Demon Marked: Guardian series #7 by Meljean Brook

Publisher: Penguin Group

Published: 9/06/2011

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Rating: Entrée











  For the last three years, Ash spent her life locked away in a mental institution with no idea as to who she was before she woke up there. For her, there is no sense of loss or sorrow, merely an intense curiosity of who she is, and why she can do things no one else can do. She cares for nothing or no one. Using her preternatural abilities and the internet, she discover a tenuous link to millionaire businessman, Nicholas St. Croix and his stepmother Madelyn. Nicholas has devoted the majority of his adult life to destroying his stepmother Madelyn, or rather the demon who has possessed her body since Nicholas was a child. When he discovers his very dead girlfriend breaking into his stepmothers home, he knows right away that Ash is an earthbound demon. Her pathetic ruse of amnesia doesn’t wash with him, he’s seen and lived through too much hell to be taken in by one of her kind.  If not for the fact that Ash can lead him to Madelyn, her head would already be rolling on the floor.

Meljean Brooks has an unbelievable talent for bringing humor to unbelievably dark situations. This book absolutely cracked me up. As a die hard fan of this series and a Lilith wannabe, I patiently wait for the next book to hit the shelves. This is one of those exceedingly rare series where the next book is always better than the last. Ash has to be hands down the best heroine of the series (aside from my role model Lilith of course). Her stoicism and lack of mental filters lead to great dialogue and side splitting scenarios. It is the rapid shift from uproarious laughter to heartbreaking sadness that causes the reader to gasp for breath and to feel their own heartbreak at the character's pain. It is an emotional upheaval I live for time and time again.

The details on the world building in this series is without peer. I have to remind myself occasionally that this is a work of fiction, especially when I do a marathon re-read of the entire series. The characters are as diverse as they are compelling and this is definitely not a series where the reader has any "yawn" moments. Meljean Brook hits every element that it takes to create a blockbuster series, and there is not one paragraph that wasn't crafted with master precision. From the snarky dialogue, the dark humor, the mind blowing romance or the dramatic situations, Demon Marked carries the flag for the Guardian series without missing a beat. I would be sorely remiss if I didn't strongly encourage you to read this book.