#especially with acheron quoting one of her lines | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

booksandwords · 3 years

Text

Intensity by Sherrilyn McQueen

Series: Chronicles of Nick, #8 Read time: 1 Day Rating: 5/5

The quote: Let no one take you down. You stand and you fight until the end! Not for fanfare, or for applause or laurels, but because you know what’s right and what’s wrong. Never fight because you have an audience or to gain esteem or notoriety. You fight for what matters—for the right things in life. Truth. Honesty. Dignity. Let no one steal, lie or cheat. You keep what you earn and never allow anyone to run over you because of the lies they tell others. And the lies others are so willing to believe about you. — Cherise Gautier

I am not tagging this with a spoiler warning but read on at your own risk. Intensity (and this review) contain spoilers for the Dark-Hunter verse.

We ended Invision with Simi in danger and being framed for murder. The murders of Tyree and Alan were actually committed by Cyprian Malachai, Nick's son with Laguerre. Cyprian is exactly as dangerous as he sounds given he is the son of a Malachai and War. Cyprian and Laguerre are the ones that Grim was sensing in Instinct and possibly the ones that bought out the Zeitjägers. The very first chapter of Intensity before the prologue, kinda like an introduction but not is called The Meaning of Time. It is about the Zeitjägers, about how they were born and why they were needed. It indicates they will be important to the story in some way.

Interestingly the end of Invision is not addressed until about halfway through the book. Simi isn't addressed at all. There is an awful lot of emotional punches in Intensity. Jared is completely unaware of Xevikan's existence. He knows Myone is his mother but thinks that Jaden is his father not his grandfather. Something I've suspected for a while is that Jared and Jaden are in a self-sacrificial protection loop. Hearing more of the story confirms it for me. Add Xev to the mix, who sacrificed his happiness allowing his father to raise his son and the whole thing is just tragic. We get to meet the beautiful Myone, that was just one of the time I cried in this book. Crying for what might have been and her happiness at meeting her great-grandson. There was a shock for me in that section, it is so easy to see why Xev fell fo Myone why he risked so much for his love of her.

Intensity is a good name for it. Not only is Nick's world ramping up but there is a lot packed in plot-wise. It is an intense read. But I did read it in a single sitting. The ending is effective, if unexpected. It explains a lot. Why Caleb isn't known, why Adrian is gone. Yes, I cried. But it wraps up the series well. If Sherri had decided to leave it there I would have been okay with that. There was true happiness in seeing Xev and Caleb just watching content and talking. Xev openly thinking that Nick is now his and Myone's legacy. But yet again Sheer throw information that we are almost expected to know but didn't. Like Braith and Apollymi being one and the same? Since when? Aside from that, there are a few implications that never lead anywhere like were the swords were saved by Jaden? What happened with Simi? They don't detract per see. Especially because it gives the next series somewhere to go immediately. With questions to answer.

Have a dump of thoughts from my reading.

Of course, Nathen is Cyprian. His pure power is why Kody and Caleb can't sense him. But I'm surprised it isn't having an impact on Caleb having two masters in one place. Though Nathen’s identity is not confirmed explcitly.

Takeshi and Nashira are brilliant together. I did not expect Takeshi at all. He's wonderful. But a trickster demon and a time guard (aka a yōkai and a Zeitjäger) feel like an odd combination, I'd love to know that story.

I like Shadow. I swear I've read a book with him in him before. But I would have noted him in my reviews and I didn't (though I have read the Deadmen series multiple times).

Takara is a surprise. I did not expect to see her. SHe's not in her humanoid form but she is there. Good lord she belonged to Kissare, the father of the first Malachai. She was only ever wielded by two. Kissare and Jared.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love the mighty chihuahua as a nickname for Cherise?

Something it's taken me an embarrassingly long time to pick up about Vawn. He's coded trans. Yes here it is by magical means but he is still trans he is a man living in a woman's body.

I really like the Celtic triplets, Arswyd Gan Drindod, the Terror by a Trinity. Rhyvawn Ddu (usually called Vawn), Kaziel and Aeron. They are terrifying yes but man oh man they are fantastic.

Is it Neria or Nyria? I'm wondering if it is a term of endearment. Her name is Nekoda Kennedy or Belam.

"And not all that far in the future. It would all start when Julian and Grace reunited with Kyrian" (Kody, p.222) — And that would be Night Pleasures. (Julian's story, Julian of Macedon is a prequel)

Damn, I was off on Simi's husband. It's Savitar. It makes sense. Between them, they can broaden the scope of the Omergrion Council. And there aren't too many beings that Acheron would trust Simi with.

So here we are the last book in the Chronicles of Nick series. While I had spoilers for some aspects of the series mostly who characters are and parentage I had no idea for the series ended. I somehow managed to avoid those spoilers. I looked up what happens after this. There is a four-part series called Shadows of Fire, focused on Cyprian Malachai then a trilogy for adults to finish everything off. Sherri confirms in the bio for Shadows of Fire that CoN & SoF are Nick from Dark-Hunters real and true past. That said due to the dramas with he-who-shall-not-be named we are looking are 6+ years before Heart of Venom (book one in the SoF series). I'm not going to look at the series overall as I sometimes do in the last book od a series because as Nick says “Take my word for it. The end is just beginning.” (Nick p. 280). But what I will say is the series does stand alone if Sherri never gets to Shadows of Fire.

I put in my review for Invision that I felt I needed a family tree to keep up with the familial connections in the Chronicles of Nick. I chose not to add it to that review after reading this before finishing that review (yes I read this in a single sitting the next day). So I'm adding a family tree to this review. It's a family tree such as I read it from the books. There is likely to be errors in here but this is my interpretation of the information we were given. Including the piece where Braith is Apollymi. I know the Dark-Hunter verse a bit, if she is Braith no one knows it. Braith is missing, she's off wandering as far as I understood. But then again most people have no clue who Jaden and Menyara are. CoN gives a dangerous amount of information if you know how to interpret it. Razer is in play though not in CoN, he goes by the Egyptian name Set (I think). If I'm right Razer is tied into Kody's line. So my family tree has some indications of where there is heavy speculation. I did use Sherri's website for some of my workings.

#intensity #chronicles of nick #sherrilyn mcqueen #sherrilyn kenyon #book review #younglings #read 2021 #i'm quite happy with my family tree #i am happy to debate it if anyone can see any gaping flaws

13 notes · View notes

leah-jeffries · 7 years

Photo

I know that The Broke and The Bookish are taking a break from their Top Ten Tuesday prompts, so I'll go ahead and wing it until they return! Top Ten Tuesday is a feature originated by TBATB that features a list of whatever fits the prompt for that week. Since it's start, so many bloggers have taken part and shared their own lists. So if you have your own Top Ten feature, we would love to read it. For this week, we'll be doing Top Ten OTPs.

In no particular order:

Elias Veturius/Laia of Serra from Sabaa Tahir's Ember Quartet Even as I write out their names, my heart is in so much pain because I love them too much. I have not shipped this hard since SHADOW AND BONE and that is saying something. There is just something about Elias and Laia's relationship that just hits all the good parts of my emotional psyche. Or maybe it's because the writing for these books are so flippin' superb that the romance is automatically amazing. Obviously, their relationship is not at the forefront of these books, but there is enough to tease me to curling up into a ball after I've finished a new book. I love that they come from different places, but have so much in common. And I appreciate that they have endured so much on their own and do not rely on each other, but they do strengthen one another. Now that their paths have become so different at the end of A TORCH AGAINST THE NIGHT, I know that I will be destroyed by any moments that they sure in subsequent books.

Malyen Oretsev/Alina Starkov from Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone Talk about original OTPs...I know that this will be controversial for some people because of course, the other side of things is Alina and the Darkling and who doesn't love being seduced by the Darkling? -swoons- I will admit that I enjoy Alina/The Darkling as much as everyone else but at the end of the day, I think my heart lies with Mal and Alina because they get a bittersweet ending and it just made my heart ache at how melancholy things became for both of them and yet, they always had one another. I know that Mal has had his flaws and probably doesn't deserve Alina, but good gosh, their chemistry was lovely for me. I know that some other people didn't see it - they saw more steam from Alina and the Darkling, but there was an innocence and a tenderness to Mal and Alina's friendship and relationship that made me fall in love with them as a couple. Man, when RUIN AND RISING came out and I read it, I was just so freaking happy. I am glad that they got a semblance of a happy ending.

Cress Darnell/Carswell Throne from Marissa Meyer's The Lunar Chronicles CRESSWELL gives me life. I seriously love the dynamic of Cress/Thorne because they make each other better without all the drama. Plus they're so cute together with all of Thorne's quippy lines and Cress just doing what she does best, which is be a badass computer wizard.

Kate Harker/August Flynn from Victoria Schwab's Monsters of Verity Kate and August were a surprise for me. Their relationship was very much in the backdrop of the Monsters of Verity plot and for very good cause. There was just so much that needed to be told about their worlds and I really appreciated the little moments of intimacy and tenderness they shared with one another. I'm sure there are people who have said they have no chemistry or are nothing more than friends, but when two characters are pitted in a conflict that these two are, it's so very hard for me not to ship them. I think they were both poetically and tragically written and to show their vulnerabilities to one another just leaves me wanting. How can I not ship a couple that is like that? Kestrel Trajan/Arin from Marie Rutkoski's The Winner's Trilogy Do you know that when someone is playing a stringed instrument in some classical piece and then there's that epic crescendo and then the single bouncing pluck of the bow against the string that echos? I feel like that perfectly describes Kestrel and Arin for me. I think they have such a theatrical and dramatic way about them, but yet their romance is so subtle and lovely as it developed throughout the trilogy. Both of them came from very similar beginnings but Arin did not remain in the same place that Kestrel was born into and despite a war breaking between them, they were still able to come together by the end. And oh my gosh, how can you not love a couple that giggles about playing piano and singing together? It's just such a wonderful thought.

Kaz Brekker/Inej Ghafa from Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows Duology I remember a brief time when Kaz and Inej suffocated me with the turmoil of their angsty relationship, especially after what happened in Six of Crows. I just wanted them to be together, these tough little children, and squish them against my chest. IS THAT SO MUCH TO ASK FOR? I just wanted them to have their happy endings with a butt ton of kruge and the Barrel at their beckoning AS KING AND QUEEN. Plus, like all couples, they had some amazing dialogue exchanges that ripped me to pieces.

Feyre Acheron/Rhysand from Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses Series They were my first ever steam couple and damn, they got me going. -fans self- I feel like Maas is really known for being able to write intimate scenes with her characters (see THRONE OF GLASS) and when Rhysand and Feyre had their first meeting, I remember all the steam and sparks that rose from their interaction. And it just built from there. And I think it can be safely said how much people loved A COURT OF MIST AND FURY, considering how central their relationship was in the story. They were just so memorable to me and it didn't hurt that he oozed the sex appeal. -heart eyes-

Lara Jean Song/Peter Kavinsky from Jenny Han's To All The Boys I've Loved Before Trilogy Talk about the epitome of a contemporary romance. I remember how much I fell in love with TATBILB and how there was Asian representation in the MC and obviously, Peter Kavinsky. I don't know what it was about him besides the fact that he was a big ol' geeky teddy bear underneath his air of popularity. I feel like he just represented that typical popular boy that all the girls, ALLLL THE GIRLS, had a crush on when they were in high school. I love how he was with Kitty and their father. And I love how they both helped each other grow into the better parts of themselves.

Linh Cinder and Emperor Kaito from Marissa Meyer's The Lunar Chronicles Well, I feel like a Cinderella retelling is self explanatory if we're talking about Cinder and Kai. Marissa Meyer could have made their relationship full of stinky cheese and cliche, but she definitely did justice to her original characters. I loved watching Cinder kick butt with her brain and Kai with his diplomacy when dealing with the enemy. Their relationship was not something that I would call topsy-turvy or dramatic, but it did just have an ease about it that made me rather happy. Plus, how could you say no to Cinderella and her prince? Geez.

Lila Bard/Kell Maresh from V.E. Schwab's Shades of Magic OH THIS IS THE EPITOME OF SLOW BURNS. I find it incredibly astonishing and awing when an author can completely immerse her readers in the story enough that when romance happens that it is just a sweet treat of a surprise. I found that in Schwab's writing pattern and I seriously applaud her for it - if I were to ever aspire to write like someone, it would be her. I loved the development that she put into both Lila and Kell and how they seem to be the complete opposite of one another. They exist as such strong characters and together, they're just as good, but at the same time, I could feel that they were one another's weaknesses as well but not in the way that's traditional. If an enemy were to use one of them against the other, I think it would just drive them harder, but around each other specifically...it's like that quote from Richelle Mead - "Ah, those two. In a fight, they're lethal. Around each other, they melt.' I don't think any words were ever truer than these when talking about Kell and Lila.

9 notes · View notes

fic-dreamin · 7 years

Photo

5.0 out of 5 stars Sins Of The Night

5.0 out of 5 stars there are some bad Dark-Hunters getting ready to be spanked Oh, dear, there are some bad Dark-Hunters getting ready to be spanked. Yep, but maybe that is too light of a punishment for them trying to over throw Artemis and Acheron as their leaders. I can see how it would get old, year after year, serving up to a bitch goddess who created them and dealing with the mysteries known as Acheron, but hey, Acheron is a pretty good guy most times. He can also be an ass at times as well.It's Alexion's job to investigate and punish Dark-Hunters who step far beyond the line like say, killing a girl to drink her blood. Isn't that what you were created for to keep from happening? So we meet Alexion, who lives with Acheron, but who we have really never seen before. Now that some Dark-Hunters are crossing the line, Acheron has set him to a task.[quote]Some of them might be saved and those were the ones Acheron wanted him to focus on. Save what you can, my brother. You can't decide for anyone. Let them choose their own fates, There is nothing to be done for the ones who won't listen - but for the one who does....It is worth it.[/quote]As Alexion views the ones involved, let's be clear, only a few were involved the rest only attended meeting where evidence was presented. Alexion has become muddled in his dark existence and really just wants to kill the offenders and be done, but one makes him almost feel emotion: Danger. Her vibrancy of life calls to him. He watches her and almost feels her zest for life as she battles Damions. After a long time of only feeling emotions for Simi and Acheron, he is puzzled by what he feels for a Dark-Hunter.So the Dark-Hunter Kyros is very disillusioned with Acheron and starts trying to turn other Dark-Hunters against him.Read more › Go to Amazon

4.0 out of 5 stars 3.5 for the Defender The StoryThe Alexion is Ash and Simi's companion on Katoteros. Alexion was a dark hunter that was killed. Ash saved him 9000 years ago. Alexion is now Ash's judge, jury and executioner of DarkHunters that go rogue. When Alexion was a DH, he was best friends with Kyros. Kyros is now in danger of becoming rouge, he is being influenced by the head Daimon, Stryker. Kyros is trying to turn all the DH's in the area against Ash and Artemis. It is Alexion's job to save those who will be saved and execute the threats, he has a week on earth before he must return to Katoteros. It's a tough job, especially being emotionally invested in Kyros. Alexion chooses Danger to assist him in saving the Dh's. Danger never lets anyone close, but Alexion gets under her shields like no other.ThoughtsAlexion deserves happiness after 9000 years of being alone. This book shows more important details about Acheron, but other than that this is a forgettable book. Alexion means `defender' in Atlantian. Danger is a dark Hunter from the French Revolution. She is the one who called Ash's attention to the rouge DH's in Mississippi. I can't remember if Alexion is in Ash's book, but it seems to reason he should be. There are insights into Ash and his world, but its nothing vital to the series. The book is fast paced, but the betrayal of the DH's against Ash is irritating. Go to Amazon

3.0 out of 5 stars Kindle Version is Sloppy From my point of view, "Sins of the Night" is fairly consistent with other Dark-Hunter novels. While the love scenes have grown more than a little repetitious at this point (Kenyon uses the same phrases, encounters, and descriptions time and time - and time - again), the book itself remains interesting and compelling, and fulfills all expectations of the genre.HOWEVER, my one big complaint is about the Kindle version - once again, it is chock full of errors that complicate reading. At one point in the novel several pages are repeated, which momentarily left me wondering whether my Kindle has malfunctioned or if I hit a button without realizing it. No, it was just sloppy publishing. Like all the other Dark-Hunter books, "Sins of the Night" suffers from word omissions, misaligned text, and several other formatting errors. It wouldn't be so annoying if the Kindle version actually cost less than the book, but considering they have the potential to make so much more money from e-books (after all, I have to imagine "printing" costs are significantly reduced!), I would expect a higher quality publication. Go to Amazon

0 notes

booksandwords · 4 years

Text

No Mercy by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Series: Dark-Hunter, #18; Were-Hunter, #5 Read time: 4 Days Rating: 3.5/5

The quote: You can take my life, but you'll never break me. So bring me your worst... And I will definitely give you mine.

I'm going to start with what is usually my closing statement. I have a love-hate relationship with this book. I don't like Samia much, I don't like Dev's arc and as a fan of the Chronicle of Nick (book one Infinity), I always struggle with Dark-Hunter canon Nick (who I regularly refer to as Ambrose for my sanity). But this is a book that adds a lot to the canon of the Dark-Hunter verse. With Bad Moon Rising it forms this odd kind of duology you technically could read one of the two without reading the other, but they make so much more sense read together especially given the closeness of Amy and Dev. It's valuable and interesting as part of the Dark-Hunter canon but I'm not a huge fan of the story.

Samia Savage was born an Amazonian warrior she sold her soul to become a Dark-Hunter. More than that she is a machiskyli, a Dog of War an Elite DH soldier her gifts were gifted to her on one of Artemis's one of bad days, empathy, psychometry and telekinesis. They are a pain in the ass, she can not touch anything without getting memories off it. Devereaux 'Dev' Peltier is an Arcadian werebear. After the death of his parents at the ending of Bad Moon Rising he's developed a severe case of wanderlust. As one expects from a series where love has power, Dev is immune to Sam's powers.

Sam has a serious history with one of the other Dogs of War, Ethon. To say too much gets in to spoiler territory. It is a smart play it does add some humanity to the hunters which is sometimes missing from their eternal lives. Her humanising feels weird with Dev's character alteration there is a line about halfway through that is slightly out of line with what was known of his character already, it turns his character on its head. He goes from being family driven to insular.

The plot didn't make a lot a sense to me. Essentially Stryker one of the overarching series big bads wants Sam for unknown reasons. When she is taken it isn't as simple as it seems, because when is it ever? But when Stryker does eventually get his slimy little hands on her there isn't a real reason for it. It does feel more like this story was written as a carrier for the lore revealed rather than the characters. I mean we do meet some fun characters but the plot is a bit okay why are we doing this. I love Sherri but some plots definitely make more sense than others.

Some random note from my reading (which largely relate to characters given the interconnected nature of Sherri's writing):

Simone sounds fantastic as does her husband. "She's a half demon married to a half demon demigod and they live with two ghosts" The associated story is Dream Chaser.

El Escorpion is easily the best of the Dogs. A medieval Spanish knight whose speciality weapon is throwing knives and he doesn't speak much. He's a contradiction, he likes to kill but he's also their medic. I want to know his story.

Cael is a badass. I'm fully on board with him eventually getting his own book. He's a hybrid Dark-Hunter/Daimon and is now a Hellchaser. Sherri hasn't confirmed him getting his own book though.

Wait The Morai are Ash's sisters? Exactly how connected is he? (I haven't read Acheron)

Oh... Sherri you spoil us, Manticores. Even if they are slightly off the traditional.

Goodreads

#sherrilyn mcqueen #no mercy #book review #were hunter #dark hunter #sherrilyn kenyon #ktreviews #read 2020 #paranormal romance

2 notes · View notes