Dark Whisper by Christine Feehan Paranormal Romance Review

synopsis

Vasilisa Sidkorolyavokva (henceforth referred to as ‘Vasi’ for fear of misspelling her name) is Lycan royalty, and has known she held the other half of a Carpathian warrior’s soul almost since birth. A warrior in her own right, she regularly fights demons and other threats with her brothers. However, once she crosses paths with her lifemate Afanasiv Belan (or ‘Siv’), things get much more complicated and they must work together to combat the threat to both of their people before it’s too late.

review

Christine Feehan’s most recent release in the Dark Series, Dark Whisper, is now my favorite book in that universe. Vasi and Siv have a very unique relationship compared to the other mated pairs in the series. First of all, Siv actually asks for her consent before claiming her. He’s also more determined to make their relationship a true modern partnership rather than one person dominating the other like a caveman (I’m looking at you, de la Cruz brothers). While there have been many other warrior women in the series (Natalya, Ivory, and Solange to name a few), I don’t think I’ve ever seen a lifemate trust their partner so much so early on to take care of themselves. Siv’s confidence in his lifemate was inspiring and heart-warming to see.

how spicy?

This book was also unique in that the sex doesn’t actually happen till more than halfway through the book. The romance surprisingly doesn’t suffer though, as Vasi and Siv spend that time getting to know each other and developing emotional intimacy as they tackle all the trials set before them. Altogether, I think their relationship is one of the healthiest I’ve seen out of all the lifemates in the books. It’s been a couple years and about 10 books since we last saw Lycans (maybe around Book 26 with Dark Blood, if memory serves), so it was exciting to get to return to that mini arc of the series.

With the Lycans come many members of the Dragonseeker clan, along with some enemies old and new. The way that Ms. Feehan builds on the existing worldbuilding was awesome – my interest has been piqued by the reveal of more details surrounding the four gateways and ‘the Beast’, and I loved the return of tarot cards!

I was very surprised by some of the revelations about Siv and Vasi’s family and lineage, so it will be interesting to see how that plays into the storyline in the future. I’m curious to see where the next book will take place since this book leaves some story threads that were initially introduced in Dark Tarot unanswered (possibly back to the Carpathian mountains?) It will also be intriguing to see who features in the next book, given that many ancients (and some possible lifemates) showed up in Dark Whisper. Some of them even got a bit of direction on where to find their lifemates.

in conclusion

Overall, Dark Whisper was another fantastic addition to Christine Feehan’s Dark series. I would recommend this book to adult fans of paranormal romance who love the fated mate trope, great worldbuilding and aren’t afraid of a longer series. For the best reading experience, I would recommend reading the books in order. However, each book is written such that it stands on its own and you can start wherever you’d like if one book appeals to you more than the others.