Shadow's Claim
Dacians #1/Immortals After Dark #13
by Kresley Cole
This'll be quick and I'll forgo recounting the plot in length and will dive right into my thoughts. It will also be somewhat spoiler-ish.
With this installment I'm all caught up with the Immortal After Dark Series. Not sure why I didn't read Shadow's Claim when it was its turn but I think it had something to do with the fact that it strayed from the original series and I figured I could just start it as an independent one. Not sure if this helped to see it in a clear light or just threw me out of the loop. Anyhoo, I digress.
Bettina is forced to marry. To determine who the (un)lucky guy will be a tournament is being held. She agreed to this archaic practice despite her feelings for her childhood friend Caspion. Why the hell would she do this?
Enter Trehan who happens upon her by following a hunch. She bloods him, making her his eternal mate, the poor sod. Trehan is an assassin, a loyal servant of a secret and hidden kingdom. He is also a contender for the crown. He is a strategic planer and leaves nothing to coincidence. That's also how he woos his bride. A minor nuisance comes up when he realizes that he has to assassinate her bride's best friend as a duty to his kingdom.
Many times while reading Bettina's and Trehan's story I found myself rolling my eyes and being annoyed. Whenever Bettina said how much she loved her childhood friend Caspion I wanted to slap her. And I suppose if I could have she'd have ended up with bruises in her face because, swear to God, I wanted to slap her most of the book. This heroine did nothing to endear her to me. She was stupid, made dumb and rash decisions at one turn and the next she was too cautious and fearful.
Trehan was swoon-worthy and he pretty much saved this book from being one of the few DNFs in my book history. He was strong and devoted to win over his fated bride despite the obstacles. And Bettina's stupidity. When he suspects her of poisoning him I was wondering what made him think that - she wasn't smart enough to think of something so devious.
The last couple of chapters reminded me of why I love Kresley Cole's books. When Lothaire and Sabine made an appearance I whooped cheerfully and oh those pages were so good but they couldn't safe this story for me. All together the Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrott-Moments were too many and my dislike for the heroine really spoiled it for me. The 3-star-rating stems from Kresley Cole's quality writing, Lothaire's and Sabine's appearance and Trehan being a delicious hero. Sorry :(
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