Customer Reviews

Infinity: Chronicles of Nick

5 star:		(68)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

While I feel INFINITY loses no value as a YA novel if you haven't read the Dark-Hunter novels, I am already entangled in the adult life of Nick as I'm an avid reader of said DH series. This is why perhaps my review probably will make more sense to those who are also familiar to this series.

When I heard Nick's back-story would be told in a Young Adult series I promised myself I would buy INFINITY and my reading experience would decide whether or not I would continue buying and reading this series. I'm not an avid reader of the YA genre and the only reason I bought INFINITY was because it was connected to the Dark-Hunter series and the fact that Nick is still one of my favorite characters. This was my mind-set before I understood that the Chronicles of Nick would also reveal secrets regarding characters such as Cherise and especially Jaden and Jared. It makes reading this chronicle more of a necessity if I want to understand the whole Dark-Hunter arc of Jaden.

When I received my copy of INFINITY my everlasting curiosity spurred me on to crack the spine and I began to read immediately. I met Nick as we got to know him in the early days of the Dark-Hunter series, only a bit younger. His mother, Cherise, is a stripper trying to make a living for herself and her son in New Orleans. She teaches him to be honorable, but when your peers know what your mother does for a living, and you have a shirt on your back with fishes in neon colors, it is hard to get by in high school. It is why Nick cloaks himself in a devil may care attitude and give lip the moment someone makes a snarky comment. However, the fairer sex also has his undivided attention and his desire to charm them is present at the core. Then one night he is invited to join a few friends for some delinquent activities and he almost crosses a barrier. It is also the night he got beat up by his so called friends and the night he is saved by Kyrian Hunter. From this moment on there is no normal anymore in Nick's life and it all begins with the choice he made that night. The first day he goes back to school zombies create havoc on the grounds...

Nick's vivid personality, his cunning ways and his acerbic sarcasm pulled me in and I was surprised at how the story development kept my unwavering attention. Nick is a teenager who knows the rough side of life, he has a chip on his shoulder, an attitude to match, he loves his mother above all and has a penchant for trouble. If that isn't all, he enters the world of Dark-Hunters, Were-Hunters and all things that go bump in the night. Even though Nick is a teenager in this series all the things I like and love about his persona are already present in this Chronicle starter.

The story begins from an uncomplicated angle where the focus lies on Nick's school life and his relationship with his mother. It is largely due to Sherrilyn Kenyon's way of writing and letting me be a part of Nick's inner thoughts that instantly grabbed my attention. Nevertheless, as the story progressed, as more characters got introduced and the plot thickens it loses some of that easy going charm and bantering dialogues. There were a few characters who I already met in the Dark-Hunter series like; Kyrian Hunter and Acheron but also the younger cast of characters is not without its familiar faces like Tad and Tabitha Deveraux. It really feels like traveling back in time and meeting all these characters only that much younger but with the same attitudes. Still, there is one new character who really got to me and that is Nekoda Kennedy, a.k.a Kody. She has an interest in Nick that is not all teenage lovey-dovey and it involves so much more than meets the eye. Kenyon also ups the ante with a few plot twists that really infuses this series with major possibilities for Nick's character development. It gives a new perspective for the future of Nick and one that really excites me. It was an element in this book that caught me by surprise, next to the well-paced flow of the story it was something that held my undivided attention. The dialogues between Acheron and Nick are some of the best in this book but I must admit, I got lots of snappy bantering and humorous dialogues between a multitude of characters like only Sherrilyn Kenyon can deliver.

Next to meeting all the characters, getting all sorts of titillating information about Nick, the great interaction and humor, it is the zombie plotline that was probably the least thing that interested me. It is the origin of how teenager's got turned in to zombies that was just lost to me and I just couldn't surrender myself to that fact, which was probably a glitch of the adult me. What it did do is provide a turn of events which introduced Nick to a whole new world, he finds out all sorts of background info on some of the golden boys at his school and even some of his friends. Bubba and Mark are probably some of the most prominent supportive characters whose view on life and fighting zombies will make you grin.

If young adult readers find themselves introduced to Kenyon's characters and world in INFINITY then I think they will have a blast. Nothing is present to really make the reader think they're missing something, everything is present; from a main character who alternates his humor, sarcasm and charm with also his teenage fears, confusions and hopes for the future. A plot arc that fascinates and many characters who add their own personality flavor. A huge entertainment factor for me was to meet characters like Nick, Acheron, Tabitha and Kyrian again but I was caught off guard by how the story kept me in its grip. I couldn't stop reading and while I started at night, you can bet by the next evening I was finished, already contemplating how things would advance in future installments.

INFINITY was the kind of story where I expected nothing but turned out to be a surprising and highly entertaining read. Some YA elements might not catch on with me but I feel that Sherrilyn Kenyon set-up a dynamic and intriguing angle to one of the most beloved characters in the Dark-Hunter series. I'm confident Nick will find its way to many readers, both in the YA genre as for the fans of the DH series.

As a die-hard DH fan, I had SERIOUS trepidation about this book. I have to say the last few books that followed after Acheron up to now were painful reads. Painful and frustrating. So, when Kenyon decided to jump on the Twilight bandwagon with teen paranormal fiction/romance, I'd pretty much thrown in the towel. I honestly didn't think we could get a good story without hot Dark Hunters traversing the streets of Anytown, USA and I was furious with Kenyon for MONTHS over what I was sure was going to be a literary debacle.

Okay, I was wrong and I take it all back.

Firstly, for those of you moaning about "eww, it's YA", read the dang cover! Sherri has said for MONTHS this was teen fiction, so man up and deal with it. Blame yourself for not keeping up with the DH Universe.

Secondly, the book was flipping awesome. It was PURE Sherri from cover to cover. It has everyone in the DH Universe we all know and love plus some really new and interesting characters, too. THIS is what teen fiction should be, a nonstop roller-coaster ride with unexpected curves, dips and twists that keeps you turning pages. Though it's toned down for the teen audience, don't think that Sherri compromised on wit, humor, or action. It's all there. It's the old Sherri we know from before Acheron. (Not sure what happened to the books after that, but I'll forgive her anything because Infinity flippin' rocks!)

Thirdly, the CD set is narrated by Holter Graham. HOW MUCH BETTER CAN IT GET? I haven't been this happy over a DH book SINCE Acheron. Finally, some teen fiction that has soul, character development, humor. It doesn't take itself seriously like Twilight (die already!) or Vampire Academy. Infinity blows them ALL out of the water and I feel the DH fever again.

You proved me wrong, Sherri. I'm sorry I lost faith in you, but you came through, babe. You nailed it with Infinity!

I am an avid fan of the DH series, and I am 17, so I thought a YA series from DH would not be out of my range. However, the writing of this particular book could be described as flawed at best.

I cannot stress enough that I love the writings of Sherrilyn Kenyon, but Infinity was murky. Ananchronisms popped out in several places. The year had to have been 1995 or before due to the age of Nick mentioned in the DH series. Kyrian gives young Nick a cell phone, and then tells him not to text too much. No one had even heard of texting $10,000 worth of cell phone bills in 1995.

Neither Acheron's nor Cherise' characters were kept consistent. Ash literally confided in a fourteen year old boy who had an unpenetrable mind, and he did so within minutes of meeting him. Cherise was constatnly screeching at Nick, and that got old quickly. In the DH series she was much more three-dimensional.

There were also a few Twilight-worthy uncomfortable moments for the reader. Nick kisses a girl and it feels so awkward when it is being described as something so wonderful. If the point of the series is to attract male readers, the quasi-romantic scenes may drive them away.

The most unforgivable thing to me is that she bascially voids part of the DH series. Nick is trying to change his past, and in one particular spot he succeeds very, very well. I do not want to mention more so I don't spoil the book, but, after reading Infinity, it seems like everything after Seize the Night needs to be re-written. I am certain the Writer Goddess has a plan, but I don't think it is a good thing when a spinoff destroys the last half of the original series.

There were good things too! She added several new characters who I adored -Bubba and Mark-, the plotline is actually pretty good -unless you've read the DH series, in which case some things will be clearer to you and others will be very, very, confusing-, and each successive hundred pages gets better and better! Also, the book was as humorous as her previous ones, albeit in a censored kind of way.

For Infinity, buy the book, but keep your receipt handy in case you want to return it. My loyalty to SK and certainty that the issues will be cleared up -at least not repeated as blatantly- keeps me from returning my copy.

Having never read any of the Dark-Hunter books, I came into Kenyon's Infinity: Chronicles of Nick without expectations. Unfortunately, Kenyon's foray into the young adult genre left me extremely disappointed. As the book opens, we meet Nick, a scrappy but sullen fourteen-year-old boy who lives with his mother in the slums of New Orleans. After being shot during an attempted mugging one night, Nick is saved by a mysterious man who takes him under his wing. As Nick's time with his new mentor continues, he slowly learns about an otherworld he didn't know existed and his potential role in it. Soon, zombies start terrorizing the city, and Nick finds himself at the center of a ragtag group who must try to stop them.

First and foremost, this book should be marketed for middle-grade readers, not young adults. The writing was elementary and simplistic, which is not how a young adult novel should read, even if the characters are young. The writing felt lazy with weak descriptions and an overreliance on supposed "teen speak" like Nick saying "Gah!" all the time. Little to no character development occurred among the main characters, and all of the secondary characters were flat. The plot itself felt silly and contrived, since it was clear there was never any real threat. As a non-Dark-Hunter reader, the mythology was confusing and remained unclear at the end of the book. This muddled mythology contributed to the poor world building, which was so minimal that I was never able to suspend belief and immerse myself in the created world. Completely illogical things happened, even for an urban fantasy, like immortals disclosing secret information to Nick within minutes of meeting him or kissing scenes while zombies were literally trying to eat the characters.

Among the few positives, INFINITY may appeal to young male audiences with its focus on action, instead of romance. Younger readers may enjoy the dialogue and find it humorous, and the story did end with a finished conclusion (no cliffhanger), which I always appreciate. For existing fans of Kenyon's adult Dark-Hunter series, this novel may also provide backstory for characters they've followed in her other books.

Overall, Kenyon's attempt to jump into the young adult market with INFINITY disappointed me with its inability to create a world I would want to visit again. As an adult reader, it also failed to entice me to pick up her adult series. If you're a fan of adult urban fantasy and would like to see a good addition to the young adult world by one of your favorite authors, I highly recommend Kelley Armstrong's The Summoning (Darkest Powers, Book 1) series instead.

I was a few pages into this book when I realized I was pretty annoyed by it. For a book that supposedly takes place ten years before Night Pleasures (which was contemporary in 2002 and still one of my favorite books), there was absolutely no effort to ground the book in that time. No one should be emailing on a regular basis (I was one of the few at my college to have an email account in 1994), cell phones aren't as widespread, and the slang is completely different. This alone told me that Sherrilyn Kenyon no longer really cares about tying her books together, and just wants to write another series that will sell.

I kept reading, mostly because I had already paid for the darn thing, and it got better. Yes, the writing is simplistic, but I can accept that since it's a young adult book. (And the Kenyon writer's tics are out in force: points every time the sentence "S/He gave him/her a _____ stare" appears. Bonus if it's a gimlet stare. She loves those.) Even though the time period is off, it's fun to see the old New Orleans crew together, albeit a few years younger, and the story is fun.

The anachronism is kind of a sticking point though. I can see wanting to "reboot" the time period of the series with this Nick series, because writing a story set in the early 1990s would pretty much be a period piece for today's kids. But at the same time, if this story is meant to tie into the rest of the Dark-Hunter series, it just doesn't fit, time-wise. I think I'm done with her books. If she doesn't care, why should I?

The only thing of Kenyon's that I had rad before was a BAD (Bureau of American Defense) novel. And being a not-so-happy fan of romance I wasn't too impressed. I just don't like the romance algorithm. So, Infinity I will say is my first "real" experience of Kenyon's writing, and I think I might just have to go out and buy the entire Dark Hunter series. Egad - where do I start??? Witty, raucous, and pungent, this is a BIG GIRL/BOY novel wrapped in a YA package. Built to entertain the masses the maturity of the content will entertain both teens and adults both. Kenyon throws you head first into the underbelly of the real New Orleans, the back streets and hovels where the werewolves and vampires hide. After you read Infinity you'll feel as if you not only got to tour NOLA from a locals perspective, but also got a zombie slaying 101 guide for real world implementation.


REVIEW: Nick Gauthier is a fourteen year old boy, struggling between his poor-upbringing and the call of the streets, and his mother's tenacity to get him off the streets and into college. He has been blessed with a brain, so his mother has him in St. Richard's, a very exclusive richy rich school, where he doesn't fit. Scholarship kid, wearing thrift store fashion just doesn't mesh well with BMW driving, trust fund babies. What Nick doesn't know though is that St. Richard's is housing more than trust-funders - it also has a few werewolves, demons and now zombies.


After a football player decides to take a bite (literally) out of his team mate, Nick's world is thrown into utter chaos. On the run and on the hunt, Nick is now about to get a crash course on the paranormal that he refused to believe in. To up the stakes even more, it would seem the zombies might be gunning for him and probably because Nick might not be as human as he thought.


Fans of Kenyon, or just of the paranormally inclined young adult genres, you are going to want to read this one. The world is a lot bigger than most YA novels delve into, but it is not confusing and the plot stays on track. You will not have to have read any Dark Hunter books to understand this one (I know, I haven't read any of them).


RECOMMENDATIONS: A bit of cursing, but nothing to get your panties in a bunch, this novel is safe for teens and mature enough for adults. UF fans will enjoy. This is not a romance. This is a karate chopping, kick butting, slap-yo-mamma action adventure with a male lead. Great for boys and girls.

I have bought and read EVERY single SK book. A few I thought were poorly written and rushed...this one? I'm not going to finish it. It is written for a ten year old...or younger! It reads like The Series of Unfortunate Events, meaning the sentences have no depth.... what happened!? I expected this to be like Ash's book where we started reading about him at a young age so that readers gained an understanding of how he became the man he is. Don't buy this book. If you feel you MUST read it, go check it out from a library....dont waste your money.

I feel bad about Nick, he deserved a good book....he was always an interesting character. Maybe SK should concentrate on writing better books, and stop worrying about expanding her genres... Who cares if kids read your books, you're loosing your ADULT readers...who pay for everything.

I want the writer who wrote Night Play, Bad Moon Rising, Archeron, and Night Pleasures back. Where has she gone?! This is just crap.

I didn't realize this was a young adult novel, but it doesn't matter, it is another great book from Sherrilyn Kenyon. I automatically bought it, but I would have done the same if I'd known, as it's the back story of Nick, a very important figure in this world. We got to see the back story of Acheron, why not Nick?

I had no expectations going to this book because I had never read any of the author's work; the book simply sounded fun and amusing from the description. However, I was extremely disappointed by this book. Extremely. While I was able to finish it, there were just too many problems for me to enjoy it. For one, I felt that the characters lacked development. They seemed very flat, and often their motivations did not match their actions or personality. Perhaps this was because there were simply too many characters. It was also hard to keep track of them all because they all had very confusing and hard to remember names, that were often very similar to other names. By the end of the overly long 480 pages, I still wasn't sure about who some of the characters were or which things they did. I also was extremely confused by the plot. There were a million different things going on, and its hard to explain without giving spoilers, but it seemed like none of the events were connected or lead to one another. There were simply too many different subplots and story lines happening to keep them in order. I am not even clear what the main plot is. The world the author created, while it had an interesting premise, was not fleshed out at all and some of the mythology was very confusing. Some of the events that happened did not even seem like they should be able to in that world, and there was no explanation for how they were happening. I also took issue with the writing. It seemed like the author was trying too hard to appeal to young readers, especially young boys. It was full of terrible cliches, ridiculous slang, and unnecessary metaphors every couple of lines. It made the writing very distracting and annoying. While it pains me to have to write so low of a review, I honestly could not enjoy this book, and it really turned me off from reading the author's other works.

What to say, what to say - its somewhat difficult to write a review for this book as it was neither good nor bad. I briefly considered buying this book in the store but vetoed it in favor of another and instead rented it from the library - I'm really glad I did. Reading some of the other reviews I discovered Nick is apparently from another series where he's older and maybe this is why some people really liked this book. Not just because it's a prequel of a favored character but that reading about him in other books has given him more depth than was shown in Infinity. I find it amusing that so many people were wary of reading a YA Fiction book and then came to the conclusion that this book was "above average" for the genre, because as a regular YA Fiction reader I can say that this was in fact below average. (What YA books have you been reading, if any?) The quick three or four page intro left me ready for a great ride, then the first forty pages of the book was decent, then during the middle I seriously considered leaving the book in favor of another and then it managed to get its act together for a good final sixty pages. The overall story is .... well its mostly about stopping zombies who have been turned by a video game. Yes. That is the story. DO NOT BE DECIEVED BY THE BOOK SUMMARY. And I have to say that as far as zombie plot lines go this was weaker than most. Nick's sarcasm with the exception of a few smile and chuckle worthy moments came out flat and trying to hard, and while the other characters have an interesting premise they were in no way developed. Whatsoever. I am 99.9% sure I already know who it is that is trying to alter Nick's future - this one of the great mysteries to be solved later on in the series. So in conclusion my thoughts on Infinity: "meh." Will I read the next one? Not sure. In any case it'll definitly be rented from the library.