Prince of Darkness

by
Beth Ann Masarik

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Prince of Darkness (Prince of Darkness #1)

by Beth Ann Masarik (Goodreads Author)

4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 · rating details · 23 ratings · 13 reviews

Hades is hell-bent on taking over the world, but in order to do so, he has to remove his nemesis, Gaia from power. But one thing stands in the way and she goes by the name of Selene.

Cue Damien, son of Hades and Persephone. He happens to be in love with Selene, and will stop at nothing to make sure that she is safe even though their love is forbidden. Furious with his son’s...more

ebook, 2nd Edition

Published 2013 by Hydra Publications (first published July 16th 2011)

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Aug 26, 2011 Cambria rated it 4 of 5 stars

Title: The World Among Us (Prince of Darkness #1)
Author: Beth Ann Masarik
Genre: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Otherworld Publications, August 2011 www.otherworldpublications.com
Format: Hardback, Paperback, Ebook
ISBN: 1936593165 Hardback
BN-ID 2940013112650

Hades is one bad dude. (Well he most certainly isn’t the tooth fairy!) So what does a bad dude do when at his most vile? Try and take over the world of course. (You didn’t think I was going to say bake cookies, did you?)
Unfortunately for...more

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Jul 19, 2011 Susan Roebuck rated it 5 of 5 stars

The World Among Us by Beth Ann Masarik is a rollercoaster ride that left me breathless. Countless characters populate it, although the main ones stand out well enough and hold their own.
The basic story-line of this YA novel is simple: Hades, King of the Underworld is simply itching to unleash war on the Deities above – the Gods and Goddesses who rule our lives. He prepares his evil deeds by sending his only son Damien, who’s only three thousand years old, on a mission to kill the Goddess of the...more

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Aug 22, 2011 Cassie McCown rated it 4 of 5 stars

The World Among Us (Prince of Darkness #1)
By: Beth Ann Masarik
ISBN: 9781936593163
Published August 19, 2011 by Otherworld Publications, L.L.C.
Available Format: Hardcover, Paperback, ebook

My Rating: ★★★★☆

Well, whataya know, Hades wants to take over the world. He’ll even go so far as to manipulate his own son, Damien, to help carry out his dastardly plan. Damien is left with no choice but to murder Selene, the goddess of the moon—his forbidden soul mate. Selene, however, is to be reincarnated and D...more

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Jan 15, 2012 Danielle Smiley rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-e-books, pnr-urban-fantasy

I really wanted to like this book. The premise for this book is fabulous, but the execution is quite flawed. I love the idea of an urban fantasy combined with Greek mythology. The story of the son of Hades being soul mates with Selene, Greek goddess of the moon, is something I want to read.

Unfortunately this book just did not work for me. A story editor is needed to help the author flesh out her characters, develop believable dialog and fix plot holes. This could be a great book.

Characters: An...more

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Feb 06, 2012 Ritesh rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, reviewed, urban-fantasy, young-adults

‘The World among Us’ at first glance seems to be seeped in mythology and urban fantasy. There is the entire gamut of Greek Gods here, right from Gaia going all the way ‘down’ to Hades. They all play their traditional roles as well. Besides the horde of Greek Gods, there are the usual urban fantasy characters consisting of werewolves, vampires and wizards. When such a cast of characters is assembled, it is obvious that a war will be brewing and who better than Hades, the God of the underworld to...more ‘The World among Us’ at first glance seems to be seeped in mythology and urban fantasy. There is the entire gamut of Greek Gods here, right from Gaia going all the way ‘down’ to Hades. They all play their traditional roles as well. Besides the horde of Greek Gods, there are the usual urban fantasy characters consisting of werewolves, vampires and wizards. When such a cast of characters is assembled, it is obvious that a war will be brewing and who better than Hades, the God of the underworld to start it in his attempts to take over and rule the world?

This all, of course has no bearing upon the wonderful story which the author has created. It is a time tested formula of two people who can never be together, but yet fall in love. Complicating their relationship is their families who are ready to go to war.

Hades is bent on world domination and to set his plan rolling, he puts his only son and heir, Damien in a position, where he has to kill his one true love Selene. Selene being a Goddess is reincarnated and Damien realizing his mistake leaves his father’s side and his twisted plans behind. He vows to protect Selene from his father and switches sides in the coming war. Being a demon, he is now shunned by Hell and is distrusted by the Gods. Caught in the middle, we can see him treading a fine line as the creatures of Hell try to lure him, but his love for Selene holds him back. Much of the remaining book is dedicated to Selene growing up and we see little glimpses of the plans afoot to start the war between the good and evil sides.

All the Gods in the story are wonderfully adapted to the modern world. They are portrayed as being almost human, who use cell phones to communicate (albeit ones which can cross the boundaries of the mortal world and make calls to ‘heaven and hell’). They also live in the mortal world at times and are seen having relationships with mortals. They have all the fallibilities of humans even though they have some superpowers. They have emotions like love and hate, jealousy and pride and can be injured and killed. They are quick to judge and quicker to react. They have wants and desires and they are willing to work towards making them come true.

Even the urban fantasy characters are adapted to this ‘divine’ tale. The vampires are demons from hell, while the Gods look to create werewolves to fight them. The wizards are the only humans playing a role in the story.

I was quite disappointed at the place at which the story in this book ended. The book feels like one long prologue to the actual story. There are huge indications of the coming war between good and evil right from the first page. However, we never get to it till the end. In this book, just the ‘warning shots’ have been fired and the book ends right before an actual war is declared, and that just seems wrong. I would have the author to commit to the war in this book, rather than leaving it to the reader’s imagination and asking them to wait for the next book to find out how and when it all starts. This by far is my biggest gripe against the book, one which takes it away from a five star read. It is like hanging the proverbial fruit right before us, but keeping it just out of reach. I can understand the need to set up a series with the backstory and help readers understand the ‘why, when and what’ to give depth to the series, but devoting the entire first book to this resulted in it ending in a frustrating note for me.

I am sure the remaining book(s) will continue this wonderful story, and for that I give it four stars.(less)

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Jan 06, 2012 Giselle at Book Nerd Canada rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: blog-tour

In comes the action, and the plot..Hades declares war on Gaia so he plans to kill Selene, the moon Goddess to make Gaia go into war. Damien (Hades' son) who is also a vampire kills Selene even though he is in love with her. That's where the story begins..

I quite enjoyed reading about all the gods and goddesses and their little squabbles with Hades. I was also overjoyed to learn about the other Gods as well. I've always been keen to learn about mythology and what better way to learn than from a b...more

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Feb 18, 2012 Veronica Morfi rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle

The World Among Us is the story of Damien and Selene, two starcrossed lovers that find themshelves in the middle of Hades' evil plan to take over the world, it doesn't really help that Damien is actually his son and Selene the granddaughter of his arch enemy, Gaia. After Hades manipulates Damien into killing Selene he moves on to his next target, the leader of the Creatures of the Night, Jason. Little does he know Selene has been reincarnated and protected by everyone against him.

This book has a...more

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Feb 18, 2012 Carly rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review

I really didn't know what to expect with this book, so I was thrilled with how fantastic it turned out to be. The storyline was amazing and the characters are so strong and powerful. I devoured this book in two sittings and instantly wanted to read more. Beth Ann Masarik has dared to do what what many authors will not, build up a wonderful leading character only to kill them off at the start of the book. It was a real shocker for me, but I am so happy to say yit worked out fantastically.

The sto...more

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Jul 18, 2011 A.K. rated it 4 of 5 stars

"The World Among Us" gives you exactly what you want: realistic dialog, forbidden love, an emotional journey, a fabulous twist on classic mythology and a cliffhanger to keep you hungry for more! Beth Ann Masarik has created an exceptional world with realistic characters living normal lives...well, as normal as possible for Gods living amid humans that is, and I am certainly anxious to read the next book in the series.

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Jun 16, 2011 Elizabeth Bevarly rated it 5 of 5 stars

Epic! In PRINCE OF DARKNESS, Beth Ann Masarik has penned an engaging novel full of otherworldly hijinks and mayhem . It’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” meets “West Side Story,” with a little “Clash of the Titans” thrown in for good measure. Alternate reality may never be the same. Gods and demons. Forbidden love. Unfulfilled prophecy. Family feuds. And a valiant battle of good versus evil. Who could ask for more?

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Aug 24, 2011 Erin Danzer rated it 5 of 5 stars

The World Among Us is an action packed urban fantasy adventure that spans from Mount Olympus to Manhattan. Beth Ann Masarik definitely did her homework when working with demons, gods and goddesses, vampires, werewolves and wizards.... they're all so real! so normal! It's only until something happens when they're forced to use their super powers that I'm reminded they're more than human. This is a beautifully written debut novel and I look forward to what else is in store for Damien and Selene.

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Nov 11, 2011 Mandy White rated it 3 of 5 stars

The World Among Us (Prince of Darkness) puts a very cool twist on ancient mythology. Imagine ancient gods living in the modern world, experiencing challenges both mortal and supernatural. Add in a forbidden love and you have all the elements of an engaging Young Adult series. Even though this book is not necessarily my genre of choice, I found it to be an enjoyable read and recommend it for any fans of young adult paranormal romance.

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Mar 03, 2012 Mlpmom (Book Reviewer) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle-books, 2012-reading-challenge-book

Check out my blog for the tour and to get more info about this great book!

http://myguiltyobsession.blogspot.com/

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Shelves: to-buy

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May 17, 2012 Jamie rated it 5 of 5 stars

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About Beth Ann Masarik

Beth Ann Masarik was born on Long Island, NY in the year 1984 with an over-active imagination. She used to love playing make-believe games, and now loves creating her own fantasy worlds. Masarik has been writing since she was 15 years old, and had her first newspaper article published in her high school newspaper in her sophomore year. She has taken several creative writing classes, and started wr...more

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Prince of Darkness (Prince of Darkness #1)

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