Tag Archives: Deadman’s Cross

At Death’s Door by Sherrilyn Kenyon – a Review

Posted on by
14

At Death’s Door by Sherrilyn Kenyon – a Review

 

Amazon / B&N / Kobo / Google Play / Apple / BAM / Book Depository

 

Description:
Cursed and betrayed, Valynda Moore died as the result of a Voodoo spell gone wrong– one that left her trapped in the form of a living Voodoo doll. Until the Hellchaser leader, Thorn, offers her a chance at redemption and a new life that could return her to a human body.

But bargains have never turned out well for Valynda. The only thing she can depend on is betrayal and backbiting politics, especially now that the Malachai, the darkest of evil that she and the crew of Deadmen have sworn to defeat, has risen. And this time the king of all demons will not be defeated, and he, too has the one thing Valynda wants most. Against her will, she is pulled into a most dangerous game where she has to choose between her worst enemy and her best friends. Winner takes the world, and her immortal soul . . .

It’s a demon-eat-demon world where the stakes have never been higher—will the Deadmen succeed or will Valynda be the one who finally sinks them all and takes the world with her?

 

 

Review;

At Death’s Door by Sherrilyn Kenyon is the final installment in her triology Deadman’s Cross.  This series has been a fun ride with all the new characters we’ve met along the way.  At Death’s Door continues with the fun and this time centers on the characters of Valynda and Nibo(Xuri).  We learn that Nibo is a Ghede/Spirit of the Dead, also known as a psychopomp. It’s Nibo’s job in his realm to guide souls to the place of the dead. I must admit I had to look up the term psychopomp because I had no idea what it was, even though mythology was a favorite subject of mine in school.

It’s through a Voodoo ritual that Valynda and her friends perform in their youth that the two first encounter each other.  Usually seeing Nibo in his true form causes human’s to run in fear or faint, Valynda of course doesn’t.  Instead she stands her ground with him and actually antagonizes and insults him. Nibo is surprised by her reaction and finds he’s attracted to her but can’t figure out why.  There is a reason why both are instantly attracted to each other but I refuse to spoil any plot points, so I suggest you read this installment and find out why.  🙂  I’m grateful that Kenyon gave us a lot of backstory on Valynda and how she came to be straw doll otherwise I would’ve been completely lost in this book.  The backstory helps to fuel the plot and advance it forward, creating a fun and crazy ride for both characters.  Not only is Valynda’s backstory important to the plot, but so is Nibo’s.  It’s through his backstory we learn of his twin and why there is such hatred between them.  It’s this hatred that plays a major role in Valynda and Nibo’s road to their HEA.  Again sorry no spoilers for you!  🙂

Nibo and Valynda’s adventure is a fast read, full of plot twists, spoilers for future books, clues to character’s parentage/family trees that we’ve already met in her other series, etc. This final installment was chalked full of so many points it’s hard for me to get them all in without going on a tangent.  Needless to say Kenyon did a great job on this one. I was happy with how she ended it, but sad at the same time because I really love these characters and I feel there’s so much more that can be written about them.  I feel we will cross paths with all of them again as the battle with the Malachai rages on.  Ooo speaking of the Malachai we do learn something very important about him and a specific Dream Hunter who goes by the name of M’adoc.  I so want to say what, but I can’t spoil it for you, it’s too good a plot point.  Not only does this plot point concern Adarian Malachai, but it also concerns Acheron.  See it’s so hard to do up a review for one of Kenyon’s books and not give away spoilers because they are always so good, and tossed into the plot at just the right time.   Speaking of timing, once again we are treated to fun scenes between current and recurring characters like Ash and Thorn to provide not only plot advancement but the comical aid to get through the rough patches in the story.  Her typical off the wall Kenyon humour is there in her characters and it adds a certain dimension to her characters that just endear them to us even more. 

For any fellow Menyon At Death’s Door is a must read to finish of this trilogy. I’m looking forward to meeting up with this crew again in future series/stories. 

Until then, happy reading my fellow Menyons!!

Reviewed by Marcie

Copy provided by Publisher

 

Share

Death Doesn’t Bargain by Sherrilyn Kenyon – a Review

Posted on by
13

Death Doesn’t Bargain by Sherrilyn Kenyon – a Review

 

Amazon / B&N / Kobo / BAM / Book Depository / iTunes     

Description:
SPOILER WARNING for anyone who hasn’t read Deadmen Walking

The following synopsis contains plot spoilers for Book 1. While the books don’t have to be read in order, if you read DEATH DOESN’T BARGAIN first, you will have certain facts that are “shockers” and that some would consider to be SPOILERS for DEADMEN WALKING. So if you’re a stickler about SPOILERS, please take note and avoid reading DEATH DOESN’T BARGAIN until after you’ve read DEADMEN WALKING.

From the #1 New York Times & International Bestselling Dark-Hunters Series
Setting: Spanish Main, Golden Age of Piracy

The Deadmen are back…

But so are the demons who have broken free of their eternal prison and are bent on mankind’s destruction. The worst of the lot is Vine, determined to claim their lives for taking hers. She will see the world burn…and has the perfect lure to destroy them and Thorn, leader of the Hellchasers, once and for all.

Kalder Dupree has never known a day of mercy. Born to a mer-race who prides themselves on cruelty, he sacrificed himself for the only woman who has ever shown him kindness. Locked in a hell realm, he doesn’t expect anyone to come to his rescue. He accepts the fact that he was born alone and that he twice died that way, once by his own mother’s hand.

Cameron Jack is determined to set Kalder free. As a Hellchaser Deadman, it’s her calling, but her resolve stems more from the fact that she’s the reason he died in the first place. If not for him, she’d still be suffering. And she cannot allow even a not-so-innocent to be tortured for an act of kindness that spared her damnation.

To defeat evil, it sometimes takes an even worse evil, and Cameron is willing to do whatever she must to make this right. Even make a bargain with the Devyl and the devil himself. If Vine thought she had her hands full before, she hasn’t seen anything nearly as powerful as Cameron’s resolve.

Hell hath no fury as a woman wronged, and two of them are now about to face off, with the very fate of humanity hinging on the one who emerges victorious.

Death Doesn’t Bargain is the second historical fantasy title in New York Times bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Deadman’s Cross series. Where Deadmen tell their tales, and every soul is damned or redeemed by the final choices they make.

 

Review;

Death Doesn’t Bargain by Sherrilyn Kenyon is a continuation in the Deadman’s Cross series.  It picks up right where Deadmen Walking ended.  In this one the focus switches from Mara and Devyl to Kalder Dupree and Cameron Jack.  As they take center stage and their story unfolds we learn more about who Kalder and Cameron are. We learn more about Kalder’s race of merpeople(Myrcians) and Cameron Jack and her brother Payden.  In Deadmen Walking, we learned that Cameron possesses powers and is a Seraph, now we learn just how she and her brother came to be Seraphs and what their purpose in this battle between good and evil is.  We get to see both Cameron and her brother Payden in their Seraph forms fighting against the evil that wishes to see them all dead.  From their descriptions with their wings, hair and skin colour changes they sound pretty spectacular, and I wish we could have drawings of them in these forms to accompany the descriptions.  This goes for Kalder as well when he’s in his mer-man form, his description is just as cool sounding.  Not only is Kalder from a vicious race of mer-people but we find out he’s also a demi god.  We learn that his father had an affair with ‘the’ goddess of the sea.  She’d pretty much be on the same level as Zeus I’d say in their folklore.  Since Kalder is a demi god, he possesses powers no one ever knew he had except for Thorn.  He finally tells Kalder the truth of his parentage and that’s when we see Kalder’s true form, that of a demon that can syphon powers of other creatures/gods/goddess’ etc.  When Ash appears on scene and finds all this out on Savitar’s island he’s not too happy with Thorn allowing Vine and company to have gotten their hands on Kalder in the first place.  These scenes between Savitar, the Deadmen, Thorn and Ash are classic Kenyon and had me LOL!!  It was nice to see these characters come together to help solve the current problem with the evil forces threatening to destroy the world as they know it and take over.  It’s always a treat when Kenyon tosses scenes like this into her story, it’s like a reunion between friends and enemies all in one.  Plus we get some of her off the wall humour thrown in and it makes for a good read. 

As the story unfolds we learn more about Vine and company’s plans and why they need to be stopped.  It’s a fast page turner with plenty happening from all angles.  There isn’t a dull moment in this one and it kept me turning page after page wanting to find out more.  It was interesting and exciting to see Wyneria, the underwater city where Kalder and his people are fun.  Meeting his family was even more fun.  No wonder the poor guy turned out the way he did.  When your whole family pretty much turns on you and your own mother kills you, yeah I’d hate the world too.  However, thanks to Cameron, Kalder finds that little bit of soul that’s pure and untouched by all the bad that was done to him and learns to love and see things in a different light thanks to her.  Kalder is pretty much Cameron’s hero and he awakens feelings and longings that she never knew she possessed.  Their romance is sweet, funny and sexy.  The more time they spent together the more you can’t help but want them to have their HEA. 

Death Doesn’t Bargain is a wonderful addition to the Deadman’s Cross Series and Kenyon doesn’t disappoint in this one.  For any Kenyon fan this is a must read as you continue your adventures with the Deadmen. 

Until next time, happy reading Menyons!

Reviewed by Marcie

Share

Deadmen Walking by Sherrilyn Kenyon – a Review

Posted on by
11

Deadmen Walking by Sherrilyn Kenyon – a Review

 

Deadmen WalkingAmazon / B&N / Kobo / BAM / Book Depository

Description:
Hell hath no fury as a demon caged . . .

To catch evil, takes evil.

Enter Devyl Bane—an ancient warlord who has absolutely no love of humanity.  Yet to return to the human realm as one of the most notorious pirates in the Spanish Main for the sake of vengeance, he makes a bitter bargain with Thorn—an immortal Hellchaser charged with battling the worst monsters the ancient gods ever released into our world. Monsters and demons Bane himself once commanded against Thorn and the humans.

For eons, those demons have been locked behind enchanted gates…which are starting to buckle. Now, Bane, with a vicious crew of Deadmen at his command, is humanity’s last hope to restore the gates and return the damned to their eternal prisons.

But things are never so simple. And one of his biggest vexations, aside from keeping his crew from killing each other before they have a chance to save humanity, is the very ship he sails upon. For Mara, the Sea Witch isn’t just a vessel, she’s also a woman born of an ancient race Bane helped to destroy. And sister to the possessed creature who is one of the worst of those trying to break through to claim his soul, and retake the world.

Mara’s innate hatred of him makes the very fires of hell look like a sauna—not that he blames her. Centuries of war and betrayal divide them. But if Mara can’t find the humanity inside the Devyl and the Devyl can’t teach Mara to embrace her darker side for the good of their crew and the world, the two of them will go down in flames and take us all with them.

 


Review;

Deadmen Walking is a new trilogy by Sherrilyn Kenyon.  The events of this trilogy take place well before the Dark Hunters, Chronicles of Nick, and the Hellchasers.  However, there are some characters in this trilogy that we’ve already met in both of her other series.  We learn more about Thorn and how he became the leader of the Hellchasers/Deadmen, as well as some very interesting information about him that I prefer not to spoil for anyone who hasn’t read this one yet.  As well, there are some spoilers/hints in regards to the Chronicles of Nick to which I will not spill as well.  Sorry folks but I don’t like spoilers so therefore I refuse to spoil plotlines for all of you.  😉  Since Deadmen Walking is a new trilogy for Kenyon there is a lot of world building going on in this one, which for me I liked because it’s setting the stage for the other two books in this trilogy, but I found much of it confusing to me.  I spent a lot of time trying to keep everything straight from new characters, new pantheons, realms, mythologies, etc.  My head was hurting a few times from this information overload. 

Being a Kenyon fan I can safely say I enjoyed this new addition to her Dark-Hunter/CON/Hellchaser universe, but I didn’t love it.  I think that’s a first for me.  It’s not that I didn’t like the origin of this one because I love Pirates, Mer-people, demons, sprites, you name it, that creature was probably in this one.  Heck the heroine, Marcelina is of an acient race that can shift into trees, or become one with wood.  She is basically the ship Devyl and his crew of Deadmen are sailing on.  Actually, for a second there I thought I was re-visting Middle Earth in the The Lord of the Rings when they encounter the Ents(Tree People), lol!!  Actually, Marcelina’s race and backstory was pretty interesting for me to read about.  I wound up liking her in the end.  As for Devly and his crew of Deadmen, they are under Thorn’s watch/control.  The Deadmen as they are called in the book are actually earlier versions of his Hellchasers, at least that’s my opinion and am thinking he must  eventually rename them later on at some point, but don’t quote me on this.  Devly’s backstory and how he becomes the Captain and leader of Thorn’s Deadmen is interesting and we see how his life and Marcelina’s are twined together.  Their story at times felt rush to me, but eventually it did start to fall into place about halfway through the book.  It took awhile, but eventually I started to connect the dots and the information overload started to make sense, and the rest of the story just fell into place for me and carried me along to the end of the book.  To which like previous Kenyon books she leaves us hanging as to what’s in story for characters in the next installment. Particularly, a very intriguing Merman who has given himself up to save the life of a two important characters.  Again I won’t give away anything….(evil laughter rings throughout the rafters of The Reading Café)

Deadmen Walking is an interesting installment in the Kenyon paranormal universe.  You just need to have some patience and a large pad of paper beside you for note taking to help keep everything in perspective and in order.  LOL!!  I’m looking forward to the continuation of this one and hopefully seeing how it will eventually weave into her current storylines. 

Reviewed by Marcie

 

Save

Share