Photo credits: Skeeze
Edited by Vaishali
Title: ‘Dwellers of Darkness'
Author: Stacey Marie Brown Series: (Darkness #3) Genre: Urban Fantasy, New Adult, Paranormal romance Publisher: Twisted Fairy Publishing Year of Publication: 2014 Format: Paperback ISBN: 9781547131983
WARNING: Would highly recommend reading the first two books in this series ('Darkness of Light' and 'Fire in the Darkness') before reading this review as there will be spoilers!
Some quotations from the book may contain profanity. R E V I E W
“I’ve come to recognise this week that you are a serious pain in the ass. I will probably come to regret telling you this, but I’ve realised I can live without you, Dragen. I just don’t want to.” A grin hinted at his mouth. “Ditto, Brycin.”
While only a few days have passed on Earth, Ember Brycin has unknowingly been lost to the Otherworld for three years on a rescue mission. She is now 22 and Ember has missed three years of her human life. With her mother, Lily, back from the dead, Ember is reeling from outrageous truths, pain and mysteries that have been hidden from her for several years by her loved ones. Her relationship with her mother Is not what it once was and is far too fractured to ever be the same. As much as Lily tells Ember, she hides twice as much from the daughter she has claimed to protect all these years. But Ember's problems extend farther than that and things are far from safe.
“Here I go again. It was no longer a rabbit hole, but a never- ending black void full of constant lies and secrets.”
Eli Dragen is not the same man Ember left behind; Ember comes back to a severe looking, raging, unfeeling beast of a man who is riding a brittle edge of instability - not only different in appearance (having shaved his head no less!), Eli appears much more dangerous and merciless than Ember has ever known him to be – he is a fraction of what he was, submitting to his Dark Dweller instincts and is nothing less than vicious and animalistic. As much as they both can’t stand the other’s presence the sexual chemistry between them is still too passionate and palpable to ignore. Eli is still the elusive man with the shady, reserved past and Em understands that she knows so little of the man she has strong and growing feelings for. Eli is a complicated man (all the best characters are) and Ember has never battled so much with her heart. Being independent - and as a product of loss and grief - Ember has a stubborn will and a distrustful nature, is terrified of ever surrendering her heart and wresting control of it to place in another’s hands, even if that man is Eli Dragen.
“Following duty or what you think is right will only hurt you in the end. There is a reason life stepped in with you, even though it came in a form of a dickhead Dark Dweller.” “You can’t choose who you love; it chooses you.”
Aneira, the Seelie Queen, is slaughtering her way through Earth, weakening her enemy and crushing Ember’s spirit in the process, and this is not just a war of dominance and power, Aneira has made it her personal mission to break and splinter Ember by using her weaknesses to propel Em’s own downfall – and so the war is personal. Her plans are much bigger than the Otherworld as she plans to merge both worlds and become the ruler of all lands, revealing the Fae and enslaving the humans. Believed to be the prophesised one, Ember has bag loads of responsibility on her shoulders and the Unseelie King never lets her forget this, making Ember pay off her debt and binding her with magic – now all are questing to find the sword of light, the only weapon that can destroy the queen.
“You fate is about to be sealed. I hope you are ready.”
After breaking her bargain and breaching her contract with the Unseelie King, Ember has a price on her head and awaits the dangerous consequences of breaking an oath to the most powerful man on the planet. There are external threats many, but while staying with the Dwellers their situation is far from peaceful and diplomatic. Whether she likes it or not, Em is part Dark Dweller and they have to stay at the Dweller ranch for their own safety; friction rubs everybody up the wrong way, and oppositions and trepidations are high. Though the tension is palpable between Lily and the Dwellers they agree that the rescue efforts are first priority to retrieve West, Mark, Josh and Ryan from the Queen’s castle – Ember being the glue that holds them all together. Ember knows her loved ones are still concealing secrets what with fabrication imbedded in Fae nature, but when the lies come to pass they may just break her forever. Em’s past only becomes more imprecise, and every truth only comes with its own set of unanswerable questions.
“My lady, beware. The fight is now on. No one messes with a pixie.”
The Dark Dweller's past is still just as nebulous, tight with his own secrets. Em struggles to make peace with the assassins that the Dark Dwellers truly are and the brutalities they have committed in their long histories. Ember is gravely worried for her brave Knight Torin’s safety and survival, who is being held hostage in the Otherworld, punished for his betrayal. She can't feel the bond she shares with Torin anymore, and can't bury the deep anguish and guilt she feels about not only Torin’s torture but the world’s, the lives she has taken and the people she unwittingly hurts. The calamitous capacity of her powers are brimming under the surface, ready to be unleashed, fighting for freedom every step of the way. This is a battle of Light and Dark in the Fae world, but Ember is also in a battle of the dark and light inside of her vying for supremacy and she may just like surrendering to the darkness that dwells inside of her. Regardless of the difficulties and mammoth changes, Ember always finds a way to adapt.
“I know you feel guilt and pain. You’ve been through a lot, but you without your emotions, isn’t you. Those feelings make you who you are. Why you love so passionately, protect your loved ones so fiercely, and act like a stubborn mule. It’s why people are drawn to you, even against their will.”
Kennedy - Ember's best friend - is now torn from her human life, now a key player in this war and must learn Druid knowledge, powers and the history of centuries in limited time to aid in their efforts to break the Dwellers' curse and redeem their friends. Being the last living Druid, Kennedy is an invaluable and coveted commodity and the threats to her life are just as vast as Ember’s. Ember and Kennedy are possibly the last living of their kinds, extremely powerful beings with strong bloodlines, and I think that not only are they going to be integral in this war but in the survival of both worlds. Kennedy’s growth in this book is substantial and she adapts admirably well to her new heritage. Her relationship with Ember only grows stronger. I have to admit that Kennedy's character changes a fair bit. She alters the power play at times and I’m still not sure if I like this new change or not.
Ember can sometimes overdo it with her conveyances: how strong she is, how independent she is, how much she detests being controlled, owned and dictated. The repetitive reinforcement of this is unnecessary, and it just rings untrue - i'm a bigger fan of character's doing rather than saying. Ember’s stubbornness has been a character trait of hers that I've liked, but at times she allows it to become a character flaw which is where the author tips that balance. Because of this Ember borders on imbecilic, seeming as ignorant as she did in the first book. This trait also propels her character's sense of subjectivity, blurring her clarity meter. Though I do have issues with her character, Ember is still adorable, hilarious and sarcastically humorous and I enjoyed reading her. I didn’t think it possible but I think I love Eli more! It seems that this Dark Dweller has found a way to dwell inside my heart. What witchcraft is this Mr. Dragen!
“I was leaving the man whom I should probably be standing on a cliff at sunset with and heading for the man I had chosen, who was probably tearing into a bloody deer carcass at the moment. I was such a romantic.”
Some may be bothered by angst, but I didn't mind the back and forth between Ember and Eli because their inharmonious relationship stems from their clashing, stubborn natures as well as the barriers, secrets and locked histories barricading them. If their relationship wasn’t one that required conscious maintenance and commotion, then it would be out of character for them both, and equally unrealistic. Their relationship grows in ''Dwellers of Darkness' and they are more open with each other than they used to be – they progress even with the weight of situations (and themselves) pushing them back. Though they haven’t been together very long, they make a suitable pairing for this story.
“I don’t want someone trying to be my protector; I want a partner. If we are in this together, we are in this as equals. I am no delicate little girl. I need the truth all the time. Harsh or scary as it might be.”
Like the other books in the 'Darkness' series much of the plot scenario was predictable and I could see things coming before they happened (not always a bad thing but mystery is always nice) and oftentimes that which I hypothesise materialises as truth - what with my oh so omniscient mind! This series comes with its issues which is why I have some discord with it - I do like it a lot, I love the characters too, but I can’t say that it is extraordinary and up there with the best fantasy has to offer. 'Dwellers of Darkness' was a good read and with every book this series does get better. It is a decent tale and I love this series for the personalities and their charming encounters. This series has drama, angst, multiple kinds of relationships (not just romantic relationships), truckloads of action and steamy romance.
We have more backstory from the different characters; they grow and develop with the circumstances around them, and they deal with them accordingly and as best they can, and I love them for it. I like the world building, the pace is good and we have two main characters who are alluring and intriguing but both equally just as frustrating and exasperating to read! We get more history and we meet more creatures and species of Fae. Amongst their quests there is comedic relief and mocking banter which always offsets a book nicely for me if it is done well... because a book without humour is like cake without the icing. And after that ending that had me shedding tears like a dam, I’m too eager for that final instalment! P.S: Cal and Simmons are making me realise how much i direly need some loyal pixie friends...
“Falling, with no idea where you are going or how far the ground is from you, is bizarre. When you can see the ground, you know when the end will come. You can anticipate it. But this was a sickening loop of “Is it now? Now? How about now?” All you know is your death is at the bottom, and you will meet it faster than you want.”
I gave this book 4 stars -
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M Y R A T I N G S Y S T E M: ★ - 1 star: I did not like the book ★★ - 2 stars: The book was okay ★★★ - 3 stars: It was a good, solid read ★★★★ - 4 stars: A great book ★★★★★ - 5: A phenomenal read ---------------------------------------
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R E L A T E D P O S T S: ● Book Review: 'Darkness of Light' by Stacey Marie Brown ● Book Review: 'Fire in the Darkness' by Stacey Marie Brown ● Book Review: 'Beast in the Darkness' by Stacey Marie Brown ● Book Review: 'Blood Beyond Darkness' by Stacey Marie Brown ________________________________________________________ THIS NEXT SECTION CONTAINS SPOILERS!
Theories while reading:
1) I think Kennedy could be the prophesised ones. Ember could merely be the one who was to retrieve and protect the sword. 2) I don’t think Lily is Ember’s real mother (at least her biological one) – if Lily claims that she has never dreamwalked with Ember who is the woman in her dreams? Ember says that she knows that woman is her mother and she feels connected to her.
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