Early Review: Blessed by a Demon's Mark by E.S. Moore
Blessed by a Demon's Mark by E.S. Moore
Kat Redding #3
Kat Redding’s life is dangerous enough when she’s hunting the rogue vampires who prey on Pureblood humans. But now that Kat is thinking of getting out of the killing business, she’s faced with a slew of new problems. Like the demon Beligral, who offers help at an escalating cost, and the werewolf cult with whom she’s entwined professionally and personally. And then there’s Countess Baset—the terrifying vampire who wants Kat to become her personal assassin.
It’s no wonder that Kat has been seeking refuge in the mysterious town known as Delai, a place where she can shed her Lady Death persona and live a life that’s as close to normal as she’s ever known. But even in this haven, something feels askew. Delai is a little too serene. And the more she discovers, the more Kat realizes that the only choice left to her is not whether to do battle, but which side she’ll risk her life to defend…
Reeling from the pain of having to kill her brother, Kat, aka Lady Death is in shambles. It doesn't matter that Thomas was a mindless killer leaving a path of destruction in his wake, a part of her still held out hope that he could be saved. So now that her small hope has been extinguished, she's left her Lady Death persona behind and fled to the safety of a town called Delai as it offers a strange sort of peace. But in Delai, nothing is as it seems. With each passing day it gets harder and harder for her to remember who she is, and it's only a matter of time before she succumbs. Her only hope lies in the strangest of saviors, her tie to a demon known as Beligral. But even his power may not be enough to save her as she is in the grasp of something stronger than she ever could have imagined. With her very freedom on the line she's got a choice to make, stay in this false peace or return to her bloody life as Lady Death. Talk about a rock and a hard place.
It's a real testament to how much I enjoy the world behind this series and the side characters that I have been able to continue reading despite my utter dislike of Kat. And I'm not talking a mild disagreement either, I absolutely cannot stand the chick. Not only is she too much of a hard ass and closed off, but she's also ridiculously reckless, which quite frankly baffles me. I just don't get how she survived this long without getting killed. I mean she's supposed to be the bogeyman to vamps and weres and yet, she's constantly being sloppy, especially in this installment. But I could have forgiven all that if it weren't for her utter cruelty towards the people who care about her. It doesn't matter what they do she's absolutely terrible, and quite frankly I feel she needs to be knocked down a post... or ten. I cannot count the number of times while reading BLESSED BY A DEMON'S MARK where I wanted to reach through the pages to slap her silly for either her foolish/reckless behavior, or the way she treated her friends. I don't care if she hates herself so much that she is incapable of attachment. There is absolutely no excuse for the way she acts, and quite frankly my anger at her made it rather hard to read the book.
Now to get into the good things in the book, with the first up being the world behind it all. I just love the way that this is an open world, with all of the humans, vamps, demons, and weres all intermingled with each other. It just opens up a lot of possibilities for the story, and the author is fantastic at exploring them. By the end of BLESSED BY A DEMON'S MARK things were definitely shaken up and I really enjoyed the new added elements to the story. I can only imagine where things are headed, and I'm sure it will be an intense ride along the way. The other thing I really enjoy about these books is the secondary characters, from the good guys to the bad, they are all fully fleshed, with not a placeholder among them. On the good side, I love how fiercely loyal everyone is despite the fact that they should have given up on Kat long ago. I also really adore Jeremy as he's had a whole lot thrown at him in such a short time in his path to redemption, and I couldn't be more proud of what he has overcome. On the bad side, well the author sure knows how to write a convincing bad guy, and there are several in this book. I'm not sure who is the worst out of them all, but trust me, evil is an understatement here.
As I said previously, I really enjoy this world/secondary characters, but it's become a juggling act of enjoyment considering my issues with Kat. On one hand, I am incredibly curious to see what happens next, but on the other I don't want to spend another book seething at the main character. It just doesn't make for an easy read, nor does it allow me to have the full entertainment value. I'm really hoping that the barest hints of a romantic possibility will start to come to fruition in the next installment, because that would go a long way towards softening Kat. Would I recommend BLESSED BY A DEMON'S MARK? Yes, for fans of strict Urban Fantasy, it's a solid read, but as a disclaimer for those looking for a good main character attachment or romance, they won't find any here.
(Received a copy from the publisher)
Rating:
Pre-order:
Other Reviews:
Previous Books:
- To Walk the Night
- Tainted Night, Tainted Blood
