Dark Storm (Dark #23)
by Christine Feehan
Blurb:
Return to the seductive world of Christine Feehan's New York
Times bestselling Carpathian novels as roiling passions collide in a perfect
storm of dangerous desire that only a precious few can hope to outrun . . .
Awakening after all this time in a world of absolute
darkness and oppressive heat, Dax wonders in how many ways the world above must
have changed. But it is how he has changed that fills him with dread and
loathing. Buried alive for hundreds of years in a volcano in the Carpathian
Mountains, Dax fears that he has become the full-fledged abomination that every
Carpathian male fears, a victim of the insidious evil that has crept
relentlessly into his mind and body over the centuries. But there are some
things that never change.
His name is Mitro, the vampire Dax had hunted all these long
centuries. Second in command to the prince of the Carpathian people he is the
epitome of everything malevolent, and perpetrator of one of the most shocking
killing sprees known to man - and beast. Even his friends and family weren't
safe from Mitro's bloodlust. Neither was Mitro's lifemate, Arabejila, an
extraordinary woman with extraordinary gifts. But now that Dax has re-emerged,
so too has Mitro. The ultimate battle between good and evil has been
re-engaged. Between Dax and Mitro, a violent game has begun - one that has
marked Riley Parker, the last descendent of Arabejila, as the reward.
Review:
Honestly, after reading the other reviews for this book I
was set up to think I would hate it. But I loved it.
The last few stories in this series have been thoroughly
disappointing, following almost the same cookie cutter story line. Matings were happening too quickly, the
vampires were not as scary as they used to be, and the plots were becoming a
bit tired overall.
This story however gave some great lead up, with both
characters growing and learning about themselves before they meet and discover
their connection. Granted the first 100
pages or so are slow when you think about just the romance aspect, but they are
by no means boring or staid.
Riley is returning to the rainforest with her ailing mother,
traveling back to the volcano where the women in her family have for
generations had to perform a ritual to keep a great evil trapped in the
volcano. Though she is skeptical about
both the ritual and the reason that she has to be there, she knows that her
mother feels they must get there and Riley will do all in her power to get her
mom there in time. As the evil begins to
seep into the world, Riley and her mother have to deal with attacks from the
animals around them—including their fellow travelers. There are some very intense moments for
Riley and her companions, including a few heartrending scenes and gruesome
deaths. When riley finally arrives at the volcano, with a few familiar faces in
tow, her power begins to bubble up and she finds her core of inner strength and
is able to prevent a disaster.
Unfortunately, she has to make a terrible choice and inadvertently
releases the vampire back into the world.
As both the vampire and his jailer escape the volcano, they
encounter Riley and her friends battling to make it back to safety from the
volcano. Dax is forced to let the
vampire escape so he can protect Riley and her friends, but the moment he meets
her he knows he’s found his lifemate.
Unable to force Riley to run to safety, Dax keeps her close to him and
agrees that working together to track and kill Mitro is their only option. While tracking and battling Mitro at every
turn, Dax and Riley discover the love and fulfillment of being lifemates and
are able to work together to accomplish amazing magic.
As always with Christine Feehan, Dark Storm is full of
beautiful imagery and detail. You get so
caught up in the world she builds, that as Riley and Dax move through the
Amazon, you feel like you are walking right there beside them. The love between Dax and Riley is rich and
full of heat. Their passion just leaps
off the pages (clichéd I know, but it really does) and reminds you why you
originally began reading the Carpathian novels back in the very beginning.
I loved all the little plot twists to both the overall
storyline of the Carpathians and Dax and Reilly’s individual story.
This book has renewed my faith in this series and I can't
wait for more.
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