Intensity

Chronicles of Nick #8

by Sherrilyn Kenyon

It’s a demon-eat-demon world for Nick Gautier. Just when he thinks he’s finally gotten a handle on how not to take over the world and destroy it, Death returns with an all-star cast that is determined to end the Malachai reign and lineage forever. Worse? Death and War have found the one, true enemy Nick can’t find, and even if he did, it’s one he could never bring himself to banish or kill.

Now framed for murders he hasn’t committed, and surrounded by new friends who might be turncoats, Nick is learning fast how his father went down in flames.

The heat in New Orleans is rising fast, and Nick’s threat-level has gone into a whole new level of intensity. He’s learning fast that when War and Death decide to battle, they don’t take prisoners. The don’t negotiate. And they’re both immune to his biting sarcasm and Cajun charm. To win this, he will have to embrace a new set of powers, but one wrong step, and he will belong to the side of Darkness, forever.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Audiobook, Demons, Mythology

368 pages, Paperback

First published September 5, 2017

About the author

Official Author site
Official Nevermore site
Official Deadman's Cross site
Official Chronicles of Nick site
Official Silent Swans site
Official Hunter Legends site
Official Witch of Endor site
Official Lords of Avalon site
Official Facebook site

New York Times and international bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon is a regular at the #1 spot. With legions of fans known as Paladins (thousands of whom proudly sport tattoos from her series and who travel from all over the world to attend her appearances), her books are always snatched up as soon as they appear on store shelves. Since 2004, she had placed more than 80 novels on the New York Times list in all formats including manga and graphic novels. Her current series are: Dark-Hunters, Chronicles of Nick and The League, and her books are available in over 100 countries where eager fans impatiently wait for the next release. Her Chronicles of Nick and Dark-Hunter series are soon to be major motion pictures while Dark-Hunter is also being developed as a television series. Join her and her Paladins online at MySherrilyn.com and www.facebook.com/mysherrilyn

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Reviews

[Susieanna · Rating 1 out of 5]

That's it? "Rough draft" series

Love SK books and this ending is anticlimactic. This series might as well not exist. The ending sucked that much. When's the REAL Nick story going to be released rather than this "rough draft" edition - totally feel cheated.

[Tessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't prepared for this book. Everyone who's read the series knows the books have been fun, a little emotional angst, comedic, and full of action and a bit of romance. That's what I was expecting when I sat down to read this. I even put off Sarah J Maas because I thought, Oh, I'll read the lighter book, so the other one doesn't prevent me from wanting to read the same genre.

I was WRONG!

The beginning is a little more confusing than most books. There is more introspection in this book than there has been. And in the end, a LOT of emotions. Honestly, I feel like punching someone until they hand over the adult book for Nick. Yes, it was that emotional.

Yet, in the end, I loved it. It was the right ending for the series. As much as I want to throw things everywhere, it was done correctly. For now all I can do is stomp my feet and whine the same thing over and over.

I NEED NICK'S ADULT BOOK NOW!

5 stars

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, here are my thoughts on CON in general.

Some things in this series are consistently excellent in each instalment: character development, the action and suspense, the emotional moments, the light-hearted tone that keeps the books from being downright stressful and depressing reads... All good. All GREAT! But I can't really say that any of my most pressing questions have been answered.

Most of the reveals had more to do with all the mysteries that the main DH series accumulated rather than with any of the questions CON brought up. It's still rewarding if you're a long-time reader of all the Dark-Hunter Universe books. But then I realised that if I hadn't spent years questioning the nature of Jaden and Jared's relationship or wondered about where Braith ended up, then I wouldn't be nearly as appeased by all the info dumping that was done in this series. It felt like it was meant to distract me from the fact that the author wasn't actually answering any of the questions the book raised.

An example from Invision:

At one point, the question was how could Cyprian be a Malachai, when Nick is completely incapable of ever hurting a woman that way. Jaden then bashed us over the head with a big speech about Grim and Laguerre's enslavement, the "making" of Jeros, Monakribos' death (with visual aids in the form of a flashback ), some veiled comments about Xev and Caleb's mothers being deceitful tramps who might have assaulted him ...it just went on and on without actually answering the question. It was nice and all to have the info, but most of it wasn't even relevant to the question.

And now CON is done and after Intensity, I'm more confused than ever. There don't seem to be any ground rules for us to know what is real and what isn't. What is possible and what isn't. How can the exposition and world-setting still be so incomplete at this point? Nick is locked up in the Grimoire. Ok, cool. But why is there a Zeitjager there? Or Myone? Is she real or not? The description she gives of the place is left purposely vague, just so she can tell Nick to look into himself and see the truth. But anytime Nick has any great flashes of insight into what is happening or why, the author doesn't reward us with any answers. Nick "gasps" and "reels in shock" and I guess we're supposed to instinctively understand the gravity of the situation...even though it's not actually explained to us. Some vague mentions of an "attack" or a "shimmering of something that wasn't there before" are just not good enough. Not after so many books of that teasing without any answers.

I wish I could say that each book was excellent on its own and it's just the overall quality of them as a series that I feel disappointed by. Each book is not bad. The series is not bad. Even with the many problems I have with it, it's still infinitely better than most series I've read. The complexity of each character alone is unbelievably impressive. Each character has a very clear "voice" and is very clearly its own person with a history, wants and dreams. For that alone I would give five stars. However, the author relies too much on the fact that most of her readers are hardcore fans who have invested years into understanding the DH world and who will tap-dance from joy at any new crumb information.

Here are some of the questions that were never answered for me.

1. How exactly did Kody die? She was attacked for sure but there was no description that could give us an idea of the cause of death. I'm really hoping it was coincidence that she died in the bedroom, rather than a clue as to what she might have suffered before her death.

2. When did Noir drink Nick's blood? He seemed really freaked out by it and was possibly dying, but I'm not even sure how he got his hands on Nick's blood.

3. Time seems to have become synonymous with Order at some point. But was it ever intended to be? There are rules and people who enforce those rules... but is it possibly for someone to get away with tampering with Time if they use it in the spirit that it was used in the beginning? Without abusing it or stealing it to gain power over others?

4. Am I the only one still questioning how Cyprian was born? "Attack" just isn't precise enough since Jeros is a known precedent for a Malachai being born from violence without it being through rape.

5. Is it just me or was 75% of the book not even set in the real world? Most of it was just some weird aether travel stuff that Nick seems to have done with his mind while he was at Takeshi's place. Even though he answered his phone and got hit by a car, he seemed to wake up at Takeshi's place as if he'd never left. Then Nick spends forever in some nightmarish mix of memories and illusions while trapped in the Grimoire. Do any of you even know how much of the story really happened and how much of it was just in Nick's mind?

6. Cyprian and Laguerre were hiding Nick from Azura and Noir? Since when? Azura and Noir have known about him since Instinct. Maybe even Illusion. What exactly did they do to hide him?

7. I kinda wish I'd seen that scene with Cherise putting the judge in his place. That would have been awesome.

8. So Nick drinks the mind-wipe water and forgets everything...ok, cool. But what about everyone else? Is no one going to ask where Kody went?

9. Should we expect Nick and Co. to be a constant presence in Ambrose's time? Or did they just drop by to let him know the plan and the next book will have Cyprian and Ambrose duking it out?

10. How much does Hades know? People in this series keep dropping into his domain to steal pretty powerful stuff.

11. Where did Xev and Caleb disappear to? They were supposed to give Nick his memories once he was older so they could save his mother. But that obviously didn't happen.

12. Is Takeshi the time-traveling demon Ambrose ate in order to go back in time? Who is?

13. Did Simi and Nick really sleep together in DH? Nick has amnesia. She totally took advantage of him!

14. Nick and Kody seemed to be saying their goodbyes, but a few chapters later, Nick shows up in the future with an unidentified teenage girl. Kody?

15. Takeshi says Kody isn't in her real body and isn't supposed to look like she does. Does he mean she had never looked that way, even as a teenage girl? Kody's memories were tampered with. Did the Arelim ensure that Nick couldn't possibly recognize her, even from a vision of the future. Because it seems like Kody was the woman with him on the battlefied, promising to "go back" and save him. But Nick didn't recognize her. Scarred or not, I would think he would recognize her.

16. Where the hell is Dagon?

17. Does Cyprian somehow thinks his mother was the victim? That Nick raped her? Because he apparently wants to "exact vengeance for her".

18. I'm really confused as to what happened to Nick at Takeshi's place in Chapter 3 and 4 of Intensity. Nashira finger-danced across Nick's time map and apparently discovered something monumental, but I have no idea what it is because Nick got snatched into the aether...Where he can apparently pick up his phone and get hit by a car, even though his BODY doesn't seem to have left Takeshi's. So what was all that about?

19. Why were Myone and some random zeitjager running around in Nick's Grimoire? Were either of them even real?

20. Why did Rubati obey Cam when Cam told her to leave a note sealed with her own blood in the Grimoire? She seemed pretty enthusiastic at the idea of going to war in one of the flashbacks. And assuming it wasn't in Cam's guard that her and Monakribos were working, why would she obey an order from Braith's enemy?

21. If no Malachai can stand to be without the Grimoire, how did Adarian manage to leave it in Azmodea with Seth? Did it really happen that way?

22. How could Cyprian inherit Nick's memories of where the Sephirii swords were hidden, if Nick purposely made himself forget everything supernatural? Nick would have no memory of the swords' location, so Cyprian would not get that information from his father's memories when he killed him.

23. If Sraosha wanted to kill Nick in order to make sure Cyprian is never born, why would he ally himself with Cyprian's allies? They obviously don't want their prized pet to be erased from existence and would never allow Nick to die. All Sraosha was really doing is helping to ensure Cyprian's victory in the future.

24. Were Cyprian and Nathan the same person? Was Nathan's little sister Elise really Laguerre in disguise? I assumed so, but it was never confirmed.

25. At the end, did Nick visit Ambrose before or after the mind-wipe water took effect? Or rather, with all his talk of shedding his skin like a snake, did Nick ensure that the part of him that remembers could survive out his body? The same way the part of Beth that remembered her lost love was able to exist as a wraith/separate entity. Nick seemed sick of the world and not in a mental place to be able to go on like nothing had ever happened. The-Nick-that-forgot would do it and maintain the time sequence, eventually becoming the Ambrose we know who has no memory of Kody...Until he is made whole like Beth was. Or maybe I'm making too much of this. Maybe Nick just dropped by to update Ambrose before the mind-wipe water took effect and then went back to his life as an oblivious mortal.

26. Didn't Nick ask himself what would possibly make him snap and side with Braith to destroy the world? Am I supposed to understand that Braith was Cyprian's ally at the end? Or was that part of the stuff they thought they knew but had been manipulated by the others, like Kody's false memories or Cyprian somehow keeping Nick from having true visions?

27. If a Malachai that is part Sephiroth drains Noir rather than fuels his power, why isn't that the case in the main DH series when Nick unlocks his powers?

28. Are Nick and Kody reincarnations of Monakribos and Rubati? Or is it really just that their blood gets excited about one another like the book seems to say?

29. In one of the previous books, there is this scene set in the future where Ambrose is losing his mind and Artemis is hiding from him. An ancient god of Time and/or Order helps her escape, talking about the enduring Human Spirit... Oooook. What was that about?

30. Nothing in CON ever explains why Tory's father's death changed. In either version, he died waaaay before the events of CON. So someone else is tampering with the timeline. And whoever it is, is doing it from between Arik's meeting with Tory and when Ash met her.

31. The scene at the end, with Nick and friends going to the future to talk to Ambrose... The point in time in which they meet him: is that before or after he lost his mind in Artemis's temple a few books ago?

32. If Cyprian went through so much trouble to keep Nick from having true visions of the future, why did he also trick him into getting the Eye of Ananke? The Eye tells the truth - past, present or future - so wouldn't that go against what Cyprian had been doing? Besides, if he wanted the time sequence to remain intact, how would harming Nick with such a powerful tool help with that? The side effects include paranoia and INSANITY!

33. The skull that belonged to Monakribos... Was that Monakribos's skull or some random guy's skull that Monakribos kept as a paperweight or something?

[Saimi Vasquez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un ultimo intento por mantenerse vivo y mantener a sus seres queridos con el, Nick ahora tiene que enfrentarse a un "hijo" del futuro que tiene sus poderes de Malachi. Pero este "joven" no solo tienes sus poderes, sino que fue criado como los demas Malachis, y lo unico que espera es matarlo para ser full Malachi. El problema de Nick radica en no saber contra quien esta luchando, ni como logro tener un hijo de esa forma, ademas, no sabe como liberarse de esta, y esta vez, no solo su vida depende de ello, sino de la vida de todos sus amigos y familia.
El ultimo reto de Nick podria ser el mas dificil, porque no se tiene que enfrentar contra demonios o dioses que quieren destruirlo, se tiene que enfrentar a su propio miedo, tiene que aprender a confiar en su intuicion y en sus poderes, tiene que confiar en sus ideas y hacer entender a todos que es lo mejor que se puede hacer y quizas, solo quizas, pueda haber un futuro para todos.

Lo que me gusto de este libro fue la forma como el autor enrrollo toda la trama para que volviera a seguir el historia que todos conocemos de Nick en los libros del Dark-Hunter, ademas de que nos permite ver un futuro en que todos pueden ser mucho mejores y quizas eso tambien lo leamos en los libros posteriores de la saga.
Lo que no me gusto, fue la repeticion, de nuevo, de todas las descripciones de los personajes, la repeticion, en forma de memoria, de las historias de sus antepasados, o como al final, los dioses mas "peligrosos" se quedaron escondidos para recuperar sus fuerzas. Ahora, si volvemos al punto que el autor queria dejar todo "como estaba" con Nick, puedo entender muchos de los trucos que aplico aqui, pero lo que logro fue que la historia resultara aburrida y repetitva por momentos.
En fin, es un buen complemento de la serie de los Dark-Hunter, quizas mas adelante retome algunos de los libros mas emblematicos de la serie, o quizas mas adelante continue los libros de la serie donde los deje, pero es seguro que volvere al mundo de los Dark-Hunter nuevamente en algun momento en el futuro.

[Mindy Lou's Book Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, this is definitely not a series you can just jump into. I took that risk because sometimes these books can stand on their own. Plus, this authors books keep showing up in my friends Goodreads feeds. With me being a paranormal junkie, I've been wanting to check her books out for awhile now. I would not suggest starting with this book, however I got enough taste of this authors writing to know I want more. This is exactly what I look for in a good paranormal series and I will be go back and start this series with book one. ARC provided by NetGalley.

[Misty · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like it and I really wish I did :(
To me, it was confusing: too many visions, Nick often didn't know where he was or what was happening.
The murder plot that was started in Invision was solved in 4 lines, I don't even understand why it was introduced in the first place.

After Nick decided to erase his memory, I asked myself how it would work since many people knew Kody and Caleb. How come nobody ever asked Nick where they were? I hope there will be an explanation later.

This book felt like a reset button: Kody died, Caleb and Xev went invisible, Nick forgot everything. Back at square one.
I was angered when Nick found out that literally nothing he did so far, worked in changing the future... 7 books of experiences and he could as well be sitting on his couch, for the good they did to him.

Right now it feels like the only purpose of Chronicles of Nick was explaining to us the Malachai history and the Primal Gods, since Nick forgot everything he did. And at the end he went to another future Ambrose to explain everything. So what, we're in for the fifth try at changing the future? This time from Cyprian's point of view? I really don't know if I'm interested about that, this soup is starting to get too much watered down.

[Kari Marie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Basically there was no reason to read the series thanks to this book. I loved this series until this book.

[Scholar inArmor · Rating 3 out of 5]

AFTER READING:
SPOILERS AHEAD, BE WARNED!



This book was the last one in the Chronicles of Nick series. It was fast-paced and full of action. My only complaint would be that it is too short and it resolved absolutely nothing...

It is worth mentioning that this is probably the first book that did not introduce a new character. I hope that Sherrilyn is planning on wrapping things up a little bit because right now there are so many characters, plotlines, and details that I need to have my notes while reading any book in the "Dark-Hunter universe".

I was very surprised with Takeshi and Nashira. They are husband and wife! How cool is that?

This book, IMO, confirmed that Kody is Nick's HEA. I am glad that Sherri did not change that. I love Kody.

Intensity closed many doors and answered many questions but still managed to prepare the story to progress into Shadows of Fire series which will feature Cyprian. I strongly believe that Kody is Cyprian's mother and that he was taken from her at some point. Can't wait to see how all of this will play out.

Last but not least, there was plenty of emotional moments in this book. Hugs. Farewells. Apologies. Nick's determination to save Cyprian at all costs...



BEFORE RELEASE:

Could Livia be the daughter of Grim & Laguerre? The one who poisoned Monakribus, which in turn caused that he killed his wife Rubati?

Who and what exactly is Yrre?

Where is Echidna?

Is Dagon's wife Shala alive or not? I think that she will be brought back because it is said that a part of her essence still exists in Eleos.

I just hope that they somehow save Zarelda. Sherri is a master in killing off female siblings in her novels but still...

Takeshi will appear in this book. I hope we learn more about him.

And please, more Bubba & Cherise!

[Ainoa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edit 06/09/2017: After reading, I'm left kind of "meh". I need to collect my thoughts


EDIT 10/08/2017: Excuse me, what? THIS IS THE LAST BOOK IN THIS SERIES? AND THEN WE'RE STARTING A NEW ONE? I AM SO CONFUSED RIGHT NOW. I just want it to be good. Please, let it be good.




EDIT 10/05/16: After reading Invision, I need this book more than ever. PLease, please, be merciful and let us have this book earlier, without pushing back publishing dates and with like 600 pages.


EDIT 27/02/16: NEW COVER AND IT'S PRETTY AND I LOVE IT AND I STILL DON'T HAVE INVISION BUT I NEED THIS ONE ALREADY. LIKE AIR.



19-02-16: I'm mad because Invision has pushed back and I need these books like I need air. As always, I have not read the previous book yet, and I already want this one. GIMME!!!

[Rachel W · Rating 4 out of 5]

This may not be my most coherent review, but let's face it, this was not exactly a very coherent book. I love CON, I love DH and I love the wonderful world both series inhabit, but this was perhaps a little too Intense for me.

There were no real transitions in Intensity, or at least, no transition scenes. With most of the main characters possessing teleportation abilities, this is somewhat to be expected, but I feel like it was taken a little too far. In previous books, we had some downtime between the action sequences, be it at Nick's school or his mom's job. Intensity felt a bit like watching an action movie at 1.5 times normal speed. Between the action, and the time travel logistics, and the info dumps, and the mind-fucking dimension-hopping-astral-plane-voyaging (?), it was just a little too much.

A lot of the issues I do have are already summed up pretty well in some of the other reviews here, so I'm not going to waste my (and your) time.

I still loved the book. I'm a sucker for Nick, and to be honest, Sherrilyn Kenyon could write pretty much anything and I'd read it at this point. Was this her best book? No. it wasn't. Was it worth reading? Of course it was, it's CON. If you're reading this review, odds are you've already finished 1-7, so you know what you're in for. Am I going to be reading the new spinoffs? Hell yes I am. Maybe this wasn't exactly what I wanted out of the final CON book, but to me, it was a 4 hours of time well spent.

[Suzzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not sure how I feel about this conclusion (if that is what it is). I mean it moved fast but was more like rushed. I really expected a much more epic conclusion to this series since it started off so awesome. It really did not end as bad as what some of the reviews indicate (in my opinion that is), but the characters did deserve better. I really had trouble deciding how I wanted to rate this book. I ended up deciding on a rating of three and half to four stars because it was not awful and it was more a personal preference that I expected more. Overall, this was an incredibly amusing series.

My quick and simple overall: still a bit on the fence on the ending but overall this series and the characters were very entertaining.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nick Gautier finds out that someone is messing up his life timeline and when he finds out it is his son from the future, he tries his best to stop him before he destroys him and everyone he loves. Will Nick succeed? Read on and find out for yourself.

This was a pretty good read. Though this was the final book of the Chronicles of Nick series, Nick's adventures are far from over as he will be in a new series called Shadows of Fire in the future so I am definitely looking forward to that. If you like action, adventure, and suspense stories set in the dark hunter universe and not much romance, definitely check out the Chronicles of Nick series as this is a pretty good YA series that Sherrilyn Kenyon has written. Look for this book series at your local library and wherever books are sold.

[Tangled N Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 8: Losing my mind

I jump into this book hesitantly. I'm really not prepared for this to be the end of the series.

It's all sort of chaos. Nick is losing his sanity. Cyprian enters his life to mess up the timeline. Each time he's sucked into the aether, Cyprian intercepts him. Each time he sees his comrades, they're not them but a fake. The story is rushed and nonsensical. I'm not sure what the point of this book is about... it shouldn't be a set up for the next series. It needs to be more conclusive. Please please rewrite it, it's just too awful.

[Linda (un)Conventional Bookworms · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intensity is not a full novel, it's a novella... it states here that it's 400 pages, I think it's only about 180, maybe, judging by the time it took me to read it.

I did enjoy the story, but I was a bit disappointed by both the length and the ending.

[Girl with an Accent · Rating 3 out of 5]

DISCLAIMER:
First of all: SHORT! For the final volume of this series I expected much more content. This has to be a novella-size book at least. I swear it took me less than 6 hours to finish.
Now, on to the rest of it, let it be stated that this is not a review, it's a rant, and as such it probably will have plenty of SPOILERS. Be forewarned.

RANT:
I honestly don't know how to categorize this book. As any Kenyon book, it's full of action and earth-shattering revelations, with scenes that get you right on the feels. As any CON book it bursts with humor, parody, and Nick's very own brand of snarky self-deprecation that always makes for a great time when you read. Kudos for that. If it were another book I'd give it four stars and go on. But the problem in this case is that this is (supposedly) the last book of the actual CON series, and as the last book, it is my understanding that Intensity may have failed catastrophically.

I swear I am more confused now at the end that I was at the beginning of this series!


Intensity literally makes the rest of the books in the series inconsequential. The things we learned, Nick's growth as a character, the new guys we met and fell in love with... at the end of Intensity it all goes to hell. I mean, I've been reading this series for the past 8 years and now, at the end, when everything was supposed to be resolved, you come at me with what is basically a: "We realized it wasn't such a good idea, so let's go back to the beginning, ok?"


I know everything this author does is ultimately connected in some way, and it all makes sense once you find that connection, but right now all I have are a bunch of questions at the end of Intensity that, considering the next books are about Cyprian (a character who, by the way, didn't endear himself to me at all in this book, nor gave me any desire to read about him), I don't see how those questions will possibly be answered.


Want some examples?:
1 - How can Cherise die when, at the end of Intensity, both Xevikan, Caleb and all the generals know the exact date and time? Why don't they stop it, if they know that Nick will never forgive them for letting his mother die, especially Xev, who is Cherise's grandfather and uber-protective?
2- Why would Simi sleep with Nick in the DH timeline when she knows he doesn't remember her and he was in love with Kody?
3- If a Malachai has to be conceived in violence, does that mean that Nick can have non-Malachai children if he doesn't rape their mothers? We know he has a daughter in the future,
can he have a son as well? Intensity specifies that Cyrpian was conceived without Nick's knowledge or approval. How can that be, if the Malachai has to be conceived "in violence"?
4- Where are the generals in the DH timeline once Nick's Malachai powers wake up?
Instead, he is been monitored by the war dogs, and the only general we've seen so far, who actually referenced Nick was Zavid during Dragonsworn. Did they contact him in secret? Does the current Nick has the memories of the "normal" Nick or the "Malachai" Nick?
None of it will be answered now, at least not until adult Nick's book comes out, of which there are no news, AT ALL.
Come on, Kenyon!

Really makes me feel like I wasted 8 years when at the end, the series didn't change anything at all. It ended up in the exact same place it began. Nothing changed, nothing developed, nothing grew. None of the characters got a happy ending, nor any of the questions got answered, nor any of the problems of the original series this series was supposed to fix were addressed.


Kenyon, really...

[Molly Mortensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A disappointing finale, which was much shorter than it should've been. Since so much time was wasted on pointless things and starting the plot of the next series.

The Bad:

The last books' epilogue made it to be continued with the Nick falsely accused storyline, and while I hate falsely accused, it was solved WAY too easily and rather brushed off.

The platitudes! So many speeches about staying strong and making your own destiny. One or two, okay. Two or three every chapter, way too much!

All of the parts in the aether were confusing and stupid. I hate not knowing what's going on / what's real.

The Good:

I devoured this book. It wasn't all bad, there were still good parts, but it should've been so much better.

(Spoilers Ahead ~ You have been warned!)

One reviewer said that how Cyprian came to be didn't make sense, and I agree it could've been explained better, but as I understood it Nick was raped. (Maybe because it's a kids book she didn't want to just say that.)

And he understood the truth of the violent act that had created Cyprian.
Not one Nick had done against Cyprian’s mother.
An act they had committed against Nick …
For all Malachai were created in violence to do violence.
Holy crap!
That was one nightmare he hadn’t seen coming. Them attacking him. This is what they’re trying to protect. Why they wanted him to forget his powers and forget everything.

I really hate the forgetting water! It was stupid. There's a reason they say don't make important decisions after someone dies. Nick, that made no sense. He fought most of the book not to drink that water, then his brilliant idea is he drinks it?!

The Cyprian plot was over too quickly and it was like, 'okay, my older self can deal with this.' the end. No resolution at all.

[Jonathan Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this in one sitting. Love this series, it just keeps getting better and better. This series really expands the Dark-Hunter universe and gives it some depth. The one gripe I had was that it felt a bit rushed and short. Can't wait from the next one!

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book as always bit sad that it the end of the series though

[♥ Rebecca ♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Omg that was no kind of ending! I’m so annoyed right now. Just FYI there is no resolution to this series and you have to continue with Heart of Venom to find out what happens next. I guess that’s why it’s being called a “continuation/spin-off”. It’s basically just book #9. I was really hoping to find out what happens to Nick in this one.

[Mindy (Book Snitch) · Rating 3 out of 5]

BUY THE BOOK

More like a 3.5 stars. I devoured this and I did enjoy it but... not where I was expecting this to go.



I need MORE!

[Kathleen R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 amazing stars



I love picking up Sherrilyn Kenyon's books because i never know what kind of story or adventure i'll be getting when i start. The Chronicles Of Nick is no exception - i had no idea how she'd manage to create a new series that has a direct link to her Dark Hunter series, and especially since what would happen in one series has an effect on the other! Needless to say that i was really curious to find out how she'd manage. Admittedly, i missed a few books and wasn't aware of what had happened - so i know that i need to catch up so i can turn around and really know the history of Nick's new timeline.
So here's where i'll agree with so many and at the same time disagree. Knowing that this was the last book in the series, i was left with a 'WTH' moment that left me wondering how this could be the end. But - and this is the kicker, it made so much sense! I wish there was more to the series because i love Nick's snark and sarcasm, yet at the same time, i'm not sure if i'd been able to read as many books as there are in the Dark Hunters. My only hope? That we get to find out what'll happen to the original gang in the future to see if there has been any changes to their destiny.

*ARC provided by Author in exchange for an honest review. Reviewed by Kathleen, The Small Girl from A small girl, her man and her books

 

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[Reading In Pajamas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: INTENSITY (Chronicles of Nick Book 8) by Sherrilyn Kenyon http://wp.me/p3d0RZ-9Op
Publication Date: September 5, 2017
Genre: Sci Fi & Fantasy, Teens & YA
Reviewed by: Reading in Pajamas/ Cori
Rated 5 Stars

INTENSITY is the perfect conclusion to an epic series. Sherrilyn Kenyon's Chronicles of Nick series is a Young Adult series featuring Nick who is in her Dark-Hunter Series. I don't usually pick up YA books, but this is a great series for teens as well as adults and there are a lot of characters from the Dark-Hunter series in the Chronicles of Nick series so I highly recommend reading it if you're a Dark-Hunter fan. Nick is one of my favorite characters in Kenyon's Dark-Hunter series and the Chronicles of Nick tells his story up to the beginning of his life shown in the Dark-Hunter series. It's emotional, funny, and packed full of action and suspense. I loved this series and can't wait for Nick's adult book in the Dark-Hunter series and the spin-off series, Shadows of Fire, that I think will pick up where INTENSITY ended. Sherrilyn Kenyon is a master storyteller and I'm always get swept up in the worlds she creates when I pick up her books. I love them!

*Review copy provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

~*~*~*~

Kindle http://amzn.to/2xmD2v1 | Amazon HBK http://amzn.to/2yq73so
Amazon Series Link http://amzn.to/2ydBPnh

CHRONICLES OF NICK SERIES BY SHERRILYN KENYON
Amazon Series Link http://amzn.to/2ydBPnh
1. Infinity
2. Invincible
3. Infamous
4. Inferno
5. Illusion
6. Instinct
7. Invision
8. Intensity

[Darcy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like these books are getting overly complicated, too many time-lines with the same characters hopping around, often times showing up in the book as a kid and adult at the same time. So why do I keep reading??? Well...I really don't want Nick to turn into the ass he is in the main Dark Hunter books, he's so much fun as a kid and I love his relationship with his mother, who I want to stay around to always call Nick on things.

[Carolina Carriço · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well...I am certainly confused by this book.

Even tho I really enjoyed most books in this series, I feel like it was all a waste of time in the end since Nick just undid everything! And lost all his memories. Yeah, it makes kind of sense, but building all of these relationships for 8 books to have them all forgotten in 2 chapters? I feel kind of betrayed by this author.

[Alice4170 🌙 · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 ⭐️
Aaaahhh!!! Yaaaaasss!!!

[Aly is so frigging bored · Rating 4 out of 5]

It didn't feel like 400 pages... But I liked it!

[BookPusher D · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much crazy... it was intense.
I did't know who or what was real the whole time. Rollarcoaster ride for realz.

All I can say is I knew it. I knew it. I knew it!! Those last 3 chapters where exactly what I thought happened between CON and DH. Its the only thing that makes sense. I am content about the timeline now.

So many feels and good vibes for my Nicky again. Totally going to reread DH just cuz I want to see him through CON eyes.

My male mini is going to be upset when he reads this one. Poor guy.

Now for the real questions. Who is Cyps momma?? I say b!tch goddess... anyone with me? Makes sense to me. Bit what about the Simi?? Did that really happen? She is just so aware in all the CON and most DH..... either it is not real or idk what.. cannot wrap my head around it.

Looking forward to Cyp's story and then..... Ambrose!!!!! Yes Please!!
But first -Uri!!!! 2018 is already looking up!

[Pooka Cronan]

this book doesnt exist anywhere............ WTF and the publishing date got pushed back..... double WTF

[Bluebelle-the-Inquisitive (Catherine) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let no one take you down.
You stand and you fight until the end! Not for fanfare, or for applause or laurels, but because you know what’s right and what’s wrong. Never fight because you have an audience or to gain esteem or notoriety. You fight for what matters—for the right things in life. Truth. Honesty. Dignity. Let no one steal, lie or cheat. You keep what you earn and never allow anyone to run over you because of the lies they tell others. And the lies others are so willing to believe about you. — Cherise Gautier

I am not tagging this with a spoiler warning but read on at your own risk. Intensity (and this review) contain spoilers for the Dark-Hunter verse.

We ended Invision with Simi in danger and being framed for murder. The murders of Tyree and Alan were actually committed by Cyprian Malachai, Nick's son with Laguerre. Cyprian is exactly as dangerous as he sounds given he is the son of a Malachai and War. Cyprian and Laguerre are the ones that Grim was sensing in Instinct and possibly the ones that bought out the Zeitjägers. The very first chapter of Intensity before the prologue, kinda like an introduction but not is called The Meaning of Time. It is about the Zeitjägers, about how they were born and why they were needed. It indicates they will be important to the story in some way.

Interestingly the end of Invision is not addressed until about halfway through the book. Simi isn't addressed at all. There is an awful lot of emotional punches in Intensity. Jared is completely unaware of Xevikan's existence. He knows Myone is his mother but thinks that Jaden is his father not his grandfather. Something I've suspected for a while is that Jared and Jaden are in a self-sacrificial protection loop. Hearing more of the story confirms it for me. Add Xev to the mix, who sacrificed his happiness allowing his father to raise his son and the whole thing is just tragic. We get to meet the beautiful Myone, that was just one of the time I cried in this book. Crying for what might have been and her happiness at meeting her great-grandson. There was a shock for me in that section, it is so easy to see why Xev fell fo Myone why he risked so much for his love of her.

How sad an indictment against so many that they couldn’t have faith in others to know just how solid such honesty was. That their hearts were so corrupt that they refused to believe creatures like Xev and him were above their pettiness. Yet they were. — Nicholas Gautier

Intensity is a good name for it. Not only is Nick's world ramping up but there is a lot packed in plot-wise. It is an intense read. But I did read it in a single sitting. The ending is effective, if unexpected. It explains a lot. Why Caleb isn't known, why Adrian is gone. Yes, I cried. But it wraps up the series well. If Sherri had decided to leave it there I would have been okay with that. There was true happiness in seeing Xev and Caleb just watching content and talking. Xev openly thinking that Nick is now his and Myone's legacy. But yet again Sheer throw information that we are almost expected to know but didn't. Like Braith and Apollymi being one and the same? Since when? Aside from that, there are a few implications that never lead anywhere like were the swords were saved by Jaden? What happened with Simi? They don't detract per see. Especially because it gives the next series somewhere to go immediately. With questions to answer.

Have a dump of thoughts from my reading.
• Of course, Nathen is Cyprian. His pure power is why Kody and Caleb can't sense him. But I'm surprised it isn't having an impact on Caleb having two masters in one place.
• Takeshi and Nashira are brilliant together. I did not expect Takeshi at all. He's wonderful. But a trickster demon and a time guard (aka a yōkai and a Zeitjäger) feel like an odd combination, I'd love to know that story.
• I like Shadow. I swear I've read a book with him in him before. But I would have noted him in my reviews and I didn't (though I have read the Deadmen series multiple times).
• Takara is a surprise. I did not expect to see her. SHe's not in her humanoid form but she is there. Good lord she belonged to Kissare, the father of the first Malachai. She was only ever wielded by two. Kissare and Jared.
• Have I ever mentioned how much I love the mighty chihuahua as a nickname for Cherise?
• Something it's taken me an embarrassingly long time to pick up about Vawn. He's coded trans. Yes here it is by magical means but he is still trans he is a man living in a woman's body.
• I really like the Celtic triplets, Arswyd Gan Drindod, the Terror by a Trinity. Rhyvawn Ddu (usually called Vawn), Kaziel and Aeron.  They are terrifying yes but man oh man they are fantastic.
• Is it Neria or Nyria? I'm wondering if it is a term of endearment. Her name is Nekoda Kennedy or Belam.
• "And not all that far in the future. It would all start when Julian and Grace reunited with Kyrian" (Kody, p.222) — And that would be Night Pleasures. (Julian's story, Julian of Macedon is a prequel)
• Damn, I was off on Simi's husband. It's Savitar. It makes sense. Between them, they can broaden the scope of the Omergrion Council. And there aren't too many beings that Acheron would trust Simi with.

I put in my review for Invision that I felt I needed a family tree to keep up with the familial connections in the Chronicles of Nick. I chose not to add it to that review after reading this before finishing that review (yes I read this in a single sitting the next day). So I'm adding a family tree to this review. It's a family tree such as I read it from the books. There is likely to be errors in here but this is my interpretation of the information we were given. Including the piece where Braith is Apollymi. I know the Dark-Hunter verse a bit, if she is Braith no one knows it. Braith is missing, she's off wandering as far as I understood. But then again most people have no clue who Jaden and Menyara are. CoN gives a dangerous amount of information if you know how to interpret it. Razer is in play though not in CoN, he goes by the Egyptian name Set (I think). If I'm right Razer is tied into Kody's line. So my family tree has some indications of where there is heavy speculation. I did use Sherri's website for some of my workings.

Source: My own work

So here we are the last book in the Chronicles of Nick series. While I had spoilers for some aspects of the series mostly who characters are and parentage I had no idea for the series ended. I somehow managed to avoid those spoilers. I looked up what happens after this. There is a four-part series called Shadows of Fire, focused on Cyprian Malachai then a trilogy for adults to finish everything off.  Sherri confirms in the bio for Shadows of Fire that CoN & SoF are Nick from Dark-Hunters real and true past. That said due to the dramas with he-who-shall-not-be named we are looking are 6+ years before Heart of Venom (book one in the SoF series). I'm not going to look at the series overall as I sometimes do in the last book od a series because as Nick says “Take my word for it. The end is just beginning.” (Nick p. 280). But what I will say is the series does stand alone if Sherri never gets to Shadows of Fire.

But we do what we do, and we carry on as best we can. It’s not how we deal with the best what life gives us that makes us who we are, Nick, it’s how we pick ourselves up after we fall. It’s not brave to stand tall underneath a shining sun, and with praise at your back. Bravery comes when there’s no reason to get out of bed, and every reason to run for the door. But you make yourself crawl out and face the thundering hoard and hatred, knowing you’re most likely going to get your arsling and pride hand-fed to you. — Vawn (Rhyvawn Ddu)

A representative gif:

[Taylor.Reads.Smut · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nick was my favorite character when I read the Dark-Hunter series, so when I found out he was getting his own series all those years ago I was beyond excited. I loved reading about his life even though it was completely different from his life in the Dark-Hunter series (wink). I read books 1-6 years ago and finally read the entire series now. I get to the end of this book and felt like I wasted my time! Everything makes sense… I understand why it had to happen this way but Im completely at a loss. Maybe once Shadows of Fire comes out I’ll feel better🤣