally, there's Shining herself. A woman who has gained enormous power that she'd rather not have. A woman who doesn't think she deserves to command but who shoulders the responsibility anyway. A woman set on revenge at any price. A woman who, nevertheless, regrets almost every kill she makes along the way.
Yeah, all of that was enough to keep my wheels spinning.
This might be the last Junkyard Cats book. It certainly brought an end to key story arcs but it also changed the game for both Shining Smith and the Junkyard Cats, offering up all kinds of future possibilities that I hope will entice Faith Hunter to deliver more of this series.
December 13, 2022
With this one Shining really bridges her worlds, old and current. She does so in a good way and gets people to listen to her and leaves behind some sneaky spies! It was interesting to see them all work together at the end, to have Shining lead everyone into battle. And like all battles there were losses, but for the most part Shining set out to do what she wanted to, which is a win in the end. It does look like things are changing for her now, she has a choice to make, but I think it will be a good choice and changes for her.
January 13, 2023
Rating: 3.75
This is a continuation of the story told in Junkyard Cats and Junkyard Bargains (you really do need to read those first). Biker Gang politics, rescue missions in former military bunkers, semi-sentient AI, nanobots, rats, and Junkyard Cats make this an exciting, and fast-paced, semi-military, post-apocalyptic audio novella. Kristine Hvam makes an excellent narrator, as usual.
This is a continuation of the story told in Junkyard Cats and Junkyard Bargains (you really do need to read those first). Biker Gang politics, rescue missions in former military bunkers, semi-sentient AI, nanobots, rats, and Junkyard Cats make this an exciting, and fast-paced, semi-military, post-apocalyptic audio novella. Kristine Hvam makes an excellent narrator, as usual.
December 24, 2022
So far this one is my least favorite of the series. Usually Hunter is very good at reading the reader back into the story without it sounding like an info dump, but with this entry I spent the entire time trying to remember the backstory. I didn't understand who the characters were, I couldn't remember anyone's back story, and it seemed as though I was dropped into the middle of a combat situation and left there for the entire story.
I spent the entire time I was listening to this thinking I need to relisten to the previous entries in the series so that I know what's going on. That never abated.
Otherwise, the story seemed like all combat porn all the time.
No, this was not my favorite entry in the series. The end was nice.
I spent the entire time I was listening to this thinking I need to relisten to the previous entries in the series so that I know what's going on. That never abated.
Otherwise, the story seemed like all combat porn all the time.
No, this was not my favorite entry in the series. The end was nice.
July 2, 2023
This is an excellent gritty, alternate earth, post-apocalypse, biker gang, revenge, urban fantasy series. There is blood and guts as characters die. There are amazing characters who grow over the course of the series. This is the third book and all I can think is that I really hope it isn't the last one!
January 16, 2023
The story opens with Shining and her team infiltrating Clarisse Warhammer’s bunker with the help of the cats. They discover that Clarisse is making more thralls and preparing to take over more territory. They also conform that Mateo’s former second in command, Evelyn Raymond, is captive and alive. Shining realizes she must bring together all of the regional motorcycle clubs to have a chance at beating Warhammer.
As the third book in this strongly connected series, one should not start with Junkyard War. With the world and characters established, this story is more about action and resolution. The author gets into the nitty gritty of MC politics. Each of Shining’s thralls are independent but still working to make her successful. Each character is unique and offers something special to the group. There is a hidden depth in the storytelling that keeps me coming back. We also get glimpses of the bug aliens that attacked Earth, nearly destroying the planet and its citizens. I want to know why Shining didn’t think to question the alien AI before now.
Junkyard War is the battle readers have been waiting for. Shining understands how dangerous Warhammer is and how she could literally take over the world. The storyline builds until the climatic battle scene, which is fabulously detailed but a bit too drawn out for me. After the dusts settles, there is a satisfying conclusion and the book finishes in the way that could end the series or be the start of new adventures.
Narration: Junkyard War is shared via the first person POV of Shining. Ms. Hvam’s voice for the narrator/Shining is on the deeper side of average female and has a gravely component at times. She alters the voice for dialogue, using distinct accents and dialects for each character. I especially enjoyed the southern accent of Jolene, and the metallic/robotic accent of Mateo. She also does an amazing job voicing a young child, sounding authentic. I like how she portrays Shining. She’s got an edge and you can hear it in her voice… it’s not soft and comforting. It’s got grit. You can also hear exasperation with the situation in her non-spoken verbal cues. She brings Shining and the world to life.
In the end, the Junkyard Cats series is fresh, exciting, and well-done. While the initial story concludes with Junkyard War, there are many possible tales set within this alternate Earth, and I hope the author continues to share them with her readers.
My Ratings:
Story: B
Narration: A
As the third book in this strongly connected series, one should not start with Junkyard War. With the world and characters established, this story is more about action and resolution. The author gets into the nitty gritty of MC politics. Each of Shining’s thralls are independent but still working to make her successful. Each character is unique and offers something special to the group. There is a hidden depth in the storytelling that keeps me coming back. We also get glimpses of the bug aliens that attacked Earth, nearly destroying the planet and its citizens. I want to know why Shining didn’t think to question the alien AI before now.
Junkyard War is the battle readers have been waiting for. Shining understands how dangerous Warhammer is and how she could literally take over the world. The storyline builds until the climatic battle scene, which is fabulously detailed but a bit too drawn out for me. After the dusts settles, there is a satisfying conclusion and the book finishes in the way that could end the series or be the start of new adventures.
Narration: Junkyard War is shared via the first person POV of Shining. Ms. Hvam’s voice for the narrator/Shining is on the deeper side of average female and has a gravely component at times. She alters the voice for dialogue, using distinct accents and dialects for each character. I especially enjoyed the southern accent of Jolene, and the metallic/robotic accent of Mateo. She also does an amazing job voicing a young child, sounding authentic. I like how she portrays Shining. She’s got an edge and you can hear it in her voice… it’s not soft and comforting. It’s got grit. You can also hear exasperation with the situation in her non-spoken verbal cues. She brings Shining and the world to life.
In the end, the Junkyard Cats series is fresh, exciting, and well-done. While the initial story concludes with Junkyard War, there are many possible tales set within this alternate Earth, and I hope the author continues to share them with her readers.
My Ratings:
Story: B
Narration: A
March 14, 2023
This third book, Junkyard War, reads like a final book but there are hints that there could be a continuation of the series. I loved this last book. What's not to love, spy cats, intricate attack plans, crazy weapons, and smart, bad-ass women. Throw in a handsome biker, crazy-ass *itches, and sentient AI's and you have the makings of a cool, post apocalyptic type of world. Hunter has the ability to create a world that seems possible and vengeance is best served scorching hot!
September 6, 2023
Not my favorite entry in the Shining Smith / Junkyard Cats series...
March 28, 2023
Excellent, nonstop action trilogy. Shining and the gang, especially the cats are finally going to War against Warhammer to rescue their kidnapped friend. Along the way, Shining makes Allie’s of old enemies, forges a new future for herself and the cats are pretty much taking over. This was a great sci-fi tale, with futuristic weapons and armor, telepathic and diva cats along with a snarky AI. There’s action, humor, loyalty, respect and a family that sticks together and defends each other no matter what.
July 1, 2023
I usually am not a fan of post-apocalyptic fiction, but I really have enjoyed this creative take on the genre. The series is very unlike any of Hunter’s previous series, and I’ve liked each one quite a bit. This book wraps up the initial story arc, but fortunately we can look forward to at least one more book featuring Shining, her cats, and her found family.
December 16, 2022
As with the other books in this series, this one is basically action from start to finish. We do get to see some more of the biker-gangs, and Shining get a new chance at life, but otherwise, there are guns and cats. Which isn't a bad combo
March 22, 2023
I love this series. It was pure chance that I saw the first one as part of Audibles included catalog at the time and now I can't wait to see what happens in each one. It helps that these are on the short side most of the time, so I can easily fit them in a busy schedule.
July 13, 2023
The previous two in the Junkyard Cats series were quite good, which is why I felt surprised by the almost rushed feeling of this book. A cast of dozens, with names being thrown around willy nilly, made this almost confusing to try to follow. The antagonist, built up in the previous stories, was almost sad at the end, with no feeling of "this is the evil overboss" and more "here's a sad person who doesn't know what they are doing." And while that is something that can be done in a story, and done well, it isn't in this one. Especially after all the buildup of this character being the protagonists dark reflection.
I probably would not have rated this quite as low as I did had the previous ones not led me to expect a much better ending (if it is one; it's not clear). In fact, this suffered a similar effect to her other series' ending, Jane Yellowrock, where she also had a huge cast and the final battle was only epic for its size, not for the cleverness or power of the enemy.
I probably would not have rated this quite as low as I did had the previous ones not led me to expect a much better ending (if it is one; it's not clear). In fact, this suffered a similar effect to her other series' ending, Jane Yellowrock, where she also had a huge cast and the final battle was only epic for its size, not for the cleverness or power of the enemy.
September 24, 2023
Loved reading this book, it was such a great continuation of this battle that's been ongoing!
April 13, 2024
series as a whole shocked the hell out of me at how enjoyable. The voice fits the genre. The over tones of MC culture (even the crappy parts worked) Sometimes I wish she would have put that word count in and made it more filled out because she had a habit of dumping world building because her world is a bit too big for a novella. At the same time I'm not mad at it. There could be more books in this series and I hope that she thinks about it. Female lead books have a nasty habit of riding off in the sunset shortly after they finally get they man. And not just keep going so hopefully she gives us a fully flesh out series same couple.
March 29, 2023
(2.5 Stars)
First and foremost let me say that I am a major fan of Faith Hunter. She is an incredible writer and is definitely one of my favorite top ten authors. When I stumbled upon the Junkyard Cats series I was thoroughly enjoyed the uniqueness of the plot, the world building and the quirky cast of characters. All was well until I wanted to read the third installment and discovered that is was only available on Audiobook.
Audiobooks has been a hit or miss with me. Sometimes the narrations are excellent and other times they are not! In the case of "Junkyard War" I was not a fan of the narration. It wasn't horrible but it wasn't that enjoyable for me either. I would have preferred to read the book instead but that wasn't an option. Additionally, the plot for this read was rather mundane. It seemed to drone on and on and honestly only became exciting at the very end. There was a lot of narration, a moderate amount of dialogue and the action scenes were rather lack luster. To say, that I was disappointed would be an understatement. There were times that I thought that I might not be able to finish the read.
I will say that this installment feels like it is the end of the series, although I do not know this for sure. I can only wait and see. However, if I have to buy an audiobook to continue this series, I will not be moving forward with it. Sorry Ms. Hunter, this read just didn't do it for me. My advice to anyone reading this review is if you are interested in this series, listen to this installment for yourself and decide because everyone views things differently.
First and foremost let me say that I am a major fan of Faith Hunter. She is an incredible writer and is definitely one of my favorite top ten authors. When I stumbled upon the Junkyard Cats series I was thoroughly enjoyed the uniqueness of the plot, the world building and the quirky cast of characters. All was well until I wanted to read the third installment and discovered that is was only available on Audiobook.
Audiobooks has been a hit or miss with me. Sometimes the narrations are excellent and other times they are not! In the case of "Junkyard War" I was not a fan of the narration. It wasn't horrible but it wasn't that enjoyable for me either. I would have preferred to read the book instead but that wasn't an option. Additionally, the plot for this read was rather mundane. It seemed to drone on and on and honestly only became exciting at the very end. There was a lot of narration, a moderate amount of dialogue and the action scenes were rather lack luster. To say, that I was disappointed would be an understatement. There were times that I thought that I might not be able to finish the read.
I will say that this installment feels like it is the end of the series, although I do not know this for sure. I can only wait and see. However, if I have to buy an audiobook to continue this series, I will not be moving forward with it. Sorry Ms. Hunter, this read just didn't do it for me. My advice to anyone reading this review is if you are interested in this series, listen to this installment for yourself and decide because everyone views things differently.
April 1, 2023
Well a lot happens in this one and we get the back story on Shining. We enter the biker world that she comes from and the world that didn't want to let her leave and why. The several factions need to be united to take on Warhammer (the other Queen) so Shining has her work cut out for her, while trying to keep her secrets and not get pulled into the politics.
This was much more involved than the first two books and might be a good idea to reread those as it is complex. I really liked it but some of the battles and injuries seem to go too far. Still was great and had a lot of emotion too.
This was much more involved than the first two books and might be a good idea to reread those as it is complex. I really liked it but some of the battles and injuries seem to go too far. Still was great and had a lot of emotion too.
March 9, 2023
That took far to long to finish. It was entertaining when I could focus on it. I was reminded of Jane Yellowfock. Some of the saying and defo the personality. But thankfully better in ways. I never liked Jane and hated Bruiser with a passion I couldn’t finish the series. But I still have soulwood and the junkyard. Narrator was good as always.
January 21, 2023
While a decent enough story I did not care for it as much as the others in the series.
February 19, 2023
“Bloody damn!” as Shining Smith would say. Bloody damn this was a wild ride in Shining’s sidecar. I meant brain – although occasionally also sidecar.
Because Shining’s post-climate-apocalypse AND dystopia is run by the biker gangs – or at least Shining’s little corner of it as well as her mental landscape are. Shining herself is famous and infamous – in equal measure – among the Outlaw Militia Warriors as ‘Little Girl’ – one of the first female ‘made men’ in that fiercely misogynistic culture.
When Shining was literally a little girl her daddy sent her inside the carapace of one of the enemy’s giant ‘mamabots’ with a nuke strapped to her back. Those mamabots were crawling, rolling factories of nanobots designed to infect and kill anyone or anything they came across. They were helping the enemy to conquer the West Coast of the U.S. one klick at a time.
Shining expected to die in that bot – and she very nearly did. Instead, she came out changed, infected by the bots’ poison and transformed by her own exceedingly stubborn will into the human equivalent of the mamabot – a queen constantly emitting a poison that turns anyone that touches it into her thrall.
Including the ever-increasing crew at her junkyard. Especially the cats. Her Cats, who have a queen of their own who is probably the person truly running the place.
But Shining is not the only human queen, because every true hero – especially if that’s not remotely what they want to be – creates their own archenemy – or the other way around. Clarisse Warhammer targeted Shining all the way back in Junkyard Cats, sending the dead body of her best friend back to her junkyard in the trunk of a rusted out car.
Shining has been gunning for Clarisse ever since.
Junkyard War is the final showdown between Shining and Warhammer, the culmination of every single thing that’s happened since the opening of Junkyard Cats. Shining has pulled every string, coaxed every friend, bribed every enemy she has in order to bring enough firepower to bear to have the best chance possible of crawling out alive after sending herself into the lair of someone much worse than that first mamabot.
This time she doesn’t even have a nuke. What she has this time is better. She has friends. And, more importantly, particularly from their point of view, she has the Cats.
Escape Rating A+: I picked up the audio of the first book in the Shining Smith series, Junkyard Cats, three years ago when the audio was all there was. And did I ever wish there was more.
I got that more in 2021’s Junkyard Bargain, and that still wasn’t enough of Shining Smith, her totally FUBAR’d world, or especially her telepathic battle cats who have probably been running things for a lot longer than Shining either knows or wants to think about.
It’s been a long wait but here we have the climax – sometimes in multiple senses of that word – or Shining’s story in Junkyard War. And I have to say that it has SO been worth the wait.
But it has been a hell of a wait because the three books in the series aren’t so much separate books as they are chapters in a continuing saga that now reads like it has skidded, heart first, into a WOW! of a conclusion.
Which means two things. First, the books pile layer upon layer building Shining’s world, so you really need to start at the beginning in Junkyard Cats. Fortunately, the first two stories, Junkyard Cats and Junkyard Bargain are both available as ebooks as well as audio, and they’re fast, compelling reads.
Second, this does feel like an ending, after an edge-of-the-seat thrilling battle that literally plucks at the heart – because the whole series has been told from Shining’s jaded, world-weary, all too often jaundiced and misanthropic point of view. So when she’s directing her friends, her people and the Cats around an ever changing battlefield and worrying over every single one we’re right in there with her, both because Shining’s voice is so singular and wry, and because the narrator who brings her to us, Khristine Hvam, has done a consistently excellent job of embodying Shining through this entire riveting series.
As this story ends, Shining is confronted with something she’s never really had before – the power to choose her own future. There could be new stories in Shining’s world from this point, but they’d be fundamentally different from what came before. So this is at least a break but also quite possibly as close to an HEA as Shining will ever get considering the state of the world she inhabits.
Either way, it’s a wild ride and a total rush and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.
Whether or not you’ll feel the same way probably relies on whether or not you are able to fall into Shining’s voice because you see everything from inside her head. I loved riding her journey with her but your reading and/or listening mileage may vary. I hope it doesn’t because she’s one hell of a character experiencing a fantastic and utterly absorbing story.
Originally published at Reading Reality
Because Shining’s post-climate-apocalypse AND dystopia is run by the biker gangs – or at least Shining’s little corner of it as well as her mental landscape are. Shining herself is famous and infamous – in equal measure – among the Outlaw Militia Warriors as ‘Little Girl’ – one of the first female ‘made men’ in that fiercely misogynistic culture.
When Shining was literally a little girl her daddy sent her inside the carapace of one of the enemy’s giant ‘mamabots’ with a nuke strapped to her back. Those mamabots were crawling, rolling factories of nanobots designed to infect and kill anyone or anything they came across. They were helping the enemy to conquer the West Coast of the U.S. one klick at a time.
Shining expected to die in that bot – and she very nearly did. Instead, she came out changed, infected by the bots’ poison and transformed by her own exceedingly stubborn will into the human equivalent of the mamabot – a queen constantly emitting a poison that turns anyone that touches it into her thrall.
Including the ever-increasing crew at her junkyard. Especially the cats. Her Cats, who have a queen of their own who is probably the person truly running the place.
But Shining is not the only human queen, because every true hero – especially if that’s not remotely what they want to be – creates their own archenemy – or the other way around. Clarisse Warhammer targeted Shining all the way back in Junkyard Cats, sending the dead body of her best friend back to her junkyard in the trunk of a rusted out car.
Shining has been gunning for Clarisse ever since.
Junkyard War is the final showdown between Shining and Warhammer, the culmination of every single thing that’s happened since the opening of Junkyard Cats. Shining has pulled every string, coaxed every friend, bribed every enemy she has in order to bring enough firepower to bear to have the best chance possible of crawling out alive after sending herself into the lair of someone much worse than that first mamabot.
This time she doesn’t even have a nuke. What she has this time is better. She has friends. And, more importantly, particularly from their point of view, she has the Cats.
Escape Rating A+: I picked up the audio of the first book in the Shining Smith series, Junkyard Cats, three years ago when the audio was all there was. And did I ever wish there was more.
I got that more in 2021’s Junkyard Bargain, and that still wasn’t enough of Shining Smith, her totally FUBAR’d world, or especially her telepathic battle cats who have probably been running things for a lot longer than Shining either knows or wants to think about.
It’s been a long wait but here we have the climax – sometimes in multiple senses of that word – or Shining’s story in Junkyard War. And I have to say that it has SO been worth the wait.
But it has been a hell of a wait because the three books in the series aren’t so much separate books as they are chapters in a continuing saga that now reads like it has skidded, heart first, into a WOW! of a conclusion.
Which means two things. First, the books pile layer upon layer building Shining’s world, so you really need to start at the beginning in Junkyard Cats. Fortunately, the first two stories, Junkyard Cats and Junkyard Bargain are both available as ebooks as well as audio, and they’re fast, compelling reads.
Second, this does feel like an ending, after an edge-of-the-seat thrilling battle that literally plucks at the heart – because the whole series has been told from Shining’s jaded, world-weary, all too often jaundiced and misanthropic point of view. So when she’s directing her friends, her people and the Cats around an ever changing battlefield and worrying over every single one we’re right in there with her, both because Shining’s voice is so singular and wry, and because the narrator who brings her to us, Khristine Hvam, has done a consistently excellent job of embodying Shining through this entire riveting series.
As this story ends, Shining is confronted with something she’s never really had before – the power to choose her own future. There could be new stories in Shining’s world from this point, but they’d be fundamentally different from what came before. So this is at least a break but also quite possibly as close to an HEA as Shining will ever get considering the state of the world she inhabits.
Either way, it’s a wild ride and a total rush and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.
Whether or not you’ll feel the same way probably relies on whether or not you are able to fall into Shining’s voice because you see everything from inside her head. I loved riding her journey with her but your reading and/or listening mileage may vary. I hope it doesn’t because she’s one hell of a character experiencing a fantastic and utterly absorbing story.
Originally published at Reading Reality
July 24, 2024
Third in the Junkyard Cats apocalyptic science fiction series revolving around Shining Smith who owns a junkyard with some really cool “toys” in the “barren, stone desert of West Virginia.
My Take
Shining does have a fascinating, if crude, life with those not-supposed-to-be-sentient cats and AI. It’s a world we learn about through Hunter’s use of first person protagonist point-of-view from Shining’s perspective. It’s darned scary as we have an inside track on her fears and worries about her OMW status and how she and her people will rescue Evelyn.
I love that Jolene has given herself a Southern accent.
It is intriguing how the cats and Shining communicate — via a mental telepathy and how Shining interprets those “merow hisses”. The cats' independence is very surprising, especially when Tuff wants to send out spies. Yep, it’ll be an easy set-up with bikers fighting over who gets which cat.
It’s not just the cats spying, as Alex, with a cat scooped up in his arms, makes the rounds at the parley as does Wanda as she explains to all those Old Ladies just how much power they have. Then there are the made-women whom Wanda rouses.
Part of the battle prep includes reconnaissance. Ten-kilo mega-rats that can gnaw through steel and march in lockstep. If you’re into weapons, Junkyard War will be your heaven, lol. There are so many fun toys in this!
Complications include Shining’s touch, that includes her sweat, that can turn people into thralls. I can understand Shining’s thoughts on thralls. It is a horrible thing to take away someone’s independence, yet I'd love to have someone around to cook, clean, and organize *grin*. With more thralls, Shining has to increase the housing at the junkyard, so it’s a good thing that Cupcake is so good with inventory and bargaining. Of course, Shining has that additional complication with her thralls achieving more independence, and Shining begins to see how it could backfire on her!
That Cupcake is even more amazing with her sense of presentation — that intro she gives for Shining was most impressive.
Even more “fun” is the alliance of Warhammer with the government, military, and corporate military complexes. Having all that advanced weaponry along with the warbot and the SIMBA would be enough to have Shining in a deep, dark prison, so avoiding the military is a number one priority.
Then there’s McQuestion’s expectations that Shining will come back to the gang. Hah. Ha-ha. Instead, the usual usage of women gets flipped on its head, lol. Go, Shining!
It’s a post-apocalyptic world where only main roads are maintained, water is at a premium, crops no longer grow where they used to, and
A world where a parent, a husband, will take down someone they are supposed to love, send them into harm’ sway.
There are characters galore and way more action that you’d think . . . with quite the complimentary ending.
The Story
Shining, her thralls, and the cats have been preparing for war, for rescuing Evelyn from Warhammer, but they're not enough. In spite of the threat to Shining's independence, she'll need to broker a peace with rival gangs.
She has the weapons but not the manpower, and she fears betrayal from those who covet what she has.
The Characters
Shining “Little Girl” Smith, alias Heather Smith, has been enhanced with a variety of nanobots — don’t touch her. She inherited Smith’s Junk and Scrap from her dad, Pops, a.k.a. Bill Smith, the international president of the Outlaw Militia Warriors (OMW) and its war chief. (The junkyard will be termed neutral territory with Shining getting her own motorcycle club.) “Little Mama” had been Shining’s mother. Death’s Reaper had been Shining’s wartime bike, a Harley Machinegun.
Felix catus destructus is what the cats have named themselves. Tuffs is the pride Guardian Cat queen; Notch is her mate. Spy has mated with Maul, her enforcer. These cats understand English and can work as a team!
Mateo is a patched-man living inside a neural-net-controlled warbot, a cyborg — all that allows him to live and communicate. He’s also the commander of the crashed USS SunStar. Jolene is the enhanced AI for the ship; Gomez is the AI from the alien Bug ship that makes up Shining’s office. Amos is the bodyguard from NUMBER2 who fell in love with Cupcake, another thrall and the most organized woman! She’d been Red’s Old Lady in the Hells Angels. Wanda had been Marty's right-hand woman at his junkyard (Shining infected her with her own nanobots, overcoming Warhammer's; she’d left Wanda behind hoping she could cope on her own); she has a son, Alex. Jacopo, Marconi's son, is a hostage with Shining.
Captain Evelyn Raymond had been Mateo’s second-in-command who is now held hostage by Warhammer. (She’ll be rescued and she’s infected.)
Logan “Asshole" Jagger (he rides a One Rider and is torn in his loyalties) is an enforcer for Roy “McQuestion” Gamble, the war chief and vice-president of the OMW. Six-Gun Annie Gamble is McQuestion’s (infected) Old Lady. (Roy kills her for running when he said anyone who ran would be shot.) Camilla Mary Gamble is McQuestion’s daughter and a hostage with Marconi. Razor McBride is McQuestion’s number two enforcer. Big Dick McKraken wanted Jagger’s job (and didn’t tell McQuestion about the clause in Jagger’s contract; he ends up with a few teeth). Oil Man Durbage gets Jagger’s job.
Somewhat amenable motorcycle gangs include the OMW, Hells Angels (HA) with Charles Whip as its president, Black Sabbath is led by J’Ron “Mama-Killer” Walker out of Old New York, and Boozefighters led by Henry "Bengal" Thibodaux. Some of the bikers who show up for the attack include WingDing; Puta-Bella, who is Bengal’s made-man; and, Demetrius. The Berdoo Charter in San Bernadino, California, had been the most prestigious house of the HA.
Daniel Marconi runs Marconi’s Famiglia, an Italian restaurant in Charleston, as well as being regional president of the Hells Angel chapter there. His kids include the psychopathic Mina, Lorenzo, and the enthralled Enrico.
Clarisse Warhammer is another queen( Shining killes her), but one without the compassion of Shining. She’s also the leader of the MSA motorcycle gang — a combination of the West Coast Hells Angels and the Mara Salvatrucha .One-Eyed Jack is her Number One and mate. Rico “Three Fingers” Garcia Perez is the top man of the MSA. More of her men include Marvin, Charlie,
The Hand of the Law are today's cops. EntNu is a practical application of the science of entwined neutrinos — and you now know as much as I do. A queen is a nanobot-modified mutated human who is motivated with creating a nest (of thralls). Buck Harlan had been Shining’s best friend (). A WIMP is a Weakly Interacting Massive Particle bomb. A SIMBA, a Suit Initiated Main Battle Tank, was rescued in (2). Marty Morrison had once run a treasure trove of a junkyard in Charleston (2). Berger chips are silicone implants that provide additional memory, knowledge, and speed up the brain’s ability to make connections Grant Zuckerman had been out of luck. Garrouling PopPop had been the alien who died in the Bug ship. Yep, he achieved maximum inactivity. The Battle of Mobile had been a turning point in the war against the PRC.
The Cover and Title
The cover is dark with a range of grayed-down browns with junk everywhere. In front is the short-haired Shining in a combination of black "leather" and hardened purple battle armor, sitting on a double copper arch of metal with cats prowling in front, back, and sides. The title is at the top in a burnished gold with an info blurb in white at the bottom with the author's name below that in the same gold.
The title is a two-way street with Shining fighting her Junkyard War to keep her place and use her weapons.
My Take
Shining does have a fascinating, if crude, life with those not-supposed-to-be-sentient cats and AI. It’s a world we learn about through Hunter’s use of first person protagonist point-of-view from Shining’s perspective. It’s darned scary as we have an inside track on her fears and worries about her OMW status and how she and her people will rescue Evelyn.
I love that Jolene has given herself a Southern accent.
It is intriguing how the cats and Shining communicate — via a mental telepathy and how Shining interprets those “merow hisses”. The cats' independence is very surprising, especially when Tuff wants to send out spies. Yep, it’ll be an easy set-up with bikers fighting over who gets which cat.
It’s not just the cats spying, as Alex, with a cat scooped up in his arms, makes the rounds at the parley as does Wanda as she explains to all those Old Ladies just how much power they have. Then there are the made-women whom Wanda rouses.
Part of the battle prep includes reconnaissance. Ten-kilo mega-rats that can gnaw through steel and march in lockstep. If you’re into weapons, Junkyard War will be your heaven, lol. There are so many fun toys in this!
Complications include Shining’s touch, that includes her sweat, that can turn people into thralls. I can understand Shining’s thoughts on thralls. It is a horrible thing to take away someone’s independence, yet I'd love to have someone around to cook, clean, and organize *grin*. With more thralls, Shining has to increase the housing at the junkyard, so it’s a good thing that Cupcake is so good with inventory and bargaining. Of course, Shining has that additional complication with her thralls achieving more independence, and Shining begins to see how it could backfire on her!
That Cupcake is even more amazing with her sense of presentation — that intro she gives for Shining was most impressive.
Even more “fun” is the alliance of Warhammer with the government, military, and corporate military complexes. Having all that advanced weaponry along with the warbot and the SIMBA would be enough to have Shining in a deep, dark prison, so avoiding the military is a number one priority.
Then there’s McQuestion’s expectations that Shining will come back to the gang. Hah. Ha-ha. Instead, the usual usage of women gets flipped on its head, lol. Go, Shining!
It’s a post-apocalyptic world where only main roads are maintained, water is at a premium, crops no longer grow where they used to, and
A world where a parent, a husband, will take down someone they are supposed to love, send them into harm’ sway.
There are characters galore and way more action that you’d think . . . with quite the complimentary ending.
The Story
Shining, her thralls, and the cats have been preparing for war, for rescuing Evelyn from Warhammer, but they're not enough. In spite of the threat to Shining's independence, she'll need to broker a peace with rival gangs.
She has the weapons but not the manpower, and she fears betrayal from those who covet what she has.
The Characters
Shining “Little Girl” Smith, alias Heather Smith, has been enhanced with a variety of nanobots — don’t touch her. She inherited Smith’s Junk and Scrap from her dad, Pops, a.k.a. Bill Smith, the international president of the Outlaw Militia Warriors (OMW) and its war chief. (The junkyard will be termed neutral territory with Shining getting her own motorcycle club.) “Little Mama” had been Shining’s mother. Death’s Reaper had been Shining’s wartime bike, a Harley Machinegun.
Felix catus destructus is what the cats have named themselves. Tuffs is the pride Guardian Cat queen; Notch is her mate. Spy has mated with Maul, her enforcer. These cats understand English and can work as a team!
Mateo is a patched-man living inside a neural-net-controlled warbot, a cyborg — all that allows him to live and communicate. He’s also the commander of the crashed USS SunStar. Jolene is the enhanced AI for the ship; Gomez is the AI from the alien Bug ship that makes up Shining’s office. Amos is the bodyguard from NUMBER2 who fell in love with Cupcake, another thrall and the most organized woman! She’d been Red’s Old Lady in the Hells Angels. Wanda had been Marty's right-hand woman at his junkyard (Shining infected her with her own nanobots, overcoming Warhammer's; she’d left Wanda behind hoping she could cope on her own); she has a son, Alex. Jacopo, Marconi's son, is a hostage with Shining.
Captain Evelyn Raymond had been Mateo’s second-in-command who is now held hostage by Warhammer. (She’ll be rescued and she’s infected.)
Logan “Asshole" Jagger (he rides a One Rider and is torn in his loyalties) is an enforcer for Roy “McQuestion” Gamble, the war chief and vice-president of the OMW. Six-Gun Annie Gamble is McQuestion’s (infected) Old Lady. (Roy kills her for running when he said anyone who ran would be shot.) Camilla Mary Gamble is McQuestion’s daughter and a hostage with Marconi. Razor McBride is McQuestion’s number two enforcer. Big Dick McKraken wanted Jagger’s job (and didn’t tell McQuestion about the clause in Jagger’s contract; he ends up with a few teeth). Oil Man Durbage gets Jagger’s job.
Somewhat amenable motorcycle gangs include the OMW, Hells Angels (HA) with Charles Whip as its president, Black Sabbath is led by J’Ron “Mama-Killer” Walker out of Old New York, and Boozefighters led by Henry "Bengal" Thibodaux. Some of the bikers who show up for the attack include WingDing; Puta-Bella, who is Bengal’s made-man; and, Demetrius. The Berdoo Charter in San Bernadino, California, had been the most prestigious house of the HA.
Daniel Marconi runs Marconi’s Famiglia, an Italian restaurant in Charleston, as well as being regional president of the Hells Angel chapter there. His kids include the psychopathic Mina, Lorenzo, and the enthralled Enrico.
Clarisse Warhammer is another queen( Shining killes her), but one without the compassion of Shining. She’s also the leader of the MSA motorcycle gang — a combination of the West Coast Hells Angels and the Mara Salvatrucha .One-Eyed Jack is her Number One and mate. Rico “Three Fingers” Garcia Perez is the top man of the MSA. More of her men include Marvin, Charlie,
The Hand of the Law are today's cops. EntNu is a practical application of the science of entwined neutrinos — and you now know as much as I do. A queen is a nanobot-modified mutated human who is motivated with creating a nest (of thralls). Buck Harlan had been Shining’s best friend (). A WIMP is a Weakly Interacting Massive Particle bomb. A SIMBA, a Suit Initiated Main Battle Tank, was rescued in (2). Marty Morrison had once run a treasure trove of a junkyard in Charleston (2). Berger chips are silicone implants that provide additional memory, knowledge, and speed up the brain’s ability to make connections Grant Zuckerman had been out of luck. Garrouling PopPop had been the alien who died in the Bug ship. Yep, he achieved maximum inactivity. The Battle of Mobile had been a turning point in the war against the PRC.
The Cover and Title
The cover is dark with a range of grayed-down browns with junk everywhere. In front is the short-haired Shining in a combination of black "leather" and hardened purple battle armor, sitting on a double copper arch of metal with cats prowling in front, back, and sides. The title is at the top in a burnished gold with an info blurb in white at the bottom with the author's name below that in the same gold.
The title is a two-way street with Shining fighting her Junkyard War to keep her place and use her weapons.
January 2, 2023
First finish of the year! And what a finish it was! This book seems to wrap up Shining Smith's story with a bang. The fact that it came out shortly after Faith Hunter wrapped up the Jane Yellowrock series with Final Heir makes me really curious about what Hunter will publish next.
Shining goes to war against Clarise Warhammer in this volume, and when Shining goes to war, she commits fully. All the allies we've met in the two earlier books are along for the ride, especially the cats.
One of my favorite things about this series is the way the cats are portrayed. Each has a distinct character, and they're true to their feline natures. They most definitely are not tame or pets, but they are their own beings.
The tech Hunter posits in these books is intriguing, as well. It never gets in the way of the plot, but it does add flavor.
I was hesitant to start reading this series when the first volume, Junkyard Cats was released. I don't generally listen to fiction books. I like reading them, and I use my Audible credits for non-fiction. I love Hunter's work, though, so I took a chance on these, and I'm glad I did. When the ebook version of Junkyard Cats was released, I went back and read it, enjoying it all over again. It's rare that I re-read anything, so you know it was wonderful. I have the ebooks of Junkyard Bargain and now Junkyard War to look forward to now!
Shining goes to war against Clarise Warhammer in this volume, and when Shining goes to war, she commits fully. All the allies we've met in the two earlier books are along for the ride, especially the cats.
One of my favorite things about this series is the way the cats are portrayed. Each has a distinct character, and they're true to their feline natures. They most definitely are not tame or pets, but they are their own beings.
The tech Hunter posits in these books is intriguing, as well. It never gets in the way of the plot, but it does add flavor.
I was hesitant to start reading this series when the first volume, Junkyard Cats was released. I don't generally listen to fiction books. I like reading them, and I use my Audible credits for non-fiction. I love Hunter's work, though, so I took a chance on these, and I'm glad I did. When the ebook version of Junkyard Cats was released, I went back and read it, enjoying it all over again. It's rare that I re-read anything, so you know it was wonderful. I have the ebooks of Junkyard Bargain and now Junkyard War to look forward to now!
December 12, 2022
Faith Hunter does not disappoint. In this third installment of her new dystopian sci-fi series started in Junkyard Cats. This time Shining Smith a/k/a Littke Girl is preparing for war. Her enemy Clarice Warhammer has a hostage and intends to destroy everything in her path to ultimate power. Clarice like shining has been infected with mutated nano-bots which allow her to create thralls by touch. She has a new power base and intends to expand her power from the MSA Hells Angels biker club to the other surviving bikers club and from there to what’s left of the military and government. In this dystopian future nuclear war has destroyed the atmosphere and the Peoples Republic of China tried to invade by sending ai powered mama bots to crawl up from the pacific and destroy everything in their path. The war was won but at the cost of the destruction of the planet and the release of nanobots which can infect and change anything they encounter. Now Shining must convince the remaining biker clubs to assist her to rescue the hostage and destroy Clarice before she takes over or kills then all. With the help of her cyborg colleague firmer starship captain now warbot Matteo, her new”employees/thralls” who really just want to serve her and expand her “hive”. and the junkyard cats, evolved , mutated and sentient cats, they take on the biker clubs, Warhammer and her minions both two legged and four legged rats. Quite a ride!!
December 21, 2022
Series: Junkyard Cats #3
Rating: 3 stars - I liked it
After a lot of build up, Shining Smith and her crew have finally obtained the weapons and people needed to mount a rescue and take down their enemy, Clarisse Warhammer. This was action packed from the very beginning. Shining brokers a deal with the rival motorcycle gangs, storms a stronghold, fights giant mutant rats, and finally takes down Clarisse. Oh and she finally gets her man. This was an enjoyable ending to this series and I really loved seeing Shining step up and fight for her friends. She changes everything for the future of this area with her ability to get rival gangs to cooperate.
My only real complaint was that I was expecting a bit more from her relationship with Jagger. They have been circling each other since book one but there was a lot of romance between them really. Yes, they had sex and in the end say they will commit to each other, but I was expecting a bit more emotion between them. This was still a great series and ending though.
Trigger Warnings: war themes; torture; death of friends and associates; grief; death; PTSD; death and injuries of animals;
You can also find my reviews at Red-Haired Ash Reads.
Rating: 3 stars - I liked it
After a lot of build up, Shining Smith and her crew have finally obtained the weapons and people needed to mount a rescue and take down their enemy, Clarisse Warhammer. This was action packed from the very beginning. Shining brokers a deal with the rival motorcycle gangs, storms a stronghold, fights giant mutant rats, and finally takes down Clarisse. Oh and she finally gets her man. This was an enjoyable ending to this series and I really loved seeing Shining step up and fight for her friends. She changes everything for the future of this area with her ability to get rival gangs to cooperate.
My only real complaint was that I was expecting a bit more from her relationship with Jagger. They have been circling each other since book one but there was a lot of romance between them really. Yes, they had sex and in the end say they will commit to each other, but I was expecting a bit more emotion between them. This was still a great series and ending though.
Trigger Warnings: war themes; torture; death of friends and associates; grief; death; PTSD; death and injuries of animals;
You can also find my reviews at Red-Haired Ash Reads.
July 4, 2023
Having located the bunker where the enemy is holding Evelyn, Shining, Mateo and the cats set about creating an alliance of the various motorcycle clubs in order to rescue her and kill the enemy queen before she can infect and enslave enough people to take over what is left of the US. Delicate negotiations, divided loyalties, traitors in the midst of the clubs and scheming kittens are just a few of the things Shining has to deal with as she reluctantly increases her nest in order to kill the other queen.
This is an enjoyable series and, in some ways, reminiscent of Ms Hunter’s Jane Yellowrock series. We have a strong woman who is not quite just human, living alone, reluctant to take on responsibility for other people who, in spite of her misgivings now finds herself with a created family of both humans and cats as well as increasing responsibility for the safety of the world. The characters are well defined with just enough mystery about their pasts and motives to keep the reader coming back for more. I love the cats and Ms Hunter has accurately captured the attitude they display even without the added intelligence. I look forward to the next installment as we ended this one on a slight cliffhanger. Highly recommended
This is an enjoyable series and, in some ways, reminiscent of Ms Hunter’s Jane Yellowrock series. We have a strong woman who is not quite just human, living alone, reluctant to take on responsibility for other people who, in spite of her misgivings now finds herself with a created family of both humans and cats as well as increasing responsibility for the safety of the world. The characters are well defined with just enough mystery about their pasts and motives to keep the reader coming back for more. I love the cats and Ms Hunter has accurately captured the attitude they display even without the added intelligence. I look forward to the next installment as we ended this one on a slight cliffhanger. Highly recommended
December 14, 2023
For anyone who has read the previous two books in this supremely creative series, it’s the big battle scene! And boy is it a doozy, it takes up a good portion of the last half of the book. BUT, it is proceeded by some super fun and twisty negotions between Shining and the mafia/biker gangs that be. There is still a good amount of techy stuff but only as it pertains to specific devices (as opposed to the overall that was in book one) so that isn’t even a problem.
I was devastated at the betrayal by a friend that has never been addressed. It needs a good long explanation and resolution darn it!! I’m also not a fan of how the (small) romance aspect is going. A quick roll in the hay, then a “now get lost, I’m busy” is not a good look for Shining and her treatment of Jagger makes it a lot harder to root for her. Still, I have quickly grown attached to her and her co-horts, so I’m (im)patiently waiting to see if Mr. Hunter publishes more in this incredibly interesting series.
P.S. As a huge reader, I am NOT a fan of selling the audiobooks months and months before the actual print versions… just sayin.
I was devastated at the betrayal by a friend that has never been addressed. It needs a good long explanation and resolution darn it!! I’m also not a fan of how the (small) romance aspect is going. A quick roll in the hay, then a “now get lost, I’m busy” is not a good look for Shining and her treatment of Jagger makes it a lot harder to root for her. Still, I have quickly grown attached to her and her co-horts, so I’m (im)patiently waiting to see if Mr. Hunter publishes more in this incredibly interesting series.
P.S. As a huge reader, I am NOT a fan of selling the audiobooks months and months before the actual print versions… just sayin.
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