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Darkblade #7

Defender

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The Hunter has worn countless faces, played countless roles.Conqueror. Savior. Assassin. Protector. He is all of them and more…

But one performance for which he is truly ill-suited is that of father.
Particularly to a daughter who seeks to use him only to her own ends, willing to manipulate, deceive, and murder to gain access to the arcane power hidden around Einan by the ancient Serenii.

The Hunter is left no choice in the matter, for hunting Jaia is a foe far more deadly and implacable than any he has the Secret Keepers.
The tongueless alchemists and warrior-priests will stop at nothing until they have their prize. Even if that means leaving a trail of blood and bodies in their wake.

Will the Hunter’s legendary skill suffice to outrun his daughter’s pursuers, or will even his inhuman abilities falter in the face of such overwhelming odds?

The stakes have never been higher—not only for the Hunter, but for everyone he loves.

535 pages, Paperback

Published December 4, 2023

210 people are currently reading
367 people want to read

About the author

Andy Peloquin

91 books1,298 followers
I am, first and foremost, a storyteller and an artist--words are my palette. Fantasy is my genre of choice, and I love to explore the darker side of human nature through the filter of fantasy heroes, villains, and everything in between. I'm also a freelance writer, a book lover, and a guy who just loves to meet new people and spend hours talking about my fascination for the worlds I encounter in the pages of fantasy novels.

Fantasy provides us with an escape, a way to forget about our mundane problems and step into worlds where anything is possible. It transcends age, gender, religion, race, or lifestyle--it is our way of believing what cannot be, delving into the unknowable, and discovering hidden truths about ourselves and our world in a brand new way. Fiction at its very best!

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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
Profile Image for Lana.
2,786 reviews59 followers
November 14, 2023
The Hunter of Voramis has been many things during his long immortal life, we know him as a relentless assassin when he was in Voramis, killing without a qualm, however over the many years and the many books we have read we have seen him evolve. He has grown in his humanity as he faced many challenges and rose to meet these. He has grown to love Kiara and she has been a great influence on him, together they have loved the two boys they made their own, Hailen and Evren and they were now travelling together towards Shalandra to visit their boys, taking a much needed break from tracking down the demon known as the nameless one. He who had been unleashed after thousands of years on the world. On the way their paths cross that of Jaia and Alessard, and she appearing as Contessa Nyvae together with her protector, enrolled the hunter to be her defender and he jumped to take the job. He and Kiara had been looking for Jaia for the past three years and though she did not know this, she was his long lost daughter, the one he had promised his wife Tiana to protect. However she did not make his job easy, he had no clue the sort of woman she was and she had killed Father Reverentus right before his eyes. The role of a father proves to be the most challenging to the hunter, but Kiara knew he would do whatever it took to protect his daughter. She was being hunted down by the priests of the temple of whispers, the secret keepers who were relentless when tracking their prey. So our foursome try to evade capture by going through the mountains but fall into the hands of the Zahirani who accused them of being spies. Due to his role as protector of his daughter the hunter does not unleash his violent and deadly powers, but allows himself and his group to be taken as prisoners by the mountain people. I feared that this book would deprive us of the hunters' strength, however a great battle finally happens and we get to enjoy his powers and see some nasty characters meet their end at his hands. I loved this very challenging book and what's more loved to see the conflicting emotions the hunter feels when facing the many trials and tribulations Jaia throws at him not least of all having to put up with Alessard, being a parent is not easy. The book ends on quite a cliffhanger so I cannot wait to read book 8 to enjoy more adventures with my favourite assassin character of all time!
Profile Image for Noxwitchbooklife.
865 reviews12 followers
November 29, 2023
After that last epic adventure with some fantastic storytelling we go to a tale with the Hunter learning all about how to be a father to a daughter who never knew him or knows who he is to her.

Throughout this whole book there is some very well done learning moments for the Hunter with all the classic parenting techniques making an amusing and yet emotional appearance.

We get to explore more of Einan on their quest as well as more of it's peoples which was very enjoyable but it all comes back in one way or another to family.

Every book in this series has been a hair-raising ride and although Defender has plenty of fights and clever tricks this is the story in which our assassin really seems like his human side is who he is now, which is a bit of a breather from all the crazy world is ending fairground ride of his life.

An absolute joy to read and always looking forward to more!
Profile Image for fish003.
177 reviews2 followers
December 7, 2023
I'm a little disappointed. I hate it when this happens. It's so frustrating when you read a book series and thoroughly enjoy it but because it's unfinished you have to wait for the release of the next book and in that period of waiting you read other books and get a taste for other writing styles and authors, so much so that when the next book in that series comes out and you get to read this long-anticipated release, you find yourself not enjoying it as much. That's what's happened with this one, in the few months or so since I read the sixth book, my book interests have changed a little so there are things about this book series that I didn't notice before that I don't particularly like. I'm still going to continue reading, I don't want to give up on it, but I find myself annoyed about certain things.

For instance, I know this critique is kind of elementary, but the author does an excessive amount of telling and not showing. There's a lot of boasting about character's abilities and how fearsome and deadly they are, it feels like we're constantly being told about how scary and fierce and legendary the character is and it's just annoying. I know that it's not all talk, we've seen the skills and ferocity plenty of times to know the character is formidable. It's for that reason that this repetition of praise is unnecessary and bothersome. WE ALREADY KNOW! You don't need to keep telling us. I don't remember if this was something that was going on with the previous books but it was very blaring in this one and it got on my nerves.

Another thing is that this book was kinda bland. It seemed like filler and not a lot of important plot. It was just so much boring travel stuff, it felt very slow and uninteresting. I'm actually shocked that this book is over 700 pages and literally all they accomplished was travelling from Ghandia to Shalandra. Sure, there was stuff that happened along the way but it wasn't big conflict stuff, it felt a little trivial, just minor problem stuff to add some drama but not enough to make it engaging.

Speaking of those minor problems, the whole Secret Keeper thing was kind of eye-rolling to me. The author tried very hard to make the priests seem like scary and invincible foes that even the legendary Hunter of Voramis feared, but honestly they seemed unimpressive. I spent a lot of time during the book wondering why the hunter feared them so much, they're just human. And also, in all seriousness, his fear was what made them so difficult to defeat. The Hunter's skills and abilities should've made it easy to kill these priests considering he's defeated actual demons before. But because the Hunter seemed to have it in his head that these guys were terrifying, mysterious, undefeatable warriors, it actually hindered his ability to beat them and made him do a lot of fleeing and hiding. All that running is part of the reason this book was so bland.

But anyway, yea I'm disappointed. It wasn't horrible but it's not as good as I thought this series used to be. I guess I'll still try to read the next one when it comes out, but I don't have high hopes that it'll be much better.
Profile Image for Beba Andric.
1,582 reviews111 followers
November 21, 2023
It's dark, it's gruesome, (though nothing like the previous books) it's hopeful, it's action packed, it's emotional, it's packed with tense moments and countered by beautiful moments. It's a book I awaited with much anticipation, although, I admit to the clenching of my stomach each time I turned the page. With the author's propensity for laying bodies at my feet, and the realisation that I was spared the anguish with each turn, I heaved a sigh of relief that the characters who I've come to love, live another day.

The evolution of the Hunter throughout the series has been spectacularly magnificent. But even in the very first book in this series, the Hunter, an assassin for hire, a man with no apparent conscience, with no apparent feelings, drew out feelings in me, of such intensity, he burrowed into my very soul. The author's account of this immensely complex character can only be described as artistic excellence, of imaginative panache. A skill that can get one to sympathise, empathise and indeed, want to embrace and console a hardened killer who leaves scores of bodies in his wake, is a hard one to produce, yet Andy Peloquin does it almost unwittingly, with such verve, it speaks to his immense talent. There are very few characters I've read, and there have been scores, that have had the ability to capture me quite like the Hunter. He is, and always will be, one of my most favourite, most loved character of all time. His place in my very soul will never be eradicated, he will reside there with the likes of Drizzt and Nick Halloran for as long as I breathe.

Marius and Luna were wonderful additions, I enjoyed both characters immensely, especially Luna, a gifted sweet angel. There is a scene where the Hunter hires a barge which nearly undid me, I was blinking rapidly and swallowing furiously, my emotions rolling around unchecked. There's a definite difference in the tone of this book, it's somehow lighter, at least in the first half, we get to see a warmer, less tormented Hunter, one who even manages to impress me, with his humourous banter. I LOVED this "more well balanced" Hunter, still deadly though, just a bit more.... sensitive. And that's all thanks to another of my favourite characters, Kiara. She's his stabiliser, she's his rock, his voice of reason, the one who constantly reminds him of the good in him. And he's still amassing enemies at every turn, not his doing this time though. The Secret Keepers are the new threat and for some reason, are determined to get Jaia. It was really terrific to get to "know" her, although... she's still shrouded in secrecy, there's much more behind her words, her actions and I'm looking forward to it unfold. And Alessard, well, the Hunter was not the only one with an intense dislike of Alessard, shoo, he rubbed me up the wrong way too, raising my heckles. But his devotion to Jaia is beyond question.

Confronted by his daughter, the Hunter is at a bit of a loss, a unique situation for him, he can't tell her who he is to her, he has no clue how to behave around her, but protect her he will, with every ounce of his strength, which is almost unconquerable, almost.....I love how the Hunter tries so desperately to place the emotions HE feels for his daughter. How he's struggling to come to grips with his overwhelming parental feelings. His uncertainty on what to do with them, and indeed, his uncertainty in how to deal with Jaia. I absolutely ADORE this vulnerability in the Hunter. But I love the lean, mean, killing machine, the protective, sword swishing, Soulhunger wielding deadly and imposing awesomeness. And I got PLENTY of that, plenty of incredibly action packed battles. Yet another nail bitting, tummy churning, head pounding, completely soul wrapping book by this incredibly talented author.
Profile Image for MrG LikesBooks&Booze.
147 reviews
December 4, 2023
Wow.
This book was another excellent installment in Mr. Peloquin's Darkblade series.
After searching for and brooding about his daughter Jaia, he runs across her, saving her from the Secret Keepers. Anyone who has read the Heirs of Destiny can see that this will be an interesting twist in an already interesting plot line.
It appears that Jaia, who is going by Countess Nyvae, doesn't know who the Hunter truly is. However, knowing Mr. Peloquin's habit of twists, turns, betrayals and shocking reveals, I remain skeptical and curious.
Throughout the book we see multiple instances of Father-Daughter relationships, and what a father is willing to do for his daughter. All this while the Hunter struggles to understand, know, and be around his own daughter (who "doesn't know" she's his daughter).
I am looking forward to learning more about the Secret Keepers and their interest in Jaia, more about Jaia and Alessard, and seeing the Hunter interact with The Keeper's Blades and Shalandra in the next novel.
As always the action was gritty and vicious, the interactions were poignant nuanced, and the pacing was superb.
After the length of Awakener, I was shocked when I reached the end of the novel, mostly because I felt like I had just started, and because I know I have to wait until March for the next book in the series. I will be counting down the days till I get to come back and join the Hunter in Einan.
Profile Image for Kelly Erickson.
Author 5 books18 followers
November 28, 2023
These books just keep getting better. I felt like I was traveling right along with the Hunter and his fellow travelers. Several times I would gasp, realizing I had been holding my breath at the many intense action scenes. Or tears would interfere with my reading as the emotions the Hunter had been suppressing for millennia finally came to the surface. And even cursing the author for putting the characters through such torment. And putting me throught it, too.
I can't wait to read the final book to see what he does next to the Hunter, Kiara, Jaia, and all the rest.
634 reviews17 followers
December 17, 2023
Andy Peloquin never disappoints! The seventh Darkblade book is just as good as the first, if not better. This is a book I wish I could just read non-stop until I finished it! There’s so much action and tense moments as the Hunter works to protect Jaia and thwart the Secret Keepers. I love the characters, I love the plot and I can’t wait for the next book to see where the story will go next!

I received an ARC from the author and I’m voluntarily leaving an honest review.
1 review1 follower
December 20, 2023
never disappointed

Peloquin brings his stories to life and draws readers on. Every moment matters and the pulse pounding adventures of his characters live in our minds in vivid detail. I highly recommend Andy Peloquin to any readers. He has a special place in my collection right beside Robert Jordan.
Profile Image for Tracey Edsall.
13 reviews3 followers
December 25, 2023
Different pace but nonetheless...parenting

Plots twists and turn. Growth for the Hunter in becoming more 'human' learning from the faults we endure as parents. Exciting yet scary as every parent knows. A daughter with Secret Keepers dogging her every step, 2 sons maturing in the short while they have been on their own. Add some good action and viòla....
17 reviews
February 16, 2024
Report

Not much to say here. If you dear review er have not read this series then my review will not be worth reading. But if your in need of a tale to get you through to the warmer weather of spring then I would suggest this series. Andy you have got my attention! Keep on writing! Good job!
776 reviews2 followers
November 26, 2023
Wow, book seven and we go through all the emotions in this one that’s for sure. I just cannot believe the storylines from this fantastic author. I loved every minute, from the first page to the last one. What are we going to see in book eight I wonder. Highly recommended.
5 reviews
December 9, 2023
A powerful read!

I couldn't put this book down. Fast paced, strong,, emotional, well written.
A great book to follow the earlier books. Wonderful job, Andy!!

I know your next book will be fantastic!

Cliff
Profile Image for Katherine.
144 reviews
December 15, 2023
Defender Dark Blade #7

I really am enjoying this series.
The characters are well thought out and the fight scenes are pretty epic!
I enjoyed dead as a supernatural hard core demon become a hero!
Great series!
176 reviews3 followers
December 29, 2023
Really loved this book! The world and characters are super interesting ! I loved watching the Hunter change throughout these books. Well done character work in the rest of the characters too. I love the magic system in the book and how alive the world seems. I eagerly await the next book!
Profile Image for Elizabeth.
419 reviews2 followers
January 23, 2024
Fabulous!

Strap in and get ready for an epic ride. The Hunter takes on the Secret Keepers to keep his daughter safe. And that’s just the beginning. Don’t mess with the Hunter’s family!
Profile Image for Tabitha Ormiston-Smith.
Author 54 books59 followers
February 14, 2024
As always Peloquin has given us a roller coaster of excitement and daring. I think the Hunter is my favourite of all the action heroes. The only reason I didn't give the full five stars was the cliffhanger ending.
37 reviews1 follower
December 1, 2023
Amazing, AGAIN

Andy Peloquin never ceases to amaze. Hunter does it again. This book comes highly recommended. What a mad ride. Brilliant
3 reviews
March 1, 2024
Marmalade book 7

There is just one problem reading the darkblade series, you can not put the book's down until you have finished .
Profile Image for Kimberly Jump.
8 reviews1 follower
March 6, 2024
I absolutely love this series! I love the plot! I love the characters! And I love that the story just keeps going! Very action packed!
3 reviews
March 7, 2024
Great Read

Once again the Hunter doesn't disappoint. Love the character development and the way the storyline unfolded. Can't wait to read the next book.
8 reviews
October 6, 2024
Well written

Well written and fast paced. I enjoy Peloquin's use of rarely used and mostly forgotten words which for me make the tapestry of the story that much richer.
4 reviews
December 18, 2024
A further showing of greatness

While slower and filled with more exposition than many of the other books, it brought so much to the beautiful world of Einan!
1 review
February 23, 2025
Like the story a lot

The character continues to grow. Keep up the good word! Can't wait for the next chapter! Always a good read.

Profile Image for Trina  Terry.
73 reviews
September 21, 2025
Every single time I delve back into reading this series my love for it grows. I have been doing this story in the world building read - so it has taken me a little bit longer to get to this point.

I'll tell you though, the world building read is well worth the journey.

In a lot of ways this seemed....softer. But just as brutal. Convictions and growth have come leaps and bounds over the span of this read.

My heart, grows and swells with every page. Even if I do yell at the author at every opportunity I get.
24 reviews
February 6, 2024
Such a great story! I would have given it 5 Stars but I’ll wait for the finale. The Hunter is turning into a real Hero who’ll do everything in his power to save the good in people. Even ones he just met.
Still I’m grateful to get a close-up on his daughter and can’t wait to hear how he’ll break the news? Very interesting predicament in the making.👍🏽
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
26 reviews
February 1, 2025
Volume 7 Does Not Disappoint Hunter continues to grow his humanity while still maintaining his ferocious skills as an assassin. The inner turmoils and wrestling with his personality growth through introspection is what keeps the reader engaged. Bring on volume 8!
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews

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