Veena’s review of Nightwalker (World of the Nightwalkers, Book 5) by Jacquelyn Frank
Paranormal Romance published by Loveswept 25 Aug 15
I have had trouble with the World of Nightwalkers series from the beginning. I almost abandoned it early on, but then it seemed to pick up steam and I was caught and stayed involved. This is the conclusion that brings together all the Nightwalkers from both the series to face a demon god that has the potential to destroy the Nightwalkers and humans. While I enjoyed meeting many of the characters from the original series, this story has none of the blood, guts, and glory I expected from a finale.
Kamen originally brought the god Apep to the human realm through his magic. Now repenting of his actions, he has defected to the politic body walkers and is engaged in research to find a way to defeat Apep before he destroys the human world. Convinced that all the races of Nightwalkers need to be present to defeat Apep, he goes out on a quest to recruit the three races who are currently not represented at the Bodywalker headquarters.
His first stop is the wraiths, where he meets a halfbreed named Genevieve. Along with Genevieve he goes out to convince the other two races to come on board. As they journey together, he and Genevieve bond because she offers him a balm of forgiveness and forgetfulness.
I find the whole episode of Apep’s delivery a bit sordid as the god kidnaps a human doctor and nurse to help him birth his baby and then ends up throwing away the baby when he finds out that it’s a girl. It’s a good thing that the baby’s father and other family readily accept the child, regardless of the circumstances under which she was conceived.
Overall I find the book quite disappointing. All the protagonists, old and new from the original series and the new series, are represented and we catch a quick-and-not-fully-satisfying glimpse of them. Genevieve has some very appealing characteristics and I tried very hard to emotionally connect with her, but I did have a hard time.
I never emotionally connected to the story or the outcome and the characters just seemed a bit flat, even some of the ones like Noah, Gideon, Elijah and Bella, etc., who are much beloved from the reading of their stories.
Grade: C
Summary:
Kamen is a Bodywalker, an ancient soul reborn in one human host after another. He’s also a prisoner of his own kind: for it was Kamen who released Apep, the deadly god who threatens the existence of their world. To atone for this grievous error, Kamen accepts an urgent mission: to convince the other nations of the Nightwalkers to set aside their centuries-old conflicts and band together. If he fails, all will be lost. And no tribe presents a greater challenge than the Wraiths, the spectral beings who are feared and despised for their lethal deathtouch.
Kamen makes first contact with a stunning, ghostly pale beauty named Geneviève. Part Wraith and part human, scorned as a half-breed, Viève shares the hunger for redemption—and for connection. Her scintillating touch holds the kiss of death, and yet it makes Kamen feel more alive than ever. Soon his lips are pressed against hers, sending Viève into fits of desire and forging a bond that breaches the divide between them. Now they must unite all the Nightwalkers, from Vampire and Shadowdweller to Djynns, and fast—for Apep is ready for war.
No excerpt available.
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