Eternal Prey
Eternal Prey starts strong with an action-packed scene that grabs attention and pulls you right into the world building of the Gods of the Night series. But as events slow, the plot bogs down with a multitude of characters, unclear storylines, and fantastical elements that went above and beyond what I’m willing to buy into. Simply put, dinosaurs just aren’t that attractive.
To keep it simple, the hero and heroine belong to a band of other worldly beings valiantly trying to save the Earth from the total destruction that will occur based on the Mayan calendar date of December 21, 2012. Said group covertly fights another group of evil other worldly beings bent on putting events into place which will bring about the destruction. Obviously, the hero and heroine belong to the group who want to save civilization, but most of the time there is no clear cut delineation between good and evil.
Utah, a raptor shifter, belongs to a group called the Eleven, united by their powerful leader Fin, who could possibly be like Utah and the other dinosaur shifters, but most probably not. Within this group, Utah has his pack, a smaller group comprised of himself, Tor, and Rap, who are basically family. When vampires kill Rap, Utah is determined to get revenge and believes that the only good vampire is a dead vampire. But while he seeks his revenge, he must be constantly aware of the other, more powerful threats they still have to prevent from destroying major U.S. cities and then banish into the cosmos. However, he doesn’t count on falling for a would-be vampire, the very thing he hates most.
Lia, the human daughter of a powerful but now dead vampire leader, volunteers to act as Utah’s human shield to protect him from being tracked by the evil and powerful Seven. Unfortunately, he doesn’t want her protection, which is compounded when he discovers she will soon become a vampire. When Fin pairs them together to work with other vampires to discover the bad guys whereabouts and plans, Lia finds she can’t resist his charming complications and he discovers that vampires might not be so bad after all.
In a word, I would describe this story as confusing. Almost every paranormal being from vampires, werewolves, unseelie fae, ghosts, to what I think are possible aliens, and dinosaurs are included within the 384 pages. I spent too much time contemplating the fact that the Eleven, the alliance of good guys, is quite different from individuals known as Zero, Seven and other numerically named individuals, who are the bad guys. To make matters even more confusing, both sides form alliances that shift periodically throughout the story and it’s not always clear who’s good as opposed to bad.
The hero and heroine were also problematic. In comparison with the hero, who has literally been around since the time of the dinosaurs, the heroine is young. I enjoyed the fact that she knows her limitations and has insecurities, which make her more sympathetic. Unfortunately, her dialogue bothered me at times because it seemed immature, which did fit with the characterization. However, I could not reconcile myself to the fact that the hero was a raptor and others within his group were various dinosaurs. So not sexy in any form or fashion. With the multitude of characters introduced, it became somewhat laughable to me that each was more powerful or more beautiful than the last. I found it jarring because when I read a paranormal romance, I want the current hero to be the most awesome within that story.
On a positive note, I couldn’t stay away from the book for very long because I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. Unfortunately, I’m not sure if it was true interest or morbid curiosity that kept pulling me back in. Without a doubt, however, the story is unique and may be perfect for those tired of the everyday paranormal.
I wish I could offer a more positive review, but it just isn’t possible. However, I’m not giving up yet and I hope the next in the series will be less convoluted.
Book Details
Reviewer: | Heather Brooks |
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Review Date: | June 6, 2011 |
Publication Date: | 2011/01 |
Grade: | D |
Sensuality | Warm |
Book Type: | Paranormal Romance |
Review Tags: | |
Price: | $7.99 |
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