Review: Darkness Unmasked by Keri Arthur

Darkness Unmasked by Keri Arthur
Series: Dark Angels #5
Published by Signet
Published on: June 4, 2013
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 400
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher

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Keri Arthur's explosive Dark Angels series is packed with everything you could want: a fiesty heroine, witches, vampires, werewolves, demons, angels of death, suspense and a whole lot of sexy action.

The sexy, exciting, suspenseful adventures continue in New York Times bestselling author Keri Arthur's Dark Angels series, starring Risa Jones, a half-Aedh/half-werewolf. She can speak to the souls of the dying and the dead, and can see Reapers, the collectors of souls.

Shortly after her fight on the astral plane, Risa receives a phone call from Madeline Hunter, the leader of the vampire council, ordering her to investigate the death of Hunter's close friend and lover - Wolfgang Schmidt. His body has been discovered wrapped in a web-like substance and has been completely drained. As the body count continues to grow, Risa must summon her gifts to find the dark spirit before it strikes again.

Meanwhile, as the search for the keys that keep the gate to Hell closed grows more intense, Risa begins to unravel mysteries that will have startling consequences for her.

*** THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS ***

Keri Author’s talent as an author is undeniable but after the last two Dark Angels books I’ve kind of felt like she’s been stretching this series’ story arc past its breaking point in order to sell more installments. There’s nothing I hate more than feeling like I’m being taken advantage of as a reader. I seriously contemplated quitting these novels altogether but that’s always easier said than done. At least Darkness Unmasked sets the expectation on page 3 that this book is NOT going to be about Risa’s quest to find the keys. I’m glad that Arthur just came out and said that because it allowed me to enjoy the story as the author intended rather than agonize about what it should have been.

Several loose ends and unanswered questions that have been hounding me since Darkness Unbound finally get resolved. For the first time in several installments I actually feel like Arthur made some headway where this series’ main story arc is concerned which is odd considering the aforementioned declaration made on page 3. However, you won’t hear me complaining! I found it weird that after all of this time, Risa’s mother’s murder investigation resurfaces. It was what started Jones’ crazy adventure but I had just assumed that it was a means to an end, a way to rope Risa into working for Hunter. I never really expect the killer to be found. But lo and behold, Keri Arthur gives her heroine the justice she’s been craving AND finds a key in the process! Things are finally starting to come together in the Dark Angels series.

Lucian, the Aedh I love to hate is back for another round and he’s especially loathsome in this installment. I always knew that there was something off about him and now that his secret is out, his depravity knows no bounds. I thought that Arthur took things a little too far where he’s concerned and I wasn’t a fan of Risa and Ilianna’s reactions, or rather lack thereof. I have a pretty thick skin with regards to violence in fiction but I draw the line at rape. I can even understand its necessity to a story line in certain instances but the way that Arthur downplays it was unacceptable to me. It almost felt like she was condoning it at times and that just didn’t sit right with me. Luckily, these events happen towards the end of this book and were the only parts that I really disliked.

I loved Azriel in this installment, heck, I love him in every book but I especially loved him in this one. It’s taken him a long while to reach this point but he’s now bending Reaper rules left, right, and center for Risa. I’ve really enjoyed watching his character evolve from a cold, calculating soul collector into a more humanized version of himself. He makes the ultimate sacrifice in this book only to have it blow-up in his face and leave readers with one heck of a cliffhanger. November and Darkness Splintered have never felt so far away!

Thank you Keri Arthur for finally delivering the Dark Angels installment that I’ve been waiting for! There may be hope for Risa and her quest for the keys yet! Darkness Unmasked is jam packed with jaw dropping revelations, blistering action and enough eight-legged creepy crawlies to give you nightmares. You definitely won’t want to miss this one!

Dark Angels Series
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