Devon’s review of Bound by Light (Dark Crescent Sisterhood, Book 3) by Anna Windsor
Paranormal Romance released by Ballantine 26 Aug 08

Bound by Light is the third installment in the Dark Crescent Sisterhood trilogy, which features strong female warriors and the men who love them. This final installment features the triad’s “broom,” Merilee, whose guiding element is air. Fittingly, her hero is the high flying Astaroth demon Jake Lowell, the brother of the previous novels’ heroes. This is a series that has gotten better with each title, and this one was the best of the three. 

Jake was the most interesting hero, nay, the most interesting character of the three books. He is actually the seven year old boy who was ritually murdered in the first book, Bound by Shadow. Which is kind of creepy when you think about it. But Jake was so completely transformed into his demon state, that you don’t really associate him with being a human boy. He’s a great character, so thirsty for knowledge of the world and everything, he has an intellectual air to him. He is more powerful than the other Astaroth demons, but he would prefer to be human (and can take both forms). He’s also madly in love with Merilee. Jake was strong and powerful, but also had this vulnerability and sweetness to him, due to his struggles with his nature.

Merilee was a good heroine, although not quite as well developed as Jake. She’s physically and magically strong, and as academic and intellectual as Jake. They made a good couple and had good chemistry. I would’ve preferred a bit less mental lusting on Merilee’s part, it’s so dorky after awhile. Individually and as a pair, I found them more memorable than the prior pairings.

The action scenes are well written and involving. There is a doozy of a villain, very creepy, as this is the climax of the overall arc of the trilogy. I did kind of lose sight of the Sisterhood’s previous enemy, the Legion, and how it all tied in. There was some of the choppiness in narrative that bothered me before, where things seemed to be dropped, then brought back up. But the scenes with this villain were disturbing and the battles exciting.

Some twists involving recurring characters are thrown our way. The prior heroes and heroines and other allies are back to help (Cynda’s a bitch again, Riana’s still boring). I really liked the Astaroth demons and the Mothers of the different houses, they were entertaining and interesting. Although once again, I wish the world of the Sisterhood and the Legion was easier to follow, I did enjoy Bound by Light, and found it to be a strong conclusion to the trilogy.

Grade: B-

Read reviews and other information on this series by clicking on the Dark Crescent Sisterhood series tag.

The Summary:

The night holds endless pleasures . . . and hides nameless terrors.

As the broom end of her Sybil triad, Merilee Alexander has the sacred duty as a warrior witch of taking out the trash. Lately, though, she’s been a little overwhelmed: Manhattan is a mess. And her prophetic end-of-the-world nightmares aren’t helped by the waking fantasies of love. Or the fact that the object of her affections, gorgeous Jake Lowell of NYPD’s Occult Crimes Unit, is playing it so cool.

Actually, Jake wants Merilee desperately, every luscious inch of her. Still, he’s holding back. He’s got secrets. Dark, dangerous, demonic secrets. But as Jake and Merilee trawl the city’s supernatural underbelly to out a demonic kingpin who, disguised as a charismatic leader, is amassing dark power, it’s make-or-break time. For their lives, their love, and the world are about to be sucked into the undertow of the tides of an unstoppable evil.

Read an excerpt

Read Devon’s review of Bound by Shadow
Read Devon’s review of Bound by Flame

The other books in the series:

Devon’s review of Bound by Flame (The Dark Crescent Sisterhood, book 2) by Anna Windsor
Paranormal Romance released by Ballantine 29 Jul 08

Bound by Flame is the second in the Dark Crescent Sisterhood trilogy, which has been given back to back to back June-July-August release dates. I recently read and reviewed Bound by Shadow and found it disappointing. The hero and heroine were wooden, the world building was confusing, and the plot moved slowly. But it picked up at the end, so I decided to press on. I’m glad to say that Bound by Flame was a significant improvement.

After getting off to a rocky start, Cynda and Nick turned out to be a pretty good couple. Cynda, the Fire Sybil, seemed like she was going to be an abrasive bitch, but her characterization deepened into someone with a lot of defenses, but who was a good listener and friend. Though there was some annoying mental lusting, I got the sense that she and Nick were really friends. She also refrained from keeping ridiculous secrets from him, and TSTL behavior (always a plus).

Nick comes off as a confident guy, but not arrogant. He is at peace with his demon side. They work together, and he’s even given him a name. He is also comfortable with the power that Cynda and her fellow Sybils wield. They complement each other, rather than one taking the lead.

The storyline is much tighter this time around. Someone is targeting Fire Sybils, and using a legion of demons to do it. I did figure out who the bad guy was, but only a few pages before Cynda did, so it wasn’t too obvious. I found the supporting cast of characters to be more interesting as well. I am definitely interested in the next book, because I liked Jake and the other Astaroth demons.

The book moves pretty fast, but some of the action made me giggle. The Sybils get all decked out in leather jumpsuits and full face masks. The idea of them running around the Upper East Side with their bows and arrows and flaming Celtic broadswords…?? I don’t think it would be fun to be a Fire Sybil. They’re always smoking, literally, like from their shoulders and knees and stuff.

While some aspects of the Sybil’s world seem a bit nonsensical, overall this was a decent read. I suspect one could muddle along all right without reading the first. I am looking forward to Bound by Light, and hoping that it’s even better.

Grade: B-

The Summary:
Gorgeous flame-haired Cynda Flynn knows fire—its heat, its power, its magic. A fully trained Sybil warrior priestess, Cynda’s weapon is flame. But she’s unprepared for the passion ignited by Nick Lowell, an undercover cop in the NYPD’s Occult Crime Unit. He’s half human, half demon, and hotter than hell, with fathomless black eyes that ignite something buried deep inside Cynda, making her melt in all the right places.

Luckily, Nick has found a way to control his dark side, but he’s done it old-school—through steel-willed self-control. And after five years working secretly within the deadly Legion cult, he’s unbreakable. Or he was, until Cynda came along. Now it’s personal—and even his big bad love may not be enough to halt a terrible new evil snuffing out fire Sybils like Cynda. It’s nasty. And if it can’t be stopped, they’re all going to fry.

Read an excerpt

Read Devon’s review of Bound by Shadow

Other books in the series:

Devon’s review of Bound by Shadow (The Dark Crescent Sisterhood, Book 1) by Anna Windsor
Paranormal Romance released by Ballantine 24 Jun 08

Picture the paranormal romance landscape: studded with brooding leather clad vamps and rugged lone shifters, all bent on saving the world from evil and protecting their women. What’s missing? Chicks. Ass-kicking chicks. Sure, you’ve got a token here and there, but in Bound by Shadow, the sisters are doing it for themselves. The Dark Crescent Sisterhood can hold their own with any fictional warriors, using research, strategy, technology and weapons to fight their foes in this flawed but ultimately promising start to a new series.

There is a lot of world building in Bound by Shadow. The Dark Crescent Sisterhood, or Sibyls as they are known, are triads of women. Each woman holds a power rooted in one of the elements, and each triad is made up of an Earth Sibyl (“the mortar”), a Fire Sibyl (“the pestle”) and an Air Sibyl (“the broom”). The women are raised and trained at one of three “Motherhouses”: Russia (the Earth Sybils), Ireland (the Fire Sybils), Greek (the Air Sybils). The Earth Sibyl then chooses a broom and a pestle, and the triad is assigned an area to protect. The women also have other roles to play based upon their various strengths, and…well, let’s make a long story short. I found this world intriguing, and enjoyed the friendship factor between the women and the fact that they were intelligent, accomplished and tough. But there is a lot to follow, and a lot of magickal hooey, and it slowed the book waaaay down.

Slow was a big problem for a lot of this book. It put me to sleep a number of times. There were some really interesting things going on. NYPD detective Creed Lowell meets the Sibyls through his partner, Andy, when they are following leads on the ritualistic murder of a Senator’s son. He is immediately attracted to Riana Dumain (the Earth Sibyl), and vice versa, but Creed has a beast inside him and Riana knows it. What’s inside Creed? What happened to the murdered boy? I kept falling asleep while waiting to find out. With the world building, the romance, and the mysteries, everything just seemed to move slow. But once things come together at the end, the last hundred pages or so were great, action packed.

I didn’t find Creed and Riana’s romance particularly compelling either. It started with instant lust. Riana had her hand on Creed’s junk for silly reasons twice in the first fifty pages. Although there were some hot love scenes later, I never got past the weak start to their romance. It didn’t help that neither were particularly interesting characters. I never got a sense of them as people. I think that happens a lot in the first book in a series. So much other stuff has to get done, the love story gets the shaft.

Bound by Shadow fell victim to the “everything but the kitchen sink” syndrome that can happen with a paranormal romance. There was an interesting but overly involved mythology, an overwrought yet underdeveloped romance, and an intriguing mystery that was dropped for chapters at a time. The hero and heroine of this book were kinda cardboard, but I like the idea of the Sisterhood. So I will stick around for Bound by Flame (due 29 July 2008), in hopes that the storyline tightens up and the romance gets more compelling.

P.S. I just visited the author’s site, and have deduced that the third book (Bound by Light, 26 August 2008), features a character that I hoped would get a book and the excerpt was great, so I’ll be reading that one too.

Grade: C

The Summary:
Falling for a demon can be hazardous to your heart.

Riana Dumain is a fully trained Sibyl, a warrior priestess battling evil whose practical magic keeps her grounded in earthly science–and desires. She knows that gorgeous NYPD detective Creed Lowell is dangerous, and possibly a foot soldier for the evil Legion cult, using his badge and drop-dead looks to consolidate demonic power.

Creed’s low profile Occult Crimes Unit pulls Riana and her two sister Sibyl into the case of a politician’s son, murdered in a ritualistic sacrifice. Soon, Riana’s instincts prove true. Creed, the hottest half-human she’s ever known, a demon in bed and out, is guarding a trapdoor to hell. And unless Riana can find a way to tame her mystery man’s treacherous inner self (and her heart), all of Manhattan may be enveloped by darkness.
Read an excerpt here

New paranormal romance trilogy coming from Anna Windsor, the Dark Crescent Sisterhood.  Go and mark your calendars!  This back to back release starts June 24, 2008. 

Book 1 – Bound by Shadow by Anna Windsor.  From the back of the ARC:

Falling for a demon can be hazardous to your heart.

Riana Dumain is a fully trained Sybil, a warrior priestess battling evil whose practical magic keeps her grounded in earthly science – and desires. She knows that gorgeous NYPD detective Creed Lowell is dangerous, and possibly a foot soldier of the evil Legion cult, using his badge and drop-dead looks to consolidate demonic power.

Creed’s low profile Occult Crimes Unit pulls Riana and her two sister Sybils into the case of a politician’s sons, murdered in a ritualistic sacrifice. Soon, Riana’s instincts prove true. Creed, the hottest half-human she’s ever known, a demon in bed and out, is guarding a trapdoor to hell. And unless Riana can find a way to tame her mystery man’s treacherous inner self (and her heart), all of Manhattan may be enveloped by darkness.

 The fact that this amuses me, really should shock no one.  Heeeeeee!!  **note I couldn’t find the backcopy online so I typed it all typos bes mine, mine, mine all mine