Early Review: Soul Scorched by Donna Grant (Dark Kings #6)

Soul Scorched (Dark Kings #6)
Donna Grant
Published: June 30, 2015 (St. Martin’s)
Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon
Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

Reviewed by: Amanda

Rating (out of 5): 3 stars

Note: While this review will be spoiler free, it does reference previous events in the series.

After leaving her sometimes-suffocating home on the Isle of Skye, Darcy’s made a life for herself, reading palms and tarot cards. Her Druid magic gave her the gift of foresight, but it gave her something else too—she’s got the unheard of ability to touch dragon magic. When the Kings find out she’s the one who unbound Ulrick, she becomes a very dangerous woman.

Warrick’s spent quite a bit of time observing and being amused and intrigued by humans. But he’s always maintained distance, content to go it alone. Then he’s ordered to keep tabs on Darcy, and when he rushes in to save her from a band of Dark Fae, their fates become entwined. Both sides want Darcy’s powers, but Warrick just wants Darcy, and he’ll do whatever it takes to have her.

I was actually more intrigued by the side characters in Soul Scorched than I was by the main couple. Darcy and Warrick are nice. They’re interesting characters, but their chemistry didn’t exactly set my Kindle ablaze. War’s interest in humans sets him apart from the other Kings (his preoccupation with celebrity gossip sites was amusing). I didn’t find either very memorable, though, and I thought the final conflict between Warrick and Darcy developed too quickly and was resolved just as fast.

Every time the action slipped to Rhi or Ulrik, I hung on every word…and got mad when their time on the page ended. Ulrik, in particular, really grabbed me. He’s incredibly complex; manipulative, thoughtful (when he wants to be), angry, hurt, charming, and wicked smart. Donna Grant kept me guessing at which side of him was the true Ulrik. I know he’s the bad guy, but I’d really, really like to hear his story.

The action comes in fits and starts, and I ended up severely disliking Con. The man’s an idiot, though I did understand his reasons for holding his Kings back. Warrick and Thorn, the other King sent to help guard Darcy, delight in killing as many of the Dark Fae as they can, and the fight scenes were taut and fast paced. The tensions between Ulrik and the rest of the Kings are rising to a breaking point, and the Dark Fae use them at every turn to make inroads against the treaty.

The set up for the next story (Thorn’s, yay!) means there’s lots more action and danger ahead for the Kings, and I’ll be back to find out what happens next.

Sexual content: graphic sex