Series: Vampire Armageddon #1
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Published by: Signet Eclipse on August 2, 2011
Format: Paperback
Pages: 353
Source: Author
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The first seal has been broken, signaling the end of days. Fallen angels in the form of vampires are infecting humans one by one, creating an army fit for Armageddon. Of the few who survive the infection, one stands alone above all others…
For one year, Jesse Burke has been suppressing the beast within, driven by vengeance to destroy the vampiric fallen angels terrorizing New Orleans. But a war of biblical proportions is too much for one girl to handle, and she must turn to slayer Maddox deValois for training, though it threatens her fiercely-guarded independence. At the same time, the sinister demon Queen Amonate is doing everything in her power to lure Jesse into embracing the darkness inside her soul—a power play that will trap her in a deadly web of deception between the forces of good and evil…
Before this war is over, everyone will learn that hell hath no fury like a woman possessed…
*I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
This new dark paranormal world blew me away!
In the midst of a world where fallen angels are turned vampires that seek to rule the world, Jesse Burke struggles to maintain her humanity after being attacked but not turned. In her quest to remain human, Jesse decides to become a vampire slayer and hunt down the beasts that not only attacked her, but also took her sister away from her. Having no experience and guidance, she makes for a less than worthy slayer but refuses to stop. On one of her hunting nights, she meets the mysterious and sexy slayer Maddox deValois, who saves her from the vampire she’s attempting to slay.
As a Palidrome, a sentinel created to fight the vampires (known as the Telave) on Earth, Maddox sees potential in Jesse and offers her a place to stay and training skills for her survival. He hopes to save Jesse from the same fate that stole his long ago lover Serafina. As Jesse and Maddox spend more time together, their dangerous attraction grows and threatens to lure them both into darkness.
This is a great new start to an urban fantasy series with a darker side. Devyn Quinn’s world building is creatively graphic that isn’t too overwhelming, never interfering with the plot. The setting of New Orleans, post Katrina just adds to darkness the of the story.
When we first meet Jesse she doesn’t fit the typical kick ass heroine in urban fantasy, she’s a bit rough around the edges and has major trust issues but grows into a strong leading lady by the book’s end. Maddox is dangerously sexy but has secrets of his own that he struggles with making. These two characters definitely fall in the “tortured hero” category, which possibly plays a role in their mutual attraction. The sexual tension between these two is off the charts and I thank the author for including their steamy encounters which are sometimes looked over in the urban fantasy genre.
DARKNESS DESCENDING skillfully combines a unique concept using light and dark, fallen angels turned vampires, all while creating suspense, excitement, romance and a bit of dark humor. The villains in the story are perfectly cast, they’re powerful, evil and will stop at nothing to achieve their agenda. One of my favorite elements of the story is how vampires are portrayed, they are far from the romantic and sensual characters we’re used to, in this book they’re bloodthirsty beings who have no emotion and are cold blooded predators. Was I fond of the cliffanger at the end of the book? Not at all, but I anxiously await the sequel to see what dangerous adventures await Jesse and Maddox! If you were ever a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel or Supernatural, you’ll like the enticing and dark world that Ms. Quinn has created in her Vampire Armageddon series.
RtDS Recommends: If you like dark urban fantasy with a little smut and edge of your seat suspense!
I’m curently reading this book ! I’m glad you liked it. For now, I’m just in the beginning. Thanks for the review !
Thanks for your nice review. I am glad you enjoyed the book.