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The Darkness Below
Twenty years have passed since Keeva killed her grandfather, Delius, when he threatened her family. She drank in his powers and became the Queen of the Vrykolakes, known by the ancient Greeks as the bloodless vampires.
She and Severin have settled into some semblance of a normal life, living in rural North America with their two kids, Connor and Kaie. Their neighbors would never suspect that they are anything more than a typical family.
Aside from keeping their true identity a secret, everything seems to be going well for the small family.
Until, their twelve year old daughter, Kaie, goes missing.
Are monsters ever afraid of the dark?
When Kaie finally awakens from a prolonged sleep, she is no longer a child, and she is no longer in familiar surroundings. The Forbidding awaits. Echoes of madness surround her. The Belows warn of doom. Legend holds that whatever is born or brought into the Belows must remain there.
Kaie vows to find a way to return to her family, but first she must learn to face her darkest fear, if she is ever to escape from the darkness below.
She and Severin have settled into some semblance of a normal life, living in rural North America with their two kids, Connor and Kaie. Their neighbors would never suspect that they are anything more than a typical family.
Aside from keeping their true identity a secret, everything seems to be going well for the small family.
Until, their twelve year old daughter, Kaie, goes missing.
Are monsters ever afraid of the dark?
When Kaie finally awakens from a prolonged sleep, she is no longer a child, and she is no longer in familiar surroundings. The Forbidding awaits. Echoes of madness surround her. The Belows warn of doom. Legend holds that whatever is born or brought into the Belows must remain there.
Kaie vows to find a way to return to her family, but first she must learn to face her darkest fear, if she is ever to escape from the darkness below.
391 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 5, 2013
3 people want to read
About the author
Sherri Lackey
5 books15 followersSherri was born in the town of Carlsbad, New Mexico, growing up there and in West Texas where her parents owned a fast food restaurant (The Dairy Twist) and Mexican food restaurant (The Spot).
While growing up in those two places of business, her imagination went out of control, thereby shaping her into the scifi/fantasy writer that she is today.
Later, she met a boy named Paul who was just as strange as she was. They lost touch for several years, meeting up again at New Mexico State University where she received a Bachelor of Arts in history and he received a Master of Business Administration. They married and rode off into the sunset.
That was not the end of their story but only the beginning.
Be sure to stop by and say hi: sherrilackey.com
While growing up in those two places of business, her imagination went out of control, thereby shaping her into the scifi/fantasy writer that she is today.
Later, she met a boy named Paul who was just as strange as she was. They lost touch for several years, meeting up again at New Mexico State University where she received a Bachelor of Arts in history and he received a Master of Business Administration. They married and rode off into the sunset.
That was not the end of their story but only the beginning.
Be sure to stop by and say hi: sherrilackey.com
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 13, 2014
This is the second book in the Narcissus Legacy, and while you can read it without having read the first book, I would definitely recommend reading them in order. And I have it on good authority that the third book is on its way!
The author gives a unique spin on the legends of some of the most written about supernatural beings. Definitely take a look at the guest blog below to see where the author drew her inspiration for this series.
Kaie, in wanting to prove that she is not a child, decides to take a trip in a stream (not a small river, but it would seem more like an air stream that is used for travel from one world to another). Unfortunately she can’t control it as much as she thought she could and ends up in a rogue stream, unconscious and afloat for many years. When she awakens, she no longer has the body of a child and she finds herself on Subtenna; a nasty world where Dark Elves are imprisoned. They believe her to be a human, runaway slave and immediately enslave her again.
I like Kaie. Granted she is still rather immature in some facets; but she’s been away from her family for a long time and hasn’t had any guidance. She’s had no formal training on how to use her inherited skills and she picks up a few more during her time on Subtenna. She is able to escape and finds herself roaming Subtenna with Sedge and Ziv. Sedge is the son of a man Kaie worked with while a slave and Ziv they picked up during one of their adventures. Sedge and Ziv round out the group nicely. They each bring their own unique characteristics to the story.
The world building is amazing. I love fantasy stories because there’s absolutely no limit to what can be created. The story sucks you in and it’s not hard to find yourself actually seeing the world as our merry little band adventures through it. A word of warning though… the bulk of the story is told in third person, but Kaie does relay flaskbacks in first person. They are completely distinguishable from one another, so there is no confusion; but I know that for some this might be a problem. There are no alternating POVs here either.
I liked the first book and I really liked the second. Now I will wait for the third to come out and see how the author rounds this trilogy out. If you love a good fantasy/supernatural read, give The Darkness Below a shot! The uniqueness of the back story alone will suck you in. And there’s plenty enough adventure and action to keep you entranced from beginning to end.
The author gives a unique spin on the legends of some of the most written about supernatural beings. Definitely take a look at the guest blog below to see where the author drew her inspiration for this series.
Kaie, in wanting to prove that she is not a child, decides to take a trip in a stream (not a small river, but it would seem more like an air stream that is used for travel from one world to another). Unfortunately she can’t control it as much as she thought she could and ends up in a rogue stream, unconscious and afloat for many years. When she awakens, she no longer has the body of a child and she finds herself on Subtenna; a nasty world where Dark Elves are imprisoned. They believe her to be a human, runaway slave and immediately enslave her again.
I like Kaie. Granted she is still rather immature in some facets; but she’s been away from her family for a long time and hasn’t had any guidance. She’s had no formal training on how to use her inherited skills and she picks up a few more during her time on Subtenna. She is able to escape and finds herself roaming Subtenna with Sedge and Ziv. Sedge is the son of a man Kaie worked with while a slave and Ziv they picked up during one of their adventures. Sedge and Ziv round out the group nicely. They each bring their own unique characteristics to the story.
The world building is amazing. I love fantasy stories because there’s absolutely no limit to what can be created. The story sucks you in and it’s not hard to find yourself actually seeing the world as our merry little band adventures through it. A word of warning though… the bulk of the story is told in third person, but Kaie does relay flaskbacks in first person. They are completely distinguishable from one another, so there is no confusion; but I know that for some this might be a problem. There are no alternating POVs here either.
I liked the first book and I really liked the second. Now I will wait for the third to come out and see how the author rounds this trilogy out. If you love a good fantasy/supernatural read, give The Darkness Below a shot! The uniqueness of the back story alone will suck you in. And there’s plenty enough adventure and action to keep you entranced from beginning to end.
July 8, 2014
**this review will appear here, as me, and on the group page for the blog. It will be identical, save this bit**
Twenty years after her mother, Keeva, killed her great grandfather, 12 year old Kaie (it rhymes with sky!)enters the streams after an argument with her parents, in an effort to prove to her parents she is longer a child. Only, she isnt strong enough in her Banshee or Vrykolake powers to control the streams and laspes into a never ending darkness. When she awakens, she is no longer a 12 year old girl, and a fully grown adult of approx 27 years. She lands not on Earth, but in Subtenna, the Dark Elf realm and humans are nothing but slaves here. The tale follows Kaie, and those she meets along the way, in her effort to get home.
long book! took some reading even for me! I'm not filing it under paranormal, although they use terms Fae, Banshee, Elf and Wraith, it felt more sci-fi/fantasy to me, especially in Subtenna with all the trials Kaie faces. And some trials she does face! The Forbidding, The Belows and such pain and suffering at the hands of the Dark Elves, it bought tears to my eyes. We follow Kaie as she escapes one Dark Elf city, meets man eating reptiles, gets captured by another Dark Elf city, and then faces her biggest battle, as a Battle Mage for the man she loves, but cant say so. Until he dies. Then its a game changer!
I cant go much into the plot, as it might spoil it. This is, however, the SECOND in this trilogy, and I have not read that one. Much that happened in this book, is explained in this one, and I did not feel I was missing anything, other than an insight into Poppy (as she calls him!), Kaie's great grandfather, who her mother killed, only she didnt. He is a character I would like to have heard more of. We get to hear from most of the characters at or point or other, but not so much him.
I would also have liked a bit of a dictionary type list at the end/beginning, with pronuciations of some of the words, as they are a bit weird, and I wasnt sure if I was soundingthem out correctly in my head!
The epilogue gives a start to book three, and I should like to read that, to find out what happens. I will also, at some point, read the first book.
4 Fangs
Reviewer for Paranormal Romance and Authors That Rock
Twenty years after her mother, Keeva, killed her great grandfather, 12 year old Kaie (it rhymes with sky!)enters the streams after an argument with her parents, in an effort to prove to her parents she is longer a child. Only, she isnt strong enough in her Banshee or Vrykolake powers to control the streams and laspes into a never ending darkness. When she awakens, she is no longer a 12 year old girl, and a fully grown adult of approx 27 years. She lands not on Earth, but in Subtenna, the Dark Elf realm and humans are nothing but slaves here. The tale follows Kaie, and those she meets along the way, in her effort to get home.
long book! took some reading even for me! I'm not filing it under paranormal, although they use terms Fae, Banshee, Elf and Wraith, it felt more sci-fi/fantasy to me, especially in Subtenna with all the trials Kaie faces. And some trials she does face! The Forbidding, The Belows and such pain and suffering at the hands of the Dark Elves, it bought tears to my eyes. We follow Kaie as she escapes one Dark Elf city, meets man eating reptiles, gets captured by another Dark Elf city, and then faces her biggest battle, as a Battle Mage for the man she loves, but cant say so. Until he dies. Then its a game changer!
I cant go much into the plot, as it might spoil it. This is, however, the SECOND in this trilogy, and I have not read that one. Much that happened in this book, is explained in this one, and I did not feel I was missing anything, other than an insight into Poppy (as she calls him!), Kaie's great grandfather, who her mother killed, only she didnt. He is a character I would like to have heard more of. We get to hear from most of the characters at or point or other, but not so much him.
I would also have liked a bit of a dictionary type list at the end/beginning, with pronuciations of some of the words, as they are a bit weird, and I wasnt sure if I was soundingthem out correctly in my head!
The epilogue gives a start to book three, and I should like to read that, to find out what happens. I will also, at some point, read the first book.
4 Fangs
Reviewer for Paranormal Romance and Authors That Rock
July 8, 2014
**this review will appear here, on Debbie's shelf, and on her personal page. It will be identical, save this bit**
Twenty years after her mother, Keeva, killed her great grandfather, 12 year old Kaie (it rhymes with sky!)enters the streams after an argument with her parents, in an effort to prove to her parents she is longer a child. Only, she isnt strong enough in her Banshee or Vrykolake powers to control the streams and laspes into a never ending darkness. When she awakens, she is no longer a 12 year old girl, and a fully grown adult of approx 27 years. She lands not on Earth, but in Subtenna, the Dark Elf realm and humans are nothing but slaves here. The tale follows Kaie, and those she meets along the way, in her effort to get home.
long book! took some reading even for me! I'm not filing it under paranormal, although they use terms Fae, Banshee, Elf and Wraith, it felt more sci-fi/fantasy to me, especially in Subtenna with all the trials Kaie faces. And some trials she does face! The Forbidding, The Belows and such pain and suffering at the hands of the Dark Elves, it bought tears to my eyes. We follow Kaie as she escapes one Dark Elf city, meets man eating reptiles, gets captured by another Dark Elf city, and then faces her biggest battle, as a Battle Mage for the man she loves, but cant say so. Until he dies. Then its a game changer!
I cant go much into the plot, as it might spoil it. This is, however, the SECOND in this trilogy, and I have not read that one. Much that happened in this book, is explained in this one, and I did not feel I was missing anything, other than an insight into Poppy (as she calls him!), Kaie's great grandfather, who her mother killed, only she didnt. He is a character I would like to have heard more of. We get to hear from most of the characters at or point or other, but not so much him.
I would also have liked a bit of a dictionary type list at the end/beginning, with pronuciations of some of the words, as they are a bit weird, and I wasnt sure if I was soundingthem out correctly in my head!
The epilogue gives a start to book three, and I should like to read that, to find out what happens. I will also, at some point, read the first book.
4 Fangs
Reviewer for Paranormal Romance and Authors That Rock
Twenty years after her mother, Keeva, killed her great grandfather, 12 year old Kaie (it rhymes with sky!)enters the streams after an argument with her parents, in an effort to prove to her parents she is longer a child. Only, she isnt strong enough in her Banshee or Vrykolake powers to control the streams and laspes into a never ending darkness. When she awakens, she is no longer a 12 year old girl, and a fully grown adult of approx 27 years. She lands not on Earth, but in Subtenna, the Dark Elf realm and humans are nothing but slaves here. The tale follows Kaie, and those she meets along the way, in her effort to get home.
long book! took some reading even for me! I'm not filing it under paranormal, although they use terms Fae, Banshee, Elf and Wraith, it felt more sci-fi/fantasy to me, especially in Subtenna with all the trials Kaie faces. And some trials she does face! The Forbidding, The Belows and such pain and suffering at the hands of the Dark Elves, it bought tears to my eyes. We follow Kaie as she escapes one Dark Elf city, meets man eating reptiles, gets captured by another Dark Elf city, and then faces her biggest battle, as a Battle Mage for the man she loves, but cant say so. Until he dies. Then its a game changer!
I cant go much into the plot, as it might spoil it. This is, however, the SECOND in this trilogy, and I have not read that one. Much that happened in this book, is explained in this one, and I did not feel I was missing anything, other than an insight into Poppy (as she calls him!), Kaie's great grandfather, who her mother killed, only she didnt. He is a character I would like to have heard more of. We get to hear from most of the characters at or point or other, but not so much him.
I would also have liked a bit of a dictionary type list at the end/beginning, with pronuciations of some of the words, as they are a bit weird, and I wasnt sure if I was soundingthem out correctly in my head!
The epilogue gives a start to book three, and I should like to read that, to find out what happens. I will also, at some point, read the first book.
4 Fangs
Reviewer for Paranormal Romance and Authors That Rock
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews