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Set in the same world as the Jane Yellowrock novels, the Soulwood
series has a very different kind of main character in Nell
Ingram. Nell grew up in a particularly rigid Christian sect,
but she's done being dominated by men by the time we dive
into this third book in the series. She works for PsyLED,
the paranomal branch of Homeland Security, and lends her gifts
of connecting with the earth to each investigation. A gift
that she is still learning about, and one that runs the risk
of taking over and turning her into something that is far
from human. In Flame in the Dark, PsyLED is trying to protect
a powerful senator who appears to be targeted by an assassin
who kills with fire. Appearance is one of the themes of the
whole Soulwood series, and one Nell is often confronting.
At one time, she appeared to be a quiet churchwoman, but she’s
always been so much more under the surface. Her coworkers
have their own struggles with trying to maintain appearance,
and control. Since the book is set close to the full moon,
Hunter mixes in more themes about self-control, as the weres
in PsyLED struggle to do the job during the call of the full
moon. All the internal conflicts simmer and seethe, making
relationships tough, but compelling. The question of what's
going on with the assassination attempts is an interesting
one, but it's just one of the many questions that keep a reader
intrigued during this page-turning, high-tension plot. The
humor, the characterization, and the amazing world building
really display Hunter's strengths well in every book in the
series so far, and this one definitely left me looking forward
to what lies ahead for Nell and the PsyLED team she has come
to love.
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