Darkness Falls by Keri Arthur
Series: Dark Angels #7
Published by Signet
Published on: December 2, 2014
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 405
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Amazon | Book Depo | Kobo | B&N | GoodReads
New York Times bestselling author Keri Arthur brings her Dark Angels series to a breathtaking conclusion as half-werewolf, half-Aedh Risa Jones treads a knife’s edge between the salvation of the human race and its total annihilation.
The search for the last key to the gates of hell has begun, and half-werewolf, half-Aedh Risa Jones is in more danger than ever—and one misstep could prove ruinous. It's only a matter of time before Madeleine Hunter, the dangerous head of the vampire council, begins her hunt for complete domination. And for Risa, that comes with an alarming ultimatum: hand over the last key to Hunter or, one by one, her loved ones will die.
Now, it’s a race against time for Risa to save those she loves, and to stop Hunter's apocalyptic plan to open the very gates of hell.
INCLUDES A BONUS EXCERPT OF KERI ARTHUR’S FIREBORN.
 |
 |
 |
I was on the brink of kissing this series goodbye after the previous installment because the plot became more about character drama than saving the world, and it has taken seven books for Risa to find three keys which was simply unacceptable. Keri Arthur left every single thread unresolved until DARKNESS FALLS, so this closer was an incredibly tall order, and while some arcs were dealt with entirely too neatly (i.e. Tao’s), the author was for the most part successful in concluding DARK ANGELS with a bang. She finally went back to doing what she does best, writing kickass Urban Fantasy.
This novel hit all of the keynotes with its recap, and for that I was grateful because it had become quite the jumbled mess inside my brain what with all of the backstabbing, keeping track of who impregnated who, and the various villains’ motivations. Thankfully, no new plot threads were piled on, and the story was all about defeating the sorceress, stopping Hunter, and locating the last key. Several of the characters from Arthur’s RILEY JENSON GUARDIAN series also contributed to the match point including the heroine, Quinn, Rhoan, and Jack. Oddly enough, my favourite sidekick was Amaya, Risa’s bloodthirsty demonic sword; her running commentary was an absolute riot.
The unexpected turn that Lauren’s story line took caught me completely off-guard; the author sowed the seeds for this reveal in book 1, and I loved how it all unfolded. I was also overjoyed that Azriel was kidnapped in this installment instead of Jones because the reverse has happened far too often in the DARK ANGELS universe. And, I appreciated that Arthur made the concluding chapters all about Hunter; the near insurmountable task of conquering such a formidable foe deserved nothing less. I liked how Risa tapped into every resource, ally, and weapon available in order to come out on top, and the resulting confrontation was indeed series finale worthy.
There was one character death that possibly went unnoticed by most readers; however devotees of Arthur’s above mentioned books surely felt the cataclysmic loss as much as I did. Risa & Azriel made a fab team, and I was happy that they were able to set their differences aside to not only stop the apocalypse, but also for the sake of their unborn child. These two more than deserved to sail off into the sunset, and I really enjoyed the sexually charged banter throughout this tale, although I wish that they’d acted on it a bit more. The ending did leave some room for another potential spin-off, but personally I’m past ready to bid adieu to this world.
DARKNESS FALLS was worth the wait, and the tumultuous path to get there (mostly).
  My Review |
  My Review |
  My Review |
  My Review |
  My Review |
  My Review |
  |
Was this review helpful? If so, please consider voting for it on Amazon or liking it on GoodReads!
Owner, designer and main blogger behind Rabid Reads. Avid book reader, snowboard bunny, video gamer and Supernatural fan. I love all things paranormal, werewolves especially. Oh, and I’m Canadian, eh!
This is another series that I’ve seen around, but have yet to start. I really need to find more time to read. 🙂
Melanie recently posted…Review: Four Days by Dannika Dark
Angels aren’t really my thing, but Keri Arthur is one of my fav authors, and this series is set in the same world as her Riley Jensen which I LOVED, so here we are.
Not sure if this makes me want to read more of this series or not. I’ve only read the first (maybe second) book.
Kristina D recently posted…End of Year Week ~ Looking Forward 2015
It would have been better if the author had condensed the story into only four installments IMO.
7 books to find 3 keys? Longest…quest…ever. At this point I hope it turns out there are NOT really three keys and it was all a false trail.
Nathan ( recently posted…2014 Barneys – Brute Who Ain’t Really a Brute
That was my main complaint about Dark Angels; it just took too damned long for the main plot arc to get resolved. 2+ installments per key was overkill.
This is an author I seriously need to try!
kindlemom1 recently posted…Review: All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
I’d recommend her Riley Jensen or Souls of Fire novels over these.
Glad this wrapped up the series pretty well for your Carmel and was a vast improvement over the last one. I’ve only read one book by Keri Arthur (the new one about phoenixes), and I quite enjoyed that, though I can easily see how character drama might start to weigh it down in future books. Fingers crossed though!
Book 1 in her phoenix series was MUCH better than these, so stick with that one for now. I just hope it doesn’t end up going down the same path as her Dark Angels.
I was anxious to see your review about this one because in the end we had the same feeling about the series and I was a little disappointed by the previous book. But I’m so glad to see it was a good end and now I’m quite curious to discover it as well! It’s also great that the characters from the previous series play a great role here. I love them! thanks for your review!
Stacy from Urban Fantasy Investigations talked me into reading this one; I was going to skip the finale altogether, but she said I couldn’t. LOL! However, I don’t think she’s tackled it yet, the traitor. 😉
Ah, I’m so glad that this one tripped your trigger, Carmel. It sounds as though it was going to take a lot to redeem the series for you and it seems Arthur delivered for the most part. I haven’t started this series – I still haven’t finished Arthur’s Riley Jensen series…but I’ll keep in mind that the end was worth the wait once I do get into it. 🙂
Bookworm Brandee recently posted…**Rock Chick Chat ~ Rock Chick Revolution ~ Kristen Ashley**
I say that now because I read book 6 a year ago, so I’ve for the most part forgotten everything that annoyed me about it, but I highly doubt I’d have felt the same way had I devoured ’em back-to-back.
Oh i’m so happy you were able to get closure from this series Carmel, and that it was a vast improvement over the previous book. Nothing is worse than when a series starts to feel like it’s losing it’s edge and going downhill, luckily it seems this one redeemed itself pretty quickly.
Lily recently posted…My Favourite 2014 Favourites (Non-Debuts)
I’ve been struggling with this series for a while now, but after six novels I just HAD to know how it ended. Luckily the author delivered a strong finale.
Always fun with the unexpected plots
Very true!
Snarky sentient swords are the best! It’s so hard to know whether or not you should commit to a spin-off series; usually they’re pale imitations of the original, but sometimes they get really good! I’ve heard that Richelle Mead’s Bloodlines series is awesome, and that’s a spin-off.
Danya recently posted…Short Fiction Review: Gifted by Kelley Armstrong
Spin-off series tend to be hit or miss, and unfortunately Dark Angels was more the former than the latter. Ah well, at least it’s over now, and I can focus on her phoenixes.
Haha! I have felt frustrated a few times when a longer series seems to take a few rabbit trails to get down to the real issues. I haven’t started this series yet, but I’ll keep that all in mind. Glad it finally pulled out all the stops and gave you a satisfying ending.
Sophia Rose recently posted…Review: To Kiss a Kilted Warrior by Rowan Keats
I lost count of the number of times that the heroine got kidnapped in this series; it was insane. At times I found her to be TSTL which was a shame…
I’ve been totally in the mood for a series with angels. The last angels series I read was The Daughter of Smoke and Bone but I swear I just had this conversation with a good book friend!! And another thing that I love about this is that it’s complete!!! 😉
Cristina recently posted…Favorite Books 2014 (Part 2)
I haven’t read The Daughter of Smoke and Bone, so I couldn’t tell you if this series would be a good way to go for you. It sure had its ups and downs though, I can tell you that much!
I need to try this sries 🙂
blodeuedd recently posted…The Silvered – Tanya Huff
2015 will be the year, right? 😉
By running commentary by the demonic sword you mean an actual weapon?? If so, it must have been hilarious!!
I’m glad to hear that despite how the series sort of disappointed you in some of the previous installments it managed to redeem itself in this last book!
Great review Carmel!
Pili recently posted…Cover Reveal: Hunting Season by Nikki Jefford!!
Yes, the sword talks to Risa, and Azriel has one as well. Their English vocabulary is limited which made it all the more entertaining.
3 keys in 6 books? Sounds like a drag. Good thing this redeemed the series somehow, I would’ve given up if I were in your shoes.
Braine Talk Supe recently posted…Loved It: A Little Faith by Emma James + Debut Writing Adventures
I should have given up, I really should have, but I just kept hoping that it would get better because I <3 Arthur's writing.
Once upon a time, I think I bought the first book to this series but never really picked it up. It sounds like plot dragged though. I sure hope it gets better for you, Carmel!
The protagonist is half angel half werewolf, however the latter aspect fell short which SUCKS.
I haven’t read any of these, but that’s great the author finally got back on track and you enjoyed this one. I feel like these type of series often go on for too long.
-Lauren
ShootingStarsMag recently posted…New Look + Giveaway Reminder
I’m happy that the author ended things when she did, otherwise I would have thrown in the towel. My patience isn’t boundless.
Damn, this series does sounds heavy in the drama. Glad to hear it went back to kickass though. I don’t know if I can wade through all that.
Christy recently posted…My Top Reads of 2014
Yuppers. And, I didn’t even go into it overly much because a few of my previous reviews were overly rant-y, and I wanted to avoid going down that road again.
That’s great, Carmel! I’m glad the series took a turn for the better 🙂 I love it when you’re able to connect with the MC, and while I haven’t read any books by this author, I’ve heard a lot of good things. Maybe I’ll be giving the series a try 😉
Also, if you’re interested, it would be nice if you could enter my first ever blog giveaway? I’m giving away two fantasy ebooks to two lucky winners: http://symphofwords.blogspot.com/2014/12/merry-christmas-goodbye-2014-new-year.html
Madiha recently posted…Merry Christmas, & Goodbye 2014 + New Year International Giveaway!
It was a long time in coming, but Keri Arthur got ‘er done eventually.
I was wondering what your thoughts would be on this one. I remember you had said the previous installments were not as great as it began. Glad to see this one was good! I’ll have to pick up the series again.
I had to have my arm twisted to read this one, but I’m happy that it paid off. Finally, some closure!
The first book was not so great for me which sucked because I loved the Riley Jensen series. And hearing that you have to wait that long to resolve so much, I fell like I shouldn’t give the rest of the series a chance. Though I am happy you liked it overall.
Jennifer Bielman recently posted…My Top Ten Reads of 2014 (& Happy New Year!)
I felt much the same about this series. I only read it because it was set in the same world as Riley Jensen, and I’m not a quitter, although it came close.
Wow, for a long series you must be glad that this one picked up, especially after your thoughts on the previous books. It sounds like it did drag, but there seemed to be a lot of development in this one that kept things exciting. Lovely review Carmel, and happy new year!
Jeann recently posted…2014 Recap & Blogging Highlights
It seems like Arthur saved all of the best for last which is unfortunate because it made this series an uphill battle, but at least the final installment was a winner.
Wow, seven books for three keys is definitely unacceptable! I would have been extremely frustrated by the dragged out plot.
I’m glad you enjoyed this overall Carmel, A great review!
Sharon – Obsession with Books recently posted…My Top 10 of 2014 + Stats!
It just didn’t add up. I’m all for epic quests, but this was a little over the top.