Book Review: Dragonmark (Dark-Hunter #27) – Sherrilyn Kenyon

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Review:

From the moment I read Dragonbane, I wanted to know Illarion’s story, what had happened to him to make him so bitter at the world, why he made the choices he did. I thought Dragonmark would start where Dragonbane left off but Dragonmark gave us Illarion’s story from the beginning.

I liked seeing Illarion’s first meeting with his mate, Edilyn. It was nice to see their start. At first, I liked Edilyn a lot. She saw Illarion’s heart where others saw a terrible beast. But she had to go and ruin things. Why? I mean, just why couldn’t she have put Illarion first?

Illarion was the one who suffered the most and he didn’t even blame her. Not once. He just loved her to the whole of that big heart of his and it ripped him to pieces when it all went to hell.

The word-for-word recap of Illarion’s scenes from Dragonbane, albeit from his point of view—which weren’t much at that—were kind of tiring however and I feel they were an unnecessary repetition because they really didn’t add much to the story. It was good to get Illarion’s past and how he came to be in Sanctuary. But I would have preferred if the story had then continued from where Dragonbane left off. Nevertheless, I do understand that the author did this for readers who might not remember these scenes from the previous book.

I enjoyed the ending a lot and at last, Edilyn redeemed herself in my eyes. Overall, I found Dragonmark a good addition to the Dark Hunter series and I love how Sherrilyn Kenyon is leading them into a whole new direction.

Synopsis: Centuries ago, Illarion was betrayed– a dragon made human against his will, then forced to serve humanity as a dragonmount in their army, and to fight for them in barbaric wars, even while he hated everything about them. Enslaved and separated from everyone he knew and from his own dragon brothers, he was forced into exile in a fey realm where he lost the only thing he ever really loved. Now he has a chance to regain what’s been lost— to have the one thing he covets most. But only if he gives up his brothers and forsakes the oaths he holds most dear. Yet what terrifies him most isn’t the cost his happiness might incur, it’s the fact that there is just enough human in his dragon’s heart that he might actually be willing to pay it and betray everything and everyone– to see the entire world burn…