Two-Faced: An Urban Fantasy Adventure

Legend of the Treesinger, Book 1

By: James Hunter, eden Hudson

Narrated by: Holly Adams

Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

Ancient demons. A terrible curse. Only one woman can save the day…though she's not really a woman at all.

Winona Treesinger is a Bigfoot - and no, she doesn’t just have large feet. She’s literally an eight-foot-tall walking myth, and the last great princess of the People of the Forest.

All she and her people want is to dwell in the deep places of the forest, well away from mankind and the destruction they bring to the land and the world. But when Winona hears about a string of grisly murders in the nearby city of Missoula, she knows in her gut it’s the work of an ancient evil, driven away from their lands long ago.

Against the wishes of her Father, Chief Chankoowashtay, Winona must leave the forest and venture into the world of men, disguised as a frail human, in order to set the balance straight and stop the killings. And with the help of a handsome, slick-talking city detective named Chris Fuller, she might be able to do it. But if Chris finds out what she really is, stopping the creature might be the least of her worries.

From James Hunter (author of the Yancy Lazarus series and the litRPG epic Viridian Gate Online) and eden Hudson (author of the Redneck Apocalypse series) comes a gritty, action-packed urban fantasy adventure with a kick-ass heroine, a savvy street cop, and a twist that you won’t see coming!

©2018 James A. Hunter and Shadow Alley Press Inc (P)2018 James A. Hunter and Shadow Alley Press Inc

I adored this Urban-Fantasy!

I adored this lighthearted Urban-Fantasy! The authors managed to blend this fantasy with the macabre making this a unique tale! It's the story of Winona Treesinger, a young Sasquach and her coming-of-age story! (I love all the Cryptids beings btw!) Anyway, only Winona seemingly sees the danger when she notices that something dark has managed to slip between realms and start a killing spree! Without the blessings of her tribe she teams up with a human cop Detective Chris Fuller. He's determined to lose her because she's a civilian [magic makes her appear human] , and she's equally determined to stay close to him [she knows the very real danger he'll be in, and she wants to protect him] as they face the evil that has entered their world... and well, magic happens! You'll see just get the book!

"I speak as you do"
"No" Detective Fuller said, a hint of teasing creeping into his tone. "You speak like a fairy princess' in a fantasy or like Data in Deep Space 9, which I guess would technically make you an android not an alien, the point is I haven't heard you use a single contraction yet"

I find this quote even more hilarious, because Chris knew who Data was, but forgot which Star Trek series he was from! And as far as contractions are concerned, well I've actually wondered if English is a second language when authors choose to not use 'em!

"Thank you for the coffee" I said picking it up. A wisp of steam drifted from it's inky black surface, curled into my nostrils like a half burnt tentical of asphalt."

I'm definitely affronted by any coffee that's set on the burner! So this to me is a perfect description of coffee gone bad!

And Holly Adams... just Wow! Her nuanced performance was sublime, and her Two-Faced voice made my skin crawl... Eeewwwe!

Harry Dresden and the Hendersons style fun!

There are a few things that will make me grab a book without looking to see what it is about. These things are 1) James A. Hunter has a hand in writing it. 2) It is Urban Fantasy. 3) It has James Hunter writing an Urban Fantasy Novel. So, I din't even blink when I saw this was released, I begged and borrowed until I got my greedy hands on a copy, and am glad that I managed to purloin this sweet beast of a bad grass book as my own. First, I have to say that I mean no disrespect to eden Hudson (that is how she likes her name spelled, I now understand). I do not mean to diminish her part in this novel. I just love everything James has released, and know the quality of his work. I really respect that he can co-write with others soooo very well. I know that it cannot be easy to match the voice of another writer. Either way, Hunter and Hudson make for dynamic duo and have crafted a crazy tale unlike anything you have read before.

The MC is a bigfoot, who takes human form while in pursuit of a predatory creature that threatens humans and squatches alike. She partners with a human detective, and this pairing allows for some great interplay. Winonna, the MC, is very niave to the ways of our world and sees things in a very different light. Her perspective often leads to the generation of a lot of humor. The story isn't lax, either. It starts of with her hot on the blood trail, and really keeps a steady inexoriable pace towards a great confrontation. I love how innocent she is, I am weary of the jaded UF protagonist. I will say that unlike most UF tales this one is light and airy, and very fun. I don't mind the dark side, and we get it here, too, but it is not overwhelming and the story is much better for the brightness.

Holly Adams does a good job on the narration, but I have to say that she seems to read it a touch faster paced than I would have preferred. At first, I thought that I had somehow upped my audible speed, but no, that was just her cadence. It took some getting used to, but after a little while I got used to it. She did a good job with the various voices, even Fuller, so I can't complain to awful much. I am honor bound to be honest, so I had to come clean about the slight issue I had with the speech. The sound quality is top notch, not a hitch or slip to be heard anywhere.

The story is fun, and extremely enjoyable and I have to reccomend it if you are a fan of fun, action, UF, humor, bigfoot, Shamans, or even evil monsters. The pair really accentuate one another well, and I was hard pressed to tell who wrote what. The story grabs you and demands your attention, and I for one cannot wait for the next book! It also made me yearn for more Yancy Lazarus!!!!! Even though I did receive a promo code for this review it in no way influenced my considerations of the material, and in fact, inspired me to be more honest. Getting a code generally makes me harsher as a reviewer as I am more often concerned what someone like Me will decide based on my review.

If this review helped, please press the YES below. Thank you immensely!!!

Data....from "Deep Space Nine?"

My headline is literally my only issue with this book and my pettiness almost caused me to give it 4 stars. BUT I am not that petty and I want more people to read this book so I cast my nerdiness aside. (But COME ON, Data was from Star Trek: TNG, sigh. I am almost embarrassed about how much this bothered me.)

Fantastic Unique Protagonist

Being a huge fan of James Hunter's Yancy Lazarus books, when I heard he was spinning the characters in his novel Wendigo Rising off into their own series, I was justifiably excited. When I heard the audio version was being narrated by one of my favorite narrators, Holly Adams, I was sold on the spot. After listening to it, I can tell you that my expectations were not only met, but exceeded in every way.

Winona Treesinger, princess of the Chiatonka (Sasquatches) near Missoula, Montana, is unhappy with her role in life. After the tribe was betrayed by one of its own, who happened to be her betrothed, Winona is upset at the Elder council's ruling that the Chiatonka must stay separate at all costs from the little brothers (humans). After she and her father helped Yancy Lazarus, human mage, defeat her betrothed and his evil human allies, Winona was convinced humans were unprepared for dealing with the supernatural, and that the Chiatonka should help, as they did in the past. This leads her to start patrolling outside their forest heart home, and where the trouble begins.

Coming across a trail of something foul, Winona follows the trail and comes across a police car. Seeing the police have followed the trail, she continues the chase and comes across Detective Chris Fuller as he fights for his life against some unknown supernatural entity. Winona charges in to save him, and fights the creature to a stand still, taking many wounds herself. The creature escapes, and Winona brings Chris to her village, against the rules as that may be, and treats him. Being chastised for it by the Elders, she is told to erase his memory and return him to the human world. Defying this edict, she steals a talisman that will allow her to change shape into a human and goes back with Chris to help hunt the monster.

As Winona helps Chris in the guise of a native American shaman psychic, people all over town are turning up dead. As they investigate, a disturbing pattern emerges as to the motive behind the murders, and to the nature of the creature committing them. The victims may not be so innocent after all, and the killer may be more than it seems. As the chase continues, it also comes closer and closer to Chris's life, and violently intrudes on the life he has made for himself in Missoula. This all leads to the climactic final scene where Winona and Chris face off against a monster that may not have been the crazed killing machine they expected it to be. Can Winona stop the monster and find redemption with her clan? Well, you need to read or listen to it to find out!

Like all of James Hunter's books, and now with Eden Hudson, this is a very character driven story. Winona and Chris are excellent protagonists, playing well off of each other, especially as their cultures are so very different. Their species are so different in the way they look at life, its amazing they can work together at all, but they did, quite effectively. The politics of Chris's office, reeling from the revelations in Wendigo Rising, where the police were involved in the crimes of Winona's betrothed and his human accomplices, makes it a volatile environment, especially as Winona is no cop, but he needs her help to find the killer. The side characters are well written and feel like real people you would meet in everyday life. Even the antagonist has motivations that will surprise. The setting is well described, and you get a real feeling of being in the scene. Definitely strong worldbuilding.

The narration was handled by one of my favorite narrators, Holly Adams. She is such a talented voice actress, being able to do a huge variety of voices and accents. She has excellent pacing, and her narration never lags or bogs down in a monotone. She adds gravitas to Winona especially, and this may be my favorite character she has ever voiced. I can't recommend the audio version enough. In fact, any fan of urban fantasy should run out and get a copy of Two Faced now.

Good Book!

Was fun to listen to. Had a little humor. Would listen to it again! Enjoy

Buddy Cop Romp through the First Nation

A sasquatch and a cop team up to fight identity theft, domestic violence, corruption, and supernatural horror. I didn't know I was into this kind of thing but now I want a sequel.

Why I review this book

The authors of this book have stooped to using scams to get more money. If you go to their web site so as to enter your email for notice of future books, you will be redirected to a site that offers a free Amazon gift card for filling out a survey. It’s a scam and no way to treat faithful readers.