Dance with the
Devil
by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Guilty pleasures, we all have them; books that we read for
entertainment, nothing serious or academic, but for pure enjoyment. Sherrilyn
Kenyon’s Dark-Hunter series is my guilty pleasure, a fantasy world filled with
stereotypical bad boys: arrogant, dangerous, mysterious, brooding, and
extremely “hott”. This PNR fun read introduces us to a host of compelling
characters: Dark-Hunters,Were-Hunters, and Dream Hunters.
Kenyon’s Dark-Hunters suffered horrible past injustices, and
in return, for vengeance, they rendered their soul and loyalty to the goddess,
Artemis. Dark-Hunters share many characteristics of the vampire. They are
attracted to human blood, must avoid the daylight, and most strikingly, possess
fangs. In contrast to Daimons
(vampires), Dark Hunters protect humans at all costs and must never feed from a
human.
Each book of the series features a specific character. Dance
with the Devil, the 3rd
installment of the DH series, reacquaints us with Zarek, one of my favorite
characters (thus far).
This is Zarek’s
story…
Zarek is the ultimate, tormented Dark-Hunter. Everyone
(fellow Dark-Hunters and Squires included) consider him amoral, lethal,
vicious, and incorrigible, and keep their distance from the “psycho.” Zarek
encourages this reaction; in fact, he relishes hearing rumors about his vile,
reprehensible reputation and acts accordingly.
“Hey
Mike”, [Nick] said, radioing the pilot.
“How bad is he?” Mike snorted. “Let me put it to you this way. If you have a gun, unload it.”
“How bad is he?” Mike snorted. “Let me put it to you this way. If you have a gun, unload it.”
“Why?”
“Because
if
you don’t, you’re going to shoot this a**hole which will only piss him
off.
For once I actually pity the Daimons.
This didn’t sound encouraging."
For once I actually pity the Daimons.
This didn’t sound encouraging."
Zarek has good reason to be insane and psychotic. His life
is one filled with unspeakable horror and cruelty. Abandoned by his mother, a
Greek slave, Zarek becomes the whipping boy of his father and half-brothers.
These merciless beatings deform him, causes him to be an outcast and an untouchable.
Zarek is a non-entity; damned; a contemptible wretch that everyone despises and
abhors. Pelted daily with rocks, stones, and garbage scraps; Zarek accepts the
pain and internalizes his inferiority. Zarek recalls the day his father paid a
slaver to take him away, “ to remove me from my father’s sight.” His new owner, an adulterous wife
of a nobleman, incredibly accuses Zarek of rape. Horribly, he suffers
excruciating torture and dies from being stoned to death. Acheron responds to
Zarek’s misery, answers his lamentable cries for vengeance, and makes Zarek a
Dark-Hunter.
I have a soft spot for the tortured, tormented hero, and
Zarek’s cry for acceptance touched me.
“I
just want to be warm,” he whispered. “Just once let me be warm. Is there no star
capable of sharing its fire with me?”
Zarek longs for physical and emotional warmth. He has an
unbridled need for affection, kindness, and compassion from others, and
fortuitously, Astrid, an immortal nymph, provides Zarek’s with the warmth that
he seeks. Although she is Zarek’s judge, sent to decide his fate, Astrid’s
perseverance, sexual passion and tender affection comfort him, gives him peace,
hope and optimism. Nevertheless, she must decide. Is Zarek truly the monster others believe him to be? Is he a lethal predator, dangerous
and violent; or does he possess
the heart of a poet? And just when he has
more than enough turmoil to last a lifetime, Zarek has to contend with 2 posses
of assassins hot on his trail. Artemis wants him dead. Zarek, it seems, just
can’t get a break!
For those of us who love
Acheron (Team Ash), yes, he appears in Dance with the Devil. Acheron, an irresistible recurring character,
continues to be the omnipotent, mysterious, lethal, alpha male! Hott! In
addition, we learn more about Acheron’s migratory dragon tattoo. On Acheron’s
command, Simi takes corporeal form as another powerful, deadly being! Who knew!
I definitely plan to proceed with the series to learn more
about the formidable DH leader and his
immortal warriors.
Overall, Dance with the Devil is a great heart-rending read!
No comments:
Post a Comment