Review: Solid beginning
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 21, 2013
Darkness Awakened is the first novel in the Order of the Blade series. Quinn and Grace are on a collision course with fate, as Grace is Quinn's sheva, or soul mate. Doesn't that sound nice? Yeah, the problem is, Calydons (Quinn's race) are destined to go bat crap crazy when they complete the bonding ritual with their sheva, who then kills the Calydon. So for the last 5 centuries or so, Quinn's major mission in life has been the killing of said shevas, to preserve the warriors. In a completely hypocritical move, Quinn vows death and destruction to anyone who harms Grace.One of Quinn's team mates turns on him, and he is desperate to find out what is going on. Grace's sister is missing, and is accused of causing the deaths of several Calydon warriors. Grace seeks out Quinn to help her find her sister, and they realize their missions are entwined.There is a lot of necessary world building in the first half of the book, and it drags a bit at times. Once the stage is set, though, hold on because the ride gets very bumpy and frenetic. Very bad Calydons, one of the original Calydons escaping his 2000 year old prison, dead team mates who may or may not be gone forever...Lots of interesting stuff going on, but presented well, without giving this reader topic whiplash.What worked for me - Quinn - Oh, I loved Quinn. So stoic, so alone for so long, with only his "brothers" for company. Going through his long life killing former friends who have the misfortune to meet their sheva, and/or the shevas. Grace was like his miracle, and I felt his longing for her so keenly. There is a point where he kind of loses his composure, and lets Grace comfort him. Oh, it brought tears to my eyes.Grace - Grace is a badass. Not because she has mad skills, or is fearless. Far from it. She is often afraid, but she does what she has to, anyway.  She is determined to find her sister. Grace also does not want to be marked for death as Quinn's sheva. Both Grace and Quinn try to fight the bonds, but fate has a way of stepping in to achieve its goals.The Order - Quinn's team mates. Can't wait to hear their stories.What didn't work so well - Continuity. First, we hear Quinn doesn't believe the sheva bond really causes the Calydons to go rogue.He thinks the warriors should be given a chance to come back from their rogue like state. Then we hear from one of the Order members that Quinn has killed more shevas than anyone else. Maybe he was acting on orders, I don't know, but it was a little jarring.I have read 2 other Stephanie Rowe series, so I jumped on this when I saw it as a Kindle Freebie. While the Order is not as laugh out loud funny as the Immortally Sexy series, there were some comedic relief scenes here and there. All in all, the writing is solid, the story is very fast paced and all of the various plot lines are handled well. I will be reading the rest of the series.Bottom line - Time well spent.