For my first book review, I’m giving you a three-fer. Over the past two weekends, I read the first three of Gena Showalter’s Lords of the Underworld series. They center on a group of immortal men possessed by the demons released from Pandora’s Box. In a nice feminist twist on the tale, Pandora was not actually the one at fault. (Hmm, perhaps I need to write a short story blaming the whole apple thing on Adam. If I can get over my Catholic fear of committing blasphemy. It will be good practice for something to be revealed in the sequel to my current WIP, I guess.)
Darkest Night by Gena Showalter
In this first book of the series, we are introduced to the lords, the demons that possess them, and the truth behind the mythology that we have all believed about Pandora’s Box. The lords are immortal warriors created by the Greek gods to protect them. Pandora was one of the fiercest of these warriors, and the men were jealous that she was chosen by the gods to guard the box that housed the demons. Maddox, the hero of this book, killed Pandora. As a punishment, he was chosen to house the demon of Violence and to relive the same death that he inflicted on Pandora every night. After he is killed painfully, he is banished to hell to be tortured by demons until daybreak.
Maddox meets Ashlyn, who has a special ability to hear all conversations that have taken place in the specific area she is in. Maddox and his fellow lords don’t trust her, but Maddox can’t help but fall in love with her. And Ashlyn finds that the voices she hears go silent when she is with Maddox, and the quiet he brings to her makes her fall in love with him. The couple must find a way to be together, as the lords are hunted by humans and the gods begin to interfere.
Darkest Kiss by Gena Showalter
The second book in the series moves to Lucien, who hosts the demon Death. He meets Anya, the goddess of chaos, and falls in love with her just as the gods order him to take her soul. The two must find out how to remove the death curse before Lucien succumbs to it, all while they are further hunted by the humans out to destroy the lords.
We are also introduced to a second group of lords, who separated from the main group many years ago and the search for a set of artifacts that the lords need to ensure that they can find Pandora’s Box. If the human hunters find the box, they will use it to recapture the demons, which will kill the lords. Anya’s contacts in the world of the immortals prove invaluable as they quest for the treasures.
Darkest Pleasure by Gena Showalter
Finally, we move to the story of Reyes, keeper of the demon Pain. His love was introduced in the first book. Danika and her entire family are also under a death sentence from the gods, and lord Aeron, keeper of Wrath, is the lord ordered to kill them. Aeron has grown slowly more and more insane over the course of the trilogy as he ignores the order to kill the women. Reyes and the other lords must look for the key to save Danika, as she and Reyes grow closer and closer.
I enjoyed all three books. The world Showalter builds is believable and involving. The rethinking of the Pandora legend is interesting, as is the exploration of minor gods and goddesses I’d never heard of. The sexual tension between the hero and heroine in each book was believable, as were the relationships between the minor characters.
The only drawback I found was with the introduction of the second group of lords in book 2. I wasn’t quite ready for another large group of new characters, as I was still getting to know the main group of lords.
More Lords of the Underworld books are planned. Visit the series website to find out more.
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