doloresofcourse's review
3.0
This book left me with several levels of disappointment. I read "The Scarletti Curse" (that I gave five stars) first which was helpful because "Dark Symphony" is about the Scarletti descendants and there are many references to what happened in that book. I just didn't care for Toni or Byron as main characters. There were some good scenes, but their relationship felt forced in order to push the story along.
Issues that ruined the story for me:
* There was no "meet cute". I was really looking forward to reading how Byron and Toni met. I was hoping for a "Phantom of the Opera" storyline and that didn't happen. Byron was already part of her life and they spent a lot of time together.
* Multiple plot lines were rehashes of "The Scarletti Curse". It felt like this book was a copy and paste from that with shape shifting werepanthers thrown in.
* So many characters. Why does this story need to have dozens of characters? I get that the Scarletti's are a big Italian family, but there were so many cousins and in-laws and servants and then Byron's people that I couldn't keep up outside of the main characters.
Issues that ruined the story for me:
* There was no "meet cute". I was really looking forward to reading how Byron and Toni met. I was hoping for a "Phantom of the Opera" storyline and that didn't happen. Byron was already part of her life and they spent a lot of time together.
* Multiple plot lines were rehashes of "The Scarletti Curse". It felt like this book was a copy and paste from that with shape shifting werepanthers thrown in.
* So many characters. Why does this story need to have dozens of characters? I get that the Scarletti's are a big Italian family, but there were so many cousins and in-laws and servants and then Byron's people that I couldn't keep up outside of the main characters.
wellactjoally's review
adventurous
dark
3.0
Jaguar shifters, mid-thirties woman living independently. Blindness. Redemption. Weird nephews. Figuring out if your family loves you.
heyhaley17's review against another edition
4.0
i like that the women in Feehan's books aren't perfect. makes for better reading. plus Byron's just adorable
can_i_read's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
enchantedtomeetcute's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
melodicfate's review
3.0
3.5 stars.
A Carpathian book without any vampire hunting made a nice change, as did the blind and not-thin heroine. I loved that Antonietta had independence, and that she was shown to be such a strong character. I disliked some things related to her blindness, and found other parts quite relatable. Byron was a gentle man, but could be protective and dangerous when need be. Antonietta's family was complicated, and I went back and forth on my feelings for them multiple times. I never guessed the villains, and the romance was well-done. The pace dragged for me a bit, and I'm a little sad about how some things worked out with Antonietta's conversion, but that's okay. This wasn't a standout for me in the series, but again, it was a nice way to change things up with the addition of more creatures, a hero who wasn't a vampire hunter by nature, and a heroine with a disability.
A Carpathian book without any vampire hunting made a nice change, as did the blind and not-thin heroine. I loved that Antonietta had independence, and that she was shown to be such a strong character. I disliked some things related to her blindness, and found other parts quite relatable. Byron was a gentle man, but could be protective and dangerous when need be. Antonietta's family was complicated, and I went back and forth on my feelings for them multiple times. I never guessed the villains, and the romance was well-done. The pace dragged for me a bit, and I'm a little sad about how some things worked out with Antonietta's conversion, but that's okay. This wasn't a standout for me in the series, but again, it was a nice way to change things up with the addition of more creatures, a hero who wasn't a vampire hunter by nature, and a heroine with a disability.
sewcialist_librarian's review
3.0
In for a penny, in for a pound. Nothing spectacular about the series, but they aren't horrible.
thesundaywriter's review
2.0
Don't really see the appeal of this series, not sure if my view would have changed if I read it from the start but the characters weren't really appealing or related to me.