Killing Rites

Written by M.L.N. Hanover

Narrated by Mia Barron

Jayné Heller has discovered the source of her uncanny powers: something else is living inside her body. She's possessed. Of all her companions, she can only bring herself to confide in Ex, the former priest. They seek help from his old
teacher and the circle of friends he left behind, hoping to cleanse Jayné before the parasite in her becomes too powerful.

Ex’s history and a new enemy combine to leave Jayné alone and on the run. Her friends, thinking that the rider with her has taken the reins, try to hunt her down, unaware of the danger they’re putting her in. Jayné must defeat the weight
of the past and the murderous intent of another rider, and her only allies are a rogue vampire she once helped free and the nameless thing hiding inside her skin.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jun 22, 2021
• ISBN: 9781705026168

M.L.N. Hanover

M.L.N. Hanover is an International Horror Guild Award-winning author living in the American southwest.

Reviews for Killing Rites

[roses7184_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you are a fairly constant reader of my reviews you know that Vicious Grace, the previous book in this series, was fairly hit or miss for me. I ended my last review hoping for something new to come in and sweep me off my feet in the next installment. Well my friends, I got my wish. Hanover didn't just sweep me off my feet in Killing Rites, he full body carried me into the story and I went willingly.

What do I say about Jayné that I haven't said yet? She's a mix of a lost youthful woman and a kick ass, quick thinking heroine who will take you down in a heartbeat. How could you go wrong? Jayné's character comes back with a vengeance in this installment in the series, and everything I loved about her before is back full force. She isn't perfect, but she's come to terms with it. She doesn't always make the best decisions, but she's learned how to work with that. Her little family is falling apart, but she's understanding how to cope. Now she has a rider and that is one thing she can't make heads or tails of at all. Watching Jayné work her way through this new, much more personal, problem, really brought my love back in a strong way.

One thing that really struck me about Killing Rites in contrast to the other books, is how strong religion plays into the story. In all the other books Jayné talks about her religious past, and how she had made a personal decision not continue it into her adulthood. Hanover never takes one side or the other, but just makes sure that the reader knows that Jayné isn't the religious type. In this book though, it's there in vivid color. Jayné finds her way into the center of a group of priests, and the ideas of God, demons and salvation are all over the place. For me personally this wasn't a problem. I have an open mind and know my stance. For others, this might hit a nerve. Just fair warning.

The backdrop for this book is New Mexico, and the barren desert really fits perfectly into the story. It's even used as a metaphor multiple times for Jayné's feelings, which I thought was perfection. In terms of plot, this story takes off running and doesn't look back. So many tiny puzzle pieces, the things that kept me wondering before, are put into place in this book. The reader finally finds out why this series is called The Black Sun's Daughter. (No, I won't tell you, go read the series.) Also, for the first time in a long time, Jayné is able to confidently stand on her own two feet. Hanover has been slowly taking her allies away and I've wondered why. Now I see it. In Killing Rites Jayné has to rely on her own cunning and resolve, and I must say she does a pretty amazing job of it.

All in all? The Black Sun's daughter is a solid series. This is the last book, for now. The fifth book isn't slated until May 2013, and I can honestly say it's going to take a lot out of me to wait that long. I'm happy to have met Jayné and her companions and I wait eagerly for more of their story. Until then, a huge thank you to M.L.N. Hanover for bringing me into the world of Urban Fantasy, however unwilling I originally was. If you haven't dipped your feet into the UF genre yet, this is a great place to start. Go pick up Hanover's first book and dive right in!

[nighthawk777_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This series is beginning to really hit a groove. This is my favorite since the first book [Unclean Spirits]. I feel the series is actually growing stronger, and getting better.There's a lot less "soap" in this tale, in that we find Jayne pretty much runs away with Ex. After what happened at the end of the 3rd novel in this series, she felt it best to get away from everything and try to get a grip on herself, before any of her gang of companions gets hurt any further. If you've loved Ex in the previous novels, get ready for an Ex overload. He is front and center throughout most of this tale. Ex is still somewhat mysterious in the beginning of this tale, but by the end everything he does makes perfect, in character sense. But the way that he is perceived by Jayne during the beginning almost makes you think something entirely different is going on. I found this to be a very nice way of framing the situation.Another thing I would like to add: The author treats religion and religious beliefs with a respect that you rarely see these days. And I do appreciate it, it is a great way of framing the same situation through different sets of eyes. and I never feel that the priests in this tale are crazy, they are simply solid believers of their faith, and see things through those eyes. Jayne has pretty much rejected this faith, but she still respects the priests and understands where they are coming from. It's very refreshing to see such a treatment given, as opposed to the extremely tired and worn out tropes of Christians being loonies, luddites, ignorant, etc. This tale is somewhat about losing your identity and questioning your very own core. And in that situation, who can you count on? What's real, what really is your game plan? There are some very bizzare occult situations going on here, and there are some very clever riders taking advantage of a situation that you would never expect. The secondary characters here are well done, and I came to care about them, and it gives an insight into the horror that can be inflicted into a small community, or a small family, by riders showing up and entering their lives. There are some fights in this novel, but there are also some that practically become more of a large skirmish or battle, building a little on the type of fights with mobs that were happening in the 3rd novel.And, dare I say it, we finally find out what a Black Sun's Daughter is. Well, sort of. And I don't think its a spoiler to say we cross paths again with Midian, who has gone unseen since Unclean Spirits. Good call to have him show up in this tale. If you're still with the Black Sun's Daughter series, then this is a no brainer - you need this book.

[devilwrites · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The premise: ganked from BN.com: Jayné Heller has discovered the source of her uncanny powers: something else is living inside her body. She’s possessed. Of all her companions, she can only bring herself to confide in Ex, the former priest. They seek help from his old teacher, hoping to cleanse Jayné before the parasite in her becomes too powerful. Ex’s history and a new enemy combine to leave Jayné alone and on the run. Her friends try to hunt her down, unaware of the danger they’re putting her in. Jayné must defeat the past, and her only allies are a rogue vampire she once helped free -- and the nameless thing hiding inside her skin.My Rating: Good ReadAnother great installment that started out worrying me just a tick, but then quickly moved into awesomeness as Jayné reunites with old friends, makes new ones, and learns how to land on her own two feet. Jayné grows in this book, and that's always a plus for me in an urban fantasy series. Killing Rites reads at a quick, fast pace, and by the end had me wondering what was next, which again, is also a great thing in an urban fantasy series. We learn a lot about Jayné herself and what's actually behind her seemingly impossible talents, we answer a few questions we've had ever since book one. If you haven't started this series yet, it's time, because it's been a great ride so far (just make sure you start at the beginning, and not, yanno, in the middle of the series).Spoilers, yay or nay?: Yay. For this book AND previous installments in the series, so don't read the full review unless you're caught up completely. That full review may be found in my blog, which is linked below. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome!REVIEW: M.L.N. Hanover's KILLING RITESHappy Reading!

[krystal18 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Jayne once again faces a difficult decision. She has learned that she is harboring a parasite; however, that parasite has saved her life on more than one occasion. In fact, the parasite aka a rider may even be the source of her unusual powers. Jayne turns to her friends and deep thought before she makes a move concerning her new found problem. Aubrey is completely gone from this novel, to be expected, of course, as Jayne had broken up with him in the third novel. Ex is a driving force in this novel. Jayne and Ex are growing closer, but what are the consequences? Ex introduces her to priests who can perform an exorcism on her-but is that her final decision? Jayne will have to figure out how she wants her relationship to go with Ex, should she remain friends or try for that "special something?" Jayne has many epiphanies in this book. She is far more thoughtful and mature. Ex is sweet, but he doesn't necessarily have all the answers for Jayne. This book has action, thought not as much as the third. The reader will grow still closer to Jayne. This book is recommended to young adults/adults.

[stacyatufi · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Answers we finally have answers. If you are anything like me you have been dying right along with Jayné from book one trying to figure out who and what she really is. The time has finally come that we have answers. KILLING RITES starts off a little bit after the events of VICIOUS GRACE. Jayné is beating herself up for the role she played in Chicago and is determined to find out who she really is and what exactly is sharing her body. Ex ends up bringing Jayné to some old colleagues and things stack up to send Jayné on the run by herself to prove that she isn't being controlled by her rider. Although I love the whole cast of supporting characters, I actually ended up really enjoying seeing Jayné take care of things on her own. She really takes control of the situation she is in to take care of not only herself but her friends too. Ex plays a much bigger role in book 4 than anyone else. Aubrey and Kim are off trying to make their relationship work after they find out exactly what Jayné's uncle did to tear them apart. Chogyi Jake is off recovering as well as being pushed away by Jayné because she doesn't want to drag him into another possible place where he could get hurt. I missed having him around for the first half of the story but he did end up coming in towards the end and is back in the mix. Ex really is the only one there with Jayné and they end up getting pretty close. She starts seeing him through different eyes and starts thinking about possibilities. I think they could do great things together relationship wise so I'm hoping this develops more. KILLING RITES was filled with inner struggles, hard choices and answers. It ended up being a tad bit slower then previous books but I think that it was pretty important information wise. There was still plenty of action and rider drama. The answers wont stop here though there is still plenty to learn and it looks like Jayné will be going home to look for them.