The saga of the immortals continues with Manannan mac Lir (called Mac), demigod son of Niniane the Sidhe queen and Lir, god of the sea. Mac realizes someone is skimming life essence from faerie villages and tracks down Artemis Black, a witch who has ancestry in both the life magic and death magic realms. Artemis can weave spells of both life and death magic and is trying to use her power and the stolen life essence to rescue her son's soul from Hell. Mac should haul her before the Sidhe council, but instead they embark on a journey through the nine circles of Hell to save Artemis' son.
I love Mac. He's got the attitude and speaking manner of Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He's got humor, even in the face of insurmountable danger. He's musical and muscled and...just fantastic. I enjoy Artemis as well, although she was a little single-minded (we know, you have to save your son. Right. We didn't get that the first 300 times you said it). I was a little disappointed that, besides a couple of very brief cameos by Kalen and Christine, Mac and Artemis were completely alone in their quest. In the last five books, these people stuck together a little more; helped each other out. This almost could be marketed as a standalone, not necessarily part of the Immortals series. ( )

Another great book in an excellent series. ( )

This was quite a good book! The characters were well constructed, the story was engaging, and it was new and creative, with a happy ending, even if it was a bit bittersweet. I will certainly look for others by this author! ( )

I absolutely love this book! The series is so fluent in the writing it makes you think the same author is writing these books. Joy Nash authors this book about Mac, another of the demigod brothers, that is hot after a witch (in more ways then one!) We are brought in to the world of witches, fairies and demons in this book. Artemis is doing taking life magic away from the fairies, which she has a good reason too, but is not willing to risk telling anyone. This gets her in to trouble and Mac must find her. Mac and Artemis connect, but they push other away. Each has their job to do and they won't let the other stop them. The conflict between dark and life magic has to find a balance for them both to survive the demon world..and each other.

Again, you don't have to have read the other books to enjoy this story. Just be aware it does get a bit hot and steamy in places, but the story itself is worth reading! ( )

Ummm, well...I'm such a big fan of the 'Immortals' series and was so looking forward to reading Manannan mac Lir's story. "The Crossing" by Joy Nash is the story of how Mac meets the woman meant for him and finds love.

Mac is half fae, half god. He prefers to live 'above' and serves as the protector and defender of the fae and humans in this realm. He's also a famous musician and now also famous for his part in the defeat of 'the light' over 'the dark'. However, he's just learning that his part in this battle has left him, a creature of light, with a piece of dark inside him. It's affects on him are growing and he's not sure what else in his life will be affected.

Artemis is a very powerful witch of extremely varied lineage. With both light and dark creatures in her family tree, her magic is a blend of both. She's also a mother desperately searching for a way to save her son, whose soul has been stolen by a dark creature. When her attempt to bargain with the dark begins affecting creatures under Mac's protection, he has no choice but to stop her. It also seems as though he has no choice but to love her.

I disliked Artemis from page one and it didn't get any better throughout the story. She was a selfish, untrustworthy, conniving witch who used a mother's love to justify harming anyone. I was so disappointed to see Mac reduced to a supplicant, begging for her unworthy emotions. Mac deserved so much more and better. She betrayed and belittled him over and over and over...and he took it and came back for more. And every time, I just wanted to throw the book against the wall.

There was also a trip to Hell in a twisted take-off on Dante's Inferno, 21st century style. While parts of it were certainly amusing, Artemis' constant scheming and betrayals cancelled out my enjoyment. Bummer. ( )