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The Mark of Kane (Thaddeus Kane #1)

by L.W. Herndon (Goodreads Author)

4.17 of 5 stars 4.17 · rating details · 12 ratings · 8 reviews

Demons, sorcerers, immortals – a little evil goes a long way

Human sorcerers bent on power are disrupting the underworld with demonic possessions and L.A. with murders. Half-demon half-human, Thaddeus Kane is his demon clan’s bloodhound, charged with finding the sorcerers and destroying them. His personal rules have always been clear—save his clan, protect innocents, and su...more

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Published May 10th 2011 by Digital Crystal Press

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May 07, 2012 Lissette rated it 5 of 5 stars

Thaddeus Kane has lived his life serving others. Abandoned at a young age, he had no choice but to succumb to Shalim, the leader of the demon clan that found him one day. Granted, his existence has never been a happy one, but he's made sure to show those around him that he's quite capable of living up to the clan's standards. He harbors a strong will to live and will do anything to make sure he doesn't check out early.

Tasked with searching for every single sorcerer and putting a stop to their so...more Thaddeus Kane has lived his life serving others. Abandoned at a young age, he had no choice but to succumb to Shalim, the leader of the demon clan that found him one day. Granted, his existence has never been a happy one, but he's made sure to show those around him that he's quite capable of living up to the clan's standards. He harbors a strong will to live and will do anything to make sure he doesn't check out early.

Tasked with searching for every single sorcerer and putting a stop to their sordid plans, Thaddeus is good at what he does. With the help of his trusty sidekick, Chaz, he's never deterred from the missions he's undertaken. Until now, that is. An unexpected source has alerted him to the sorcerer's activities and Thaddeus is hell-bent on discovering what their current purpose is.

Taking matters into his own hands, he sets off to decipher just what it is that they're up to, knowing quite well that he's risking his master's wrath in the process. Yet he knows he cannot deny his source the aid she requires and he'll do everything possible to ensure that the prophetic children are kept safe. Their survival is the key to discovering the depths to which the sorcerers have sunk.

Gathering the children as he goes about in accruing the needed intel to stop the sorcerers within their tracks, he's surprised that he truly does want to keep them safe. The discovery of several wizards amongst the group does throw an unexpected kink into their plans. If he's able to help them learn what they need to know about who, and what, they are, they may just prove to be a blessing in disguise. But first Thaddeus needs to ensure their ultimate survival if they're to succeed in taking down the Consortium, once and for all.

From the moment I flipped the page to the first chapter, it caught my attention and wouldn't let go until I'd read the book completely. The history between the demons and the wizards was a little elusive, at first, but I think L. W. did a lovely job in building the history surrounding the two factions as well as telling Thaddeus' back story. I look forward to reading more of L. W.'s work soon.(less)

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Mar 19, 2012 Loves To Dive rated it 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars

Thaddeus Kane is a half breed, part human, part demon. Kane and his demon partner, Chaz, work as troubleshooters for their demon boss, Shalim. During an investigation into the death of a high school quarterback, Kane and Chaz discover that a consortium of Wizards seem to be more interested in young humans than they should be. The deeper Kane digs into the mystery, the more questions he turns up and more and more kids turn up in trouble. Kane partners with a demon from a different clan t...more 3.5 stars

Thaddeus Kane is a half breed, part human, part demon. Kane and his demon partner, Chaz, work as troubleshooters for their demon boss, Shalim. During an investigation into the death of a high school quarterback, Kane and Chaz discover that a consortium of Wizards seem to be more interested in young humans than they should be. The deeper Kane digs into the mystery, the more questions he turns up and more and more kids turn up in trouble. Kane partners with a demon from a different clan to try to solve the mystery and discovers that the consortium is after not demons, not humans, but a small group of beings that if they live past their 24th year are seemingly immortal. Welcome to a world of witches, demons, wizards, immortals, humans and other beings that live in heaven, hell and earth.

Kane was abandoned as a child and left to die when he stumbled into the demon world. Shalim, the leader of the clan he stumbled upon, recognized there was more to Kane than just being a half-breed and allowed him to live among his clan. Kane had to fight and claw for any respect he gained and prove to Shalim that he was an asset worth keeping. Kane is loyal to his clan, more than a little jaded about the worthiness of others, but still manages to hold compassion and try to help others who might not be able to help themselves. Others see this trait in him and either take advantage of it, or think that it makes him weak. I think it is something he fights in himself and is not sure whether it’s good or bad. He is a little difficult to get to know but once you do you soon find he is just a big ole marshmallow under the swagger. He tends to pick up strays and despite himself, gets attached to them.

Along with Kane, we meet a mysterious female demon from another clan, Decible, who is hell-bent on helping Kane find the immortal kids and save them. Kane is a bit wary of her intentions, but they work well as a team and Decible gives us bits and pieces of information about who she might be, but we really don’t ever get to know her well. She seems to know an awful lot about Kane and who he is, more than she should so I have a feeling we are going to see more of her in the future. Another of Kane’s ragtag band of misfits is Jezrielle, one of the teenage immortals. The consortium has Jezrielle in their sights. She reluctantly joins Kane and Decible in their quest. Jezrielle is a strong, smart, street wise young lady who had to grow up too fast. She goes from mistrusting Kane, but needing his help, to grudgingly trusting him and even possibly liking him. Rounding out the team is a nurse named Anne Kidd, who it turns out, is a witch who is just coming into her powers. Anne isn’t thrilled with learning she is a witch, she isn’t thrilled with helping Kane and is even less thrilled with working with Decible, but Kane manages to pull her into their little group. The interactions between Decible and Anne were particularly fun to watch and I have a feeling they are going to get more action in the future.

While I enjoyed this book, it was a little difficult to follow at times, I kept feeling like I was beginning in the middle of the story and had missed some important background information. Eventually, we get some of Kane’s history and some world building as far as the demon realm goes, but I was still lost as to the politics involved between the Wizards, Demons and Witches. I’m assuming we will get more information as the series goes on, but I think the book would have been better had we had it up front. It will be interesting to see where the author takes us in the future, I’m sure there will be more to be heard from Kane’s little group of misfits. There is a decent little reveal toward the end of the book, again it left more questions than answers but it was unexpected. I think if the author works out the kinks of world building and character building this will be a fun series to follow and I’m looking forward to seeing what comes next.

Reviewed as a Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild

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May 25, 2011 L.J. DeLeon rated it 5 of 5 stars

I’m always excited when I discover a new writer. LW Herndon is a new find. The Mark of Kane (A Thaddeus Kane Novel) is one such find.

The story starts as it means to go, an adrenaline rush with some quiet moments. LW kept me on my toes throughout the book. I was never sure what would happen next.

Kane is a half-breed, human/demon, or is he? He’s on the hunt for human sorcerers bent on power. They are killing--draining their victims--demons and young humans of their power and life force or worse. T...more

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Apr 29, 2012 Sandy rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Mark of Kane is an intriguing new urban fantasy. The action is fast-paced action and the characters multi-layered. The story launches with Kane's half-demon, half-human status, and his task to stop the sorcerers summoning his demon clan. Things get complicated when he agrees to an alliance with a rival demon to save innocent children who are critical to the final judgment of mankind. He persists through resourcefulness, but every choice he makes puts him in conflict with either his clan's ow...more

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Jul 19, 2012 Cheryl M-M rated it 5 of 5 stars

On par with the likes of Kenyon, Ward, Ione and Singh...
Readers of the paranormal/fantasy genre will enjoy this book. It is a great read and on par with the work of many well known fantasy/supernatural authors. The main character Thaddeus Kane "TK" is half human and half demon,which should mean that he has it easy in both worlds. Wrong far from it, accepted by neither society he still feels the obligation to fulfill his demon clans rules, whilst at the same time dealing with his humanity and co...more

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Aug 05, 2011 Rosalind M rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

3.5 stars. A little uneven at times, and I wished for more distinctive voices among the minor players (especially the youngsters), but there's an intriguing cast of characters building here, and I look forward to the next book in the series.

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Sep 03, 2011 Brandi rated it 4 of 5 stars

A demon with a conscience.

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Sep 21, 2011 Debra rated it 2 of 5 stars

Dec 26, 2011 Wonderkell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, fantasy, review-first-reads

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About L.W. Herndon

LW Herndon is a pseudonym for the author of the Thaddeus Kane urban fantasy novels and the Declan OtherRealm young adult urban fantasy tales. More information on LW Herndon and future books can be found at the website http://www.lwherndon.com

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