Customer Reviews

The Damned (Vampire Huntress Legend)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Damali and Carlos are back in L.A. Bank's Vampire Huntress Series, "The Damned." In this sixth installment, Damali and Carlos are cooling off from the major fight in Philiadelphia (Philly) with the Chairman's step-mother, Lilith, where they experienced their new power as Neteru soulmates. However, the fire has burned out and they find themselves in the Arizona desert, out of sync. Damali senses something is not right with Carlos as he is pulling away and Carlos longs for the power that he had on the darkside as a master vampire. No matter how they try to communicate, it all gets messed up in translation. To make matters worse, when they disposed of Lilith in Philly, there were some portals to Hell left unsealed and the damned souls began to emerge topside, infecting humans with darkness and calling on a premature Armageddon. Adding salt to the wound the team becomes infected, affecting all rational thought and unity, and begs the question; will they be able to save the world this time?

Ms. Banks' ability to take her readers through every emotion--sorrow, joy, eroticism, and wrath-- is overwhelming. Vivid pictures are painted, allowing the reader to experience a world unlike their own, yet strangely familiar. Her portrayal of Carlos' struggle with the light and darkness within him, is one that everyone can relate to, and ironically brings to mind a biblical scripture, Romans 7:15 "For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that I do." His spiritual struggle sits at everyone's feet no matter what religious persuasion.

My only complaint is that Ms. Banks gives information that does not directly deal with the story being told. I suspect, because it is a series, she makes references to past books to bring parts of the story into context or she may be foreshadowing for what is to come. Whatever the reason, this reader found it a bit disconcerting because once it was introduced I wanted more details.

Ms Banks has me completely hooked with her Vampire Huntress series and there is no turning back. I am in it until the end and The Damned only brings out the "blood lust" or rather I should say "book lust" for the next installment.


Kotanya
APOOO BookClub

The Damned effortlessly picks up where The Forbidden left off chronicling the lives of the Neterus and the Guardians fight for good. Evil has stepped up the battle and the Light has some work to do. The drama, action, suspense, and love is all there. Tempers and libidos flare throughout the novel causing the reader to wonder what's going to happen next. The Damned kept my attention and I feel bereft while waiting for The Forsaken to be released in July.

The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is that its pacing felt a little choppy to me. That could have been because I just started this series and have read the entire thing over the last couple of weeks. "The Bitten" is my favorite, so far. I thought the part in "The Damned" where the team was coming apart went on a little too long, or maybe a little too much going over the same ground? I absolutely loved the catch-22 Carlos found himself in. Fighting one's internal darkness is one of the oldest stories in the world, particularly in this kind of fiction, but Banks does so much better a job of showing us the conflict. Carlos has been in trouble since the first page of the last book; any time the Light puts someone through a spiritual high, the other side gets a chance to strike back. I love the fact that Banks shows this, and that she shows that redemption isn't a one-time process--it's ongoing, and it's hard, and it's worthwhile in the end. Carlos isn't the only one in the group to be in a catch-22; his is just the most obvious battle between the Light and Dark. SPOILER: My one regret is losing the Chairman. What a wonderful villian. On the whole, I'm delighted to have found such a well-told series with such fun characters. Looking forward to "The Forsaken."

This book is on point! If you didn't know about L.A. Banks, then it's about time you knew. L.A. did the her thing with this book. It picks up where The Forbidden left off with the Guardian Team settling down in Arizona for a spell. Carlos, being the city slicker that he is, isn't very happy and is literally going out of his mind because of the living arrangements. However, when Carlos is sent on a mission to hell, he does something that makes weird things start happening to him.

You'll have to read the book to see how his actions affect the team and to see the fates of the Chairman and Lillith. All I know is that I couldn't put this book down once I started reading it.

Well the Queen has done it again! I was NOT disappointed with this 6th installment of the Vampire Huntress Legend series. L.A. Banks has continued to add depth, intrigue and most assuredly DRAMA to her characters and storyline. I feel like I know each and every character intimately. This time around, the reader is lead on a more emotional, soul searching journey than in "The Forbidden" (the 5th book), and while I was wringing my hands w/ emotional frustration I was loving every bit of it. As always Banks has masterfully incorporated; history, culture, diversity, politics, world events, religion, and the supernatural into a FANTASTIC story. This is definitely a MUST read and a valuable addition to any library.

P.S. The illustrated poster by Eric Battle which is enclosed in the back of the book in the first printing is HOT, OFF DA HOOK, COOL, ETC.!

If you have enjoyed any of the Vampire Huntress Series then you will LOVE this one. It is officially my favorite.

More tense than the Awakening, sexier than the Bitten and even more exciting than the Forbidden! I was done in less than two days!!! I'm telling you, this book will make you jump up out your seat and say, "WTF!?!" "DAYUM!!" "WHA'D SHE SAY!?!" I laughed, I cried, and was ready to fight reading this book.

Banks is a master mind of intrigue and suspense, romance and paranormal, drama and excitement... girl friend got it GOIN ON in this book. And if you didn't get the promotional pull out poster of Damali and Carlos.... DAMNED! you missed out!

I just finished "The Damned "and it was most definitly worth the wait. Carlos & Damali are the ultimate soulmates....
I also would like to say to Ms. Banks much love to ya lady, it was pleasure to meet you at the booksigning on 1-31-06.
I would like to comment for those who couldn't get into the book,...THIS SERIES IS NOT FOR YOU !!!
I also would like to add my 75 cent opinion, first off ..living
in the type of world that man has so cruely defiled.I for one am absolutly grateful that Ms. Banks brought philosophy, religion and history to this VHL series particularly 'The Damned'.
I'm most certain all of Ms. Banks fans would agree..( smile )
Everyone is entitled to free speech, COME ON PEOPLE!!! we could never ever get enough of history and religion wouldn't you say?
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER !! no matter how we get it, be it fictional
books, movies , word of mouth etc...

Keep Up The Good Work Leslie Banks looking forward to reading
'The Forsaken'..

This sixth episode of the Vampire Huntress Series, THE DAMNED, will test the resolve, of everyone involved. The Vampire Chairman abdicated the throne, Lilith, the consort to the Un-named one, did not give birth to a day walker or capture the Chairman's throne. The seat is now vacant and everything in the levels of Hell is in a state of cataclysm.

Topside: Damali, the female Neteru, Carlos, the male Neteru, and the Guardian team left Philadelphia feeling like battle weary veterans. They have retreated to the sacred Navajo desert of Arizona to regenerate. From all appearances, things are almost normal, but in actuality all Hell has broken loose. The team has been infiltrated, new recruits have been added, and the trust level is circumspect. Mentally everyone is on overload; the group is not tight.

There is a peculiar aura; Damali and Carlos have not been able to 'mind-lock', both are dealing with bouts of jealousy, Damali's Neteru tattoo has been dormant, and the sliver glint in Carlos' eyes is nonexistent. Carlos is fluxing between his desire for his former life as a master level vampire, and his destiny to the Light. Damali has decided she needs a place of her own; she is not feeling Carlos. The intimacy issues with the team are mind-boggling; everyone is playing musical partners. It seems that the team, especially Damali and Carlos, exist in a surreal state; at best they are sharing a platonic dishonesty.

The problem: The portals of Hell have been left open and demon food, the damned, are walking the earth, infecting anyone who makes contact. In thirty days the population of the world will be infected and destroyed or worse.
The solution: Find and destroy Lilith, behead the Vampire Chairman, and retrieve The Book of the Damned; someone must go to the seventh realm of Hell. Carlos is the one person with the familiarity and power to make the trip. But can the male Neteru go undetected in Hell? Will his fluxing interfere with his effectiveness? Is his ego undermining the mission? There are more questions than answers. To find a solution the team must leave the sacred grounds of Arizona.

From the Blessed Covenant to the newest members on the team THE DAMNED is truly a test of faith. If you favor any one of the other diverse members of this multicultural team, you will love the intimate attention Banks gives each of them. Banks again takes readers into a cliff hanging, nail biting battle of cogent versus pernicious. I do caution you to stabilize your mental faculties, and guard your jugular, someone has to be sacrificed. THE DAMNED is intense, climatic, unbelievable, and scorching hot! Kudos to L. A. Banks for keeping this series fresh, heterogeneous, erotic, and still tasting of spiritualism.

Reviewed by aNN
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

Family members meet beloved dead mothers who should have been in heaven, but instead were liberated from hell to bring terror to humanity; one touch is all it takes to change a sane person into a raving lunatic or if they are fortunate death. All hell is breaking loose complements of Lilith, the Unamed One's consort. She has freed the minions from the layers of hell as a preliminary skirmish in the inevitable war.

Even the Neteru-Guardian team has felt the impact with members lost due to the touch of a living dead loved one. Lovers Damali and Carlos interrupt their interlude to stop Lilith and to obtain the key reference The Book of the Damned before all is lost. However to prevent Lilith from furthering her diabolical scheme they must cut off her head; a task that is not just daunting, it is impossible. Failure meets pandemic infection of humans with the hell spawned madness.

The sixth Vampire Huntress Legend tale is an action-packed thriller that grips the audience from the start when the daughter asks her mom why she is not in heaven with a response that only THE DAMNED could provide and never slows down until the final confrontation at the gates of hell. The mother-daughter relationship sets the tone of the tale. Carlos is heroic as he knows what must be done but though expecting to fail courageously sets out to do the job. Surprisingly the usually confident Damali spends a lot time doubting her relationship with her lover and the mission. However, Lilith is the fascinating one in a macabre sense as she liberates the minion to attack living loved ones. This is one series readers can bank on as being powerful and fun.

Harriet Klausner

First I must say that I am enjoying the series overrall. I just wish there were more pages of action than romance. I find myself skipping the romance/sex scene because they are uninteresting and redundant. They don't add to or advance the story line. We already know that Damali and Carlos are soul mates, etc. The author spends so much time on the uninteresting, long, drawn out love scenes that by the time the action occurs, it is almost anti-climatic.