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A review by shellballenger
Dark Lover by J.R. Ward
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Type of read: Commuter Read.
What made me pick it up: I stumbled across the Black Dagger Brotherhood a month or so ago with Darius (Book 0, published 17 years after Dark Lover) and I wanted to start at the beginning and see if it was a series worth continuing.
Overall rating: 'Dark Lover' feels like that one book at the library that got miss-shelved in the YA fantasy/romance, so you picked it up while you were perusing the stacks, checked it out at the start of the summer (the all-knowing librarian giving you a bit of the eyebrow raise while they scanned the book and told you the due date), and then you were a completely changed individual when you unabashedly shoved it back into the returns box completely knowing that Wrath was now your newest book boyfriend and all others would be compared to this chiseled, mysterious bad boy. Is it that good that it is a throw across the room after the last page, heart ripped out of your chest, book hangover type of book? Absolutely not. But there is an almost nostalgic quality to 'Dark Lover' that makes me think of simpler times and returning to school in the fall with that smug feeling of knowing you were reading above your grade level...in more ways than one. 😆
16-year-old me would have picked up 'Dark Lover' and fallen in love with the characters, the ridiculous complexity of their backstories, and the overall world of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. 33-year-old me enjoys the fact that it's an easy, somewhat predictable but still enjoyable read. One that I would absolutely categorize as an airplane book. It's easy to pick up and put down, there are enough natural pauses that you don't have to work your way through ridiculously long chapter breaks, and it has enough to keep you engaged but you're not going to miss a round of drinks and a dip in the pool to find out what happens next...Wrath and the boys will be there when your slightly toasty self comes back to the room and needs a bit of wind-down time before passing out.
Reader's Note: 'Dark Lover' includes themes of death, dying, sexual assault including rape, stalking, sex, and physical assault.
What made me pick it up: I stumbled across the Black Dagger Brotherhood a month or so ago with Darius (Book 0, published 17 years after Dark Lover) and I wanted to start at the beginning and see if it was a series worth continuing.
Overall rating: 'Dark Lover' feels like that one book at the library that got miss-shelved in the YA fantasy/romance, so you picked it up while you were perusing the stacks, checked it out at the start of the summer (the all-knowing librarian giving you a bit of the eyebrow raise while they scanned the book and told you the due date), and then you were a completely changed individual when you unabashedly shoved it back into the returns box completely knowing that Wrath was now your newest book boyfriend and all others would be compared to this chiseled, mysterious bad boy. Is it that good that it is a throw across the room after the last page, heart ripped out of your chest, book hangover type of book? Absolutely not. But there is an almost nostalgic quality to 'Dark Lover' that makes me think of simpler times and returning to school in the fall with that smug feeling of knowing you were reading above your grade level...in more ways than one. 😆
16-year-old me would have picked up 'Dark Lover' and fallen in love with the characters, the ridiculous complexity of their backstories, and the overall world of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. 33-year-old me enjoys the fact that it's an easy, somewhat predictable but still enjoyable read. One that I would absolutely categorize as an airplane book. It's easy to pick up and put down, there are enough natural pauses that you don't have to work your way through ridiculously long chapter breaks, and it has enough to keep you engaged but you're not going to miss a round of drinks and a dip in the pool to find out what happens next...Wrath and the boys will be there when your slightly toasty self comes back to the room and needs a bit of wind-down time before passing out.
Reader's Note: 'Dark Lover' includes themes of death, dying, sexual assault including rape, stalking, sex, and physical assault.