Dance with the Devil
(Dark-Hunter #3)
by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication date: Nov. 28, 2003
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating:
Zarek’s Point of View:
Dark-Hunter: A soulless guardian who stands between mankind and those who would see mankind destroyed. Yeah, right. The only part of that Code of Honor I got was eternity and solitude.
Insanity: A condition many say I suffer from after being alone for so long. But I don’t suffer from my insanity-I enjoy every minute of it.
Trust: I can’t trust anyone…not even myself. The only thing I trust in is my ability to do the wrong thing in any situation and to hurt anyone who gets in my way.
Truth: I endured a lifetime as a Roman slave, and 900 years as an exiled Dark-Hunter. Now I’m tired of enduring. I want the truth about what happened the night I was exiled-I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Astrid (Greek, meaning star): An exceptional woman who can see straight to the truth. Brave and strong, she is a point of light in the darkness. She touches me and I tremble. She smiles and my cold heart shatters.
Zarek: They say even the most damned man can be forgiven. I never believed that until the night Astrid opened her door to me and made this feral beast want to be human again. Made me want to love and be loved. But how can an ex-slave whose soul is owned by a Greek goddess ever dream of touching, let alone holding, a fiery star?
Zarek’s story is one of pain. He was born a slave, and died a slave. During this story, we see glimpses of his past that have shaped him into the person he is today. It doesn’t help that for thousands of years, he’s been sentenced to solitary living in the middle of Alaska. A place where during the summer months, he can’t even leave his tiny hut of a home because the sun will kill him. So, when he’s attacked and “nursed back to help” by Astrid, a blind woman with her pet wolf, he does all that he can to separate himself from her. Except there’s a huge snowstorm blowing in and he’s stuck with her until the weather clears. Little does he know that Astrid is a nymph who has been sent to judge him. If she finds him guilty, he will be killed. The odds are against him since Astrid has never found anyone innocent.
It’s been a while since I’ve read these books, so I’m sure I’ve heard of Zarek before now. However, reading about him was totally new to me. I had to reorient myself with the world that Sherrilyn Kenyon built all over again. With that being said, it was pretty obvious that Zarek was an ornery character. He didn’t mince words, and he was good at pushing people away. He didn’t try to spare people’s feelings, and he wasn’t afraid to share his thoughts on things. He also viewed himself as worthless and put himself down a lot. Which, as the story progresses and you learn about his background and everything that’s happened to him since being turned into a Dark-Hunter, it’s not hard to see why he views the world the way that he does. It was really sad seeing someone beaten down to the point of not even caring anymore.
Sure, Astrid was sent to judge him and she pretty much knew he was going to be guilty, but I really liked that she went in with a clear mind. Was she scared when Zarek snapped at her? Duh! But, she had this feeling that his reaction towards her and being around people stemmed from something much more. Something that she needed to get to the bottom to in order to understand him. She needed to fully understand him to know if he was dangerous or not. Was he just misunderstood, or did he need to be put down? She had a tall order on her hands when she was tasked to judge Zarek, because he was not an easy person for her to read.
Speaking of, I absolutely loved their interactions with each other. Zarek would always try to push or scare Astrid away, but he would be right there if she needed him. You see, Astrid becomes blind when she’s sent to judge someone. By taking away her sight, she becomes more attuned to her other senses and is not easily swayed by what she sees. There were times where Zarek would be ornery and push her away, only to come running up when she’d try to make food, or would trip over a piece of furniture that he had moved. It was times like that that not only showed his softer side, but also made Astrid’s job more confusing and difficult.
I honestly could go on and on about this story. Watching Zarek connect with other characters, seeings his softer side while also seeing how distant he tried to keep himself from others, it was hard to read about. Honestly, it was really sad and depressing, but getting to see him find his place and realize that he had people he could count on, well… it really made for an amazing story. I can’t believe it’s been so long since I picked up one of these books. I plan to dive into the next one as soon as I finish typing this review.
Previous reviews from Dark-hunter
Night Pleasures
I haven’t read Kenyon’s work in awhile either, but what I do remember is that she writes with such emotion, and I could almost feel what the characters felt, causing me to blubber like a baby, many times. (lol) Glad you enjoyed it! Hugs…RO
I am such a fan of this series and I loved this book.
I love a book that you just want to dive into the next one immediately. Only reason I hate to wait. I’ve read a few books in the series but I do think I may have to go in order one day. LOL
OMG, I loved this one! It’s been so long since I went back and read the early Dark-Hunter novels… Valerius is one that broke my heart (his is about two books after this one). His and Zarek’s history (not to mention his connection to Kyrian) is so sad.
Oh, man. I have not read these books in years, but this one was my favorite. I loved this book so hard! You make me want to go back and reread. I had so much fun with them, because I was going through one a day, and the next day, I’d give it to my co-worker and she’d read it. She was literally a book behind me and we were discussing the heck out of them.
Great review!