Review: Dwellers of Darkness (Darkness #3) by Stacey Marie Brown

Title: Dwellers of Darkness

Series: Darkness #3
Author: Stacey Marie Brown
Publisher: Twisted Fairy Publishing
Published: February 11, 2014
Pages: 344
Genres: New Adult, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
Source: Ebook
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Some days feel like years, but in Ember Brycin’s case just the opposite is true. She had only been in the Otherworld for a day or two when she returned back to the Earth's realm. But it is three years later on Earth. Em is now 22. It would matter if she was human, but she’s not. She is a Dae, part Demon and part Fay, with a little Dark Dweller thrown in to make her even more of a freak.

Seeing Seattle rebuilt only confirms she has been gone three years. For her it was not long ago that the Seattle area was just rubble of concrete and death. All done by her hand. 

One thing that hasn’t changed, though, is her undeniable connection to Eli Dragen, who is sexy, gorgeous, and even more volatile and frustrating. But her problems go way past him. The Seelie Queen of the Otherworld still holds Mark, Em’s father, and her friends, Ryan, and Josh as hostages. Em needs to rescue them without, once again, getting caught and being used as a pawn to help the Queen regain possession of Earth. At the same time Ember is in hot water with Lars, the Unseelie King, after breaking her contract with him.

As some secrets have come to light others seem to become even more enigmatic. The only truth Ember knows is,everyone is harboring secrets. As Eli’s past is revealed, Em understands more clearly why he acts the way he does and how much their lives are intertwined. But she also knows Eli is holding something back, something that could change their relationship forever.

Em herself continues to wrestle with her feelings toward Torin and her own secret she’s withholding from Kennedy. As the tension for war mounts between the Seelie and Unseelie (Light and Dark), the tension at the Dark Dweller’s compound mounts even more as they prepare to obtain the sword no matter what the price. But is Ember the answer to the location of the sword? Is she the one to fulfill the prophecy? As usual nothing is ever what it seems.

Goodreads / Amazon

MY REVIEW

DISCLAIMER: This review MAY contain spoilers. 

Wow, this fucking book! It was tantalizing from the beginning and it did not let up for a moment. It was one astonishing ride that I am grateful to have had. I can only imagine that reading this book is as adrenalizing as Ember felt riding on the back of Eli's Harley. 

I am pretty impressed with the plot in this series and where the story is going. It really does get so much more intense in this book. There are high stakes and conflicts around every corner. I am liking the foreshadowing coming back from previous books and shocking me with new developments. The plot feels very well put together. Everything fits and works perfectly. I love the plot twists and the suspense to know more. 

I really love this intricate cast of characters. The chemistry and interactions between these characters really vitalizes the story. The plot is excellent and very clever, but the characters are the meat of the story. They make it worth reading. I have come to really adore most of these characters. I love how the addition of Cal and Simmons brings some humor to the series that was lacking in the first book. I love how developed most of the characters are and how they embody the concept that no one is purely bad or good. Most of these characters have a bit of both, and I like that. It makes them seem more real. Everyone has flaws so it is good to see some in these characters. I have come to love them so much.

The romance in this series is so hot. It burns and devours. There is more love-to-hate in this book with Eli and Ember. They seem to go back and forth between aggression and passion with all the events happening in the story. An underlying theme is trust. Every time Ember feels her trust has been shattered she closes herself off and their relationship takes the hit. They build it back up in the only way they can - by yelling at each other and throwing biting comments back and forth until they can't deny their attraction anymore. And damn, if it isn't glorious! I wasn't sure that I would like their romance when I read Darkness of Light, but it has grown into something I can't get enough of. 

The world-building was well written. Most of the characters take a trip to Greece and the details were very vivid. 

As with the last book, I found way too many grammatical errors in this book. It could use a serious editing session. I can't usually enjoy a book with spelling or grammatical errors, but surprisingly they did not detract from my enjoyment of the book. 

Overall, I want to scream out to everyone to read this series. I personally wasn't fully invested until book two, so if you decide to give it a try I would keep going because it definitely gets better in book two. This book was infinitely better than book two. This series has become one of my favorites. I am eager to read the next book in the series. Stacey Marie Brown is now on my auto-buy list!

Check out my reviews for the other books in this series!

Darkness of Light (Darkness #1)

Find my review here.

Fire in the Darkness (Darkness #2)

Find my review here.

This series has quickly become one of my all time favorite series. What was the last book series that you read that claimed a top spot in your heart and on your shelf? What is on your summer TBR?