Customer Reviews

Unleash the Night (Dark-Hunter, Book 9)

5 star:		(56)
4 star:		(43)
3 star:		(21)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Whoa...where to start? Kenyon's latest installment to her Dark-Hunter series has to be one of the most intense, action-packed, and yet, topsy turvey reads I've seen in a long time. My interest in the series had started to wane with her last two books, but I couldn't help giving "Unleash the Night" a try, hoping it would redeem the series for me. While I wasn't completely happy with the book as a whole, there were still a lot of aspects I did enjoy.

Quick rundown on the were-hunters: Long ago, a Greek King marries an Appolite woman, one of the doomed race now known in present day as Daimons. When she dies on her twenty-seventh birthday, the king is determined not to lose his two sons to the same fate. He experiments with them, splicing there DNA with the strongest of animal DNA, in effect creating two new races of shifters. Arcadians are humans that can shift to their animal form, but retain mainly human traits and a human heart. The Katagaria retain mostly animal traits and have animal hearts. Furious with the kings tampering, the Fates decree that the two races shall forever hate one another, never resting till they have killed each other.

Wren Tigarian, whom we've seen in previous installments, is a Were-Hunter. Even more specifically, he's a Katagaria Were-Hunter. His form is half white tiger and half snow leopard, a forbidden combination in his world, making him an outcast on both sides of his family as well as in the Were world in general. Basically raised at Sanctuary, a biker bar in New Orleans, by the bear clan that owns the place, he's never known an ounce of trust for anyone he meets. Betrayed by his family in his youth, he just wants to blend into the background and not draw any notice. That is, until the day that rich girl Marguerite D'Aubert Goudeau comes on the scene. There's just something about this posh girl from the greener side of the tracks that draws him in like never before. Before both realize what's happened, they are enmeshed in a relationship that is both sensual and life threatening. Always worried that Wren would be a treat to exposing the Were-Hunters, the mama bear in charge at Sanctuary takes action to insure he'll become a non-issue. As Wren and Marguerite give in to their animal attraction, they'll be running for their lives as well. Magic, intrigue, murder and love mark this ninth book to the series.

I loved Wren's character from the start. He had the brooding, mysterious loner guy part down pat. He was so sweet and endearing with Marguerite, immediately recognizing her as the woman he couldn't live without. Due to his talents at blending into the background, no one had ever noticed the sexy dangerous bad boy lurking underneath all the grunge. That is, until Marguerite, or Maggie as he likes to call her, comes on the scene. She sees right through his quiet façade and dares to reach out to the bitter and sad man. Maggie was a spunky gal that treated everyone not her social equal as if they were. She was a kind and caring person the whole story through and she stood by Wren now matter how tough it got. Their love scenes were hot and fun to read and the interactions between them in general were great.

The book had me glued to the pages till about half-way through. Then, I'm sorry to say, it turned into something like a three ring circus. So many different characters, some of which we've seen in previous books, entered the story that I gave up trying to keep them straight. It ended up turning out like a soap opera with some marginally talented actors. I lost a little respect I had come to have for Maggie. She seemed like a down-to-earth gal, but when things got so hay-wired I had a hard time accepting her calm acceptance of the situation, and her situation gets mighty tricky. I know, sounds a little vague, but you'll just have to read the book and decide for yourself. It's definitely worth reading if you're a fan of Kenyon's Dark-Huner series, but I'd love to have seen the series taken back to the atmosphere the first few books ("Fantasy Lover", "Night Pleasures, etc.) set for it. Each had great plot and characters, but not all the confusing hodge podge that "Unleash the Night" has. Maybe too much of the never-before-seen Dark-Hunter/Were-Hunter culture was squeezed into the book? Very possible. Good solid ending though, which was surprising given all the confusing factors in the last half. Four stars for the great first half of the book and the ending.

Sherrilyn Kenyon has created a successful and often wonderful series in her series of various Dark-Hunter/Were-Hunter/Dream-Hunter series of books. Always a vivid array of characters that draw you in and keep you reading through each new storyline. I recommend if you are going to read a Sherrilyn Kenyon book you start with at the beginning to get the best idea of what is going on. You can just pick up a story and understand basics but the history that she speaks of and backstory of other characters will throw the story off a bit.

The reason I mention this is that in her latest installment Unleash the Night it revolves around Wren a damaged shapeshifter that is part human/white Tiger/Snow leopard. Wren's story is well what I expected from Ms. Kenyon, a tragic hero with a sketchy past that ends up running for his life with his heroine Maggie, the daughter of a Blue blood senator and his Beauty queen deceased wife.

I liked the characters of Wren & Maggie and was rooting for their love story, but I just felt this volume in the series didn't make the normal grade of a Dark Hunter novel. It had all of the elements and at times they came together perfectly, but it also seemed to me that Unleash the Night was rushed through as if the author needed to meet deadline and it didn't have all the strength of past books. It would look like you were getting there and then I'd turn the page and find it all wrapped up in a quick neat package. I won't give away the story others other reviewers have gone over it a couple of dozen times already.

I do recommend reading Unleash the Night, but in my opinion you should check a few of the others 1st and preferably in order.

However, if you don't read them in order or don't want to buy all of them (there are about 8 so far). I will recommend a couple of my personal favorites by this author Sherrilyn Kenyon 1st to give you an idea of how this story falls a little short compared to them. As, I said, do not get me wrong I did like this book, but it just didn't have the Umpft of the other volumes in the series. You will find a pretty typical story line of all of them a man or woman with a damaged heart unable to trust(depending on the sex of the Hunter that leads the story) and as I said she knows how to write a vivid tale that weaves both erotic romance at times with a world that it is easy to visual long after reading them.

Dance with the Devil (Zarek's story) was heartwrenching and my favorite.

Seize the Night (Valerius) another heartbreaker but with some humor that was laugh out loud funny.

Fantasy Love (Julian) funny just imagine finding a book and opening it to find your very own sex slave in this century.

These books are more than just a steamy read they have characters you will care about and although there are so many books by now I always find myself eager for each and every volume even though this one was my least favorite I still have preordered the next simply because I know not everyone can be a homerun.

These aren't literature, you probably won't be reading them in college classes, but they are a great escape and well worth the involvement with the cast of characters.

In this 13th installment of Ms. Kenyon's popular Hunter series, we meet two outsiders: Wren, an outcast from the Were-Hunters thanks to his freakish dual animal nature as both white tiger and snow leopard, and Maggie, a senator's daughter who feels out of place in her peers' white bread, exclusive society. By all rights, these are two people who should never have even met, much less fallen in love with each other, but they do have one common bond: Maggie was friends with Nick Gautier, who worked with Wren. When Maggie drags her snotty friends to the biker bar Sanctuary to hold an impromptu wake for Nick, her world and Wren's collide.

Maggie's friends and father are obsessed with appearances, so unruly Wren is not their idea of a good companion for Maggie, and they try to cause all sorts of problems. The remains of Wren's family want him dead so they can take control of the family business, so he's in danger every time he leaves Sanctuary. The Peltier family, who, by the laws of the Were-Hunters, must give shelter to any Were needing it, resent Wren, and want to turn him out. So there are all sorts of roadblocks on the way to happiness in this story, which are solved with a little violence, a little sex, and unusually, a little time travel.

UNLEASH THE NIGHT is a meatier and more satisfying read for me than its predecessor, SINS OF THE NIGHT. Wren and Maggie seem to feel more than Danger and Alexion did in their story. I can feel their despair and desires as if they are my own, and the way they interact with one another is very convincing and real (not to mention hot, woo! *fans self*).

The multitude of secondary characters makes reading this series from the beginning essential-then it's like seeing old friends. I love how Ms. Kenyon doles out little pieces of her recurring characters from book to book, because even if the book as a whole doesn't grab me, it's always worth reading and keeping for the larger story arc. I loved the re-appearance of past Were-Hunters, particularly Vane and his pack mates. I'm intrigued by what's going on with Nick. The only person missing who I would have liked to see was Ash, but his absence was more than compensated for by the inclusion of Savitar, mysterious surfer dude/god.

I'm looking forward to the next installment of this series, even if I do have to wait longer, since DARK SIDE OF THE MOON is going to be released in hardback and my budget just doesn't stretch to hardbacks. I know while I'm waiting I'll re-read the whole series, but especially this one.

As a late starter reading this series, I managed to read them in order. This book came out after I had finished the earlier ones and it was eagerly awaited. Since I had read them in order and close together, it was obvious that this book did not receive the attention of her earlier ones. As many reviewers have stated, it began well, and then almost at the half way mark, it slipped considerably. When you have a series, changing the rules is not okay. It disturbs the entire universe created. Sanctuary was presented differently which jarred. The humor was often inappropriate. Wren changed completely in only a few pages. I hope Ms. Kenyon is not "writing herself out." At this point, I have an investment in the series, and I want it to end well. Taking a little more time between books may be a good thing right now. I will buy and read all the rest of them, however. It is too late to stop.

I finished this book last night, and have been pondering a question ever since.. Is it better to pick up a book and just have it be bad (bad writing, bad spelling, bad plot etc) all the way through, or to find a book with a great premise, initially interesting characters that ends up being let down by weak character development, poor phrasing, and poor editing? After reading Seize The Night, I can't decide. I'm a huge fan of Kenyon's Dark-Hunter/Were-Hunter series, but the first few books were MUCH better than the recent releases. The female characters were more unique and interesting, and the author didn't make the plots so complex with tons of characters on the periphery.

I was looking forward to this book for a long time because I loved the idea of Wren's character being a loner with this magnetic attraction to a forbidden human - sort of like a Were-Hunter Romeo and Juliet. Don't get me wrong, this was a hell of a good read, but every time I'd come across a really poorly phrased line of dialogue or description, I'd cringe. The repetition in the description of the sex scenes was a little disappointing, too. I also had problems with some of Maggie's reactions to events or conversations. I don't want to give away any major plot points, so I won't describe them but one jarring instance was when Wren tells Maggie something that should have made her sad or sympathetic (at least, since it possibly has an impact on their future together) and then she *SMILES* before repeating what he said as a question. WTF? It made absolutely no sense whatsoever.

Upon reflection, I think that the vast majority of this could have been corrected in editing. It just wasn't. I'm certainly not bashing the book, because I love the worlds and stories that Kenyon has created. I'm just tired of reading books that fall short of great because of what seems like laziness. All in all, this is a story not to miss if you're a fan of the Were-Hunters or shape-shifter novels generally. I'd give it three and a half stars out of five.

I liked the different characters. Many of Kenyon's books' characters were becoming carbon copies of each other, but these were different. Wren is a cross between a white tiger and a snow leopard. A "tigard." Because of which he is virtual outcast. Maggie is a college friend of the belated Nick and is missing him something terrible. He was the only "real" person she knew in a ocean of "fake" rich kids. When she goes to Nick's favorite bar, Sanctuary, she meets Wren and, well, basically, love at first sight. Yet, that's not all. Kenyon adds a bit of mystery for the reader. You see, Wren's parents apparently killed each other when he was young and now he's being accused of the crime. Wren and Maggie have to discover what really happened in his past before the coucil comes after him.

I am a huge fan of Sherrilyn Kenyon. I think she has created a unique and exciting world with the Dark Hunters and Were Hunters. This does not mean that I love all of those books though. I didn't like Alexion's book. I didn't really "feel" him as a character and therefore couldn't summon the appropriate amount of interest in his story. So anyway, I feel that I can say completely without exaggeration that this book is great! Wren is probably one of my favorite characters now. He was probably always one of my favorites; I liked that he was quiet and intense. I also like that as the story progressed he grew more able to speak out and defend himself. I didn't see one point where his behavior was contradictory. Spending your life thinking that you are all alone and then feeling an inexpicable need for a specific person's company and affection must be a very disturbing experience. There are a few confusing parts toward the end of the book, but overall that is a minor weakness compared to the strength of the entire story and the strength of the characters chemistry.

Worth the money!

This is the first book I've read by this author, having heard so many good things about her books. Maybe this type of writing is not for me. I had trouble with the dialogue between the characters. It seemed so made up, and I kept getting turned off by conversations which I could never see actually taking place. I have to admit, I enjoyed the new book of J.R. Ward (Dark Lover) so much I'm afraid I'm spoiled in this genre.

Wren Tigerian is half Human/animal and half Animal/human, the last of his kind on his mother's side he has inherited a legacy of madness. All fear him, most shun him, and Wren has never known the comfort of love.

Marguerite is the daughter of a low-born Cajun beauty queen and a politically ambitious and bigoted father. Torn between two worlds herself she feels stifled and trapped, until one night in a little bar called Sanctuary Wren Tigerian captures her attention.

They are drawn to each other because of what they sense in each other- a kindred spirit. Wren saves her from some random bad guys and she falls for him. Back home Wren is forbidden from seeing "the human" and a sinister plot builds around him to have him killed.

Together they must learn to love each other and overcome huge obstacles. The romance is so sweet and simple that it's perfect, the sex is hot, and the action fast paced and gripping.

Kenyon introduces us to an ancient omnipotent surfer and takes us further into the world of Weres, revisiting old characters. My only gripe is that, at a loss for villains, she takes the proprietor of Sanctuary and turns her almost feral, a tool for the real villains. At the end, Nicollet is redeemed, but it makes the whole thing feel a little uncomfortable.

There's a lot of time travel and it barely works, if you ignore a few gaps in basic logic. All in all, gloss over the action and back story and just enjoy the love story.

Ms. Kenyon's latest "Dark-Hunter" installment is a story about the Were-hunter Wren. Although this was not my favorite in this series...it was still an entertaining read that gives the reader a little more information regarding this part of the legends. We get too know a few more characters that have already been introduced to in previous books.

Wren Tigarian was orphaned as a small cub. He has lived his life at "Sanctuary" and this has been a safe if somewhat uncomfortable existence. He is a loner by nature this were-hunter has no family to keep him safe and no one to mentor him. His only friend Nick is now dead. Working and sleeping is basically the extent of his existence until one night he sees Marguerite D'Abuert Goudeau. This lady brings out the beast in him while at the same time gentling him. But he can't mate with her since she is human and despite the fact he tries to stay away from her...he keeps being drawn back to her goodness and loving nature. But someone thinks this is dangerous and sets about to eliminate Wren but first they are going to have to get through Maggie.

Maggie is the daughter of a Senator. Her life is spent trying to stay out of the limelight and not doing anything to embarrass her father's career. But, when she meets Wren for the first time she is drawn to this shy man. When he saves her life from a mugger and gets wounded in the process she feels a connection that will not lessen. But, will these two people find a chance to be happy or will the hunters that are after Wren get to them first?

This was an entertaining read. This read centered more on Sanctuary and the different animal clans that make up the were-hunter legends. We are introduced to another "mystical" man named Savitar and just who and what he is to the Dark-Hunters has not yet been determined. Ms. Kenyon has done a fair job in keeping her series fresh and therefore keeping her loyal readers entertained.