Exina's Reviews > The Darkest Whisper

3.5 stars out of 5

The Darkest Whisper is the fourth book of the Lords of the Underworld series, the story of Sabin, Keeper of Doubt, and Gwen Skyhawk, a powerful harpy.
So powerful she is that Sabin’s demon goes into hiding every time she is around. So not taming the beast here, but intimidating it.

Sabin
I like Sabin, though he is often single-minded and stubborn. All he cares about is the war, and defeating their enemy. And in this regard he is not willing to take any risk.

“Everyone had a deep, dark fear. Again, even Sabin. He feared failure as much as Gideon feared spiders.”

Besides that…

“He was the kind of man every Harpy craved. Powerful, a little wild, a lot wicked.
He could kill an enemy without guilt. He wasn’t afraid of hard work. He could be ruthless, without mercy, yet he was tender with her.”

Gwen
Gwen's character is truly fascinating: her abilities, special harpy characteristics, and strength. She is a stronger and more dangerous creature than any of the Lords.

A frightened Harpy is an oxymoron.

It is not only physical strength, but mental too. Even so, Gwen has so many doubts and insecurities that the demon Doubt has nothing left to do. Slowly, she accepts her darker side and learns to handle her Harpy – with the help of Sabin.

“More than her appearance, he liked this newfound spirit. Despite his earlier grumblings to the contrary. Strength was damn sexy. Especially strength that didn’t come naturally. Though she was timid by nature, afraid of him, this house, even her own shadow, she was sitting calmly on his bed, questioning him, head high, refusing to back down. She was truly a remarkable creature.”

The romance
I liked the fated connection between Sabin and Gwen: they are created for each other, and finally have found their other halves. The chemistry between them is blazing. I love first kisses, and theirs is worth mentioning: 

His origins, forgotten. His past, of no consequence. Their audience, vanished as if they’d never been present. Only the two of them existed. Only the here and now mattered...
A kiss that left no room for fear.

What I disliked is the way Sabin proves his love for her, how he wins her trust. What Sabin has done is theatrical and irrational. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want (view spoiler)[Galen defeated, because he is a very credible antagonist, and I like him very much. I just don’t like when characters do stupid things, that’s all. (hide spoiler)]

The story
The storyline is thrilling. I enjoyed it much more than the romance. The Hunters’ long-term project, (view spoiler)[namely kidnapping and impregnating immortals to raise an army of special talented beings, conditioning them to hate the Lords from their infantry, (hide spoiler)] is really creepy. This proves that the Hunters have potential as antagonists, and it would be a mistake to underestimate them.

The venture of a group of Lords in Chicago and the fights in Budapest don’t go without damage. The Hunters don’t hesitate to use their creations in battles, and also have new paranormal allies.

And last but not least, Torin and Cameo surprised me, I loved them together. Torin is so very lonely. I just can’t help but adore him for his strength and humor. Though they are not meant for each other, their friendship with benefits is lovely and sexy.

“I told you to be naked when I got here. You were not a good boy.”
Used to her sorrowful voice, he didn’t flinch as the others always did. Inwardly or outwardly. That voice was a part of who she was — warrior to her core, beautiful disaster… unintentional nightmare. To him, it was a soulful melody, one that echoed within his own soul.

My favorite quotes.