The Descent Series Complete Collection An Urban Fantasy Series

Disclaimer: I must have been slightly mad when I wrote this thing. I mean, Elise is one of my favourite kick ass chicks ever, but comparing her to Kate Daniels? I don't know what I was high on when I non-reviewed this, but it must have been high quality stuff. Friendly warning: do not read this thing. You'll be glad you didn't. You're welcome. Actual rating: 3.5 stars. I recently discovered S.M. Reine through her Preternatural Affairs series and enjoyed it quite a lot so I decided to gave Descent a try. I have to say that in these first instalments Elise Kavanagh (the series’ MC) reminded me a lot of Kate Daniels, minus the snarkiness and general badassery. Well, more like her distant cousin really. Descent was written after the Kate Daniels series begun and I can’t help but think that Reine got some inspiration from the Andrews series. Then again, I might be wrong. This doesn’t mean that I didn’t like Descent. Granted, it lacks the overall awesomeness and total epicness of Kate Daniels. The world building isn’t as precise and the characters could be much better defined… Still, I found myself enjoying this series a lot. I think what I like best about this series is that it is quite dark. Actually, it gets darker, more violent and twisted with each new instalment, which is great. I am getting a bit tired of urban fantasy authors trying to mix violence and humour only to fail miserably. That doesn't happen here. This world is definitely and hopelessly messed up and there is no comic relief to be found anywhere, which is really refreshing! Reine chose to go back and forth between past and present which is a bit confusing at first but the plot is engaging, the book is action-packed and Elise is so screwed up and raw I couldn’t help loving her. James bugs me to no end and I have a hard time understanding him and his choices. He is completely clueless when it comes to Elise and her feelings which is a bit surprising considering they have been living together for years. I just don't get it. Well, I guess we might find out more about it in instalments to come. Anthony I don’t really like and Betty feels a bit, I don’t know, I didn’t really care what happened to her. Stephanie I definitely can’t stand. Actually I found myself liking the bad guys much better than the good ones! Mr Black, the Night Hag, Thom… Oh I love Thom! The world building is getting much better as the series evolve and everything start making more sense with every new instalment. I like series that build up slowly and Reine does that very well. She doesn't rush into the story which makes it much more enjoyable. A fun read, I can't wait to get my hands on the next instalment! ➽ Individual reviews for books 1-3: ✎ Book 1: Death's Hand ★★★★ ✎ Book 2: The Darkest Gate ★★★★★ ✎ Book 3: Dark Union ★★★★ ➽ Reviews for the rest of the series: ✎ Book 4: Damnation Marked ★★★★ ✎ Book 5: Dire Blood ★★★★ ✎ Book 6: Defying Fate ★★★★ ✎ Book 7: Paradise Damned ★★★★★