This book is a spinoff from the Riley Jenson Guardian series but features Risa, the daughter of one of the characters we read from the series.
Title: Dark Angels
Author: Keri Arthur
Genres: Fantasy > Paranormal > Angels / Shapeshifters / Vampires
Read Format: Kindle Edition
Total Pages: 2,709
Reading Date: 22nd March 2023 – 10th September 2023
The Reading Order – How to Read Dark Angels Series by Keri Arthur
- 1 Darkness Unbound
- 2 Darkness Rising
- 3 Darkness Devours
- 4 Darkness Hunts
- 5 Darkness Unmasked
- 6 Darkness Splintered
- 7 Darkness Falls
Darkness Unbound
The fight against darkness rages on for the next generation—in New York Times bestselling author Keri Arthur’s exciting new series set in the world of the Guardians.
Being half werewolf and half Aedh, Risa Jones can enter the twilight realms between life and death and see the reapers, supernatural beings that collect the souls of the dead. But she soon makes a terrifying discovery: Some sinister force is stealing souls, preventing the dead from ever knowing the afterlife.
Reapers escort souls—not snatch them—but Risa is still unnerved when a reaper shadows her in search of someone Risa has never met: her own father, an Aedh priest, who is rumored to be tampering with the gates of hell for a dark purpose.
With the help of her “aunt”—half-werewolf, half-vampire Riley Jenson—and an Aedh named Lucian who may have lost his wings but none of his sex appeal, Risa must pursue whatever shadowy practitioner of blood magic is seizing souls, and somehow stop her father . . . before all hell breaks loose.
My thoughts…
Risa is a character we heard about in the Riley Jenson Guardian series. She was the baby rescued by Riley during her undercover mission. Now, fast-forward to twenty-eight years later, Risa has grown into an independent woman with unique abilities due to her heritage.
This book is a must-read by Riley Jenson’s fans. Riley is still making an appearance, albeit not often, readers will still get to know about what has been happening in her life, her children, her brother, Rhoan etc.
Meanwhile, Risa, the main heroine, provides quite a lot of thrilling moments as she seems to be attracting danger. This is due to her Aedh daddy painting her as a target. Some parties – bad or good ones, want to contact her dad, including the directorate’s big boss!
Darkness Rising
The sexy, thrilling adventures continue in bestselling author Keri Arthur’s new Dark Angels series, starring half-werewolf/half-Aedh Risa Jones.
Risa will go to any lengths to avenge her mother’s murder—even if it means making a pact with the most evil vampire she’s ever met. Lethal and powerful, Madeline Hunter is leader of the vampire council, and will put her resources behind finding the killer—for a price. The venerable vampire requires the assistance of Risa’s psychic powers. Quid pro quo.
Someone—or something—is targeting the elders of the local council, cursing the immortal vampires to rapidly age, sink into madness, and die. Risa must track down the vengeful being responsible. But Risa’s father, a rogue Aedh priest, also enlists her in a dangerous mission. And not even the great Madeline Hunter may be able to protect her from the shadowy forces that desire nothing less than Risa’s destruction.
My thoughts…
Risa’s story is kind of similar to Riley’s, but since Risa is not working for the Directorate, officially, it feels a bit less official. But, there’s still someone breathing on her neck and datelines to catch. The story progresses slowly though, and focuses more on building up the world and solidifying relationships with the characters.
Anyhow, it’s still fun to read, and Risa has her moments of injuries, lots of them with the many missions she is involved with. But as usual, she heals fast! I’m not entirely sure about her relationship with Lucian, the Aedh. He seems to be hiding something vital that might affect the whole storyline once that information has been revealed.
Only time will tell.
Darkness Devours
New York Times bestselling author Keri Arthur has been hailed for her “smart, sexy”* urban fantasy novels. Now, she continues her Dark Angels series set in the realm of danger and desire known as the Guardian World…
Half-werewolf, half-Aedh Risa Jones can enter the realm between life and death, and she can see the Reapers who collect the souls of the dead. Now, she is using her gifts—and the investigative know-how of a man who broke her heart—to find a cabal searching for the power to control time, reality, and fate. And this is besides her work for the Vampire Council, half of whom want her dead.
But for now the Council needs her alive. Someone is killing blood-whore addicted vampires, and Risa must find the guilty party. If she succeeds, she may finally convince the council to lift the execution order on her life. But before she succeeds, she must first survive…
My thoughts…
I kind of lost interest in this book. Hence, it took me ages to get back on track to read this third book and complete reading it. There is not much going on as far as I’m concerned, besides getting the sexual tension fixed with the reaper and also some new treat to her life, the issue is still ongoing. But at the moment, we are still not sure who took the first key, Lucian, for me is still the main suspect.
I will keep reading the next book to find out more… albeit slowly.
Darkness Hunts
“New York Times” bestselling author Keri Arthur returns to the enthralling Guardian World–and a twilight realm of danger and desire…
Risa Jones, half-Aedh/half-werewolf, can enter the realm between life and death. She can speak to the dying and the dead, and she can see the reapers, collectors of souls. What she can not yet see is the identity of a stranger murdering women and draining their blood. Now Risa must summon her gifts to find him, even if it means putting her own life in danger. But Risa needn’t look far. The killer knows who she is.
He tells her his victims are infected by darkness and he’s fated to destroy them. Fascinated by Risa, he engages her in a sinister game: the chance to save the life of his next victim by deciphering his series of clues. In a race against time, she enlists the help of the reaper Azriel.
But as an attraction between them grows, so does the fear that the stranger’s motives are only part of a larger, more dangerous stratagem–one that has lured Risa and Azriel into the dark.
My thoughts…
There’s a new foe in town, messing around Risa’s already busy schedule. The main objective is still finding the keys. But, when she accidentally rubs shoulders with this no-face man during astral travel, the stranger becomes fixated on her.
In this book, while we finally get some answers about Lucian, new problems arise that will threaten the life of Risa’s loved one, and her romance life will eventually get sorted by the end of the story. So, wait patiently.
Darkness Unmasked
Half-werewolf, half-Aedh Risa Jones is beginning to believe that the only way to find the keys she’s been searching for and save her friends is by dying. And when Wolfgang Schmidt, the lover of her boss at the vampire council, is found dead, her worst fears are confirmed. With the first portal of hell permanently open, the energies of the dark path are leaching into the world.
Searching for Schmidt’s killer and the keys at the same time, Risa and reaper Azriel track a shape-shifting spider spirit capable of changing her form into a seductive woman. But when they finally find the second key, the Aedh Lucian snatches it and disappears.
Risa is intent on finding Lucian and fighting him to the death—for in her mind, she knows that neither can remain while the other lives…
My thoughts…
The main issue in the story is the slow progress of the major event – finding the keys…It took 5 books to finally reach the second key. There are just so many other problems arising and Risa’s plate is definitely full! Her reaction towards Azriel will piss off other readers that follow the couple. I look forward to completing reading this series ASAP and moving on to another series.
Darkness Splintered
When Risa loses the second key to hell, she angers several powerful people, and she’s starting to feel the pressure from all sides. She gets a visit from her father, who gives her an ultimatum: Get back the key or he will kill her friends.
Risa also finds herself under the scrutiny of the vampire council, some of whom consider her a monster who should be destroyed. But they offer her a bloody bargain: Take on the lethal head of the council, Madeline Hunter, and others will support her.
As the search for the keys to hell heats up, Risa realizes that she has no choice. For the sake of the people she loves, she must find the keys — and get rid of Hunter — before the second gate is opened and brings the world closer to all hell breaking loose…
My thoughts…
Chaotic! That’s an appropriate term to describe this book. So much stuff happening, too many sides threatening Risa for the sake of getting the keys, while the only thing she wants is to get a normal life. Even that choice was no longer in her grips as fate did not agree with her.
Bleak and gloom await in the story with little happiness for the heroine. That hardship and helpless feeling is so strong that it makes me feel uncomfortable. If it wasn’t because I’m almost reaching the end of the series, I would have abandoned the book. Let’s hope the last book will bring some sunshine and cheer me up!
Darkness Falls
New York Times bestselling author Keri Arthur brings her Dark Angels series to a breathtaking conclusion as half-werewolf, half-Aedh Risa Jones treads a knife’s edge between the salvation of the human race and its total annihilation.
The search for the last key to the gates of hell has begun, and half-werewolf, half-Aedh Risa Jones is in more danger than ever—and one misstep could prove ruinous. It’s only a matter of time before Madeleine Hunter, the dangerous head of the vampire council, begins her hunt for complete domination. And for Risa, that comes with an alarming ultimatum: hand over the last key to Hunter or, one by one, her loved ones will die.
Now, it’s a race against time for Risa to save those she loves, and to stop Hunter’s apocalyptic plan to open the very gates of hell.
My thoughts…
Finally, we reach the end of the story. I must admit this final book is the most interesting one because there is no more dragging, no more drama, straight to the action and best of all we have the conclusion to the story, which is not disappointing!
The world which Keri built for Riley Jensen and this Dark Angels series is very interesting and the characters are super likeable, once you follow them and get to know them throughout the journey. The author has a way of playing with your emotions, throwing you with some surprise plot and twists that you don’t see coming until the end.
Well done!
