Customer Reviews

Serpent's Kiss (A Novel of the Elder Races)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I loved Dragon Bound. It was an amazing and fresh book, with a good storyline, inventive action sequences, and lively dialogue. I'm a big believer in good dialogue, with characters having a sharp wit, and generally-speaking a touch of sarcasm and humor. The dialogue and action were two of the best things about Dragon Bound. I read in twice, then couldn't wait for Storm's Heart, even though it was out only a few months later. However, I was a little disappointed in Storm's Heart. Sure, I realize not every book in a series is going to be a favorite. But, I missed some of the humorous, witty banter. Tiago and Tricks just didn't seem to have the same chemistry as Dragos and Pia. All in all, I gave it a 4 rating, and I still had high hopes for Rune's story.

Rune was a great character from the beginning of the series. He was funny. He had good dialogue sequences with Dragos, Pia and the others. I had such high hopes for this book that I pre-ordered Serpent's Kiss, and read the entire thing in one sitting (which I normally do for books I'm dying to read). And... I have never been so let down with a book and an author. Rune was turned into some kind of almost cartoonish character, and Carling, whom I actually liked in Storm's Heart, became a weak-minded (and weak-willed) female (and I'm not referring to the "episodes").

But the thing that really got me, that made me furious with Ms. Harrison, is the way Rune treated Dragos. Dragos told Rune in Dragon Bound that he was his best friend, yet at the drop of a hat, Rune not only deserts him but wonders if he'll ever forgive him. And for what, you ask? NOTHING! Dragos did nothing!! He acted as anyone would do in that situation, without knowing Rune and Carling were mated.... because Rune didn't tell him. Then, even though it's affecting the other gryphons, Rune actually neglects to tell Dragos or his other supposedly long time friends about what's going on. I understand needing to protect your mate, but seriously... "bros over hoes" anyone? These are his BROTHERS/SISTERS for all intents and purposes, and he just leaves them out in the dark about a major events (trying not to be spoilerish). At least Tiago was upfront with everyone when he had to leave, so everyone knew it was because he was mating Tricks. Furthermore, Carling didn't even try to intervene, to try and help Rune repair his relationship with the other Sentinels and Dragos. She was truly selfish, basically just accepting Rune giving up everything to be with her as her due.

Pretty soon, Dragos is going to be left by himself with not one of his friends/sentinels to help defend him and his new mate and child. It's sad. Now, I doubt I'll read the new book. It's not even about any characters I have interest in, anyway. I may read Book #5, which is another Pia and Dragos story, but part of me is afraid she's going to ruin two of my favorite characters. I don't know if Ms. Harrison reads these comments, but please, just go back to the winning formula of Dragon Bound -- good snappy dialogue, strong females and action. If I wanted a introspective, sad sack of a female, I'd watch a Lifetime movie.

I was REALLY looking forward to this book. I really enjoy the world Thea has built in many ways. I read the last two books with enjoyment but they both had gentle heroines that needed rescuing by the big bad wyr. But in Carling, a woman who had raised herself up from slave to queen to the Councillor of the Nightkind through her own merit, determination and strength of character I was excited to finally have a story about a heroine who didn't NEED the big bad wyr to rescue her. I thought it would be a book about the two of them falling in love and her rescuing herself through that process. Or something like that....

I didn't get that. Of all of the things that I thought would happen in this book ... I didn't expect the author to figure out a way to wipe out all that Carling had accomplished herself and attribute it all instead to Rune. But the author did manage to do it. And I am so disappointed that instead of taking the opportunity to stretch herself and write a different story about two people who are equals joining to become an even stronger whole, Thea chose to write the same old story about the boy rescuing the girl.

I don't know if I will read another of book by this author. There is a preview of the next book in the series, Oracle Moon and it is more of the same. Female in trouble needs big strong man to make it all okay. Meh... I've read that. Again and again and again. And frankly I've read it better. I'm not interested in reading a series that just regurgitates the same book one after another.

This is the third novel in the Elder Races series and Rune's story, with the Vampyre Queen Carling as his love interest.

I do think this is a much better book than the travesty that was Storm's Heart, but it is nowhere near as good as Dragon Bound. It was okay.

Hands down the best thing about the book was the heroine, Carling. I liked exploring her backstory and her motivations for her actions. She was also a strong, likable character. I did not like Carling from the previous books, but I am surprised to find myself in love with her in this novel. She rocks!

The person that didn't rock, much to my surprise, was Rune. I have loved him through Dragon Bound and Storm's Heart, but that love stopped in Serpent's Kiss. He did not seem funny to me, and all his "cool-talk/witty repartees" missed the mark for me: I found them hollow, unfunny, and sometimes quite disrespectful. Simply put, I didn't like the person Rune was in this book, and I found myself liking him less and less as the book progressed; I did not like the person he became in the end at all.

I was also very disappointed that he did not share the fact of his changing the past with Dragos and the Gryphons, or the fact that he'd mated with Carling (until he couldn't hide it later). His excuse was that he didn't trust them. That doesn't wash with me. You would think you could trust people who had been your friends and comrades in arms for centuries. Especially as they could feel the effects of his changing the past. But apparently Rune's definition of friendship and mine are different.

Another thing that bothered me was the Rift between Dragos and Rune at the end. It just didn't make sense in the grand scheme of things, and I'd have expected Rune to be less of an ass. You don't hide essential info from your closest friends and yet expect them to act as if they knew the entire picture. Needless to say I didn't think he deserved the friendship of the other wyr, much less Dragos' friendship. Dragos did not do anything wrong and acted very fairly, given what little he knew and given that he had the interests of the entire wyr race to consider. Sigh. Rune was so much less than he appeared to be in the other books. Womp.

One final thing that didn't work for me was the love. I loved Carling, and I could see her relationship blossom with Rune. It just did nothing for me - I could see the love but could not feel it. I went into this book worried that Rune would be stuck with Carling, but now I am kinda sad that Carling is stuck with Rune.

Needless to say, I am not too keen on continuing the series after this one. I'll just read Dragon Bound to regain my happy memories and quit while I'm ahead. But I am glad I read this book. If nothing at all, it wiped the bad taste of Storm's Heart from my mouth. (less)

I loved the first book in this series...LOVED it. It had everything, exciting plots, great character development, and great hero/heroine interaction. So I was so excited that I didn't have t wait years for the next 2 installations of this series. Heart's Storm was also pretty good, again it had the exciting plot, great character development, and witty hero/heroine interaction which was LOL funny at times. What it did lack was the strong support and bond of the sentinels that was so evident in the Dragons Bound book. Oh, the sentinels were there at relevant events, but they were rather useless really. Warning flags started waving when the other sentinels was not supportive of Tricks and Tiago's union, which strikes me as odd since Tricks and Taigo were both well loved and the Wyr mating-thing only happens once in a lifetime, so shouldn't the event be a momentous celebration. So when this same lack of support/loyalty issue popped up in Serpent's Kiss with drastic consequences, I found it ridiculous and a deal-breaker for me with this series. The lack of loyalty over a slight misunderstanding was so unbelievable, that I actually visualized Rune pouting like a child. I asked myself "huh?! what just happened" and then "you have got to be kidding!" the author couldn't come up with a better story line than that?! Aside from this incredibly stupid story twist, the story is boring. Here you have 2 supposedly incredibly powerful beings and there was absolutely no action, no true evil villian to battle, nothing but petty misunderstanding and hurt feelings. This book struck me as rather amateur-ish. Too many great authors out there in this genre (Meljean Brook, Ilona Andrews, Kresley Cole, Nalini Singh, Patricia Briggs to name a few) to waste my time continuing with this series.

Well written, great characters, fun, sexy, interesting and addictive. Read and re-read the first book, Dragon Bound, could not get enough of the Elder Races. The second book was OK, but it had a lot going on (multiple characters and crazy amounts of action) and was a little harder to digest, so I was hesitant about book 3. So, so bloody good! I think my favorite thing is how realistic the chararcters are and behave despite being completely fantasy-based. Their reactions and dialogue make sense and are all relatable. No overblown angst, roll-your-eyes misunderstandings or absurd plot points. Great new series with a well thought out fantasy world.

Rune Ainissesthal the Wyr Sentinel and dying vampyre queen Carling Severan the sorceress made a deal. To save the life of his friend Tiago, Rune will do Carling's bidding.

Thus he flies cross country from New York to San Francisco. He finds out that Carling is losing control of her paranormal skills due to the serpent's kiss disease that destroys ancient vampyres like her. She invested time and resources to finding a cure, but as time runs out so far her endeavor has proven futile. While her supporters flee in fear of her unpredictable power and others prepare to betray her in a power grab, Rune tries to save the female he is falling in love with.

The latest Elder Race romantic urban fantasy (see Storm Heart and Dragon Bound) is a great tale in which Thea Harrison deftly merges vampyre political and social backstabbing machinations with a cross species romance. Time is of the essence as the Wyr and the Vamp fall in love while her followers either distance themselves from her or plot to speed up her death watch. Serpent's Kiss is an excellent thriller.

Harriet Klausner

I am on page 102 and bored to tears. I am so frustrated, that I went and read the reviews to see if others felt the same way. Something I normally do not do so as not to cloud my judgement. It seems nothing interesting happens until page 200. I truly enjoyed the previous two books, but this is really slow. Finally finished the book. It did get better at the end so I'll pre-order the next. The first two thirds were painful.

In order to save a friend's life, Wyr sentinel Rune Ainissesthai made a pact with Carling Severan - without knowing what she would ask in return. Now the time has come for this First Sentinel to fulfill his obligation. Of course, Dragos, Lord of the Wyr, is not happy, but a magical debt is legally binding. With luck, the former Vampyre Queen would not demand anything from Rune that would take the massive gryphon decades, if not centuries, to accomplish. Yet when Rune appears before Carling, he finds an ailing woman on the edge.

Carling is dying. There comes a time in all vampyres' lives (if something does not kills them first) when they begin to suffer from periodic episodes and their minds drift off. Carling has spent over two hundred years studying the phenomenon, researching for its cause and a possible cure. All in vain. Carling's Power has become erratic and her episodes are increasing in severity and frequency. Most of her followers have fled in fear. Other than a dog and one of her youngest progenies, Carling is alone on her island.

Though Carling tosses away the debt Runes owes and releases him from their bargain, Rune simply cannot bring himself to leave. Regardless of the risk, Rune decides to help Carling find a cure for whatever the disease is that is killing her. Rune is very attracted to the dangerous vampyre. To be honest, Rune likes her penchant for violence. He finds is exciting. And even a handsome, immortal shifter can never be conceited while Carling is around.

Rune brings the talented pathologist, Dr. Seremela Telemar, in for a private consultation. Seremela is of the Medusa race and often has a unique perspective on her cases. Rune is not the only one pulling strings. The Djinn, Khalil, still owes Carling two more favors. With the very real possibility of her death in the near future, Carling has no need to horde them. Might as well use them while she can.

If all of this is not enough, something odd and dangerous is happening every time Carling has an "episode". (Ahem, I mean whenever she wanders off to feed the bats in her belfry.) Then there is Julian Regillus, King of the Nightkind, who may be willing to risk a war in order to either control Carling or hasten her to her doom. With the entire situation quickly escalating, the sentinel and the former Queen will have to rely on each other is they have any hope of surviving.

**** FOUR STARS! Thea Harrison has created a magnificent world where the night overflows with malevolent intents, yet rare romances can still be found to last for eternity. Both main characters are more dangerous than most in the Elder Races. In fact, Carling seems to ooze danger from her pores and Rune seems to radiate hostility from his aura. Still, the author manages to show a lighter, more flirting and humorous, side to the pair.

The Djinn, Khalil, will be getting his story told next in the book titled, Oracle's Moon (A Novel of the Elder Races). I am hoping that Dr. Seremela Telemar will have a story sometime in the future. A character that is a combination of a Pathologist and a Medusa is just too juicy to create and NOT dedicate a full length novel for. I found the author's unique take on the snakes, each with individual minds, to be utterly brilliant!

This story is beyond the norm, a story that has eclectic personalities, and high in drama, yet still with some romance (though often a détente-type of romance). No one writes incorrigible characters like Thea Harrison. ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

One thing that really stands out in Thea Harrison's third Elder Races Novel, is how removed the vampyre heroine really is from reality. Carling, once vampyre Queen, is now on the Elder Council. She is very old, and the bite that once gave her immortality, is now slowly killing her. She is desperate to find a cure, but is exhausted and about at the end of her rope. She has removed herself to an island located in Other Land, to live out her days because people are afraid of her. She goes into these episodes where she kind of zones out, but what we soon learn is that events can take place that impact not just present day, but events that have happened through time. She can't eat anymore, and is becoming weaker by the day.The one high spot in her life is her dog, Rasputin whom she now must learn to cook for because this is the one thing in her life that brings her pleasure. But of course, she has no idea how to cook.

Quote: Carling unfolded a well-worn piece of paper and laid it on the polished granite countertop near the stove. She consulted the handwritten instructions that had been prepared for her by a human attendant.

Step one, make sure the wood stove has been lit and the burner is hot. Yes. Did she place the skillet on the burner for step two? She checked the list. No. Step two, spray the skillet with PAM. She did and then she set the skillet on the burner. Now add a few ounces of raw meat to the skillet. Stir with implement. She picked up the implement and considered.

What is this thing called again? Ah yes, it is a spatula./Quote

I love the contrast of Carling being this vampyre that has been around for centuries and has ruled with an iron fist, yet the task of cooking chicken totally baffles her.

Soon, she meets up with Rune, an even more ancient supernatural being. Rune is of the wyr kind and can shift into a gryphon. Although he arrives because he owes Carling a favor of her choosing, he stays because he genuinely wants to help her find a cure for her illness. And because he is extremely attracted to her of course. Carling realizes that there is pleasure to be found again. Her life is not so far gone that her opportunity to interact with others is lost.

Rune was created about the time of the universe so his life really is a contrast to Carling's. The will to live is vibrant within him and he slowly shares that passion with Carling. He is also a big playboy and a sweetheart and has some extremely sexy scenes in this book. When Thea Harrison's heroes decide it is time to mate, you better watch out because they won't stop for anyone or anything.

This book is much different than the first two however. It is a quieter book. The action is more muted, and Carling and Rune are removed from the other Wyr kind. I can't help but compare each subsequent book Thea Harrison writes to her first amazing book, Dragon Bound. Serpent's Kiss has a different feel. While we briefly meet Carling in a previous book, she is much more normal than I expected her to be. I wanted a little more crazy in her, as is alluded to in Storm's Heart. While I like their eventual happily ever after, Carling didn't grab my attention as Thea Harrison's previous heroines have done.

Although this can be read as a stand alone, this is such a fun series, I recommend picking up the first two, Dragon Bound and Storm's Heart.

I'm holding my breath for Oracle's Moon. Neither Storm's Heart nor Serpent's Kiss have lived up to the quality or readability of Dragon Bound; and both were a slow, rather average read. I hope Harrison doesn't end up being a one-hit wonder with Dragon Bound. Storm's story was nice, but nothing spectacular.

Overall, the series is cute; but not very deep, and very highly over-rated. The last half of Dragon Bound was one of the best PNR's I've read in awhile; but half of one book being a really good read is not enough to sustain a series when the rest are just average.