Review and Giveaway: Darkness Raging

Darkness Raging (Other/Sisters of the Moon - Book 18) by Yasmine Galenorn

Publication Date: 02/02/2016
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley Books
Genre: Paranormal Romance/ Urban Fantasy
Pages: 320
ISBN-10: 0515154776
ISBN-13: 978-0515154771

(Received for an honest review from Berkley Books)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, itunes

Yasmine Galenorn on the WEB: Website, Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads

Books in the series:

Otherworld / Sisters of the Moon

0.5. Etched in Silver
1. Witchling
2. Changeling
3. Darkling
4. Dragon Wytch
5. Night Huntress
6. Demon Mistress
7. The Shadow of Mist
7. Bone Magic
8. Harvest Hunting
9. Etched in Silver
9. Blood Wyne
9.5. Ice Shards
10. Courting Darkness
11. Shaded Vision
12. Shadow Rising
13. Haunted Moon
14. Autumn Whispers
15. Crimson Veil
16. Priestess Dreaming
17. Panther Prowling
18. Darkness Raging
The Shadow of Mist
Tales From Otherworld
Moon Swept

Coverart: Click the image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.

Excerpt from Darkness Raging, courtesy of Amazon's Look Inside feature.

Synopsis:

The New York Times bestselling author of Panther Prowling returns to the Otherworld where one of the D’Artigo sisters faces a terrifying challenge that’s more personal than she ever could have imagined.
 
We're the D'Artigo sisters: savvy half-human, half-Fae ex-operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. My sister Camille is a wicked-good witch. Delilah is a two-faced werecat and a Death Maiden. And me? I'm Menolly, a vampire married to a gorgeous werepuma. As the war in Otherworld arrives, Blood Wyne, Queen of the Vampires, summons me. Apparently, my position as Roman's consort entails more than I imagined...
 
As the Demon Lord Shadow Wing creates his own sinister version of the Keraastar Knights—the guardians of the spirit seals—to destroy the portals and free himself from the Sub Realms, his ally, the necromancer Telazhar, leads an assault from Otherworld into the streets of Seattle. And my sisters and I are caught dead center. 
 
Then, on the eve of war, my wife, Nerissa, is captured. The enemy demands we surrender the rest of the spirit seals, or they are going to kill her. I will do anything to save her. Even if it means leading an army of vampires into the very depths of the Subterranean Realms...

Thoughts:

The D'Artigo sisters are back in Yasmine Galenorn's latest book in the Otherworld series, Darkness Raging. The war in the Otherworld is spilling over to Earthside and the sisters are caught right in the middle of it. This book almost feels like a coming of age story where the heroine for this one, Menolly has to do a lot of growing up and makes some very hard choices. Readers of the series will pick up right where they left off with this one. It's a great new addition to this ever changing long running series. 

What I liked:

This series has soooo much  history. Though each book can be read as a standalone I don't know why you would. Darkness Raging is the eighteenth book in this long running series and each book has been unique and different. Each book is told from the point of view of one of the three sisters, Menolly, Delilah, or Camille, which sets each one apart. Darkness Raging is from Menolly's point of view. She happens to be my favorite sister, so I really liked this one. 

Galenorn has finally brought the war in the Otherworld to a head and readers will be pleased that she interjects so much of it to Earthside. The Earthside setting of Seattle is interesting and always adds to the story. The setting is so well done that it almost takes on the characteristics of another character in the series. What I found interesting in this one, is that the sisters are still protecting the seals from Shadow Wing, but it's becoming a lot more difficult, especially for Menolly. Her relationship with Nerissa has come full circle and they are in a very good place, when Blood Wyne queen of the vampires decides that Menolly's consort Roman must have an heir. Talk about complicated. On top of that Nerissa is then kidnapped. What's a girl to do... but take an army of vampires into the subterranean realms to the rescue.

The plot was very engaging. I know that Galenorn is expected to add three more books to the series, but Darkness Raging wraps up so many loose ends that it has that feel of a final book. I felt like the growth in all of the characters was exceptional in this one. There were a lot of hard decisions and moments when all seemed lost. Galenorn reaches all of the readers emotions from happiness to sadness, from passion to anger. It was very good writing and readers will certainly feel it on every page. I'm not looking forward to the end of this series, it has been a good one, and Darkness Raging is going to be one of my favorites.

What I didn't like:

Not much, really. I liked it all. That feeling of finality was a little hard to swallow, but every series must lead up to an ending at some point. There is so much history here that I think reading it as a standalone is a bad idea. But if you consider there are eighteen books in the series you might think differently about it. 

Bottom Line:

For fans of the series it's a must read. The action is heated and makes you want to scream, while the romance is tender and passionate at the same time. I want to pull my hair out with Nerissa sometimes and Roman just makes me swoon. This is a great series. Don't miss out. Darkness Raging is an excellent addition from Menolly's point of view and Galenorn sets the scene for the last few books. Great writing!

Darkness Raging is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

About the Author:

New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author Yasmine Galenorn writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance. She is the author of the Otherworld Series, the Fly By Night Series, the upcoming Whisper Hollow Series, the upcoming Lily Bound Series. She also writes the Indigo Court Series, the Chintz 'n China Series, the Bath & Body Series under the name of India Ink, again for Berkley Prime Crime, and metaphysical nonfiction. She writes for/has written for Berkley/Jove, Diversion Books, Llewelyn, Crossing Press, and is now making a foray into being a hybrid author by dipping her toe into self-publishing. 

Yasmine lives in the Seattle WA area with her husband and is the mother of four cats. 

Because so many people ask, you pronounce her name this way: Yaz-mihn (NOT Jasmine--it's a "Y", not a "J"). Last name is pronounced: Gal-eh-norn The accent is on the first syllable.

Giveaway Details:

The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of Darkness Raging by Yasmine Galenorn.

~ You must be an email subscriber to participate.
~ US Addresses only.
~ The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST, March 2nd.

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