Review: The Curse

Reviewed by Jen
 

I really enjoy the Belador series.  I think it's because the heroine, Evalle, is just so damn easy to root for. She has been kicked down, abused, and maligned her entire life. She is considered a monster, even by those she lives to protect. But she never wavers. She never acts dishonorably. She simply accepts those things about herself that she can not change and she soldiers on, always fighting the good fight.

As this third installment of her story begins, she is on the hunt for others of her kind.  The goddess who oversees the Beladors has agreed to recognize Alterants as a race within her pantheon. But only if Evalle can bring them forward and they swear their fealty.  First and foremost, she wants to find Tristan, but her search has been stymied by a rash of troll attacks in the Atlanta area.  She must work with her VIPER team-mates to protect the humans.

On top of that, Storm is missing. And as he slowly reenters the picture, she must continue to come to terms with her feelings for him. (And Isaak too.) There is strain in her friendship with Quinn... let's not forget that he led the Medb to her at the end of the last book.  He is trying to deal with his feeling for Kazira --while poor Tzader tries to honor his vow to let Brina go.

Plus... more trolls.  Giant, black-ops, demon-infused, bounty-hunter trolls.

It's all part of the Medb plan to breach Brina's sanctuary and vanquish the Beladors.  There's a lot of scheming, machinations and betrayals.  There's also much violence and bloodshed.  You won't find many dull moments.

However, I don't feel like we moved forward much here.  Don't get me wrong, I was never bored. I was invested in the characters and deeply ensconced in this very complicated world.  But in many ways this installment was almost like a placeholder.  There were no huge developments in any of the relationships --and there are a lot of relationships at play.  No big revelations about the Alterant race. No big movement in the war with Medb. I mean, stuff happens, it's just nothing game changing.

Did I enjoy the book? Absolutely.  I love Evalle. I love Storm. And I am dying for Brina and Tzader to have some happiness. Or at least get on the path to it.  It feels a little stalled, though. I wanted more. It all sort of seemed like baby steps. I'm ready for these characters to make some strides. 

If you're interested in the Belador series, I strongly urge you to start from the beginning with Blood Trinity. I just don't think this is a series where you want to jump in, mid-way through.

Rating: B

*ARC Provided by Pocket Books

Click to purchase: Amazon

The Curse

by Sherrilyn Kenyon & Dianna Love

Release Date: September 18, 2012

Publisher: Pocket Books

Review: Alterant

Reviewed by Jen
 

Poor Evalle can't catch a break.  She was able to thwart the plans of the Kujoo and recover the powerful stone she was sent to find in Blood Trinity, but her troubles are only starting.  As this book begins, only hours have passed since the last story ended and now Evalle must face a powerful Tribunal of deities to account for her actions.

Her race, the Alterants, were already feared and reviled. But now several have shown themselves in beast form and killed. So when Evalle stands before the Tribunal to answer for herself, she finds herself judged for their misdeeds. Brina, the leader of the Beladors, stands up for her, but that can only take Evalle so far. In the end, she is charged with bringing in three Alterants known to be on the loose. If she can't do it, not only will they be sentenced to die, so will she.

On her mission, Evalle finds herself thrown back with Tristan, the Alterant she met in the last book. He doesn't trust her since she sent him back to his prison; And she doesn't trust him either. But he's the only one with any idea where the other Alterants are. Storm, the jaguar-shifter is back too. His role as a protector and love interest is jacked up a notch. It's obvious he's falling hard for Evalle, but he has secrets he hasn't shared with her yet. And though Evalle is developing feelings for him, she has a lot to overcome, especially with her history of sexual assault.

While all this is going on, the Medb are plotting to overthrow the Beladors and are planning to use the Alterants to do it. This brings back the priestess Kizira... and her relationship with Evalle's friend Quinn.  Plus, we delve into what's happening with Brina and Tzader. If all this sounds like a lot going on... that's because it is. And I still feel like I've barely scratched the surface. The books in the Belador series are complicated. There are legions of characters, each with their own histories and agendas. This is not light reading... you have to pay attention. And even then, you may have work to keep up. 

But if you can stay on top of it all, it's really good stuff. Evalle is a great character: fragile yet strong; both naive and jaded; afraid of love and still desperate for it. Storm is mysterious, sexy, powerful and loyal. The romance is gentle, but exciting. The action is non-stop... filled with strategies, machinations and violence. And when the book is done, you know the story is far from over.  It's not really a cliff-hanger, but the stage is set for the next installment and I can't wait for it to get here.  I really enjoyed it... but I would suggest reading Blood Trinity first, if you haven't already, or you may end up feeling lost.  Almost 5 stars.

*ARC Provided by Pocket Books

Click to purchase: Amazon or The Book Depository

Alterant

by Sherrilyn Kenyon & Dianna Love

Release Date: September 27, 2011

Publisher: Pocket Books

Series Reading Order: Belador

This is the reading order for the Belador series by Sherrilyn Kenyon and Dianna Love:

• Blood Trinity
• Alterant
• The Curse

** "Midnight Kiss Goodbye" is a novella in the Dead After Dark anthology, set in the Belador world.

Review: Blood Trinity

Reviewed by Jen
 

When I found out Sherrilyn Kenyon was starting a new series, I’ll admit, I was not happy. I am a huge fan of her Dark Hunter books, and I didn’t like the idea of a new project taking away time she could be spending on more books in that series. But, after reading Blood Trinity, I have changed my mind.

First off, I acknowledge that the world building is a little complicated, but I’ll do my best to summarize. Our story centers on a woman named Evalle. She is what’s known as an Alterant, which is a half breed of the Belador race. I can’t explain entirely what the Beladors are, except to say they are something more than human. They have an array of powers granted by a Goddess. Evalle has some of those powers, but as a half breed, she also has limitations: she can’t be in the sun and when seized with intense pain or emotion, she may shift into a beast form. All other Alterants are imprisoned, because they are said not to be able to control their beast form. The very fact that Evalle can shift at all is something she keeps a closely guarded secret.

Evalle has only a handful of people she trusts. Two of the three are fellow agents for the supernatural-police-type organization she works for, VIPER. Her boss, Sen, hates her for what she is and would love to have her locked up too. It comes to the attention of VIPER that a powerful stone is about to come into the possession of a powerful female. It can bring great change or destruction if left unchecked, so agents (including Evalle) are sent out to find it.

Evalle is paired with a mysterious man named Storm. She believes he is a plant, sent in by Sen to find a reason to lock her up. But there is more to Storm than meets the eye and there is definitely attraction there. There is also a spark between Evalle and a sexy human, Isak. I found myself rooting for both guys at different points throughout the book. (But if you are looking for the love scenes featured in the Dark Hunter books, you won’t find them here.)

The book was fascinating and hard to put down. Though I have to admit, there were times in the story I felt like I was getting a recap from a previous book. A few internet searches revealed a link to anthology Dead After Dark. I’ll have to go read the short story there to see if it fills in a few of the gaps.

I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.  I don’t know if the plan is to have it continue to follow Evalle or to pick up a story from a secondary character. But I hope we stick with her. I really want to see where her story goes from here, as it seems to be left open.

4 1/2 stars.

Click to purchase: Amazon or The Book Depository

Blood Trinity

by Sherrilyn Kenyon & Dianna Love

Release Date: October 19, 2010

Publisher: Pocket Books