Devil May Cry

Sin was once a Sumerian fertility god, until the Greek goddess Artemis stole his godhood. Still immortal, Sin has two missions in life - find the ancient Sumerian artifacts that will prevent the really bad demons from destroying the world, and kill Artemis (and sometimes even he’s not sure which is his highest priority).

But Artemis still fears Sin and so commands Acheron to kill him, but as we all know, Ash doesn’t take orders from Artie. And so she sends her handmaiden, Katra, to destroy him. Kat finds Sin and witnesses him desecrating human bodies. Misunderstanding his motivations in doing so she is even more determined to kill him. Meanwhile, Sin mistakes Kat for Artemis and takes her captive.

After much explanation, and some show more laugh out loud dialogue, Kat and Sin team up to save the world. And this being what it is, they fall in love in the process. But more revelations are on the way, and some of them were a long time coming.

Another great installment in the Dark-Hunter series that has made Kenyon a bestselling author (and for good reason). Sin is my favorite kind of tortured hero, one seeking revenge and instead finds redemption. Kat is a reoccurring character in the overall storyline (“Kiss of the Night”, and “The Dream-Hunter”), it was nice that she finally got a story and a hero of her own. I love the occasional glimpses we get into other mythologies in this series, that it isn’t solely based on Greek and the more obscure/fabricated Atlantean gods.

We also get a great revelation about Acheron - just in time to entice us for his own book, which is coming out on August 4, 2008! I think I might die! show less

And this becomes my first official DNF of the year. I tried, but I just couldn't finish it. At a third of the way through, I'm calling it quits.

I looked forward to reading this book and giving Kenyon a try, but this was a struggle from the start. Although the world-building is clearly extensive, the main characters here are so incredibly stock and cliché takes on EXACTLY what is expected of a paranormal romance, and their portrayals are made that much worse by the fact that each moment that comes even close to romance-driven is itself full of cliché phrases, thoughts, and interactions. When you add in the fact that all of these thousand+-year-old characters speak like they're bored coeds just out of a frat party... "I am so going to show more come back and kill you." "You are so wrong." … and speak in the exact same fashion as one another... well, the effect isn't a good one.

Honestly, much as I hate to say it, it's hard not to make fun of how heavy-handed this book is, and how frustratingly simple and one-dimensional the writing style is, it's so driven by clichés. And that's not even mentioning the insta-love and the fact that a woman (and I use that term loosely, as she sounds more like an angsty, over-confident teenager) who's remained a virgin for 3,000-some years is suddenly going to give herself to a man without an apparent second thought... because, and I kid you not because the reasoning is written into the book, she's "curious", and "why not?"

Yeah... no.

So, between the unbelievable and annoyingly stock characters, the heavy-handed dropping of tropes and cliches throughout the book, and the incredible lack of depth to anything But world-building and mythology, I have to say that I honestly can't see why readers are such a fan of this author or series. Maybe I've been spoiled by PNR authors like Laurell K. Hamilton and Gena Showalter and Kerrelyn Sparks, all of whom have such great takes on this genre, with great characters and well-developed relationships. Maybe I've just been spoiled by good writing and good books in general.

I don't know, but whatever the case, I don't ever plan on picking up another of this author's books. show less

Man, I just love it when an author releases a book in a series that answers a lot of questions! Kenyon has given us a gold mine here: who is Katra, why is Ash tied to Artemis, more about Simi. Wonderful, action packed with the steamy romance readers have come to expect from Kenyon. My only disappointment? Kenyon introduced a "Dream-Hunter," Xiphos, that really should be the protagonist of the next Dream-Hunter novel, but isn't. Here's hoping he pops up in a short story or something. Now, bring on Ash's story, please!

Devil May Cry
4 Stars

An improvement over the last few lackluster installments.

The plot is good with the introduction of new villains and interesting revelations concerning well established characters. Acheron and Artemis's relationship takes on a new dimension and while their interaction still annoys me, at least it is more understandable now, although I wish the "bitch-goddess" would get her just desserts already.

Kat has intrigued me since Kiss of the Night and answers are finally provided to the questions I had back then. Sin makes an excellent tortured hero and his romance with Kat is sweet. They grow as individuals throughout the book and make sense as a couple despite the somewhat cliched obstacles and the short time frame.

My show more favorite aspect of the book is Ash's little talks with Kat, which often left me smiling.

All in all, Kenyon is back on track with this one. I only hope she continues in their vein. show less

I really enjoyed this volume. Sin is my kind of Dark-Hunter. Yum! Okay, so he's not really a Dark-Hunter, but still. No less yummy. And Kat. Wow. Now I know why Artemis' Kori are never allowed to stay when Ash is visiting. That was quite the unexpected revelation, though I really should have seen it coming. I have to admit that this one pulled at the ol' heartstrings quite a bit.

I didn't like this one as much as others in terms of characterization. I'm not sure why really. Maybe too many guilt-filled internal monologues from Sin and Kat. I liked that Acheron played a bigger role, but even he seemed a bit flat. However, four stars because I still sped through it and neglected a big pile of work in my need to finish the book. The action was awesome and Simi (my favorite after Ash) played a huge role. I love Simi.

I was very excited when this book first came out because it draws on Sumerian mythology -- something not seen too often, and a particular interest of mine. So, of course, I was extra disappointed when this one turned into a flop. My gripes: Katra's character is poorly and unconvincingly developed, the pacing is too rushed, the plot is nothing new, and romance aspect fell way short of appealing. Though not the worst Dark-Hunter book out there, this is a bad one.