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A review by laurenjodi
The Darkest Passion by Gena Showalter
3.0
The Darkest Passion
3 Stars
Synopsis
Olivia is a warrior angel charged with assassinating Aeron, the keeper of Wrath, but refuses to carry out her mission and is exiled from Heaven. Fascinated by the fallen angel who claims to have forfeited immortality to experience life and love with him, Aeron finds himself torn between fulfilling his desire for Olivia and appeasing his faithful demon companion, Legion, who will do anything to dispose of the angel...
Note: This series MUST be read in order otherwise it is virtually impossible to follow the storyline and references to secondary characters.
Review
While I am thoroughly enjoying this series, The Darkest Passion does not live up to expectations. The first 1/4 of the book is slow and disjointed. Nevertheless, the pace eventually picks up and the last 1/4 is exciting. I also dislike the introduction of Christian lore into a series that has previously focused on elements from Greek myth. Each mythology is compelling in its own right but they do not mesh well.
After reading The Darkest Kiss and The Darkest Pleasure, Aeron's book was at the top of my list but, unfortunately, his romance with Olivia falls flat on its face. They have absolutely no chemistry and their relationship feels forced.
Olivia is the worst type of heroine - passive, needy and insipid. Her status as a fallen angel is the most interesting thing about her but this fails to reach its potential either in her thoughts or actions as demonstrated by her constant need to remind both Aeron and the reader that she is actually fallen. She is constantly throwing herself at Aeron and fawning over him even when he rejects her - "confident and aggressive" NOT!
Aeron lacks emotional depth and goes from hunky alpha to wimpy omega. Despite the build up of his demon in previous installments, it is completely under-utilized here and all we get from him is the repeated "mine, mine, mine".
Legion is obnoxious and manipulative. I have no idea what Aeron sees in her and I just want her to die already. The twists involving her character are seriously creepy.
That said, the book is worth reading for the secondary cast and the progression of their individual stories - Gideon and Scarlet's past history, William and Gilly's budding relationship (hope she is the one to finally put him in his place) and the hints at Paris and Sienna's reunion are all very appealing as are the cameo appearances by Pandora and Baden (wonder what's going on there).
The twists and turns in the series story arc are also a highlight - the hunters are getting stronger and more devious, the Unspoken Ones have put a wrench in the works and some strange alliances are emerging.
Looks like there are interesting developments to come and hopefully Gideon and Scarlet's romance will be an improvement.
3 Stars
Synopsis
Olivia is a warrior angel charged with assassinating Aeron, the keeper of Wrath, but refuses to carry out her mission and is exiled from Heaven. Fascinated by the fallen angel who claims to have forfeited immortality to experience life and love with him, Aeron finds himself torn between fulfilling his desire for Olivia and appeasing his faithful demon companion, Legion, who will do anything to dispose of the angel...
Note: This series MUST be read in order otherwise it is virtually impossible to follow the storyline and references to secondary characters.
Review
While I am thoroughly enjoying this series, The Darkest Passion does not live up to expectations. The first 1/4 of the book is slow and disjointed. Nevertheless, the pace eventually picks up and the last 1/4 is exciting. I also dislike the introduction of Christian lore into a series that has previously focused on elements from Greek myth. Each mythology is compelling in its own right but they do not mesh well.
After reading The Darkest Kiss and The Darkest Pleasure, Aeron's book was at the top of my list but, unfortunately, his romance with Olivia falls flat on its face. They have absolutely no chemistry and their relationship feels forced.
Olivia is the worst type of heroine - passive, needy and insipid. Her status as a fallen angel is the most interesting thing about her but this fails to reach its potential either in her thoughts or actions as demonstrated by her constant need to remind both Aeron and the reader that she is actually fallen. She is constantly throwing herself at Aeron and fawning over him even when he rejects her - "confident and aggressive" NOT!
Aeron lacks emotional depth and goes from hunky alpha to wimpy omega. Despite the build up of his demon in previous installments, it is completely under-utilized here and all we get from him is the repeated "mine, mine, mine".
Legion is obnoxious and manipulative. I have no idea what Aeron sees in her and I just want her to die already. The twists involving her character
Spoiler
her pact with Lucifer, the possibility that Aeron will have sex with her and her encounter with GalenThat said, the book is worth reading for the secondary cast and the progression of their individual stories - Gideon and Scarlet's past history, William and Gilly's budding relationship (hope she is the one to finally put him in his place) and the hints at Paris and Sienna's reunion are all very appealing as are the cameo appearances by Pandora and Baden (wonder what's going on there).
The twists and turns in the series story arc are also a highlight - the hunters are getting stronger and more devious, the Unspoken Ones have put a wrench in the works and some strange alliances are emerging.
Looks like there are interesting developments to come and hopefully Gideon and Scarlet's romance will be an improvement.