Customer Reviews

Damien

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Damien is the Vampire Prince. He has lived for centuries. As is the nature of the vampire, Damien's life revolves around pleasure, selfishness and the hunt. He takes his position as Prince very seriously though, guarding his people ferociously. Syreena is a lycanthrope but one like no other. She has unique abilities and can change into several forms. She is revered by her Pride and even feared, for no one truly knows the extent of her abilities. Syreena's sister Sienna is the queen of the lycanthropes. Sienna has asked Syreena to guard the newly discovered library that contains hundreds of tomes pertaining to various Nightwalkers races. The library must be guarded fiercely against those who wish to use the information in those tomes to destroy the Nightwalkers. While on guard Syreena is kidnapped and brutalized by a traitorous Demon hell-bent on destroying the Nightwalkers. Damien saves Syreena but in the process they are both severely injured. Their closeness, born of necessity, creates something more, something irrevocable and impossible. The joining of two Nightwalker races is forbidden, although it has been done successfully in the past. Lycanthropes and vampires are least likely to be accepting of such a joining therefore, foes from all sides surround Damien and Syreena. One enemy in particular seethes with hatred for the Nightwalkers and relentlessly seeks to destroy them. This villain will stop at nothing and exploit any vulnerability to obtain the power it seeks. The most profound and joyous time of their lives is laced with danger and death as Damien and Syreena are thrown into a fight for their survival.

Jacquelyn Frank weaves an intricately detailed and amazing story with Damien. Both lonely and alone, Damien and Syreena come together in a fiery display of love and passion. The longing before their joining and the intensity and rightness of their love is breathtaking. Syreena is charming. She has an almost childlike innocence but at the same time she has the sensuality of a woman and the aggressiveness of a born fighter. Damien is handsome, regal, and imposing. He oozes sensuality. Treachery, suspense, and eroticism fill the pages of Damien. The complexity of its storyline is matched by its brazen sensuality and edge-of-your-seat suspense. Each Nightwalker book has captivated me with a new set of lovers who face a new set of challenges. Damien is no exception. It is a fantastic story!

Nannette
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

We have had glimpses of mysterious and powerful vampire Prince Damien in previous Nightwalker books. This time it is Damien's turn to break eons old vampire taboos as he finds himself captivated by Lycanthrope Princess Syreena and they fall prey to the irresistible pull between Nightwalker mates even as further pieces of the prophecy come into play. When Syreena is captured by the powerful/insane demoness Ruth, who continues her quest for power and vengeance, Damien comes to the rescue. Damien defies fundamental vampire beliefs to bite a bleeding out and dying Syreena so that he can administer a second bite with a coagulating agent to seal her wounds. Accepting that the forbidden taste of Nightwalker blood may mean his own death, Damien instead undergoes a transformation leading to some profound personal changes in Damien. It is an emotional awakening for Damien which also wins him cool new powers and some insights into the love that vampires are supposed to be incapable of feeling. But while the initial stages of Damiens's courtship are easy since Syreena too feels the draw that seems to make their joining inevitable, the decision for Syreena is a difficult one -- as a royal lycanthrope any physical joining forms a permanent soul-connection and given what she knows of vamps Syreena has to trust in Damien staying committed for their potentially eternal lifetimes when vamps are not known to form long term attachments.

I loved the first third of the book. Author Jacquelyn Frank did a great job of creating a vampire race with a very different feel - capricious, self-interested, seeking pleasure or anything to keep them from a boredom which can become so severe that the vamps drift off and hibernate for a hundred years. And I really loved Vampire Prince Damien. The way Damien was portrayed gave him the feel of an ancient being who had the benefit of centuries worth of knowledge and experiences and who, in having survived so much, had somehow cultivated coping skills for keeping himself entertained in a vampire detached way so that he no longer succumbs to the debilitating vampire boredom. But of course when he crosses paths with Syreena, boredom is no longer an issue. I also loved the courtship between Damien and Syreena, which starts out to be so natural and intriguing to Damien, but ends up bringing him a soul deep torment when it appears that Syreena may deny what is between them.

The middle third of the book was interesting from a series point of view with revelations and politics to set a direction in the overall series plot though it was quite `talky' and Frank's conversions are a bit stilted compared to the rest of her lovely prose and well done character inner dialog. But the book's last third which was... heck I really don't know what that was. I guess it was somewhat a shift in the focus to a more secondary character vampiress Jasmine, Damien's 'second' and longtime platonic companion. Other than some jealous power plays creating a situation that gave Syreena a chance for some payback, this shift really moved Damien and Syreena out of the spotlight. Since Damien is first most a romance, ending the book with a prophecy for Jasmine and making our last glimpses of Syreena and Damien at a distance through the eyes of a detached and less than sympathetic Jasmine left the ending a bit flat. So while I loved beginning, and thought the middle was pretty good, the ending is what sticks with you and in this case the ending was only just okay and left me disconnected from the characters so that it dropped my rating down a whole notch. Still I enjoy the series (Jacob and Elijah were my favorites), and with the introduction of a new Nightwalker race, a bigger role for the reclusive Mistrals and the hints for Jasmine's future it looks likely that that Frank has plans for more books beyond the upcoming Noah (Nightwalkers, Book 5).

The Nightwalkers series by Jacquelyn Frank is interesting in its variety of 'things that go bump in the night', the nightwalkers. These include Demons (not evil demons but creatures that have affinity with wind, fire or mind), lycanthropes, shadowdwellers and vampires. 'Damien', the fourth in the series, features the Prince of the Vampires, someone who has walked rather by himself over the last 900-odd years but who finds himself working with the other Nightwalkers against the ex-demon Ruth who has appeared in the previous books.

When Damien rescues Syreena from Ruth he finds himself instantly drawn to her and they begin to explore if they have any future together. Vampire Lore believes that relationships with other nightwalkers is utterly taboo, Damien has his position as Prince of the Vampires to consider, along with the feelings of his lieutenant, Jasmine. However when some writings in the Library of Nightwalker books are studied it seems like there might be something significant to learn about relationships between Vampires and Lycanthropes. Can Damien and Syreena truly find happiness together? What changes might happen to each of them as they spend time together? How can Ruth's growing powers be countered?

This book felt rather like a repeat of all the others. Although initially Damien was portrayed as a rather traditional Vampire - cool, world-weary, etc - he soon morphed into the traditional male character that has appeared in all the previous books. Syreena, too, wasn't entirely convincing as a character. Even the plot elements were rehashed from previous books, including a rescue scene where two beings end up breaking a long-held taboo because of their feelings. The concept of the taboo between Vampires and Lycanthropes was pretty much the same as in the previous book, Elijah, when Siena (Syreena's sister) and Elijah (a demon) had to face this, and in this book it didn't particularly feel resolved. The fight against Ruth was also disappointing as it didn't move on particularly and was a minor part of the story anyway. The focus on Jasmine for significant chunks of plot was slightly puzzling, unless she's to get a book of her own in future, and the jumping about of point of view between Syreena and Damien in some chapter sections was confusing at times.

Those who enjoy this series will like this book as it is so similar to the others. Jacquelyn Frank's writing style is good and, despite the fact that little actually goes on, the book doesn't ever really drag. However the similarity with previous books and the lack of underlying plot and consistent characterisation mean that this story, for this reader at least, was rather disappointing.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2008

I loved "Jacob." That book goes into my all time favorite books collection--and gratitude for this author for that production is the only justification to why I didn't give "Damien" 1 star instead of 2.

While I can't claim that I have been strikingly impressed by Frank's Nightwalker books post "Jacob," I have always at least finished them and deemed them "ok." This time, however, I struggled really hard reading this book. While the underlying principle of the story between Syreena and Damien was interesting, roughly 90% of the book consisted of the author conveying boring explanations for theories, instead of actual communication between the characters.

The beginning physical chemistry was intense; Frank succeeded in at least that aspect; but the build-up of falling in love or the strong draw of the bonding through tangible character interaction and trackable growth (instead of drawn-out excessive descriptions) was terribly lacking and vastly unbelievable.

It was like reading about your first kiss from a third party. Instead of feeling rampant emotion-- nervousness and excitement; you are instead informed in monotone vocals why exactly your head tilted 30 degrees to the left in unending technical detail from adjective central.

Damien and Syreena were both portrayed drastically different from how they've been introduced in previous books-- which is expected when the mating/bonding/imprinting/(whatever) principle occurs and would have been fine if there was a build up through INTERACTION and actual SPOKEN dialogue leading to these sudden life-altering, personality-excavating, Ah hah! moments.

I do understand that this was her first Nightwalker book with a Vampire as leading man which would undoubtedly require some background history and outlets for new information for his particular race and new characters-- but the excess in unvoiced intuitions/lightbulb moments/theories/one-sided enlightenments made the building of the characters and drastic changes in their countenances towards each other and outlooks on their lives unrealistic.

I don't understand why the beginning was dedicated to Damien's time with Queen Elizabeth; it was a waste of paper that was hardly referred to later, and made for a slow entrance into the storyline--while the interaction with Ruth was anticlimactic and disappointing. As for Jasmine, I may have given this book 3 stars had Frank let Syreena sock her one good time. She deserved it.

Sidenote, I almost threw the book across the room in annoyance with the monotonous references of the main characters as "The Princess" or "The Prince" instead of by their own name or pronoun-- it was irritating and made the characters even more impersonal to me, and to each other. We already get that she's a princess and he's a prince, I don't need it bulldozed into my brain every other paragraph through the entire 300+ page book. It gets rather old and more than a little vexing.

I've been repetitive in this review simply because I cannot reiterate enough how frustrated I was by the lackluster writing-- especially when I know this author is capable of such wonders as "Jacob."

Again, interesting principle wasted by inadequate deliverance of actual story.

Damien follows the story of three people Damien the vampire prince, Jasmine his longest living companion, and Syreena the lycanthrope princess with an odd genetic makeup.

Ruth kidnaps Syreena outside the new Nightwalkers Library. Damien follows her and ultimately falls for her. This is the basic premise of the novel. On the side Damien is having `feelings of love' something no vampire has felt. Syreena's genes are shifting again and Ruth is becoming more ruthless then before, and the new Library exposes secrets that threaten to bring the entire shifter community to its knees.

Most people I've noticed did not like the incorporation of Jasmine in this novel she seemed to receive a lot of attention that many felt should have been focused on the two lovers. I didn't mind so much, though this book is a lot like Lover Enshrined where it deals with multiple main characters masquerading as secondary characters. The novel was not as tight as Jacob or Elijah, but was much more interesting than Gideon. We see Ruth not as a crazy insane person, but an evil detailed genius that can crush her enemies. Talk about scary.

I have tried repeatedly to enjoy the world of the Nightwalkers and every time, I scratch my head and go "huh?" Perhaps I am missing something but every one of Frank's books are so long winded and go on and on without any major action. I also think part of my problem is the long paragraphs that don't really make sense and the sex is pretty ho hum.

Damien is the prince of all vampires and his story involves Syreena, sister and princess to the queen of the Lycanthropes. There is a magical sort of library that has all the secrets and history of the Nightwalkers which includes all creatures such as Vampires, Lycanthropes and Demons. Syreena is there to guard this library and Damian goes to read some books. Out pops an evil demon skank who attacks Syreena and Damien rescues her. All this rescuing makes them both horny for each other and they figure out they are each other's mates even though it is not possible for a Vampire and Lycanthrope to be together. But for some reason it worked for Syreena's sister and her consort who is an important Demon. Damien and Syreena think a lot while trying to deny each other. Plus there are some rogue vampires around intent on causing mayhem along with the demon skank who won't go away and realize she has no chance in wining.

It is really hard to explain in so many words that Damien doesn't really have much going on. Yes, there are some fight scenes and a love story, but this was so slow moving and blah, that I really didn't care if Damien and Syreena would go off and have a few Vampthropes... or would that be Lycanpires?

Katiebabs

I wish I could evaluate Damien on two levels -- on its portion of the series' overarching storyline, and on its secondary romantic conflict. The first part of the book is stellar -- I love the way Frank picks up the threads left behind in past books of the series and weaves them effortlessly into each new story. It's masterful, and one of the most successful executions of multi-book plot development of any urban fantasy series I've read. In Damien, we're introduced to a new race of Nightwalker, and unravel new layers of politics, protocol and culture with each page of the book. I loved this addition to Frank's world, and applaud the way the author always manages to keep things fresh and interesting, even four books into a series.

That said, I was much less enthusiastic about Damien himself, and his romantic partner, Syreena. Although I liked Damien's backstory and his relationships with his compatriots and friends, I couldn't get into him as a romantic lead. Syreena was equally puzzling to me -- I just didn't like her much. Her history didn't appeal to me, and I didn't feel a connection with her as an individual, or as part of the book's spotlight couple.

I liked learning more about the Mistrals -- very cool addition to the story and the Nightwalker community -- and learning more about the new babies' roles in the future of the Nightwalker prophecies. Unfortunately, this is not a book I'll reread on its own merit. The canon pairing just wasn't that strong, in my opinion. I am, however, very much looking forward to reading Noah.

I confess that I had a "thing" for Elijah and did not think the "yum" factor could ever be equaled. I was wrong. Damien and Syreena are a couple that keeps you turning the pages. Jacki Frank does an incredible job of world making and moving the Nightwalkers' story along while writing a wonderful and excitng love story. I appreciate her style and the intelligence she brings to her characters and story line. I cannot overstate my joy that she keeps the actions and personalities of the characters consistent from book to book, but expands the back story and introduces new characters and brings in all the previous characters without doing it at the expense of the current protagonists.

As long as she continues this, I will buy her books. She is also very connected to her readers and, unlike some authors who have become legends in their own minds, actually responds in person when you write to her.

Can't wait for the next one!

What I really like about Jacquelyn Frank's Nightwalker series is that it was a bit of a break from all my vamps and werewolves. It was refreshing to read a well-written series about demons -- so I was wondering how she was going to tackle this book...I have to say, not as well as it could have been.

The problem with writing this book about Damien, Prince of the Vampires, is that there are so many other books out there in this genre that really do vampires better justice that this one seemed a little lackluster and boring.

While I appreciated the continuing plot between all of the nightwalker species, and the battle with Ruth growing bigger, and a few references and mentions to past nightwalker characters whom I love -- the bottom line was, that is wasn't a juicy page turner like the previous titles, but one that probably needed to be written because he was such an interesting character in the other novels.

While I could have taken or left this one, it still hasn't swayed me from the entire series, and I look forward to reading the next one on Noah. I predict a better outcome for that one.

*Bottom Line -- read this to stay current with the rest of the series.

Another well written story in the continuing saga of the The Night Walkers, written by Jacquelyn Frank. This was book #4-Damien, and was just as interesting, and hard to put down, as the first 3 books of the series were. I look forward to the next release in this series, and can barely wait.