Infinity

Nov 242010

At 15, Nick Gautier thinks he knows it all.  How the world works, his place in it, the school he hates and the love for his mother he would do anything to protect.  The night his best friends turn on him is the night his life changed forever.  He is saved by Kyrian, a mysterious man who says he is a Dark-Hunter, an immortal guardian standing between humanity and those that would prey on it.  An introduction to a whole world he never knew existed leaves him bewildered but determined and suddenly, high school doesn’t seem the worst thing he has to survive.

I really wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up Infinity to read.  Given how adult Kenyon’s Dark-Hunter series is, I wasn’t sure she could translate that world into the young adult field.  Would she still retain her ability to tell a fantastic story without the romance I’ve come to know and love?

The answer is yes, yes she can, and very well too!

It was no less gripping for being targetted at a younger audience and it was really intriguing meeting Nick when he was a fifteen year old with no idea what was really out there.  I’d known brief snippets of his history from the main books but seeing the start of it all from his perspective, it really brought home what a complex character he is.  The love and fierce protectiveness he has for his mother was so sweet, his brash acerbic wit made me laugh and some of the key choices he had to make made me want to cheer.  Nick’s young character is distinctly at odds with who we know now in the main series, and there also lies the charm of this book.

Several factions are in play to try and influence Nick in some of those key choices, and there are some very interesting developments with regards to the history I thought I knew.  It’s dizzying at times as you try and work out if who he is now is the result of Infinity or if there is something big coming in the next few books.  My feeling is the latter.

I loved seeing Kyrian as a dark-hunter again (of course this is previous to his book) and as always I wanted to both cheer and melt when Acheron arrives.  What did make me laugh was meeting Tabitha as a schoolgirl, she is very much the same character we know now, just younger and maybe a little crazier!

The plot was actually really interesting and kept me turning the pages.  I wondered how it would work since Nick had no idea about daimons, dark-hunters and the like and kind of got thrust into the middle of it all.  The main plot point though, and I say this with a completely straight face, was zombies.  Both living and undead.

And there lies why I was unsure what to expect.  Zombies?  In a Dark-hunter world book?  But it worked!  Everything else that was going on was woven around that central theme and it made for a very entertaining read.  I also loved the reason they were there in the first place, and felt it was very clever.

How Sherrilyn Kenyon keeps all this straight boggles me.  I envision all the walls of her writing room being filled with cards and strings leading to several others.  I suspect it would look rather like a web!  However she manages it, I have to give her huge kudos as she does keep it straight.   I honestly don’t come across things that jerk me out of the story and think ‘that’s not right’.

So I went from being unsure if this was a book I wanted to read to absolutely loving it and now I can’t wait for the next one.  Sweet torture!

Rating: ★★★★½ 

Book Information

No Mercy

Sep 032010

As a shapeshifter, Dev possesses all the fierce protectiveness, rage, strength and aggression of the bear that is the other half of his soul.  As one of the Peltier quadruplets, still mourning the loss of his parents, he tries hard to keep everyone at arms length.  When Samia, an Amazonian Dark-Hunter walks into Sanctuary, the last thing he expected was attraction.  Sam having been relocated to New Orleans with other members of the Dogs of War by Acheron and looking for a good fight, found something else entirely.  Some peace from her brutal betrayal and the ‘gift’ she received when she made the transition to a Dark-Hunter.

As enemies old and new plot and gather, Sam and Dev might be the only thing standing between mankind and annihilation.

I always feel like a kid in a sweet shop when I hold a new Sherrilyn Kenyon book.  Oddly I feel almost reluctant to read it at first, knowing that once I have, it’s done and there will be another wait to visit the ‘shop’ again.  Of course that doesn’t last long and as soon as I start it, I’m immediately swept up into the story, overjoyed at seeing some old friends again, mourning still for the ones lost in the last book.

The Dark-Hunter books are a treat to read, there is no pretense, no trying to cloud the issue with clever tricks, just straight forward emotional writing that engages you right from the start and doesn’t let you go until it’s finished.

No Mercy is a wonderful addition to the series.  Getting to see who Dev is on the inside was great after being used to seeing him as the brash loud-mouthed were-bear who tries to rub everyone up the wrong way.  He meets more than his match in Sam who might just have become one of my favourite female characters in this series.  As a female Dark-Hunter, she has already been to hell and back but refuses to give up and keeps fighting, to honour the Amazon code she held to in life and protect innocents from the Daimons.

There are some wonderfully sweet scenes as well as the usual sarcasm, action packed fights and testosterone overload I’ve come to love and expect but there is also a  depth of emotion evident that hasn’t exactly been lacking in previous books but rather just seemed to strike the right chord in me.

I try hard not to mention specifics in books I review as I really hate spoiling things for others but oh my, Stryker, you are a bad boy!

There are also some interesting developments with regards to Nick just to further tantalise, but to find out more, well, you are just going to have to read it!

Rating: ★★★★½ 

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“No Mercy” (Dark Hunter Series) By Sherrilyn Kenyon – Trailer

Aug 302010

St. Martin’s Press just released this trailer for Sherrilyn Kenyon’s upcoming book – No Mercy.

Devil May Cry

Oct 222009

Devil May Cry tells the story of Sin and Katra.  Sin used to be a Sumerian god of fertility until Artemis and her usual thoughtless scheming ways, caused his powers to be removed and added to her own.  Cast out from his Pantheon he was helpless to intercede as their infighting destroyed them.  One small problem though.  The Sumerian Pantheon were responsible for the creation and control of the horrendous gallu demons and if that wasn’t bad enough, had entombed the Dimme, a vicious breed of demons and almost unstoppable.  The tomb has a clock and it’s running out of time.  Three Sumerians are needed to reset the clock and prevent them from escaping and Sin is the only one left free.  Artemis’ handmaiden Katra is sent to kill Sin because of his hatred, desire for vengeance and to see Artemis dead.  Expecting to find a monster, instead she finds an intriguing man, tortured and betrayed and trusting no-one, yet still doing what he can to protect humanity from the ravages of those that would prey on them.  Katra soon realises there is more to the battered but handsome Sin than meets the eye, and Sin fears this beautiful woman will betray him as all others have.

I’m not sure how I missed this in the series but I did!  I thought I’d read all of the current Dark-Hunter books and when a friend pointed out I was missing one I was very (and pleasantly) surprised.  It’s like finding something sweet and yummy in the back of the fridge when you were craving it and thought you had run out ;)

I’m always astounded by the world Sherrilyn Kenyon has created for her Dark-Hunter series.  How she keeps it all straight is mind-boggling and yet continues to slot in more history of characters and their place in her godverse.  I’d met Sin and Katra in other books and had wondered why they hadn’t had their story told.  Silly me!

The book is a good one, has Kenyon’s unique writing style and ability for bringing her characters to life and into your heart.  The story is engaging and the action only lets up for those brief, tender moments she writes so well.

Thoroughly enjoyable and a great addition to the series (even if it is book 13 of 18 and I missed it!)

Rating: ★★★★★ 

Book Information

Dark Hunter Companion

May 292009

The Dark-Hunter Companion is written in the style of a handbook for a newly created Dark-Hunter.   This book gives all the information you could need to survive, understand the whims of the gods, who to tread lightly around and most importantly how to kill soul-sucking Daimons.

As a long time fan of Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark-Hunter series, I found this book very useful.  It gives you insights into pretty much every character you’ve come across, even in passing and is a great resource to look up something when you get a little confused as to who is linked with whom.  I loved the tone in which it was written, the sometimes acidly sarcastic comments about particular people made me laugh and were very much in keeping with the flavour of the series.  Nor is it just restricted to Dark-Hunter information but Dream-Hunters and Were-Hunters also, with more information about how the Pyramid of Protection fits together.   The variety of powers are fully explained as are all the gods and where they fall in their Pantheons.  I quite honestly find Sherrilyn Kenyon’s creation of her Atlantean Mythos, Pantheon, etc quite staggering and her obvious love of it all shines through as always.  If you have read and enjoyed even a few of her books in this series, this is an absolute must read.  Plus you get a new short story and some deleted scenes just to put the icing on the cake… or the cover on the book…

Rating: ★★★★★ 

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