Dark Prince (Dark, #1) in The Complete Idiots Guide to the Ultimate Reading List

Jul 04, 2010 Lisa (Harmonybites) rated it did not like it

Shelves: horror, contemporary, fantasy, fiction, novels, romance, ultimate-reading-list

Ah, the stalker vampire romantic hero--a favorite of mine. NOT. Oh, and dear God, the return of the "destined mate" trope that in an alpha male is supposed to let the reader (and heroine) forgive the romantic lead anything even near rape. You know, you'd think a guy would treat a gal better if it were true that: "Only a lifemate could bring emotions and color back into a male's life. Carpathian women were the light to the male's darkness. His other half." But no. (Here's a hint. If you touch a w ...more

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Apr 21, 2010 Cee rated it liked it

Shelves: romance, paranormal, vampires

First published in 1999, Dark Prince is the first book in the long and acclaimed Carpathians series. Carpathians are an ancient race of vampires - and Mikhail, the hero of Dark Prince, is their leader.

Mikhail does no longer see the world in colour. Literally. When a Carpathian male like himself is alone long enough, he no longer feels. Then his mind touches that of Raven, a human woman with psychic abilities. From the moment he meets her, he knows he has to have her. No matter the cost.

It was in First published in 1999, Dark Prince is the first book in the long and acclaimed Carpathians series. Carpathians are an ancient race of vampires - and Mikhail, the hero of Dark Prince, is their leader.

Mikhail does no longer see the world in colour. Literally. When a Carpathian male like himself is alone long enough, he no longer feels. Then his mind touches that of Raven, a human woman with psychic abilities. From the moment he meets her, he knows he has to have her. No matter the cost.

It was interesting to read Dark Prince. It predates paranormal romance series that shaped the genre such as Black Dagger Brotherhood. When I was reading it, it felt like the missing link between Anne Rice and modern paranormal romance. The vampires in Dark Prince are inspired by those written by Rice, in the sense that they are alien to humans. Mikhail, especially when we first meet him, is more predator than human. His instincts are completely vampire, and it is only through interacting with Raven that he learns to be (relatively) civilized.

I found it incredibly difficult to rate this book, because I'm not it's target audience. Mikhail is one of the alpha-est of alpha males I have ever seen in a romance novel. He rules his underlings with absolute power. He claims Raven as his from the moment he discovers her. When a man touches Raven's leg, he almost kills him, only stopping when Raven pleads with him. He carries her from the inn she is staying at, not even putting her down when she tells him to. He knows she is afraid, but he does not budge. And this is just within the first 24 hours of their acquaintance. I generally don't enjoy reading romances featuring alpha males, only tolerating them if they are misunderstood and have a heart of gold deep down. Mikhail as a romantic hero did not work for me - even apart from the fact that he crosses many of my boundaries, I simply couldn't root for someone with a personality as his.

Raven as a heroine was decent enough. She did not have a sparking personality, but she wasn't as bland as I would have feared either. She seems to be rather standard fare, a heroine that is "normal" enough to be a stand-in for the reader. The world of the Carpathians was interesting enough to make me intrigued to learn more about them. I do enjoy it when vampires aren't sparkly, and that Carpathians are most certainly not.

If alpha males make you swoon, and the idea of a dark prince sweeping you off your feet to make love to you in his library gets you going, Christine Feehan's first Carpathian book is for you. ...more

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Nov 13, 2022 Kate rated it it was ok

Shelves: first-in-series, romance, vampires, paranormal-romance, creepy-hero

I was surprised I hadn’t had this book marked as read because it sounded like it was something I’d really enjoy. I worked out once I was halfway through that I had started this book years ago and just never finished it. I rediscovered why that was but this time - I made it all the way through. I didn’t like Mikhail in the slightest and that really tainted me towards everything else which was occurring in the book. Maybe I’d have thought a little differently if I had gotten to know him better bef ...more

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Nov 10, 2008 MJ rated it liked it

Shelves: liked-it, paranormal-romance

In one corner we have Mikhail, a Carpathian male full of dark secrets and male arrogance. IN this corner we have Raven, a human female full of American dominance and a sassy mouth. Put them together and you get lots of sex, some fighting and a little bit of adventure.

I was disappointed in this book. I read Dark Curse in the series and liked it. Although I was a bit confused. I thought if I read the books in order I would understand the back story and really like the series. Not exactly how thin ...more

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