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
Falling Blind
by
Shannon K. Butcher
paranormal romance in Paperback edition that was published by Signet on April 2, 2013 and has 370 pages.
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Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Dark and Stormy Knights, Living on the Edge, Razor's Edge, Burning Alive, Finding the Lost, Running Scared, Living Nightmare, Blood Hunt, Edge of Sanity, Dying Wish, Kicking It, Rough Edges
Seventh in the Sentinel Wars paranormal romance series. The couple focus is on Cain and Rory.
My Take
This is one of Butcher’s weaknesses: the clichéd plot. One character has powers she refuses to learn about, wants to leave the one she loves because it’ll hurt so much if he dies — the fact that it’ll hurt so much to leave never seems to occur to them, and the trope in which one character is damaged goods so the other can’t possibly want to be burdened with them.
Oh, brother…
Okay, so the big signal that a Sentinel has met his mate is his luceria goes active. So, just how does Cain miss it when his luceria goes active? How does he justify ignoring it? Then there’s the “required” obsession with how he’s failed. Oh, brother. Again. I’m crossing my fingers that they find a matable woman who is also a psychiatrist. These guys need to get some therapy…
Yeah, I’m being a bit hypocritical since I’ve complained in reviews on the earlier stories that I dislike how overpowering the men have been in crowding their potential mates. But I hate stupid characters, and I don’t understand Butcher’s reasoning behind having such stupid men. And women in her stories. I like her premise, and I keep reading mostly because I want to know what happens with the other plane from which it seems that the Sanguinar and the Sentinels originate.
Then there’s Rory… She’s desperate to find someone who can help calm her visions. Then she finds Cain and touching Cain calms her visions. Somehow, it doesn’t seem to penetrate her brain — must be all that pink hair — that, huh, touching Cain calms her visions since she insists on continuing to hunt for someone to…you guessed it…calm her visions. Surprise, surprise. Um, does anyone know if Butcher, her editor, and her beta readers are on drugs that they keep missing these points?
Rory is at least consistent in her dimwittedness as she never seems to make a connection between her taking her hand away from Cain and his immediate, incredible pain. She’s battling the whole idea and yet when Cain gives her what she’s been demanding, she gets pissy because he does.
Well, Butcher is consistent in having stupid characters amongst the good and the bad guys. If Raygh is such a big bad demon with such tremendous power, I would have assumed that he was also intelligent. So what’s the excuse for his using up that special blood supply?
Oh my god, oh my god, Rory actually demonstrates some smarts!!! Whoo-hoo. Can you tell I’m shockingly surprised?!
While I admire the care and concern the men have for others, the series so far is interesting for Butcher’s concept and all the bits not involving whoever the primary couple is. It drives me mad how idiotic the couple’s interactions always is. I’m not denying how much work Butcher has put into her stories. She has. A lot of work, and she’s quite inventive. I guess that’s what bugs me about her employing these lame clichés… It could be so good.
The Story
It’s a meeting in a dark alley when Cain rescues Rory from a demon attack. One that has a sinister purpose and all the rage of a very powerful demon lord behind it.
The Characters
Rory Rainey struggles to survive the images that slam into her mind from the people around her. Nana is her grandmother, recently deceased and very much missed. Matt was the boyfriend who sold her to a demon for drugs. And she let him. I mean, duhhh.
Cain is a Sentinel and almost out of time and without purpose since Sibyl left him.
Joseph Rayd is the leader of the Theronai, the Sentinels, who are based at Dabyr. Paul and a pregnant Andra who is still missing her sister Tori (see Dying Wish, 6), and Nicholas are active in this story. Lyka Phelan is Andreas Phelan’s half-sister, a hostage sent to Joseph as a pledge of the alliance between the Slayers and the Sentinels; Andreas got Carmen. Miss Mabel is a human living in the Dabyr compound, a sounding board for the other ladies and a teacher. Gilda and Angus were the leaders of the Sentinels until they died the night they rescued Maura in Living Nightmare, 4. At last, Tynan will learn the truth behind the Sentinels’ inability to conceive children. Beth and Ella are sisters who were freed from the Synestryn. Ethan is Ella’s baby, a half-and-half, although Ella told Joseph he was fully human.
Tynan, Logan’s brother, leads the Sanguinar, a vampire-like species allied with the Theronai as medics. Logan is married to Hope (see Blood Hunt, 5), and together they run a homeless shelter. The Sanguinar have kept Project Lullaby a secret; it’s intended to help their species survive. Ronan is getting set up for his HEA. Connal is a traitor, doing anything for the blood to which he’s addicted.
Maura is Sibyl‘s other half. A curse their mother, Gilda, levied split the girls, and Maura turned against her people, fleeing to the Synestryn. With the breaking of the curse, Maura grows up and leaves the demons, but she isn’t free of her guilt.
Justice has no idea who she is, but she’s driven by a compulsion to help.
The demon lord, Krag, may be dead, but his father, Raygh (channeling J.R. Ward, perhaps?) is alive and feeling vengeful. Canaranth had belonged to the recently deceased Zillah, and he loved Ella.
Gerai are blooded humans, descendants of an ancient, magical race, who sometimes help the Sentinels, who are a breed of warriors whose mission is to kill Synestryn and prevent them from taking over the Earth. Synestryn is a generic term for all demons.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a flaring purple background with a reddish-orange, well-muscled torso…mmm, mmmm…very defined with a leafless tree tattooed across his left side, comfy looking jeans riding low, and his sword held upright. A very determined Cain.
The title refers to Rory who is Falling Blind.
