Fans of the Immortals After Dark series waited (mostly) patiently five years for the story of Thronos and Melanthe. Dark Skye was more than worth the wait and, to me, not only makes the podium but wins a big shiny gold medal for best book in the series...so far.
Disappointment over Dark Skye? Inconceivable. At this rate I'm wondering when we'll start seeing Kresley Cole's face on Wheaties Cereal boxes. Breakfast of Champions.
Five hundred years ago Lanthe and Thronos met by accident as children. While Thronos is a Vrekener, a winged, behorned creature, Melanthe belongs to the Sept of Sorceri - an enemy to the Vrekeners. When Thronos sensed she would one day become his mate none of that mattered and they became the best of friends. Until one terrible night destroyed both their families and made them sworn eternal enemies. Now as Lanthe and Thronos flee the island where thousands of immortal Lore creatures were imprisoned they will finally face each other...and their own mistakes and misconceptions.
This book has basically all my favorite romance tropes: childhood friends, enemies-to-lovers, a virgin hero (yeah not a trope but VIRGIN HERO). `Nuff said. Lanthe and Thronos had sizzling chemistry but what makes it my favorite romance of the series is the trust and friendship they share. It isn't easy getting there but the journey is incredible. In many ways Dark Skye is about journeys. There is oodles of relationship development, giving it a very character-driven feel...but what makes it even better is that it's actually a wild adventure from the very first page to the very last. The steady character development and fast paced storyline was totally seamless. This is storytelling at its finest, folks. I would faithfully await an interminable number of years between releases for books like this.
In no particular order here's a few more things that make me altogether adore Dark Skye:
1. Melanthe: She's ousted her sister Sabine from her place as my favorite heroine in the series. It was a serious catfight - we all know how Sabine hates sharing the spotlight. Melanthe is unapologetic about the way she lives her life and 100 percent comfortable with herself. She's smart and brave but flawed in very real ways. I just loved her attitude and really connected with her character.
2. Thronos: I like reading alpha males but they can be infuriatingly unbending. Although he got off to a rough start I admired his willingness to change and look at the world in ways that challenge everything he thought was true. He's big, sexy, a little complicated...and completed devoted to Melanthe. The virgitude didn't hurt either. He's earned a place in my highly exclusive harem of book boyfriends. And his honesty? So. Damn. Refreshing.
3) Worldbuilding: Dark Skye takes readers to all new settings in the Lore, allowing no time to miss the old ones. KC has already created a sprawling world of many immortal paranormal creatures in the Lore. From a kingdom floating in the sky to a clash of opposing cultures this book enriches that world with each new scene.
4) Series Direction: My biggest complaint for the IAD is that it seems to lack some overall direction. Every 500 years the Accession, a mystical checks and balances, forces immortals to war and kill each other off. It's basically population control. Dark Skye has inched that progress forward a bit, given readers some clues about characters and events. While more progression is preferable after a few somewhat static books every other component of Dark Skye was spot on for me, and at this point I'm nitpicking. Besides I don't think I'll mind if this series goes on forever.
5) Old Friends: There were a few guests appearances, including a shoutout to Lothaire, the Enemy of Old (who is as mad as every, BTW). Throw in a couple of Sorceri, a few demons and a Valkyrie or three and Dark Skye is seriously mixing it up. But what about everyone's favorite, the one and only predeterminationally-abled Nix the Ever Knowing? She's back and more confusing - and hilarious - than ever.
And since I know you're a cheeky little monkey and just want to know how steamy this book really is: it's smoking hot. Oh, is it steamy.
The Immortals After Dark series has every element that makes for excellent paranormal romance, and it has it in droves. It's also utterly unmatched in sexiness. Dark Skye was everything I couldn't conceive to hope it would be. The love story, the comedy (KC has a crackling sense of humor), the edge-of-your seat excitement...it's one of those books that makes me feel the need to write a handwritten thank-you to the author.
Also. Virgin hero.
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Top reviews from other countries
Rain
Stop whatever you are doing and read this incredible series!!!
Reviewed in Canada on August 26, 2014
ciobotaru arabela violeta
big anticipation .......
Reviewed in Italy on June 29, 2015