Tortured hero, Damsel in Distress. Pure Kenyon!

I read through all of Kenyon's Dark Hunter novels with a fervor that bordered obsession (yes, my screen saver is Acheron, and my mouse pointer is Artemis' bow, so what?). Then I read the first of Kenyon's Belador Code books and was disappointed in a big way. So I started this book with a lump in my throat. I so badly wanted a decent Kenyon fix, and I wasn't willing to wait until the next Dark Hunter novel comes out.

Kenyon has a thing for tortured heroes. Often they experience childhood trauma of the worst possible sorts, leaving them crass and sometimes mean-spirited, but still with a core of goodness, of honor. The point behind them, I believe, is that even when life throws these guys the worst life has to offer, their spirit is so strong that their basic decency survives. Nykerian, the hero of Born of Night, is that sort of hero.

Kiara is a princess in pretty much every sense of the word. The world Kenyon builds is a rough one, and Kiara's life hasn't been completely trauma free, but for the most part she has been protected and pampered by her powerful father. Her character isn't always likeable, but you can see the discoveries she makes about herself and about others. She is a judgmental girl when she meets her hero, but she becomes a more understanding woman as the book progresses. It's easy to feel harshly about her, but she is a product of her upbringing, and her growth as a person is necessary to the story line. All in all, I thought she was the perfect foil for Nykyrian.

This book is a romance set in a sci fi world. I wouldn't recommend it for pure sci fi fans, nor would I recommend it for someone wanting a "sweet romance". This book is about a man who has been handed the worst life has to offer and survives the best way he can, and a woman who allows herself to love him. The sex isn't crass but it is explicit.

I thought the narrator did a fine job, building tension in the right places, adding appropriate inflection and doing believable character voices.

46 people found this helpful

It went on and on...

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

At first I couldn't decide if I didn't like the book because of the narrator or the story itself. Yep, it was the story. I have no problems with reading/listening to tragedy, however I felt as if the author was riding on the emo-train a little too long and too hard. Really, between the heroine being TSTL (to stupid to live) and the hero just going from one calamity to the next. It just got to be so depressing I though I should re-read the Kite Runner as an uplifting tale! Really, how can you have a series when everything has been crammed into one book. Oh and there is sex. Which, that was pretty good- but so is porn.

What about Kelly Fish’s performance did you like?

I really cannot tell. I would need to listen to more from her to find out.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

NO

16 people found this helpful

Enjoyed the story...

This was an entertaining story but the narration was merely adequate and didn't really do the story justice. Fans of The Dark Hunter series will note the same strong overtones of childhood abuse and violence. Readers who are new to Kenyon's work should be forewarned- these themes are gut wrenching, heart breaking and very hard to listen to. That said, Kenyon does a good job of wrapping up the loose ends and telling a story of triumph over evil and adversity through love. The sexual content is explicit but not vulgar and Kenyon introduces secondary and tertiary supporting character with enough depth and definition to leave the reader in eager anticipation of their stories. Overall well done and worthy of the credits.

16 people found this helpful

Meh.....it's no Dark Huner novel.

I was really hoping to come here and find another series to get hooked on like I have with the Dark Hunters, but sadly this was not it. I know this is an earlier work for Kenyon and it shows.

I found it hard to like Kiera, she was way to naive and couldn't empathize with her at all. I pictured her as a pouty child most of the time. While I really like Nykyrians character (and his group of assasin friends) I felt no chemistry between him and Kiera. While there were some steamy scenes they paled in comparison to the ones on the Dark Hunter novels.

Narrator did a fine job with everything given the content. I really liked how she portrayed Nykyrian. While she's not my favorite narrator I would listen to other books she narrated.

Worth a credit? Not really sure. I don't think I'm going to be continuing this series thou.

Other PRN books I think are fantastic are anything by Jeaniene Frost, Heather Hunter's Irin Chronicles (really beautifully written and narrated), Dianne Duvall's Immortal Guardian Series, Jacqueline Frank's Nightwalker Series, Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter Series, Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter Series, J. D. Tyler's Alpha Pack Series and Tessa Dawn's Blood Curse series (very dark take on vampires). Patricia Brigg's Alpha and Omega series is really good too, thou more just paranormal than a PRN, romance is subtle but totally worth a listen unless you require steam. Most of these are available in the Romance Package which is a bonus if you like to binge.

5 people found this helpful

sci-fi bodice ripper

light on the sci. heavy on the fi. i would mention the size of the plot holes, but the size of the plausability holes are much larger. the tension is allowed to build nicely before blooming into a few adult interludes. not crass, more NC-17 than X. the story was well crafted and excelently paced. the characters were also well rounded and quite believable. i enjoyed the narrator here and thought she did a good job. overall it was a fun diversion. predictable and shallow, but somehow that's what made it such fun.

8 people found this helpful

Yum

Would you consider the audio edition of Born of Night to be better than the print version?

Have not read the print version so I cant say, but I have listen to this one several times already.

What did you like best about this story?

The strong sassy characters. Also that they where flawed and had difficult background that affected their actions and reactions, but the angst level was very low.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Oh Yes! I could not turn it off, but if I wanted to sleep I had to (sob).

3 people found this helpful

Excellence again

The characters are well rounded and exciting. The story moves quickly leaving you looking for the next

2 people found this helpful

Couldn't stand the female heroine

The female heroine in this book was judgmental, whiny, and weak. I could only stand to listen to half of the book. Additionally, this book held no surprises as far as the plot goes. I would defiantly not recommend it.

10 people found this helpful

Really good story

Good story! Loved the narrator !!! I listened to a library copy and had to own it just so I could listen to it again. Love the characters !!!

1 person found this helpful

out standing!!! you want MORE!!

If you could sum up Born of Night in three words, what would they be?

best story ever!!

Who was your favorite character and why?

syn you got the feel you really knew him.

What about Kelly Fish’s performance did you like?

she was wonderful... a different voice for each character. real good job!!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

MY GOODNESS YES!! i had read the books... but this was by far more fun and exciting!!

Any additional comments?

i am looking forward to buying the rest of the series...

3 people found this helpful