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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is the second book I've read by Kresley Cole. Unsure if I'm a fan. I like the world-building, but many of the characters are trite. And everyone broods. Every. Last. Immortal. Broods... constantly.
We get it: You're in love, but you can't recognize it yet, so you're in lust, but you can't DO anything about it yet. Then you get a taste and your brooding borders on frenzied. Then you misinterpret something your intended does, and you brood some more, but in a broken-hearted sort of way.
And I find writing that sprinkles in contemporary slang or pop culture references unappealing unless it's referencing days-gone-by, sits squarely in a certain point in time, or using it with irony, the language feels gimmicky.
We get it: You're in love, but you can't recognize it yet, so you're in lust, but you can't DO anything about it yet. Then you get a taste and your brooding borders on frenzied. Then you misinterpret something your intended does, and you brood some more, but in a broken-hearted sort of way.
And I find writing that sprinkles in contemporary slang or pop culture references unappealing unless it's referencing days-gone-by, sits squarely in a certain point in time, or using it with irony, the language feels gimmicky.
It may have been exacerbated by the fact that I didn't care for the audiobook narration, but this book really got on my nerves. I thought all of the characters were really one-dimensional and not very likeable, and Bettina was just annoying. I also thought it was about 3x longer than it needed to be. There were a couple of bright spots with the humor -- the mundane world references to things like Rocky Horror and Cracker Barrel were kind of funny, but they seemed very random and out of place. The sylph Salem was the only character that I really liked, but he still seemed like a caricature. There were quite a few sexy bits, but something about the language seemed too crass to me and the Dracula-style accent that the narrator gave to Trehan was really disconcerting. I also really dislike the romance novel tropes of "Oops -- I had sex with you by accident, thought you were someone else!" and "Well, since I can't have sex with who I really want I'll just practice with you." Overall, bleh.
3.75
I'll admit this title had a lot working against it. Especially considering I skipped over the reading order.
Love triangles are always going to be a con for me particularly because no matter the situation the female/heroine always ends up looking the worst out of it.
Bettini required a lot of patience but I couldn't help but still root for her.
The bag of heads is Iconic forever.
Was great to learn a little more about the Lore. And also seeing familiar faces like Lothaire, Nix, and Sabine.
I'll admit this title had a lot working against it. Especially considering I skipped over the reading order.
Love triangles are always going to be a con for me particularly because no matter the situation the female/heroine always ends up looking the worst out of it.
Bettini required a lot of patience but I couldn't help but still root for her.
The bag of heads is Iconic forever.
Was great to learn a little more about the Lore. And also seeing familiar faces like Lothaire, Nix, and Sabine.
Shadow's Claim is the first in a new paranormal romance series by author Kresley Cole, best known for her wildly popular Immortals After Dark series.
Trehan Daciano is the vampire Prince of Shadows, a deadly assassin who has been protecting the hidden kingdom of Dacia for thousands of years. While on the hunt for his latest prey, Caspian The Tracker, in the demon realm of Abbadon, Trehan is inexplicably drawn to a lighted castle window where he discovers his Bride, Princess Bettina.
Desperate to secure her childhood friend's affections, Bettina mistakes the hovering presence of Trehan in her darkened bedroom for Caspian and invites him into her bed, an offer Trehan is unable to resist. But when Bettina surfaces from the haze of passion she is horrified to discover her mistake.
To claim his Bride, Trehan must not only convince Bettina of his devotion but win her hand in a tournament in which he must fight Caspian to the death.
Set within the shadow of Immortals After Dark, the lore of The Realm of Blood and Mist will be familiar to Cole fans yet introduces a new range of characters and an expansion of the familiar myths. With multiple planes of existence, warring kingdoms, and a variety of immortal creatures including vampires, witches, demons, fae and shifters Cole's world is complex yet even though I have never read any of the IAD series I found I quickly grasped the basics of the world, helped by the Glossary of Terms from the Living Book of Lore included in the first few pages.
As a paranormal romance, the relationship between the protagonists is at the core of the story, unfolding with the familiar love me/love me not pattern of engagement. Bettina may be Trehan's destined Bride but he needs to convince Bettina of that to claim her, as she believes she is in love with her childhood friend. While I'm not a big fan of the fated mate trope, I grew weary of Bettina's stubborn rejection after a while. Not because of her resistance to Trehan but because her blind devotion to the womanising, weak minded and completely uninterested Caspian was stretched a little thin for me and I felt it reflected poorly on her character. Trehan's alpha dominance was exactly what I expected and though his manipulations and possessiveness are somewhat grating I found him appealing, all the more so for the flashes of emotional vulnerability.
What surprised me most about Shadow's Claim was Cole's ability to sustain the tale despite it's length (481 pages). I thought it likely I would lose interest mid way through but I didn't and in fact found it a quick and engrossing read, enjoying my escape into a fantasy realm of magic, danger and dark passion. I'm looking forward to the next installment of The Realm of Blood and Mist and may be tempted to pick up the Immortal After Dark series in the meantime.
Bettina, lost her parents when she was young, and then she was captured and tortured by the same creatures who killed her mother and destroyed her father, and now she has no choice but to trust in her guardians, who have planned a way for her to get married, a death match of the fiercest warriors, for she will be queen of the demons. There is one man she has loved more than any other, who has been her friend since she was a child, and wants more than anything to be his wife. But her friend, has a death sentence by the one man who is a merciless killer, and a assassin, who is cold and calculating, and through a series of circumstances, she learns that she is his mate. A man that will fight with every weapon at his disposal to claim her as his for eternity. To her horror both her best friend and Trehan have entered the "till death" contest. As the fighting and competitions begins, a fire burns between Trehan and Bettina, and Bettina will have to choose between her closest friend and the man that holds her desire and her heart...
What a wild ride of dangerous paranormal elements that had me at the edge of this page turner!!! Utterly shocking and tantalizing and fierce and passionate in every way. This was one hell of a story and it has been a LONG time since I have read a story that had me so intense and I just had to read this as fast as I could. There was so much emotion and compelling characters, and this scenario that Kresley Cole has played out for us, WHEW....Ladies and Gentleman buckle your seat belts, for this is one ride you might not come out of alive if you don't watch it.
The heat between Bettina and Trehan is so HOT and I almost got burned....they sure know how to create fireworks, and with one kiss I betcha you all will need to open your windows--yes yes I know its winter, but seriously you will burn to a crisp if you don..hehehehe. These characters are so fascinating and I had such a fun time with them, there is quite depth to each of them, even the side characters. I know at first this seems like a triangle romance...but HELL NO!!! (Shaking finger...don't you guys think that way and let that be a deterrent to reading this....you will be so ashamed if you turn away from this one. Kresley Cole is a truly talented individual, who has the capacity of creating a story that is witty, smart and full on sexy. What else can you ask for? And quite frankly...you won't regret it!! I guarantee it. Just make sure you have plenty time on your hands, some delicious treats, plenty of water (by the gallons), and a nice comfy sitting arrangement, and you will be in the perfect mind frame to get the full aspect to enjoy this one to its fullest. DARING AND PASSIONATE!!
This book and series is connected to Immortals After Dark but isn't officially part of that series. I haven't read Lothaire, and even though there is some reference to him, it doesn't spoil anything from what I could tell. But boy do I need to read that one. :)
What a wild ride of dangerous paranormal elements that had me at the edge of this page turner!!! Utterly shocking and tantalizing and fierce and passionate in every way. This was one hell of a story and it has been a LONG time since I have read a story that had me so intense and I just had to read this as fast as I could. There was so much emotion and compelling characters, and this scenario that Kresley Cole has played out for us, WHEW....Ladies and Gentleman buckle your seat belts, for this is one ride you might not come out of alive if you don't watch it.
The heat between Bettina and Trehan is so HOT and I almost got burned....they sure know how to create fireworks, and with one kiss I betcha you all will need to open your windows--yes yes I know its winter, but seriously you will burn to a crisp if you don..hehehehe. These characters are so fascinating and I had such a fun time with them, there is quite depth to each of them, even the side characters. I know at first this seems like a triangle romance...but HELL NO!!! (Shaking finger...don't you guys think that way and let that be a deterrent to reading this....you will be so ashamed if you turn away from this one. Kresley Cole is a truly talented individual, who has the capacity of creating a story that is witty, smart and full on sexy. What else can you ask for? And quite frankly...you won't regret it!! I guarantee it. Just make sure you have plenty time on your hands, some delicious treats, plenty of water (by the gallons), and a nice comfy sitting arrangement, and you will be in the perfect mind frame to get the full aspect to enjoy this one to its fullest. DARING AND PASSIONATE!!
This book and series is connected to Immortals After Dark but isn't officially part of that series. I haven't read Lothaire, and even though there is some reference to him, it doesn't spoil anything from what I could tell. But boy do I need to read that one. :)
Now I remember why I love Kresley Cole's paranormal romances so much. Her writing, characters, and worlds are always so intriguing! I liked both Bettina and Trehan, but found the whole thing with Cas to be a little annoying. Still, I'm thinking of reading the next book in the series soon.
It's been a while since I've read a smutty romance and had kind of forgotten how absurdly enjoyable they can be. I was a bit wary of the 'virgin plot' with the 'one fated mate' thing, but it wasn't as bad as I feared.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A