Darkness Rising by Keri Arthur

Darkness Rising by Keri Arthur

Book stats:
Reading level: Adult
Mass market paperback: 368 pages
Genre: Paranormal romance
Publisher: Random House
Release date: October 25, 2011

Series: Dark Angels #2

Source: Personal shelf

Reviewed by: Jenn

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

The sexy, thrilling adventures continue in bestselling author Keri Arthur's new Dark Angels series, starring half-werewolf/half-Aedh Risa Jones.

Risa will go to any lengths to avenge her mother's murder-even if it means making a pact with the most evil vampire she's ever met. Lethal and powerful, Madeline Hunter is leader of the vampire council, and will put her resources behind finding the killer-for a price. The venerable vampire requires the assistance of Risa's psychic powers. Quid pro quo.

Someone-or something-is targeting the elders of the local council, cursing the immortal vampires to rapidly age, sink into madness, and die. Risa must track down the vengeful being responsible. But Risa's father, a rogue Aedh priest, also enlists her in a dangerous mission. And not even the great Madeline Hunter may be able to protect her from the shadowy forces that desire nothing less than Risa's destruction.

DARKNESS RISING picks up about two months after Risa’s mother’s murder. Risa is still devastated by her loss but she’s working through it. Unfortunately, her father and Madeline Hunter have other ideas: her father wants Risa to keep looking for the keys and Madeline wants Risa to prove her worth by figuring out who’s attacking members of the vampire council. Forced to work both problems at the same time, Risa has little choice but to call on her allies for assistance.

Plot-wise, DARKNESS RISING is very satisfying. There are developments in Risa’s search for the keys and the mystery of who’s killing vampires is resolved in an unpredictable but entirely logical way. (This is my favourite kind of mystery. I hate it when the answers don’t jive with the rest of the book.) Both of these storylines were exciting and well written and they made it incredibly difficult to put DARKNESS RISING down.

On the romance level, there are also developments. Sexy developments. Risa finds herself more and more drawn to Azriel, her reaper companion, though she continues her relationship with Lucien. And I find myself more and more in Azriel’s corner since Azriel is revealing more of himself while Lucien is starting to have a shady vibe, at least to me. In fact, my opinion of Lucien has definitely taken a downward turn since he does a few things in DARKNESS RISING that made me question his motivations. I’m looking forward to finding out whether Lucien really is on Risa’s side. Readers, please let me know what you think in the comments!

The Dark Angels series is off to a promising start with the first two books. DARKNESS UNBOUND let us settle back into the world Keri created for Riley and company while showcasing an almost-new set of characters. Grown-up Risa is a treat, and I love the constants that carry over from the Riley books, like Risa’s love of Coke. In DARKNESS RISING, the action and stakes escalate, increasing my investment in the series. It’s another fantastic entry in Keri Arthur’s oeuvre, filled with steamy scenes, great action, and a fast-paced plot. I can’t wait to see what happens to Risa next!

Read an Excerpt

Posted by jenn at 06:48

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Born and raised in the Toronto area, Jenn moved to St. John's, Newfoundland, eight years ago for school. She's still in school (thankfully on another degree!), now trapped in her dissertation. When she's not dissertating, which happens more often than it should, Jenn spends her time reading, watching movies, playing volleyball, travelling, and enjoying the local music scene. Her latest addictions: yoga and Almond Crunch cereal.