Dark Song by Christine Feehan

Dark Song by Christine Feehan
A Carpathian novel
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Paranormal, Mystery/Suspense
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

Stolen from her home at a young age and tormented for centuries, Elisabeta Trigovise is scared to show herself to anyone. Even though she has been rescued and is now safe within the Carpathian compound, she has lived in fear for so long she has no idea how to survive without it. She wants to answer the siren call of her lifemate—but the very thought terrifies her.

Before he found Elisabeta, Ferro Arany was an ancient warrior without emotion. Now that his senses have come alive, he knows it will take more than kind words and soft touches to convince the fractured woman that they are partners, not master and prisoner. For now, he will give her his strength until she finds hers, allowing the steady rhythm of his heart to soothe Elisabeta’s fragile soul.

But even as she learns to stand on her own, the vampire who kept her captive is desperate to claim her again, threatening the song Elisabeta and Ferro are writing together.

It’s been awhile since I’ve given a full 5 stars to a Carpathian romance but Dark Song finally reached the goal. Why? Because the plot and story had meat, and it had what I like – action, suspense and mystery.
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What makes me like this book over the past couple is the balance of story over sex. When there are too many sex scenes, or pages upon pages dedicated to every conceivable step in the process, it bores me. It can drag down my enjoyment because there is no purpose. Dark Song gives me a story worth spending time with – the challenge to solve the mystery of a truly baffling illness that is creeping through the compound which is compromising everyone’s safety. An unseen, seemingly unstoppable evil that no one can figure out? That got my attention. The fact that it affects those that should remain unaffected? Fascinating.

Another reason I looked forward to reading Dark Song was the heroine, Elisabeta. She was rescued in one of the previous books and it’s taken a while to heal enough for her to even attempt to rejoin the living. Not that she knows what living really is because she’s been in a cage for centuries, tortured and deprived of all life experiences other than fear. What kind of life is that? How can a person even know where to begin to live again when every decision was made for her? All good questions and all are answered in good time. The catalyst is the hero, Ferro. He’s her life mate and he intends that the rest of her healing can only be done with him, out in the open so she can see him, smell him, hear him, taste him and know the man he is. The hero has a huge task in front of him – to get Elisabeta to trust him and in him.

One more element that made me like this book more than others is the fact that the author wasn’t as repetitive as she’s been in past stories – repeating a fact or excuse over and over so I end up yelling at the book “okay! I get it!” — I didn’t do that in this novel. Yes, readers are more than made aware that the heroine is fearful and ignorant of even the basic things, like walking. That the heroine can’t make decisions for herself because she’s been prevented doing so. The difference is – for every time this is stated, soon after the hero does something that helps her make a change, a choice, to encourage baby steps forward. It’s because of that continual forward momentum that I respected the characters, the plot, the writing and the overall relationship between Ferro and Elisabeta. He believed in the heroine, he respected her and never wanted to do or say anything that reminded her of the cruel vampire who kidnapped and kept her for so long. Ferro truly earned my respect. Ferro didn’t focus only on the lust aspect of his returned feelings and emotions. No, his goal was to earn what all solid, successful, good relationships should be based on – trust.

The discovery of what is attacking the people on the compound had a couple of levels that truly intrigued me. One was a modern issue and the other was ancient. It was a mesmerizing combination that I could never have guessed at or anticipated. I like being impressed.

The physical aspect of their romance, when it finally happens, stems from a slow, steady, sensual buildup of gentle touches, teasing kisses and languid gentle strokes. That build up is why I enjoyed the scenes so much. The sex scenes were powerful because they were a sign of healing, joy and a hint at a promising future. What’s not to like about that?

There were a lot of secondary characters, the two most prominent were Gary and Tariq. Both men present a new fact of Carpathian society I hadn’t known about. They know what they’re talking about but a reader isn’t quite sure of all the subtext and inferences of just how important this revelation really is. Ferro gets it, and Elisabeta is on the cusp. Even though I didn’t quite understand the whole of it, I think it’s a hook for a new plot twist. If so, it’s effective and it makes me want to know more and more and more. Call me impatient but I think Ms. Feehan needs to write faster.

Taking out all the glossary, chants and stuff, this story was about 386 pages and it took me 2 days to read. It would have taken me one day but I started too late the first day for me to finish in one go-round. I sure gave it a good try though. Staying up until 1 AM isn’t the best idea on a work night. The only author I seem to do that for on a regular basis is Ms. Feehan. There’s just something about those Carpathian men I can’t resist. I hope when you pick up your own copy of Dark Song, you’ll like it as much as I did.