Thursday, November 8

Book Review: The Dark Highlander

Author: Karen Marie Moning
Title: The Dark Highlander (Highlander #5)
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Paranormal Romance, Historical Romance
Pages: 370
First Published: October 1st, 2002
Where I Got It: Borrowed from Library

"Journey to a world of ancient magic, breathtaking sensuality, thrilling time-travel.... Journey to the world of The Dark Highlander. Crisscrossing the continents and the centuries, here is a novel as gripping as it is sensual—an electrifying adventure that will leave you breathless....

I am Dageus MacKeltar, a man with one good conscience and thirteen bad ones, driven to sate my darkest desires…From his penthouse lair high above Manhattan, Dageus looks out over a glittering city that calls to the darkness within him. A sixteenth-century Scot trapped between worlds, he is fighting a losing battle with the thirteen Druids who possess his soul, dooming him to an eternity of sexual pursuit. When Chloe Zanders, student of antiquities, is drawn into his world, she finds the insatiable alpha male an irresistible lure.Before long, she is caught up in an ancient prophecy that will sweep her back into time to medieval Scotland. Plunged into a world of timeless magic and dark seduction, she will soon face the challenge of a lifetime: fighting thirteen evil spirits for the heart of one irresistible man...."



This is my fifth book of the Highlander series I have read. Normally each book can be read as a stand alone (so far), but I would advise to read #4 before venturing into this one.


Not only is this a romance, but it has so much more at play. There is action, drama, antiquities, ancient prophecies, fairies, time travel, magic, and 13 Ancient Evils that are being all evil and whatnot. I bow down to Karen Marie Moning for her being able to fill this book with some much going on with such ease. She made it easy to follow, I never once was confused.   


Poor Daegus. He is the epitome of a tortured hero. He is being possessed by 13 evil Ancient Druids who are fighting him for his soul. I applaud Daegus for fighting back them and the want of power they have. A normal person would easily succumb to the temptation of unlimited power and magic. I find it funny that having loads of sex temporarily gives him a break the constant battle. I found it really funny.


I really liked Chloe too...she was a great heroine because she reminds me of, well, me. Not only personality-wise, but some of her appearance was similar. She's short, dark hair, Scottish features, thicker, and a complete and utter nerd. Huzzah for the smart girl getting the sexy man! Huzzah! The only thing that really bugged me was that Karen Marie Moning didn't really dive into her feelings about her parents dying tragically when she was four. Whenever she made mention of thought of her parents, she didn't seem to emotionally connected. Perhaps that was on purpose, but it seemed odd. Mhmmm.

Besides for Chloe seeming to not care her parents died tragically, there was not a lot I can complain about. I also disliked the many shifts of POVs. Yes, Karen Marie Moning did a wonderful job with the transitions, but the POV shifted WAY to much for my liking. There was Chloe, Daegus, a chick named Catherine, Adam Black, Silvan, Nellie, two baddies who are worshipers of the Evil Ancients, Gwen, Drustan, and the Fairy Queen even had a small moment. Yes, it was nice to see the story from different angles, but......gah. It annoyed me. Personally (no blame to authors), but I get confused sometimes. If the POV shift happens in the middle of a chapter, then I get confused and have to re-read. My brain reads too fast and I get too into the story to see the transition happening. I do not blame the author, because different POVs is good, but please...please wait until a new chapter or give symbols like "~*~" or "*". JUST SOMETHING!






Sorry for my ranting and raving up above. ^.^

In the end, I adored this book. Daegus and Chloe were wonderful. Daegus was a great guy, but a tortured hero. Chloe was a short, thick, nerdy girl who have issues hiding her emotions (like me). The cast was also amazing. The side characters really made the story bloom. The story and plot was very original and very well done. *applauds* However, the over-abundance of POVs annoyed me and confused me. I would recommend this to those that love historical romances with a fantasy twist. Also for those that have read Karen Marie Moning in the past, should check this series out. In the end, I stamp this with 5 stars. In all reality, it would be a 4.5, but I rounded.

Favorite Character(s): Daegus, Chloe (my new twin), Gwen, Drustan, Silvan, Nellie, Adam Black (starting to like him, can't say why....but you'll agree), and The Fairy Queen (she's pretty epic)
Not-so Favorite Character(s): The 13 Ancient Evils and Simon


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<3CaroleRae



6 comments:

Blodeuedd said...

I will one one day... promise!! ;)

Carole Rae said...

hahahaha you say that every time. ;D

SF said...

It sounds good! I like stories that blend elements of romance, action, drama, etc... And lol, I am both amused by your reactions to sudden POV changes and really glad you shared. I write with multiple POV's so it's really helpful for me to hear what people do and don't appreciate in that realm.

By the way, check out the new blog hop we’re starting: Save-a-Word Saturday!

Carole Rae said...

It was really good. But yeah, I like POVs but it drives me bananas when there is no indication of the change. lol Ooooh. I'll have to check it out.

SF said...

Yeah, I always at least use a symbol to separate the scenes (there's a technical term for that, but I can't remember it right now) and make it obvious in the first sentence which POV it's in... Good to know!

Carole Rae said...

Thank goodness you do. =D I can't remember that term at all. lol. Its a weird name.