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Devil May Cry

Sherrilyn Kenyon

Published 2007          307 pages

Summary (from the book jacket)

Ever since that moment his status as a god was revoked by Artemis, Sin has done nothing but plot his revenge.

He kidnaps a woman he believes to be the goddess, but she's Artemis' servant, Katra. And instead of imprisoning her, Katra captures him and refuses to release him until he promises not to seek vengeance on her mistress.

Despite himself, Sin finds himself intrigued by Katra, who is nothing like the goddess she serves. She's fierce, true, but she's also compassionate and loyal. However, Sin is not the only enemy Artemis has and it quickly becomes apparent that he must help Katra save her mistress or the world as we know it will end.

What's a wannabe god to do?

The Review

Devil May Cry is the eleventh book in Sherrilyn Kenyon’s hugely popular Dark Hunter series (twelfth if you include The Dream Hunter that introduced the reader to the world of the Dream Hunters which is set in a similar world to the Dark Hunter novels but has a different set of characters.)  Eleven books into a romantic fantasy series and you would think that author might start to be running out of steam but no, Sherrilyn Kenyon still manages to pack a creative punch into her latest novel.

Devil May Cry is a Dark Hunter novel although Sin is not actually a Dark Hunter.  Sin doesn’t hunt daimons, the vampire like creatures that steal the souls and lives of humans in order to extend their own lives, he has them working for him in his Las Vegas casino.  Sin has his own demons to battle and in his case they are gallu demons who were created by the Sumerian gods as the ultimate weapon and are so fierce and hard to kill that they make killings daimons look easy by comparison. 

Gallu demons are perhaps more like traditional vampires because they have the ability to convert humans into gallu demons from just one bite.  Their victims rise from the dead to prey on humans, who in turn become gallus meaning the world could quickly become over run with demons if they weren’t kept in check.

Although Sin lost his godhood thousands of years ago, as the last god left in the Sumerian pantheon he is the only one who can wield the ancient weapons that will stop the gallu demons from unleashing seven uber-demons (called the Dimme) who will bring about the apocalypse if they are freed to roam the earth from their underground prison.

It is against this exciting background that Katra and Sin’s romance takes place, as Katra is determined to help Sin advert the apocalypse.   Katra has featured in several of the previous books in this series and she has always had a strange relationship with Ash the leader of the Dark Hunters - the strange part being the fact that she always disappears whenever he is around.  Their relationship is finally explained in Devil May Cry as a little more of Ash’s past is revealed.

The romance between Katra and Sin has witty dialogue and hot, passionate scenes which provide a good counterpoint to the saving the world background of the novel.  The last couple of novels in this series have been good but have lacked the brilliance of some of the earlier Dark Hunter novels - such as Dance With The Devil or Kiss of The Night - but with Devil May Cry Sherrilyn Kenyon has once again proved that she can dish out thrilling romance and a richly imagined fantasy world that you won’t want to leave at the end of the story.

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