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Author: Keri Arthur
Title: Darkness Rising
Release: October 2011
Reviewer: Chrissy
Series: Dark Angels #2
Source: Personal library
Purchase: | Book Depository

Risa will go to any lengths to avenge her mother’s murder—even if it means making a pact with the most evil vampire she’s ever met. Lethal and powerful, Madeline Hunter is leader of the vampire council, and will put her resources behind finding the killer—for a price. The venerable vampire requires the assistance of Risa’s psychic powers. Quid pro quo.

Someone—or something—is targeting the elders of the local council, cursing the immortal vampires to rapidly age, sink into madness, and die. Risa must track down the vengeful being responsible. But Risa’s father, a rogue Aedh priest, also enlists her in a dangerous mission. And not even the great Madeline Hunter may be able to protect her from the shadowy forces that desire nothing less than Risa’s destruction.

Having been a longtime fan of Keri Arthur’s Riley Jenson Guardian series, I was overjoyed that the first book (Darkness Unbound) in the spin-off series was spectacular. Ever since I finished the first book I have been dying to read the remaining books that have been added to this series thus far. Luckily, I have a wonderful father who gifted me with the remaining books for Christmas this year.

Darkness Rising is a remarkable follow up to Darkness Unbound. The characters and scenarios became more complex and throughout the novel it’s hard to tell who is good and who is evil. Some of the scenes do drag on just a wee little bit, but they add a certain dash of flavor to the series and make the characters easier to relate to.

Let me just say, I love me some Azriel! As he stays in human form longer he begins to develop more human characteristics, particularly emotions and a sense of humor. I pray that Risa will open her eyes in the next book because it is SO obvious that he is falling in love with her.

The plot was original and the creatures in this book were incredibly inventive. Keri Arthur shows how truly gifted she is when it comes to creative writing. You’d be hard-pressed to find an author who can best her in the realm of creativity.

Overall, I found this to be a wonderful and exciting book. As the world of Risa Jones begins to unfold, readers will quickly become captivated and choose a side: Azriel or Lucian. Readers will also be glad to know that Riley, Rhoan, and Quinn all make appearances in this novel as they did in the first novel and it appears that they will have much bigger roles in the upcoming installments.
I highly recommend this series to fans of Arthur’s other series as well as readers who enjoy the Sookie Stackhouse series, the Anita Blake series, and the Black Dagger Brotherhood series.

Chrissy fell in love with books at an early age. It all started with Judi Barrett’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. At the tender age of five she decided that she wanted to be a writer. Later, she graduated to books like A Wrinkle in Time, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and the Goosebumps series, participating avidly in her school’s Book It program. High school brought on new challenges and loves. She began writing for the school’s newspaper and literary magazine. The works of Stephen King, Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, and Shirley Jackson quickly overran her bookshelves. But when Chrissy was introduced to the world of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance, a grand love affair was set in motion. She is an avid reader of romance, urban fantasy, horror, erotica, and cozy mysteries. After working for the city library for six years and being surrounded by the works of greatly admired authors, she decided to devote her life to writing full time and hasn’t looked back since. When she is not devouring book after book, Chrissy loves to cook, bake, volunteer at the local animal shelter, and feed her addiction for horror movies. She lives in Maryland with her family and beloved pets.

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