Darkling (Otherworld / Sisters of the Moon #3) by Yasmine Galenorn

Jan 16, 2009 Deb rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I actually really enjoyed Yasmine Galenorn's series. Fun, sexy, and not taking itself too seriously. It has enough paranormal to fit the genre,the plot follows some logic and each of the sisters gets their day in the sun with each book. Galenorn appreciates the pagan/paranormal viewpoint and provides an entertaining, sexy and entertainin read.

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Jun 01, 2012 Kathy Davie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: funny, homey, paranormal, romance

Third in the Otherworld/Sisters of the Moon paranormal-romance series based in Seattle and revolving around three half-human, half-fae sisters charged with preventing Storm Wing from overthrowing the world even as the Otherworld takes sides in a civil war. The point of view here is from Mennolly.

My Take
One of the interesting aspects of this series is that there is no settled love interest. While one sister provides the main point of view in each book and they end up with a lover or three, they d...more

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Apr 18, 2012 Amanda rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Darkling is the best in this series so far in my opinion. She's my favorite character and she has so many layers to her personality. She's been hurt, stripped bare and victimized by the jerk, Dredge, that turned her into a vampire. She's strong, loyal and will kick anyone's ass that hurts someone she cares about. What I really like about this character is that she isn't conformed. She's technically bi in my book, she likes the men but she'll also get involved with a woman if it feels right. She'...more

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Aug 07, 2011 Fangs for the Fantasy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: yasmine-galenorn

I've just finished Darkling, book three in Yasmine Galenorn’s Otherworld series. It is the first book in the series that I can claim to like. Well...like is too strong a word...let’s go with: I didn’t hate it completely. Not sure whether my semi-enjoyment of this book, as compared to Witchling and Changeling, is due to a more compelling main character or whether I have developed Stockholm Syndrome--that I have been held captive by this series for so long (These short books are loooonnnng reads.)...more

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Jun 22, 2009 Hannah rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-paranormal

The plot has a little more depth in this one, perhaps because this sister has major inner demons to defeat before she can get on with her life. She's a considerably more interesting character than Camille and Delilah, albeit bogged down with the cliches that are becoming a trademark with this author. The way Menolly conquers her dark memories and grows into a more mature character is the best part of this book; we see how she's gradually accepting that the people around her love her and aren't t...more The plot has a little more depth in this one, perhaps because this sister has major inner demons to defeat before she can get on with her life. She's a considerably more interesting character than Camille and Delilah, albeit bogged down with the cliches that are becoming a trademark with this author. The way Menolly conquers her dark memories and grows into a more mature character is the best part of this book; we see how she's gradually accepting that the people around her love her and aren't trying to antagonize her at every turn, and she's slowly dealing with the disadvantages her new life holds. This character development is something that didn't exist in the previous two novels, and it's a welcome change.

Menolly, perhaps because she's not as happy and preppy as the other two sisters, has a slightly less ridiculous vocabulary at her disposal. She doesn't walk around town calling everyone "dude", "babe" and "hon", something I'm extremely relieved to find. The developments with Nerissa, Roz and Jareth are interesting, and it's irritating that Galenorn didn't bother to spend any time developing them. They're only put there as milestones for Menolly to reach as she goes on her "journey of recovery."

Now, onto the negatives. Once again, Galenorn's bad writing rears its ugly head, although it's slighly less noticeable here than it was in Witchling and Changeling (perhaps because I flipped through this one even faster than the previous two, in order to avoid some of the said bad writing.) From annoying minor grammatical errors (Galenorn, it's 'Camille and I', not "Camille and me") to absolutely glaring ones ("off of the path"?), these things grate on the nerves of the reader. It seriously hinders me from finding any enjoyment in the book when I'm running across those on every single page. New species and characters are still pouring out of Galenorn's head, all without half-decent treatment before they're either killed off or forgotten because they were only placed there as plot points anyway. Once again, explanations for events occurring between Changeling and Darkling were not given; you're simply expected to accept it and move on. And some of the characters and plot points that Galenorn inserts are bordering on the ridiculous: Loki, the Norse trickster god, a vampire?! And Fenris is his pet werewolf?! We're never told who exactly Loki is, actually; it was only mentioned on one occation, in passing, that he's some sort of semi-god. Somehow, he's the main villain's vampire sire, and anything else? We're. Not. Told.

As previously mentioned, Darkling is rather better than Witchling and Changeling. But it doesn't improve by much, nor is Galenorn offering us anything revolutionary or particularly original. There are much better urban fantasy novels out there, with better character development and better plots, which I'd urge everyone to try before picking these up. At least that way you'd have something to laugh about afterwards.(less)

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Sep 30, 2009 Brandy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ok, so this series is definitely getting better. I didn't so much like the first book, the second one was so-so, but this one is a definite improvement. I honestly wouldn't have kept reading them if I hadn't already bought the whole series, but since I did, I refused to just throw them out. I would not recommend just trying to start with this book as the previous two books give you so much information that if you don't read them first, you will most definitely be lost in this one. This set of bo...more

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Mar 10, 2013 Chibineko rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm not quite sure what it is about this series, but I can't quite seem to make my mind up about it. It's fairly light as far as PNR and UF goes, but there's this nice charm to it that I really dig. I'm still slightly skeptical about the author's claim that she'll be able to write the series until nobody will publish it anymore, as I've seen where doing so has resulted in the deterioration of several long running series in several different genres. But that's a worry for future volumes, as right...more I'm not quite sure what it is about this series, but I can't quite seem to make my mind up about it. It's fairly light as far as PNR and UF goes, but there's this nice charm to it that I really dig. I'm still slightly skeptical about the author's claim that she'll be able to write the series until nobody will publish it anymore, as I've seen where doing so has resulted in the deterioration of several long running series in several different genres. But that's a worry for future volumes, as right now we're still in the birthing stage of the series, with this volume being the last of the "introduction" entries.

Although we've met her in the previous two entries, this is our first time hearing the narration from Menolly's voice and I have to say, I like her. She's blunt, snarky, and not afraid to say what she wants to... unless it has to do with the amount of trauma that her sire Dredge put her through. I think she'd have to be my favorite of the three sisters, although each one has their own charm and they play rather nice off of each other. Together they pretty much embody the predominant stereotypes of the female supernatural novel character, although I don't use stereotype in a negative way. Familiar character traits are usually familiar for a reason, after all.

The story here is predominantly focused around Menolly's past. There are a series of crimes set in the present day, but those are more of a side plot brought in to give our heroine the impetus to start looking at her past and find a way to overcome it. You'll probably be able to guess whether she does or not, but the fun isn't in whether or not you'll know the destination before you get there but the trip itself. And I liked this trip, more so than I did the previous volume surrounding Delilah. She's a cute character, but there's just something about Menolly's personality that really clicks with this series. It doesn't hurt that Galenorn has given us a main character that's openly bisexual and isn't seen as comic relief and/or someone to be shuffled off to the side as most gay and bisexual characters often are.

That really brings me to one of the things I admire about this series as a whole so far: Galenorn brings the sex and isn't afraid to have her characters enjoy it. I know that there are other series that have their women having sex (Anita Blake anyone?), but this is one of the few series where you have your women (and these are women, not girls) having sex without worrying about being called a slut, about love triangles with sex involved (there is a brief worry about this for a minute, but not over the sex itself- Trillian and Morio don't mind sharing), or feeling guilty over the act itself. It just gets really old reading about women who wangst over enjoying sex or about numbers of partners, while complaining about how men can sleep with an ocean of women without double standards. I know that this exists, but I want a female character who just doesn't care. We get that in all three of the D'Artigo sisters and this was really brought home in this book with Menolly's attraction to a certain female character.

The audio narration for this was nice and all in all, I'm going to continue along until I either hit the point where I lose interest or until I catch up with the series as a whole. Let's see which one comes first. (less)

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Apr 24, 2012 Eero rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: lesbian, paranormal, dark-fantasy, vampire, witch

Not great, but not bad either.

Main character is somewhat clichehic - half human half fay, turned to vampire without her consent and vampire who turned her was sadistic bastard, who tortured and raiped her until she begged to be let to die and then he turn her to vampire so that she would hunt and kill her family. Our Melanie is also bisexual and acts for those desires because she thinks that she could ever have sex with men, but of course there is handsome shamanic priest with vampire fetis who...more

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Jul 30, 2012 Sandra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Best one so far, 3.75 at least, in part because the main character in this one isn't into bed hopping and/or wham bang sex as much, and when sex does enter the plot the author isn't writing it quite so much like a porn script for hormone overdosed, 14 yr old virgins.

I really like the story here, and I like that Ms Galenorn is definitely not shy about creating her own spin on 'fae' tales. I like the time she takes to expand each character. When you've read as many books over many years as I have...more

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Mar 10, 2011 Ana Mardoll rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Darkling / 978-0-425-21893-8

The third in the Sisters of the Moon series, "Darkling" carries on the point-of-view cycle by moving to the third sister in the family - the ill-fated Menolly. Half-human and half-Fae like her sisters, her particular cross to bear is her hated vampirism. In the second book of the series, "Changeling", we learned that the sisters' old enemies were joining forces with the vampire group that tortured and turned Menolly, and "Darkling" follows that plot thread as a chance...more Darkling / 978-0-425-21893-8

The third in the Sisters of the Moon series, "Darkling" carries on the point-of-view cycle by moving to the third sister in the family - the ill-fated Menolly. Half-human and half-Fae like her sisters, her particular cross to bear is her hated vampirism. In the second book of the series, "Changeling", we learned that the sisters' old enemies were joining forces with the vampire group that tortured and turned Menolly, and "Darkling" follows that plot thread as a chance for Menolly to face her past demons and vanquish her old sire.

If I may get minor criticism out of the way first: "Darkling" carries on the proud Fantasy Kitchen Sink themes of this series, but via taking a minor left turn on "Fourth and Bananas", as it were - Loki the Trickster makes a special cameo appearance here, as does Morgaine and her Arturian crew in their quest for the Merlin - a plot point that will presumably become relevant later but does little to clear the air here and now. There's also the sudden and jarring introduction of a vampiric taboo against severing the magical lifeline between vampiric sire and child, as well as a similar taboo against murdering one's own sire - a strange plot point, given that (a) one would suspect that at least some vampiric children are sired unwillingly, and (b) if the D'Artigo sisters have cared about social niceties prior to now, that hasn't come through the narrative. Overall, it feels like a cheap shot to easily inject some quick angst (OMG! Now even the vampires will shun Menolly!) into an otherwise excellent setup of redemption and revenge.

These small criticisms aside, the novel readily redeems itself by maintaining this series' high aversion to angst levels - a particularly tricky thing to pull off in a novel that is largely about Menolly's torturous history and her working through the issues arising from the same. It's gratifying to see a rape victim portrayed with so much depth and sensitivity - Menolly has recovered from her torture through her strength and determination, but in order to truly be free from the magical ties that bind her to her sire, she must go through a sort of magical counseling session to work through her inner demons. Along the way, her sister Camille is able to see and relive Menolly's memories, and Menolly realizes that protecting her sisters from the knowledge of what happened to her will only drive a wedge between them in the long run, and she comes to trust that her sisters can handle the truth - a surprisingly deep philosophical conclusion from a "fluffy" fantasy series.

Although I enjoyed "Darkling" immensely and recommend it to fans of the series, it is important to note that this is a much darker novel than the first two entrants, as the plot focuses solidly on Menolly's torturous history, so be forewarned.

~ Ana Mardoll(less)

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Mar 15, 2012 Kathy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: action, fantasy-romance, fantasy-other-world, vampire

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Setting - Seattle, Washington. Beautiful, shared features with the d’Artigo’s Other World, forests, nature. Places for weres to run free and witches to practice their magic.

Themes - sex... these d’Artigo women like their sex, and a bit unconventional sex. Growing - into their powers, into their independence, into their mature selves. Peace - not just acceptance of who/what they are, but also overcoming that of their past, especially Mennoly,

Characters:

the d’Artigo sisters - as a unit, they work...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Jordan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: alt-universe, fey-fae-faery, jojo-s-2013-challenge, magic, mystery, paranormal-supernatural, scifi-fantasy, series, shapeshifters, vampire, witches

The 3rd book of the series comes for Menolly's POV. Menolly is the half human half fae sister who was blessed with amazing, yet wonky, acrobatic skills. Those skills went wonky at the worst possible moment which led to her being turned into a vampire against her will. In this book, we finally discover exactly what happened to dear Menolly and start to understand some of the demons that have been haunting the poor girl. She undertakes a rather risky ritual to attempt to free herself and become he...more

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May 17, 2011 Kim~Fantasy~ rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

WOO....knew Menolly would be a doozy! She is one cool vamp...and I loved the fact that she was gettin heavy with Nerissa. In all honesty Camille & Delilah have enough testosterone floating around for ten women..LOL! I am very interested in Roz though...mmm he sounds delicious. Also in Jareth who I wantto see if anything further happens between him and Menolly..and there is also Menolly and Nerissa. Man these sisters get all the goodies! And will Roz end up in a thing with any of them(ME ME M...more

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Jan 01, 2011 Yolanda Sfetsos rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, vampire

This is the third The Sisters on the Moon book by Yasmine Galenorn, and it doesn't disappoint. It's packed with new problems for the sisters, and a lot of action. I loved every minute of it. Menolly intrigued me from the moment she was introduced in Witchling, so I couldn't wait to meet her and get into her head.

The constant pain she relives because of her physical and mental scars is heartbreaking. As if it isn't enough to have to deal with the fact that she's a vampire. Her sire, Dredge is evi...more

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May 12, 2009 Jim rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, paranormal-urban

Third book in the series, told from the youngest sister's perspective. (Looks like the fourth will be going back to the oldest's.) It was good. The fight continues & we learn more about the family from Menolly. She's a vampire & takes the lead as they battle her creator.

The story line is very similar to the other two. I don't have the fourth book & don't mind waiting a while to get it. It's not a bad story, but it's also not compelling or different enough to make me want to run out...more

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May 12, 2011 Burçak :) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Serinin bu kaitabını daha çok sevdim nedense..Sanırım Menolly'nin öyküsü etkiledi beni birde vampir avlayıp durdukları için aksiyon çoktu :))

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Sep 05, 2010 Annette rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 01, 2011 Lyn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Out of the three books in the series so far, I liked this one the least. I liked all the books and the series. I am not a big fan of Lesbian scenes but don't mind to read them if they are small, I was worried that the whole book would turn into her having that one les realtionship but it didn't. Menolly is tough and scarred but she was a little to hard for me as a women. Without that issue, the books lack a little more with each book. Witchling was AWESOME!!! Camille in the other two books was m...more

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Mar 11, 2013 Tart rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: rated-up-half-star

I've had an on the fence/off the fence relationship with these Otherworld books and I can't really put my finger on why I do. This is the second time I'm attempting to read this series, the first time I skipped some books and I'm trying really hard not to do that this time around. Re-reading up to Darkling so far, is showing me that the series has *potential*.

I'm not totally in love with these books yet but I'm on track to liking them quite a bit and I do so love that Yasmine Galenorn releases...more

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Oct 30, 2011 Nick McGreggor rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: didn-t-like

I realize I'm not the audience for this...and I read it out of order, but it was all I had on a long car ride. However, I won't be reading on with the series.

The plot was shallow and unoriginal.
The dialogue was flat and poor.
The writing remained terrible throughout. Terrible on a word by word, sentence by sentence level, betraying both a lack of skill and style.

I was indifferent to all the characters. Menolly especially. I never connected with her.

I don't even like the cover. I finished it for...more

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Mar 26, 2011 Jessica rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, fiction, romance, supernatural

Of the first three books in this series, this one was the hardest to get into. After struggling through the beginning, the action started to move and it was more of a struggle to put the book down. While I understand the desire to describe what the characters are wearing, there seems to be a ridiculous amount of detail put into it when it really isn't that important once it's been established what the character is like. It almost feels as though this is filler to make the story longer. Regardles...more

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Apr 17, 2013 Mello ❣ Illium ✮Harry✮ ☀Myrnin☀ Torin Ichimaru rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-romance, vamps, fae, adult, witches, werecats, shapeshifters, magic, action, demons, dragons, read-in-2013, did-that-just-happen

>Synopsis:

We're the D'Artigo Sisters: Half-human, half-Faerie, we're savvy--and sexy--operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. But our mixed-blood heritage short-circuits our talents at all the wrong times. My sister Camille is a wicked-good witch whose magic is as unpredictable as the weather. My sister Delilah transforms into a tabby cat when she's under stress. And me? I'm Menolly, acrobat-extraordinaire-turned-vampire. And I'd give my right fang to make my sire pay for killing m...more >Synopsis:

We're the D'Artigo Sisters: Half-human, half-Faerie, we're savvy--and sexy--operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. But our mixed-blood heritage short-circuits our talents at all the wrong times. My sister Camille is a wicked-good witch whose magic is as unpredictable as the weather. My sister Delilah transforms into a tabby cat when she's under stress. And me? I'm Menolly, acrobat-extraordinaire-turned-vampire. And I'd give my right fang to make my sire pay for killing me. That is, if he doesn't find me first...

"All over Seattle, humans have been going missing, only to turn up as newborn vampires--the sure sign of a rogue vamp on the loose. It looks like Dredge is to blame. The same sadistic Dredge who gave me my scars, and who may well be in cahoots with the demon Shadow Wing. If so, Otherworld and Earth are screwed. The only way we can hope to defeat Dredge is for me to travel home to Otherworld, where I must face my own demons. Because unless I sever the ties that bind me to Dredge, all hell is going to break loose..."

My Thoughts:

So I finished this one and I liked it. I'm still having the same issues that I was having with the first two books. The characters are difficult to connect with. I like Camille now much more than I did when I read her book Witchling since she's obviously very loyal. Maybe she isn't as bad as I thought she was.

So this time, the sisters and their cohorts are dealing with a blast from Menolly's past in the form of her sire Dredge. He's been siring vampires around Seattle and basically letting them run loose to create more. For some reason, he's also working with Wisteria from book 1 who the sisters previously thought was a friend, but turned out to be an enemy. By the end of the book, I did not understand what Wisteria had to do with any of this. It didn't even seem that Shadow Wing was involved in any way. It seemed more like the book was a way for Menolly to move past her trauma that she suffered that night that Dredge turned her into a vampire.

I enjoyed reading from Menolly's POV and I actually rather like her. She tells it straight. She can dwell on what happened to her at times, but when it was time to move forward so that she could put an end to her enemy, she did so without reservation and handled the situation so well. I never got the impression that Menolly was overly emo. She was afraid of what she could be capable of if she were to make love, with good reason. She was afraid of how she would react to being touched. Also, with good reason. She reacted well in those situations. However, a lot like the sex scenes in previous books, the sex scenes in this one felt out of place. The second one made more sense, but did there really need to be sex scenes? I like sex in my PNR. I like it a lot, but here, the scenes just didn't feel right. It didn't help that they didn't do much for me, either.

Still, I liked the overall story and I loved seeing Menolly overcome what happened to her and kick some ass. It took a lot to do what she did. I actually hope that she sees Jareth again at some point, although Nerissa will probably be good for her, too. I haven't connected with that relationship, yet, but it is nice to see a main female character possibly pursuing something with another female character. Gives us something different in the series as opposed to Camille and Delilah and their relationships with multiple men, although it seems that Delilah hasn't had much to do with Zach since the end of Changeling, which I am glad of. A lot has been changing for the sisters in each book. In this one, Menolly does something she swore she would never do, but according to Grandmother Coyote, it was a necessary thing to do. I sure hope that character will be put to good use and this wasn't just a plot device. Speaking of characters being put to good use, here's hoping that Roz will show up again and be useful even though Dredge is dead now.

A book featuring Camille is up again. Here's hoping that I like it more than her first one.(less)

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Feb 17, 2011 Shelley aka Gizmo's Reviews rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, vampires, shifters, witches

Synopsis: All over Seattle, humans have been going missing, only to turn up as newborn vampires - the sure sign of a rogue vamp on the loose. It looks like Dredge is to blame. The same sadistic Dredge who gave me my scars, and who may well be in cahoots with the demon Shadow Wing. If so, Otherworld and Earth are screwed. The only way we can hope to defeat Dredge is for me to travel home to Otherworld, where I must face my own demons. Because unless I sever the ties that bind me to Dredge, all he...more

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Aug 01, 2011 Francesca the Fierce ~Eyelet Ecstasy~ rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: series-sisters-of-the-moon, books-read-2011, genre-urban-fantasy, read-audio-books, vampires, werewolves-shifters, witches-shaman-magic, fae

This review was posted at Under The Covers

It's been a while since I read book 2 in the series, and with every book I always wonder if I might continue reading or if I should just stop. But I have OCD and have to know what happens next. So here I am.

I thought I would actually like Menolly's book, and I have to say I'm a bit disappointed. A lot of dark things came out in this book. It was a good story, but just a bit too rough and too dark for my taste. There was also a lot going on, as usual in...more

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Feb 25, 2013 Jodi rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013-audiobooks, audiobook

I think, in fact I know, I would have enjoyed this book more if I had read it rather than listened to it. Cassandra Campbell was inoffensive as a reader but not so much that I forgot she was there and not good enough to make this a performance. Initially I was lost having not read the prior two books. But eventually Galenorn provided enough information that I had a good idea of what was happening or at least who the characters were. This is considered urban fantasy and as such the women are the...more

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Sep 25, 2012 Wickedshizuku rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Paranormal fans, Urban Fantasy fans

Recommended to Wickedshizuku by: fantasticfiction.cc

Shelves: 2012, paranormal, reviewed

Ok there are a lot of things that I like about this series. The beasties, the quest for the nine spirit seals, the settings is in Seattle, Washington, and some other attributes.

But here are a few of the things I don't like though...

1. Is the "okay everybody stop it's history and battle planning time!" in a very perky type of way that sets my teeth on edge. I mean a whole shit ton is revealed in these little pow wow's, but it really isn't expressed in a way that I like. A lot is left to conject...more

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Mar 05, 2011 Ana Mardoll rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Darkling / 978-0-425-21893-8

The third in the Sisters of the Moon series, "Darkling" carries on the point-of-view cycle by moving to the third sister in the family - the ill-fated Menolly. Half-human and half-Fae like her sisters, her particular cross to bear is her hated vampirism. In the second book of the series, "Changeling", we learned that the sisters' old enemies were joining forces with the vampire group that tortured and turned Menolly, and "Darkling" follows that plot thread as a chance...more Darkling / 978-0-425-21893-8

The third in the Sisters of the Moon series, "Darkling" carries on the point-of-view cycle by moving to the third sister in the family - the ill-fated Menolly. Half-human and half-Fae like her sisters, her particular cross to bear is her hated vampirism. In the second book of the series, "Changeling", we learned that the sisters' old enemies were joining forces with the vampire group that tortured and turned Menolly, and "Darkling" follows that plot thread as a chance for Menolly to face her past demons and vanquish her old sire.

If I may get minor criticism out of the way first: "Darkling" carries on the proud Fantasy Kitchen Sink themes of this series, but via taking a minor left turn on "Fourth and Bananas", as it were - Loki the Trickster makes a special cameo appearance here, as does Morgaine and her Arturian crew in their quest for the Merlin - a plot point that will presumably become relevant later but does little to clear the air here and now. There's also the sudden and jarring introduction of a vampiric taboo against severing the magical lifeline between vampiric sire and child, as well as a similar taboo against murdering one's own sire - a strange plot point, given that (a) one would suspect that at least some vampiric children are sired unwillingly, and (b) if the D'Artigo sisters have cared about social niceties prior to now, that hasn't come through the narrative. Overall, it feels like a cheap shot to easily inject some quick angst (OMG! Now even the vampires will shun Menolly!) into an otherwise excellent setup of redemption and revenge.

These small criticisms aside, the novel readily redeems itself by maintaining this series' high aversion to angst levels - a particularly tricky thing to pull off in a novel that is largely about Menolly's torturous history and her working through the issues arising from the same. It's gratifying to see a rape victim portrayed with so much depth and sensitivity - Menolly has recovered from her torture through her strength and determination, but in order to truly be free from the magical ties that bind her to her sire, she must go through a sort of magical counseling session to work through her inner demons. Along the way, her sister Camille is able to see and relive Menolly's memories, and Menolly realizes that protecting her sisters from the knowledge of what happened to her will only drive a wedge between them in the long run, and she comes to trust that her sisters can handle the truth - a surprisingly deep philosophical conclusion from a "fluffy" fantasy series.

Although I enjoyed "Darkling" immensely and recommend it to fans of the series, it is important to note that this is a much darker novel than the first two entrants, as the plot focuses solidly on Menolly's torturous history, so be forewarned.

~ Ana Mardoll(less)

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Aug 20, 2009 Kathleen Burket rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Another excellent book in the Sisters of the Moon series by Yasmine Galenorn. This book is the story of Menolly who was tortured, raped, and turned into a vampire by Dredge of the Elwing Blood Clan. Dredge has crossed over to Earth and is terrorizing the human population of Seattle. Menolly has to find the strength to both sever her connection with her sire and vanquish him. This book was darker than the first two books in the series, but Menolly comes with a lot baggage and a lighter story woul...more

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Mar 31, 2009 Rhianna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Darkling is the third book in the Sisters of the Moon series, the follow-up of Changeling(2). In Witchling(1) we meet the D'Artigo sisters- Camille, the eldest who is a witch, Delilah, the middle child who is a werecat, and Menolly, the baby of the family who is a vampire.

The plot of Witchling establishes the confusing existance of the three realms- Otherworld, Earth and the Subteranean Realms and introduces us to a host of otherwordly species from both those found on Earth and those from witho...more

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Aug 29, 2008 Tez rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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title link	preview: Darkling
avg rating	preview: Darkling Goodreads rating: 4.02 (3619 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8552333-darkling?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348556795l/8552333.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8552333-darkling?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Darkling by Yasmine Galenorn[/url]

Darkling (Otherworld #3)

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