Lots of fun with the usual irreverent Jane True humor but I thought the ending was a little "hey! magic! that'll fix everything!" and it left me feeling a little unfulfilled. Still, for the series as a whole, two thumbs up.

The writing was weirdly formal in places and had some strange sentence structuring. Where the previous books felt natural and had a realistic flow, stylistically this book felt jumpy and stilted. For lack of a better description, it felt like a noob author trying to sound official, and it was info-dumpy where no info-dumping was necessary, frex, "Low on my hips rested a pair of dark burgundy belly dancing pants. They were basically stretchy yoga pants that flared out into cool, split bell-bottoms". WTH? Like, I get setting the mood and the clothes choice has some bearing on that scene, but that whole bit was just weird. The whole book is like that and kept me from really settling in. ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.

Quick & Dirty: Saving Anyan is Jane’s number 1 priority but will she be strong enough to follow all the instructions to defeat the Red and White?

Opening Sentence: The agaony was excruciating, a white heat at the center of my consciousness.

The Review:

Tempest Reborn is the epic finale to the Jane True’s series. While I have only read books 5 and 6, I really feel that this is a story that was told with great planning and consideration for the entire arc of the entire series.

In my review for book 5, Tempest’s Fury, I told you that you could comfortably pick up the series from there and move forward, but not from book 6. This book requires everything you learn about good and evil, characters and their personalities, and politics from all sides in order for this book to make complete sense as Ms. Peeler intended.

That being said, in this book, I felt was the better of these two books in part because I had a vested interest in the world and characters but also because of the epic showdowns, which are amazing. Whether it comes in the form of Luke Skywalker vs. Jedi Master or Sherlock vs. Moriarty or the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, these moments are poignant and if well told live on in our memory and pass on into our legends. This battle has all of that and then some. The story is well crafted but there are twists and turns that make it magical.

This review is hard to write due in part because I refuse to give spoilers but I can say that the stakes are higher than they have been before, but the interplay between the characters is heart wrenching. Plots are foiled, people die and the journey continues until the final last stand. I must say that I was not expecting the twist that Ms. Peeler threw at me, but this is what makes a book ring true and stay with us long past putting it down and moving on to the next book, TV show or movie.

My conclusion is that this entire series is definitely one that needs to be read by anyone with a passion for a good story, amazing heroine with a heart of gold, hero that you long to take home to Mom and Dad and then find a place to indulge your naughty side, and the magic that pulls it all together.

Pick up this series or add it to your Goodreads To Be Read list, you won’t be disappointed.

Notable Scene:

“Thank you for finding me. It’s made all the difference,” he told me. What frightened me even more than his cryptic words was the fear I saw reflected in his own gray eyes. They were wild; as if frantic to impart something I couldn’t yet understand.

“You must find me again soon, Jane. It’s the only thing that will keep me going. He’s so strong, and he’s growing stronger. You have to help me.”

“I’ll do anything,” I said, and I meant it.

“I know you will. Whatever you’re doing, you’re scaring them. That makes them desperate, but it means you’re on the right track.”

I didn’t know what he was talking about, but I nodded.

“You have to stay strong, too,” I said.

Anyan’s mouth pressed into a grim line. “I’m trying. This helped, more than you can imagine.”

FTC Advisory: Orbit provided me with a copy of Tempest Reborn. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )

Tempest Reborn starts exactly where Tempest's Fury ended (and yes I'm still not pleased with that cliffhanger ending). Jane is reeling because her lover Anyan has been turned into the White and has flown away with the Red. Together with her friends, Jane is determined to find a way to get Anyan back. To succeed, Jane must fully embrace the fact that she is the champion and be prepared to make sacrifices that she never dreamed possible. If that were not enough, because the entire world is under threat, the government has taken notice of Jane and is determined to make her into their own super special weapon.

Alright, fair warning, this review is going to be full of some fanpoodling because not only do I love this series, I love Peeler's writing. I must admit that I went into Tempest Reborn with a touch of sadness because it is the last in the Jane True series. To be honest, I could have kept on reading this series but I am glad that Peeler decided to end it on a high note, rather than just continuing the series for the sake of continuing the series, until it became unrecognizable to its fans.

After finishing Tempest Reborn, I must admit that it really feels like Jane has matured so much from the weak and afraid young woman that she started out as in Tempest Rising. With Anyan gone and Blondie dead, Jane has no choice but to rise to the occasion and become the champion she was always destined to be. Now, everyone looks to her for answers and direction. One of the things I really liked about Jane, is though she had access to so much power, rather than letting it corrupt her, she really saw the killing of the Red and the White as a team effort. She knew that without her band of merry scoobies that she would not be able to accomplish the task in front of her, even though she had the creature to help and occasionally pull her out of tight spots. Jane is strong without actually being a weapon and has moments of weakness and despair, which work to reveal her vulnerability in the face of so much destruction.

When Jane's relationship began with Anyan it was so very unbalanced because of course the Barghest being a supernatural creature for all of his long life, was well aware of how the world really worked. Now that Jane has come to accept her role in the battle to save the world from the Red and the White, their relationship is on far more of an even keel. Anyan still wants to save and protect her but Jane is adamant that there are some decisions she has to make on her own and some missions she must complete without him. Anyan does not like it but he backs off when he realises that Jane is right.

There were parts of this story that were esoteric. Much of fighting the Red and the White comes down to the process of alchemy. At times, it felt a little forced and repetitious but it did work as an excellent vehicle to dispatch the Red and the White. Jane also had a meeting with the Dali Lama and his fighting monks. This scene did reeked of appropriation but I did find myself absolutely enthralled by it all. The universe even popped in to explain to Jane about the importance of balance.

From start to finish the Jane True series had very few POC and very few GLBT characters. At best, they were peripheral characters and most certainly not a part of Jane's most intimate fighting circle at the very end. It is however worth noting that relationship between Grizzie and Tracy was loving and real but the fact that they were human -- meant that Jane's supernatural life was a mystery for them for most of the novels and even when they did find out -- their humanity kept them from being in her fighting circle. At times they almost felt like a tokens.

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This is the sixth, and final, book in the Jane True series. It was decent but not as spectacular as I had hoped. It kind of felt like Peeler was just going through the motions and tying up loose ends. I enjoyed the first half of the book, but though that the second half was a bit of a drag to get through. There are spoilers for the previous books in this series ahead, so you have been warned.

This book picks up right where the fifth book left off. Anyan has been merged with the White, Blondie has been killed by the Red, and everyone is generally depressed. Jane must merge with Creature and pick up the pieces. Along with what remains of her friends she must figure out how to stop the Red and the White for good, and if there is anyway to unmerge Anyan from the White.

There were a lot of things I liked about this book. I like how Jane really steps up to the challenge and how her friends are so supportive and helpful (even Ryu!). Watching Jane’s relationship with Creature develop was awesome and incredibly interesting. Creature is a power so immense that it was fun to watch Jane learn how to wield its abilities. I love that Jane has to practice to hone her powers too.

Jane has dreams about Anyan, so he is kind of in the story off and on throughout the book. Supposedly the dreams with Jane help Anyan to keep his soul separate from the White, but really they allow for gratuitous sex scenes between the two. Which was kind of like...okay...whatever.

Ryu makes big steps in character development in this story as well. He has a bit of trouble adjusting to the new “in charge and powerful” Jane. Once he is able to adjust though he is an excellent asset to her battle.

The first half of the book I really enjoyed. I started to have some trouble with the second half. I like that these books have been more fantasy in the last few installments and less romance. But in this book I missed the fun. I like reading these books because they are funny and quirky, that was missing a lot in this book.

The second half of the book is plagued with long passages of prophecies, that one of Jane’s friends miraculously unravels. Then there are long discussions about what is the right way to interpret things and long dissertations on the history of alchemy. It all sounds kind of neat, but it came off as lengthy, drawn out and boring.

The book did tie everything up nicely though. Those who like very complete stories will be pleased. There is even an Epilogue that shows where all of our favorite characters are a few years after the end of the battle with the Red and White.

Overall this was a decent conclusion to this series. I enjoyed some of the character development with Jane and Ryu. I liked the magic involved and there were some awesome fight scenes (poor London really takes a beating). However the second half of the book digresses too much into these long prophecies and comes off as boring...the pacing is just off for this part of the story. Additionally a lot of the fun and quirky Jane is missing from this book. I think Jane True fans should be happy with this conclusion overall. I recommend this whole series to fans of light hearted urban fantasy, it really was a fun read. ( )

Ok I have to admit I was one of the people who was righteously pissed at how book 5 ended, talk about cliff hanger ending! So I couldn't wait for Tempest Reborn to come out...I just had to know what happens ya know. So I jumped all over this when it came out.

I think this series is highly underrated, I liked it a lot better than some of the more popular UF series' out there. I thoroughly appreciated the humor and sarcasm throughout the series including Tempest Reborn. I like watching Jane grow from the scared little loner to the champion with a group of people that she cared about and who cared about her. Anyan...all I have to say is yum!

If you haven't read book 5 spoilers are coming up...so stop here and go read the series I promise it is worth it...go on shoo. I book 5 Jane loses everything, she loses Blondie as she is killed in battle by the Red and the Red also takes Anyan to resurrect her lover the White. Tempest Reborn picks up right where Tempest's Fury leaves off and Jane withdraws into herself with only the creature in her mind as she mourns and tries to figure out where to go next with her greatest allies and the love of her life gone.

There is a ton of action and big epic battle scenes...poor London. There is government intrigue as the supes are forced into the spotlight by the Red. Honestly Nicole Peeler kills of nearly as many characters as George RR Martin and that was kinda depressing but I understand she needed Jane to be able to both rely on others and stand on her own. The ending and prologue were sweet and I was happy with both. I do highly recommend this series to all UF/PNR fans. ( )