Dear Reader,What do you get when you take one immortal Viking warrior no one can remember five minutes after he leaves their presence, an Apollite heiress on the run for her life, and one seriously pissed off demigod? Basically, you get my life.
It started out simple enough. I went to save a woman one night in a club. The next thing I knew, the doorway to hell had opened and out stepped Daimons the likes of which I'd never seen before. Led by the son of Apollo, they are out to end the curse that has banished them all to darkness. The only problem with that is they have to kill Cassandra Peters to do it and if she dies, so dies the sun, the earth and all who dwell here. Life's just a bowl full of cherries, ain't it?
Brought together by fate, it's now my job to protect a daughter of the very race I have been hunting for centuries. Neither of us dares to trust the other. But she is the only one who remembers me...
Wulf Tryggvasen
This is book #4 or 5, depending on how you look at it, and once again I felt pleasantly surprised at being back in the Dark Hunter world and the endearingly messed up mythology of it all.
Though this is not one of my favorite stories - I feel there's so much going on that we don't get to see as much of Wulf and Cassandra together, just them that I couldn't connect fully with either of them - but I still enjoy it. It's heart-breaking because people die, whether by choice or whether as innocent bystanders. Wulf and Cassandra have been given a pretty hefty destiny, and yet side by side, the two fall in love under the most dire of circumstances - knowing that Cassandra will die in a few short months on her 27th birthday. Yet she's brave, and fights for her life at every turn. Wulf begins to care very deeply for this courageous woman who has lost so much already. And he begins to realize the prejudices he's carried with him for so very long. Loving Cassandra opens his eyes to those he believes are the evil enemy, and to see the torment they suffer at knowing their lives all have an expiration date much sooner than most humans, and certainly that of an immortal.
Cassandra herself learns much the same thing about Dark Hunters - those who vow to kill her race. Witnessing Wulf's protectiveness towards his only friend and squire Chris, as well as the way he takes care of her proves to Cassandra that Wulf is indeed a good man, and not a brutal killer. She falls for the stoic Hunter who expresses such tenderness towards her. How can she not when she sees his loving, gentle fierceness in every action towards her?
What I liked about this one is that we get to learn more of the Apollite history, how they came to be, and why Apollo has cursed them. We see their desperation at not wanting to die at such an early age (27), yet given the alternative, many will die. It's hard to hate a race that's been cursed by a god and only wishes to survive and carry on like any other. But the solution is to become a Daemon and steal human souls. Not an easy alternative.
Not having read all the books ( think I made it up to #8), there's a lot I still don't know. Some of my questions have been answered, but tend to lead to many more. I can't wait to read more. Just need to find some time....
Rating: **** out of *****
Labels: quickie reviews, Sherrilyn Kenyon
posted by Stacy~ at 9/08/2010 07:42:00 AM
This one has actually always been a fav of mine. I think because it does explain more about the Apollites. I'm currently doing a re read and It's amazing how much you miss the first 8 times around. lol
byThis wasn't a favorite for me either. I think because this is the starting point where the books started turning from paranormal romance to urban fantasy and I'm not a fan of UF much. The shift away from the heroine/hero to the world was jarring for me and I didn't like it!
byThis wasn't one of my favorites either. If I remember right, it's where the story line started changing. I really have to do a re read of these books. I'm so far behind on her stuff it's not funny.
byAs a fan that has read the entire series... It's hard for me to differentiate one book from the other any more - mostly because the mythology keeps building and characters keep adjusting in each subsequent book. But the series is really worth the effort and suggest you do read the series - and take LOTS of notes, because it gets intense!
byThis wasn't a big fav of mine..but like you said, I enjoyed the other things we learn in this one. This would be a fun series to go back and reread from the beginning
byNot one of my favorites either, but there are parts in this series that I liked less. But somehow I always looking forward to the newest DH story.
byI agree with Mandi it would be a fun series to go back and reread from the start, if I had more reading hours in a day!
I need to read number one in the series, especially after reading your review. I've read the first book in her Grimm series, and loved it.
by