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
Rise of the Gryphon
by
Dianna Love, Sherrilyn Kenyon
romance, urban fantasy in eBook edition that was published by Pocket Books on July 30, 2013 and has 480 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Blood Trinity, Deadly Promises, Alterant, Whispered Lies, The Curse, 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
Fourth in the Belador urban fantasy series revolving around Evalle.
My Take
This was a weird combination of exciting and huh, what? If Macha and Sen could get their heads out, well, I guess there would be less of a story, but they’d be better people and half the problems in this story could probably be solved.
I can’t believe how much Evalle fights against Storm and what he knows. It feels more as if it’s done for the tension/drama of it, and it just pisses me off. In her law enforcement lifestyle, I should have thought she’d have more knowledge of so many aspects of the magic in it. She’s portrayed as intelligent, but seems clueless about extracting needed information.
The whole Lanna thing is just stupid. Storm is right about how Evalle values herself. Sure Kenyon/Love make it sound all noble, but it’s too bad they didn’t work at making it sound good. Instead it comes across as melodramatic. A really obvious example of this is Imogenia near the end of the ABC fights. Oh, brother. Although, I did appreciate Kol’s treatment of her…*snicker*…
As for how quickly everyone jumps to conclusions without more than one source, oh brother. It just makes me want to smack everyone around. All this note-leaving that so few actually pay attention to.
We do learn more about Evalle’s childhood.
There’s Evalle’s mission from Macha, one which, if she fails, will result in her death; Quinn has his own guilty issues about his actions with Kirzia; Storm is both evading and hunting his former mistress; Kirzia’s schizophrenic activities; and, Flaevynn’s determined assault.
Once we do learn from Tristan about the Alterant origins, why is it that the timing was never noticed? As beastly as the Alterants are, wouldn’t there have been a history of sightings?
Hullo? Evalle knows how much Sen hates her, that he expects to find her at the ABC fights, and she doesn’t think to check the SUV he wards for her??? As for Lanna, I’m assuming her being a teenager is the excuse for all her stupid actions, even if her heart is in the right place.
Wow, Storm has some interesting resources that are only hinted at.
Finally. Evalle finally gets a backbone and uses it!
The Story
It’s a tip that sends Evalle and Storm to an illegal fight which takes them to the ultimate fight: the Achilles Beast Championship, a trap to gather in Alterants by the Medb in their plot against the Beladors.
Evalle has a deadline, she must entice Tristan and his group away from the Medb, and learn the truth of Alterant origins or die.
The Medb have their own plans, and the island of Treoir had better be ready.
The Characters
Evalle Kincaid is not trusted, for she is both Belador and Alterant as well as a VIPER agent. Forbidden to shift into her Alterant beast state, she can only access her telekinetic and energy force powers. Feenix is her cute gargoyle friend/pet. Nicole is her best friend, a powerful witch, and trapped in a wheelchair; Red is Nicole’s life partner.
Storm is a mix of Ashaninka (gives him his majik) and Navajo with a Skinwalker ability to shift into a jaguar. Kai is his guardian spirit.
The Beladors
Vladimir Quinn is one of Evalle’s best friends, a man with a powerful mind needed to protect Treoir and Brina, and filled with guilt about his traitorous association with the woman he loves. Tzader Burke, another of Evalle’s best friends and in love with Brina, a woman he can never touch, never be with, is the Maistir over the North American Beladors. Trey McCree is one of their most powerful telepaths. Lucien Solis; Reece “Casper” Jordan shares his body with a thirteenth-century ghost; Adrianna LaFontainne is a dark witch, a Sterling, who cared for Storm after Sen crushed his jaguar body; Sen, a major jerk with hate-on for Evalle, can change his body shape and has godlike powers, and he’s the liaison between VIPER agents and the Tribunal; Horace Keefer is to protect Brina’s back; and, Conlan O’Meary is a traitor imprisoned on TÅμr Medb are all VIPER agents.
Svetlanna “Lanna” Brasko is Quinn’s cousin, a soft-hearted teenage Gypsy, who is on the run from a wicked Transylvanian wizard, Grendal who wants to turn her into his puppet.
Macha is the Celtic goddess of the Belador, and she is the epitome of feckless, uncaring, demanding, and bitchy. She seems to need the island of Treior safe from the world, which can only happen if Brina, the last Belador warrior queen remains on the island.
Grady is Evalle’s primary Nightstalker source, and she considers him a friend.
Evalle has been tracking Tristan, another Alterant, since the beginning, for he has the knowledge of their origins. Petrina is Tristan’s sister; two Rías — Watson and Aaron — friends are part of his group.
Imogenia is a dark witch with a terrified Alterant, Bernie, to enter into the ABC fight. Daniella is part of her Carretta Coven. Nadina is the witch doctor hunting Storm, the one who holds his and his father’s souls. She has released Langaus, condemned souls, on Atlanta.
The Medb
The Medb are the ultimate in dark witches and warlocks using Noirre majiks and are based in TÅμr Medb. Kizira is a Medb priestess in love with Quinn, but heiress to the Medb throne. Queen Flaevynn is battling her own deadline with no love for anyone but herself. Doesn’t stop her from forcing any and all to her bed, however. Cathbud is a Druid and the queen’s husband. Kizira is their child. Pretty much in name only. Maeve was the original Medb queen while her lover and mate, Cathbud, was the original Druid, and the ones responsible for Flaevynn’s (and every earlier queen’s) predicament.
The Fights
A Domjon is the authority at a fight club; Dame Lynn is Domjon for the ABC fights. Kol D’Alimonte is the host for these fights, probably Deek’s brother.
The Alterant winners of the Elite include:
Bernie, Black Satin, and Boomer, who is an egotistical jerk, are interested in immortality.
Isak Nyght is human who knows about the nonhumans in our world, and he wants Evalle. He and his team are black ops experts, creating special weapons and hunting the monsters down.
VIPER is a law enforcement agency of Beladors based in Atlanta which protects humans from supernaturals. The Belador 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; they shift into a grotesque beast form with each beast having different powers and near unstoppable. Macha wants them all dead or under her power. Rías are similar to Alterants, but they attack without thought or control. The Tribunal is a truly terrifying group of godlike beings with not much in the way of compassion. Nightstalkers are ghouls who will trade a burst of energy from a living being for a chance to indulge in the human joys of life. Volonte bones are from the skeleton of a French sorcerer, Guillory, and have tremendous powers.
The Cover and Title
The cover is values of pinkish purple with a determined Evalle facing us and holding an elaborate dagger before her.
The title is quite prophetic, for this story does see the Rise of the Gryphon.
