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Review
4 stars!
A bit of a slow starter, but ultimately another great read! I can’t believe how intricately woven these stories are, it creates a fantastically complex and well developed paranormal world and I cannot get enough!
This book takes us back to the events of the ‘prison’ breakout, where a group of immortals all captured by The Order manage to free their captors, creating and breaking alliances and setting the stage for all sorts of shenanigans across multiple books of the series. In this case, reuniting Lanthe the Sorceri and Thronos, Vrekener and prince of Skye Hall.
Childhood best friends, Thronos instantly recognised Lanthe as his fated mate, but the ongoing war between their people tore them apart, leading to devastating consequences, with both of them feeling horribly betrayed by the other, and Thronos horribly scarred. It set the scene for a 500-year-long quest for revenge during which Thronos relentlessly searched for his mate, seeing her enjoying other men but never able to claim for himself, shattering his heart and turning him into angry shell of the man he used to be.
Now, as the two of them run from the crumbling prison where they were both held, Lanthe and Thronos are thrown into an unexpected, danger-filled journey which will force them to rely on each other to survive.
It’s not a unique storyline for a couple in this series, but Lanthe and Thronos’ backstory brings an extra edge of intensity to everything that happens between them.
“I broke a little boy’s body. And a young man’s heart.”
Thronos wants his vengeance, but his primary goal is to claim his mate once and for all, but there is so much anger and hatred on both sides and there is a lot they need to overcome to even reach the point of being civil to each other. It’s a long and arduous journey for them with lots of time spent arguing, and their dynamic is highly entertaining.
“I think the words you’re searching for are ‘Thank you, oh great and wonderful sorceress.’ ”
He narrowed his eyes. “You saved me from falling now. If only you’d shown me the same consideration when I was a boy.”
“If only you’d warned my family that yours was coming over for tea and decapitation! What else have you got? I can do this all day!”
But that spark of connection they always shared is still very much there and their attraction to each other sizzles away in the background as they battle to overcome everything between them.
“Every second we’re together, I get under your skin as deeply as you’ve scarred mine.”
And through it all they are bouncing between worlds where they face all kinds of nastiness and life-threatening danger. It’s an intriguing path full of action, adventure and all kinds of paranormalcy, proving again that Kresley Cole’s vivid imagination knows no bounds.
The love story is a slow burn as these two enemies get to know each other once again and figure out their way forward, and as much as I love Kresley Cole’s sexy writing, I liked the emotional element between these two and the fact that they didn’t just jump into bed together. They dealt with their many issues and re-established their long-dormant connection, which made it all the more intense when it all finally happened for them.
“Before you were my enemy, you were my best friend.”
When drops from the canopy kissed her face, he drew his wings over his head, creating a shelter. “I’ve always room for you too.”
But then right when things are finally getting on track and the story twists off into a fantastic new direction, it ended really abruptly. Yes, they get their happy ending, but with them becoming a true power couple of the series, worlds being shattered, new alliances being formed and everything dropping into place for the ever-looming accession I needed more! But with the way that Cole has expertly built her world, I’m sure that we’ll get to see more of Lanthe and Thronos, and the Vrekeners in future stories, and I can’t wait!
I enjoyed this one. Slower than some of the other books in the series, this one didn’t have the level of intensity I am used to, and though it eventually came (and man, it was awesome), I would have liked the earlier stuff to move a bit quicker to give us more time afterwards. But still a great read (and all hail Nix!).
“This is a formal affair. Kali is wearing twelve skulls.”
Nïx’s eyes went wide. “I should’ve vajazzled!”
4 stars.
For full series info, see our Immortals After Dark series page.