Rummanah Aasi
  There are a few surprises that I'm working on for next week so I asked my dear friend, Leanne Ayer, to do a guest review for me. Thank you, Leanne! Enjoy her review of Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon.

I was excited when Rummanah asked me to pop by and write a guest review of the first book in Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Chronicles of Nick series, Infinity.  I've read many of her adult books and was intrigued by the concept of a young adult series based on the adolescence of Nick Gauthier, whom we meet and come to love in the Dark-Hunter series.
     The successful Dark-Hunters series follows a group of warriors, per se, who give up their souls and pledge fealty to the Greek goddess Artemis by becoming a Dark-Hunter in exchange for one shot at avenging their deaths.  They spend their nights hunting Daimons--cursed Apollites, who are very much like vampires only they live off souls, not blood.  Many of the Dark-Hunters have squires, humans who can tend to their needs during daylight, as they will die if exposed to sunlight, and that’s where I first met Nick; he was introduced early on as squire to Kyrian. As the series progresses, we see the friendship between him and the incredibly powerful and mysterious wrangler of the Dark-Hunters, Acheron Parthenopaeus grow, and then implode.

Description: Fourteen year-old Nick Gauthier’s already messed up life suddenly takes an even stranger turn when he tries to thwart his friends’ plot to mug two innocent tourists; his so-called friends shoot him. This incident seems to be the beginning of a chain of interesting paranormal events, leading Nick to discover that in New Orleans nothing is what it seems. If being a low-income kid attending a private school on scholarship wasn't bad enough, realizing that half the school turns into wolves or bears or that the football team is hell-bent on trying to eat you really takes the cake.

Review:  I devoured Infinity.  It was a quick read, the action pushed along the plot, and Nick as a teenager is just as snarky, witty, and endearing as I found him to be in Kenyon’s adult series.  Although there were a few points that left me scratching my head, I have faith that Kenyon will fill in the gaps in later books.
    You really don’t need to have read the Dark-Hunter series to get a grasp of this book.Information is imparted in relatively palatable chunks so it’s not overwhelming, and I have every faith that each subsequent book will build on the incredibly rich mythology that Kenyon has created.
    So why do I love Nick so much? Nick is a wise-ass, he is smart-mouthed and sometimes his sarcasm makes me laugh out loud. I think part of the reason I like him is that he came from a rough beginning (as we are reading about in this series) so he’s tough, unrepentant, and yet he loves his Mama.  Nick was brought up to respect the women in his life, and he does in a way that kids today don’t necessarily understand.  He also has an intriguing way of seeing the world—it’s black and white, and yet in this book we’re starting to see some grey sneaking in.  I love being able to see his progression from quasi-naive teen to the man he becomes in the adult series.
   This book is engaging and drew me in right away.  It would be a great one for reluctant readers because of its fast pace—there’s really no time to get bored with this book.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution:  There is mild language, violence, and adult themes (Nick's mom is an exotic dancer), and supernatural beings. This book might be best for 14 and up.


If you like this book, try: Invincible by Sherrilyn Kenyon (due out in May 2011)
2 Responses
  1. Twimom227 Says:

    Yea! Great to see Lee and the guest post. I STILL haven't read this. I have to get to it soon! Thanks for the review.


  2. Anonymous Says:

    Lee did a great job, didn't she?

    You should read this book, Twimom. It's a fast read and it was great seeing Nick and the gang again.


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