coreilly's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
bemaline's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.5
I was interested initially, but cared less and less as the story went on. Meh.
themockingbird's review
I'm not really into the premise of the story, and the main character thinks more about sex than I enjoy reading.
nicolewhopickedthisbook's review
4.0
Actual rating 3.5
This is a very interesting take on Cain and Abel and the Mark of Cain.
I’m digging it
This is a very interesting take on Cain and Abel and the Mark of Cain.
I’m digging it
kajury's review
2.0
If a mash-up between the TV show "Supernatural" and the book "Fifty Shades of Gray" is your thing, this book is for you. It wasn't for me.
prationality's review
4.0
The first book in S.J. Day’s Marked novels, EVE OF DARKNESS, began at the ending. Chapter One is the event that Chapter Twenty-one leads into, while Chapter Two begins the story the six weeks leading up to Chapter One. I’m not sure why the book began this way; I think it would have been perfectly fine if it had began at Chapter Two, but maybe it's because the author didn’t want to end on a cliffhanger (though technically it still does).
(for the full review please refer to Romance Reader at Heart)
(for the full review please refer to Romance Reader at Heart)
sarahlouisero's review
I gave up on this book after a couple of chapters, because a flashback, inside a flashback, is just too much ridiculousness to bear. The blurb drew me in but the writing just couldn't hold me.
kimberlybea's review
3.0
This is a fun read, that really stands out from the rank and file of urban fantasy novels, although the premise does remind me a little of the television show Reaper. Eve is a Mark, a hunter of the supernatural and damned, who is torn between two brothers, the biblical Cain and Abel. As a recent recruit, she is busy learning the ropes while dealing with Infernal creatures such as the tengu and the Nix. When Infernals start appearing with no scent or sign of their identity, is Eve way over her head?
This book, the start of a new series, has a lot going for it, and most of my criticisms have to do with personal preference more than anything else. Eve is a strong character, and I like that, although receiving her Mark gives her superhuman abilities, it's often her intelligence that gets her out of trouble. I tend not to like books that use Bible stories, demons and angels as plot devices---a preference that the agnostic Eve herself might understand. However, the world here is multi-cultural, with the Infernals being creatures out of various world myths, and I like that, and I also like the notion of the archangels as Mafia kingpins----it's just amusing.
What I didn't like about the book: the first chapters of the book are very, very steamy, and I found myself wanting to skip over all the sex scenes. I'm not a romance reader, and I dislike both Alpha males and love triangles, particularly when they involve two men fighting over a woman. (Yeah, it may be flattering, but to me it always seems to rob the woman of choice.) So I really liked Eve better than Alec Cain and Reed Abel, who seemed both condescending and somewhat superficial; sure Eve was talented and intelligent, but the brothers were initially drawn to how hot she was. As the book moved on, however, the sexual content was a bit toned down, and I found myself being curious about how the brothers came to be rivals. (There are hints throughout the book, borne up by the brothers' personalities, that the Bible doesn't tell the whole story). So I do plan to read the next book (of which I also have an ARC, whee!), because I think the story has real potential and I'm eager to spend more time with Eve!
This book, the start of a new series, has a lot going for it, and most of my criticisms have to do with personal preference more than anything else. Eve is a strong character, and I like that, although receiving her Mark gives her superhuman abilities, it's often her intelligence that gets her out of trouble. I tend not to like books that use Bible stories, demons and angels as plot devices---a preference that the agnostic Eve herself might understand. However, the world here is multi-cultural, with the Infernals being creatures out of various world myths, and I like that, and I also like the notion of the archangels as Mafia kingpins----it's just amusing.
What I didn't like about the book: the first chapters of the book are very, very steamy, and I found myself wanting to skip over all the sex scenes. I'm not a romance reader, and I dislike both Alpha males and love triangles, particularly when they involve two men fighting over a woman. (Yeah, it may be flattering, but to me it always seems to rob the woman of choice.) So I really liked Eve better than Alec Cain and Reed Abel, who seemed both condescending and somewhat superficial; sure Eve was talented and intelligent, but the brothers were initially drawn to how hot she was. As the book moved on, however, the sexual content was a bit toned down, and I found myself being curious about how the brothers came to be rivals. (There are hints throughout the book, borne up by the brothers' personalities, that the Bible doesn't tell the whole story). So I do plan to read the next book (of which I also have an ARC, whee!), because I think the story has real potential and I'm eager to spend more time with Eve!
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