A review by ristaylor
Dark Curse, by Christine Feehan
3.0
Now, see, this is a series that I thought had definitely jumped the shark, oh, around book 15 – but I kept buying and reading. I still wanted me some dark, uber alpha Carpathian male to beat his chest and say ‘you are woman I am man and you belong to me’. I also really enjoy the way Ms. Feehan writes and the world building was quite fascinating to me. I think her mythology is unique and original– the first book in the series, Dark Prince, debuting in 1999. Her heroines have always intrigued me, running the gamut from head strong, willful and dominant to unsure and questioning; but always intelligent and eventually fearless. However each book continued to re-hash the same mythology and pathos of the world and the characters, until finally after book 17, I said NO MORE, and totally skipped reading book 18, Dark Possession.
So when Dark Curse arrived I was like an addict alone in the room with a fix and a war going on in my head – don’t do it, but I can’t stop myself, but you said no more, I know but just one more time… until finally the addict in me won out. And I’m glad she did. I was surprised and delighted by Dark Curse and it sparked renewed interest in the series.
In this latest addition to the series, Ms. Feehan expounds on the world and characters she has lovingly created and goes beyond the pathos to some real answers for the characters. This book has real depth to it, going beyond the ground work she has laid down in previous books to get to the crux of the matter – why the Carpathian race is dying out. In addition to the very romantic and compelling story line between the hero and heroine Lara Calladine and Nicolas De La Cruz, we also get to visit with many other characters from other books and even some from the novellas, Vikirnoff and Natalya, Gregori and Savannah, Francesca, Mikhail and Raven, Shea and Jacques to name a few. They don’t just have a walk on, mention what fine weather they’re having or drop off a bunt cake. They have substantial roles to play and bring cohesiveness to the story and believability to the universal story line. The intrigue and mystery to some of the long standing questions readers may have had begins to be illuminated and I say bravo and about time.
As a reader, Dark Curse finally made me feel as if I was reaching for something that was attainable. It was like when they announced that the TV series Lost was going to have an end date. From then on each episode was that much clearer and sharper and relevant. So I suggest to long standing fans of this series, if you thought about giving up, don’t, and pick up Dark Curse. Who knew you could jump the shark and come back.
So when Dark Curse arrived I was like an addict alone in the room with a fix and a war going on in my head – don’t do it, but I can’t stop myself, but you said no more, I know but just one more time… until finally the addict in me won out. And I’m glad she did. I was surprised and delighted by Dark Curse and it sparked renewed interest in the series.
In this latest addition to the series, Ms. Feehan expounds on the world and characters she has lovingly created and goes beyond the pathos to some real answers for the characters. This book has real depth to it, going beyond the ground work she has laid down in previous books to get to the crux of the matter – why the Carpathian race is dying out. In addition to the very romantic and compelling story line between the hero and heroine Lara Calladine and Nicolas De La Cruz, we also get to visit with many other characters from other books and even some from the novellas, Vikirnoff and Natalya, Gregori and Savannah, Francesca, Mikhail and Raven, Shea and Jacques to name a few. They don’t just have a walk on, mention what fine weather they’re having or drop off a bunt cake. They have substantial roles to play and bring cohesiveness to the story and believability to the universal story line. The intrigue and mystery to some of the long standing questions readers may have had begins to be illuminated and I say bravo and about time.
As a reader, Dark Curse finally made me feel as if I was reaching for something that was attainable. It was like when they announced that the TV series Lost was going to have an end date. From then on each episode was that much clearer and sharper and relevant. So I suggest to long standing fans of this series, if you thought about giving up, don’t, and pick up Dark Curse. Who knew you could jump the shark and come back.