Reviews

Dark Currents by Lindsay Buroker

_persephone_'s review against another edition

adventurous mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.25

darksnow's review

adventurous dark funny lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

madmadmaddymad's review

adventurous challenging dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I do love this cast, but somehow this book was less captivating to me than the first one. I found Book’s storyline to be somewhat tedious, though I was rooting for him to get the girl. 

The plot of this one felt odd and convoluted. I found the villain kind of middle of the road, and not all that much of a threat for whatever reason, even though he had at one point captured two of the main cast and held them at his mercy. 

Sicarius is still obviously my biggest draw for this read. I’m dying to know if the man has the capacity to fall in love, and I felt like that ending was a bit of a downer. 

sbauer378's review

4.0

I love the banter in this series. Maldynado, what a himbo. He's perfect.

My only complaint is that Amaranthe's love confession is a bit too soon for me.

marsh_mall0w's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Animal death

Moderate: Death, Classism, and Confinement

Minor: War, Kidnapping, Misogyny, and Slavery

bea__reads's review against another edition

5.0

This is a great series, one of my favorites. I truly had a hard time putting it down. When I had to stop reading, I had no trouble getting right back into it whenever I picked it back up. It's a very gripping story and it's easy to get absorbed in the world Lindsay Buroker has created. [Edit: The audiobook, which I have just finished, is wonderful and captures the characters and their stories very well. The narrator, Starla Hutchon, is perfect for this series. I highly recommend it if you like audiobooks or would like to try one out.]

The characters are unique and their interactions even more so. I appreciated the humorous twist that most situations are given. Even when the going gets tough, someone (generally it's Amaranthe) is always there to lift everyone's spirits.

Spoiler

This book in particular focuses a lot on the group's ability to work together to reach their end goal, which is to gain recognition from the Emperor. They want to clear their names and make it known that they've done some very good things for the empire. There are some bumps along the way, but as the novel moves forward, it's clear that the team is bonding. They're united in their cause and that has forced them together, but by no means did that alone make them all suddenly become best friends. Amaranthe plays a big part in the group's ability to function effectively and she pushes them together. The interactions between the characters are very intense, in a way that allows the reader to understand each character and his/her motives without it having to be plainly stated. This is by far my biggest reason for loving the books in this series: the characters.

[first read: 8/18/11-9/2/11]

suflet's review against another edition

5.0

This is a favorite, return-to-multiple-times series. Amaranthe and Sicarius are one of my very favorite couples I've encountered over the years. I love them.

brokenrecord's review against another edition

4.0

4.5 stars. The plot of this was probably more like 4 stars overall, but I think the end bumped it up to 4.5 for me. I liked this book slightly less than the first one, but only because I was a little less into the main plot. But the Sicarius/Amaranthe stuff at the end ended up balancing it out for me.

I wasn't sure how into Book's POV I'd be, but it was nice to see what was going on from his perspective, and I liked the dynamic between him, Maldynado, and Akstyr. I like that the series alternates between provided a different character's POV along with Amaranthe's so you get gradually get more development from the entire crew. And it was fun to see Books's perspective of Amaranthe and all the others.

Spoiler

Me being me, I especially loved him realizing when Amaranthe was in danger and Sicarius was going a bit crazy about it that Sicarius cared about her and that the reason he had stuck around in the group was because of her.

Mostly this book was about Sicarius/Amaranthe for me. I love how he continues to slowly open up to Amaranthe when she asks, and his yes/no terse answers when things are getting a bit too deep into his past, but he does ultimately answer. Everything about the cabin scene was so wonderful. And him starting to tease her back even though she isn't always sure about whether he's teasing her or not. And generally I just love how well they work with one another and how attuned to one another they are.

Spoiler

I especially loved the bit where she's dying and he's going crazy with worry. And him starting to call her by her first name! And THEN of course, that last scene!!! The fact that Amaranthe just confesses her feeling, and that he already has a list of reasons why they can't be together because he's DEFINITELY already thought about it! But that he also goes and sits next to her rather than just brushing her off because he can tell she's hurt, and he HOLDS HER HAND. And just the fact that he watches her so closely and is so attuned to her that he already had figured out her feelings for him. They're just really great!!!

lauramg's review

adventurous funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

miloulou's review against another edition

4.0

I don't think I can say this one is better than the first, but it's still a whole lot of fun. This time, the story is told from Amaranthe and Book's perspectives.

It's actually hard for me to remember specific details because all the novels kind of blur together when I read them one after another, but this one definitely had it's moments in giving more depth to Book. Most of the details are really just further explored in this novel.

I'd have to say that my favourite scene is right at the end though

Spoiler

because I do have a soft spot for whatever's going on between Sicarius and Amaranthe. It hasn't progressed anywhere really, but for them, they've reached a major point. I'd actually go as far to say that it's one of this series highlights, how drawn out their romance is. I love that here, when so many novels have the characters falling into each other by the end of a few chapters. As well as the fact that Sicarius stays consistent throughout, giving a lot more time for his character to change. He's so stoic and self possessed, it's great! Love them!