Immortals After Dark (6) - Dark Desires after Dusk by Kresley Cole
The sixth part finally goes into detail about what happened to poor Cadeon Woede… Dark Desires after Dusk (Verführung der Schatten), originally published 2008, I read the 368 pages in English.
Cadeon Woede screwed up. Not only did he loose his brother’s crown centuries ago. No. Now the only opportunity to get it back is sacrificing the Vessel, this Accension’s soon-to-be mother of the year. Who’s first child is either going to be good or evil incarnate. Cade has to find her, protect her, earn her trust and then stab her in the back and leave her at a madman’s mercy. But the worst of this? Of all the people who could have been the Vessel, it’s Holly. The controlling, math geeking, and impossibly lovely woman he knows is his own. No matter how much he loves his brother, how guilty he feels – how could he possibly betray her like this?
I adore Holly. Seriously, I adore her. Holly Ashwin is a tough-as-nails woman who knows what she wants and how she gets it, who, granted, has a boyfriend more for show and science, isn’t comfortable with sexual situations and adores maths – while she does everything in a Lorean’s power to ignore her obvious non-humanity, the problems with her boyfriend and other stuff that bothers her. She suffers from anxiety, needs reaaally regular days and freaks if stuff isn’t dividable through three. She is obviously flawed, can definitely exist without a man and has a gorgeous humour as well as an admirable ability to adjust to difficult situations.
Like ending up half-naked in a car with a demon and poisonous snakes, followed by vampires and other demons who previously wanted to rape and sacrifice her, after Holly was hit by a lightning bolt, grew fangs and pointed ears and murdered bloodily. She’s a joy. And, unfortunately for Cade, both his fated female and the Vessel, the only thing that can bring Rydstorm’s crown back. The one Cade lost for him.
Spoiler:
This was particularly hard for me to read, because I read Kiss of a Demon King (Zauber der Leidenschaft) before this part – which spoilered me so much that I knew the entire ending and the fact that Cade actually wasn’t at all responsible. I was soooo feeling with him. And so angry at Nïx and Rydstorm for keeping it secret!
Nïx. What game is she playing, for goodness’ sake? Sure, she wants to be rid of Ormont (doesn’t she?!) but this… well, we’ll probably find out sooner or later. Probably later than sooner, but whatever.
Poor Rydstorm. So close, and yet so far… But Sabine isn’t at all what he thinks she is.
Now, I’ve mentioned Rydstorm’s brother Cade more than once. Let me introduce you to the guilt-ridden, intuitive, learning-by-doing, and amazingly responsible mercenary who lives in his brother’s shadow. Who followed his woman to make sure she’s safe, never approaching her because he knew that he’d kill her through that. Though it killed him to stay away – or see her with Tim. Cade is… layered. And fun to be around. I was almost sorry for him when Holly pulled all the tricks he did with other women, but he retaliates and teaches her nicely. And oh-so altruistically…
Tim. That little piece of shit. I saw him coming, and am still a little sad Cade didn’t, in fact, rip his spine of to show him what it looks like – or what was the exact description he and Rydstorm gave Nïx?
Again, what’s that girl planning?
No matter. Holly can obviously take care of herself, a lot better than some other centuries old women in this series. How she took care of this creep and his fellows? Awesome. How she took care of the village? Damn it! And following the Northern Lights, good idea! But what I like most about her is how she actually starts seeing Cade for who he is before the actual conflict even begins.
Spoiler:
I’m kinda sorry for Cade. He screwed up, what he did by Holly was anything but fair. But I get it. I get why he did it – and was so sorry he missed her for seconds, so sorry he couldn’t prove his actual plan. Fortunately, they work it out. The way house is amazingly thoughtful of him, though I’m kinda annoyed that all the gifts from the men have to be extremely expensive and such. It’s the thought that matters, not the price tag!
But what bothered me most about the ending was Holly’s reaction to her pregnancy. She… doesn’t care. She finds out that she’ll be single mother to two kids, with a father who betrayed her. And she doesn’t care until he finally comes around to buying her a house. Sure, being shocked by a revelation like that is natural. And not really believing it at first is natural as well. But she had weeks and a hell of a lot morning sickness, she should have understood her exact situation by now. And I’ve got a big fat problem with the fact that her children come after Cade. And that she’s like “okay, you bought me a house, all’s forgiven” all of a sudden. That’s waaay too fast. The ending sucks.
The only part of the ending I like is how Holly and the other Valkyries manage together, and her title – it’s definitely better than Vessel. That’s worse than calling her Walking Uterus. Or Mother of the Ascension. Don’t get me wrong: Being a mother is something wonderful, and definitely something you should be proud of – something you really live, not just do next to your other duties. But I kinda believe in the saying, that “before I was your sister/wife/girlfriend, I was myself. And that I shall remain”. So, I think it’s great others start to see her as more than the Vessel.
Have I mentioned how much I adore Valkyries, by the way?
In brief:
Holly was a bit too fast with the adjustment. And Tim was obvious. And, again, too artificial. So, a star for ideas, minus one for the content & the ending.
Prequel:
(Conrad Wroth & Néomi Laress, prima ballerina, former femme fatale and burlesque dancer)
Sequel:
(Sabine of the Sorceri, Queen of Illusions, annointed princess of Rothkalina
& Rydstorm Woede, fallen king of Rothkalina)