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Dark Descendant (Descendant, Bk 1)
Dark Descendant - Descendant, Bk 1
Author: Jenna Black
Nikki Glass thinks of herself as an ordinary person, although her skills as a private investigator sometimes verge on the uncanny. But whatever Nikki might think of herself, she is far from ordinary, as she discovers one life-altering night when she loses control of her car on an icy road, accidentally killing a man who appears out of nowhere. T...  more »
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PBS Market Price: $8.09 or $4.19+1 credit
ISBN-13: 9781451606799
ISBN-10: 1451606796
Publication Date: 4/26/2011
Pages: 352
Rating:
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 60

4 stars, based on 60 ratings
Publisher: Pocket
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

donkeycheese avatar reviewed Dark Descendant (Descendant, Bk 1) on + 1255 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Nikki Glass is a private investigator who isn't quite sure how to solve the issue her current client has hired her for. Emmitt had hired Nikki to investigate a rumored cult house that his girlfriend Maggie had migrated to. So when Emmitt calls Nikki during her doomed blind date, she latches onto the handy escape route and leaves to meet Emmitt. He is sure that the gate to the house is unlatched and that he and she can get Maggie out of the house, a house where Emmitt is convinced she is staying against her will.

However, when Nikki gets to the large, looming house, Emmitt is nowhere to be seen. She decides to drive up the icy road and loses control of her car when she swerves to avoid Emmitt, who is standing in the middle of the road. The out-of-control car still hits Emmitt and then a tree. As she lies on the ground, convinced she is badly hurt, Nikki is shocked when men surround her, angrily yelling at her for killing Emmitt and then kick her in the head.

When Nikki awakes, she learns a few things. Emmitt was a member of the house and used her to seek his death. The house is full of immortal beings, children of the gods. In fact, they believe that Nikki herself is a descendant of Artemis, goddess of the hunt. She doesn't believe them, but the tattoo appearing on her forehead and her speed healing cause her to pause. Not to mention her unsurpassed accuracy at shooting her gun or her new agility and speed.

The Olympians are a rival clan of immortals, and they believe in seeking and destroying all descendants who do not bow to them. Nikki isn't sure which clan she belongs to, even though the clan that beat the crap out of her tells her that they are the good guys! But when Nikki's sister is threatened, she decides to take matters into her own hands.

DARK DESCENDANT is a thrilling new urban fantasy with large doses of mythology. Nikki is a terrific heroine; complex, gritty and yet, she still retains her feminism. The world-building is fascinating, the cast of characters eccentric and compelling and the dialogue sharp and entertaining. DARK DESCENDANT grabs you from the first page and holds you in its relentless grip to its exciting ending. Don't miss it!
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esmestohelit avatar reviewed Dark Descendant (Descendant, Bk 1) on + 109 more book reviews
Awesome first in series! The action starts right from the get go and continues right until the end.

I loved Nikki. She had just the right mix of confidence and insecurities to make her likable and believable. We get to see a good amount of 3 or 4 secondary characters, but I'd hoping to see more background for all of them in the next book.

I'm really looking forward to starting Deadly Descendant
eclecticfirefly avatar reviewed Dark Descendant (Descendant, Bk 1) on + 94 more book reviews
I loved Nikki. She was so realistic. She's had a hard life, abandoned by her Mother at 4, put into the foster care system, moved from family to family and becoming ever more unable to trust. The Glass family takes her in and adopts her. She finally belongs, but still feels like an outsider.

She becomes a PI and has an uncanny knack for finding "lost" people. While attempting to help a client rescue someone he says has been taken into a cult-like situation, the icy driveway ends up in disaster. Her client has been killed and she is imprisoned. Hopeless, right?

**SPOILER** Her injuries miraculously heal themselves with no help from paramedics. Her client was actually a part of the "cult" and the other members of the household have a hard time believing her story. She starts to begin to piece together the puzzle of her Mother's abandonment all those years ago. **SPOILER**

I really liked the way the world building was done in bits and pieces. You, the reader, find out about this new world in the same way that Nikki does. It's hard to know who to trust, and for Nikki it's even harder.

I am anxiously awaiting the next installment in this series. It can't come soon enough!
readermuse avatar reviewed Dark Descendant (Descendant, Bk 1) on + 96 more book reviews
I really enjoyed this book. It is mostly a UF book and since this is the first in the series, those looking for a PNR will be disappointed. However, I'm sure that is coming later in the series. Those looking for action, then you will not be disappointed. I really enjoyed Nikki's character. Even though she has had a hard life from childhood, she did find love and stability when she was adopted at age 11. Because of her early experiences, she still has a hard time trusting people, but has a good heart. She turned PI and refuses the family money. While on a job she is set up and finds herself confused, hurt and immortal. Now she has to figure out who is trustworthy and who is playing dangerous games.

There were times I yelled at this book. I didn't like the way the "good guys" treated her and I felt that her loyalty was still too easily given. I wanted to see them work at it a little harder. However, there were aspects of this book I throughly enjoyed. One was Blake a descendant of Eros. When we are introduced to him we find out how using sex as a weapon is not a statement reserved wholly to women. In fact, it gave a good description as to how rape is a violent act and not one of mere sex. To anyone who cannot wrap their brains around that (which seems prevalent within the legal community) I feel that they should be required to read that part and then see if they feel the same when next meeting a victim of that particular crime. Okay, politics and societal concerns aside, the gods are anything but benign and need a short leash unless they become arrogant and dangerous players in our world.

I give this novel 4 stars. I think it is a great start to a new UF series and I can't wait for the next installment.


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