Customer Reviews

The Darkness (Vampire Huntress Legends)

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
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The Darkness is the tenth installment of the Vampire Huntress Legend series and picks up some months after the last battle at Masada where the anti-Christ chrysalis made a death-defying escape. In this episode, Lucifer becomes more active when he hatches a plan to ensure his heir matures in an optimal environment. Quite naturally, this involves creating hell on earth and forcing the Biblical prophesies leading to Armageddon to come to fruition. Rewarding Lillith for her role in bringing forth his progeny, he elevates her to a coveted council seat where she bestows the day-walking power and daylight bite to Nuit, Sebastian, and Yonnie. To round out the council chairs, poison-welding Lucretia Borgia and Dracula's wife, Elizabeth Bathory, are resurrected as mates for Nuit and Sebastian respectively. They raise an army from the dark realms wrecking havoc everywhere to keep the good side busy while the anti-Christ heals and strengthens in an undisclosed location.

The Neteru team is well-rested and as sharp as ever. Yonnie surprisingly finds love in a new character and finally leaves Tara to her husband. Inez's daughter displays unusual gifts and seems destined to play a larger role in future segments. Carlos and Damali are working well as Generals and wisely heeding advice from the Kings and Queens. However, when Lucifer attacks a seasoned team member, he strategically weakens and poisons Carlos's mind which places the team and him in peril. His purge involves assistance from the upper realms and the power of prayer leads to some unexpected results; giving power to the adage of being careful of what is prayed for as it may just happen.

I found this story refreshing in that the 'good' side seemed to take more of a proactive stance against evil. The Neteru Council is actively involved and the earth-based team is more focused, more cunning, and more in control. They are collaborating well with world-wide forces to make their mark (literally and figuratively) on the face of Darkness. Banks delivers with the goods that fans of the series love and expect: action, passion, and mysticism inspired by numerology, folklore, and multi-religion based beliefs. When the third seal is eventually broken, it only fuels anticipation for The Shadows scheduled for a July 2008 release. The advanced reading copy I reviewed contained four black-and-white illustrations that greatly enhanced the reading experience. I hope to see this trend repeated in future editions.

Reviewed by Phyllis
January 3, 2008
APOOO BookClub

The battle at Masada is over, the Neteru team is back in San Diego; forty thousand demons were killed and the spawn of Lilith was eradicated. In the seventh realm of Hell, Lilith is summoned to her husband's chambers, believing she will be punished. She is shocked when she is rewarded for her creation; her spawn is NOT dead. Lucifer gives Lilith the power to make immediate, Councilmen day-walkers. Her first subjects are Fallon Nuit, Sebastian, and Yonnie.

The Action: Lucifer lands topside, enters a Los Angeles cathedral, and attacks Carlos's mentor, Father Patrick. But, to think Lucifer's visit was to do battle with Father Pat is misguided; Carlos is his target, for reasons the young Neterus cannot imagine. Yonnie is still multi-tasking. Lucifer is using him as a portal to the Neteru team, and Carlos needs Yonnie to have his back. Lilith has allowed Sebastian to resurrect Lucrecia Borgia and Dracula's wife, Elizabeth. Damali goes to Atlanta to get Inez's daughter, while Carlos and the team are in Brooklyn with Father Pat. The visceral struggle in Carlos is taking its toll, he's afraid he might expose an open channel to the world of darkness, and he prays his silver is not tainted; he needs a purging. But there is no time, a battle is at hand, and the results are costly to Carlos.

Inez's daughter, to everyone's surprise, is gifted, and will initiate a change on the team. Someone else has captivated Yonnie, and he may finally be able to let Tara go. Carlos is in danger, and Damali must seek assistance from the Neteru councils of Kings and Queens, and the higher realms of prayer. Will Carlos and Damali be able to live with the results, and become the Neteru duo they are destined to be? Will they be able to eradicate the anti-Christ?

Banks has her fingers on the pulse of vampire paranormal writing. THE DARKNESS suspends readers on the edge as both, Light and Dark, are challenged by and with the power of prayer. As Lucifer is dedicated to the birth of the anti-Christ, readers will hope the combination of the multi-religions and the power of the higher realms, will keep the third seal from being broken. The 'team' is morphing into a dexterous, lissome, even graceful machine. It is necessary for them to reach their level and stay tight... the world is depending on them. I love the Huntress Series, and at times several of the books have left me speechless, THE DARKNESS is one of them. When I finished this book I looked around with chary before I exhaled, this series is far beyond vampire turn-bites. The rating pinnacle at Amazon prevents me from given THE DARKNESS higher than a five.

Reviewed by aNN
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

The Darkness is the 10th book in the 12 book Vampire Huntress Legend (VHL) Series written by L.A. Banks. After the battle at Masada, the Neteru team returns to San Diego for some much needed rest. They believed that they had dealt with Lilith's spawn, but they are so far from the truth. Unbeknownst to them, Lilith's spawn escaped and is now resting and maturing, waiting for his chance wreak havoc. In the meantime, The One Who Shall Remain Nameless rewarded Lilith with the Daylight bite and she, in turn, passes it to the rest of the Councilmen. Will the team be able to stop the dark side from successfully regenerating their forces and opening another seal?

I know that I always say, "If you are a fan of the VHL series, then this book is a must read." However, "Have I ever been wrong?" This book is good from the beginning to the end! I had to make myself put it down! You would think that after 10 books, Ms. Banks would've run out of ideas when it comes to writing this series. Well, I'm here to tell you that's not the case. The Darkness has love, action, drama; you name it, it's in there. Ms. Banks also adds some new characters to the mix, as well as bring back some old favorites. I'm telling you, this book deserves all 5 stars that I gave it.

Reviewed by LaShonda Bates
for Urban Reviews

The Neteru squad was trying to get a little well-deserved rest when out of Hell a daywalker makes his presence known and that's just the beginning....Lucifer gets all gussied up and struts into Church like it's HIS house (just cross yourselves and say Amen--okaaay?)....Baddies we never expected have been resurrected to mate with new daywalker councilmen....A child sees & hears things most children have no concept of....Entities that we wondered about make an appearance in the Neteru Council of Kings & Queens....Biblical seals are opened....Oh, and let me also mention that the Anti-Christ exists even after the battle at Masada....

Oh, yeah......this is definitely a MUST-READ!!

First I want to say that I am a fan of the Vampire huntress series. That being said I must admit to being annoyed at Ms. Banks writing style specifically when it comes to the use of "Slang", it does not work for me. That usage was less in this book which in my opinion lets the story come alive with it's references to the history, religion, good, evil and those in between. I will continue to read the series and I'm also looking forward to her book BAD BLOOD which based on the excerpt in the back of THE DARKNESS seems to not have been wriiten with that annoying use of outdated slang!!

Reviewed by: Shaun

Damali, Carlos and The Guardian's break is over and they are back to fighting evil. Because of the battle at Masada, the team and Neturu Council believed they won a major victory for the Light.

The truth is that Lilith and her husband loss as Masada was nothing short of history in the making. There are no boundaries to the evil that these two possess. Darkness knows that Lu's heir apparent needs extreme security and rest so that he can emerge with great strength for the upcoming battle(s). Lilith is rewarded with the daylight bite and the ability to make Councilmen day-walkers. Their mission is to wreak havoc on The Guardian team to weaken their defenses, while healing and adding to their own side.
The Guardian's worldwide will have to carve out evil's heart in "The Darkness" by any means necessary. There are new dimensions at work in "The Darkness" that the team has never seen before "day-walkers". The knowledge that soon they will no longer have the cover of daylight to kill demons and vampires, will increase their need to use every gift they have available to ultimately win this ongoing battle between good end evil.

This vampire huntress series sizzles with excitement, explosive fight scenes, with a mixture of friends, family, faith, love, believe and hope. The spiritual depth of the series brings together multiple cultures for the sole purpose of saving humankind and to overcome evil. Seeing the aspects of this story as each book unfolds, adds another layer to the foundation it's built on, even as the Armageddon demands all out war towards peace, makes this vampire series inimitable and extraordinary.
Get your copy today! You will join the legions of other fans that simply can't get enough of this Vampire Huntress Legend series.

Armageddon has begun; two seals have been broken; people are living the end of days and forty thousand demons were destroyed at the Battle of Masada. Neterus Damali and Carlos Rivera thought they destroyed Lilith's progeny but they were very much mistaken. The future anti-Christ clearly hid himself from the Neterus and the Guardians and is now in a chrysalis state waiting to Become. Lucifer is overjoyed and he allows Lilith to give the daywalker bite to the members of the Vampire Council including Fallon Nuit, Sebastian and Yonni (Carlos's spy).

Lucifer wants to cause confusion and turmoil that will fracture the Guardians & Neterus unity so he attacks Father Pat, a man dear to Carlos. When he tries to save the priest, some of the Dark's poison enters Carlos and make it easier for Hell to track him. After a bloody battle in New York City, Carlos is badly injured and Damali takes him to the plane where the former Neterus live near to Heaven. If Carlos recovers, he and Damali plan to find and kill what will become the anti-Christ and stop the Armageddon attack from happening.

THE DARKNESS, the latest vampire huntress legend novel, picks up where the last book in the series left off. Combining elements of apocalyptic and supernatural horror, urban fantasy and romance, this work is refreshingly original, enthralling and totally intense. As the series progresses the characters change and grow not always as expected. As Damali and Carlos mature, they are more in love than ever. L.A. Banks has written one of the best vampire sagas of the new millennium.

Harriet Klausner

LA Banks takes the Vampire huntress to a new and deadly level in "The Darkness" Our team of heros faces the ultimate challenge as the are assaulted by new stronger enemies. I love how the author keeps raising the bar with this series as well as keeping the action fresh and exciting. Not only dose this book contain the action fans love it also has the steam and heat fans of Ms Banks other novels have come to love her for. If you are a die hard fan of the VHL series or just looking for a fun exciting read this is the book for you.

Our favorite Neteru duo is back with their Guardian family....intent on locating the Antichrist and stopping Armageddon. With the help of Yonnie---Carlos's brother, who is acting as a double agent on the dark side--the team is able to gain valuable intel on what is going on with Lucifer and his dark agents in the bowels of Hell. What they have discovered is that councilman Sebastian has used his talents for reanimation to bring back from the dead two of the most evil women in history to fill council seats---giving the Guardian team even more to deal with. But with the help of the Kings and Queens on high, the team is once again able to stem the tide of evil that seems determined to take over the world. Will they be able to find the Antichrist before his birth? Or will Lilith and Lucifer prevail?

This tale shows all once again that Ms. Banks is the reigning Queen of Dark Literature. This novel has been somewhat relieved from the overuse of outdated slang (although, the cliche "fair exchange is not robbery" is still repeatedly used. Why, I must ask???), giving this novel the extra shine it deserves. And I must add...if her affinity for dark tales begins to wane, Ms. Banks most assuredly has a career penning erotica. This series contains some of the hottest sex scenes that I have ever read. A must-read for fans of the series.



DYB

THE DARKNESS, book 10 of the 12-book Vampire Huntress Legends (VHL) series, is captivating. Unexpected character cameos and new allies kept me up all night.

With the battle at Masada behind them, the team recoups in San Diego thinking Lilith's spawn has been defeated. Chairwoman Lilith also believes this to be true and expects He Who Shall Remain Unnamed to stomp her into a puddle of oil or worse. The outcome: she is given the daylight bite and the power to make daywalkers. The anti-Christ has survived, and in order to give him time to mature, Lucifer commands her to distract the Neteru team and restore the dark realms' numbers.

Lilith wastes no time. Fallen Nuit, Sebastian, and Yonnie are given the daylight bite. Yonnie's unexpected visit provides the team with much need intell as he walks the line between the Light and the Dark. When Level Seven's most infamous resident goes to church, the guardians reassemble, gather reinforcements, gain a new friend, discover a new talent, and take the fight to the street once again. Even though Carlos and Damali have learned to lead the team, both are in need of further assistance from the Council of Kings and Queens.

The interaction between Carlos and Damali reminded me of THE HUNTED (book three of the VHL series). I stopped reading several times just to catch my breath. Sensual, touching love scenes notwithstanding, Jamal's "balm" really works, and I'm sure readers of the series already know the power of sincere prayer. Restoration is granted. Ultimately convicted by Banks' beautiful words, I eagerly await THE SHADOWS.