This is my second time reading this book and I like it better than I did before.
Kaia Skyhawk believes Strider, keeper of Defeat, is her consort. She’s a Harpy, he’s a demon-possessed warrior, so you’d think they’d be perfect for one another. Kaia thinks so, too, but Strider is determined to keep her back even though he’s crazy with desire for her. Too bad she made a mistake a while back and he can’t get over it.
Their romance starts slow and the first sex scene isn’t until page 280-something. That’s very refreshing. Unlike some of the previous books in the LOTU series, sex doesn’t consume the storyline.
I’m not a fan of the Skyhawk sisters. They’re too bitchy, slutty, and they’re women-haters. The Harpy race is supposed to be a strong feminist race but I don’t agree. They forgive their consorts (husbands/men) for about anything and they always place the blame on another woman. For example, Kaia attacked Haidee for simply talking to Strider. She didn’t attack Strider at all for what she wrongly perceived as flirtation on his part and Strider didn’t get mad over it. He turns out to be a crappy friend to Haidee while Amun turns out to be a crappy boyfriend to Haidee for not defending her. Also, the main antagonist of the book, Juliette, and most of the Harpy race blamed Kaia for the death of their people hundreds of years ago. Juliette’s consort, Lazarus, murdered all the women and 14 year old Kaia was blamed. This un-feminist attitude really annoyed me and reconfirmed my dislike of the Skyhawks.
I’m honestly surprised by my 4 star review. I like the book as a self-contained story and I liked the Harpy Games plot, but I don’t see how the Games had anything to do with the overall storyline other than a way to find the Paring Rod, a godly artifact the Lords are desperate to own. Yes, Paris’s story is set up and we see that Kane and William are in trouble, but we didn’t get to see enough of them for their side storylines to really matter.
The link to my original review can be found here: http://amberdaultonauthor.blogspot.com/2013/09/review-darkest-surrender-by-gena....
4 Stars

Disclaimer – I bought this book for my own enjoyment. I am not paid or compensated in any way, shape or form for this honest review. I will not change or alter this review for any reason unless at my discretion. ( )

Gena Showalter The Darkest Surrender
Book #8
SLAP! That’s what I wanted to do to Strider throughout the first half of the book. He was such an asshole to Kaia and kept pushing her away and acting like he was doing her a favor by helping her. Then all of the sudden, he wanted her. It was like BOOM. He just shows up and decides that it’s time for them to get it on. Bipolar much?? Besides that. I liked this book.
I loved Kaia, like I do all the Skyhawk sisters. She’s spunky with a smart mouth. One of my favorite parts in the book was when Strider tells her that they are going somewhere but doesn’t tell her where they are going. She’s dressed in a red barely there dress. The V of the neckline cuts to her navel and the hemline barely covers her butt. When they get to the destination and it is a bar she says, “You should have told me. I would have worn my slutty outfit.”
I’m glad Kaia had lots of confidence because she had a lot of people judging her from something she did centuries ago. They all called her Kaia the Disappointment. Her mother even abandoned her to side with her enemy, Juliette. I don’t know how the Skyhawk sisters with the exception of Taliyah turned out so loving with a mom like that. Juliette had a reason to be mad at Kaia for letting her consort loose but Juliette had him chained in the first place which suggested he wasn’t a willing consort. The other Harpies were mad because when he as freed, he killed half of them but they were more angry with Kaia than the consort who we later learned his name was Lazarus. That was strange thinking on the part of the Harpies. She and her family were uninvited to the games for the next hundred and some odd years after that.
When they were invited to the games again or more like summoned, they get there to learn that Juliette is running things. She has found Lazarus again and by the chains on his wrists, he doesn’t look willing to be there. They find out their mother has disowned her children and has formed her own team. And the biggy is the prize for first place is the Paring Rod, the fourth artifact needed to find Pandora’s Box which makes Strider more interested in the outcome of the games.
SPOILER ALERT
One of the things that bothered me was that Harpies are never to tell anyone about their weaknesses or they could be put to death yet her mother tells them that she set up the ambush in the cave for Kaia. Maybe she didn’t tell the Hunters any Harpy secrets but clearly someone told the Hunters who shot at them on the way to the portal to Rhea’s Garden in the Heavens about avocado pits and salt being potentially deadly to Harpies. We never found who actually told them but it was probably Juliette so why didn’t Juliette get called out on it? Also, why not kill Juliette to free Lazarus rather than kill Lazarus? I liked him.
Side Stories
Finally, Kane has a part in the story. He is summoned by the Moirai better known as the Fates. I felt like I was hearing that ‘Who’s on first’ skit while listening to the Fates talk to one another. They ask him why he started the apocalypse. They pop back to earth where William was in Nowhere, Nebraska killing Gilly’s parents. William explains to Kane that the only way he would start the apocalypse is if Kane sleeps with the only female of the four horsemen. They get bombed and captured by Hunters or a Hunter’s wife who is a doctor or drop-out doctor. I wasn’t real clear on her reason for wanting William and Kane but someone takes Kane to Hell. William tries to rescue him but gets captured too.
Paris is running around Titania looking for Sienna. Cronus has her hidden somewhere.
Paris’ book is next so we’ll finally see what is going on there.
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This was entertaining enough, but probably hasn't/won't impact me much overall. I don't really have any strong feelings about it either way, which is a bit unusual for me, but I'm also fine with it. ( )

this might be my favorite book of the series... I loved how it was action packed like it was. I also liked the fact that it was kind of a break from Galen and all that though there were still hunters just not as much as in the other books. Strider & Kaia weere awesome the feelings they had for each other but with Striders demon him being afraid to be with her, was just classic. Then coming to terms with it and falling in love with her was epic. ( )

The Darkest Surrender
3.5 Stars

Synopsis
Known to her people as the Disappointment, Kaia has always been an outcast until she and her sisters are invited to participate in the Harpy Games. In order to win the grand prize, Kaia will need the help of her reluctant Consort AKA Strider, the Keeper of Defeat, who wants nothing to with her. As the stakes in the games increase so does Strider and Kaia's attraction until soon nothing matters but winning the real prize - each other.

Review
Not as good as some of the others in the series but worth reading for the Harpy Games.

Kaia and Strider's romance feels contrived even though their sex scenes are smokin' hot!
Kaia starts out as another one of those pathetic heroines I despise. Her borderline stalkerish pursuit of Strider is seriously irritating, especially considering the fact that he is a sexist and narcissistic jerk. Thankfully, he begins to redeem himself about halfway through when he stops being a selfish shmuck and begins thinking about someone other than himself. Kaia also develops a backbone round about the same time, so their story ultimately ends on a positive note.

The Harpy Games are enjoyable although they are obviously a rip off of Kresley Cole's Talisman Hie in Immortals After Dark but not nearly as developed or entertaining. The Paring Rod plot is an interesting development but seriously lacking in detail and serves to indicate that the series needs to get back to the Pandora's Box story arc pronto.

The updates to the secondary characters are promising, especially Paris, whose book I am really looking forward to as he is my favorite Lord. Lazarus is also very intriguing and I hope that we will be seeing more of him. ( )