Storm Born (Dark Swan, #1) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

Oct 19, 2010 Brandi ;) rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2011, ghosties-and-immortals, fairies-witches-vampires-and-were, paranormal-romance, angels-demons-otherworld-creatures

I liked this book a lot, but I have to admit that I am not as CRAZY over it as I am Mead's Succubus Series or Vampire Academy. Those 2 series have me hooked hard core, in fact those books are what has made Mead one of my all time favorite authors. But this series just wasn't able to completely pull me in. Don't get me wrong, I devoured it and didn't want to put it down, but there was just something .... I just don't really know how to describe it.... missing something and/or maybe too much of so I liked this book a lot, but I have to admit that I am not as CRAZY over it as I am Mead's Succubus Series or Vampire Academy. Those 2 series have me hooked hard core, in fact those books are what has made Mead one of my all time favorite authors. But this series just wasn't able to completely pull me in. Don't get me wrong, I devoured it and didn't want to put it down, but there was just something .... I just don't really know how to describe it.... missing something and/or maybe too much of something.

I liked Odile, the main character. Her really name is Eugenie but she prefers Odile, after the Dark Swan in Swan Lake. She is a shaman, a kick ass shaman, that banishes fairy folk (aka gentry), ghosts, spirits, trolls, and anything weird that doesn't belong in our world to either the Otherworld or the permenant land of the dead, the Underworld. She meets a kitsune (Japanese fox were) named Kiyo and has explosive fabulous sex, but she doesn't know he is Otherworldly until later. Then all hell breaks loose when the gentry in the Otherworld find out who she is (her real name) and how she plays into a prophecy. As many as can cross over(it take a lot of power to cross) come pouring in to this world with one purpose: to rape Odile in hopes of fathering her child.

Yeah, this is where it kind of got to be too much for me. I got tired of all these idiots attacking her in crazy shapes and forms, one came over as an ice man - ouch! never had freezer burn down there but can't imagine that would be fun and one came over as a mud man - ummm, yuck, really a mud dick? Ugh. She also ends up with a job to cross into the Otherworld and rescue a young girl, Jasmine, that had been apparently kidnapped by a gentry king, Aeson. She goes over on her mission and meets another gentry king, Dorian. Ah, Dorian. I really, really liked him. The sex scene between Odile and Dorian was so hot I could barely hold the book. It was gooooood. ;) Kiyo was sexy too, but for what ever reason Dorian was more interesting to me. Of course she is crazy for the kitsune, but I can always hope that won't last.
There's a lot more to the book and I don't want to completely give away all the fun stuff you find out while reading. So I'll stop here and just say even thought it wasn't exactly on par with the other 2 mentioned series, it is still written by Mead which means the writing is entertaining, the sex is HOT and its fun and un-put-down-able. ...more

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May 27, 2010 Yulia rated it it was amazing

Shelves: urban-fantasy, romance, paranormal, fantasy, faeries, shape-shifters, ghosts, magic

Nice book, I liked the mix of magic and romance (a good one too. Mostly the paranormal romance either go too over the board [see Anita Blade books 10+ for reference. Although if it didn't go to the orgy\porn quality I would've been fine with it] or are too little for my taste.)
The male characters were nice ^^ but I like Dorian more. (And I usually go for the japanese types thanks to all those hours or jdrama and kdrama watching) And all that part of Kiyo approaching her for a reason, and that qu ...more

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Aug 19, 2010 Mariya rated it really liked it

Shelves: faeries, urban-fantasy

Richelle Mead is amazing, simply amazing. Not only is her Vampire Academy Series a favorite of mine, but also I may have found a love in her adult urban fantasy series, Dark Swan. I was about to give up on fae books. I have only read a few, but STORM BORN turned out to be a real page turner.

We have the main character, Eugenie who is really just like all my favorite urban fantasy heroines. They basically all have one trait in common. They kick some serious ass. I found Euguine quite funny too. He Richelle Mead is amazing, simply amazing. Not only is her Vampire Academy Series a favorite of mine, but also I may have found a love in her adult urban fantasy series, Dark Swan. I was about to give up on fae books. I have only read a few, but STORM BORN turned out to be a real page turner.

We have the main character, Eugenie who is really just like all my favorite urban fantasy heroines. They basically all have one trait in common. They kick some serious ass. I found Euguine quite funny too. Her life isn't easy either. She recently finds out she is the daughter of the deceased fae king, The Storm King and there is a prophecy going around that his daughters son will rule the world and every fae is trying to rape her and be the father of that son. Yea. Eugenie has a lot on her plate.

"Oh, God. I’m trapped in the fucking Chronicles of Narnia." "I’m sure that would be an amusing reference, if I understood it."

We have two hot love interests, which means, yea, you guessed it. A love triangle! Kiyo is the hot shape shifting fox her steps into Eugenie's life and he makes it known that he is interested in her. To be honest I hate Kiyo. At the beginning I thought I would be the one cheering Kiyo on, but boy was I wrong. Part of it has to do with this huge secret and it's not one of those secrets where the girl says, yea, okay, whatever. It's a secret where it can damage the relationship for him keeping it in the first place.

And we have the sexy Dorian. Ooohhhh. I love this guy. He is king, of course and he is really funny and I always have a huge smile on my face when we have a scene with Dorian. He wants the Storm King's prophecy to come true, but he's not going to rape her to make it happen. I think Dorian has his own agenda, but to me he is real and a heart a good man and honest unlike Kiyo.

"That’s the last time you’re going to kiss me,” I warned when it ended. He smiled knowingly, and in his eyes, I could see his own memories of that night. “So you say."

I just love how Richelle Mead is able to get me so worked up with these characters that this book has been all I've been thinking about. I think STORM BORN was a great start to the Dark Swan Series and I am looking forward to the next book, Thorn Queen.

More of my reviews at Mystifying Paranormal Reviews ...more

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