To touch a Dark One is death.
To talk to an immortal is suicide.
Yet, I’ve been marked by both.
A Vampire.
And the King of the immortals.
My life is no longer my own.
And now I know the truth, my life was never mine to begin with.
It was theirs.
It’s always been theirs.
Genesis has been told all her life by her mother that she is ugly to them. She has been coached and lead to believe that when her number is called, she, the human, will serve them. Her mother believed that she would be killed. And her number was called.
THEM – a collection of supernaturals that humans are taught to fear and by co-existing, they would serve.
But, after Genesis attends a ceremony, and is given to one of Them. She learns that she has been lied to mostly. Unknown to Genesis, she’d been marked by a Dark One, a fallen immortal, and a group of supernaturals are going to save her because they like the Dark One believe she fits the prophecy. To save her, Ethan is asked by his friends to do something that he’s not quite ready for that commitment.
It could be what saves her, and him.
This was a pick for book club and an amazing read! When I first started reading, it immediately pulled me into the story wondering who are THEM and as the story unfolded I grew to like each one of THEM.
Oh what a tangled web we weave. I’m a huge fan of Rachel and her stories. I’ve yet to come across one that I have not loved and this one is no different. We enter a world that only the most creative could have imagined in their dreams. It’s paranormal and yet unlike any other I have come across.
A world that is known to some humans yet unlike anything they thought they knew.
Genesis has been told her whole life that she is nothing, she is ugly, she is unworthy and fear is unwelcome. She was taught and led to believe that she is to serve the immortals, to teach them about technology and human advancements…it couldn’t have been further from the truth. Her number has been called and she’s thrust into a world she never could have imagined.
Ethan is an immortal vampire. He’s been down this road before and knows what lies ahead. His heart was broken the last time and he doesn’t think he has the strength to go through it again. He wants her the moment he sees her but then she is marked. He has to save her, to have her. She is his mate and they’re both in for a dangerous and terrifying ride.
This is only a touch of what begins when you open the pages of this book. So many characters and story lines that are weaved through it. I highly recommend starting this series. You won’t be sorry.
3.5/4 STARS
I’m not a huge fan of paranormal romance, but I really enjoyed this book
And besides genesis and Ethan’s love story, it’s the perfect setting for the rest of the characters, like Cassius, mason, Alex…
Really, it left me wanting for more books in the series!
***ARC kindly provided by author via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review***
The Dark Ones by Rachel Van Dyken is the first book in her The Dark Ones saga and though I have read many contemporary romances by this author, this paranormal story captivated me in many different ways. A story where humans know all about vampires and how they may be called to serve them and not in any way you would think off. When Genesis is called, she is placed with Ethan and their connection is undeniable and beyond what either imagined. But there are dangerous forces all around them. I was drawn into this world and loved it!
Happy reading!
This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased, honest opinion.
How fun was this story!!! I’ve been craving a paranormal romance for quite some time now so this was the perfect time to pick it up. I really enjoyed the world in this series. It was so much fun learning all the rules and the inner-workings of things. We have immortals living among the humans with different overseers to make sure everything stays balanced. Among the immortals we have several different supernatural creatures. We have vampires, werewolves, sirens, demons, archangels, etc. I think we’ll meet more and more as the series continues.
Genesis is a 25 year old human whose number gets called to meet with the immortal council. Every 50 years or so a human gets brought before the council. Humans are told it’s strictly for teaching purposes but honestly…..there’s so much more going on. I won’t go into details because spoilers. Genesis was such a great character. I admired how strong she was even when she shouldn’t be based on her childhood. She also had this spunk that I feared would get her in trouble but secretly I rooted for her to never lose that part of herself.
Ethan was a vampire who ends up leaving with Genesis. His character had been through so much that I couldn’t help falling for him fairly early on. I will say I had to take a few notes because there’s a lot to learn going into a new fantasy series. We have characters, rules, supernatural beings, etc. It’s quite a lot of information to take in so having the notes really helped me. I’m sure I’m the only person who needed them and anyone else would’ve been okay without doing so.
This story was very entertaining. The twists and turns were just perfect and made it really hard to put the book down. I read it in a day and a half. That’s very unusual for me. It usually takes me 3-4 days to finish a story so that should tell you how much I enjoyed it. I cannot wait to continue on with this series and see who the second book follows.
This is the first time reading about paranormal and I have to say I am fan. I loved this book. I loved reading about Ethan and Genesis. I didn’t want it to end. I wanted more. Highly recommend reading this book. I can’t wait to read the rest in the series. Ethan is a vampire. Genesis is a human. Genesis was taught the opposite about the immortals and vampires. Her mother was not very nice to her. Having her say she is ugly and nothing. Ethan is trying to protect Genesis. You will have to read this to find out the rest. You won’t be disappointed.
I’m a huge fan of Ms. Van Dyken. She is always able to write great stories about such spunky, funny women and @sshole-type guys who hide their big hearts. When I saw she had written a story in a paranormal-romance type genre, I was interested. I was not let down either. She weaved this whole world of immortals and humans and created a story around how one girl’s love for one vampire could mean the survival of all immortals. It’s quite an enjoyable love story and I will be reading the next in the series.
I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book was a first for me. Rachel Van Dyken has popped my cherry into the world of vampire romance. PNR isn’t my usual sub genre, but when I saw it was a Rachel Van Dyken novel, I knew I just HAD to read it and this story did NOT disappoint.
I loved the whole concept to this story line. The fact that so many paranormal beings were the norm in this reality. With a current time line, we see that immortals are the top of this society’s hierarchy and humans are raised and taught to serve, on the off chance, they’re called. It’s been 50 years since the last human was called up so life has been going on like normal. Starbucks and iPhones are representative of how normal life is.
But when Genesis is called up… a world and life she wasn’t prepared for, shows her that the knowledge she was raised with was all lies and
from the start, sweet Genesis is thrust into the unknown and caught in the middle of a feud that’s been going on for centuries.
Amidst the confusion and suspense, Genesis finds a passion and love she could never have expected and learns that it a love she’s willing to give up everything for.
The characters were interesting. Genesis was the sweet human with a pure heart, Cassius is a Dark One and the King of the paranormal. Ethan, is the hauntingly tortured Vampire still recovering from heart break years after it happened. Mason, a vegetarian werewolf with the constant need to feed their new resident human and spends a lot of time in the kitchen. Then you have the sibling sirens. Alex is the ultimate comic relief. He enjoys cracking human jokes, flirting with Genesis to get a rise out of her new mate and generally keeping the atmosphere light. Then there’s Stephanie, she much more mellow than her sibling and enjoys the fact that she’s no longer the only female in their household.
I can’t wait to read the stories for the rest of the characters. They were such a great group that gave this story such a well rounded feel of suspense, passion, love, comedy and friendship. The Dark Ones had everything needed for an amazing story.
I am going to be honest. I usually stay away from paranormal stories as they just aren’t my thing. However, this book sucked me right in!!! It is emotional, intense and sexy as hell! RVD has no boundaries when it comes to writing! Crossing into several genres, each one never a disappointment! I cannot wait to read the next in the series! A new paranormal fan!!!
Loved the story! Who doesn’t love a vampire having a kid? And the female didn’t even know she was pregnant until a friend told her.
LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book! It sucked me in from the very first step that Genesis took into the throne room & never let me go!!
The whole world created in this book was fascinating. Loved how it mixed so many of my favorite paranormal characters together (vampires, werewolves, sirens, dark ones, archangels), loved how completely captivating the storyline was (mysteries unraveling at every turn, prophecies put to the test) & loved how I just couldn’t put it down! It reminded me why I adore the world of paranormal romance so much!!
Very much looking forward to the next book in the series, Untouchable Darkness, which features Cassius & Stephanie. Can’t wait to find out how they’ll come together & how things are “progressing” between Ethan & Genesis! 🙂
*Side Note: I would NOT complain if steamier versions of Ethan & Genesis’ one-on-one times were released. #justsayin’
This is one of those book that the author needs to be on hand to rant and rave too, because honestly Ethan was a serious a**, “work,” Ethan said slowly. “Isn’t that what humans live for? A divine purpose? Though, if you’d rather stay here cook and clean, you won’t get any complaints.” 25% in not only did I discover this tidbit but I also learned Mason needs a woman badly, Alex is seriouly funny, but a man*****, and Stephanie is like the mother to these unruly children. You don’t know how badly I wanted to punch Ethan in the face he seriously knows nothing about women, “you look… nice.” Nice. He said I looked nice. Not pretty, not even cute, or beautiful, just nice. Like a dog.” It’s good to know Ethan would kill those who his woman hates that’s the type of man you want beside you, “shall I kill her for you? Once I’ve gained the information I need?” I loved this book Rachel has so much talent the damn girl could write a porno and excel at it. I’m really eager for the next book so let’s pray that she gets on it fast.
One of my favorite paranormal romance series
This is not Twilight…it’s better
Vampires…check
Werewolves….check
Sirens… check
Archangel…(only if your unlucky)…check
Dark Ones…um, yeah, about that…check
What you don’t know apparently can hurt you. Genesis is learning everything she has been taught is a lie. When your number is called, you go. PERIOD.
The urge to run will get you killed. Break a rule, you die. But if everything you’ve been taught is a lie. What rules are real? What do you truly know about vampires, werewolves, sirens, and Dark Ones?
Genesis must learn to avoid dying. She must fit in to avoid dying. But what about love? Mates? Prophecies?
Where does she fit in? Will it all end in death?
It’s a great read and a great beginning to a new intriguing world where creatures you’ve been told to stay away from, thrive on you.
The Dark Ones is the first book in a series of the same name by Rachel Van Dyken that features a diverse cast of paranormal characters including vampires, werewolves, sirens and fallen angels.
Our heroine is named Genesis, a human whose number has been called to go and serve immortal society. The way Genesis was raised has given her an inferiority complex, and you really wanted to shake the spit out of her hateful mother. But this results in Genesis arriving before the immortals wholly ignorant of her role and what is expected of her. She adapted fairly quickly and took things in stride without freaking out, which was commendable.
Our hero is Ethan, a vampire with vibrant green eyes. When Genesis arrives, Ethan makes an effort to save her from Cassius, the dark one (fallen angel) and de facto king of the immortals. Ethan does this by mating/bonding with Genesis, which irrevocably ties them together. I liked Ethan, particularly when his possessive vampire side came out. He was a bit broken and broody after losing his first mate, and we got to see him grow a bit as he worked to accept a new mate into his life.
This is not quite a fated mates trope – but its trying to be. The characters bonded with one another by necessity, without any grand passion. While the passion did build more over the course of the story, I would have liked more of the animal magnetism and undying passion that I am accustomed to in paranormal romance. I thought the storyline was good, but it felt rushed. The plot was very dialogue-driven and I felt like we missed out on sufficient detail for character development and world building. But overall, the story was good and had be wanting more, so I will continue to the next book in the series. I really liked the secondary characters in the story, so I do hope that each gets their own book.
The narrators did a good job and didn’t have a problem holding my interest. I really liked this male narrator, Chris Chambers, and he pulled off the broody vampires and angels well. The female narrator, Hollie Jackson, portrayed Genesis accurately as a young, naive girl with self-esteem issues.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from the publisher, Tantor Audio.
I have never read anything by this author before and I just happen to find this story in a newsletter, I thought that it sounded interesting and thought I would give it a try! OH MY DARKNESS! How I managed to not know about this author before is beyond me! This story was AMAZING!
I was so addicted to this story from the very first page that I stayed up way past an appropriate hour to finish it in one sitting! The story is full of Vampires, Werewolves, Sirens, Angels, and Demons! The blending if these supernatural characters into a world of survival and fate were wonderfully done.
Mason was an awesome werewolf with heart and humor. Alex was a siren with power and was a bit goofy. Stephanie was a lost soul with love and kindness. Cassius was a strong half breed with darkness and strength. Genesis was naive and strong, passionate and caring. Ethan was broken and loving. These characters alone were amazing the read about to together they make the most wonderful supernatural story that I have read in a really long time.
I WILL be reading the rest of this series as Cassius’ story is next and I am overly excited to read what happens. I cannot emphasis enough how much I enjoyed this story, I am still doing a happy dance a day later. I love finding unique and wonderful read and this is definitely going in my favorites file! If you are on the fence, check it out it was filled with greatness.
Not a traditional romance. Definatly loved it.
Awesome book.
Great paranormal romance. Loved the characters and realistic setting.
I liked this a lot. Original setup with the gods, etc. Yet still had lots of steamy interactions 🙂 Some of it was a little bit predictable (like the self sacrifice winds up gaining all) but this was very well executed, so my compliments to the author.