Darkling

Darkling (2008) Yasmine Galenorn

Darkling picks up where Changeling ended, the situation in Fae is becoming more dire and the situation on Earth isn’t much better.

This portion of the story is told from the point of view of Mennoly, the youngest of the three sisters, and a vampire. This is also the darkest of the three books, since Mennoly revisits her past, and the torture she went through when she was turned.

Interestingly, Mennoly’s turning was awful, but it wasn’t horrific and drawn out, which made it less dark than it could have been. We learn much of the story in pieces, and the retelling is brusque, which gives us the details without reveling in the torture.

In other words, I was expecting to be a lot harder to read than it was.

In addition to the darkness of the story, there seemed to be less focus on sex than there was in the previous two books, and instead of seeming gratuitous (which much of the sex in the previous books seemed to be), it was part of Mennoly’s healing process, so it was an integral part of Mennoly’s story.

I also liked Mennoly’s acerbic wit and inability to suffer fools. It also seemed as if this attitude came after she was turned–the pre-vampire Mennoly seems far less pissy, even if we don’t see much of her.

As with the previous books, although the issues with the war and the seals remain, Mennoly’s story arc for this book is completed, which I always like.

Unfortunately, the next book in the series seems to go back to Camille, the witch, who is obsessed with sex and fashion, so I’m not particularly looking forward to it, but hopefully the other sisters will play a larger role.

This is probably my favorite book in the series so far. Yes, it’s light reading, but sometimes that’s just what you need.
Rating: 7/10

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