Kresley Cole Immortals After Dark Series

The Warlord Wants Forever (Playing Easy To Get)

Book 1

This is the first book in this series. It is a short story, part of the anthology Playing Easy To Get. Centered around the Valkyrie and Vampires, two main races of Immortals. Vampires were known to be evil, their red eyes giving them away, they are known as the horde, however, there is a branch of vampires called forbearers who are not evil. A vampire eyes turn red when they kill their food..i.e drink all their blood which turns them evil. The forbearers don't drink to the death. Each vampire seeks his Bride, his eternal wife, and walks as the living dead until he finds her. A Bride will render his body fully alive, giving him breath and making his heart beat, a process known as blooding.

Valkyrie are a race of warrior women. They don't need to eat food but take sustenance from the electrical energy of the earth, sharing it in one collective power, and give it back with their emotions in the form of lightning. They can be susceptible to being mesmerized by shining objects and jewels.

Nikolai Wroth is one of the forebearer vampires and Myst a Valkyrie. I should add that Valkyries hate Vampires and have been warring with them for centuries. They see no difference between the horde vampires and forbearers. Myst bloods Nickolai then disappears on him, leaving him tormented.

This was a nice introduction to the series but too short for my tastes. It was enough to get me curious about the next book and try it.

A Hunger Like No Other

Book 2

A Hunger Like No Other introduces another race of Lorekind into the Immortals After Dark world . The Lykae, also known as werewolves. They seem to have originated from Scottish clans. Another race that also hates Vampires. This book is about Lachlain MacRieve, leader of the Lykae Clan and Emaline a half Valkyrie half vampire. Emaline was taken in by the Valkyrie from childhood after her mother died.

Lachlen had been kept captured for centuries under ground where fire keeps burning him alive. He is immortal so they are hard to kill, everytime he is consumed by fire when it dies down he revives again. What finally drives him to escape is scenting his mate above ground and needing to get to her. I won't go into how he does it (it's pretty gruesome), but these immortal guys are pretty durable.

This is the book that got me hooked on this series.

No Rest For The Wicked

Book 3

No Rest For The Wicked is another combination of Vampire and Valkyrie. Sebastian Wroth, brother of Nikolai from A Hunger Like No Other and Kaderin the Cold Hearted, a Valkyrie are paired together. Sebastian is originally turned into a vampire against his will by his brother.

This book takes place mainly during The Talisman's Hie. Which is kind of like the immortals version of the Amazing Race. A Scavenger hunt where the rules are pretty lenient and anything goes. The winner receives a key that can take them back in time. A highly coveted prize which more than a few wanted.

Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night

Book 4

This is my favorite Immortals After Dark Book to date. They are all great but I love this one best. This is another Lykae book, paired off with a witch this time. We get our first real look at witches in the Lorekind.

Bowen MacRieve, cousin to Lachlain from A Hunger Like No Other. He featured prominently in that book as well as No Rest For The Wicked. Paired up with Mariketa the Awaited, a witch. Witches are fairly mercenary in this series, they have no problem helping people out with spells and such for a price. But they don't come cheap.

See my review of Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night

Dark Needs at Night's Edge

Book 5

Dark Needs at Night's Edge is such an unlikely book. It's about another of the Wroth brothers, yes, there are a few of them. Conrad has gone mad. He's been killing his victims, his eyes are red, there really should be no hope for him. But his brothers aren't willing to give up on him. Not yet at any rate.

They lock him up in a manor to try and dry him out. A manor where a ballerina was murdered and is now haunting. Néomi Laress paints a lonely picture, she can't be seen by anyone, until Conrad starts to see glimpses of her. A very unlikely couple this, a Vampire and a Ghost. But Kresley Cole pulls it off. It's a great read.

Dark Desires After Dusk

Book 6

Dark Desires After Dusk has Cade, a demon paired up with Holly, a human. Demons have featured before in the Immortals After Dark series but this is the first one featured as the main character. Cade has been a secondary character in previous books. There are a few different breeds of Demons in Lorekind. Cade is a rage demon.

Holly is not all she appears on the outside and Cade ends up having to make a decision that could tear him appart. Another great read!

Kiss of a Demon King

Book 7

Rydstrom Woede brother to Cade from Dark Desires After Dusk was kidnapped during that book by Sabine the Queen of Illusions. Rydstrom is determined to get his kingdom back from Omort who happens to be her half brother. But Sabine is in league with Omort or so it appears. This book also features Sabine's sister Lanthe, Queen of Persuasion. Though Lanthe hasn't quite got a hold of her power yet. I'm looking forward to a book about her, which I hope will be in the near future.

See my review of Kiss of a Demon King

Untouchable (Deep Kiss of Winter)

Book 8

Untouchable is in a duology named Deep Kiss of Winter. On another of the Wroth brothers, Murdoch. Once again a Wroth brother is paired up with a Valkyrie, Daniela the Ice Maiden. Dani is part ice fey and and her freezing skin can't be touched by anyone but her own kind without inflicting pain beyond measure.

Murdoch unable to touch her yet is blooded by her, needs to find a way to reach her.

Pleasure of a Dark Prince

Book 9

Back with the Lykae with Pleasure of a Dark Prince. Garreth MacRieve, brother to Lachlain from A Hunger Like No Other is on the hunt for his mate, Lucia the Huntress. This book takes place before some of the events of previous books and during previous books as they had met before A Hunger Like No Other.

See my review of Pleasure of a Dark Prince

Demon From The Dark

Book 10

Set to be released August 31, 2010. Is available for pre-ordering from Amazon.

Malkom Slaine: tormented by his sordid past and racked by vampiric hungers, he's pushed to the brink by the green-eyed beauty under his guard.

Carrow Graie: hiding her own sorrows, she lives only for the next party or prank. Until she meets a tortured warrior worth saving.

For them to survive, Malkom must unleash both the demon and vampire inside him. When he becomes the nightmare his own people feared, will he lose the woman he craves body and soul?

Looking forward to this one!

I have since read this book and it was disappointing, I just hope it's a one off dud and the next book will be fantastic. You can see my review for it at Book review of Demon from the Dark by Kresley Cole

Dreams of a Dark Warrior

Book 11

This book will be released on February 15th, 2011.

We are back with the Valkyries with this book. This time it is Reign the Radiant's book, we knew she would have one eventually especially with the hints about a Beserker she has that keeps reincarnating and then dying for her. Although I'm not the biggest fan of some of the Valkyries this story could prove really interesting. Last time Reign was spotted was in the last book and Aidan the Fierce (reincarnated as Declan) had absconded with her. I'm not a fan of the last book, but this one could be really good. Also Lanthe got absconded as well, I'm hoping for her book next as I think Lanthe is a great character.

Look out for my review of this book soon. Book review link at Kresley Cole: Dreams of a Dark Warrior-A Romance Novel Review It was a really enjoyable read, much better than the last book for me.

Lothaire

Book 12

Lothaire is the first Immortals After Dark book that hasn't got a long winded title.

Lothaire has been a regular character in this series and is a bad boy! He is a vampire, along the lines of the Horde. He drinks his victims to death and gathers all their memories, thus is on the brink of madness. He has found a mortal mate, in Elizabeth Pierce (Ellie) which are called Brides for vampires. Not being pleased with having a weak, vulnerable mate he doesn't accept it until he comes across Saroya who has possessed Ellie. Saroya was a goddess, a vampire diety that is cursed, it's not really known how she ended up in Elizabeth but is constantly fighting her for control. He believes it is Saroya that blooded him as a deadly and evil goddess is more in keeping with his idea of an ideal mate.

Ellie comes from simple hillbilly folks and Lothaire is very disparaging of her background and family, as is Saroya. Lothaire has sworn to remove Elizabeth's soul thus giving Saroya her body and turning her into a vampire by means of a special ring he stole. Unfortunately the ring was taken from him too so he is back on the hunt for it..

This is another vampire story, but a new strain of vampires the Daci make an appearance. Not much is really known about them except they travel with mist.

You can read my review for Lothaire at Review of Kresley Cole's Lothaire

The Lore

"....and those sentient creatures that are not human shall be united in one stratum, coexisting with, yet secret from, man's."

* Most are immortal and can regenerate from injuries. The stronger breeds can only be killed by mystical fire or beheading.

* Their eyes change with intense emotion, often to a breed-specific color.

The Valkyrie

"When a maiden warrior screams for courage as she dies in battle, Wóden and Freya heed her call. The two gods give up lightning to strike her, rescuing her to their hall, and preserving her courage forever in the form of the maiden's immortal Valkyrie daughter."

* They take sustenance from the electrical energy of the earth, sharing it in one collective power, and give it back with their emotions in the form of lightning.
* They possess preternatural strength, speed, and senses.
* Without training, most can be mesmerized by shining objects.

The Lykae Clan

"A proud, strapping warrior of the Keltoi People (or Hidden People, later known as Celts) was taken in his prime by a maddened wolf. The warrior rose from the dead, now an immortal, with the spirit of the beast latent within him. He displayed the wolf's traits: the need for touch, an intense loyalty to its kind, an animal craving for the delights of the flesh. Sometimes the beast rises %u2026"

* Also called werewolves, war-wolds.
* Enemies of the Horde.

The Vampires

* Two warring factions, the Vampire Horde and the Forbearer Army.
* Each vampire seeks his Bride, his eternal wife, and walks as the living dead until he finds her.
* A Bride will render his body fully alive, giving him breath and making his heart beat, a process known as blooding.
* Tracing is teleporting, the vampire's means of travel. A vampire can only trace to destinations he's previously been.
* The Fallen are vampires who have killed by drinking a victim to death. Distinguished by their red eyes.

The Horde

In the first chaos of the Lore, a brotherhood of vampires dominated, by relying on their cold nature, worship of logic, and absence of mercy. They sprang from the harsh steppes of Dacia and migrated to Russia, though some say a secret enclave, the Daci, live in Dacia still."

* Their ranks are comprised of the Fallen.
* Enemies of most factions in the Lore.

The Forbearers

"His crown stolen, Kristoff, the rightful Horde king, stalked the battlefields of antiquity seeking the strongest, most valiant human warriors as they died, earning him the name of Gravewalker. He offered eternal life in exchange for eternal fealty to him and his growing army."

* An army of vampires consisting of turned humans, who do not drink blood directly from the flesh.
* Kristoff was raised as a human and then lived among them. He and his army know little of the Lore.
* Enemies of the Horde.

The Demonarchies

"The demons are as varied as the bands of man....."

* A collection of demon dynasties.
* Most demon breeds can trace like vampires. Some breeds are bound to obey summons.
* Those that can emit poison from their fangs, horns, or claws are more vulnerable to others' poison.
* Many demon breeds must have intercourse with a potential mate to ascertain if she's truly his-a process known as attempting.

The House of Witches

"Immortal possessors of magical talents, practitioners of good and evil."

* Mystical mercenaries who sell their spells.
* Strictly forbidden to create personal wealth or grant immortality.
* Separated into five castes: warrior, healer, enchantress, conjurer, and seeress.
* The only witch known to possess the powers of all five castes is Mariketa the Awaited.

The Sept of Sorceri

"The Sept forever seek and covet others' powers, challenging and dueling to seize more-or more darkly, stealing another's sorcery"

* A breed-line broken from the enchantment caste of the House of Witches.
* Born with one innate power, their root power. If they lose it, they become slaves to their own kind called Inferi. They can trade and steal secondary powers.
* One of the physically weaker species in the Lore, they used elaborate armors to protect their bodies. Eventually they held metals-and especially gold-sacred.

The Furiae

"If you do evil, beg for punishment-before they come...."

* Ruthless she-warriors bent on delivering justice to evil men when they escape it elsewhere.
* Led by Alecta the Unyielding One.

The Berserkers

"A berserker's lonely life is filled with naught but battle rage and bloodlust "

* A cadre of human warriors, known for their merciless brutality, who swear allegiance to Wóden.
* Stronger and faster than mere mortals, they carry within them the spirit of the bear and can channel its ferocity into a berserkrage, temporarily becoming as powerful as an immortal.
* When a berserker wins his two hundredth battle in Wóden's name, the god will grant him ohalla-immortality with untold strength.

The Sirenae

"Near the sea's edge, beware the siren's song"

* A female species of immortals, they can permanently mesmerize and enslave males who hear their singing.
* Derive power from the sea and can't be away from it for more than one cycle of the moon.

Wendigo

"Corpse-eaters insatiable for flesh, ravenous for blood. They feed and feed, but can never be sated."

* Found in the boreal forests of cold and northern lands.
* Distinguishable by their long, knifelike claws, and bodies that are forever emaciated.
* Will dig up graves for flesh.

The Wraiths

"Their origin unknown, their presence chilling."

* Spectral, howling beings. Undefeatable and, for the most part, uncontrollable.
* Also called the Ancient Scourge

The Vessel

"To be chosen is to be doomed."

* At the cusp of each Accession, a chosen female will beget a child who will become a warrior of either ultimate evil or of ultimate good-depending upon the father.
* Of the last seven Vessels, six have spawned evil.
* Some factions seek to assassinate the Vessel to prevent any birth. Others battle to possess her and control her offspring.

Revenants

"The dead robbed of eternal rest, forced to serve a dark master . . ."

* A corpse raised from the grave and reanimated, most often by a sorcerer or necromancer, who controls it.
* Can't be slain until the one who commands it is killed.

The Kobolds

"When eyes are on them, winsome they seem. Eyes away, and you can't imagine what they become."

* Gnomelike creatures that dwell in mines. The name of the capricious and dangerous mined element cobalt is derived from this species.

The Ghouls

"Even immortals beware its bite"

* Humans turned savage monsters, with glowing green skin, yellow eyes, and contagious bites and scratches.
* Their imperative is to increase their number by contagion.
* They're said to travel in troops.

The Turning

"Only through death can one become an 'other.'"

* Some beings, like the Lykae, vampires, and ghouls, can turn a human or even other Lore creatures into their kind through differing means, but the catalyst for change is always death, and success is not guaranteed.

The Talisman's Hie

"A treacherous and grueling scavenger's hunt for magickal talismans, amulets, and other mystical riches over the entire world."

* Held every two hundred fifty years.
* Hosted by Riora, the goddess of impossibility.
* Won the last five times by the Valkyrie Kaderin the Cold Hearted.

The Accession

"And a time shall pass that all immortal beings in the Lore, from the strongest Valkyrie, vampire, and Lykae factions, to the phantoms, shifters, fairies, sirens %u2026 must fight and destroy each other."

* A kind of mystical checks-and-balances system for an ever-growing population of immortals.
* Occurs every five hundred years. Or right now....