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Alpha Showdown 2014 Round 8: Acheron vs. Sabina Kane

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VBC: Home of Alpha Showdown

Update: Sabina put up a good fight, but in the end Acheron took home the victory. He’ll advance in the Showdown.

Round 8 of the Alpha Showdown is the first-timers’ round. If we hadn’t changed our rules this year—taking off the “published in…” limitation—these two wouldn’t have made the bracket. So we’re pleased we made the change, because your nominations showed both of these characters are long-time favorites of yours.

How are you going to decide between Acheron and Sabina?

We’ve lined up great bloggers to explain why each alpha deserves to advance. Read the pitches, and then make the call.

ACHERON PARTHENOPAEUS

You know him from: The Dark-Hunter Universe by Sherrilyn Kenyon (The Dark-Hunter series, The Chronicles of Nick series)
First appeared in: Fantasy Lover (VBC Review | Amazon)
Supernatural status: The first Dark-Hunter and more

Championed by: Jill from Vampire Book Club

Acheron by Sherrilyn KenyonI wish that I could fully tell you why Acheron (or Ash to his friends) is the biggest, badness, most awesome Alpha out there; unfortunately, I don’t like spoilers, so I won’t ruin it for you. Suffice it to say that it takes fourteen wonderful, totally-worth-it books for the author to *finally* tell us Ash’s story. (The wait is so worth it.)

We first meet Ash through the Dark-Hunter series as the mentor who first trains a new Dark-Hunter, telling them their purpose and the rules in the Code of Conduct. He’s the first Dark-Hunter that the goddess, Artemis, created and he’s eleven thousand years old. They say that since he was the first Dark-Hunter made, that the gods didn’t quiet get the conversion correct, and this left Ash with some “strange side effects.” We learn, however, that this isn’t quite the case, and Ash has a tragic, terrible history that makes his determination to save humanity simply awe-inspiring.

He’s described as having mesmerizing eyes, with colors that swirl. He stands over six feet tall, usually dressed in all black, always with sunglasses on to protect his sensitive, Dark-Hunter eyes. His hair changes color constantly from lime-green to plum purple. Women are literally stopped in their tracks when he’s around, grabbed by his presence and held hostage until he releases them. Kenyon says it best in Seize the Night;

“He held an aura that was dangerous and wild; and by his slow, languorous moves, it was obvious that he would be incredible in bed. It was something you knew intrinsically when you saw him and it rippled through your body like hot, seductive chocolate…He wore his long black hair loose and flowing around his shoulders. It was a perfect drape for a face that was eerily pretty and yet wholly masculine. Flawless. There was something about Ash that made every hormone in her body stand up and pant for more.”

Ash can obliterate you with a thought, and yet, is one of the most gentle, kind male characters around. He would never, ever turn his back on anyone in trouble, or that needed his help, no matter how insignificant the character is to the “big picture.” Which after eleven thousand years is truly remarkable, and admirable.

So, not only is Ash the kind of guy that you would totally date, and bring home to mom, but he’s a hero. A guy that kept getting kicked down by Fate, and refused to give up, or to turn to darkness. The kind of strength needed to simply remain “good” in the face of all that he has endured, is definitely worthy of Alpha status. He has had to organize, control, and maintain the network that helps the Dark-Hunters fight the Daimons from killing humans. Which includes wrangling all the stubborn, rude, egotistical, powerful, and damaged Dark-Hunters into a cohesive working unit.

Ash is powerful, compassionate, intelligent, and honorable, not to mention sexy, dark, and mysterious. He definitely deserves your vote for Alpha status!

SABINA KANE

Red-Headed Stepchild by Jaye WellsYou know her from: Sabina Kane series by Jaye Wells
First appeared in: Red-Headed Stepchild (VBC Review | Amazon)
Supernatural status: Half vampire, half mage

Championed by: Christen from Goldilox and the Three Weres | @Goldilox3Weres

Sabina Kane is quite the hybrid supernatural, with her heritage being half vampire and half mage. She has the best of both worlds and she is one seriously lethal lady. I could go on and on about Sabina’s Chthonic mage abilities. I could scare you with her vamp skills. I could impress you with her crazy proficiency with a pistol. I could brag about how many supes she killed during her time as an assassin. But, honestly, Sabina’s best strengths lie elsewhere.

Of all Sabina’s powers and abilities, her best assets are her unwavering sarcastic bitchiness and her “You can’t tell me what to do” attitude.

I know what you’re thinking. How on earth does a bad attitude equal Alpha greatness? But, with Sabina it does. That attitude is what keeps her fighting even when absolutely all hope is lost, family and friends are dying around her, and the supernatural world as she knows it seems like it’s crashing to an end. She doesn’t give up, even if the other guy is beating her, even if her body tells her she needs to stop, even when she is literally in Hell. Her will to win saves her and those she loves again and again. And, okay, her vamp/mage/gun skills do come in handy.

Sabina is also surrounded by a little something called “Team Awesome.” How can you not see the greatness in a supe who heads up a team with that name? She’s got a mage boyfriend and a demon best friend to back her up when things don’t go as planned…and they never do. But, that’s okay because Sabina’s a bad mamma jamma and she can handle everything from evil vampire grandmothers to dirty mages to the father of all vampires himself, Cain. The father of all vampires. Only a real Alpha chick could handle a big baddie like that, right? And Sabina is a real Alpha.

WINNER – ACHERON

VOTE!

Only votes submitted via the Rafflecopter form below will be counted. This means your vote is tied to your email address. It also means we’re giving away something awesome.

For Round 8, we’re giving away a copy of Full Blooded by Amanda Carlson, compliments of Orbit Books. This contest is open internationally.

You can get additional entries into the contest by tweeting, following and the like, but your vote is still only counted once.

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124 Responses to “Alpha Showdown 2014 Round 8: Acheron vs. Sabina Kane”

  1. Arianna says:

    Acheron, no doubts about it.

  2. angelblue says:

    Ash all the way!

  3. Teresa says:

    Acheron

  4. Tye says:

    Acheron

  5. Oh wow! Didn’t realize Ash is in until now! No question here! GO T-Rex!

  6. Leif says:

    Acheron! (Sabina Kane is in my TBR pile)

  7. Ashley says:

    Acheron hands down!

  8. susana says:

    Acheron, of course!

  9. Nicole says:

    Ash for sure

  10. Irene Jackson says:

    Acheron

  11. Manuela says:

    Ash all the way, sorry Sabina, I am usually all for quota, but you had a bad luck of the draw this time. 🙁

  12. Kristen R says:

    Acheron for the win!

  13. Heather D says:

    Haven’t read either of these but Sabina was in my to read so I picked her.

  14. Yvonne A says:

    Archeron

  15. beth maglott says:

    I love sherrilyn Kenyon as an author but I have to choose Sabina.

  16. Marianne W says:

    Acheron!

  17. CdnMrs says:

    Totally Acheron!

  18. Sabina Kane. I haven’t read any Sherrilyn Kenyon so far. *ducks and covers* 🙂

  19. Susan McCray says:

    This is Ash…all the way!!!!!

  20. Amanda says:

    Sabina

  21. Sheena T says:

    Okay I have not read any of these series. But guess what it will not be added to my TBR list. Woo hoo this summer is going to be Awesomeballs.
    So I am going to go with Sabina. Ash sounds really really awesome. And I would vote for him any other time. But Sabina sounds like she is handling her thing.

  22. Julie says:

    Acheron!

  23. Melissa says:

    Acheron

  24. Tiffaney says:

    Acheron for sure!

  25. Kat Delaney says:

    Ash of course! He could best anything and everything and has!

  26. Emily says:

    Go Ash!!!

  27. Shari-amor says:

    Ash of course.

  28. Catwomanmsp says:

    Love me some Sabina Kane! Will have to read this other series this summer.

  29. Anny says:

    ASH!!

  30. Mags says:

    Sabina’s a Demi-god now y’all. She can totally take him!

  31. Shannon says:

    Sabia Kane!

  32. ML Gibbs says:

    Gotta go with my girl Sabina!

  33. Raine says:

    Sabina! I don’t know why but to date, I have not been able to get into the others……course that leaves me a lot to read in the future when the well runs dry….like THAT can happen!

  34. ZombieJoe says:

    Sorry, I have to go Sabina here. Way to much a snarky badass.

  35. Lynne says:

    Archeron – just no comparison!

  36. Colleen C says:

    No brainer, Ash.

  37. snapdragon says:

    Ash – He is a 11,000 year old god with his own pet demon (Simi)that likes to eat things with BBQ sauce. Other gods are scared of him.

  38. Ana says:

    Sabina this time!

  39. ForeverReading 1 says:

    Sabina Kane

  40. Amy says:

    I have to go with Sabina!

  41. Stephanie D says:

    Sabina Hands down bad ass!

  42. Janet Kirsten says:

    Sabrina all the way!

  43. Shannon Keith says:

    I love Sabina!

  44. DHfan4life says:

    I’ve read both. And although I give Jaye Wells props for trying to be freshly creative with her Sabina Kane series. It still pales in comparison to a Kenyon book to me. So definitely Ash all the way baby!

  45. Lais says:

    Sabina!!!!! fav books!!!

  46. Giedre says:

    Sabina.

  47. Jessie H. says:

    Sabina!

  48. Michelle Palmer says:

    Sabina is amazing!

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