Dark Storm by Christine Feehan – a Review
Dark Storm is Christine Feehan’s 23rd installment of her widely popular Dark series. Where to begin with this…I must say, I was completely surprised throughout the majority of this book. A good surprise you may ask? Yes….and no.
Firstly, I want to warn fans who have yet to read; that this book unfolds like a single title. Come to Dark Storm expecting a vastly original, unique premise, unlike anything else we have encountered prior. Much of this novel is made up of content as unknown to this series; as it’s main couple. There is not much familiarity at all; to the World we have come to know with our Carpathians. If you are a fan of cohesiveness compared to previous installments. If you crave for everything to make sense at the end of the journey. Loose ends being tied up. NOT feeling somewhat confused, or that you have more unanswered questions upon completion, than you did when you began–this novel may not be as likable for you.
Moving on to said content, let me begin with the high notes. As always, Christine has a beautiful gift with words. I could see clearly within my mind the lush vegetation of the Amazon. I could feel the heat of the majestic volcano. I could hear the sounds of wildlife. The descriptions were quite vivid, colorful, and I always appreciate when an author can form images within my mind as clearly as if they were pictures. I truly felt as if Ms. Feehan brought us to a whole different place than ever before. Everything felt…new. Instilling a feeling within me akin to how I felt upon reading Dark Prince for the first time. I spent the several opening chapters trying to soak up the details, and learn all I could about this unfamiliar place.
As the pages continue to turn, we see familiar faces come to the fore. One of whom we finally get the chance to know, and one of whom we see a whole new side. Jubal Sanders and Gary Jansen. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I found myself drawn to Jubal. We were given little previous information about him, so although known; he felt like a secondary character newly being introduced. This polite, quiet, loyal man; came out of left field. Sneaking up on me, touching my heart before I even realized it was happening. And then my beloved Rambo…who I must say…has DEFINITELY earned his nickname. These two surprised me with their grit, and tenacity. I was impressed by their willingness to travel into danger, risking their lives for the race who depends upon them. The reason they have traveled to this remote location, is in search of something rare, believed to be potentially vital for the survival of the Carpathian race.
This is where we meet our heroine. Riley Parker. Descended from a powerful line of women of whom Mother Earth considers her children. Riley possesses gifts that are very unique unto this series. The ability to harness elements such as fire, water, air, and the very earth itself. I have read about such gifts in other literary works, and have found them to be quite fascinating. In addition, we see healing abilities unlike that of even the most powerful of Carpathian healers. We spend several chapters with this mysterious female lead, and her mother Annabel.
We also get the first, telling glimpses of our hero in the opening chapters. Danutdaxton. Or simply Dax. We experience his awakening senses to an uncomfortable resting place. We experience his awareness of being alongside an evil as ancient as himself. Readers bear witness to a harrowing journey taken within this volcano…to claim a rare, forgotten power. We watch the attempt of this Carpathian to become MORE in order to defeat an evil unlike the world has ever seen, because Dax knows that the force keeping himself and Mitro Daratrazanoff imprisoned, is not going to hold this time around…
It is at this point, 8 chapters into the story….our two protagonists, and familiar secondary characters meet. I must say, the clashing of these four lives…and their shared enemy….was something to behold. My heart was pounding in my chest. The breath trapped within my lungs as all hell broke loose in a plethora of misunderstandings on all sides. Who was friend? Who was foe? Terrible sounds of bones breaking…the deafening blast of a gun firing at close range….someone collapsing to their knees. I was truly enthralled, and found this meeting of characters quite memorable.
Now. Doing the math we have something incredible. New characters. New plot threads away from the main story arc. Unique gifts from both the hero, and heroine. Enough fantasy elements to please any fan of the genre. A living, breathing story of good versus evil…so why then did I personally finish with a sense of incompleteness? This is MY type of book. Brimming with content that is a breath of fresh air in a long running series. I like when authors offer me something different, show their diversity, and creativity. The main hero merges souls with something I have been a fan of my ENTIRE life, and still I am left wanting. Why?
Remember my warning to other readers in the beginning of this review? My problem is that I am fan of cohesiveness compared to previous installments of a long running series. I crave for everything to make sense at the end of the journey. Loose ends being tied up. NOT feeling somewhat confused, or that I have more unanswered questions upon completion, than I did when I began. *laughing* An author I discovered this year, has completely changed me as a reader. Finding the good of a novel, and focusing on that, without allowing the things that don’t “fit” for me in a novel to get in the way of my enjoyment, is now very difficult.
When I read I want to FEEL. I crave stories that are brimming with emotion. I crave characters who are not just larger than life, and magical, but fictional characters who move me so deeply that I come to care about them as if they were real. This is my biggest gripe in a nutshell. After the intensity, and staggering emotion of Dark Predator, Dark Storm leaves me…under whelmed. Simply put; Riley and Dax as a couple….did not move me. Perhaps this was from the fact that it take 130 pages for the main couple to meet, in a 387-ish page novel. That throws a serious wrench in relationship development. Also, a big damper for me was the violence. I mean, sick to my stomach, shocking displays that seemed sort of out of place in this world. Instead of making Mitro a multi-faceted, despicable villain it sort of gave off a cartoon-ish, over the top vibe.
To sum it all up. This is a wonderfully written novel, by a master class talent in the literary world. Creatively presented and brilliantly imaginative. I can understand why so many have called this their favorite so far, and how the slow courtship from Dax to win Riley’s heart has soothed the fans who were so angry over Zacarias‘s behavior. I am truly glad that Christine has won back some fans in this regard….but the level to which you enjoy this novel, will depend on the type of reader you are. For me personally, Dark Storm is forgettable, because I did not connect to the characters. Give me the intensity and emotion of Zacarias in Dark Predator, any day of the week. 🙂
Reviewed by Miranda
