Review: Infinity

I'm not usually a YA reader. But I am a big fan of Sherrilyn Kenyon and her Dark Hunter world. So there was no way I was going to skip this one.  The concept of the Chronicles of Nick is far from simple. Dark Hunters are humans who were greatly wronged. Upon their deaths, they call out to the goddess Artemis for justice. She grants each a chance to go back to their lives for vengeance. They  become immortal and in return, they serve Artemis, fighting Daimons (vampires who feed on human souls.)

In the adult version of the books, Nick was a squire, a human who served the Dark Hunters.  But his mother was killed and he committed suicide to become a Dark Hunter himself, thus triggering the latent demon side that he never knew he had.  In the Chronicles of Nick, the man Nick becomes is going back to guide a younger version of himself to change the course of his life.

In this book, Nick is 14 years-old. And he has just made the fateful decision that brought him into the Dark Hunter world.  A group of hoodlum friends try to rob an elderly couple and Nick intercedes, nearly dying in the process and catching the eye of Dark Hunter, Kyrian.  Nick is terribly poor, but he is smart and fiercely loyal to his mom.  He wants to help make a better life for them both, so he accepts a job with Kyrian, to help pay his hospital bills and save money.

As that's all going on, something is turning the kids at Nick's school into zombies.  Nick ends up teaming up with some local conspiracy theorists and members of the supernatural community to solve the mystery and save the day.  Older-Nick is there, trying to guide younger-Nick and there is the mysterious Kody, who appears as a pretty teenage girl, who is also watching him, to stop him should he turn evil.  This may all sound complicated and maybe it would be for someone unfamiliar with the series.  But to me, it was actually all too simple.  The Dark Hunter series rocks because it's complicated and very sexy.  This is, well, neither.  And no review of this book would be complete without acknowledging the vast potential of a drinking game surrounding use of the word "gah." If you were to take a drink every time someone says it or thinks it, you'd be 'faced by page 200.

It's great seeing DH favorites like Acheron, Kyrian and the Peltiers... especially before the events of the DH books.  And as always, Simi is a treat.   Kenyon has set this series up to somehow intersect with the DH world in the future... so whatever happens, I'm sure to keep reading. I'm just hoping these books get a little more sophisticated as Nick gets older.  3 1/2 stars.