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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
There was a little break in the action in my non-stop reviewing of J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series, mainly because reading Lover Enshrined has taken me days. Days! However, I persevered just to say I did it, and here I am to tell the tale.
::: The Plot :::
Phury is the identical twin of the vampire Zsadist, who we met back in Lover Awakened. Virtually ignored by his family after Zsadist was kidnapped as an infant, Phury spent the first 100 years of his life missing, and then searching for, his twin. In the course of those 100 years, he found his brother, lost his leg, took a vow of chastity, became a drug addict, and fell in love with the same vampire that his brother did.
Seeing no other way out, he volunteered to be the Primale, a stud vampire to the Chosen and progenitor of the warrior class of vampires. However, he's now stuck with the first of the Chosen he's supposed to mate with, Cormia, a girl who seems terrified of her role. He's also been removed from the Brotherhood in all but name after his drug addiction gets out of hand, especially as he's now carving up the lessers (the soulless humans who are at war with the vampires) up like Thanksgiving turkeys.
::: It Took EONS to Read This :::
Seriously... Tolstoy had nothing on Ward when it comes to this novel. There's so much going on, both with Phury's story as well as all the other side-stories from previous novels that it's starting to feel like plot soup. We have Zsadist's shellan (wife) on bed rest for a life-threatening pregnancy. We have the nasty little warrior trainee vampire Lash causing problems with John Matthew, the young vampire who seems to be the son of Darius, who died back in Dark Lover. Oh, and John Matthew is attracted to Xhex, the half-symphath bouncer at Rehvenge's club. Rehvenge himself is being sexually (and monetarily) blackmailed to keep his (and Xhex's) status as symphaths secret so they aren't banished. Plus, the ongoing war with the lessers... the Chosen's hope of Phury repopulating the vampire race... Phury inevitably falling in love with Cormia (I mean, this is a romance novel)... the growing tension with the glymera (the aristocratic class)... and lastly, a sub-plot where Blaylock and Qhuinn (John Matthew's best friends and fellow trainees) may or may not be in love with each other...
I've still left out some plot points, believe it or not.
Lover Enshrined is a tough read. Trying to keep all the plot threads straight and still care about Phury and Cormia is hard enough, but Ward gives us so little to actually care about with Phury. The character has such an obvious martyr complex that it's hard to root for him, and his ever-worsening addiction leaves him numb and us unsympathetic. The last quarter of the book picks up the pace and gets interesting, but slogging through the first three-quarters is not for the faint of heart. Had this been the first book in the series and not the sixth, I'd have given up altogether. Instead, I struggled through so that I'd have the back story for the next book, which friends promise is one of the best of the series.
This review originally published at Epinions: http://www.epinions.com/review/Book_Lover_Enshrined_J_R_Ward/content_516714827396
::: The Plot :::
Phury is the identical twin of the vampire Zsadist, who we met back in Lover Awakened. Virtually ignored by his family after Zsadist was kidnapped as an infant, Phury spent the first 100 years of his life missing, and then searching for, his twin. In the course of those 100 years, he found his brother, lost his leg, took a vow of chastity, became a drug addict, and fell in love with the same vampire that his brother did.
Seeing no other way out, he volunteered to be the Primale, a stud vampire to the Chosen and progenitor of the warrior class of vampires. However, he's now stuck with the first of the Chosen he's supposed to mate with, Cormia, a girl who seems terrified of her role. He's also been removed from the Brotherhood in all but name after his drug addiction gets out of hand, especially as he's now carving up the lessers (the soulless humans who are at war with the vampires) up like Thanksgiving turkeys.
::: It Took EONS to Read This :::
Seriously... Tolstoy had nothing on Ward when it comes to this novel. There's so much going on, both with Phury's story as well as all the other side-stories from previous novels that it's starting to feel like plot soup. We have Zsadist's shellan (wife) on bed rest for a life-threatening pregnancy. We have the nasty little warrior trainee vampire Lash causing problems with John Matthew, the young vampire who seems to be the son of Darius, who died back in Dark Lover. Oh, and John Matthew is attracted to Xhex, the half-symphath bouncer at Rehvenge's club. Rehvenge himself is being sexually (and monetarily) blackmailed to keep his (and Xhex's) status as symphaths secret so they aren't banished. Plus, the ongoing war with the lessers... the Chosen's hope of Phury repopulating the vampire race... Phury inevitably falling in love with Cormia (I mean, this is a romance novel)... the growing tension with the glymera (the aristocratic class)... and lastly, a sub-plot where Blaylock and Qhuinn (John Matthew's best friends and fellow trainees) may or may not be in love with each other...
I've still left out some plot points, believe it or not.
Lover Enshrined is a tough read. Trying to keep all the plot threads straight and still care about Phury and Cormia is hard enough, but Ward gives us so little to actually care about with Phury. The character has such an obvious martyr complex that it's hard to root for him, and his ever-worsening addiction leaves him numb and us unsympathetic. The last quarter of the book picks up the pace and gets interesting, but slogging through the first three-quarters is not for the faint of heart. Had this been the first book in the series and not the sixth, I'd have given up altogether. Instead, I struggled through so that I'd have the back story for the next book, which friends promise is one of the best of the series.
This review originally published at Epinions: http://www.epinions.com/review/Book_Lover_Enshrined_J_R_Ward/content_516714827396
There’s a lot more focus on overall plot development for the entire Brotherhood universe than on the romance between Phury and Cormia, but so many shocking things happen that I’m willing to overlook that detail.
This is one jam-packed book, so it’s a definite do-not-miss if you expect to make heads of tails of the following volumes.
This is one jam-packed book, so it’s a definite do-not-miss if you expect to make heads of tails of the following volumes.
Phury era un poco plasta, pero como no llega al nivel de Marissa y el resto del libro ha sido lo mas 5 estrellas de amor <3
A drug addicted virgin wrought with pain from his past needs love too! Phury's story is so raw and emotional, and his love story is not as full of happiness and horniness as others. I also really enjoyed the other stories presented. Rhev, Xhex, and the newly transitioned all have interesting stories and I can't wait for the next book. I think that about describes it all. Sorry so short!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
Jen's Top Ten Reasons Why She Disliked Lover Enshrined.
Number ten: Seemed like one giant pity party for choices that the character made. Number nine: The wizard. Number eight: More shooting up and smoking drugs than any plot points. Number seven: The wizard. Number six: Too much dramatic irony! Get it together team, just express yourself. Number five: Tired story line. Number four: Tension over used, far beyond what seemed realistic. (5 months of building pea structures... really!?!) Number three: The wizard. Number two: Okay I get it Phury has hair I can never attain, I don't need it described by every other character. Number one: The f*@king wizard! (Did anyone who read the book see what I did there?)
Anyways, A NOTE TO ALL AUTHORS, I get it you are trying to personify an inner demon/conscience/addiction/voice-in-their-head, but please please please don't make the internal voice a separate entity. It is weird. I am talking to you and your inner goddess E.L. James. A character is allowed to have inner conflict without picturing a ring wraith who is doing the talking.
I don't know why I keep reading new installments in this series, beyond it is summer and I want to read brain fluff. One thing I will give to J.R Ward is that even if the current book I am reading makes me cringe, she does build up some secondary characters that I end up caring more about in their brief appearances. So I will end up reading the next few I am sure because I care about John and Tohr and a few others, as well now I want to know more about some newly introduced characters.
Number ten: Seemed like one giant pity party for choices that the character made. Number nine: The wizard. Number eight: More shooting up and smoking drugs than any plot points. Number seven: The wizard. Number six: Too much dramatic irony! Get it together team, just express yourself. Number five: Tired story line. Number four: Tension over used, far beyond what seemed realistic. (5 months of building pea structures... really!?!) Number three: The wizard. Number two: Okay I get it Phury has hair I can never attain, I don't need it described by every other character. Number one: The f*@king wizard! (Did anyone who read the book see what I did there?)
Anyways, A NOTE TO ALL AUTHORS, I get it you are trying to personify an inner demon/conscience/addiction/voice-in-their-head, but please please please don't make the internal voice a separate entity. It is weird. I am talking to you and your inner goddess E.L. James. A character is allowed to have inner conflict without picturing a ring wraith who is doing the talking.
I don't know why I keep reading new installments in this series, beyond it is summer and I want to read brain fluff. One thing I will give to J.R Ward is that even if the current book I am reading makes me cringe, she does build up some secondary characters that I end up caring more about in their brief appearances. So I will end up reading the next few I am sure because I care about John and Tohr and a few others, as well now I want to know more about some newly introduced characters.
I had a harder time getting into the main charterers of thus book. Nit that they weren't interesting to the story, just couldn't identify with either Phury our Cormia. Both broken i'm a way. I wanted to smack then both!
The overall plot of this one definitely revved up the series though. Cast wait to find out how the brotherhood will deal with Lash
The overall plot of this one definitely revved up the series though. Cast wait to find out how the brotherhood will deal with Lash
Didn't like it quite as much as the previous books in the series. The secondary characters have become more interesting than the primary couple.
The only reason I'm still reading this series is because of John Matthew.
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Type of read: Commuter Read.
What made me pick it up: I stumbled across the Black Dagger Brotherhood in early 2024 with Darius (Book 0) and I got sucked into this crazy, cracked-out, sexy, throwback-feeling, world of vampires fighting something more evil than themselves.
Overall rating: 'Lover Enshrined' takes a bit of a left turn from Ward's typical storylines focusing on just one of the brothers. I feel like while this was definitely Phury's story, we got so much more. It was almost a connector in the series to help tie all of the pieces together from the first five books. If you're expecting this to focus solely on Phury, you're going to be completely overwhelmed with the amount of info and characters we're following through 'Lover Enshrined.' Phury, Zhadist & Bella and their baby girl , Cormia and The Chosen, John, Lash, Blalock, Quinn, Rehv, Xhex, and let's also throw in the entire Glymera for good measure. There's honestly so much happening in 'Lover Enshrined' that it's hard to do a review without giving anything away. 'Lover Enshrined' follows in Ward's traditional writing style; we've got fighting and blood and guts, but there's also love and sex and fantasy. We've got world-building and character development. Overall, not mad. It's not my favorite of the series so far, but I'm not mad. (I'm also just not a huge Phury fan so that could be why I was a little less interested.)
I know I've said it before in previous reviews for this series, but I feel like I just have to say it with each book, this is just a good escape read. You don't have to think too much about it, you don't have to try and keep things straight (Ward does a great job dropping little reminders at the beginning of each book and throughout so you keep the characters and their traits straight), and you can just dive into a (slightly dated) world of sexy vampire warriors. I'm here for it.
Reader's Note: 'Lover Enshrined' includes themes of death; dying; consensual sexual activity; drug use; drug abuse and addition; violence; kidnapping; torture; murder; sexual assault; and character recollections of physical and sexual abuse.
What made me pick it up: I stumbled across the Black Dagger Brotherhood in early 2024 with Darius (Book 0) and I got sucked into this crazy, cracked-out, sexy, throwback-feeling, world of vampires fighting something more evil than themselves.
Overall rating: 'Lover Enshrined' takes a bit of a left turn from Ward's typical storylines focusing on just one of the brothers. I feel like while this was definitely Phury's story, we got so much more. It was almost a connector in the series to help tie all of the pieces together from the first five books. If you're expecting this to focus solely on Phury, you're going to be completely overwhelmed with the amount of info and characters we're following through 'Lover Enshrined.' Phury, Zhadist & Bella
I know I've said it before in previous reviews for this series, but I feel like I just have to say it with each book, this is just a good escape read. You don't have to think too much about it, you don't have to try and keep things straight (Ward does a great job dropping little reminders at the beginning of each book and throughout so you keep the characters and their traits straight), and you can just dive into a (slightly dated) world of sexy vampire warriors. I'm here for it.
Reader's Note: 'Lover Enshrined' includes themes of death; dying; consensual sexual activity; drug use; drug abuse and addition; violence; kidnapping; torture; murder; sexual assault; and character recollections of physical and sexual abuse.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol