A Book Obsession..: Early Review: Darkness Raging by Yasmine Galenorn

Early Review: Darkness Raging by Yasmine Galenorn

, by Kt Clapsadl

Darkness Raging by Yasmine Galenorn

Otherworld #18

The New York Times bestselling author of Panther Prowlingreturns to the Otherworld where one of the D’Artigo sisters faces a terrifying challenge that’s more personal than she ever could have imagined.

We're the D'Artigo sisters: savvy half-human, half-Fae ex-operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. My sister Camille is a wicked-good witch. Delilah is a two-faced werecat and a Death Maiden. And me? I'm Menolly, a vampire married to a gorgeous werepuma. As the war in Otherworld arrives, Blood Wyne, Queen of the Vampires, summons me. Apparently, my position as Roman's consort entails more than I imagined...

As the Demon Lord Shadow Wing creates his own sinister version of the Keraastar Knights—the guardians of the spirit seals—to destroy the portals and free himself from the Sub Realms, his ally, the necromancer Telazhar, leads an assault from Otherworld into the streets of Seattle. And my sisters and I are caught dead center.

Then, on the eve of war, my wife, Nerissa, is captured. The enemy demands we surrender the rest of the spirit seals, or they are going to kill her. I will do anything to save her. Even if it means leading an army of vampires into the very depths of the Subterranean Realms...

This series has been very long running, and in my review of the last book I had mentioned that I felt it has been going on almost too long. There was a lot of rinse and repeat it felt, and I have to admit I was a bit leery to read this one as a result. That being said, DARKNESS RAGING felt a lot fresher than recent installments, and I found myself enjoying it a good bit more. It reads almost like a series ending book which I appreciated. From what I understand, Yasmine will be publishing further installments on her own, but she ended this last book with her publisher in a place that will leave readers satisfied if they choose to stop. Again this is something I appreciate as the series wasn't really working for me anymore. But who knows, I still may give future books a try, but if not, I'm largely happy with how things turned out. So fans of the series should be pleased with DARKNESS RAGING and the progression/resolution of many of the long running threads.

One complaint I did have with the book despite the resolution was the romance, which frankly led me to skim parts of the book. As much as I enjoy romance in my urban fantasies, I have to admit this one drives me a bit batty. Sure, Menolly and Nerissa have a really strong love for one another, but I feel like that fact is constantly pounded into my head due to the complication with Roland. There was a glimmer of hope for a better balance in the mid part of this book, but even so, it seemed every interaction between the three of them had to mention/reinforce that while Menolly and Roland have a bond, it will never be anything compared to her and Nerissa. It was just too much of the same point over and over again, leaving me a bit frustrated.

But back to the good, there's plenty of action this time around, and things with Shadow Wing finally come to a head. I won't spoil things, but suffice it to say that overall DARKNESS RAGING kept me entertained and satisfied by the end with both the book and the series. Fans of this long running series should be pleased as well.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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