Dark Flight by Cassi Carver
Book Stats:
Reading level: Ages 18 and up
e-ARC: 263 pages
Genre: Urban fantasy
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Release date: May 21, 2013
Series: The Shadow Slayers #3
Reviewed by: Stéphanie
Source: e-ARC from the author
Purchase: Amazon
Kara has been training for months to help take down Brakken—the merciless black-wing who is making life hell for the Demiáre. But when Julian discovers a scout has been tracking Kara, he wants her out of the fight—even if it means breaking her heart in the process.
Gavin isn’t much better. He’s already lost so much to Brakken and has no intention of allowing the woman he loves to be the next sacrifice. He and Julian have their hands full trying to fight Brakken’s army and keep Kara safe, especially after her recent visit to the mythical white-wings. Since her return, she’s been acting decidedly…strange.
With a terrible battle looming, Kara doesn’t have time to think about her conflicted feelings for Gavin and Julian—or the fact that she’s developed an unnatural taste for Gavin’s blood. But if she thought it was complicated evading mysterious scouts and fending off vicious black-wings, she’s learning that’s nothing compared to loving two strong-willed men.
Product Warnings
This book contains angels that aren’t what they seem, a heroine with mad midwifery skills, and a metamorphosis that will change life as we knew it.
Every time I finish reading a book from this series, I’m left wanting more. Cassi Carver knows how to keep you hooked throughout her books and from book to book. Even though DARK FLIGHT might be the last book of the series (although I really hope it isn’t), it leaves us with a satisfying ending. So either way, readers will be pleased with this ending.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Like any good series, The Shadow Slayer series should be read in order since it follows the same characters from book to book. We first meet the main character Kara, when she thought she was just an awful witch (awful, as in not able to control her powers), in book one. However, when she learns she’s a coveted female from a race of fallen angels, her life turns upside down. Ever since meeting Julian and Gavin, her fallen angel protectors, her life has never been the same.
While I enjoyed reading about Kara in the other books, her character in DARK FLIGHT didn’t seem to have the same ferociousness as in the other books. With her added strength and by training intensely over the last few months, she has gained new kickass abilities, but for some reason, it just feels as if she simply going through the motions in this book. It probably has to do with the fact that she would do just about anything to defeat Brakken, so whenever she learns that she needs to do a certain thing or travel to a certain place, she more or less does it without analyzing it. As if she doesn’t have any other choice. However, she’s still the same lovable Kara who’s full of spirit and energy. The awkward positions she puts herself in are hilarious and entertaining, and her commitment to her friends and fellow clan members is a quality that definitively makes you want to be her best friend.
Of course, this book wouldn’t be complete without Julian and Gavin. Personally, I’ve never been fond of love triangle, but this one is quite something. Kara has been in love with Julian for some time now, and they already know that they’re bond mates. However, ever since Julian reincarnated (or regenerated as they say in the book) he can’t recall what happened before his death. Since it’s hard to have a relationship with someone that can’t remember you, Kara finds herself falling for Gavin, who’s always had feelings for her. I’m not going to reveal who she ends up with, because that would be a major spoiler, but I’m pretty sure Cassi Carver always intended to finish it this way.
Overall, the mythology of the series is quite interesting. In the first book, I had a hard time grasping everything, probably because we learn everything through Kara who learns only little bits and pieces at a time. However, I like the fact that in this book, even though we now know a lot about this world now, Cassi Carver still threw us a few curveballs. One thing that has always bothered me with the mythology is that, as a race of fallen angels, only the men have wings. This means only the men have supernatural abilities like flying and teleporting from location to location. Since Kara is obviously wingless, she has to depend a lot on the men, which doesn’t say much for women independence. However, I’ve learnt to ignore this little fact since Kara seems to have pretty much all the men wrapped around her little finger. In reality, she’s quite independent even though it appears as if she needs to have a man close to allow her to travel between her human life and her clan life.
To say that Kara’s transformation in book three is a surprise, is quite an understatement. Of course, she plays a major role when it comes to fighting Brakken, even thought Julian wishes she wouldn’t be. As a heroine, Kara is definitely kickass, smartass, and funny. It’s no wonder that she has every angel falling for her, whether male of female. She has this intrinsic ability to pull people towards her, which makes her a perfect leader and the perfect main character. If you haven’t read this series yet, you might want to look into it if you’re looking for a fun and easy read, that includes sexy scene and steamy shirtless angels. For once, book three leaves us with a satisfying ending, however Cassi Carver left us with a new side story which might lead us towards another book. I can only hope to see more of Kara and her fallen-angels in the future.
Yay!!! I'm so glad you liked Dark Flight, Stephanie! Thank you so much for taking the time to read it and write such a thorough review!
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