An entertaining read. ( )

Crashing Paradise, by Christopher Golden and Thomas E. Sniegoski, is fourth in an exciting dark fantasy series.

When demonic forces decide to storm Eden, they kidnap Eve, the one person who may be able to get them through the gate. Now the Menagerie, a team of paranormal individuals, must track them down and stop the vampires and demons from destroying paradise.

Led by sorcerer Arthur Doyle, the Menagerie are a unique cast of characters, from hobgoblins to shapeshifters. Though, the character of Eve is by far the most interesting. After her exile from Eden she also birthed the evil race of vampires. But now, Eve seeks redemption and has been trying to hunt down and destroy the evil that she helped create.

Crashing Paradise is the 4th novel in the Menagerie series, but can definitely stand alone. There was enough backstory on the characters to give a general idea of who they were, so I wasn’t too confused. Containing plenty of action and violence, this was an exciting dark fantasy that intrigued me enough to want to go back and check out the rest of the series. ( )