Reviewed by Amanda on
I like my characters with tortured souls. There is a depth and complexity to this kind of character that raises the stakes of his or her love story and makes it that much more intense. Zarek has known torture both as a human and a Dark-Hunter. When reviewing Night Embrace, I said, “All the anger and hatred in Zarek’s case is his way of defending himself; strike first, and you are the hurt-er, not the hurt-ee.” Oh, how right I was.
Zarek’s story will break your heart. The hurt and pain he has had to endure is unfathomable and extreme. The more we learn, the more we understand Astrid’s desire to help him, and give him everything that has been denied to him. Z has only known pain and hatred, and does not understand or trust any positive emotion, yet we catch glimpses of someone who is kind, gentle, and loving — the opposite of what everyone suspects Zarek to be.
Like the books that precede Dance with the Devil, the supporting cast of characters only enrich the story. Why do I have to wait until book 15 to read about Acheron? I am guessing that is likely because his character is so complex that his story needs to build over the course of the series, and will wreck me upon completion. I loved Simi, Acheron’s demon that resides on his body in the form of a tattoo (even Kyle thought a demon that could take shape as a tattoo was pretty cool). And Sasha provided a good vehicle for Zarek to show his true colors to Astrid.
Every book in the Dark-Hunter series gives us more secrets that allows us to constantly reassess our knowledge of the Dark-Hunter world. Where in the first couple books, this was incredibly frustrating because it felt as though there was so much left out, now that we have a better handle on the Dark-Hunters, it only serves to propel the series forward and keep us entertained and fascinated with the world and its characters.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 17 June, 2011: Finished reading
- 17 June, 2011: Reviewed