Instinct by Sherrilyn Kenyon -a Review

Instinct
Chronicles of Nick – Book # 6
by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Release Date: March 31, 2015Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / The Book Depository / BAM

Description:
Dark-Hunters, Daimons, zombies, demons, shapeshifters— another day in the life of Nick Gautier– and those are just his friends. But now that he’s accepted the demon that lives inside him, he must learn to control it and temper the very emotions that threaten the lives of everyone he cares for. Something that’s hard to do while trying to stay off the menus of those who want his head on a platter. And no one wants him more than the dark gods who created his race. Now that they know where he is, they will stop at nothing to reclaim him. And without knowing it, Nick has just embraced the one person he should never have trusted. The one person who will hand him over to his enemies to get back the life they lost.

Nick has finally accepted his fate, now he must learn to defy his destiny, and the dark, deadly forces that will stop at nothing to destroy everyone he loves so that they can again return to the world of man and own it.

Review:

Lions, tigers and bears oh my….oops, wrong story, for Nick Gautier it’s more like demons, zombies and hell-monkeys oh my, I don’t think we’re in New Orleans anymore Mr. Fuzzy Boots! For those of you who haven’t read Instinct yet, Mr. Fuzzy Boots is the nickname Nick gives to a fellow demon friend Xev, because his shape-shifting form is that of a cat. As for spoilers, that is the only one I’m giving in this review, so if you want to know about the twists, turns and surprises Kenyon gives us in this installment, of the Chronicles of Nick, you will just have to read the book.

Instinct is book 6 of the CON series and picks up right where the last one left off. For poor Nick, nothing is ‘normal’ anymore. Anywhere he goes or looks there’s trouble lurking in the shadows just waiting to claim him and use his dark powers to destroy mankind and rule the world. Now that Nick has finally accepted the truth of his birth and legacy, he now needs to learn to control the demon inside him, and make his own path in the world, all without loosing his soul and destroying everything in his path. Easy peasy for a teenage boy right?   Wrong, if there was ever a character written with worse luck then Nick Gautier, then I’ve yet to meet them. Just when Nick think’s things may be settling down, all hell literally breaks loose around him and when it seems the end is near, somehow he manages to pull off a hail mary move while keeping his soul and self in tact, all while saving those around him that he loves and holds dear.

As I stated earlier, Kenyon once again throws some curveballs our way, along with creating more questions then she answers for us readers. It’s one of the reasons I love her books so much, it just keeps me coming back for more. Now having said that, we do learn something very interesting about Nick’s mom that I never saw coming. It makes me wonder just how it will play out in the remainder of the CON series, then into his adult book and story line there. Along with the Cherise reveal we also learn more about Xev whom we met in Illusion, and why Caleb was so against Nick releasing him from the hell realm he was in. Xev’s character really tugged at my heartstrings and I am glad he turned out to be a friend to Nick instead of foe. This is another aspect of Kenynon’s writing and story telling ability that I like. Even though the series is about Nick, she also creates subplots for her secondary characters. I love learning the stories that go along with each new character we meet along the way. With Kenyon, no new character is introduced without having a backstory and connection to current characters. Such is the case of Aeron, whom we meet in a hell realm that Nick must visit as part of his ‘test’ to become the rightful Malachai, in order to save those he loves back in New Orleans. (Say what??? Why is Nick having to go through a test to become the rightful Malachai you say??? Hmmm, I don’t know, you’ll just have to keep reading…evil laughter ensues)! Aeron helps Nick along the way in not only retrieving the prize he needs, but also how to manage the Malachai beast part of his character. I liked Aeron’s character and hope we learn more about him in upcoming books. Nick’s growing Malachai powers are pretty cra cra, but it looks as though there is hope for Nick and the world after watching what happens with Nick in that hell realm and having to deal with the Malachai side of himself. Even though the Malachai is a pretty scary demon, he’s fast becoming a favourite of mine and I only hope there will be a happy ending for this Malachai when his time comes.

What more can I say other then, there isn’t a dull spot in Instinct. It’s chalked full of action, suspense, emotion, Nick’s perfectly timed humour and sarcasm, friends coming together to help one another, danger and peril at every turn, and of course Kenyon’s brilliant world building, character creations, and imagination that make you forget you are reading a work of fiction, because you suddenly feel like you are a part of the story and at any moment some demon is going to jump out and drag you into some creepy hell realm. With my luck, it would be the worst possible hell realm with no way back. LOL!! Instinct is another wonderful installment to the CON series. I just wish Kenyon didn’t leave the epilogue the way she did, it just makes me want to keep reading. Pretty sure I gave a really good ‘Noooooo’ when I read the last line. LOL!! If you haven’t read this one yet, what are you waiting for, get to reading!!!

Until next time, Happy Reading my fellow Menyons!

Reviewed by Marcie