Seize the Night (Dark-Hunter Series, Book Twelve): Sherrilyn Kenyon UPDATED

Back to Sherrilyn Kenyon!  I forgot how much I loved Valerius (you can see the similarities between this review and my original one HERE).  We get a small taste of him in Talon and Sunshine's story, a (rather biased) glimpse of him in Zarek and Astrid's story, and a very good view into his character as he makes a supporting appearance in Vane and Bride's story.  He was haughty and obnoxious in the first two, but Bride's perceptiveness opens up a whole new side of him to the readers.  One which is beautifully developed in this book.  Kenyon (as I've stated on numerous occasions) has the most wonderful talent for writing dark, twisty, tormented, complex characters.  Valerius, while seemingly shallow at first glance, is exactly this.  We, like the characters in the books, meet him with an engrained prejudice.  We already have loyalty to Kyrian and our hearts have bled for Zarek.  It is amazing how quickly and deeply we fall for Val (because I can say with some certainty that I am not the only one who has felt this way).

I did go into this reading concerned about how I would like Tabitha.  She (as she professes to be) is a lot to handle.  I was a touch concerned that she would be too over-the-top for my tastes, but (as Ash knew she would be) is the perfect foil for Val.  She brings out the best in him, she knows how to help him heal.  He, on the other hand, is what she needs.  He allows her to be herself, but she (somewhat) mellows her outing keeps her safe.  I really enjoyed their story, overall.

Additionally, it was nice to see SO many familiar faces:  Kyrian, Julian, Talon, Nick, Vane, Otto, Zarek, even some familiar villains.  This was a very busy, action-packed book, which made for some volatile, cringe-worthy, heart-breaking moments.  I cannot believe how much Kenyon crammed into this one book!  Having read this one before, I knew what was coming and I still got choked up.  I won't give anything away (because that would be a real crime against this story), but be prepared for irreparable changes to take place!  Some of your favorite characters will never be the same...  You also clues to some of the secrets other characters have been carefully concealing.

This was a complex, exciting, excellent read.  Kenyon has worked her magic again and really brought her Dark-Hunter New Orleans to life.

Night Play (Dark-Hunter Series, Book Ten): Sherrilyn Kenyon UPDATED

Here we go with the first Were-Hunter installment!  (My brief, original review of this book can be found HERE.)  We are introduced to Vane and his brother, Fang, in Talon and Sunshine's book, Night Embrace.  My original reading order of the series is a bit different from the one I'm following now.  I didn't originally read this book until later on, but I think reading it after Kiss of the Night, Dance with the Devil, and Night Embrace because the flow is much better.  We are introduced to Bride (very briefly) and Vane while Sunshine is under Vane's watchful eye in Jackson Square.  I immediately liked Vane, even then.  He's rough and vulgar, volatile and fierce.  He's fantastic.  His loyalty to his siblings is intense and he is harboring a deep secret which could put him and his loved ones in even more danger than they already are.  His backstory is well-formed and terribly (wonderfully) tragic.  His desire to do the right thing and treat Bride the way in which she deserves are extremely touching and really endeared him to me.  Bride was a good female lead  She is strong and intelligent, but not without her own faults.  I was occasionally slightly annoyed by her self-deprecating tendencies...then, I realized why I felt this way...I recall thinking and feeling the same things more often than I would like to admit.  Kenyon managed to tap into some very raw, poignant, uncomfortable feelings in a very unexpected way.  In a romance novel.  Bride was a very real character with realistic problems and insecurities.  I think Kenyon handled her well, as well as Bride's disbelief that someone who looked like Vane could want her and never want to change anything about her.  (At the risk of turning this into self reflection, I feel a bit of a personal connection with Bride, having dealt with similar body image issues my entire life...and I somehow found my own (yummy) Vane who loves and adores me just the way I am, and would never ask me to change -- something I still sometimes struggle to believe, even six years later.)  I am very impressed with how Kenyon managed this delicate dance without going over the top.

The complexities of the Arcarian/Katagarian worlds are really fascinating.  I'm always impressed with the amount of thought Kenyon puts into her fantastic worlds.  This is the mark of her brilliance.

As far as criticism goes, I found a couple of grammatical typos in my version of the book.  Much like my comment on Kiss of the Night, there were instances where words were repetitive in some sentences.  I loved the nuances of the characters and details of the were-hunter world.  The end at Sanctuary was very slightly cheesy, but I'm willing to let it slide.  I definitely enjoyed this installment.

Dream Chaser (Dark-Hunter Series, Book Twenty-four): Sherrilyn Kenyon

“HADES DOESN’T OFTEN GIVE SECOND CHANCES…

“Xypher has one month on Earth to redeem himself through one good deed, or be condemned to eternal torture in Tartarus. But redemption means little to a demigod who only wants vengeance on the one who caused his downfall.

“UNTIL ONE DAY IN A CEMETERY…

“Simone Dubois is a medical examiner with a real knack for the job. Those who are wrongfully killed appear to her and help her find the evidence the police need to convict their killers. But when a man appears and tells her that she;d more than just a psychic, she’d convinced he’s insane.

“NOW THE FATE OF THE WORLD HANDS IN HER HANDS…

“It was bad enough when just the dead relied on her. Now there’s the seductive Dream-Hunter Xypher who needs Simone’s help in opening a portal to the Atlantean hell realm to fight insatiable demons. The future of mankind is at stake—and so is her life. The only question now is: Who is the bigger threat? The demons out to kill her? Or the man who had left her forever changed?”

***Technically, you’re supposed to read the Dark-Hunter Companion before you read this book, but I’m about half-way through the Companion and picked this up and just COULD NOT put it down long enough to go back to the other book. Sorry for my weakness!***

Readers are initially introduced to Xypher in an earlier book with Katra and Sin titled Devil May Cry. It’s difficult to care for a man (or should I say, god?) with such an acerbic personality and grim outlook, but even then I was able to tell that there really was more to Xypher than Sherrilyn Kenyon was letting on. Obviously, I couldn’t wait to read more. When I got this book and saw that its hero was in fact Xypher, I was so excited! The more I read, the more I fell for the battered man. It was really difficult not to, seeing as how he’d been so wrongfully tortured.

Xypher is truly the epitome of a beaten being—as are most of Kenyon’s characters—but Xypher was made even more interesting by the fact that he is a Dream-Hunter. It was nice to see the world from the eyes of a Dream-Hunter once more. I’ve only read another book and a short-story by Kenyon that were from this p.o.v. and it was really great to see again. However, I will say that I miss the Dark-Hunters a little…

Anyway, this story was full of really GREAT twists and turns and I look forward to reading more, as always!!!

Devil May Cry (Dark-Hunter Series, Book Twenty-one): Sherrilyn Kenyon

“Sin, an ancient Sumerian god, was one of the most powerful among his pantheon—until the night Artemis robbed him of his godhood and left him one step from death….

“For millennia, the ex-god turned Dark-Hunter Sin has sought to regain his powers and take revenge on Artemis. But now he has bigger fish—or in this case, demons—to fry. The lethal gallu that were buried by his pantheon are stirring, and they are hungry for human flesh. Their goal: to destroy mankind. Sin is the only one who can stop them…if a certain woman doesn’t kill him first.

“Enemies have always made strange bedfellows, but never more so than when the fate of the world hangs in the balance. Now a man who only knows betrayal must trust the one person most likely to hand him to the demons. Artemis may have stolen his godhood, but this one has stolen his heart. The only question is: Will she keep it…or feed it to those who want him dead?”

Yay! I was SO beyond excited to pick up a Sherrilyn Kenyon book once more after all of this time. (I’ve been spacing out my reading so I won’t finish everything she has written in a week…) I looked forward to reading this book and it most certainly didn’t disappoint!

Sin was a fantastic hero! I loved his story (though the angsty stuff might not be for everybody) and it was fascinating given the fact that I just learned all about the Sumerians and their gods in college. Ah, the irony. Anyhow, Acheron played a rather big role in this book and it was wonderful to see him again. I really don’t want to give anything away, but there was an awesome plot twist that really brought everything together and new evil is afoot…and I don’t mean Stryker has a new plan… (You’ll have to read it to find out!)

I loved this book and devoured it. If you read it, drop by and let me know what you thought!

Night Play (Dark-Hunter Series, Book Ten): Sherrilyn Kenyon

“Bride McTierney has had it with men. They’re cheap, self-centered, and never love her for who she is. But though she prides herself on being independent, deep down she still yearns for a knight in shining armor.

“She just never expected her knight in shining armor to have a shiny coat of fur…

“Deadly and tortured, Vane Kattalakis isn’t what he seems. Most women lament that their boyfriends are dogs. In Bride’s case, hers is a wolf. A Were-Hunter wolf. Wanted dead by his enemies, Vane isn’t looking for a mate. But the Fates have marked Bride as his. Now he has three weeks to either convince Bride that the supernatural is real of he will spend the rest of his life neutered—something no self-respecting wolf can accept…

“But how does a wolf convince a human to trust him with her life when his enemies are out to end his? In the world of the Were-Hunters, it really is dog-eat-dog. And only one alpha male can win.”

Once more, I must profess my love of Sherrilyn Kenyon’s writing! She has such a way of writing her plots and staying true to her characters that it’s difficult not to fall for them! It’s not easy to have characters return for several books (some of them, all of the books) while keeping their personalities the same. It takes true talent and I can only hope that someday I will be able to write as well as Kenyon.

It was SO interesting to read more about the Katagaria and Arcadians because they had only been touched on in the previous books (if you don’t count Dragonswan, which is pretty biased because it focuses on more of the Arcadian side). Vane was a very interesting character to watch and I found him almost as dynamic as Zarek from Dance With the Devil. And those of you who read that book know what a feat that is. Anyway, I loved this book and really hope to read more about the Katagaria in future books!

The Beginning (Dark-Hunter Series, Book Two): Sherrilyn Kenyon

***This book is actually not a book at all (and therefore doesn't have an actual cover, so bear with me)! It’s in the back of the book Sins of the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon. It lists this as the next book to read in the series on Kenyon’s website. It’s supposed to explain the rest of the series and how it relates to Julian from Fantasy Lover.***

This was really short and very well-written. It’s so hard to make readers care about characters in thirty-one pages, but Sherrilyn Kenyon did just that. She introduced Acheron and his role with the Greek gods and goddesses. It showed more of the selfish side of the gods that was previously exhibited in Fantasy Lover. This was a really creative way to write a series and I am so excited to read the next book!