1 New York Times bestseller Kresley Cole introduces The Dacians: Realm of Blood and Mist, a brand new paranormal romance collection following the royal bloodline of Dacia, a mysterious vampire kingdom within The Lore (Cole’s world of mythological creatures in her award-winning Immortals After Dark series).Series openerShadow’s Claim features Prince Trehan Daciano, a ruthless master assassin who … who will use every lethal skill he possesses to defend his imperiled kingdom–as well as his newfound princess. When an ancient secret threatens to destroy them all, can Dacia’s notorious prince of shadows keep his Bride alive against all odds?
more
I loved it but then again I love all the books I’ve read in this series. All her characters are funny and different. And I love how they all tie together. I can’t wait for Nix’s book.
I’ve had Shadow’s Claim on my Goodreads TBR since 2012. I bought the paperback but never got a chance to read it back then. Now during the re-read of the Immortals After Dark series this year (2019), I’m finally getting a chance to catch up on the series and read Shadow’s Claim. I decided to listen to the book though during the day when I was working and cleaning.
Shadow’s Claim is also the first book in the spin-off series called ‘The Dacians,’ so I was excited to see where Kresley Cole was going to take the first book in the spin-off series. If you read Lothaire, then you would’ve been introduced to some of the Dacian characters. The main character in Shadow’s Claim is the Prince of Shadows himself, Trehan Daciano. He ends up meeting his mate unexpectedly when he’s trying to go after a Demon who was not supposed to leave his realm. Trehan is automatically drawn to his mate, even though her feelings for someone else is stronger in this book. Poor Trehan!
Princess Bettina of Abaddon is forced to hold a contest to find a suitor that will prevail at all the problematic battles her guardians put them up against and these are not easy contests. There is a lot of death that happens. Unfortunately, she already wants to be with her friend, but he is not the one for her. She ends up meeting a very handsome stranger in her room one night who she thinks is her friend. Bettina is going to end up having her feelings go haywire after that one night with the stranger and then seeing him again during the contests. Trehan is determined to prove himself to Bettina, even though she’s in love with someone else.
This book didn’t get that many stars like others in the series. Don’t get me wrong I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I loved Trehan and getting to know him more. I also loved how Kresley had this book fit into the Immortals After Dark series, but also be a spin-off of the series because I now want to know even more about the Dacians. Also, for readers who adore Lothaire, you will get some of him in this story too.
Here’s the reasoning behind the lesser stars from other books and that is Bettina’s character. For some reason, I don’t like sorceresses because I didn’t like Sabine’s style/character either. I think it’s due to the personalities though. Bettina is naive and childish compared to other heroines. I happened to listen to these books also, instead of reading them and Robert Petkoff had me not liking Bettina. I love Robert telling the story though because he brings everything to life. I didn’t connect with Bettina and how she acted in the story. She was so into her friend, Caspian from the beginning and Caspian is one that goes through women like crazy. He knows Bettina is not her mate, but he will help Bettina in the book.
I did enjoy the story and the world-building of the Dacians. I’m looking forward to reading more about them in the next spin-off book. I’m onto the next IAD book as I’m typing up this review. I’m catching up on the series to be ready for Munro’s book. I can’t wait! I love this series and adore Kresley.
Story Rating: 3.5 stars
Steaminess Rating: 3 stars
Standalone or part of series: Part of the Immortals After Dark series and I highly recommend reading in order. Although, Shadow’s Claim is the first book in the Spin-Off series: The Dacians.
Do I recommend this book? Yes, most definitely.
Will I read other books from the author? Yes. She’s one of my auto-buy favorite authors.
Tropes/Elements: Fated Mates
Hero: Vampire (Dacian); Assassin; Alpha; Very-Protective
Heroine: Halfling (Sorceress/Demon); Powerless during most of the book; Depends on Others
Trehan and Bettina are a fantastic couple, and though they are scorching together, this one in the series is a bit more violent, what with the seemingly never-ending tournament to the death. If you can get past the blood and beheadings, it’s a wild, page-turning ride.
Kresley Cole is one of my favorites, I’ll read anything she writes. Her world building and the wonderful variance in her characters are truly inspiring. I like how an antagonist in one book turns up at a protagonist in others — she morphs and evolves her characters in festive and inspiring ways. This is one of the best the series, have read it a couple of times now and still enjoy it.
This one was a bit different since it didn’t involve as many of the previous characters we’ve read about in the IAD series. However, I did enjoy it. Getting to know both Bettina and Trehan was interesting. I did love the little veiled references to other characters and was very excited at the end when some of the characters we’ve grown to love made appearances. It will be interesting to see what the next Dacian book brings us.