Review: Kiss of the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Kiss of the Night (Dark-Hunter #4) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Format: paperback
Source: purchased
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Dark-Hunter
0.5. Fantasy Lover
1. Night Pleasures
2. Night Embrace
3. Dance with the Devil
4. Kiss of the Night - Paperback | Kindle
5. Night Play
6. Seize the Night
7. Sins of the Night
8. Unleash the Night
9. Dark Side of the Moon
10. The Dream-Hunter
11. Devil May Cry
12. Upon the Midnight Clear
13. Dream Chaser
14. Acheron
15. One Silent Night
16. Dream Warrior 
17. Bad Moon Rising
18. No Mercy
19. Retribution
20. The Guardian
21. Time-Untime
22. Styxx
23. Son of No One
24. Dragonbane
25. Dragonmark
26. Dragonsworn
27. Stygian

Sherrilyn Kenyon
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Synopsis (Goodreads):

Wulf is an ancient Viking warrior with a useful but extremely aggravating power—amnesia. No one who meets him in person can remember him 5 minutes later. It makes it easy to have one-night stands, but hard to have a meaningful relationship, and without true love he can never regain his soul.

When he finally meets Cassandra, the one woman who can remember him, she turns out to be the princess of the cursed race he's sworn to hunt—and forbidden to him. The two of them must face ancient curses, prophecies, and the direct meddling of the Greek gods to find true happiness at last.

My Thoughts: The last time I did a full series reread, I made the mistake of reading this book as soon as I finished Zarek's book. That was a bad idea, as it turned out because I was still slightly emotionally distraught from everything Z had to go through in his really awful human life. This time, I gave myself a few weeks between books and ended up being terribly, terribly excited to dive back into this world. This book is a trove of new information that expands the overall world and we'll end up seeing SO MUCH MORE of some of these characters in later books. I'm looking at you, Stryker.

As far as characters go, Wulf's story isn't quite as emotionally devastating as the others. Hmm. Let me rephrase that: His story about how he came into Artemis's service isn't quite as hard-hitting. The curse that keeps anyone from remembering him pretty much blows and made me make my sad face. Now Cassandra's story, on the other hand, killed me. The fragile hope that she clings to that *maybe* she won't die on her 27th birthday got to me. We're given a chance to see the Apollite side of why some of them choose to become Daimons and it isn't pretty.

I really love the different facets of this world that are uncovered as we go from book to book. We have hunters and weres, everyday demons and warrior demons, gods and Destroyers. And then we have the innocents who are caught up in a curse set forth by an angry, vengeful god. The Apollites are being punished for something that happened centuries before and the choices they have to continue living past their expiration date suck. If Apollo's death didn't herald the end of the world, I'd love to see him get a taste of his own medicine. Alas, that is not to be.

A dark and moody entry into the series that expands the world we've come to know by leaps and bounds. Next up, we get to play in the Were-Hunters' world and see some of their tricks. I'm excited!