I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the library
The Curse
by
Dianna Love, Sherrilyn Kenyon
romance, urban fantasy in Paperback edition that was published by Piatkus Books on September 18, 2012 and has 368 pages.
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Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Blood Trinity, Deadly Promises, Alterant, Whispered Lies, Rise of the Gryphon, Man of My Dreams, Invincible, Born of Shadows, Retribution, Big Guns Out of Uniform, Tapestry, In Other Worlds, Dream Warrior, "One BAD Night", Dark Side of the Moon, The Guardian, Infamous, Born of Silence, Aftertaste, Inferno, Styxx, Dangerous Women, Son of No One, Dragonbane, Born of Vengeance, Deadmen Walking, Stygian
Third in the Belador paranormal romance series revolving around Evalle Kincaid, a woman desperately trying to prove her value to her peers. Based in Atlanta, Georgia.
My Take
There’s certainly no lack of action in this story even if it is only a bridge novel. Nothing major gets settled and Kenyon/Love simply continue to tease us along. You should really read the first two in the series before you read this one. So much that occurs in The Curse refers back to Blood Trinity and Alterant.
Kenyon and Love have created an interesting alternate world, blending their supernatural setting with our own world. My problem with it is that they have too much going on. Blood Trinity started in the middle of everything and the usual information dumps were neatly slotted in, but they were and are only choppy bits that never fill us in to make us feel as though we grasp their world. Maybe it’s intended to keep us on edge just as their characters are on edge; a trend that continues in The Curse.
Evalle makes me nuts. Okay, she’s had issues in her past. But the way she’s treating Storm is very unreasonable.
Kenyon/Love are so busy setting us up for the future that they’ve forgotten to take care of the now. They repeat just enough of the characters so that we feel a connection, but their backgrounds, powers, and actions are so chopped and sparse that we can’t really settle into them.
The Story
Evalle Kincaid must bring an Alterant before Macha, her goddess or die and too many people are not answering her calls: Tristan is her ticket to life and Quinn and Storm both disappeared three weeks ago. Then there’s the doubt Kizira planted in her mind about Quinn.
Meanwhile, Conlan O’Meary is planting his own seeds of doubt everywhere, Quinn has several confessions to make, and trolls and gangs have been tearing Atlanta up. The VIPER agents are stretched too thin and Evalle reaches out to the Nyght Raiders for help. A request that has some unwanted repercussions.
The Characters
Evalle Kincaid is an Alterant. She’s free only due to an agreement she has with Macha to bring other Alterants in to swear fealty to Macha. Feenix is her two-foot-tall gargoyle. Tristan is another Alterant who is on the run with Petrina, and two Rías — Watson and Aaron.
Tzader Burke (he’s in love with Brina but his father’s dying wish made him immortal and prevents him from entering Treoir Castle) and Vladimir Quinn, a witch, are her closest friends. Tzader had to promise Macha he would give up Brina. Svetlanna “Lanna” Brasko is a soft-hearted Russian Gypsy and Quinn’s cousin. Seems she’s run away from home in Transylvania and refuses to go back. Grendal is a wizard who wants to turn Lanna into his puppet. Devon Fortier is a Cajun Belador who’s come to help. Others who work for VIPER include Trey McCree is legendary or his telepathy, Reece “Casper” Jordan is VIPER but not Belador, and Horace Keefer. Sen is a liaison between the Tribunal and VIPER and he hates Evalle. He almost killed Storm in Alterant.
Storm is Ashaninka and a Navajo Skinwalker who turned into a black jaguar in Alterant in an attempt to help Evalle. Kai is his guardian spirit who saved his life. Adrianna Lafontaine is a Sterling witch and it’s her aid that has helped Storm survive. Sen had brought him in as a tracker for VIPER and to find Evalle at fault for something, anything. Kell and Kardos are a couple of homeless boys, witches, with whom Evalle is friends. They trusted the wrong people.
Brina is the last living Treoir, the Warrior Queen, and she is trapped forever on Treoir Island as Belador powers only exist if a Treoir is alive and on the island. Macha has forced Brina to agree to give up Tzader. Allyn is her new personal guard, chosen to playact in front of Tzader.
Dakkar is a bounty hunter playing politics. Deek D’Alimonte is an immortal centaur with scary powers who runs the Iron Casket, a club for supernaturals. Grady is a Nightstalker and quite willing to pass on the gossip he hears in exchange for an exchange of life.
Isak Nyght is a human black ops who runs a crew whose sole task is hunting down and killing Alterants. He doesn’t know that Evalle is one and he keeps trying to romance her. Kit is his mother and the real force behind Nyght Industries.
Conlan O’Meary is a Belador traitor working with the Medb Coven. Kizira is a Medb witch priestess with evidence implicating Quinn. She’s got her own game plan. Queen Flaevynn is the evil mastermind for the coven. She’s held Cathbad, a druid and her husband, a prisoner at TÅμrMedb. Roogre is the Svart troll commander.
Svart trolls are black-ops mercenaries who hire out to the highest bidder. But even they wouldn’t normally want to attract VIPER’s attraction.
Macha is a Celtic goddess who allowed Evalle to go free in Alterant with a deadline to deliver the origin of Alterants. If Evalle can bring in proof about the Alterants, Macha will support them as a recognized race. Varpulis is a Slavic god on the Tribunal;
Beladors are an ancient race that appears human with kinetic and telepathic powers and part of Macha’s pantheon. Alterants are part Belador and part other with powers greater than normal Beladors. Rías are similar to Alterants, but they attack without thought or control.
VIPER protects humans from supernatural threats.
The Cover and Title
The cover is an orange and brown collage of metaphor and event with stone crosses, Atlanta’s skyline, and a sense of other. An up-close view of a sword’s hilt, its guard, and some of the blade is angled in front, a red scarf flying from one end.
The title is The Curse that Flaevynn will die according to a prophecy.
