Gena Showalter’s Lords of the Underworld series debuts with The Darkest Night, the story of Maddox and Ashlyn Darrow. The Lords of the Underworld are immortal warriors who fought for and protected the leader of the Greek gods, Zeus. For millennia, each Lord has co-existed with the demon within. We are not speaking of psychological demons, but of the demons contained in Pandora’s Box or dim-Ouniak. These immortal warriors, jealous that Pandora was chosen to guard the box, released the demons and utter chaos ensued.The demons were bound to the warriors since the demons could not be returned to Pandora’s Box because it was gone. These immortal warriors, the Lords of the Underworld, have learned to coexist with and control their particular demon - more or less. Maddox (Violence), Reyes (Pain), Lucien (Death), Paris (Promiscuity), Torin (Disease), and Aeron (Wrath) all reside in a castle above Budapest, Hungary.

Maddox, bound with Violence, is doubly cursed because he killed Pandora. Each night at midnight, Reyes (Pain) kills him in the exact manner in which Maddox killed Pandora. Each time Maddox dies, Lucien (Death) takes him to hell where he is tortured until he awakens healing the next day.

Enter Ashlyn Darrow, who is cursed in her own way. She can hear every conversation ever held wherever she is. She can not control the voices. She goes to Budapest for her work with the World Institute of Parapsychology, but also to seek the help of the supernatural beings that supposedly reside there.

There is a lot going on in this book. We are introduced to the world of the Lords and learn their basic history. We find out that the Aeron has been summoned by the gods, which surprises the Lords since they’ve had no contact with the gods since they were bound to their demons. We are introduced to the Hunters who seek to destroy all evil in the world, especially the Lords. In addition to the story of Maddox and Ashlyn, we are given smaller story lines that we assume will be followed in later books in the series.

Ms. Showalter has done a very good job of world building. Anchoring her story in the myth of Pandora was refreshing and interesting. Her Lords are dark, dangerous and an intriguing mix of demon and noble warrior. The Darkest Night is a fast-paced, satisfying read, and a good start to the series.

Book Stats:

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: HQN Books (May 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373772467
• ISBN-13: 978-0373772469

To purchase a print copy of The Darkest Night click here.

Books in the Lords of the Underworld series in the order they should be read:
The Darkest Night
The Darkest Kiss
The Darkest Pleasure
The Darkest Whisper
The Darkest Passion
The Darkest Lie

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