Customer Reviews

Dark Symphony (Walmart Edition)

5 star:		(56)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(22)

 

 

I received this book yesterday in the mail and stayed up late last night finishing this book. It was wonderful. Ms. Feehan has again pushed into new territory with her "Dark" series. This is definately not your same hunter/vampire conflict.

In this book we meet Byron Justicano, a lonely Carpathian gem-caller who has cut himself off from his best friend Jaques (hero of Dark Desire). Byron was captured by humans and used as bait to try to destroy his people's prince, nearly succeeding in killing Prince Mikhal's life mate, Raven. Since that time, he has isolated himself from all Carpathians and gone against his natural artistic nature to become a hunter. His nights are spent in a desolate wilderness struggling against the temptation of turning vampire when he suddenly hears the music.

He tracks the music to it's creator and finds Antonietta Scarletti, a brilliant blind concert pianist and descendant of the hero/heroine of The Scarletti Curse. He knows as soon as he hears her speak that she is his life mate and he will never be lonely again.

Byron saves her grandfather from a car "accident" and becomes a familiar visitor at the palazzo where there are undercurrents of an ancient mysterious evil. Antonietta's family resent and fear Byron, but because Antonietta is the center of the Scarletti family try only subtly to discourage their association.

When Antonietta and her grandfather are drugged and dragged off to be murdered, Byron sees that he has to take the relationship deeper, quicker to protect his lifemate.

The refreshing change to this book, is that Byron has learned the hard way to be patient. So many other Carpathian Alpha males rush in and overwhelm their lifemates. Byron gently woos Antonietta even though his nature is screaming for him to take and possess her. Even up to the last critical moment, Byron allows Antonietta the final choice to convert and join him.

As they work together to solve murder attempts to different family members, we see them forging a strong bond of the heart, not just of the compulsion of the mating of lifemates.

Ms. Feehan mixes romance, redemption and suspence in a completely different way and the result is a fascinating journey of two people truly finding their heartmate and conquering many obstacles that they, themselves have constructed.

If you have never read one of Ms. Feehan's novels, this is one to try. If you've read her work and been put off by the dominant Carpathian male, read this one and see a gentle, protective side of the powerful species. Byron will completely change your attitude and thinking about Carpathians. He is just as strong as any other Carpathian hero, but he has a sensitive, artistic nature, rather than the brutal by necessity nature of the hunters. You will absolutely love him!

There is humor thrown in when you meet Byron's sister and her adopted teenager, Josef. Josef is Carpathian too, but very young. As a mother of a teen myself, I could identify totally with Byron's exasperation with Josef's Goth look, baggy pants and interest in rap. The song Josef composes for Prince Mikhal is a hoot!

Byron's story is a totally new twist in the Carpathian legacy, introducing some provocative new pathways for the struggling Capathian society and I can't wait for the next book to see where Ms. Feehan will go with this captivating series!

I'm a fan of the Dark series. However, some of the last few books have been a bit disappointing primarily because they were leading me to conclude that Ms. Feehan is a good but not great writer since every male Carpatian started to sound like the others (or a recycled version of other male leads) and every subsequent book in the series devoted about 20% repeating the same things "He is a Carpathian, and therefore . . . " over and over. Having just finished Dark Symphony, my mind has changed. I won't go into the details of the plot, as other reviewers here have already done so. I will note a few things. First, Ms. Feehan's latest has a tighter writing style than before. Also, she introduces new readers re Carpathians & background of other stories in a much more subtle manner, and she avoides needlessly repeating the same thing (about Carpathians) over and over. And I really like the fact that the female lead here is more experienced (sexually) than the female leads in the previous stories -- it gets old reading about virgin females having wonderous first experiences with super experienced males. Antonietta & Byron had a sweet courtship -- they actually spent time together talking, enjoying music, etc. before the story begins, so you really get a sense of romance developing among this set of life mates. Finally, I loved the introduction of the Jaguar race. It brought an added dimention to the Carpathian stories and some explanation as to why "human" psychics have been able to mate with Carpathian males. I look forward to Ms. Feehan's next book in the Dark series.

For years, Carpathian Byron Justicano has lived a self-imposed exile from his homeland. Traveling the world to hunt those of his people who have given in to darkness, Byron exists in a world of gray until the day he hears the music. Drawn by the haunting notes playing in his head, Byron comes to Italy to meet the music's composer and finds the woman destined to be his lifemate.

Heiress to the wealth and secrets of the influential Scarletti dynasty, Antonietta has also had her share of tragedy. Blinded as a child in the same terrible accident that killed her parents, Antonietta has devoted her life to her music and her family. Now an evil force is stalking the Scarlettis and Antonietta finds herself turning to the mysterious Byron Justicano to help protect her family.

Impatient to claim his lifemate but afraid to reveal his true nature too soon in case it drives her away, Byron soon discovers that the Scarlettis are no ordinary family. As Antonietta and Byron race to discover the truth behind the attacks, the secrets of the Scarletti family come to light and with it may come hope for the Carpathian race.

In DARK SYMPHONY, Christine Feehan melds her bestselling Carpathian series with the contemporary descendants of her gothic, THE SCARLETTI CURSE, and the result is a uniquely European-flavored tale that is rich in texture and steeped in the supernatural. Antonietta and Byron are a perfectly matched pair of lifemates. Antonietta is warm and complex heroine whose personality includes a Machiavellian twist, while Byron is a hero seeking redemption for past actions. Filled with a supporting cast of vivid, larger than life characters from the boisterous young Carpathian male, Josef, to the tempestuous Scarletti cousin, Tasha, DARK SYMPHONY is sure to please fans of Ms. Feehan's Carpathian series.

TheSchemer

I agree with a few others that it was time for a change in the Dark Series. I really thought that CF did a great job of adding a new twist. I don't dare mention that new twist due to the fact that it's not told in the description or on the cover - it doesn't show up for a little while in the book. So you'll just have to read it to find out! The fact that is was more of a suspense thriller instead of just an action packed plot did not take away from the enjoyment for me. It still had enough action to keep my eyebrows raised but it also constantly kept me guessing about who was doing it (not simply another ancient vampire). The added humor to this story was a refreshing relief also - that has always been a personal preference of mine. As usual Byron was enough to take my breath away & I even thought more of him than some of the other Carpathian males because although he was still just as protective of Antonietta he was not as overly dominating and borish as some of the others. (Although, honestly, how could a girl hold Mikhail's borishness against him!) I also enjoyed Antonietta - she was a highly intelligent & strong woman. I'll have to admit though that I would probably NOT be as understanding about her family as she had been all those years! lol It did explain her compassion quite well towards the end though. I liked the off and on contact that Byron had with other Carpathians through out the book - that always adds something to it for me. That bond between them all is just so fasinating. I personally thought that the story was nicely tied up at the end - it didn't feel rushed or left hanging. All in all another excellent read by CF.

"Dark Symphony" is the most Gothic novel in Christine Feehan's highly original Carpathian series. Carpathians are a unique race of beings, originating in Romania's Carpathian Mountains, who have existed since humans first inhabited the earth. They are definitely not vampires. They are, however, a different race than man, gifted with the ability to change shape, fly, and move faster than the eye can see - and also able to communicate through both telepathy and language. Acquiring sustenance from human and/or animal blood, they do not kill or turn people into vampires. Carpathians mate for life but since the females rarely live to adulthood, and their childrens' mortality rate is high, not many males are able to find a female suitable for a lifemate....or any female at all. The women provide the light to the males' darker side. After 200 years Carpathian males lose all human feelings, unless they have a mate. The race is dying out and many males, having lived for centuries without wives, often choose to end their existence or turn rogue, (vampire), in despair.

Byron Justicano, a Carpathian male, left his homeland to repent for betraying his best friend and to heal, in body and in spirit, after having been captured and tortured by humans and a vengeful vampire. He is an artistic, talented being who works with gemstones and creates beautiful jewelry. One night, while in Italy, he hears Antonietta Scarletti's music, which brings light to his dark world of exile and pain. He stays near her to listen to the soothing music of hope, which she brings to his life when she plays the piano. He knows that in Antonietta, an accomplished concert pianist and composer, he has found his lifemate at last. Byron easily meets her and soon becomes a trusted and beloved companion. He is determined to court her slowly, so that she has time to accept him and understand who and what he is. He wants her to choose him, and his way of life, of her own free will. Carpathian males have been known to take a more forceful approach to wooing their mates.

Antonietta was blinded as a child in a terrible explosion that killed her parents. She is a strong, independent career woman, heir to the Scarletti fortune, who assists her grandfather in running the family business. They live together with other members of the Scarletti clan, cousins, spouses and children, in a beautiful, palazzo by the sea, complete with gargoyles, secret passageways, and a mysterious killer jaguar. There, in Palazzo della Morte, age-old family secrets are hidden from the outside world - secrets which are every bit as implausible as those of the Carpathians.

Byron saves both Antonietta and her grandfather from kidnappers and almost certain death. She begins to turn to him more and more for assistance, as she and her family are threatened by deceit, poisoning and finally, murder. Someone is stealing ancient family treasures and trying to kill the Scarlattis.

I really enjoyed the characters of Byron and Antonietta. The development of their relationship makes for some wonderfully romantic reading. However, other Scarlatti family members are some of the most obnoxious fictional folks I have met in a long while. There were instances when I wished someone would murder them! The plot has some unusual twists and surprises, which makes this novel just as unusual as Ms. Feehan's earlier ones.
JANA

I am a big fan of Christine Feehan's Dark Series. However, I have to admit that this book is sorely lacking her usual talents. I have read the first eight in her series and could not put them down. I read each in a matter of a few hours. Dark Symphony took me a week to read. I just could not get into the story at all. What was missing? Many devoted fans waited for several years to read Byron's story. We wondered what happened to him following his treatment at the hands of the "humans" who were trying to destroy the Carpathians, believing them to be the undead. Little was mentioned about this. Trying to tie this story in with Scarletti's Curse instead of letting it stand on its own took away from the novel. I'm glad I read it because of the series, however I can't recommend this one. Sorry.

Although this is the latest in a substantial series, Dark Symphony breaks some new ground for this author while drawing together the threads of others of her stories formally outside the main series. Most importantly, it focuses on Antoinetta Scarletti, a descendent of the family Scarletti, from the Scarletti Curse. It also relates the Scarletti book to the short story, The Awakening, from the Fantasy anthology in which we are introduced to a race of non-Carpathian shapeshifters with great powers of their own.

But most importantly, this is the first of the author's books with a heroine possessing a finely-honed sense of adventure. With her previous heroines, "spunky" is the word that comes most quickly to mind, but they are often shown as very timid as well, fearful of this and that and quite unable to make up their mind about anything more complicated than breakfast until the decision is masterfully made *for* them by their Carpathian intended. And her counterpart among the Carpathians is just a little more human as well, less, quite frankly, of a macho jerk and more concerned about establishing a real relationship beyond the magically-fated soulmate business foisted on her psychic sisters.

In the first place, Byron is not the typical dark warrior grimly marching around the world killing bad guys and having zero fun; he's an artist and craftsman in gems and precious metals whose work has been admired and collected for centuries. Now this is a man worthy of fantasy. Of course he's handsome and all that, but this particular hunk can make jewelry worthy of the crowned heads of Europe! As the Leo Robin song goes, "A kiss on the hand may be quite continental, but diamonds are a girl's best friend." But more importantly, we all love a man who's good with his hands.

After nights of passion, and naturally Feehan supplies this with her trademark attention to detail, the fuses still have to be mended and the children's toys have to be put together properly. We know that Byron won't spend his nights out with the boys like the rest of the rowdy Carpathian do-gooders; he'll be down in his basement workshop puttering with his tools, emerging from time to time with a new necklace or brooch for his ladylove. Yum yum. Antoinetta may be blind but she knows a real catch when she meets him.

Though he has traveled the globe hunting vampires, Carpathian Byron Justicano feels compelled to follow the music to its source although he has already bought several CDs by the artist. His "obsessive" quest leads Byron to Italy's Palazzo della Morte better known as Scarletti Palazzo. Playing the piano that lures Byron is blind concert pianist Antonietta Scarletti, heiress to a fortune and one-day is expected to manage the family shipping business.

Antonietta is quite courageous not allowing the explosion that stole her eyesight and killed her parents to keep her from living life to the fullest. However, someone wants her dead and attempts on her life have occurred. Byron knows she is his lifemate. Like all male Carpathians, he will risk everything including his own life to keep Antonietta safe.

Fans of Christine Feehan's Carpathian novels will enjoy her latest appealing tale that freshens up the series by bringing in a descendant of THE SCARLETTI CURSE family. The suspense laden story line reads at times more like a thriller than a paranormal romance as the enthralling lead couple strives to survive assaults on their lives while also trying to ferret out the identity of their assailant(s). Some amusing scenes lighten the taut intrigue; together they blend into a supreme symphony.

Harriet Klausner

Who wrote that? I love the Carpathian Series but this book does not even come close to carpathian expectations. To much irrelevent history on the scarletti clan made the book boring hard to finish. I only made it to page 180 in this book. I couldn't take it anymore. I say, if your into this series, skip this book and go to the next. You will not be missing anything.

I usually run to the bookstore the day they release Ms. Feehan's novels and for the most part I love them. Dark Symphony however just did not work for me. Her attempt to marry her Scarletti novel with the carpathian novels just didn't jive. I liked that she included more characters into the novel like Antonietta's family and Byron's family. I was very happy that the character had some differences and was not the perfect young twenty something but the intrigue and mystery just did not work. I was just unhappy that it did not flow and it got too busy for me , the dialogue was not all that great, and frankly I couldn't wait for the book to end. I was really disappointed. I wouldn't recommend it.