The Cursed: A Vampire Huntress Legend

Yep, she's managed to do it again. The Curse picks up exactly where the Wicked left off, with the group finishing up with their honeymoon. Of course you know things can't be calm for too long, Lilith, Fallon, and crew aren't going to allow the peace to remain. For the sake of those that either haven't finished The Curse, or for those that are not yet up to this installment I'll try to keep the spoilers down to a minimum. What I will do is list the things that I thought made this book the best in the series, and a few that made me scrunch my nose a bit. Things I loved: 1. How Ms. Banks got inside the psyche of the male mind. Women and men approach problems so differently. A woman will often want to talk it over with her girlfriends, look at it from different angles, get different POVs then figure the best route to solving it. Men will have a problem and jump straight to action. Ms. Banks portrayed this beautifully. 2. Everyone has someone. Yes I know it can be seen as cheesy but I like that there's no member looking at what the others have and longing. 3. The vulnerability of the characters. Even the Neterus for all of their strengths are only human and subject to being knocked down and having to regroup. 4. The sinister plans of the darkness. Ms. Banks has managed to take the bad guy and not just make them/him/her a mindless killing machine but given them depth. 5. Damali and Carlos' attitude towards each other. In the beginning though Carlos knew who Damali was he was very much planning the roll of the protective brother, keeping her out of the loop, and letting his ego get in the way of actually listening to some of her plans. As a result Damali's reaction was to question his decisions. In this installment we saw the two working as one unit instead of two separate people. Once Carlos started asking Damali what she thought of a plan or how she thought they should come at something, she no longer felt she had to be "miss thang" and we were able to see a softer side of her. 6. Damali getting her stomp on. There comes a time when a woman just has to take off her jewelry, get the Vaseline and throw down. It was worth the wait to see her do this. 7. The Queen and King council acting as one. This was something I wanted to see as well. I think it's a reflection of how Damali and Carlos coming together to share power/responsibility brings everyone together. Because they are acting in tandem everything including the council is able to flow together and act as one stronger cohesive unit. 8. Those human moments between the group. It may not add directly to the plot, but it's those moments that allow us to identify deeper with the team members. 9. Ms. Banks use of language. Her characters talk like people talk, they use slang that is heard today without it getting so heavy it bogs down the reading. Her decision to use "The Queen's English" in the narrative parts gives the reader a break. 10. There's still a wild card, Yonnie. Yonni

This is not just some filler book to fill in the time between the "The Armageddon Finale" books (10-12) and the last epic battle book. This book stands on its own two feet. Knowledge of the previous books is not required, but very helpful to get the full understanding of the various character interactions. New readers will definitely get their appetites whetted and want to read the entire series. This book ties up various loose ends from not only the last book but concludes or furthers some ongoing story lines from previous books. Our Neterus and Guardians begin to go back to where it all began both physically, mentally and spiritually. The big war is comming and they get to test out some new powers and show off their skills both on and off the battle field.

Hell is silent. Cain is dead. The Unnamed One, furious. Lilith, moments away from being stumped into another puddle of oil, tells the Dark One that she has secreted Cain's heir away out of Neteru tracking range to the Land of Nod. To her surprise, her husband is thrilled, revealing a secret of his own, rewards her, and installs her as the Chairwoman of the Vampire Council. Meanwhile, Carlos and the male guardians, fed up with Lilith and sensing something foul afoot, posse up (heedless of their wives' objections) and take the fight to all the way to Lilith's lair--in Babylon! Total destruction is their calling card. In the heat of battle, each guardian discovers a marital bonus. And Adam's unexpected appearance guarantee's their safe return home and opens the first seal of the Armageddon. Once the Level Seven occupants realize what the Neteru team has done, Chairwoman Lilith goes to work. Treacherous Evil is her middle name, and she raises the dark covens and some of mythology and history's greatest villains such as Medusa, Siren, Genghis Khan, and Machiavelli. Fallon Nuit is restored. Even Yonnie takes a throne. This plan, if it succeeds, will detonate and destroy the Team from the inside out. This is it. Carlos knows it because he started it. He refuses the comfort of Damali's arms and wings. The Team, the whole world is at stake. Summoned before the Neteru Council of Kings and Queens, the pair learns how bad things really are. Not wanting another biblical seal broken, Carlos pleads with Hannibal to put his red stallion back in the stable while Damali solidifies plans to unify all guardian teams worldwide with a Warriors of Light Tour. THE CURSED, book nine of the Vampire Huntress Legend series, continues to please. The Team's visit to the Holy Land had me in tears. Get ready for brilliantly choreographed battle scenes. Get ready for Eric Battle's illustrations. Get ready to experience the galaxy. Banks' masterful storytelling continues to blur the line between fiction and reality, blending religion and myth, creating delightful characters, some whom I intensely wish were real.

You guessed it, LA Banks has done it again! This, the 9th book in the series is a perfect example of how love conquers all, and how good will always prevail over evil. Lilith, consort to the Unnamed One is literally in Hell, begging for her life. Her husband is furious, that she has caused the death of his two heirs (Dante and Cain). She soon advises him that she can redeem herself because she has hidden an heir to the throne (his throne),in the Land of Nod (hidden away from the Neterus). While her previous actions may have appeared reckless, she can and will redeem herself she assures him, by even more scandalous means and devious plans. While they make up (those scenes are classic), the guardians appear to be cursed by Lilith, who is attempting to break up the group by affecting their relationships, via their sex lives. Having accidentially opened the first seal to Armageddon (via Adam's rage), the entire universe appears to be off kilter. Nod is in chaos (a warrior, Valkyrie fights valiantly and Damali feels that she must heal all); the pearl is grieving for Cain and appears to be infected; Fallon Nuit is bidding his time and making allies; Yonnie is trying to maintain his sanity and play the game; Guardian powers are combined and strengthened (apparently marriage does have it's advantages); Biblical science is told and explained; and Lilith is recreating the Vampire Council by resurrecting some of the most vicious characters in history (i.e., Sebastian, Medusa, Jezebel, Machiavelli, and Genghis Khan)..., and all while the Covenant and the Guardians struggle to maintain the balance of good and evil on Earth. If you are a lover of the series, or looking for something "brilliant" to read, The Cursed is perfect. For devoted fans, we see old issues resolved (Tara,Yonnie and Rider), and new ones revealed (Dan and his lovely wife). And we are allowed to spend time with some of our favorite characters (people to us)..Marlene, Shabazz, Dan, Heather, Rider, Tara, Jose, Juanita, Big Mike and Inez. This book was so brilliantly written! Mrs. Banks created scenes that will make you laugh and cry, but most of all, this book will transport you into another world, one filled with well developed characters and plots. I can't wait for the next one, and do not want to see the series end.

With Dante and Cain both dead, the Unnamed One is looking to Lilith for retribution. Thinking fast on her feet for fear of being annihilated by his wrath, the wily vixen uses her trump card, an heir, to explain herself right into the arms of her beloved husband and a seat as second in command in Level Seven. With the expectation of an heir in their mist, the Unnamed One gives Lilith what she wants. She gets 30 days of uninterrupted pleasure from just him. Their coupling emits an aura so strong it sends everything within their immediate vicinity into a mating frenzy and ultimately leaves them vulnerable. With Carlos and Damali and all the Guardians now paired up and married, the unions fortify their strength. Carlos begins to take more of a leadership role in the group and with Damali's angelic powers they are unstoppable. Carlos' connection to the Vampire Council allows him to sense that Lilith is very busy at the moment. He uses this knowledge and prepares himself and the male Guardians to deliver a blow to Lilith. He plans to strike her lair while neither she nor the Unnamed One can do anything about it. Seeking revenge on the Guardians for their deadly intrusion, Lilith, with her newly attained position, raises the dark covens to fulfill her command--destroy the two Neterus and the Guardians through internal strife. With her sinister manipulations, she uses both the dark covens and the Guardian team to achieve her supreme goal. What the two powers have done is started the Armageddon. The Covenant tries to prepare the Guardians for the work that must be done. They want to prevent another seal from being opened and they must stop Lilith, her witches, and warlocks. A trip to the Holy Land revives and strengthens the Guardians, but is it too late? Will Lilith's plan go forth anyway? THE CURSED is the ninth book of the Vampire Huntress series that is just pure brilliance. There is just no limit to L. A. Banks' imagination. Being able to transport life-sized characters by "folding away" in one instance; describing magnificent scenery in another; and then revealing some of the best sexual scenes in quite another is just jaw-dropping spectacular. All this is being done while a story unfolds that appears to run parallel to the story of Christ's return as evil battles good for control. When I look at how this series has evolved since Minion, I am in awe as to what Banks has achieved. All I can say is bravo! Reviewed by Brenda M. Lisbon of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers