DARKNESS ETERNAL is novella #7.5 in the Guardians of
Eternity series by Alexandra Ivy. I read it when it
was originally released as part of the anthology
Supernatural in 2011, but did not remember almost any of
the tale when reading it again in its release as an
individual novella in 2015. Fans of Ivy's Guardians of
Eternity series
will want to read this short story as it continues the
overarching storyline.
Uriel is the vampire second in command to the clan chief
of
Great Britain, and is a great warrior. He is tasked by
his
chief with the rescue of Kata, the human mother of a
female
Jinn half-breed called Laylah. Laylah is important to the
future of the whole world because she is the only one who
can retrieve a particular infant from the mists between
worlds that could be used to resurrect the Dark Lord to
this dimension, and so Laylah's mother Kata must be put in
a sort of protective custody. Kata, who has the mild magic
of her gypsy heritage, has been held captive underground
for the last 200 years by her evil vampire twin sister
Marika and Marika's pet mage. Kata has a loving heart,
and
I enjoy her ability to appreciate the positive things
around her despite all she's been through.
Uriel was fundamentally changed by battle with a Jinn
previously that left him atypically scarred and gave him
an
unusual and dramatic increase in his power. That Jinn
told Uriel that Uriel would be "the instrument of his
revenge." Uriel is convinced that he will become a puppet
for the Jinn to control as some point, and so the poor guy
holds himself aloof from others. He has determined to
never mate, because he doesn't want to put his mate in
potential danger. Uriel is a very stand-up guy, and I
admire his honor and his tenacity.
Kata turns out to be Uriel's fated mate, and he recognizes
this quickly. This allows for the insta-lust followed by
insta-love trope, which is, I suppose, a necessary evil in
such a short story when the characters don't know each
other ahead of time. I like both Uriel and Kata as
individuals, I just have a hard time truly liking them
together. There is so much action and lust crammed
together in this quick novella that it feels undeveloped;
I
feel this would be been better served as a longer tale.
Yannah appears in this short story- the same tiny demon
Yannah that Ivy's readers know as the love interest of
Levet, the diminutive gargoyle comic sidekick in so many
of
the Guardian stories. Yannah is like a bad-tempered and
clumsy fairy godmother. Although she does serve as an easy
plot device, she always annoys me, rather like Jar Jar
Binks.
DARKNESS ETERNAL is an easy read for those
looking to fully flesh out their Alexandra Ivy Guardians
experience, or for those looking for a quick and fun PNR
read.
For the Guardians of Eternity, battle is a way of
life—whether the plight of their world is at stake, or the
fate of their heart…
After being held captive by one vampire for four
centuries,
Kata had no intention of taking another one to the
underworld with her. Yet even in the pits of Hell, there’s
no ignoring the intoxicating desire awakened by Uriel’s
touch…
Previously published in Supernatural.
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