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heabooknerd's review against another edition
4.0
This was such a unique take on vampires and I really enjoyed reading it. The history and lore is written really well; the Dynasties and their history that Kendra Leigh Castle created were really interesting and very unique in the flood of vampire romance on the market.
Ty was a great hero, strong, loyal and determined to protect his clan. He was a bit blinded by the real nature of his Queen but when it counts he comes through. And his support of Lily is strong throughout the book. I wanted Ty to realize Arsinoe’s true nature sooner but after decades in her Dynasties he’s blinded himself to what’s really going on in order to protect his clan.
Lily herself was an interesting character because she was unaware of her powers. When Ty approaches her and explains things, she’s willing to help someone she doesn’t even know. And the sacrifice she makes for Ty says a lot about her character and what she’d be willing to do for those she loves.
Ty was a great hero, strong, loyal and determined to protect his clan. He was a bit blinded by the real nature of his Queen but when it counts he comes through. And his support of Lily is strong throughout the book. I wanted Ty to realize Arsinoe’s true nature sooner but after decades in her Dynasties he’s blinded himself to what’s really going on in order to protect his clan.
Lily herself was an interesting character because she was unaware of her powers. When Ty approaches her and explains things, she’s willing to help someone she doesn’t even know. And the sacrifice she makes for Ty says a lot about her character and what she’d be willing to do for those she loves.
romancejunkie1025's review against another edition
4.0
Wow what an awesome beginning to a new series. I was a bit confused when reading the back cover blurb, but luckily the author gave a small intro to the dynasties which made the book enjoyably fascinating without being confusing as hell (as some of these strange worlds can be).
Passionate and deep the romance that buds between the two is quick-though progressively moving-and leaves you at times wondering how men can be so stupid in the face of love. The story has so many twists and turns and so much deep explanation of the strange world of vampire dynasties, but through it all the compassion and strength of the H/H make unexpected appearances like the sun through rain clouds.
The side characters were interesting as well and i look forward to learning more about them all in future books. Now i'm bummed i have to wait so long for book 2.
Passionate and deep the romance that buds between the two is quick-though progressively moving-and leaves you at times wondering how men can be so stupid in the face of love. The story has so many twists and turns and so much deep explanation of the strange world of vampire dynasties, but through it all the compassion and strength of the H/H make unexpected appearances like the sun through rain clouds.
The side characters were interesting as well and i look forward to learning more about them all in future books. Now i'm bummed i have to wait so long for book 2.
shelleyjld's review against another edition
So I’m DNFing this one. I bought it used paperback so I don’t know the percent but it is very early on
It’s insta love and I don’t normally have too much of a problem with that. It’s got solid world building.
It just felt *meh*. The hierarchy of vampires is not interesting to me. The whole low blood and high blood caste system feels silly.
And the insta love is more like insta obsession at this point but it feels very insta. I don’t feel any connection to these characters.
Honestly this could be that I’m not in the mood for this so take this review with that in mind. Maybe I will come back later. But this is not scratching the reading itch for me right now
It’s insta love and I don’t normally have too much of a problem with that. It’s got solid world building.
It just felt *meh*. The hierarchy of vampires is not interesting to me. The whole low blood and high blood caste system feels silly.
And the insta love is more like insta obsession at this point but it feels very insta. I don’t feel any connection to these characters.
Honestly this could be that I’m not in the mood for this so take this review with that in mind. Maybe I will come back later. But this is not scratching the reading itch for me right now
sk24's review against another edition
4.0
Originally reviewed on my blog: SIK Book Reviews.
Okay, honestly, before I decided to read this book, I had already decided that it was just going to be another Twilight knock-off. However, I was pleasantly surprised by Castle's new take on the world of vampires. This novel is full of adventure, unique story lines, and passionate romance (intended for adults, I'm sure). I found the story grabbed me right from the beginning and barely let go throughout its entirety. The novel started off with a very surprising - and welcome - bang! I was not expecting it to start off like it did. The prologue was very intense and full of action. And the action comes back again throughout the book.
The characters were very well developed. Ty is a bruting male vampire who has issues from his past that prevent him from giving in to his feelings...even when it comes to true love. And Lily also has a history that causes her to keep her guard up when it comes to love and romance. Castle does a good job of taking the reader through the journey of these two characters while they grow throughout the novel.
I was very, very pleased with the writing of Castle. The writing was maturely done and there were nearly no mistakes! Yay! The style is written in a way that it easily grabs and envelops the reader into the story.
The creativity and uniqueness was refreshingly surprising, as Castle opens a whole new world than I have read before about vampires. Yes, she does use some old concepts, but she adds new unique twists into them. I thought the creativity/uniqueness factor of this novel was very well done. One element I found interesting and creative was how the biting of the vampires is often pleasurable for both parties while taking part in "funny stuff" (you know what I mean!).
Overall, I was very satisfied with the entirety of this novel and am looking forward to the next novel in this series. I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a little romance, along with action-packed paranormal plots.
Okay, honestly, before I decided to read this book, I had already decided that it was just going to be another Twilight knock-off. However, I was pleasantly surprised by Castle's new take on the world of vampires. This novel is full of adventure, unique story lines, and passionate romance (intended for adults, I'm sure). I found the story grabbed me right from the beginning and barely let go throughout its entirety. The novel started off with a very surprising - and welcome - bang! I was not expecting it to start off like it did. The prologue was very intense and full of action. And the action comes back again throughout the book.
The characters were very well developed. Ty is a bruting male vampire who has issues from his past that prevent him from giving in to his feelings...even when it comes to true love. And Lily also has a history that causes her to keep her guard up when it comes to love and romance. Castle does a good job of taking the reader through the journey of these two characters while they grow throughout the novel.
I was very, very pleased with the writing of Castle. The writing was maturely done and there were nearly no mistakes! Yay! The style is written in a way that it easily grabs and envelops the reader into the story.
The creativity and uniqueness was refreshingly surprising, as Castle opens a whole new world than I have read before about vampires. Yes, she does use some old concepts, but she adds new unique twists into them. I thought the creativity/uniqueness factor of this novel was very well done. One element I found interesting and creative was how the biting of the vampires is often pleasurable for both parties while taking part in "funny stuff" (you know what I mean!).
Overall, I was very satisfied with the entirety of this novel and am looking forward to the next novel in this series. I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a little romance, along with action-packed paranormal plots.
nelsonseye's review against another edition
3.0
Pretty good but kind of slow. Hard for me to wrap my brain around Tynan's motivations for staying with the Ptolemy.
cozybookhobbit's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
laurenjodi's review against another edition
3.0
Dark Awakening
3 Stars
Tynan MacGillivray, a feline shapeshifter vampire, is tasked by his Queen to locate a Seer who can save her race from annihilation. Ty’s search leads him to Lily Quinn, a human woman with a mysterious past and immense powers, who awakens in Ty a fierce need to love, protect and belong. Yet other forces are at work against them and they will need to overcome many obstacles in order to be together ...
Interesting world building and a promising plot, but the chemistry between the leads is lacking and, therefore, results in a rather tepid romance.
The concept of various vampire dynasties each originating with a god/goddess from a different mythology is very intriguing and the idea of a caste system amongst the vampires lends a darker tone to the story. Nevertheless, the details and explanations are few and far between, which means that the atmosphere is less immersive than it could have been.
The story revolving around Ty’s search for a Seer to save the race of vampires to which he is sworn and Lily’s coming to terms with her true identity and her awesome powers is well written and exciting. Unfortunately, Ty is more of a beta than an alpha and his unquestioning loyalty to his Queen despite her obvious manipulation and prejudice against his kind puts a pall on his hero status.
The romance is the weakest element. There is no real spark to Ty and Lily’s relationship and their sex scenes are not only mechanical but unoriginal - one can read similar yet more sensual scenes in other vampire tales of this kind. The characterization is also flimsy and what little development there is comes toward the end, at which point, it is too late for the reader to truly empathize and identify with either of Ty or Lily’s past histories.
Although the secondary characters are appealing whether it be the tormented Jaden, the nefarious Damien (who doesn’t love a bad boy in need of redemption) or the enigmatic Vlad, it is not yet clear whether they have grabbed my attention enough to continue with the series. Perhaps when I’m in the mood.
3 Stars
Tynan MacGillivray, a feline shapeshifter vampire, is tasked by his Queen to locate a Seer who can save her race from annihilation. Ty’s search leads him to Lily Quinn, a human woman with a mysterious past and immense powers, who awakens in Ty a fierce need to love, protect and belong. Yet other forces are at work against them and they will need to overcome many obstacles in order to be together ...
Interesting world building and a promising plot, but the chemistry between the leads is lacking and, therefore, results in a rather tepid romance.
The concept of various vampire dynasties each originating with a god/goddess from a different mythology is very intriguing and the idea of a caste system amongst the vampires lends a darker tone to the story. Nevertheless, the details and explanations are few and far between, which means that the atmosphere is less immersive than it could have been.
The story revolving around Ty’s search for a Seer to save the race of vampires to which he is sworn and Lily’s coming to terms with her true identity and her awesome powers is well written and exciting. Unfortunately, Ty is more of a beta than an alpha and his unquestioning loyalty to his Queen despite her obvious manipulation and prejudice against his kind puts a pall on his hero status.
The romance is the weakest element. There is no real spark to Ty and Lily’s relationship and their sex scenes are not only mechanical but unoriginal - one can read similar yet more sensual scenes in other vampire tales of this kind. The characterization is also flimsy and what little development there is comes toward the end, at which point, it is too late for the reader to truly empathize and identify with either of Ty or Lily’s past histories.
Although the secondary characters are appealing whether it be the tormented Jaden, the nefarious Damien (who doesn’t love a bad boy in need of redemption) or the enigmatic Vlad, it is not yet clear whether they have grabbed my attention enough to continue with the series. Perhaps when I’m in the mood.
erinarkin20's review against another edition
5.0
If you can't tell...I really enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down. With two people whose reviews I can rely on telling me it was a good one, I dove right in and couldn't make myself put it down.
The story starts with a prologue that grabbed me and I was hooked. I'm not one to do a recap so I won't change my ways here but I will say that the story is good so just go and read it now. There is a bit of mystery, definitely a good dose of paranormal, and some pretty hot scenes between Ty and Lily.
The characters are well developed in this book alongside the different castes and dynasties. The main characters Lily and Ty are great. Lily is tough because she has realized over the years that she could only rely on herself. She was an orphan and grew up in a home where she didn't fit. The great thing about her as a character is that there are glimpses of her changing from keeping her distance to building relationships. First we see it with Bay and then we see it with Ty and Jaden.
Ty....he is a character that definitely has a past and has been living in a world where his bloodline is looked down upon. His interactions with Lily have made him realize that although this is the way of the vampire world, it isn't what the human world is used to. He struggles with this throughout the book but by the end he sees that it doesn't matter to Lily that he is a Cait Sith....she loves him no matter what his bloodline is.
I really liked the other characters - Jaden, Damien, Vlad, Anura, Bay....I am looking forward to the next books in the series just to see who they will be about and what happens. As a matter of fact, the second book is about to be opened on my nook...
The story starts with a prologue that grabbed me and I was hooked. I'm not one to do a recap so I won't change my ways here but I will say that the story is good so just go and read it now. There is a bit of mystery, definitely a good dose of paranormal, and some pretty hot scenes between Ty and Lily.
The characters are well developed in this book alongside the different castes and dynasties. The main characters Lily and Ty are great. Lily is tough because she has realized over the years that she could only rely on herself. She was an orphan and grew up in a home where she didn't fit. The great thing about her as a character is that there are glimpses of her changing from keeping her distance to building relationships. First we see it with Bay and then we see it with Ty and Jaden.
Ty....he is a character that definitely has a past and has been living in a world where his bloodline is looked down upon. His interactions with Lily have made him realize that although this is the way of the vampire world, it isn't what the human world is used to. He struggles with this throughout the book but by the end he sees that it doesn't matter to Lily that he is a Cait Sith....she loves him no matter what his bloodline is.
I really liked the other characters - Jaden, Damien, Vlad, Anura, Bay....I am looking forward to the next books in the series just to see who they will be about and what happens. As a matter of fact, the second book is about to be opened on my nook...
elliefufu's review against another edition
3.0
Dark Awakening By Kendra Leigh Castle
Book #1 Dark Dynasties Series
Grade C+
“Sometimes you just have to accept the hand you’re dealt.” “And sometimes you get abducted by some vampire bitch’s pet cat.”
Lily Quinn loves her quiet life in Massachusetts as a college professor when she can pretend to be normal just like everyone else. She was given up by her parents as a baby and the only things they left her with are a strange green tattoo on her collarbone and a temper that unleashes enough power to destroy every object around her. One night while out ghost hunting she meets Tynan MacGillivaray who mistakes her for a Seer and tries to take her to his vampire queen. Little do they both know that Ty is not the only one searching for Lily and she way more powerful then anyone could have ever guessed.
Tynan MacGillivaray is a Cait Sith, a vampire who can turn into a cat, as well as a slave of the Ptolemy vampire clan lead by Queen Arsinoe. He is on a mission from his Queen to find a Seer who can help save their clan from someone that is destroying the clan members in large numbers. Ty never expected his mission would lead him Lily Quinn, the small human with a strange tattoo that marks her as a vampire from an unknown clan and the one woman that has sparked his interest in more then three hundred years. Ty soon finds that things with his mission are not what they seem and that his need to protect Lily starts to come before helping his clan. Ty must now choose the safe life of serving his Queen or give it all up for one very small, very powerful human who has now become his entire world.
I really liked the concept behind this book of Gods and Goddesses making vampires and those Vampires all being different and heading different vampire clans. Very original and very different from anything else that I seen out there which is always a good thing but I just couldn’t ever get into this book. I love all things paranormal especially romances and I expect these books to have a darker edge then most contemporary romances but this book was too serious and too dark for me. The only time the main characters weren’t being serious was when they were having sex and even then they weren’t smiling.
I liked both Lily and Ty but they both seemed to have huge chips on their shoulders and really negative attitudes. I expect my alpha male main character to be gruff but Ty takes it to a whole other level. Neither one of these two characters seems to know how to smile, tease or flirt and if it wasn’t for the crazy sexual attraction they had for one another, I don’t see how they would have ever ended up sleeping together. They both just took everything way too serious for my tastes and I wish I could have seen them have some fun flirting with each other or some amusing banter back and forth and there just wasn’t any at all.
I did enjoy all of the side characters and without these people in the book my grade would have been a lot lower. Jaden takes the book in a whole different direction and complicates Ty and Lily’s relationship in a great way that gets the story moving finally. After the first 250 pages things get really good and more importantly things start getting explained so you understand why Ty and Lily are they way they are. I feel that if things had been explained earlier I might have been less annoyed with them and way more into the story. The Vampire clans are the best part of the whole book and I wish that the clans or their members would have had a greater role in the story.
I gave this book a C+ for a couple different reasons. First, the concept of the clans, their rulers and their members is very interesting and make for some great reading. Second, the fight scene at the end is really well written and I love that the villain is still out there and stirring up trouble for next time. Finally, Jaden is amazing and I fell in love with him. His book is up next iand I see a lot of potential for this to be a great paranormal romance series. I’m really counting on Jaden and his book to be amazing and because of him I will read more of the Dark Dynasties books.
Book #1 Dark Dynasties Series
Grade C+
“Sometimes you just have to accept the hand you’re dealt.” “And sometimes you get abducted by some vampire bitch’s pet cat.”
Lily Quinn loves her quiet life in Massachusetts as a college professor when she can pretend to be normal just like everyone else. She was given up by her parents as a baby and the only things they left her with are a strange green tattoo on her collarbone and a temper that unleashes enough power to destroy every object around her. One night while out ghost hunting she meets Tynan MacGillivaray who mistakes her for a Seer and tries to take her to his vampire queen. Little do they both know that Ty is not the only one searching for Lily and she way more powerful then anyone could have ever guessed.
Tynan MacGillivaray is a Cait Sith, a vampire who can turn into a cat, as well as a slave of the Ptolemy vampire clan lead by Queen Arsinoe. He is on a mission from his Queen to find a Seer who can help save their clan from someone that is destroying the clan members in large numbers. Ty never expected his mission would lead him Lily Quinn, the small human with a strange tattoo that marks her as a vampire from an unknown clan and the one woman that has sparked his interest in more then three hundred years. Ty soon finds that things with his mission are not what they seem and that his need to protect Lily starts to come before helping his clan. Ty must now choose the safe life of serving his Queen or give it all up for one very small, very powerful human who has now become his entire world.
I really liked the concept behind this book of Gods and Goddesses making vampires and those Vampires all being different and heading different vampire clans. Very original and very different from anything else that I seen out there which is always a good thing but I just couldn’t ever get into this book. I love all things paranormal especially romances and I expect these books to have a darker edge then most contemporary romances but this book was too serious and too dark for me. The only time the main characters weren’t being serious was when they were having sex and even then they weren’t smiling.
I liked both Lily and Ty but they both seemed to have huge chips on their shoulders and really negative attitudes. I expect my alpha male main character to be gruff but Ty takes it to a whole other level. Neither one of these two characters seems to know how to smile, tease or flirt and if it wasn’t for the crazy sexual attraction they had for one another, I don’t see how they would have ever ended up sleeping together. They both just took everything way too serious for my tastes and I wish I could have seen them have some fun flirting with each other or some amusing banter back and forth and there just wasn’t any at all.
I did enjoy all of the side characters and without these people in the book my grade would have been a lot lower. Jaden takes the book in a whole different direction and complicates Ty and Lily’s relationship in a great way that gets the story moving finally. After the first 250 pages things get really good and more importantly things start getting explained so you understand why Ty and Lily are they way they are. I feel that if things had been explained earlier I might have been less annoyed with them and way more into the story. The Vampire clans are the best part of the whole book and I wish that the clans or their members would have had a greater role in the story.
I gave this book a C+ for a couple different reasons. First, the concept of the clans, their rulers and their members is very interesting and make for some great reading. Second, the fight scene at the end is really well written and I love that the villain is still out there and stirring up trouble for next time. Finally, Jaden is amazing and I fell in love with him. His book is up next iand I see a lot of potential for this to be a great paranormal romance series. I’m really counting on Jaden and his book to be amazing and because of him I will read more of the Dark Dynasties books.
emmarj's review against another edition
4.0
Looks like smut, acts like smut, IS NOT SMUT. Surprise!
I was intrigued by the blurb but so embarrassed when I was checking out this, my first actual paper book in years and years, at my local library. The cover, right? Clearly smut.
I was right to be intrigued by the teaser though. This is paranormal romance that isn't too heavy handed with the romance and has an actual, decent story. The world building is pretty incredible given the genre and played out trope of vampire + human love story. You know it's going to be interesting when the book begins with a guide to the houses and caste system.
We got the origin stories of both main characters but I wasn't terribly interested in them. I can't pinpoint why, but I was far more curious about the minor characters like Vlad (he sounds like a smokin' hottie) and Jaden. I was tantalized by the snippets we saw of them and bored perhaps by the main characters' sob stories. I have no compassion, I know. I just wasn't feeling it.
Dark Awakening seems like it should be fluff yet the writing is rich, descriptive, and sometimes rather unwieldy. I probably could have appreciated it more if I had been expecting the type of writing but, as I said, seems like it should be fluff.
Overall, Dark Awakening is fresh and inventive with an intriguing world I can see myself revisiting.
I was intrigued by the blurb but so embarrassed when I was checking out this, my first actual paper book in years and years, at my local library. The cover, right? Clearly smut.
I was right to be intrigued by the teaser though. This is paranormal romance that isn't too heavy handed with the romance and has an actual, decent story. The world building is pretty incredible given the genre and played out trope of vampire + human love story. You know it's going to be interesting when the book begins with a guide to the houses and caste system.
We got the origin stories of both main characters but I wasn't terribly interested in them. I can't pinpoint why, but I was far more curious about the minor characters like Vlad (he sounds like a smokin' hottie) and Jaden. I was tantalized by the snippets we saw of them and bored perhaps by the main characters' sob stories. I have no compassion, I know. I just wasn't feeling it.
Dark Awakening seems like it should be fluff yet the writing is rich, descriptive, and sometimes rather unwieldy. I probably could have appreciated it more if I had been expecting the type of writing but, as I said, seems like it should be fluff.
Overall, Dark Awakening is fresh and inventive with an intriguing world I can see myself revisiting.