Nicole Peeler’s Jane True
saga (Tempest Rising, Tracking the Tempest and the recently released Tempest's Legacy) may not be the bestselling paranormal fantasy series out there but it’s
certainly one of the most beloved. Peeler’s narrative utilization of entities from a variety
of mythologies (Irish, German, Greek, etc.) fused with generous
amounts of pop culture–powered humor and a surprisingly deep thematic undercurrent
make this an utterly readable series.
Readers can’t seem to get enough of the saga’s endearing, self-deprecating selkie-halfling heroine, Jane True. In many ways, she is the antithesis of the conventional paranormal fantasy heroine. She’s short, not exactly athletic, socially awkward, works in a bookstore, and instead of wearing stiletto heels and leather miniskirts, Jane rocks comfortable jeans and purple Converse.
Peeler even pokes fun at this tiresome genre cliché in Tempest’s Legacy – she describes new character Capitola thusly: “She was one of the most beautiful women I’d ever seen. And she was everything, and I mean everything, I wanted to be. Exuding strength and capability, no one would ever take this woman anything but seriously… she was all hard athleticism… with curves. Basically, she looked like the heroine on the cover of one of those urban fantasy novels… She was terrifying and sexy, with six-pack abs and Victoria’s Secret model boobs, bulging biceps, and a big juicy ass.”
Jane is a literary everyman –
or is that everywoman? – she is still struggling to understand herself and her
place in the world. Tempest’s Legacy – a much darker read than the previous two
novels – shines a spotlight on this insecurity and vulnerability; Jane not only learns that
her estranged mother has been brutally murdered, she has to deal with the
abduction of one of her best friends, the succubus Iris. And to complicate
matters, she is ensnared in an emotionally draining love triangle with her
former (vampiric) lover Ryu and her shapeshifting hellhound crush, Anyan
Barghest. But amidst all of this existential chaos, Jane does something
remarkable – she finds herself.
Jane is such a great character – she is definitely paranormal fantasy’s “It Girl” – she’s spunky, naïve, idealistic, courageous, funny, and incredibly sexy in her own way. She works at a bookstore in rural Maine and cares for her ailing father in her spare time. She has some unforgettable friends – have you met Grizelda? – and has a big juicy… personality. Jane’s first-person narrative is littered with amusing pop culture references. In Tempest’s Legacy, for example, the narrative references South Park, Star Wars, Monty Python, Stephen King, The Matrix, RuPaul’s Drag Race, etc.
I’ve said this before but it bears repeating; Peeler’s Jane True novels have some of the most memorable and downright funny one-liners and statements this reviewer has come across in years. Here are a few of my favorites:
• “If I pee my pants I am going to be so pissed.” (Tempest’s Legacy, p. 171)
• "Distract me, I thought, fiercely blinking back my tears. Reinvent me. Get me out of my own head; rescue me from my life... For a second, I pictured myself as Mina and Ryu as Gary Oldman's Dracula. The young hot one, mind you, with the long hair, rather than the old guy with the weird boob wig." (p. 160, Tempest Rising)
• “They were lobbing power at one another so fast and so furiously it was like watching a tennis match between Serena and Venus Williams.” (p. 100, Tracking the Tempest)
• "Amazing sex, beautiful clothes, and a grilled cheese whenever I ask – I could get used to this life." (p. 293, Tempest Rising)
• “You usurped my lentils.” (p. 170, Tracking the Tempest)
• “And what the hell was I going to sleep in? I had flannel pajamas, a couple of T-shirt nighties, and some hoochtastic sexiness.” (Tempest’s Legacy, p. 66)
• "She has seaweed pubes." (p. 44, Tempest Rising)
• “My cake-and-sex fantasies were foiled, however, for neither lurked in my kitchen.” (p. 17, Tracking the Tempest)
