Instinct

Chronicles of Nick #6

by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Zombies, demons, vampires, shapeshifters— another day in the life of Nick Gautier– and those are just his friends. But now that he’s accepted the demon that lives inside him, he must learn to control it and temper the very emotions that threaten the lives of everyone he cares for. Something that’s hard to do while trying to stay off the menus of those who want his head on a platter. And no one wants him more than the dark gods who created his race. Now that they know where he is, they will stop at nothing to reclaim him. And without knowing it, Nick has just embraced the one person he should never have trusted. The one person who will hand him over to his enemies to get back the life they lost.

Nick has finally accepted his fate, now he must learn to defy his destiny, and the dark, deadly forces that will stop at nothing to destroy everyone he loves so that they can again return to the world of man and own it.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Demons, Mythology, Audiobook

480 pages, Paperback

First published March 31, 2015

About the author

Official Author site
Official Nevermore site
Official Deadman's Cross site
Official Chronicles of Nick site
Official Silent Swans site
Official Hunter Legends site
Official Witch of Endor site
Official Lords of Avalon site
Official Facebook site

New York Times and international bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon is a regular at the #1 spot. With legions of fans known as Paladins (thousands of whom proudly sport tattoos from her series and who travel from all over the world to attend her appearances), her books are always snatched up as soon as they appear on store shelves. Since 2004, she had placed more than 80 novels on the New York Times list in all formats including manga and graphic novels. Her current series are: Dark-Hunters, Chronicles of Nick and The League, and her books are available in over 100 countries where eager fans impatiently wait for the next release. Her Chronicles of Nick and Dark-Hunter series are soon to be major motion pictures while Dark-Hunter is also being developed as a television series. Join her and her Paladins online at MySherrilyn.com and www.facebook.com/mysherrilyn

Fan Run International Sites:

Argentinian FB Page 

Fans de Sherrilyn Kenyon en Columbia 

Fans de Sherrilyn Kenyon en Chile 

Filipino Fans on FB 

France/French 

Italy/Italian 

Portugal 

Soy Fans de Sherrilyn Kenyon 

Dark-Hunter Spain 

Spanish

Reviews

[Rachel W · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite thing about The Chronicles of Nick series– (and all of Sheri’s books actually) has always been the amazing character development. The people in the story, no matter how minor, always make a good book into a better book (maybe even a great one). Instinct, much like the first 5 in the series, was plum full of character developments and twists, which is what makes the book. (It’s especially fun if you’ve read the DH series and are trying to piece together the whole world in you head and end up going WHOAH!!)


I especially loved the truth about Menyara, who turned out to actually be Cam, something that I did not expect AT ALL. Plus, it turns out that she’s involved in instigating the birth of Cherise and the ruination of her life. Her complicated relationship with Nick and Kody and Cherise just made everything seem crazier.

Of course, speaking of complicated relationships, we still have the mess that is Caleb and Xev. I honestly don’t even want to touch that with a ten-foot pole. Clearly, there was some huge miscommunication in their pasts for them to feel such animosity towards each other (though Xev is warming up to Cay a bit) and have such different points of view on what happened.

As always, I loved our sweet little Nicky. I’m not sure what I would do without my annual dose of his brilliant wit and sarcasm. Watching him develop as a character though out the story is also really great, he’s a very complex character, and watching how he becomes who he will be in the DH world is always interesting.

I was a little disappointed on some fronts though. There was DEFINITELY not enough of Ash, Kyrian or Caleb in this one. They are some of my favorite character in the entire DH world, and I feel like I missed out on them. We also didn’t see much of Cherise and Nick interacting, and while she isn’t my favorite character, she plays a pivotal role in Nick’s future and the fate of the world. Instinct was also not long enough. I’m not all that sure how the others compare (I have them on ebook, not paper), but I feel like it was short. I read it in one sitting, and that is never a good sing when it comes to length. Worst of all, Clifflies! Every time, we are always left with a horrible cliffhanger. By now, I know it’s definitely intentional, which is torturous for the readers, but hey, they keep us coming back for more each spring. This one was not half as bad as the first 4 (which were plain awful) but it’s worse that the ending to Illusion. WHY!!??!!?

More questions! Who really is Aeron? Any connection to Talon? What the heck is going to happen now that Noir is free??? (Because, face it, that’s a BIG problem). Why do people keep calling Kody Nyria? How the heck did Adarian have another kid?(this one has been bothering me ever since it was mentioned in one of the DH books). Who is Nicks real grandmother and how did she meet Jared? What about Nick’s future? Why does Ambrose say to reset everything, after he went though all that trouble in the first place? What could be so horrible that his mother’s death is preferable? And most of all SINCE WHEN WAS IT BECOMNIG A MOVIE?!?! IS THIS FOR REAL??? OH HELL YES!!!



This is me

happy dance


Once again, thank you a ton Sheri, for making my day (and probably my month) by writing this. Instinct was amazing, and I can only hope Invision and Intensity are just as good! You haven’t let us down yet!

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before Reading:



After Reading:

waiting for the next book...

[Saimi Vasquez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ahora Nick de nuevo en su dimension, con sus amigos, familia y enemigos, siente que el dia es hermoso y tranquilo. Pero apenas penso eso, todo el caos exploto, comenzaron a aparecer jinetes fantasmas, Caleb se enfermo (sip, el mismo demonio), comenzo a oscurecer, a soplar vientos huracanados, los were-hunters que estudian con ellos comenzaron a sentir el cambio en el ambiente y comenzaron a tener problemas en mantenerse en su forma humana. Afuera, comenzaron a llegar bandadas de insectos de todos los tamaños, Nick sabe que algo malo esta pasando, y sabe que quien sea que este afuera lo esta buscando, y el solo quiere proteger a su madre.
Pero lo que se esta desatando es mucho mas fuerte de lo que nadie sabe, y cuando uno de de los suyos lo traiciona, lo peor que puede pasar es que sus seres queridos sufran las consecuencias. Asi que Nick se pone los pantalones de chico grande y sale a enfrentar lo que sea que viene por el, solo. Esperemos que esta vez pueda salir con vida.

Este es el libro mas aburrido de la saga hasta ahora, dios! la cantidad de descripciones de todo es abrumadora!, la cantidad de panteones, dioses, guerras, luchas, enemistades, amores, traiciones y lo aburrido que resulto cuando contaban cada historia, me hizo este libro eterno. Creo que si el autor hubiera dejado la mitad de todo como un comentario a pie de pagina, hubiera resultado mucho mas facil de leer este libro. Ademas, de que me repitieron por 12va vez como se crearon los deimons, los were-hunter, con tando detalle que hubiera preferido brincarme la mitad de ese capitulo.
Pero bueno, ya estamos cerca del final, ahora ya puedo comenzar a sospechar como va a terminar la serie, solo espero que me deje con una sonrisa en la boca y ganas de volver a retomar la serie de Dark-Hunters.

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Source: I received a finished paperback copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks Little Brown Book Group.)

“My powers are gone, Nick. I’m human.”



This was another crazy instalment in this series, and things were once again a little complicated.

Nick was back in his own dimension in this book! Yay! He was once again trying to protect his mother, as well as trying to stop hell on earth, and even had to look after Caleb in this book.

The storyline in this was about an illness which had managed to afflict Caleb, and then Nick’s mother. Nick then had to go off to try and find a cure. I found the pace to be quite slow in this one, the same as the previous books, and the storyline was also a bit hard to follow in places.

The ending to this was okay, the cliff-hanger wasn’t quite a bad as they usually are though!



6 out of 10

[Clinton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again, not a lot actually happened In the book but it was a fun ride like usual. Not as great as the last one and definitely a lot more light on the content, but you learn some value info about the characters and their history.


Honestly the last 70 pages or so had more important info that the first 300

[Suzzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well those were some big reveals on Nick’s mom and half-brother…did not see these two gems coming but makes sense now. There were some crazy stuff to happen in this one, including a sick Caleb, reveals on many characters, and some good battles. I love when some of the Gods and Goddess’s get mentioned in this series. It’s a newish and fun take on some of the most famous players in mythology. Simi is still my favorite character in this series…she cracks me and comes off so adorable and dark. On to book seven!

My quick and simple overall: let’s see where this story goes….

[Amy Softa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ms. Kenyon. I love you. I love the worlds you create and the characters you fill them with. But. I did not love your latest release in the Chronicles of Nick series. I wanted to, especially after the last one which was AMAZING. However, I struggled with Instinct and it took me four days to read, when I usually devour them in a day. I know I’m not the only one, which makes me feel a tad better, because after checking some of the other reviews I find others bringing up the same points I’m about to make.

This book takes place over the span of one day after the last one left off. The biggest problem I had with this book is that nothing happen. Well, practically nothing. 75% of the book was the main characters standing around and talking about what needed to be done and waiting for the next aggressor to come knocking on the door and fill in back story. The book could have been condensed to the last 50-75 pages that held most of the action with some filling in of the important information that we did receive in the book, specifically about Nick’s mother.

So many of the main characters were missing. Caleb, Nick’s mom, Ash, Kyrian, Ambrose all absent or only mentioned for a few brief pages. This seriously hurt the story. That and Nick’s smart mouth is starting to get annoying. A little is funny, but there was just way too much in this book and the humor felt forced, or that it had the wrong tone to it. We did meet a couple of new characters that I am looking forward to getting to know in future books though.

The obstacles that Nick needed to overcome in this book also felt too easily resolved and his reaction to them didn’t feel authentic to the character either. He took everything just a bit more laid back than he normally would. Granted that could be the character evolving or growing, but it felt a little abrupt for a change of character.

While I’m glad I read it, and didn’t DNF it like I was oh so tempted to, this book just felt like filler between two bigger books. I’m glad Nick is starting to get a handle on his demon side, but most of this book was spent in filling in back ground information on supporting characters. Almost as if Kenyon is preparing everyone for when this spin-off world and the current Dark Hunter world will collide and join up in Nick’s DH book. There are a ton more CON books to go though, and if half of them that remain are like this one I kinda hope she reconsiders the number of book and condenses them.

Still a huge fan, all hail Kenyon, but this book was not one of my favs and if I re-read I’m going to skip it. If you are following the series though, I would go ahead and read Instinct even if it is a struggle.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

| 3.8 stars |

Realmente no tengo palabras para este libro.
Lloré en las escenas más extrañas y no en las que tenía que llorar. Debo hacer una reseña de éste libro pero eso será cuando 1) lo relea porque hubieron cosas que no entendí muy bien y 2) cuando me sienta mejor porque estoy bastante mal y no estoy de ánimos para escribir muy bien


Full review to come.

[Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

[4.5 Stars] This book was just so much YES for me! Is it perfect? No. Is it the best thing ever? No. Does it have flaws? Yes. But I just can't help but love it. I just love it so much. Nick is the best guy, and young men should take notes. His thought process about the women in his life and world in general is how all guys should think. Every time I pick up the next book in this series, I always think I'm over the story and it's been dragged on too long, but nope. I'll definitely continue to read this series for a long, long time.

[★MC's Corner★ · Rating 3 out of 5]

*MC’s Corner*
Too many explanations and characters…
It makes it more unreadable. It’s like if I did not read Sherrilyn Kenyon’s other series… I can’t read this. It makes me sad because I really love the first books of this series.
And the explanations?! It’s like an encyclopedia of something… grrr….
And who the hell is ‘the elder child who bears Malachai blood’?
@gleekidMC

[Yodamom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nick is growing up and finally has excepted his fate and learn some very valuable lessons. He learns one very hard one, from a traitor that will cost him a life. He is a stand up guy raised right and holds on to his morals even when it would be easier not to. Nick really changes in this chapter of his life. I can't wait for the next book.
His family and loved ones are threatened. Their lives depend on him passing a very dangerous and deal test. This test is of the mind body and heart and he must choose right of everything he has fought for will be lost. He is shocked when he learns some new knowledge that will help, kill and force him to face some ugly truths. He will bleed.

[Breann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now I'm all caught up in the series... OH NO! What am I going to do now? Wait until 2016 for the next book O________O

[Andie K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was too fucking short!! And definitely not enough Caleb in this one. What am I going to do now, waiting for the next?

[Maja (The Nocturnal Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apparently, not even saving the world from apocalypse has earned our Nick a bit of rest and relaxation. On the contrary, just days after sealing the portal with Caleb, Nick faces yet another danger of the supernatural variety and as always, he is the last one to catch up and see it coming.

Chronicles of Nick has been my go-to series when I want something well written, light and ridiculously entertaining. Sherrilyn Kenyon’s wonderful sense of humor remains this series’ strong point, but as the story progresses, more and more good things are piling up. The characters are becoming incredibly well defined, even minor ones, and Nick is still honest and kind, but seeing him experience disappointment and betrayal without becoming bitter or cynical is a true delight.

The most fascinating thing, however, is the progression of Nick’s relationship with Kody, from tentative friendship and half-truths to something steady, mature and completely reliable. Nick was really just a boy when the series started, but now he is an admirable young man, which is evident from all his relationship and especially his loyalty to Kody. His trust has even more weight when we take into account the simple fact that everyone lied to him at some point. No one, not a single person around him was completely honest and he just keeps uncovering more lies as he goes. But Nick always trusts, always loves, and his inherent goodness somehow brings out the best in everyone else.

The plot showed significant improvement over the last book. Kenyon brings in more mythology in each book, but things were pretty straightforward this time and I didn’t struggle to keep up like I did with alternate dimensions. The secondary characters were absolutely delightful as well, especially Simi with her barbecue sauce and threats to eat anyone who’s a danger to Nick.

Even with six books behind us, I haven’t once regretted jumping into this series. It’s not to be taken too seriously, but the humor is amazing and the characters are my old friends by now. I hope Sherrilyn has a lot more books planned. As long as she keeps writing, I’ll keep reading.

[Assaf Tal]

Instinct, listen to me. If you don't come out within the next five seconds I will destroy every last copy of you in existence.
Nah I'm just kidding. I could never hurt you.

BUT PLEASE COME OUT ALREADY.

*sobs frantically in corner*

[♡Julalicious Book Paradise♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

rating: 4.25/5

review to come.

[Tangled N Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 6: Be careful who you trust

"Be careful of arrogance" Caleb says at Nick's good natured happiness. In this story, Nick is losing time. Even though he's thankful he's back in his realm, there are still many enemies who are playing for his powers. Grim and Laguerre joins forces and calls other Sarras to ally against the Malachai for a new Malachai, Nick's older half-brother. Nick is also fighting for truths. With Caleb ill and unable to cover his back, he is finding for the first time who to really trust.

The birth of Cherise and fateful meeting of Adarian was revealed. More of Caleb and Xev's history are uncovered as well as his past life. Someone close to Nick is betraying him and Liv is planting ideas of betrayal of all those close to him. Zavid goes missing. Ambrose appears and tells him to urgently find the Eye of Ananke.

Interesting discovery of Menara's origin. To be a force for good means Nick is actually a product of Darkness and Light. The story led us to believe because he's human he has goodness in him but it's much more. So many lies behind lies. It's funny whenever someone talks about history and Nick doesn't have a clue, they make fun of him. Yet when he reveals for the first time that Ambrose has been visiting him and time-traveling, they don't bat an eye. The gang accepts the truth wholeheartedly. Plus, the real person Nick can trust is Ambrose.

So Caleb is out in this entire book. His enemies, Chronos, Tiamet, Grim, Laguerre, tricks him to enter in the Malachai competition. He's thrown into Xev's realm and befriends the puca Aeron. He successfully returns and chooses his six generals: Nishara, Aeron, Dagon, Xev, Kody, Caleb. The look on Grim and Laguerre's eyes is priceless. Thus, establishing Nick's birthright as the true Malachai. Noir gets a glimpse of him when he stole Zavid's body to snatch Cherise. Nick completing the competition, his enemies return home, and he goes to Hades to retrieve the Eye of Ananke.

Read by Tina

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new threat to Nick has materialized in New Orleans in apocalyptic style. This time they are focusing on Nick's friends and loved ones instead of directly on Nick. He must face a test to determine if he is worthy of his powers in order to save those he cares about.

I think this one might be the best one so far. I definitely feel better here at the end of this one and I like how we finally know more about how all the pieces and characters fit together. I think Nick has grown a lot, yet kept the parts that make him quirky and fun. I'm also glad that he has mastered his powers to some extent. I think it will be interesting to see what happens next. I'm am glad that I didn't give the series up.

[Walker Skog]

Instinct by Sherrilyn Kenyon is the sixth book in the Chronicles of Nick series. It is a really good book about Nick Gautier, who is the Malachai, a demon of pure evil. Even though Nick is a weapon of evil, he refuses to surrender to that side, because if he did he would end the world. One day while at school a storm appears above New Orleans. This storm marked the beginning of Armageddon, the end of the world. Then Nick's demon friend, Caleb, became ill. This wouldn't be a problem except for the fact that demons aren't supposed to get sick ever. Later that day Chronus, the keeper of time and order, and Tiamat, the bringer of death and destruction, appear at Nick's home. Chronus froze time and everyone except Nick. He told Nick that he has a half-brother that is trying to take his place as Malachai. In order for Nick to save everyone he knows he must choose two of his generals to help him. One will stay and protect his friends and family. The other with help him find a cure for Caleb and his mother. He chooses for Xevikan to stay and watch his family, and he chooses Livia to help him find the cure. When he goes to find the cure he meets Aeron, a spirit who was damned to stay in that realm for eternity. Aeron helped Nick find the cure, and he taught Nick how to control his demon form. Then when Livia betrayed Nick and slit his throat Aeron and Nashira, the spirit that was trapped in his book, helped to save his life. Nick, Aeron, and Nashira then returned to New Orleans. When they got there they found Livia telling everyone that she killed the Malachai and therefore she will become the Malachai. But Nick proves that he is alive and takes his place as sole Malachai. He then chooses his generals; Nashira, Xev, Dagon, Aeron, Kody, and Caleb, and ends Armageddon and saves the world.
This is a quote by Nick in instinct, "I will trust your honor until you give me a reason not to." Although this is a very positive personality trait is can be a deadly flaw. This was proved when Livia, who Nick trusted because he had no reason not to, slit Nicks throat. He allowed her to get behind his back and under his guard and once his guard was down she tried to kill him.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is reading anything in the fantasy genre, and everyone reading any of Sherrilyn Kenyon's other series. If you are going to read this book I would recommend you read all of the other ones first.

[Gianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

*So happy I work for the publisher, and got to read this early!*

As with every Kenyon book...I LOVED IT, and cannot wait for the next one. Our favorite teenage demon who will be either the world's greatest hero, or reign absolute destruction is back. As with every book Nick is in, his sarcasm, and bad jokes made me either smirk, or laugh out loud. The rest of the gang are back too.

I will not give away any detailed spoilers or plot details even though I'm dying to talk about it. I will speak generally though...In this book Nick must stand and face a challenge alone. He is also forced to make decisions regarding the demon army the Malachi leads. We learn more about his mother's background, which had my jaw dropping to the floor forced me to read the passage multiple times until the revelations sunk in.

Overall it was a quick read, and I wished it was longer. It seemed to be a set up for future events in the series as opposed to the height of a story arc.

This Dark Hunter/CON universe has become so vast, I need to do a re-read of it all...

[Derrik Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a subtle reminder to all of the lesser endowed gentlemen out there that size doesn't always matter. This book was short and that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Where a lot of authors take their time with scene building and describing surroundings Sherrilyn Kenyon lets our imaginations do the work for her. She doesn't waste ink (or KBs) telling us how she thinks her world should look but spends our time by describing Nick's ever expanding self deprecating and sarcastic humor.
This book was aptly named and repeatedly dealt with Nick trusting his gut and making tough decisions based on minimal knowledge. There were only 3 actual scenes in this installment of Chronicles of Nick (at the school, in his apartment and then the nether realm) but they were filled with importance (aside from maybe the opening scene at the school). Kenyon effectively took Nick's guardian Kaleb out of the picture so that Nick could experience some growth. That was the backbone to this book alongside with some heavy hitting revelations about Nick's mother and his true heritage. With the exception of some overly lengthy self deprecation this book was a home run for the series.
My only complaint is that Kenyon wants to make this a YOUNG ADULT a 15 book series with only a single release each year. That means that even if she captured a reader at a young age (and a proper maturity level for this series would probably be 14-15) then by the time she finished writing the series that young reader will be in his/her late 20's or early 30s and more than likely moved on or disenchanted with the series or the genre. At my age now I can easily see myself not caring about this series in a couple years and only finishing out of obligation if I ever get around to it. Don't get me wrong I really like this series and I recommend it to most anybody that likes YA fiction (especially since this one is actually male oriented rather than sappy cliche vampire lovers). If you haven't started this series DO. The books are short and they are a quick fun read that is full of laughs and thrills.

[Andrew Niemann · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I've read all six of the books; my primary reason being that I truly enjoy the wise cracks and witty banter between the main characters. And I was happy to Simi was involved again. Having said all this, I was disappointed in the fact that there was almost no story and I'm beginning to think I need a large chalkboard on which I can start diagraming all the relationships that are described - they are interesting, but the level of detail is starting to take away from the book. Also, if the book is going to only be an episode rather than an actual novel perhaps that should be reflected in the cost. I hope the author will go back to writing more of a story in future books.

[Linda (un)Conventional Bookworms · Rating 3 out of 5]

Instinct was different from the prior books in this series, both because the pace was slower, and also because fewer characters were involved in Nick's adventures. I also figured out way too early who was truly on his side, and who wasn't.

Full review to come soon.

This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews

[Nicole]

I JUST CHECKED KENYON'S PROFILE AND THERES GONNA BE UP TO 14 BOOKS WTF

I HAVENT EVEN READ THE FOURTH ONE YET

[Abi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating - 2.5

This was another slow read in the series, which dragged really badly for me. The characters annoyed me a lot of the time too, so there wasn't anything that saved it.

[Hawraa Naqi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hours of my life... Wasted.

[Nancy The book junkie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review coming soon!

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

actual rating 3.5 This book was fast paced and very quick to get through once I picked it up and read. This entire book took place in the span of a few hours but it felt like a lot happened. Family and friends in danger, new thing to find to fight the future, nick learning to control his newly unleashed powers, and new allies (hopefully).
I'm sad we didn't get a lot of Kody and Nick time. I love them. Hopefully, everything we be set to right and we'll see them together in Kenyon's adult series.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.8～3.4 stars?
-This book really isn’t a 2 star overall read, but in comparison with the other in this series, it is (although I’m currently reading the next one and I’m not so sure that it doesn’t deserve the 2 instead 😒, but we’ll see).
-Nick’s gulliblness really irritated me 😤🤦🏻‍♀️
-Also, I really missed seeing Caleb, & especially, Acheron & Kyrian 😕
-I like Aeron & Nashira

[Vi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this better than, probably, the previous 3 books.