Favorite Lines: “To Lara, the frog symbolized everything the Carpathian women sought. Transformation, rebirth, the bond of mother and child and Mother Earth to her daughters.” (p. 254)
Lara Calladine, daughter of Razvan, formerly the food of her father and great-grandfather, escaped the family ice cave dwelling as a child. Now an adult, she has found the ice cave where she was captive and plans to ascertain if her great-aunts are still alive. The two dragons (aunts) fought for her release, allowing her to escape, but were captured before they could follow her. It isn’t long after finding the cave before Lara realizes it has been warded and one of her companions is bitten by a poisonous, parasitic bearing mage snake.
Nicolas De La Cruz was on the verge of walking into the sun. He had not felt emotions in a long time until he laid eyes and mouth upon Lara in the village after she returned to find help for her companion. Nicolas knew that she had saved him from turning into a vampire and felt an instant attraction to her.
Centuries of male chauvinism don’t disappear because you fall in love though, and Nicolas will learn the hard way that his mate cannot live his way. She will not be shackled down or be left behind as he sees fit. What she will do is stick around, but only if he learns that she will not be prisoner to his old style mentality.
Once and a while a book comes out and reminds you why you began reading a series. For me Dark Curse is one of those books. I felt like I needed to revisit all the previous books and it seems like forever since the last book in the series was released; in actuality is was only a little over a year ago (Aug. 2007). Usually as a series goes on, I find myself losing interest. That has not happened and I thank Ms. Feehan for that.
I’ve read Dark series reviews that mainly focus on the sex part of Feehan‘s books, but I read the series for the love story, not the sex. Dark Curse answers a lot of questions about the dark mage, Xavier, and the Carpathian women’s problems bearing children, and those children living into adulthood. Even with all this information, the book doesn’t slack on showing Nicolas and Lara’s relationship.
Their bond is biological, but the story shows them making it personal. They delve into their pasts and show their dark corners, saving each other and making it possible for them to have a healthy emotional future. I absolutely love Lara for not falling into the deep despair many of the other heroines in the Dark series fall. I know that it’s necessary to show the biological effect, but for me, the emotional aspect works much better at this point in the series. (It is book 17!)
Well, I could go on and spoil it for you, but I’ll let you read the book first.
Scooper Speaks 