Review: Lucinda, Darkly

304 Pages
Published in 2009
By Sunny

"I fought desperately to control the force flowing from me. It was like a living thing. A thing that wanted to bite and claw and tear into him with mental as well as physical force, devouring his mind as well as his body. Eat! it demanded. And it did not care if it was pain or pleasure that it devoured." (p.90)




SYNOPSIS:

Lucinda is the princess of Hell, a former Monere queen that has been existing as a demon for over six hundred years. Her small, womanly curves disguise her inhuman strength and her ruthlesness in tracking down rogue Monere warriors.

On one such mission, she meets Stefan, who is like no other warrior she has encountered. His warmth touches her deeply and makes her feel, which she has not experienced in a very, very long time.

While deciding if she will accept his offer of companionship, she is summoned to capture and return a new rogue warrior to his queen. Although Lucinda is at first disgusted by the warrior, she ends up saving him from his evil queen. Lucinda also rescues a different creature from the queen, a Flower of Darkness who had been kidnapped from Hell as a babe.

What follows is her struggles to control her inner beast, accept her newfound compassion for others, and protect the men she now has under her care.

REVIEW:

I was aware that this is an adult paranormal novel (which in that case I have to put out there - please do NOT read this novel if you are underage), but I did not realize the number and ...uh... imaginative sex scenes that would permeate the story. Fortunately for me, I do enjoy a change from the usual YA tension causing/teaser  character chemistry.

Secondly, I liked the concept and exploration of Hell that the author brings to life - a world that is both organized and hierarchial. The creatures from Hell also have emotional capability which is unlike how most demonic creatures are portrayed.

That said, onto the cons. I found myself very confused for most of the book about who were the Moneres and who are these living dead and what are each of their capabilities. I know that this story is an offshoot from another series, but I feel the author should have explained the background a bit more, especially since it is book  one.

Also, I felt that the author should have been more descriptive of Hell. The impression I got was that it was mainly a barren landscape, where occassionally a viscious creature would pop up, especially at night. For me, that was not enough.

Overall, I did like the book, but I probably won't be picking up any more in the series.

♥ ♥ .5 = liked it