Immortals After Dark Series Books 16 & 18

Sweet Ruin by Kresley Cole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is book 16

I'm obsessed with these on audio. Robert Petkoff is an excellent narrator.

Pages: 384

---

Wicked Abyss by Kresley Cole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is book 18

This is the last one that has been published in this series. Now what will I do?

Pages: 400

Dark Skye by Kresley Cole

Dark Skye by Kresley Cole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book 15 in IAD series

I thought this was more interesting and a huge improvement over the previous one. I particularly enjoyed the demon realm, with all of its tricks and snares.

Pages: 420

MacRieve by Kresley Cole

MacRieve by Kresley Cole
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
\
Book 14 of IAD

The MC is particularly angry about his past, and that frequently makes him hurtful, unkind, and difficult to like. I guess you could say that there was just a bit too much reality invading my Lore-ridden fantasy realm with this story.

I still like the story, overall, but it also frustrated and disappointed me at times, and not in a good sort of way. Also, some of the themes felt a bit repetitive, and the plot lagged.

Obviously, it's not a deal breaker, because I still immediately picked up the next book in the series. But there's something that's extra dark and uncomfortable about this one, and not always in a good way.

Pages: 358

Shadow's Claim by Kresley Cole

Shadow's Claim by Kresley Cole
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the new world of the Dacians, but I wanted to know more about how their world works.

I don't understand why they're both part of IAD but also the start of a separate series, since to me it seems like both worlds can and do flow together. None of the other realms have become a separate series, but perhaps she has plans to divide it out further in the future.

This feels just like IAD and follows the same format as those stories. It has less overlapping characters, but there were glimpses of how the worlds and characters could and will interact.

Pages: 481

Lothaire by Kresley Cole

Lothaire by Kresley Cole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book 12: Immortals After Dark

If I described this story, it would sound ridiculous (trust me, I tried). I think that's the charm of this series.  Each book sounds more bizarre than the last, but I can't look away.

I love the audiobooks for this series. I have become addicted, so I had to purchase more of them through Audible, when I couldn't get them from the library (and even though I already owned the Kindle versions).

I really enjoyed Lothaire's story. It was unexpected with a lot of contrast (again, that seems to be a theme for this series). It also has the first introduction of the Dacians, which is an interesting new world of mythology that I look forward to hearing more about.

Pages: 468

Dreams of a Dark Warrior by Kresley Cole

Dreams of a Dark Warrior by Kresley Cole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book 11: Immortals After Dark

These books keep getting longer and longer as the world building becomes more and more complex. I really like that. The plots have also become a lot more interesting, and the characters have become more multifaceted.

This is Regin's story, and she's one of my favorite characters, outside of Nix.

Pages: 515

Demon from the Dark by Kresley Cole

Demon from the Dark by Kresley Cole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book 10: Immortals After Dark

This one was fantastic, because it had such interesting characters. I enjoyed seeing someone from the Lore coming from an entirely different background and perspective, as well as the addition of a child into the storyline.

When I stared this series, I remembered thinking that after I read a few, they would probably all seem the same. That is not the case. The more books she writes, the more fascinating the world becomes, and the deeper she digs with the character development.

Pages: 430

Pleasure of a Dark Prince by Kresley Cole

Pleasure of a Dark Prince by Kresley Cole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book 9: Immortals After Dark

I have 40 other books checked out from my different libraries, but I can't quit reading this series. The only solution seems to be to finish the whole series, and this is only 9 out of 16 so far.

It's not that I couldn't stop and come back to this series from time to time. It's just that as soon as I finish one book, I find myself grabbing for the next one, even if I tell myself I will take a break to read from my TBR pile. So in theory, I could stop, but in reality, I apparently won't.

I blame the Bestie for this. I would have never started this series without her nagging, and now I'm trapped (though I don't seem to mind).

Pages: 431

Untouchable by Kresley Cole

Untouchable by Kresley Cole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book 8: Immortals After Dark

An interesting change of pace. And who isn't fascinated by a girl made of cold and ice? That never gets old, in my opinion. Not when it's well done.

The world just grew in a direction I didn't expect it to grow. Cole does a good job of taking something that could become very repetitive and making each new story seem different.

Pages: 415

Kiss of a Demon King by Kresley Cole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm still enjoying this series. All of the drama and intrigue appeals to me, and while there are some similar themes from book to book, each set of new characters has been unique and interesting. I particularly enjoyed all of the backstory that came together in this book.

Nix mentions Lords of the Underworld by Showalter, so I may have to check out that series if Nix makes an appearance in it, since she's one of my favorite characters in this world.

Pages: 417

Dark Desires After Dusk by Kresley Cole

Dark Desires After Dusk by Kresley Cole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book 6 in Immortals After Dark

I appreciated the diversity of characters in this one, particularly the female lead dealing with mental health issues, even if it was for supernatural reasons.

I have also become quite fond of a side character named Nix and enjoy her brief appearances in each novel almost as much or more than anything else.

Pages: 368

Dark Needs at Night's Edge by Kresley Cole

Dark Needs at Night's Edge by Kresley Cole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book 5 in Immortals After Dark

I don't typically like stories with ghosts, so this is an exception. I'm honestly shocked that I gave it 5 stars, but I rate based on gut impulse when I finish the book and rarely change those scores. I considered 4 stars, on a logical level, but I preferred 5, on an emotional level.

I think the series grows stronger and more interesting with each new book. Something about it captured me from the start, but she's getting even better at world building and character development with each new book, which helps me stay interested in the series and world.

I like how the characters from previous books are woven throughout the series, and it makes me anxious for some of the side characters to one day get their own books. It seems apparent that I'm going to have to finish the series before I can move on to anything else, but at least these are quick reads.

Pages: 368

Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night by Kresley Cole

Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night by Kresley Cole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book 4 in Immortals After Dark

I enjoyed Bowen, all the Lykae, really, but I was particularly fascinated by Mariketa's powers. This is the first one that I've given 5 stars to. I think that's because I've liked all of the stories, but everything came together for this one: the writing, the character development, the world building, etc. It also felt different and not repetitive of the past books, which is good. I was worried they would all start seeming the same.

Pages: 359

No Rest for the Wicked by Kresley Cole

No Rest for the Wicked by Kresley Cole
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book 3 in the Immortals After Dark series.

I liked the scavenger hunt. I also like that this did a better job of addressing consent than the first 2 books. Sometimes, it felt a bit repetitive of previous novels, but I still enjoy the world. It's a fun, mindless read, and that's what I have needed lately.

Pages: 356

A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole

A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is book 2 in the Immortals After Dark Series.

Okay, I love these books. They're so feral and animalistic, in a supernatural monster sort of way. I'm pretty sure that doesn't make much sense, but it will once you start reading them.

It's a nice change of pace when I want something mindless and ridiculously fun to read. The world is fascinating, and they're spicy to the max. They also come with a bit of blood and gore, as should be expected when you mix a vampire/valkyrie and a werewolf.

This book also has some consent issues, much like the first book, but it got better as the story progressed. I just want to throw that out there for anyone who is sensitive to this. At the beginning, it did bother me some, and I had to take a deep breath and remind myself that this is a paranormal romance novel. I accept that these aren't humans, and they aren't following my rules for humanity, which is why I just let it go and enjoy the overly-dramatic ridiculousness of it all as the story progressed. However, I do hope that improves in future novels, and as the first one is about 12 years old now, I suspect that it will.

The concept of each creature finding one true mate is charming. I don't even believe in soulmates or "the one" but these stories kind of make me wish that I did. There's some fun to be found in pretty lies.

Pages: 356

My Soul to Keep from African Immortals Series (Book 1) by Tananarive Due

This is the intriguing story of a young Miami newspaper reporter, Jessica and her mysterious husband, David.  David is handsome, intelligent, accomplished, and it becomes evident, has lived for over 500 years.  He belongs to a secret society of men called "the immortals," who have undergone a ritual that gives them everlasting life.  But David has fallen deeply in love with Jessica; they share a five-year-old child, Kira, so he devises a scheme to keep them with him forever.  Once begun, this book is incredibly hard to put down.  Tananarive Due is an extremely talented writer with a gifted imagination and the ability to weave unusual stories.
352 pages