The Darkness

Reviewed by: Shaun Damali, Carlos and The Guardian's break is over and they are back to fighting evil. Because of the battle at Masada, the team and Neturu Council believed they won a major victory for the Light. The truth is that Lilith and her husband loss as Masada was nothing short of history in the making. There are no boundaries to the evil that these two possess. Darkness knows that Lu's heir apparent needs extreme security and rest so that he can emerge with great strength for the upcoming battle(s). Lilith is rewarded with the daylight bite and the ability to make Councilmen day-walkers. Their mission is to wreak havoc on The Guardian team to weaken their defenses, while healing and adding to their own side. The Guardian's worldwide will have to carve out evil's heart in "The Darkness" by any means necessary. There are new dimensions at work in "The Darkness" that the team has never seen before "day-walkers". The knowledge that soon they will no longer have the cover of daylight to kill demons and vampires, will increase their need to use every gift they have available to ultimately win this ongoing battle between good end evil. This vampire huntress series sizzles with excitement, explosive fight scenes, with a mixture of friends, family, faith, love, believe and hope. The spiritual depth of the series brings together multiple cultures for the sole purpose of saving humankind and to overcome evil. Seeing the aspects of this story as each book unfolds, adds another layer to the foundation it's built on, even as the Armageddon demands all out war towards peace, makes this vampire series inimitable and extraordinary. Get your copy today! You will join the legions of other fans that simply can't get enough of this Vampire Huntress Legend series.

The Neteru squad was trying to get a little well-deserved rest when out of Hell a daywalker makes his presence known and that's just the beginning....Lucifer gets all gussied up and struts into Church like it's HIS house (just cross yourselves and say Amen--okaaay?)....Baddies we never expected have been resurrected to mate with new daywalker councilmen....A child sees & hears things most children have no concept of....Entities that we wondered about make an appearance in the Neteru Council of Kings & Queens....Biblical seals are opened....Oh, and let me also mention that the Anti-Christ exists even after the battle at Masada.... Oh, yeah......this is definitely a MUST-READ!!

The Darkness is the 10th book in the 12 book Vampire Huntress Legend (VHL) Series written by L.A. Banks. After the battle at Masada, the Neteru team returns to San Diego for some much needed rest. They believed that they had dealt with Lilith's spawn, but they are so far from the truth. Unbeknownst to them, Lilith's spawn escaped and is now resting and maturing, waiting for his chance wreak havoc. In the meantime, The One Who Shall Remain Nameless rewarded Lilith with the Daylight bite and she, in turn, passes it to the rest of the Councilmen. Will the team be able to stop the dark side from successfully regenerating their forces and opening another seal? I know that I always say, "If you are a fan of the VHL series, then this book is a must read." However, "Have I ever been wrong?" This book is good from the beginning to the end! I had to make myself put it down! You would think that after 10 books, Ms. Banks would've run out of ideas when it comes to writing this series. Well, I'm here to tell you that's not the case. The Darkness has love, action, drama; you name it, it's in there. Ms. Banks also adds some new characters to the mix, as well as bring back some old favorites. I'm telling you, this book deserves all 5 stars that I gave it. Reviewed by LaShonda Bates for Urban Reviews

The Darkness is the tenth installment of the Vampire Huntress Legend series and picks up some months after the last battle at Masada where the anti-Christ chrysalis made a death-defying escape. In this episode, Lucifer becomes more active when he hatches a plan to ensure his heir matures in an optimal environment. Quite naturally, this involves creating hell on earth and forcing the Biblical prophesies leading to Armageddon to come to fruition. Rewarding Lillith for her role in bringing forth his progeny, he elevates her to a coveted council seat where she bestows the day-walking power and daylight bite to Nuit, Sebastian, and Yonnie. To round out the council chairs, poison-welding Lucretia Borgia and Dracula's wife, Elizabeth Bathory, are resurrected as mates for Nuit and Sebastian respectively. They raise an army from the dark realms wrecking havoc everywhere to keep the good side busy while the anti-Christ heals and strengthens in an undisclosed location. The Neteru team is well-rested and as sharp as ever. Yonnie surprisingly finds love in a new character and finally leaves Tara to her husband. Inez's daughter displays unusual gifts and seems destined to play a larger role in future segments. Carlos and Damali are working well as Generals and wisely heeding advice from the Kings and Queens. However, when Lucifer attacks a seasoned team member, he strategically weakens and poisons Carlos's mind which places the team and him in peril. His purge involves assistance from the upper realms and the power of prayer leads to some unexpected results; giving power to the adage of being careful of what is prayed for as it may just happen. I found this story refreshing in that the 'good' side seemed to take more of a proactive stance against evil. The Neteru Council is actively involved and the earth-based team is more focused, more cunning, and more in control. They are collaborating well with world-wide forces to make their mark (literally and figuratively) on the face of Darkness. Banks delivers with the goods that fans of the series love and expect: action, passion, and mysticism inspired by numerology, folklore, and multi-religion based beliefs. When the third seal is eventually broken, it only fuels anticipation for The Shadows scheduled for a July 2008 release. The advanced reading copy I reviewed contained four black-and-white illustrations that greatly enhanced the reading experience. I hope to see this trend repeated in future editions. Reviewed by Phyllis January 3, 2008 APOOO BookClub