Review: The Darkest Night, Gena Showalter (Spoilers)

Publisher: Harlequin
Pages: 368
Format: Paperback
Release: Released in Norway february 2011
(This is not a YA - title)

All her life, Ashlyn Darrow has been tormented by voices from the past. To end the nightmare, she has come to Budapest seeking help from men rumored to have supernatural abilities, not knowing she'll be swept into the arms of Maddox, their most dangerous member -- a man trapped in a hell of his own. Neither can resist the instant hunger than calms their torments . . . and ignites an irresistible passion. But every heated touch and burning kiss will edge them closer to destruction -- and a soul-shattering test of love . .

Lacks depth

Now that I have read the first book in the Lords of the Underworld - series, I have a hard time figuring out why this series is so popular.

Maddox, Torin, Reyes, Aeron, Lucien and Paris are immoral warriors. Thousands of years ago they helped daemons escape from Pandora's Box, and the world was thrown into darkness and chaos. To save the world, the warriors were cursed and a daemon was trapped inside each one of them. They became the Lords of the Underworld. Maddox carries the daemon Violence, and his curse is that he have to die every midnight again and again. But then Ashlyn Darrow comes along, and everything change...

I have read so many great reviews of this series, and I was so excited when I saw that it was being released in Norwegian.

The Darkest night have an ok beginning. I was drawn into the story, and I thought that Showalter had created an original and interesting story aimed at everyone who likes dark and handsome men, suspense, myths and legends, romance, paranormal events and steamy scenes. But the problem is that she only dwells on the surface. She does not dive deep into the plot, the storyline or the characters, and sometimes she seems to be in such a rush that the storyline suffers.

The writing consists of a whole bunch of cliches. It is to much. But I am keeping in mind that the Norwegian translation may take some of the blame for that.

The characters in the book have a lot of potensial, but Showalters does not succeed in letting the reader understand their motivations and why they act like they do. The relationship that eventually develops between Maddox and Ashlyn does not make sense. One day they do not know each other, the next day they are willing to die for one another. I did not believe this storyline, and as a result I was not taken by the book. But one thing I do like: Ashlyn is portraid as a woman with curves, unlike all the tiny heroines we normally read about. She is normal, and that is something I like a lot.

The Darkest Night was not one of my favorite reads, to say it mildly. But I will read the next installments in this series, to find out if the books gets better. I have a feeling that they do.

Other reviews:
Book Faery
Geeky Blogger's Book Blog
Tynga's Reviews
Darque Reviews
Dear Author

Fan-page for Gena Showalter
Gena Showalter on Goodreads
Gena Showalter's blogg