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clockworkbook's review
4.0
3.5 - The world of Otherworld Assassins is still very interesting. I wish there had been more.
inmyhumbleopinion's review
5.0
I LOVE THIS SERIES! The cover is perfect. AIR agent Dallas Gutierrez is a manwhore who has been through hell and back. He is a one and done kind of guy. Until he meets hybrid Lilica Swan. But as bad as his past was she has had it worse. They are perfect for each other that is if they can keep from killing one another. Oh what fun it is watching them fall.
I absolutely adored this story. I really wish the author would do more with this world.
This story was previously released in the Blood Red Kiss Anthology
I absolutely adored this story. I really wish the author would do more with this world.
This story was previously released in the Blood Red Kiss Anthology
naomilane's review
5.0
As always, Gena strikes again. I devoured this book, I seem to always say the same stuff when I review Gena's books but I am not lying, I am not pretending to love her work, I just do. I truly do. Gena is a treasure, she's precious.
Back to the actual book. Dark Swan is not a full novel but it's not a novella either, I think it's about 216 pages long, more or less. I usually have a hard time liking shorter books, it's hard for me to connect with the characters, love story etc but it wasn't the case with Dark Swan, from the very first word to the very last one, I was hooked.
We've all been waiting for Dallas's book, it's been years and Gena finally wrote his story for us. I've always been a big fan of his in the Alien Huntress series and so I was thrilled to be able to read and learn more about him. Trust me ladies, he does not disappoint! Dallas is as broody and sassy as ever in Dark Swan. Of course, it's a shorter book so at the end you may want more time with him but, don't fret, I have a feeling Gena isn't done with this world and these characters...
I strongly encourage you to read the Alien Huntress series before reading Dark Swan, for several reasons:
- it's an amazing, funny and kick-ass series
- Gena wrote it
- you'll get to read more about Dallas and his past
- and, obviously, you'll understand the book much better
Anyway, Dark Swan basically starts right where Dark Taste of Rapture ended. The AIR is still trying to find the Schon queen, the bitch is still infecting people and Dallas is still Dallas. Our heroine, however, is new to us. Lilica is not an alien, she's not human either, she was created by scientists along with her two sisters. Lilica meets Dallas through Devyn when the latter captures and tortures her for information about the Schon queen. I really can't say much more except that I hadn't read more than 20 pages before Gena dropped a small bomb on me and I was shocked. Well done, G, well done.
I honestly loved that book, I think Gena did a marvelous job with it. I mean, it's not easy writing about a character from 5 years ago, remembering all the little details about him but also about the universe, the secondary characters, the plot etc. I found myself right back into it, it was like Gena never stopped writing about them in the first place.
If you loved Dallas before you're going to love him even more now! He made me laugh right from the start with his oversized ego and his relationship with Devyn is so precious. I think their bromance is my favorite from all of Gena's bromances. I really liked Lilica as well, she too is very funny and quite sassy (Gena is the queen of sassy heroines), determined, strong and with a drop of innocence. And, if I'm not mistaken, I think Lilica is Gena's first black heroine. Which was a very nice change and something I really appreciated!
The sexual tension is off the charts in this book! Loved the playful relationship Dallas had with Lilica, he doesn't hold back at all with her and it's so amazing to read. I laughed in more than one occasion while reading this and it was mostly because of what Dallas said to her without restraint. Or vice versa.
Of course and to my delight, a lot of characters from the Alien Huntress series make an appearance in Dark Swan. Especially Devyn and Bride, both are important to the story. Devyn is one of my all time favorite characters, I love him so much and I was so happy to have more of his cocky self in this book. He is just so precious and hilarious.
All in all, I'm sure Dark Swan wasn't an easy book to write but Gena did it brilliantly, the plot was very well written and it gave a satisfying conclusion to the series...even if I'm sure we're not quite done with them yet.
Back to the actual book. Dark Swan is not a full novel but it's not a novella either, I think it's about 216 pages long, more or less. I usually have a hard time liking shorter books, it's hard for me to connect with the characters, love story etc but it wasn't the case with Dark Swan, from the very first word to the very last one, I was hooked.
We've all been waiting for Dallas's book, it's been years and Gena finally wrote his story for us. I've always been a big fan of his in the Alien Huntress series and so I was thrilled to be able to read and learn more about him. Trust me ladies, he does not disappoint! Dallas is as broody and sassy as ever in Dark Swan. Of course, it's a shorter book so at the end you may want more time with him but, don't fret, I have a feeling Gena isn't done with this world and these characters...
I strongly encourage you to read the Alien Huntress series before reading Dark Swan, for several reasons:
- it's an amazing, funny and kick-ass series
- Gena wrote it
- you'll get to read more about Dallas and his past
- and, obviously, you'll understand the book much better
Anyway, Dark Swan basically starts right where Dark Taste of Rapture ended. The AIR is still trying to find the Schon queen, the bitch is still infecting people and Dallas is still Dallas. Our heroine, however, is new to us. Lilica is not an alien, she's not human either, she was created by scientists along with her two sisters. Lilica meets Dallas through Devyn when the latter captures and tortures her for information about the Schon queen. I really can't say much more except that I hadn't read more than 20 pages before Gena dropped a small bomb on me and I was shocked. Well done, G, well done.
I honestly loved that book, I think Gena did a marvelous job with it. I mean, it's not easy writing about a character from 5 years ago, remembering all the little details about him but also about the universe, the secondary characters, the plot etc. I found myself right back into it, it was like Gena never stopped writing about them in the first place.
If you loved Dallas before you're going to love him even more now! He made me laugh right from the start with his oversized ego and his relationship with Devyn is so precious. I think their bromance is my favorite from all of Gena's bromances. I really liked Lilica as well, she too is very funny and quite sassy (Gena is the queen of sassy heroines), determined, strong and with a drop of innocence. And, if I'm not mistaken, I think Lilica is Gena's first black heroine. Which was a very nice change and something I really appreciated!
The sexual tension is off the charts in this book! Loved the playful relationship Dallas had with Lilica, he doesn't hold back at all with her and it's so amazing to read. I laughed in more than one occasion while reading this and it was mostly because of what Dallas said to her without restraint. Or vice versa.
Of course and to my delight, a lot of characters from the Alien Huntress series make an appearance in Dark Swan. Especially Devyn and Bride, both are important to the story. Devyn is one of my all time favorite characters, I love him so much and I was so happy to have more of his cocky self in this book. He is just so precious and hilarious.
All in all, I'm sure Dark Swan wasn't an easy book to write but Gena did it brilliantly, the plot was very well written and it gave a satisfying conclusion to the series...even if I'm sure we're not quite done with them yet.
dragon_lion64's review
4.0
I'm clapping
We give applause to movies and plays, so why not a book?
Do Swan and Schon rhyme? Sorry, not sorry.
I believe this was the last book in both the Alien Huntress and Otherworld Assassins series. They were so worth reading, and now, I'm going to have a book hangover. I'll miss all of the characters
We give applause to movies and plays, so why not a book?
Do Swan and Schon rhyme? Sorry, not sorry.
I believe this was the last book in both the Alien Huntress and Otherworld Assassins series. They were so worth reading, and now, I'm going to have a book hangover. I'll miss all of the characters
tanyad74's review
3.0
My first comments are that I was very confused by this book's series assignment. I knew the character Dallas and the whole Schon disease from the Alien Huntress series. If I remember right, some of the characters leak over to the Otherworld Assassin series, but to me, Dallas was Alien Huntress. In Goodreads, it is listed as Otherworld Assassin. When I went to Gena's site, it showed it under both series. Color me confused. So, for indexing in my review, it will go in Otherworld Assassin, but truly I believe this is Alien Huntress.
Dallas's story was one I had been anticipating since I read the series, oh gosh, a couple of years ago maybe? He was a wise ass, self-centered character who had a slight issue with some of his new abilities. His attitude made him a favorite and I wanted to see who would be able to tame him. Dallas was having a lot of visions and communications with Trinity, the Queen of the Schon, and I was hoping SO hard that he didn't hook up with her. The introduction of Trinity's sisters brought on a whole new meaning to some of Dallas's visions.
Lilica was one of three sisters created in a lab with mixed alien heritage. They all had different abilities and were treated harshly in their lab environment growing up. The three are inseparable until Trinity contracts the Schon disease. Lilica and the third sister, Jade, are out to try and find her, thinking they can save her. We find Lilica as a prisoner of Devyn's. Devyn is another of my favorite characters with his self-centeredness and general devil may care attitude. Once Dallas takes over the care of Lilica, they find themselves in a situation that brings them together win a way that is both good and bad for them.
I enjoyed Dark Swan and was really glad to have Dallas's story. Even more glad he didn't end up with Trinity. However, I didn't have the connection with Dallas I had in the previous books. He wasn't as off the wall outrageous as he was before. Lilica did temper his normal personality some. It is still there in places, but I didn't feel it as strongly. It also could be that I haven't read an Alien Huntress book in years and my feelings for him have diminished a bit. I felt like the story left off with a possible love connection that I'm wondering if it might potentially lead into another book. We'll have to see!This review was originally posted on Rantings of a Reading Addict
Dallas's story was one I had been anticipating since I read the series, oh gosh, a couple of years ago maybe? He was a wise ass, self-centered character who had a slight issue with some of his new abilities. His attitude made him a favorite and I wanted to see who would be able to tame him. Dallas was having a lot of visions and communications with Trinity, the Queen of the Schon, and I was hoping SO hard that he didn't hook up with her. The introduction of Trinity's sisters brought on a whole new meaning to some of Dallas's visions.
Lilica was one of three sisters created in a lab with mixed alien heritage. They all had different abilities and were treated harshly in their lab environment growing up. The three are inseparable until Trinity contracts the Schon disease. Lilica and the third sister, Jade, are out to try and find her, thinking they can save her. We find Lilica as a prisoner of Devyn's. Devyn is another of my favorite characters with his self-centeredness and general devil may care attitude. Once Dallas takes over the care of Lilica, they find themselves in a situation that brings them together win a way that is both good and bad for them.
I enjoyed Dark Swan and was really glad to have Dallas's story. Even more glad he didn't end up with Trinity. However, I didn't have the connection with Dallas I had in the previous books. He wasn't as off the wall outrageous as he was before. Lilica did temper his normal personality some. It is still there in places, but I didn't feel it as strongly. It also could be that I haven't read an Alien Huntress book in years and my feelings for him have diminished a bit. I felt like the story left off with a possible love connection that I'm wondering if it might potentially lead into another book. We'll have to see!This review was originally posted on Rantings of a Reading Addict
si0bhan's review
2.0
There was a point where the only romance stories I would read were of the paranormal variety. Things have changed over time, and I’m much more willing to pick up romance stories of all kinds, but paranormal remains my favourite. Despite it being my favourite, I’ve read surprisingly few of the big names in the genre. Gena Showalter is one such big writer in the genre I have failed to pick up.
Whilst the Lords of the Underworld series does seem interesting, I’m not crazy about picking it up. There is potential, but it does not scream out to me in the way some series do. Of Gena Showalter’s series, it’s the Lord of the Underworld series that interests me the most. Thus, you can see why I have not picked up a Gena Showalter book before.
However, I was finally given my introduction to Gena Showalter through Blood Red Kiss. I brought it to read Kresley Cole’s The Warlord Wants forever, yet I was happy to give the Larissa Ione and Gena Showalter stories a read as well. Unfortunately, of the three, the Gena Showalter story was my least favourite.
It’s possible I would have enjoyed this one more had I read the two prior Otherworld Assassin books, but I’m not sure. A part of me believes if I were to go and read the Otherworld Assassin books I would not enjoy them much, and I would blame it on how I have not read the Alien Huntress series of which it is a spinoff. I believe this is one of those situations where my desire to like something will have me creating excuses of why I didn’t like it. Sadly, the reality of the situation is that very little of this one appealed to me. Moreover, I’m not interested in finding out more.
Throughout the entire book, I failed to connect with any of the characters. I wasn’t at all interested in the details of their lives, nor did I feel anything towards them. Anything could have happened and I wouldn’t have been at all bothered – there was nothing to make me care about them, nothing that interested me. I know followers of the series enjoyed this story because of the male lead being of interest from the prior books, but I didn’t care for him at all. There was nothing about him that I found interesting – and I didn’t feel anything for our female lead either.
The story failed to entertain me, too. I kept expecting something big to happen, for there to be a moment where I felt something, but it went along without me caring. I kept reading – forcing myself at times – hoping something would occur, but nothing ever did. There was no plot twist, no real moment where things made me feel, and it was all rather expected and cliched.
There was the potential for things to be interesting, a part of me was curious about the world building, but the way in which the story was told left me feeling nothing at all. Part of me blames this on my lack of knowledge caused by not having read the prior stories, but a much larger part of me believes it was Gena Showalter’s storytelling – whilst it wasn’t bad, it simply wasn’t something I enjoyed.
Overall, I’m unlikely to be picking up another Gena Showalter book at any point in the foreseeable future. My sister has read her White Rabbit Chronicles and really enjoyed it, which means she has been asking me to read it for quite some time, so there’s the possibility of me one day picking up something else Gena Showalter wrote, but it is unlikely to be soon.
Whilst the Lords of the Underworld series does seem interesting, I’m not crazy about picking it up. There is potential, but it does not scream out to me in the way some series do. Of Gena Showalter’s series, it’s the Lord of the Underworld series that interests me the most. Thus, you can see why I have not picked up a Gena Showalter book before.
However, I was finally given my introduction to Gena Showalter through Blood Red Kiss. I brought it to read Kresley Cole’s The Warlord Wants forever, yet I was happy to give the Larissa Ione and Gena Showalter stories a read as well. Unfortunately, of the three, the Gena Showalter story was my least favourite.
It’s possible I would have enjoyed this one more had I read the two prior Otherworld Assassin books, but I’m not sure. A part of me believes if I were to go and read the Otherworld Assassin books I would not enjoy them much, and I would blame it on how I have not read the Alien Huntress series of which it is a spinoff. I believe this is one of those situations where my desire to like something will have me creating excuses of why I didn’t like it. Sadly, the reality of the situation is that very little of this one appealed to me. Moreover, I’m not interested in finding out more.
Throughout the entire book, I failed to connect with any of the characters. I wasn’t at all interested in the details of their lives, nor did I feel anything towards them. Anything could have happened and I wouldn’t have been at all bothered – there was nothing to make me care about them, nothing that interested me. I know followers of the series enjoyed this story because of the male lead being of interest from the prior books, but I didn’t care for him at all. There was nothing about him that I found interesting – and I didn’t feel anything for our female lead either.
The story failed to entertain me, too. I kept expecting something big to happen, for there to be a moment where I felt something, but it went along without me caring. I kept reading – forcing myself at times – hoping something would occur, but nothing ever did. There was no plot twist, no real moment where things made me feel, and it was all rather expected and cliched.
There was the potential for things to be interesting, a part of me was curious about the world building, but the way in which the story was told left me feeling nothing at all. Part of me blames this on my lack of knowledge caused by not having read the prior stories, but a much larger part of me believes it was Gena Showalter’s storytelling – whilst it wasn’t bad, it simply wasn’t something I enjoyed.
Overall, I’m unlikely to be picking up another Gena Showalter book at any point in the foreseeable future. My sister has read her White Rabbit Chronicles and really enjoyed it, which means she has been asking me to read it for quite some time, so there’s the possibility of me one day picking up something else Gena Showalter wrote, but it is unlikely to be soon.
danni_faith's review
2.0
I wish that the issue of Trinity/ the Schön was resolved better. This would have benefitted from being a full-length novel.
lindaunconventionalbookworms's review
3.0
3.5 stars
Dark Swan brought me back to a beloved universe, as The Alien Huntress was one of my very first PNR reads.
Lilica and Dallas were fun to follow, but there were several scenes that felt very familiar to me somehow, and that made me enjoy myself less than I could have.
Dark Swan brought me back to a beloved universe, as The Alien Huntress was one of my very first PNR reads.
Lilica and Dallas were fun to follow, but there were several scenes that felt very familiar to me somehow, and that made me enjoy myself less than I could have.
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