It was a time when gods walked the earth, when armies fought not for bits of land, but for the very existence of humanity. On such a battlefield, five formidable warriors stood against an evil greater than any the earth had ever seen. But evil is not an honorable foe. Betrayed by someone they trusted, the warriors were cursed, one by one, tossed into the maelstrom of time, imprisoned in stone, their freedom resting on nearly impossible conditions. Alone of the five, their leader, the sorcerer Nicodemus, was left free. His curse? To know that his fellow warriors remained trapped forever out of his reach, condemned to an eternity of searching for their stone prisons and the keys to their freedom.
Nicodemus stood on the battlefield, magic a storm of power surrounding him, his army on the cusp of victory against his lifelong enemy, the sorcerer Sotiris, whose death would finally bring peace to their world . . . until everything changed. The four warriors who’d stood by him through endless wars were struck down by a curse, gone in an instant, and spun into the sands of time. And Antonia, the woman he loved so fiercely, was bespelled into an unknown world, captured by the sorcerer she’d betrayed.
Following Sotiris’s vanishing trail, Nicodemus searches through worlds and centuries until finally, in a universe a thousand years from where he was born, his freed warriors seek him out and stand with him once more. But what of Antonia, what of her fate at the sorcerer’s whim? And if she still lives, how will he find her? With his warriors’ help, Nicodemus untangles the twisted reality Sotiris has contrived to hide his beloved. Together at last, Nico and Antonia will rediscover the love and trust they once held for each other, wanting only to share the life they’ve been denied for so long.
But Sotiris is still a threat--one that must be eliminated if there is to be peace. With Antonia and his warriors by his side--as well as an unexpected, but deadly, ally--Nicodemus prepares for the final battle. And this time, only one sorcerer will walk away.
Nicodemus is book 5 in the Stone Warriors series and finally it's Nick's story. I have been anxiously waiting for this book since we realized Nick was a lot more than we thought. Unfortunately it was a total let down for me. The first 65% was brutally boring and while there was some information that was interesting overall it took me weeks to get to that point. After the 65% mark we finally are in present day and while it got a little better it was no where near as good as other books by this author. My favorite part of this entire book was when Raphael and Cyn show up. Even the romance between Nick and Antonia was very bland. Overall not my favorite book but as a big fan of this author I do look forward to reading whatever is up next.
***I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own***
I was always curious to know Nick's story. As I suppose were all the other people who loved this series... But... Something was missing here...
The first part was interesting and hinted to more, but it didn't delivered...
Then, suddenly, the story switched from the past to the present very abruptly! He was in 1800 meeting Lilli and on the next page he was in the present cursing like a 20th century teenager!
Just like that! BAM!!!
Also there were some really brief parts with Anotnia's POV, but nothing too deep...
It seems like it took forever to finally get Nic's story!! I love this world that DBR has created, I love pretty much all her characters especially the vampires that started it all!!
We get of Nic's story from the very, very beginning. We are introduced to his lost love Antonia and shown their early romance, which was cut short by evil Sotiris. The loss of his warriors and Antonia leads him on his quest to recover his warriors through dimensions, worlds, and times and finally get his revenge and end Sotiris.
I found the first half of the book a very slow read, there was just way to much drawn out backstory to my personal liking. The story picked up and became exciting around 60-65%. We’re finally treated to the showdown we’ve been waiting for with many familiar ViA characters included.
All-in-all, it was not as great as I was hoping for and in the end I found it just okay but absolutely still worth reading. I’m definitely looking forward to where DBR’s will take us next!!
*ARC kindly provided by Author via Netgalley for a honest review.
And so it ends, more with a whimper than a bang. I have Dragan, but never worked up enough interest to read it. Nick’s book started slow with the early Nick/Sotiris/Antonia triangle. The middle part, set mostly in 16-17th century Paris, slowed the book to a complete halt in long, slow, overly detailed tedium.
Cut to modern day. Nick and Antonia finally get back together after centuries apart in a somewhat less than satisfactory reunion; he suddenly finds out where she is, shows up at her front door, they have sex, and all is good. Antonia is soooo amazed and impressed at how rich Nick is. Then there is the gushy reunion with all the Stone Warriors and their mates, and some (more) macho posturing with Raphael. At the very end, there is a very rushed and meh battle to defeat Sotiris. The End, bad guy defeated, everybody is married and/or pregnant, HEA.
Disappointing end to a fairish series. The whole book read like Reynolds was rushing to get this series wrapped up so she could meet the deadline on her next VIA book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This book starts out showing Nico's life before his friends were encased in stone and how the battle between he and Sotiris happened and how Sotiris won against him. We get to see how and why he and Antonia got to know one another and what happened to her. While I've been reading this series out of order, it really didn't take away from this book but this book did start out really slow for me.
Nico searched for many, many years before he finally found out where Sotiris had sent his friends and Antonia and he made sure that they would be able to find him once they escaped their prisons. We get to watch his life as he makes friends, battles vampires and even make friends with one and starts to accumulate wealth that will hep him later on. He still has some of his magic even though he traveled to another world where he followed Sotiris so he could find his friends. But Sotiris knows he's looking for him and leaves him little notes about the curses that surround his friends and how he doesn't think they will ever escape.
It isn't until I'd read almost 65% of this book that we get to present day where all of his friends have escaped their cursed prisons and he finally finds Antonia. All the back story just bored me to death, it was really slow going to even get to a part of this book that kept my attention for more than a couple of minutes. It's actually not until the end of this book that it finally starts to get interesting because Nico is allies with Raphael and Cyn from this author's Vampires in America series and Raphael helps bring down Sotiris in a fight that was a little anti-climatic to say the least. With Sotiris being this mega-powerful and smart sorcerer that has kept Nico on his toes and searching for his friends and lost love for a millennia, I thought the battle would be...more. But it seemed to end a little to fast for me and wasn't the huge, exciting thing that I was expecting. I've somewhat liked some of the other books in this series but this one just didn't do it for me at all.
Disclaimer: I was given an e-ARC of this book via NetGalley but all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Oh, I was so looking forward to this book and the ultimate battle between Nico and Sotiris. The book is divided into three parts.
Part one is the origin of the curse to the warriors and Nico's love, Antonia. Loved seeing their love story start.
Part two is in the past (1830's in Europe), and it has almost nothing to do with the search for the warriors, Antonia and Sotiris. It about vampires. I skipped all but about three or four chapters which weren't about vampires.
Part three picks up right were Dagan's book ended. Antonia and Nico are reunited and make up for lost time. All of them plus Raphael's vampires plan to take down Sotiris. The take down was a blah. I was expecting so much more.
Then the epilogue isn't about any of them, but some unknown woman and vampires again.
I was very disappointed in this book. I've read all other books in this series and this one was supposed to be the grand finale. Nothing grand about it. Very slow moving. I kept waiting for the pace to pick up but it didn't happen until almost the end.
I will start by saying this is almost a book of two halves as initially we get to discover what Nick did before we met him in the VOA series. This is essentially his story as he travels through time to try and save the four Warriors he considers more than just friends and the woman he loves. Most of the journey we follow with him is set in the early 1800's in France but there are also snippets of Antonia as she too begins her new life with the Sorcerer Sotiris. Fast forward a couple of hundred years and Nick has made a good life for himself and he's finally found his missing friends. He has never stopped loving Antonia but has almost given up hope of ever finding her. The trouble is Sotiris is very much alive and well and that is something Nick is determined to change . Unfortunately that means asking the powerful Vampire Raphael for help and if you've read the previous books in this series then you know that might not end well ! This wasn't at all what I expected but that isn't a bad thing. Following Nick as he sought to unravel the mystery of just where Sotiris sent those he cares for enabled the reader to get a much clearer view of Nick and why he is the way he is. Yes he's conceited and if I'm blunt can be quite cold at times but he is also loyal and I felt his family background particularly had hardened him. This isn't a typical romance as the couple seemed to gel very quickly but it is the story readers needed after reading so much about the Stone Warriors and their curse. If I were to have a slight niggle it would simply be that for some reason Antonia didn't really impress me but as we get Raphael and Cyn as well I'm not going to complain. I'm very happy that we finally got Nicks story as it ties off loose ends. I would personally advise starting with Raphaels book as its an amazing journey but the Stone Warriors has been a fabulous series chock full of action and romance so I'm left feeling very happy indeed. This voluntary take is of a copy I requested and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair
So I’ll start by saying I’m not done and it taking everything in me to finish. I don’t know why this book is such a struggle. I LOVED the vampires in America series. But each book in the stone warriors gets progressively harder to care about. I have literally skipped chapters just trying to finish. There is so much inane prattle from the narrator about things that don’t further the plot. Or if they do, it could be said in a tenth the words. It’s like my last relationship. The second is good but the rest is biting me to tears
This fifth and final book in the Stone Warriors series starts with Nicodemus’ backstory from what he thought would be the final battle with his greatest enemy, Sotiris, when his four right-hand warriors were cursed and then disappeared. Not only did Nico lose his men, but also the woman he loved, Antonia, was taken from him. Nico follows Sotiris through the centuries trying to find those who are held dear to him. Despite Nico’s enormous magical powers, he always seems one step behind Sotiris or when they battle, the wily sorcerer always get away.
The first 2/3rds or so of this book are Nico and Antonia’s relationship, and then the search for his men and Antonia as well as his time getting ready for the major battle. Also, in this part is Nico in more time periods such as learning to live in the Paris of the 1800’s and tracking down Sotiris’s trail only to be foiled time and again. He knew back then his warriors where somewhere in time bound as statures that needed a specific antidote to unravel their curses. Nico has no idea about Antonia or even if she is alive.
In the last third of the book set in the present time, Nico and his now awakened warriors with their mates help to develop and strategize on once and for all defeating their hated enemy especially after he finally finds Antonia and unlocks her curse as well. She had no memory of their time together until recently images and feelings had begun to return. Now that they are all finally together and with the help of Nico’s least favorite people: the vampires, they have enough power to end this once and for all.
Fans of the VOA series will enjoy having Raphael, Cyn, and their people helping out since Sotiris has nefarious plans for Raphael as well. Since most of this book is told in retrospect, it has a different feel than the other in the series especially since Nico is on his own for a good part of the story. In some ways the beginning and ending of this story are the same: Nico is all about the battle and his people. He and Antonia have to learn to be together as a modern couple which has its challenges for both of them. When it all comes down to the final confrontation, the sorcerer/vampire army kicks in gear in a big way.
GAH!!! What a way to end the series! LOVED every minute of this one. Loved the back story on Nico and Antonia. Loved all the warriors back together. Fun to watch Nico and Raphael putting aside their differences. If I had to fault anything, I would say that the writing at the beginning of the book--Parts I and II--was so detailed and the world building so fantastic, it truly sucked me in. The last part seemed rushed to me. Not as much detail but the grand finale of action was worth it!
And what was that little sneak peek at the end??? More goodness to come in this world it looks like.
Complimentary copy provided via Netgalley for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this series. I will this book wasn't what I was expecting and/or hoped for. I was expecting a backstory to connect all the dots, but it felt like most of the book was the backstory and not what was happening in the present, which I was disappointed with.
I really hate being one of the first people that doesn't rate a book highly, and believe me, I wanted to here. I love Nico and was super excited to finally get his book. I thought for sure it was going to be great with this powerful sorcerer and his warriors finally taking down Sotiris. After, of course, Nico get his girl back. But no. That is not what you get here. The first 30% takes place back at the beginning on their own world. We get the battle that took the warriors from Nico in the beginning, but then we jump back in time a little bit to when Nico first meets Antonia. Which then was the majority of that 30%. Which I don't mind learning how these two met and fell in love (even if it was only day 2 of knowing each other). But it was so goddamn boring! Then there was part 2, which was also about 30% of the book. And again, so freakin' boring. This whole huge chunk of the book follows Nico from when he first follows Sotiris after finally figuring out the magic he used to travel to a different time and place. He lands in Paris in the 1800's. I wouldn't have minded if we got more of Nico following him or something instead of this whole section just this one time and place. Sure, he met people, this is when he loses his manacles, he gets the stone status of his men from Sotiris, and he saves Lili....but so very little of this was important. When we get to part 3 I thought, okay NOW for sure things will pick up. Right? Nico finds Antonia and breaks the curse that Sotiris put on her (which completely works for this story) and can finally bring her home. He finally has his whole family back together and now they can end Sotiris once and for all. We have 40% of book to make it great! *Sigh* That is not what we get. Instead we get a lot of meetings and conferences with the west coast and Raphael and his people. There is a lot of talking and no action until maybe the last 10/15% of the book. And even then, the final battle was such a complete and total let down for me. This book is sadly joining some other series with the least epic finales ever.
I will say that I did like Antonia's character. If you leave out the stupid thing she does at the end because she refuses to be the girl left behind even though she herself has admitted that she has absolutely no fighting experience. Yeah, that was real smart. Anyway. I liked how she was mature and smart (minus the end). She was always calm, didn't get jealous, and wasn't a clinger to Nico. She balances him out well, is able to resist his charms, and I just liked her.
The very end seems a lot more like the intro to the next Vampires in America series. And I'll be checking it out, I know I will. I just hope it'll be good.
Nicodemus has been long anticipated by avid fans of D.B. Reynolds and the conclusion to the Stone warrior saga has been equally craved. As expected, this book is long due to the required backstory which explains the timeline of Nico’s battle with Sotiris and the events that unfold which resulted in his warrior’s disappearance. And there lies my problem. I kept going over the timeline and it didn’t align with the previous books in this series. Nico’s story starts out in 1824, but previously it has been mentioned on more than one occasion that Nico had searched for his Warriors for a millennium, but this story only incorporates less than two centuries. So hence my confusion. I realise that Nico made mention of different worlds and not knowing what timeframe that would entail, but at one point he says they have been gone a millennium, but he hasn’t found them yet to know this information. That said, the story itself was very detailed and provided insight into the long waging conflict between Nico and Sotiris and Nico’s heartache over the loss of his warriors and his willingness to risk all to find and rescue them all. Nico’s connection to Vampires and their constant battle with sorcerers was included, but again there was no mention of Raphael having met Nico prior to Cyn, yet it was implied that they had a history in previous books. Antonia started out as a typical woman of her times, but there was never any doubt to her intelligence and smarts. However, she evolved into a mature, confident and assertive woman when she eventually was found and often called Nico out on his arrogance and inflated ego. For me personally, Nico was the most unlikeable character that Ms Reynolds has written; he was ego driven and obnoxious to a fault and exhaustively condescending which I found disagreeable. Overall, NICODEMUS is a good book, but as someone who has read every story written by this author there were aspects of the story that were missing or didn’t align that I found disappointing. I’m sure this story will be positively received by many and this is only my opinion and my 4 Star rating is basically for Ms Reynolds talented writing style which is always impeccable.
Finally! After waiting over a year after having read Dragan's story, we could read how the story would end. We start Nico's story at the very beginning of his feud with Sotiris. So part one, you get a glimpse of how the stories of all the Stone Warriors where started. We also meet Antonia, Sotiris' assistant and we learn how Nico and Antonia fell in love.
But then in the second part of the story D.B. Reynolds shows you segments and flashes of both Nico's and Antonia's life. Nico has been retracing Sotiris' magic to find out what has happened to his brothers in arms and his beloved Antonia. And although he is catching up with Sotiris, the evil sorcerer just keeps escaping and taunting him.
Meanwhile Antonia has lost all her memories of who she is and of her beloved. Will she be able to get her memories back or will she be lost forever? In the last -and final-part of the story, all of Nico's warriors are back together and Maeve is able to help Nico to find Antonia. Now, with everyone back together, they prepare to hunt down Sotiris and end this feud for once and for all.
Also Raphael makes an appearance, and we learn why Nico and Raphael don't really get along. Of course, this has something to do with the badass Cyn. Totally awesome to have some of the vampires series starring in this series. And also Lilly, from Dragan's story gets her very happy ending in this book. Per usual, D.B. Reynolds delivers us an awesome paranormal story with twists, turns, brooding bad ass warriors and very feisty women. Add in a little spark of romance and you have a very powerful mix of awesomeness.
Five out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.
Nicodemus and his four best friends face the sorcerer Sotiris for, hopefully, the final battle. But even before it starts, Sotiris magically sends his four friends to an unknown location and time. Furious, Nic attacks. But before he can end it, Sotiris himself escapes to another time, taking Nic’s beloved with him. Now Nic has to search time and magic to find Antonia and his friends.
The fifth and final book. It starts back to the beginning with the journey Nicodemus took to find them all and destroy Sotiris. Beautiful, romantic, sexy love scenes. Then Part 3 skips forward past the events of the previous four books to just before he finds Antonia. Then comes the big final battle with Sotiris.
I have to confess, after waiting so long for this book I was a little disappointed. Except for the cool beginning and the end battle I felt cheated in between. Like the author was thinking “I promised this book, so let’s get it over with so I can move on’. In places it feels like just a bridge to the next ViA book. Nic talks/thinks about not being to go back way too often. He chose to go so he should resign himself to it and move on. The reunion of Nic and Antonia was too easy and the reunion with the others was too strung out with casual banter and situations.
Also why wasn’t Antonio more upset over meeting the woman her man had being traveling with for centuries and still had with him as an assistant living in his house?
Fave scenes: The pool in the cave, visiting the library, Sotiris’s gift and the freezing bedroom problem.
Nick’s grief and loyalty to his warrior brothers has been a continuous thread through this series and after the strong hints we got in Dragan’s book I was incredibly excited for this one. What a let down! In many ways it’s like it wasn’t even written by the same author.
It has the interesting juxtaposition of being far too long and at the same time rushed. The past takes up 2/3rds of an already overlong book (that should have been halved if not more) and so essentially most of the story is crushed into whatever was left.
There were basic contradictions, we’re told Antonia’s eyes are a clear grey in the past but in the present she’s constantly referred to as having dark eyes. Nico makes a fuss about having his own plane but flies commercial to Chicago and his own plane back! Why? In the past Nico was completely faithful to Antonia and determined to find her and his fellow warriors but in the present he’s a man whore and even after finding the last of his brothers is only focussed on killing Sotiris and doesn’t think about Antonia! If her location wasn’t handed to him would he even bothered to look!!!!? Her identity as Sotiris’s daughter is just dropped into the story as well!
The writing is messy and the plotting clumsy, it really is hard to believe this is the same author as previous novels! Would not recommend!
I usually LOVE Reynolds' work. And this was a decent book, I guess and if it been a beginning author or the first book of a series, I'd have given it a higher rating but for Reynolds the book was just...decent. It just wasn't the climactic ending book of the series that I was expecting. Part of that was that I honestly didn't really feel any chemistry between Antonia and Nico and there was no real relationship development. The era changing just made everything more confusing, too. Plus it didn't help that until this final book there had never been a single mention throughout the series of Nico losing his lover in addition to his warriors.
IMO, Part II could have been completely eliminated and the majority of the focus of the book could have been reconnecting with Antonia and re-learning each other and deepening their relationship while preparing to finish off Sotiris once and for all. It would have made for a much stronger story, I believe. The final confrontation could have used a lot more work as well - it was rather anticlimactic and left me thinking "That was it?"
So....looking forward to the next book in the ViA series and I will miss reading about the Stone Warriors and their ladies, but I'm glad this series is over.
If you, like me have found yourself curious about Nick since Raphael, wait no more. This book is really almost 2 separate stories. The first half is Nicos journey before Sotiris battle that banished his warriors, during the battle itself and his long trek to finding his warriors and his beloved, Antonia. The second half is present day, finding Antonia and using her to defeat Sotiris, there’s a lot to digest but as usual DB does a fabulous job twining the parts together to make a cohesive world that draws you in. The romance part for Nick and Antonia seems quick, but they have history so that’s to be expected I think. We get Cyn & Raphael and really that made me happier than if we got a drawn out re-get to know you from our leads! This is a must read for series lovers of the Stone Warriors, as it draws an end to their story but If you are new to the world; start with Raphael I promise you won’t regret it! This was a complimentary advanced reader copy given in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley.
I love this world, the characters, and most of all the vampires that started it all, but was excited to get to the conclusion and finale with Nic's story. This book was like 3 books in one and I'm sure would be better enjoyed in more bite-sized portions (at least for me).
We get ALL of Nic's story in here. There's time in his own kingdom, then in the past in Paris, then still in the past in other locations, until we finally get the resolution I was dying for all book. This book was very different than the others because it reads as more of a historical mystery than a paranormal romance. We are introduced to the elusive Antonia and shown their earlier quick romance, which leads him on a chase through dimension and time.
Was I ultimately sucked in? Yes. Nic's story is addictive, just like all the others. We get to watch the showdown we wanted, with lots of familiar faces from previous stories. Really, that last part was THE BEST! I'm happy we got there, and I want to dive back in with the vampires.
This has been a long awaited book to round out this arc of the Author's intertwined series .
Whilst I enjoyed the book overall I found myself asking at times is this the Nico we have come to love in the Vampires in America books ? He appeared much more arrogant , his ego much more to the fore - where was the teasing, manipulative hero we had come to love. The story is told over several parts - his early years , meeting and losing his love, Antonia , followed with a smaller story set in the present . Even in the present events seemed a little rushed , his romance with Antonia almost bland - the most enjoyable parts were when Raphael and Cyn show up .
I will of course still read the Author's future books especially those that might feature the Vampire in America
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own
Would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this amazing book
Poor Nico has spent centuries looking for his warriors that the evil sorcerer has sent somewhere in time leaving nico to not only search for them but he took nicos one true love as well
Not only does nico need to leave his beloved land he has to search the world through time and space to them all, only knowing that they were in the same time zone but not knowing where
This is a brilliant addition to the series and answers so many things
It was great to catch up with all the characters and to learn more about nico and his beloved
I have read all the books in this series, and each was as great as the last. However, having to wait til the next one came out was a struggle, as I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. This last book was worth waiting for, so much so, that I can’t wait to read them all again back to back, to get the slow build up in one go. This especially as I skipped the begging Parts 1 and 2 of the last book, so I could go straight to where the book “Dragan” left off, as I was too impatient to get to it lol To emphasise again, well worth reading, as is the entire series.
I gave this book 3 stars because I love this series. However this book was so boring, it was the worse book of the series. I have been wanting to read Nick's story since the beginning and I have to say I am very disappointed. The best part of the book was the last few chapters and the epilogue. Nick seriously got cheated with this book. At least he got his happily ever after. Which brings me to Antonia who is okay but that's about it. Not a lot of info except she was the woman Nick loves. Not the best end to a series. I will however, continue to read the other series.
Nico has gotten his warriors back after centuries of them being imprisoned in stone. He is still searching for his one true love Antonia who Sotiris took. Then he gets a lead and this time he finds her. His world is almost complete but he has one final mission as the undefeated sorcerer - find Sotiris and kill him. He joins forces with the powerful vampire lord Raphael and in an epic battle achieves his goal. Fantastic series and I definitely recommend reading it.
The final book in the Stone Warriors, Nicodemus has be a much anticipated read. I liked the story but must say it is far from one of my favorites by this author. I found Nico disappointing his ego and arrogance overtook the enjoyment of the story he was far from the character I had remembered from the earlier books. However in saying that the story is still enjoyable and I would recommend to others as this is my opinion and may not be that of some one else. I will definitely continue to read everything this author writes as she is a fabulous writer who delivers amazing stories
Well let me start by saying this book has been anticipated for some time, the previous books in the series have been awesome and I have to say this book just some how did not feel as satisfying. Yes the characters are amazing and the storyline with so much being in the past was a little dry. Im all for a back story but it was just a bit to much. As long as I have been waiting for this completion I was not as enthralled as I hoped I would be. Will I read more from this fantastic writer, ABSOLUTELY!!
She never ever disappoints!! This book was awesome, everything I expected it to be. There was a lot of details in this book, but they were necessary to understand everything. A lot of questions were also answered. I really hate to see the guys go, though. Hopefully, they'll be in more of the VIA books. THIS AUTHOR IS IN MY TOP 5 OF BEST SERIES EVER. Thank you for another jaw dropping book.