Wednesday, May 25, 2016

The Beast (Black Dagger Brotherhood #14) by J.R. Ward | Review

The Beast (Black Dagger Brotherhood #14) by J.R. Ward | ReviewThe Beast (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #14) by J.R. Ward
Series: Black Dagger Brotherhood #14
Published by NAL on April 5th 2016
Pages: 508
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
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3 Stars

Nothing is as it used to be for the Black Dagger Brotherhood. After avoiding war with the Shadows, alliances have shifted and lines have been drawn. The slayers of the Lessening Society are stronger than ever, preying on human weakness to acquire more money, more weapons, more power. But as the Brotherhood readies for an all-out attack on them, one of their own fights a battle within himself…

For Rhage, the Brother with the biggest appetites, but also the biggest heart, life was supposed to be perfect—or at the very least, perfectly enjoyable. Mary, his beloved shellan, is by his side and his King and his brothers are thriving. But Rhage can’t understand—or control—the panic and insecurity that plague him…

And that terrifies him—as well as distances him from his mate. After suffering mortal injury in battle, Rhage must reassess his priorities—and the answer, when it comes to him, rocks his world...and Mary’s. But Mary is on a journey of her own, one that will either bring them closer together or cause a split that neither will recover from...

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By book 14, you’d think I’d be over a series but that is so not the case with the Black Dagger Brotherhood books.  J.R. Ward still manages to surprise me with the twists and turns she keeps throwing in her books.

Fair warning: review is spoiler free if you’ve read the first 13 books.  Otherwise, I make no promises.

Pros:

  • Story: Things seem to be moving along with the Lessening Society again.  The Beast starts off with a huge battle and things seem like they are finally back on track with the war between the Black Dagger Brotherhood and the Lessening Society.  I admit, it’s a little frustrating because this war has been going on for 14 books and it doesn’t seem like it’s gone very far so it was good to see such a huge, impactful battle in The Beast.
  • Romance: Rhage and Mary have always been one of my favorite couples (let’s be real, it’s mainly because of Rhage) so I was a little nervous about the story coming back to them and threatening their relationship.  While it definitely puts things up in the air for them, it really shows that they have a strong relationship no matter what they go through and believe me, they go through a lot.  Rhage and Mary don’t have a perfect relationship and they never have.  They went through a lot to get their happy ending and yeah, J.R. Ward kind of throws everything up in the air with The Beast, but she definitely knew what she was doing.
  • Characters: I’m still totally in love with all the original characters and I love that J.R. Ward is revisiting some of their stories but I also really like that she still manages to introduce new ones and tie all their stories together.  There is one particular character that is introduced pretty early on in The Beast who didn’t make sense to the story for quite some time.  When things started to fall into place though, I couldn’t believe where things were going.  It’s hard to believe that I can still be so surprised by J.R. Ward’s books but she manages to throw in some amazing twists that I never see coming.

Cons:

  • Rhage and Mary: I had some serious issues with Rhage and Mary at times throughout The Beast.  Take the very first scene, for instance.  I’m not going to spoil anything but Rhage does something so incredibly stupid and doesn’t even have a very good reason for it.  He acts reckless and it really made me mad.  Then there was Mary.  Mary was so obsessed with Bitty (a child that Rhage and the brothers rescued in a previous book from her abusive father) that she loses sight of so many other things, including Rhage.  Those two had some things they needed to work out and they did not make me happy while they were working them out.  And also, they were pretty cheesy at times which is not something I ever expected from them and I didn’t care much for it.

Overall, The Beast is a solid addition to the Black Dagger Brotherhood series and really sets things up for the next book and the next step in the war with the Lessening Society.  I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in book 15, especially with Xcor and Layla.

What others are saying about The Beast:

  • Smexybooks’ review: “To be honest, I wasn’t that excited for a second Rhage book, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this one.”
  • Vilma’s Book Blog’s review: “Life and death, marriage and love, sacrifices and surprises—J.R. Ward stirs things up in this intimate, evocative next chapter in the Black Dagger Brotherhood.”
  • Total Book Geek’s review: “Once again The Beast was amazingly written, and I love how well all the story-lines mix together.”
Tuesday, June 23, 2015

The Shadows (Black Dagger Brotherhood #13) by J.R. Ward | Review

The Shadows (Black Dagger Brotherhood #13) by J.R. Ward | ReviewThe Shadows by J.R. Ward
Series: Black Dagger Brotherhood #13
Published by NAL on March 31, 2015
Genres: Paranormal
Pages: 592
Format: Hardcover
Source: Bought
Buy on Amazon
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4 Stars

Two brothers bound by more than blood fight to change a brutal destiny in the heart-wrenching new novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood by #1 New York Times bestselling author J. R. Ward.

Trez “Latimer” doesn’t really exist. And not just because the identity was created so that a Shadow could function in the underbelly of the human world. Sold by his parents to the Queen of the S’Hsibe as a child, Trez escaped the Territory and has been a pimp and an enforcer in Caldwell, NY for years- all the while on the run from a destiny of sexual servitude. He’s never had anyone he could totally rely on... except for his brother, iAm.

iAm’s sole goal has always been to keep his brother from self-destructing- and he knows he’s failed. It’s not until the Chosen Serena enters Trez’s life that the male begins to turn things around... but by then it’s too late. The pledge to mate the Queen’s daughter comes due and there is nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, and no negotiating.

Trapped between his heart and a fate he never volunteered for, Trez must decide whether to endanger himself and others- or forever leave behind the female he’s in love with. But then an unimaginable tragedy strikes and changes everything. Staring out over an emotional abyss, Trez must find a reason to go on or risk losing himself and his soul forever. And iAm, in the name of brotherly love, is faced with making the ultimate sacrifice...

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I think it’s safe to say that by book 13 of a series I’m pretty hooked. The Black Dagger Brotherhood series was a series I started late but I’m definitely an invested fan now. Trez and iAm’s story got me just as much as the original brothers!

Trez and iAm are not members of the Brotherhood. In fact, they are a whole different race; shadows. They are similar to vampires but they have different abilities and different rules to live by. Trez has been promised to the princess of the shadows since he was born but he’s been fighting it for years. However, time is about up for him and not only is there no solution in sight, he’s also in love with Selena.

This series really gets me with the characters. Trez and iAm were no different. Trez was a strong male who had a lot of difficulties in life. iAm was his rock. The twins had a special bond and I loved how they were there for each other through everything. As for their females, I wasn’t quite as invested there. Selena was one of the Chosen, meaning she was very reserved and hard to connect with. As for maichen, she was closed off as well but for very different reasons. I eventually came to like the couples but I didn’t have that immediate love for them like I did the other couples in the series.

There was once again a shit ton of stuff going on throughout The Shadows. There is, of course, still the war with the Lessening Society but it really took a backseat to everything else. The Band of Bastards are stepping up their game now but it’s hard to tell whose side they will be on in the end. Xcor and Layla’s relationship took a new turn in The Shadows. I’m not sure how I feel about the two of them together but Xcor has really grown on me and I feel for him.

Rhage also took center stage in The Shadows which I was not expecting. He has always been one of my favorite brothers so I was excited to see more of him but I’m confused about the direction his story is going. He was very shook up by the events of this book and his ending was very up in the air. I’m wondering what is going to happen with him and Mary from here.

There were also a few new characters introduced and it makes me wonder how many more books are going to be in this series since there are so many open stories now. Paradise is the newest character to be introduced and I already like her. She’s young and eager to learn to fight for the Brotherhood. I love females like her and I hope J.R. Ward introduces more in the future books. I can’t wait to read her story in the spin-off series.

Overall, The Shadows left me with more questions than answers but I still enjoyed it immensely. I have no clue where J.R. Ward is going to take this series next but I will definitely keep reading.

What others are saying about The Shadows:

That’s What I’m Talking About’s review: “Without spoilers, I will tell you that the ending of this book, the ultimate resolution, was so egregious in my mind and heart, that it left me unsettled and speechless.”

vampirebookclub’s review: “I would still recommend picking The Shadows up for simply to see where the Black Dagger Brotherhood members are going.”

Red Hot Books’ review: “In the end of it all, I was just left tired… and disappointed.”