The Darkest Night (Lords of the Underworld, Book 1)
by Gena Showalter
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Book Summary Information
Author: Gena ShowalterEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-05-01
ISBN: 0373772467
Number of pages: 384
Publisher: HQN Books
Book Reviews of The Darkest Night (Lords of the Underworld, Book 1)
Book Review: "The nearer the dawn, the darker the night."
Summary: 4 Stars
Thousands of years ago, a group of warriors were created by the most powerful pantheon in the universe. They lived privileged lives as befitted their elite status. But even the most privileged weren't immune to jealousy. When a sacred box, the dimOuniak, said to house demons so vile was entrusted to the strongest female soldier at the time, some warriors took affront and thought to teach the gods a lesson to prove their power not realizing that they were cursing themselves for eternity. As they opened the dimOuniak, they didn't realize the evil that they have unleashed. When the box was lost amidst the scrimmage, leaving the warriors unable to recapture the demons, the gods punished them by trapping the demons inside their bodies. Thus, the legend of Pandora's Box was born. And with this, came the birth of the Lords of the Underworld.
One of these mischievous warriors was Maddox. Not only did Zeus heap the spirit of Violence in him, but also cursed him to suffer the fate that Maddox has inflicted upon Pandora - to die a violent death at midnight and wake up at dawn knowing that he will relive the same fate for eternity. The agony of waiting for the light! For the moment the spirit of Violence was thrust inside his body, Maddox fell prey to its power and lost consciousness of all his actions resulting in Pandora's death. Since that fateful day, Maddox and his brethren have known nothing but darkness, constantly fighting the urge to succumb to evil. And after an eternity of battling these demons, salvation was the last thing he expected.
I enjoyed the concept of this series and was interested to see what spin Gena Showalter put into it. The beginning of the book was fascinating as we are quickly introduced to Maddox and given a brief overview on how the Lords of the Underworld came to be. I thought what a fantastic idea! It was creative and imaginative and it is apparent that the author put much thought into these sinfully delicious demons, or is it angels? The people of Budapest certainly think so. This is how Ashlyn finds herself at the Lords' fortress desperate to seek help from her debilitating ability - that of being able to hear conversations past or present. She thought that these creatures of supernatural powers may be the answer to her prayers. What she doesn't realize is how high the price is for that chance at normalcy. Everything happens very quickly from here. I suppose this is where the romance part is supposed to kick in, something about Maddox and Ashlyn being soul mates, which I am all for. After all, I am reading a paranormal romance so that is to be expected. However, her clinginess from the get-go was a little hard to buy. And who sleeps with a corpse, especially one that's been hacked to death? I'm sorry, but this is taking love a little too far. I guess because of this, I never felt invested in the romance.
That being said, I enjoyed many things about DARKEST NIGHT. I loved the premise of these Greek warriors being bound by demons. In fact, I was utterly fascinated with the idea of the Titans taking over the Greeks. It makes one think: who's the bigger badas*, Zeus or Cronus? And a fresh take on the myth of Pandora is simply invigorating. So, yes, I will continue to read the other books. There is something tantalizing about these warriors' stories that beg to be read.
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