Customer Reviews

Eve of Destruction (Marked, Book 2)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After what seemed like forever (but was in reality about a month), I finally got my hands on a copy of Eve of Destruction, which is book two of the new Marked series by S.J. Day. I absolutely loved the first book, Eve of Darkness. It was truly exceptional, especially when you take into account that it was the first book of a new series in the increasingly crowded Urban Fantasy Genre. I am happy to say that the bar that was set in book one was actually exceeded in book two.

At the conclusion of Eve of Darkness, our heroine Evangeline Hollis found herself burned to death by a dragon. In chapter one of Eve of Destruction, she finds herself waking up in her own bed. How is this possible? When your main squeezes are Cain and Abel of biblical fame, you have a little more clout than your average run of the mill mortal. And Eve isn't about to argue with her return to the realm of the living. With vivid memories of her own death clear in her mind, she has never been more grateful for her new status as a Mark.

With a new lease on life, Eve is quickly whisked away to complete her training as a Mark (along with the rest of the newbies). Upon arrival at the training center, things go bad almost immediately. Eve feels feverish (despite the fact that Marks are not susceptible to human ills) and altogether not herself. Not to mention the fact that one of the Marks-in-training is brutally slaughtered during the first training exercise. With no real clues to go on, the newbies are all on edge. And since there is no love lost between Eve and her classmates (they are jealous of her personal life on several levels), she finds herself becoming a solo detective, and not entirely willingly.

Eve of Destruction was exactly what I hoped it would be and more. Fast paced (but not rushed), exciting, and full of sexual tension between Eve and the two eternally rivaling brothers, it was impossible to put down. One of my favorite aspects of the book was that all of the characters were true to their initial portrayal in book one. It was great to see that neither Cain or Abel was willing to relinquish their struggle with each other or God in order to have an easy relationship with Eve. And that Eve was unwilling to sacrifice any part of herself to be with either brother. Overall, Eve of Destruction gets a five star rating from me. I am going to be on pins and needles until Eve of Chaos is released at the end of the month.

Well, well, well. Another winner from S.J. Day in her 'Marked' series, "Eve of Destruction" packs plenty of mystery, action, hot lust, and suspense into 414 pages of reading pleasure. I would caution readers NOT to try and begin the trilogy with this story, book two. Instead, go ahead and splurge--cough up the seven bucks and hang on for the ride.

Book two picks up right where "Eve of Darkness" left off--Eve has been toasted (literally!) by a dragon. But it seems she has some information Heaven needs, so even though she should be dead...she's alive. Eve is pretty sure her growing feelings for Cain and Abel of Biblical infamy also had something to do with her current state, but she's not about to argue about it! Now it's time for newly 'marked' Eve to head to training camp and learn how to battle the forces of Evil. What she actually runs into is death, mayhem, dislike, jealousy, mental menage, and ah yes...destruction. There are quite a few stunning surprises, and I can hardly bear to wait another twelve days to get my hands on book three.

This is one kick-a$$ series. The plot is still unfolding, although the reader isn't left hanging. Eve is still torn between the brothers, but there are some big changes in the relationships. It's also cool to find out more about S.J. Day's angels and where each fits into the scheme of things in her world. I honestly can't find anything unflattering to say about this story. Maybe a little more sex...but what there is, is definitely smokin'. There's no dead spots, no jerky transitions, and no halt to the plot. "Eve of Destruction" is simply another riveting read.

It's not every day that a series' second installment is better than the first, but S.J. Day has done it.

_Eve of Destruction_ continues the story of Evangeline "Eve" Hollis and her adventures as a "Mark," a sinner drafted into God's demon-hunting army. Eve isn't a typical Mark, and this becomes clearer in this volume as more Marks are introduced to the reader. In some ways, Eve has it easier than her colleagues; she still has a relationship with her family, and she's dating Cain, the most elite Mark of all. In other ways, she has it harder. She's going through metaphysical changes at an unprecedented rate, and her connections to Cain and Abel have put her on the radar of the top baddies. The strangeness of Eve being Marked at all is also increasingly evident in _Eve of Destruction_. Most of Eve's fellow Marks were murderers before being chosen. All Eve did was fall for a hot guy on a motorcycle. The question of why Eve was chosen is one of the central mysteries here, and I can't wait to find out the answer.

Eve, still recovering from the events of _Eve of Darkness_, is assigned to attend a training exercise at a defunct military base, along with a group of other newly minted Marks. The recruits think this is going to be like "Survivor" -- challenges, alliances, backstabbing... Instead they find themselves fighting for their literal survival when a demon infiltrates the team and starts picking off Marks. Meanwhile, Cain is hunting the alpha werewolf we met in _Eve of Darkness_, and Abel is investigating a new type of demon. These plotlines all turn out to be connected, and Day does a great job of weaving them together and bringing them to an adrenaline-filled climax.

New complications arise in Eve's love life, too. One metaphysical event causes her to grow closer to Abel, and another metaphysical event distances her from Cain, adding tension to their love triangle. Over the last few years, I've become wary of urban fantasy plots that heavily mix sex and magic, but Day is better than most at writing the steamy stuff.

Now, for what I loved most about this book. In _Eve of Darkness_, Eve vanquishes one of the baddies by thinking outside the box and using her creativity. I'm happy to report that this is no fluke. Eve's resourcefulness continues in _Eve of Destruction_. It's incredibly refreshing: Eve's greatest weapon isn't her gun, her magic, her 'tude, or her sexuality. It's her brain. She gets underestimated a lot, due to her inexperience, but it usually turns out that she's thinking circles around the other characters. The third-person POV, unusual in urban fantasy, helps facilitate this. It allows Eve to deduce things without tipping off a reader who's missed the clues. She was definitely a few steps ahead of me at one point!

Also refreshing (and I neglected to mention this in my review of _Eve of Darkness_) is the diversity. Day's characters, both human and supernatural, come from a variety of backgrounds. This is something that's all too rare in fantasy.

And I just have to say, it's so cute and telling that Abel's ringtone is "Jessie's Girl."

Evangeline Hollis, still trying to fill the shoes of a Mark (one of God's army), goes to demon-hunting bootcamp at an abandoned military base to sharpen her skills at sending the damned back to Hell. The tension heightens as Alec Cain, her main love interest, becomes mysteriously distant just when she needs his help.

Someone or something appears to be stalking the members of her class. Eve wonders if she'll figure out who - or what - is after them in time to save anybody. Reed Abel, Cain's mythical brother, is there to stir the pot and antagonize his brother by making moves on Eve in a seeming eternal triangle.

With enough erotic romance and action to satisfy every reader looking for a strong yet flawed heroine, this story carries through with the inventive premise of angels and demons working and living among the mortals of earth. A fun and emotionally-charged ride!

I'm not sure where I sit on this series. There are definitely some pros, but there are many cons. First, this is a pretty large book for the urban fantasy genre at 418 pages. By itself that doesn't make much difference, but when you compare it to the amount of plot progression you are left with a bit too much filler. On one hand, I enjoy that the author planned out a trilogy and knew exactly what was going into each book before publishing. On the other hand, I really think the "trilogy" could have been edited down. It definitely would have benefited from less love story and more plot progression. I am eager to find out more about the grand scheme of things and less about the main character's romantic life. Also, I found the use of two names for each character a tad confusing. Some may not have this problem, especially if they read the books right after one another. I read the first book so long ago that I have a hard time telling Cain, Abel, Reed, Alec, Gadara and Raguel apart. I had to constantly remind myself that Abel is Reed and so on. The author will refer to him as Abel in one sentence and Reed the very next. It doesn't help. One plus side to Eve of Destruction is the presentation. I was not a fan of the way the first book was presented, so I am happy that Eve of Destruction takes place in the present time. What really bothers me though is the characters and the romance. I felt that the majority of the book was Eve trying to decide which man she wanted to be with, and in the end not really making any decision at all. I understand where each character is coming from, but I would like more progression and less rehashing of the same thing. In that respect, I also felt that the majority of the characters were being a little dense in this book. No one listens to Eve's ideas or problems, and they don't even feel bad when people die because they are being close minded. Oh well, on to the positives.

I like this series for it's originality. Being marked to slay demons while struggling with faith and love is a tough thing, and it's presented well in this series. The archangels act differently than humans, and I appreciate that. The characters are not perfect and they do get hurt. A bonus to this book is that Eve comes up with the solution to multiple mysteries and acts on her own to save the day. No angels coming in and scooping her out this time. Well, maybe once. She is new to the trade so I don't expect her to be super tough and jaded. Her uniqueness as a mark is an interesting part of the story that I can't wait to read more about. Overall, this series is original and entertaining. The downside is the heavy reliance on the romantic side of things with very little progression. I feel that the pace is a bit slow, and there are a bit too many unimportant details, but I'm not too upset because it really seems that the author planned everything well. Hopefully, there will be more closure in the next book, but I am not counting on it.

At the age of eighteen, Eve Hollis fell for leather-clad bad boy Alec Cain, who took her virginity and left her. Ten years later, she went for an interview and ended up being grabbed, sexually attacked...with no protest from her, and marked with the Mark of Cain by Alec's brother Reed Abel. Alec returned to help her through the transition, as she became a Mark, one of the many sinners forced to hunt demons for God. Unbeknownst to her, Cain and Abel were the legendary brothers from the Bible and she became their latest cause of disagreement. Though she feels an attraction to Abel, Cain is the one she loves. She was sent into the field, with Cain as her mentor, without training and she died when she fought a demon dragon. Between Cain and Abel, she was returned to life.

Finally, it is time for her training, but she is going without the brothers, who are angels with duties of their own. Cain is sent to kill an Alpha, the leader of a pack of demons, who instigated Eve's death, while Abel is sent to investigate the latest demon threat. The three are able to communicate telepathically and even feel what the others feel, at times. In training with eight other novice Marks, who give her the cold shoulder due to her relationship with Cain, she does the best she can.

Some of the best Marks begin to be killed, as three Marks die in three weeks time due to a new type of demon that no one knows anything about. The demon enters the Mark and explodes, leaving behind no blood or bone, just tissue and gore. When the class goes on a field trip to an abandoned military base for a week, the lessons become a matter of life and death. Even Eve's classmates are being killed off, one at a time, by a demon within their midst. As Eve tries to ferret out the demon, a team of ghost hunters from a cable channel venture onto the base, now maintaining the secrecy of the Marks unit vies with the need to keep the ghost hunters alive. With the brothers off on assignment, will Eve be able to find and kill the demon in their midst before she is killed?

EVE OF DESTRUCTION, the second book in S. J. Day's MARKED series, is an exhilarating action-packed urban fantasy. Thrillingly suspenseful, this book is hard to put down until you finish the very last page. Watching the interaction between the three and wondering which of the two men Eve will finally end up with, will keep you turning the pages. Sizzling hot, with a suspense-filled plot, charismatic characters, snappy repartee, a feisty heroine and hunky heroes, this book is a winner. Readers are sure to remember this story long after the last page is turned and the book is closed. I am looking forward to reading EVE OF CHAOS, the next book in this series.

[...]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book; it's fast paced, has a rich mythology that isn't overly complicated (or overly discussed by the characters), and has just the right amount of steamy sex. I liked it so much that after I finished I went out and bought the other two books. I hope Day continues with this series.

Eve Hollis in Eve of Destruction goes on her first field trip with her fellow Marks in training, but it is not all fun and games. With a new type of demon on the loose and novice Marks being slain left and right, it has everyone on edge. It does not help that Eve has started to become paranoid, pointing fingers at her classmates. Not only that, but she seems to be struggling with her emotions for both Cain and his brother Abel, and her conflicted emotions throw a wrench into the whole mix. To make matters worse, Eve has to protect the paranormal investigators who stumbled upon the Marks' training grounds.

S.J. Day does not disappoint with this new installment to the series, and Eve of Destruction is even better than the first. I was very pleased with how it turned out, and the drama and suspension had my eyes glued to the pages. In Eve of Destruction, S.J. Day gives a unique view of the archangels and their fight with the demons. In this book, Eve Hollis is starting to adapt to her new powers and is even thinking like a true Mark, no matter how much she tries to deny it. Eve's struggle with her emotions also makes her a more understandable character which adds more drama. I definitely enjoyed this novel and can't wait for the new book in the series. Eve of Destruction is packed with drama and suspense that will make this unforgettable book hard to put down.

I bought this book on a whim and I'm glad I did. It was fast, hip and hot. Just a hint, the story involves a love triangle between a woman named Eve Hollis, and two brothers Alec Cain and Reed Abel. The book puts a modern twist on an old story. Theres enough mythos to make the plot believeable. SJ Day has an easy style and a good story that will keep you reading. If you're a fan of the fantasy genre and like a light touch of erotica, this is the book for you. The other two books in the series are also very good.

I can't tell you how much I am loving this new series.

Eve has started her "mark" training, her enemies keep piling up, and marks are dropping like flies. She must find the guilty party before it's to late for them all. The excitement, tension and amazing fight scenes in this series will keep you planted with book in hand until completion.

Poor Eve she's really a one man woman....to bad she has 2 of them in her head and her heart. Alec and Reed keep the pressure on and the heat up where Eve is concerned. With tension rising and jealousy showing it's ugly head I'm almost afraid of where this will lead.

I cant wait to see what's in store for us in the next book!