Book Review: Darkness Unbound by Keri Arthur

Risa Jones is as extraordinary as her heritage. Born from a lab-enhanced clone mother and an Aedh father, she can not only talk to the souls of the dying and the dead, but she can see the reapers and walk the gray fields that divide this world from the next.

They are skill she rarely uses, however, preferring to concentrate on the business she shares with her two best friends. But when her mother asks her to help the parents of a little girl locked in a coma, she reluctantly agrees. What she discovers scares the hell out of her. Because the little girl’s soul no longer resides in her body, and it wasn’t death and the reapers that took her.

Someone had ripped her soul from her flesh.

As it turns out, a creature consuming the souls of the innocent–and not so innocent–is the least of her problems. Because someone wants to rip open the gates that divided hell from earth, and Risa is a key component in their plans. And the only person standing between her and disaster is a reaper who isn’t exactly on her side.

My thoughts:

Darkness Unbound is the first book in Keri Arthur's new series, Dark Angel, which is a spin-off from her Riley Jenson Guardian series. As a huge fan of all nine books about Riley I knew this was something I had to read, even if I was a little scared of it ruining the original series for me. It did not. I should also say that having read the original series first will give you more background for Darkness Unbound, but it is not necessary.

In Darkness Unbound, Keri Arthur introduces us to new supernatural beings unlike any other I have read about. I love how Risa is still exploring her Aedh heritage and what that means for her, but that she also has a clear limit as to how she will use her powers. It can't be easy seeing reapers, always knowing when someone is about to die, yet she tries to make the best of every situation, and will never hesitate if she has the opportunity to help a person; friend or stranger. Risa is a very strong female lead, and even if she occasionally makes bad choices, I always understood why.

The plot was very well executed, and far from predictable. It was just as hard for me as it was for Risa to know who to trust, and I always love not knowing what's happening until the characters discover it themselves. The ending had me crying several times, but it was also the perfect beginning to the rest of the series.

One of my favorite things about Keri Arthur's universe is how her female characters are completely unashamed of their own sexuality. There are a couple of very adult scenes in this book, and so I would not recommend it to anyone who blushes any time sex is mentioned, but everyone else should definitely check out Darkness Unbound the first chance they get.

Cover:

It has kind of a cheesy-romance look to it, but at the same time this is exactly what I imagined Risa to look like, so I'm happy with it.

My rating of this book:

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Full disclosure:
Checked out at my local library

This book can be purchased from a number of local retailers and online book stores like Amazon and The Book Depository (I'm not an affiliate of either). The latter store has free shipping to about 100 countries.