Publisher: Pocket
Publish Date: Out Now
How we got this book: ARC from the publisher
Reviewed by: E and MinnChica
New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Larissa Ione sets the night on fire with a thrilling new novel of irresistible hungers and immortal enemies in a world as sensual and dark as her Demonica series …
THE FUTURE OF HIS TRIBE
Leader of the vampire clan MoonBound, Hunter will do what he must to save his people from extinction – or worse, a torturous eternity as vampire slaves and subjects of human experimentation. To keep his enemies at bay, he has agreed to mate a rival clan leader’s daughter in return for peace between the clans and an ally in the looming war with the humans.THE LOVER OF HIS SOUL
But survival comes at a price. First, Hunter must break an ancient curse by successfully negotiating three deadly tests. Then he must resist the searing passions of the gorgeous vampire warrior he despises but is bound to mate. Will Hunter stay true to his word? Or will he risk everything for the woman he really loves: the vampire seductress’s identical twin sister?
*Blurb from Goodreads*
MinnChica: Ok, I have to say it, and I’m sure I am probably in the minority here, BUT… I think I like this series better than the Demonica books. I don’t know why, but I am so completely drawn into this world that Ione has created, the characters she brings to life, and the intriguing plot twists and turns that I can’t get enough of these vampires. SO GOOD!!
E: I also really enjoy this series. I don’t know if it has edged out the Demonica series like you have decided but I can certainly say it is right up there. I love the vampires, their origin myths, pulling in Native American elements, and the variety of strengths exhibited by the heroines. Ione likes to show the darker side of humanity and use that to showcase what others will do to combat the darkness even to the risk of becoming dark themselves. At first I thought this world was less complex than the Demonica world but with each installment Ione has added new layers and twists.
MinnChica: I was so excited to see what would happen with Hunter and his situation after we left him in the last book. I loved and adored the ruler of his clan, and thought that Hunter was such a complex character. He was 100% devoted to making sure that his people were taken care of, kept safe, and allowed the live the kind of life that they each wanted and deserved. I thought he got the short end of the stick when he was willing to give up his mate for an arranged marriage with a woman he didn’t like in order to bring about peace. But, of course I should have known that Ione wouldn’t let me down on the romance front. 🙂
E: Last year when we read and reviewed Bound by Night things ended with Hunter agreeing to marry one of the daughters of the leader of a rival clan. I liked how torn Hunter was between what he saw as his duty to his clan and his instincts. He knew humans were a growing threat and decided it was better to keep the enemy of his enemy closer but it seemed like the results of his choice kept getting worse and worse. In addition to marrying, Hunter also learned he had the option of attempting to break a curse and save all of his people or failing in his responsibilities and he could pick one of the two sisters to accompany him.
Unfortunately things were not as they seemed. His betrothed kept several secrets one of which could destabilize the precarious balance among MoonBound’s top warriors and she thought their way of life denoted weakness instead of strength. Her crippled sister on the other hand while considered also kept a secret which could make her the target of any number of kidnapping raids. I liked the contrast between the two sisters and how one thought she was being cruel to be kind but demonstrated in the end she wasn’t entirely psycho and how the other found she had unexpected strengths.
MinnChica: When we were first introduced to Aylin, our heroine, and Rasha, the evil twin who was supposed to be Hunter’s mate, I couldn’t help but think that poor Aylin was such a strong character stuck in an impossible situation. She was as much a slave as anyone could be, and despite the horrific treatment from her father and fellow clanmates, she somehow survived, thrived, and became a better person in spite of it. I loved her from the first minute. Her twin, Rasha, was also an interesting character. She was a total bitch, don’t get me wrong, but the layers to her character were impressive. she truly cared about her twin, and although she couldn’t protect Aylin fully, she did her damnest to keep Aylin as safe and guarded as she could.
E: I really enjoyed the quest to break the curse. It allowed me to get to know Hunter as more than a stern leader who was struggling to keep his Clan together against several outside threats and their own internal nature. The quest also revealed some secrets and said a lot about the basic essence of most of the Clan leaders while raising some questions about their origin and their future. It also made it clear there was a dividing line between Vampire clans even though they all faced humans as a common enemy. I also had the feeling outside entities seem to be using the vampires as their active agents I just wonder how this is going to play off with the human threat.
MinnChica: I loved the quest aspect as well, especially when certain things were revealed at the end (OMG!! This series is GOING PLACES!!! AHHH!). One of my favorite aspects of this new series is that Ione keeps throwing in these twists and turns that I never see coming. The world she has created is constantly shifting and evolving and changing as each new twist is revealed. Between the humans and vampire clans conflicts, to the conflicts between the vampire clans themselves, to the overall changes that are coming, this series is probably the most unpredictable and exciting of all paranormal romances series I’ve read. I can’t even express how much I love LOVE this world.
E: I totally agree with MinnChica about this series going PLACES! I don’t know exactly where but I am certainly along for the ride. In addition to all of the adventure the romance, not just between the central characters but also some of the side characters who relationships might not be healthy or idea but they still have emotional connections of some sort which make it easy to become involved in their lives and struggles. Yet every time I think I have it sorted out Ione throws in a new twist and I end up trying to move all the puzzle pieces around again to figure out where she is going. Which I will admit is a lot of fun.
MinnChica: All in all, I’m positively giddy with each new release in the MoonBound Clan Vampire series. I love the world, the characters, the romance. It’s all positively perfect, in my opinion. I loved Hunter and Aylin in this book, and thought their romance was absolutely fabulous. I can’t wait to find out more about many of the secondary characters from the MoonBound Clan, and hope that Ione writes FASTER!!
I give Chained By NightE: This was another highly anticipated release for me. Ione has combined several elements I enjoy with some twists of her own. The struggles between Hunter, Aylin, and Rasha not to mention their family secrets which I am expecting to resurface in the future kept my attention fully hooked. I can’t wait to find out what happens next in this world because sh*t just got complicated.
I give Chained by Night an A