Death is Everyone's Designing

The Darkest Kiss
Author: Gena Showalter

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: HQN Books
Published Date: June 1, 2008
ISN-13: 978-0373772322
Sales Rank: #4,380 in Books

Sorry, I haven't posted anything new yet. School just started today for me, so I'll be busy with that and homework most of the time. But I'll try and post my opinions as soon as possible. So here's my next post...

Yeah, you guessed it. Another Lords of the Underworld book. The second one to be exact. I enjoyed reading this one, it was just so exciting how the two main characters interacted with each other. It was literally a game of tag throughout the entire book. And who wouldn't want to play tag with such a gorgeous man.

My Opinion of The Darkest Kiss(SPOILER!!!)

The hero, Lucien, is the leader of the Budapest Lords. He was also once leader of all the lords when they lived in the heavens and guarded the king god, Zeus. But after betraying the gods, they were punished by each of them possessing a demon out of the box that anyone was forbidden from opening, Pandora's Box, or dimOuniak. Lucien is partnered with the demon of Death, which he finds quite fitting, since because of him and the others, he caused much death to the human race.

Sometime after Lucien was banished, he had fallen in love with a mortal woman. It's not very clear on whether she loved him back or not, but he still cared for her very much. But soon they are separated because her village, as well as herself, are overtaken with a disease. Lucien is confused at this point. His brain is telling him to put her out of her misery and take her life but his heart is telling him not to go of her. And soon enough, she dies from the disease. Now Lucien most take her soul to the hereafter. Ever since, he refused to allow himself to ever fall in love. And to ensure that, he takes a posioned knife and cuts himself up and then burns the wounds. After much praying and repeating the process of cutting and burning himself, he wounds turn into scars. Now, whenever someone looks upon his face, this flee out of fear or just don't look his way.

Our heroine, Anya, is the Goddess of Anarchy(in other words, chaos). The daughter of Dysnomia, the Goddess of Lawlessness and Tartarus, the God of Confinement. She's a very head-strong kind of woman, who won't take any crap from anyone, especially Lucien. This is because she refuses to allow anyone take advantage of her and take away her freedom. To help her get her freedom back when she was imprisoned in the immortal prison of Tartarus(which her father is a part of ), he gave her the All-key, which gives the user the ability to escape any prison or confinement.

Once Tartarus gave his daughter the key, Tartarus lost all his power and the prison weakened. This allowed the Titan Gods to free themselves and imprison the Greek Gods. The leader of the Titans Gods, Cronus, desperately wants the key from Anya. He believes that either Anya or his enemies(if they can get it from Anya), will use it against him and free the Greek Gods. But Cronus or anyone else are unable to steal it from her without dying a painful death.
When Cronus threatens to send the Lords of the Underworld after her, Anya becomes very interested in them. That's when she meets Lucien and becomes obsessed with him. To the point where that's all she can think of, is Lucien. And soon enough, Lucien is obsessed with her too. They don't end up falling in love at first, they actually play a little game of tag. Lucien is being forced by Cronus to either kill her or get the All-Key from her. So Lucien has to chase Anya all of the place because she refuses to die.

So towards the end of the story, Anya and Lucien head off to search for Cage of Compulsion, which has the power to enslave anyone trapped inside. But when Hunters get in their way, Lucien is severely injured. Anya takes him back to safety and does the only thing she feels that will save him.

Anya is also cursed, she can't have sex with another without being bound to them. She becomes apart of him and he becomes apart of her. And in doing so, gives Lucien some of his power back. After spending the night together, they head back to find the Cage. Once there, they enter a portal that brings them to the Cage. But Hydra, a multiheaded serpent, is guarding the cage and puts up a good fight. Almost to the point that Lucien and Anya both die. But Anya saves them both by giving the All-key in exchange for Lucien's life. Once Anya gave it up, she lost all her memory, even those of Lucien.

When Lucien wakes, Anya doesn't remember him and tries to leave. Lucien becomes extremely hurt. But eventually he's able to make her remember by placing her in the cage and forcing her to remember.

Well, unforunately that probably isn't the best that I can do. But I've run out of time, so I'll try to make my next review should be better. So I hope I didn't bore anyone again, or disappoint at that.