A hired gunslinger, William Jessup Brady lived his life with one foot in the grave. He believed that every life had a price. Until the day when he finally found a reason to live. In one single act of brutal betrayal, he lost everything, including his life. Brought back by a Greek goddess to be one of her Dark-Hunters, he gave his immortal soul for vengeance and swore he’d spend eternity protecting the humans he’d once considered prey.
Orphaned as a toddler, Abigail Yager was taken in by a family of vampires and raised on one belief- Dark-Hunters are the evil who prey on both their people and mankind, and they must all be destroyed. While protecting her adoptive race, she has spent her life eliminating the Dark-Hunters and training for the day when she meets the man who killed her family: Jess Brady.
A gun in the hand is worth two in the holster...
Jess has been charged with finding and terminating the creature who’s assassinating Dark-Hunters. The last thing he expects to find is a human face behind the killings, but when that face bears a striking resemblance to the one who murdered him centuries ago, he knows something evil is going on. He also knows he’s not the one who killed her parents. But Abigail refuses to believe the truth and is determined to see him dead once and for all.
Brought together by an angry god and chased by ancient enemies out to kill them both, they must find a way to overcome their mutual hatred or watch as one of the darkest of powers rises and kills both the races they’ve sworn to protect.
My Review :
Oh dear! The day has come! A Dark-Hunter novel that I am not going to rave about. It must be the first time in all the twenty books in the series that I actually contemplated giving up. The first time I didn't really care for the characters and definitely the first time I wished I hadn't bothered buying the new release as soon as possible.
Before I continue with my review I have to say that I am very disappointed in the way the Dark-Hunter books are being released these days. I know the author has earned her hardback status but for us huge fans it is a high cost to pay to read the new Dark-Hunter novel when it is released. Then after standing by the author for years you get this hard back which is buffed up with larger text and spacing to make it look bigger. I was not impressed. I am actually wondering if I can send the book back...
Back to the review. We all know and love Sherrilyn's typical Dark-Hunter story. Gorgeous Dark-Hunter meets stunning girl and they somehow manage to fall in love blah blah blah. It is the story the author weaves with the Greek mythology that keeps us all coming back for more. Acheron, Nick, Simi and all the other regulars always makes the new Dark-Hunter novel worth reading. The setting, the concept and the writing style always satisfies and leaves you wanting more. Retribution failed for me in all these areas.
While these books are fantasy this story was just a little over the top for me. There was a huge lack of the usual mythology and a sudden turn around to Native American Mythology. It didn't interest me at all and I have to say I found it extremely confusing. On the other hand it was nice to finally read about Jess but I kept thinking he was a girl all the time with that silly name. Despite the heavy cowboy talk he didn't win me over like the previous Dark-Hunters and he felt like one of those sleazy men you avoid in a crowded bar. Abigail was nice enough but I didn't know what to think of her and she came across as a dumb bimbo (cover also shows her as blonde but I am sure she is described as having black hair). They were definitely my least favourite couple so far in the series.
The writing style failed slightly. Long winded explanations of the mythology was hard to follow. Not many of the favourite characters showed up and they were all busy somewhere else with babies or having them. Bleh! Actually the long running story that has linked the series together was missing and this twentieth book could have stood alone completely. Nick popped in for the briefest of moments and Sin played a small part. The others that came along were characters I had forgotten about and obviously wanted to see the light of day again. Oh and the sex! Backseat trapped in a car with wasps attacking? Seriously? After all these years that is all you can come up with Sherrilyn?
I hate giving this a bad review but Retribution is the first time that a Dark-Hunter novel hasn't reached my expectations or made me go wow! I actually sped read the last few chapters because I knew I would give up if I didn't. Fans may be excited about this book and love it but for me personally it was a let down. An expensive end to a long wait.
The only redeeming factor in this book was the bonus story at the end. Full of Acheron, Simi and Artemis we get to witness the birth of Ash's child. The short story also made me eager to keep reading the series because it looks like things are going to get pretty exciting. I will stick by this series because there is too much to love about it and I can't let go. This was the one bad egg in a pack of twenty and hopefully it will be the only one. I can forgive and forget but please next time give us the good stuff!
4 comments:
Retribution sounds like a really good book. I love reading Sherrilyn's books. I haven't read Retribution yet, but I'm looking forward to reading it. Thanks for sharing your viewpoint of this book.
I did enjoy the book, but the main characters not so much as the storyline. And I though I was the only one who had no clue who the recurring characters are! And like you, I have read them all, but love the first 10 or so the most. Still, happy it was not another extremely tortured hero this time.
Thanks for the review. I read the jacket, it just didn't seem to have the same vibe. I most likely will read this one, but it's not high on my TBR pile:(
Maybe SK is involved in too many projects. She started a YA series, she's co-authoring another book series, I know she has graphic novels in the works and I thought I heard a game(?) Maybe it's just too much.
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