Review: It's so dark, it's delicious
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 26, 2011
Drake of Tanith reviewInside us all is a power struggle. Most of us have a hidden sadist, and it is that paradox which corrupts the powerful.I read The Chosen Soul, and it left me craving a climax between Drake and Raven. The ending of The Chosen Soul was so disturbing, sinister, and heart wrenching, it pretty much guaranteed I *needed* to read the sequel.Heather's timing was serendipitous as I'd just received an ipad and finally had some free time to myself to wallow in some romantic waters with a new book.Opening this book was a fight. I did - and I didn't - want to. I was desperate to read it, but also knew it is just one more step on their journey, I knew it would sate and parch in equal measure. The sadist known as Heather Killough-Walden would offer a drink which you would swallow greedily, but the promise of more thirst at the end of it was a given. I knew this... but the temptation was too dark... too richly beckoning... I gave in - and shut out the world to be alone with my favorite devils.I have a weakness for Drake, and it was wonderful being back in his company. His broody silences and magnetic charisma makes you want to trip him (or pinch him) just to see his reaction. He's the type of character you wish you could goad. You want to press his buttons. Raven does a fair enough job of it... but this story isn't about Raven. Raven is the stitching holding the edges sewn together, but Drake of Tanith was so much better than the first book. Politics, so dark and treacherous, is running the gauntlet, and despite myself I honestly came to like the Elf prince this time around.I know he's a B***** but in this book he got my vote. He is so much more then his reputation, so much more than his actions... and desperation has dire results. This is something I love about HKW's writing, she weaves life lessons into the most fantastical scenarios. A part of you understands his actions, and you feel for him, but the repercussions change the playing field for everyone. The consequences are catastrophic.The pace in this book is fabulous. You don't want to stop reading, not for anyone or anything. Your heart feels like it's on the line. Miscommunication and words left unsaid are enough to push your pulse into sharp spikes of frustration as the characters constantly dance in shadows without substance.It's compelling, emotive, and you are so saturated into this world you are a part of it for the duration of this read. You are breathing in hellfire, fear sinking its fangs into your skin, and you are desperate for the outcome, to see *will they - won't they* - and if so - who are the final *they*.This particular story-line promises of darkness to come. The sinister is hovering like a mist ready to swallow the land. And you are so hungry for it by the end. You can't wait to see the cracking of the firmament when love dictates the rules. When love is on the line, nothing else matters. Nothing. Raven is so unique, the bachelor kings won't care about their realms, but quite frankly if I had a crystal ball, I'd say a king is beneath her status, she'll end up with a god.This battle is epic, its pulsating, growing like an energy needing to earth, and when it does it's going to come down with such a loud bang the planet will be deaf for eternity. That's the alluring promise at the end of this read, the next book will leave us broken and gasping.Drake is the perfect resistant hero. A hero doesn't choose his path, his path chooses him. Raven's acceptance of her own nature was welcome. I enjoyed reading that part of her transformation. The cameo figures I still find a touch frustrating, just because they're so self-righteous. (And I'm hoping the humble meal is delivered to certain doors in the sequel.)But mostly, this read was breathtaking, alarming, a thriller and a mystery which I devoured as fast as I had free time. If you love the fey, the mysterious, the sinister and the dangerous, if betrayal is your forte and you enjoy being intoxicated by supernatural temptation, then you will not be able to look away from this novel until the last words have been devoured.In this novel Drake will steal your soul and run off with it. (How apt).Dark romance, fraught with danger, an odd love quadrangle, a bid for supremacy and a tugging of heart strings in many directions, all played out in the most incredible *otherworldly realms* - makes Drake of Tanith an incredible read from beginning to end. Without hesitation this is a five out of five star read. Add to that the depth of truth hidden in the worlds of Abaddon, the hidden inside the hidden, this author hits the target with a perfect flaming arrow in the bulls-eye heart yet again.I dare you to read this book, because it will suck you into your own paradox, and by the end of it you will be wishing you could walk through Hell just to see this *being* for yourself. You will also recognize the strength it takes to be unique, to be alone, and in that moment to learn your own strength. This author manages to lift a mirror in every book, forcing you to see beyond illusion, into illusion, to find - truth.The Chosen Soul