Narrated by Sean Crisden
Growing up, I was never a fan of vampires. I had a strong dislike of horror, and that was how vampires were often portrayed in the books and movies of my youth. Needless to say, I was skeptical when I learned people were actually writing romances featuring vampires. Reluctantly, I read Christine Feehan’s Dark Prince, and realized vampires didn’t have to be as horrible as they were made out to be. In fact, some could even be rather endearing.
Over the years, I picked up a Feehan book now and then. When I heard that Harper Audio was planning to release the series with male narrators, I was intrigued. Since I’d read the first three books in the series, Dark Magic
Savanna Dubrinski is the daughter of Carpathian royalty. Her father is the prince of his people, and her mother is a gifted psychic. Savanna wants to be an independent woman, one who isn’t bound by Carpathian rules and traditions. She doesn’t want to be coddled and protected. In order to achieve this independence, she leaves home at the age of eighteen, and makes a name for herself as a magician. Everywhere she goes, people recognize her. She is exactly who she wants to be. For five years, she lives the life she’s always dreamed of, but, in the space of one evening, everything changes.
Gregori is the most powerful of Carpathian males. He has lived for centuries. He’s lived so long that he is in danger of losing his soul to the darkness if he doesn’t claim his life mate. For years, Gregori has known Savanna is the woman for him, but how can he convince her of this? How can he demand that she give up her independence? Honestly, he has no problem demanding that, and a whole lot more, from the young woman he has claimed as his own. Gregori is nothing if not an alpha male.
It’s remarkable to see how Savanna and Gregori interact. She defies him at every turn, and he continues to show her that he is the one with the power. In spite of the power struggle, there is a definite attraction between the two Carpathians. Gregori knows Savanna is the only one who can save him from the darkness, and, slowly but surely, she realizes that this is indeed her destiny. Gregori views himself in a rather unfavorable light, and he fears Savanna will eventually view him the same way. He doesn’t count on her compassionate nature and her loving heart. Once they get past this rather large hurdle, their relationship blossoms into something that can last an eternity.
The majority of the story takes place in New Orleans, which is a definite point in its favor. There’s something magical about that city, and that magic made it the perfect setting for Gregori’s fight against an evil nearly as ancient as himself. It also seemed the perfect place for Gregori and Savanna to really fall in love.
Sean Crisden is a narrator I’d not listened to before starting Dark Magic. I can definitely see why he was chosen as one of the narrators for this series. He has an incredibly rich voice that works especially well for male characters. He reads with enough inflection to keep the listener engaged without causing eye rolling or other signs of exasperation.
I had absolutely no difficulty differentiating the characters. Each had a unique voice – none sounded forced or fake. Characters of the same gender were as easy to tell apart as those of opposite genders. Dialogue tags are used, but I did not find them necessary. I always appreciate when a narrator can make this happen.
My only criticism has to do with accents. Carpathians are supposed to come from Eastern Europe, but none are given an accent of any kind. If I didn’t know better, I would think Savanna and Gregori were born and raised in the U.S. Of course, if given a choice between no accents or poorly done accents, I’d choose no accents without question. Still, a bit of cultural authenticity would have been a nice bonus.
I will never be a devoted fan of Feehan’s writing. I like my men with a little less alpha, and I’ve never really been able to wrap my mind around the definition of a Carpathian. However, listening to Crisden narrate this one made it quite an enjoyable experience. I’m not sure I would have finished the book if the narration hadn’t been as good as it was.
If you don’t like books with A LOT of sex, you might want to steer clear of Dark Magic. Carpathians are a very lusty race, especially once they’ve found their life mates. If you like hot, paranormal romance, with characters who grow on you over time, I definitely recommend this book.
Shannon
Narration: A (only a few points taken away for lack of accents)
Book Content: B
Steam Factor: For your burning ears only
Violence: Graphic
Genre: Paranormal Romance – vampire
Publisher: Harper Audio
Dark Magic was provided to AudioGals for review by Harper Audio.
