Dark Slayer (The 'Dark' Carpathian Book 20)

*Warning: This will contain small spoilers and I wouldn’t recommend reading this review until you read the book and don’t read this book out of order*

This is one of my favorites and I think it’s another book that has everything going for it, it’s got so much emotion written into it.

This book is where part of the major plot comes to its climax, dealing with the dark mage and his microbes, and its so riveting. I thought I would have wanted mention of the slayer in past books, like when Ivory was mentioned in Dark Curse or even maybe a tiny mention throughout all the books but, thinking about it, I don’t believe it would have had that same surprising punch when either getting the book or looking it up.

I loved the rollercoaster of emotions, the great connection I felt between the couple and the way that Mikhail and Gregori handled everything.

The story and the characters felt so real, I would actually lost touch with reality while I was reading. I actually loved how Ivory kept her warrior feel even though she didn’t really know how to be a woman. Razvan was such a great character to read about, especially from learning about him since Dark Demon.

The fun moments were amazing, I had forgotten how funny this book was. I loved the snowmen throwing snowballs at the ancients, that was hilarious. Then it went from funny to emotional.

One of my favorite Carpathians, Gregori, was just so broken I almost cried. While I wasn’t happy about why Gregori was distressed, I actually thought it was a good move that the author made to bring the plot to its climax.

Dark Slayer by Christine Feehan
5 out of 5 Stars

This is the 20th book in her Dark Series about the Carpathian people, and they just keep getting better and better. This book revolves around two people that we've heard about in previous books, Razvan and Ivory. The Carpathians thought Ivory was dead long ago, but she survived and stayed hidden for hundreds of years. While Razvan was thought to be in league with the evil mage, Xavier, and it was revealed in the last book that he had been controlled by Xavier. We walk through their journey of healing as well as Ivory discovering how to heal the women and help them with their pregnancy. Razvan's situation was heartbreaking for him, and beautiful to watch, as he discovered that the things that happened when he was being controlled weren't his fault, and see him coming to terms with those things. This book is non-stop movement from beginning to end, just like all of these books, and I can't wait to go on to the next one. I love that we get to see people from previous books and find out what is happening with them after their books are over. Savannah and Gregori have their twin daughters in this book and it ends with their naming ceremony. This really was my favorite book so far... I loved it!!

Amanda, My Secret Book Spot

Everyone thought Ivory Malinov had been killed by Draven Dubrinsky but her body was never found. Draven had given her to the evil wizard Xavier and he had her body cut up in many pieces and left for the wolves. The wolves took her body’s pieces to the rejuvenating earth where she stayed for many centuries healing. Now she is back and vows to kill Xavier. She finds the body of Razvan Dragonseeker in the snow. He had been chained to the wall of Xavier’s cave and tortured almost beyond endurance. He is ready to die and get away from the horrors of his life. Ivory nurses him back to health and together they will take on Xavier. He has caused enough suffering in the Carpathian world in his quest for immortality and he needs to be destroyed.

If you are undecided about reading this series, read this book. It is awesome, I would give it 10 stars if I could. I absolutely love Ivory and Razvan! Ivory is this amazingly powerful woman who takes the lead. Poor Rasvan has been tortured beyond imagining but finds his solace in Ivory. Their relationship is truly a partnership. An unbreakable bond of love. Razvan follows Ivory's lead without hesitation. This book just take my breath away. I read it twice before going on with the series! Do not miss out on this book!

I’m extremely fond of wolves, so I was immediately fascinated by the bond that Ivory has with her pack of wolves. Wolves that would willingly lay down their lives to protect her, not that she needs a lot of protecting. Ivory is one kick-ass woman. She has been through hell and back and has only gotten stronger. I’ve never really wished I could be a character in any book that I’ve read. I’ve always been happy to join them on their adventures and then return to the real world. But if I had to pick someone I think I’d like to be Ivory (post-early years…no one should have to live through the hell that she did!)

I also really enjoyed the building of the relationship between Ivory and Razvan. I’m a big fan of taking it slow and working up to the romance in a story. There is an immediate attraction between Ivory and Razvan, but they are each determined to remain their own person not wanting to drag someone else into the pain that is their life. This allows them to spend time together building a friendship/relationship that can withstand the trials that they will face.

Even though this is book #20 in the series, please don’t let that stop you from reading it. This was my first Christine Feehan read and I’m sure there were probably parts that I may have understood a bit better if I had more history on the different families involved, but I never really felt lost. I’d still highly recommend this book even if you haven’t read any of the other books in the series.

I have long been a fan of Christine Feehan, but because of the depths of the darkness she brings to vivid life, I have found I had to shy away from many of her series as they progressed.

For instance I cannot read her GHOSTWALKER series any longer. The vividly detailed descriptions of the extreme cruelty within the covers of these books is too much for me with my own memories, barely scabbed over despite almost 30 years of healing, to handle. The accuracy of her writing takes me back to a time I still am struggling to learn how to live beyond.

That said, however, she also can put into words emotions I cannot...and she did that and so much more with this volume of her Carpathian Series.

Dark Slayer introduces us to Ivory and Razvan...two Carpathians who have learned how to survive against the odds despite treatment that would break lesser creatures.

I was especially drawn to Razvan...a man who hates the things he's done even though he was forced to do these things by an evil beyond his ability to resist.

He hates himself, yet his honor and core strength will not allow him to blame those that cannot understand what he'd endured and remained true to his inner self. The world sees nothing but the manipulative destruction caused by him when he was controlled by another...at first.

Christine Feehan's words Razvan uses when explaining to Ivory why he understands and in many ways feels he deserves the distrust of others resonated within me.

Many have asked me why I do not hate all men for what a few did and I respond..."How unfair would it be of me to hold an entire gender responsible for the acts of a few? I would be no better than those that hurt me.I cannot hold every male in the world accountable for what my ex-husband and his minions did to me."

Razvan says he cannot control the emotions, reactions, judgments of others...all he can do is stay true to himself...not always easy when he knows the evil things he's done, but he means for that to be the Razvan of the past...even when confronted with the uneducated and harsh judgement of those around him.

My heart understands Razvan in a way I have not completely understood the Carpathians Christine has written about previously...he touched me and through the wisdom of the words Christine gave to Razvan, I cried and felt a healing light and understanding finally fill me.

Anyone who wants to understand the core of what abuse can do to another human being needs to read
DARK SLAYER.

I cannot recommend this book enough...but I eagerly give it FIVE STARS and thank you Ms. Feehan for putting into words my pain, my philosophy, and even though I do not always see it, my strength.

Truthfully I was disappointed with the last two releases of Christine Feehan's, the Burning Wild and Hidden Current. I wasn't impressed to say the least. I was beginning to think that this was going to be the trend, so I started Dark Slayer with trepidation. However, I was surprised, pleasantly so. It seemed her old formula that endeared me to her originally was again at work, along with a twist of more world building.

We are introduced to Ivory Malinov and Razvan, who is detested and feared by all Carpathians as their enemy. Ivory is the Dark Slayer, the long thought dead sister of the Malinov Brothers has lived alone for centuries with just her wolves, fighting the vampires and trusting no one, not even the Carpathian's. Razvan, over the course of several previous books, has been a thread woven through-out with his attempts to inflict evil and death to the Carpathians. Ivory finds Razvan, in the snow awaiting the sun and to put an end to his life of imprisonment by Xavier, she recognizes him as her lifemate and takes him to her lair.

Ivory and Razvan's story starts with Ivory caring for Razvan, who has been kept starved for blood most of his life so that Xavier could control him. Razvan, a Dragonseeker, is brought to up to his fullest potential. As it unfolds, they both share their past lives of pain, distrust and betrayal and learning to trust and care for each other. With her previous mage studies under Xavier and Razvan's centuries of being controlled by Xavier, they unite their knowledge and powers to fight and destroy their common enemy, Xavier.

Along the way, they have run-ins with the Carpathians society, where they develop a surprising allegiance and battle more than a little distrust. Ivory, who is one of the oldest female Carpathians, is powerful and share's her knowledge of Xavier's spells and her abilities to unravel them adding a much needed security especially to the women.

Learning the back story of Ivory and Razvan has added a wonderful dimension to the Carpathian world. I really liked Ivory's Wolf Pack, it was unexpected to say the least and their integration of Razvan was cool. We also got glimpses of most of old favorites, such as Skylar, Savannah, Gary and many more. With the introductions of more male vampires, the Malinov Brothers to carry on the threat of Xavier's evil and the Aunts, I am hoping the books are on a new curve, a development without rehashing the same old stuff. I'd like and hope to see the continued world building of the Carpathian Society as she has shown in this book. All in all, I'm glad that I had picked up the books as I feel there was redemption from the previous writings.

For the first time ever, the woman is the hunter (at least in the ones I have read so far) this book comes after Dark Curse; where they discuss the issues associated with female hunters. hilarity ensues when Gregori opens his mouth, but it's well worth reading.

Ivory survived something that would have killed the average Carpathian & she did it in the most unique way. She then creates wolves for herself to run with a pack, she is KICKASS with a capitol K. Ivory endured when others would have died and she made something of herself that encompassed & changed her world. Raz arguable the most hated Carptathian trapped by his own family & left for dead he finally makes his way to freedom to the cleansing sun & his lifemate finds him (always at the nick of time that these men are found).

I love the role reversal the two have, that she is the one he must learn from. That she has the experience he lacks as a warrior & yet he despite his experiences has the emotional balance she needs. I love that they balance each other out. I love that they needed each other & that they fit together without a great struggle & he didn't try to control her from the get go. they worked well & I loved their dynamic.

I particularly loved that it wasn't physical strength. Razvan possessed in abundance that drew her to him it was sheer strength of his character, the absolute well of determined spirit deep inside him. He was so steady, a rock for her. Check out page 235, the scene there was emotional.

I love this book it has become my all time favorite Carpathian novel. Razvan is an amazing man; his zen like approach to life just drew me in. I love that Ivory was the physically stronger one but still needed him emotionally.

It's a definite must read. Either purchase or check your local library to see if they have a copy. However you do, make sure get this one it's well worth the time to read.

Ivory Malinov has spent years underground, slowly knitting her body back together after being betrayed and dismembered by those she trusted. As a result, she has spent her life trusting no one. Living a solitary life, she hunts vampires, guards her pack and her lair. Wearing tattoos that are in actuality are wolves, Ivory spends her time plotting to get destroy Xavier, the evil mage. Never in a million years did she imagine stumbling across her lifemate, Razvan one of the most feared enemies of the Carpathian people. Razvan having spent years fighting his grandfather (the very evil Xavier), who for years has possessed his body to impregnate women, and other evil deeds (used as an instrument to bring down the Carpathians) has finally escaped. Having found a love that he never thought he'd find, a newly saved Razvan sets out to protect his love even if he means his death. Having found a peace that none other could imagine, Razvan goes through the book showing the man he truly is regardless of the deeds he was forced to do. As the two try to discover the secret to saving the Carpatian race, specifically how to save their unborn children...they change the minds of those around them who dare not trust them. As Razvan finds peace with himself, in Ivory and in his destiny, Ivory is learning to trust those she believed betrayed her. Razvan having escaped Xavier has found solace in the heart and soul of a woman, who proves to be the perfect partner and lover. She will fight by his side like no other.

Personally, I thought that this was one of the better Carpathian novels. Even Feehan's approach to Ivory and Razvans' relationship, or their consummation of it was different. Most of the story was spent giving the characters an emotional connection before a physical one. They seemed to really embody what I would think lifemates should be. They completely accepted each others' faults for what they were and loved each other for them. There were still moments of "me man, you woman and I protect you with everything that I have" while muttering some ancient language meant to bind them, but here from the voice of ancient/abused/misunderstood Razvan, you smile. While initially when he was introduced to us he embodied pure evil, he now seems to be the most peaceful Carpathian of them all. It would appear that Ivory and Razvan may have been Xavier's greatest creations but his destroyers as well. I enjoyed this tale and would recommend it to all who enjoy the Carpathian stories. Just ignore the translations or use of the Carpathian language, and take the story for what it is and you will enjoy it!

There's a legend in the stories of vampires - a dark slayer who commands a wolf pack and is relentless as she destroys any vampire who crosses her path.
Ivory Malinov strikes terror into the hearts of the undead - her only purpose in life to destroy them. Her body is horribly scared from when she was sliced to ribbons in a vampire attack. It took centuries for her body to knit together again in the soil, now she lives to kill vampires. Then one night she saves a man's life. Her life mate.

Razvan is a Dragonseeker, one of the greatest Carpathian families. He was born into captivity. Possessed by Xavier, his evil captor, he did many terrible things and is now despised by his people. He escapes from imprisonment and tries to end his existence by finding the sun. Instead Ivory finds him.
She heals him in her lair, before they set out to find and destroy Xavier. They come across the Carpathian prince and his followers, who have the same mission - to destroy Xavier. They form an uneasy alliance and set to work.....

This book has many new twists, soil being healing, vampires travelling through dirt and having parasites in their blood, mutated parasites in the soil..., a `new' world,, not the same old same old stuff. The 17th book in the Carpathian saga, this is the first one I've read. I really liked it and am looking for the previous ones; I've definitely missed out as this series is great!

I loved this latest installment of the Carpathian series. Ivory and Razvan are such strong, courageous characters and their love story unfolds beautifully. Ivory is one of the most inspiring female characters I've come across in the romance genre.

After reading the blurb, I didn't think I was going to enjoy the book as much as I have some of the others in the series because Ivory is a powerful warrior and I normally prefer the male to be the more experienced one in terms of fighting skills. If you feel the same way, please don't let this put you off. Ivory might be a skilled hunter, but Razvan is her equal in every way. He is a strong and talented man and the perfect match for Ivory, who also has a vulnerable and sensitive side to her. I loved how peaceful Razvan was and how he lived completely in the moment because of his torturous past.

I thoroughly enjoyed the presence of characters from previous books. Gregori and Mikhail stand out the most and they were at their very best in this book. We learn a lot about Gregori and I would say he becomes a better person through his interactions with Ivory and Razvan. I was also very interested to find out why his eyes are silver, unlike other Carpathians.

Congratulations to Christine Feehan for writing such a complex, multi-layered plot with a big cast of characters. As the series progresses, it is wonderful to see how each of the Carpathians change and how different aspects of their personalities, both good and bad, come out in different situations. It makes them seem much more real. Feehan also does a wonderful job of making the heroes and heroines unique and giving them different gifts, all of which are important to their struggling race.

Feehan's descriptive tale of paranormal romance and suspense is sure to keep fans of her Carpathian series satisfied! While this installment may not be as exciting as previous novels, it still has all the basic elements to make a story all Feehan fans will love!

Dark Slayer begins with Ivory. Ivory is a Carpathian or more commonly known as a vampire. She is a loner, untrusting of others like her because hundreds of years ago her Carpathian brothers tried to kill her and ultimately all turned evil. For hundreds of years she rested in the earth, trying desperately to heal her body. One of the things that saved her was a wolf pack. Her constant companions for years, they have never left her side and will do anything to protect her.

Razvan was fourteen when he was taken by Xavier, a mage, and the Carpathians ultimate enemy. Under Xavier's control, he was forced to do many horrible things...things for which he can never forgive himself. One day circumstances allow Razvan to escape and he desperately runs to the deepest recesses of the Carpathian mountains in order to die in peace. Moments before the dawn would take him, Ivory discovers him. Not only is he battered and bruised, but he is her life mate. Her one and only companion for all eternity. She saves him, despite the dangers he presents and together they strive to defeat their common enemy; Xavier.

Fans of Feehan's earlier work will continue to love Dark Slayer. While each couple's story follows the same basic principles, Ivory and Razvan are a unique couple. They develop a connection the builds on respect, courage and honor. Razvan admires and appreciates Ivory skill and talent that she has relentlessly built over the years and Ivory is in awe of Razvan's ability of acceptance and determination to survive and succeed.

Christine Feehan writing creates many wonderful things. When reading the first half, I was amazed at the amount of emotion and heart that was displayed in her storytelling. She is spectacular at describing the pain and joy of falling so deeply and completely in love. These characters become so much a part of the other that you don't know where one character ends and the next one begins. She is very heavy on the description and characters inner thoughts that you have very little communication or dialogue throughout the book. Which may be a pro or con to some readers. You also have to appreciate or accept the fantasy. These overwhelming emotions the characters feel about their relationship with their life mates are sometimes difficult to understand. The life mates learn more about each other by telepathically experiencing each others lives. Obviously the book doesn't have the time to take us on that same journey so it is sometimes difficult to comprehend the depth of their emotions and why they feel that way.

While I didn't feel this novel was as wonderful as previous Carpathian installments, I still enjoyed it immensely. Razvan was different from the normal overbearing males Feehan has written about and was a interesting change of pace. Both of them were loners, alone in the world, forming a bond that nothing could break. Christine Feehan's series shows no signs of slowing down, so I think we have many more Carpathian novels to look forward to!

Overall Rating: 4/5
Heat Level: 3/5

Lisa @ Once Upon A Chapter

Ivory was thought to be long dead, but in reality she is the myth that locals have been talking about for a number of years. She travels by wolf pack and can even communicate with them. She helps save the life of the mage Razvan who she finds hurt and dying on a mountainside, but when she gets closer they both realize they are meant to be life mates. While she is not sure this is what she wants she won't leave him to suffer, especially when she sees into his mind and realizes he too is a victim of the same horrible mage.

As time moves on it becomes apparent that both Ivory and Razvan must rid the world of the evil mage Xavier. They will also do whatever is needed to protect their new love no matter what others of their race might think.

While I found Dark Slayer one of the more intriguing Carpathian stories by Ms. Feehan I also found it to be one of the darkest. There seemed to be more pain, injuries, and psychological trauma than in some of the more recent Carpathian stories. I am still a big fan of the overall series but in Dark Slayer it seemed that Ms. Freehan was also trying to fill up space by having a lot of the Carpathian to English translations of love phrases etc. I felt it in a way detracted from the power of the story, making it drag.

That these two characters should find each other and go after one of the biggest evils of all was one of the things that keep most readers coming back to Ms. Feehan.

Tanya
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

The union of Ivory and Razvan was perfect match and nicely balanced as life mates. Ivory's fierceness makes for the perfect counterpart to Razvan's calm personality and hopefully, they will eventually work their way back into Carpathian society.

It was admirable that Mikhail and Gregori were so welcoming of Ivory and Razvan, one whose family tried to destroy the Prince's line and the other thought long to be a vicious traitor and enemy.

I love my alpha Carpathian males, these centuries old protectors of humans and Carpathians alike. I appreciate the consistency in how the author portrays her recurring characters; Mikhail as the consummate leader and a pillar of strength. Gregori, who always true to his character as the fierce protector of Carpathian values and society. I would expect no less from him. Gregori could have insisted removing the Prince from a potentially dangerous situation, but he stayed to assist the strangers not knowing if they were friend or foe. On the other hand, Razvan was a little too sage for me, maybe he will begin to hone his warrior skills in time, with Ivory's help.

The introduction of five new ancients, Tariq and Andre and the brothers Mathias, Lojos, Tomas, bodes well for the continuation of the Dark series. The Dragonseeker aunts will need lifemates and I am certain that lifemates will be found amoung the psychic women.

One of the best parts was getting see some of the favorite characters from other books. I always enjoy seeing how the previous couples are faring, especially since many have found their way home to the Carpathian mountains along with the addition of new tots. It broke my heart to see the Dark One cry in the struggle of his daughters. Dark Slayer is an excellent addition to the Dark Series, it is highly recommended.

In Dark Slayer, we get the story of Ivory Malinov and her lifemate, Razvan, who had been held by the evil vampire/mage Xavier since he was a teen and forced (when Xavier entered his body) to do despicable things to people, including rape. Ivory has her own issues; the master vampire had her chopped up into pieces and left for the wolves to eat. Over the course of 300 years and with the help of wolves and Mother Earth, Ivory was able to reconstruct herself and became a true vampire slayer with some pretty snazzy weapons she created, including some wolves that she accidentally "turned" Carpathian that guard her and fight with her.

The crux of this book is the hunting of Xavier and one of Ivory's brothers who turned hundreds of years ago and seems to be stalking her. We also get a little side story that involves many of our favorite characters including Mikhail, Gregori, Savannah, Syndil, Barack and some others. There's an interesting plot twist with two of the young Carpathians and their link to Razvan.

What I didn't like about Dark Slayer: Razvan is a little too Zen for my taste. I didn't get the leap from a suicidal, completely insecure and self-hating man to a guy who encourages Ivory to get into a yoga position to calm herself. He also was very strange about claiming his lifemate, who for most of the book, really wasn't all that interested in him beyond his fighting skills. There was also more gore in this book than previous ones. Some of it worked with the plot, some seemed gratuitous. And heavens please, Ms. Feehan, stop with the Carpathian language passages and the weird chantings! This book is loaded with them, along with a bunch of "traditional greetings," and other supposedly important etiquette for good Carpathians that oddly, was missing from the first ten plus books.

Now what I liked: Easily summed up in one word - Ivory. She is a total kick butt heroine who's spent hundreds of years perfecting her home, weapons, spells and her wolves. The fighting scenes were terrific (apart from the gore) and although part of the ending seemed a bit anti-climactic, there were some wonderful elements that set up the next books, hopefully. All in all, this turns out to be a pivotal book in terms of the future of the Carpathian race.

I highly recommend this book for fans that had some trouble with the last few books (me included) and the series getting a little stale. If you're up to an entry that has a heroine that can truly match Gregori, then you'll love this. If you're looking for her trademark, "sex in the first 20 pages," you won't find that here.

3.5 out of 5 stars! This is a sweet novel about two people who have been given the worst out of life but they come together (and fall in love) in hope to concur one of the greatest enemy's to themselves as well as the Carpathian people. I loved the fact of Ivory and her wolf pack!! Even if it was against the rules of their society, it is the best thing I have read in a long time!! I so wish I could have a wolf pack of my own! *hehee* Plus, I think I like this book out of the series all the more because of the "girl-power" aspect of it, where the other two (yes I know I haven't read them all) dealt more with woman who were kind of dependent on their lifemates, Razvan and Ivory were more equals then anything!!

So ... if you've read some of this series ... then I definitely recommend reading this one too! Especially since it includes a great secondary plots of people that you have read in the other books.

My hope is that when Ivory and Razvan have kids at least one of the will be a life mate to the current prince's kids.

Review By: From Me to You ... Book Reviews
(read more of this review and a teaser on my blog)

I love the Dark Series and I love the plot developments in this book. That being said, I didn't like this book overall, and a primary reason is because of the hero and heroine, Razvan and Ivory. I know many will disagree with me, so I'll list reasons why I don't like either character.

Razvan: Even back in Dark Curse, I didn't like what I felt was a very abrupt shift from Razvan being a mortal enemy to being a victim. Literally over the course of 2 books he goes from being a being of evil to doing absolutely _everything_ in the name of protecting Lara, his daughter. I'm glad for the role reverse with the Carpathian couples and that it is Ivory who needs to introduce Razvan to Carpathian culture, but his constant flip-flopping got annoying after a while. He goes from being suicidal to begging Ivory to kill him to being indignant that they would dare suspect him of foul play. He acknowledges the crimes he committed under Xavier's control, and yet it's as though he expects everyone to forget about such crimes. I _was_ glad that he sided with Natalya against Ivory, but his sagelike behavior was so out of place and his quiet acceptance of his doom without considering how this might hurt the people connected to him got on my nerves.

Ivory: I don't like a lot of Christine's Dark heroines, but Ivory was the first I could admit I really hate. I read this book several times, trying to like this girl, and my dislike only grew. I know she has suffered greatly through the centuries, and so I can excuse her aloof nature for this. But she completely fails to take any personal responsibility for her fate. Draven and his cronies would have never ripped her apart if she had not disobeyed her brothers and had Prince Vlad override their authority to go to Xavier's magic school. She knew _exactly_ what Draven was capable of, but one-upping her brothers in terms of skill mattered more to her than her own personal safety. And yet, when she reflects upon the situation she blames Vlad for not controlling Draven, Xavier for being evil, and even her brothers and the De La Cruz's for "smothering" her. And her brothers...she treats their turning as a "betrayal" to her for siding with those who tried to kill her. It's like she doesn't even realize or care that they turned mainly because THEY THOUGHT SHE WAS MURDERED!!!! And yet her grief and rage at her oldest brother Sergey is because of their "betrayal", never mind how she had betrayed them by openly defying them and rushing off to her near-death. It also annoyed me of her protectivenss over Razvan. It was cool that she rushed to his defense when he was put on trial, but why was she expecting everyone to automatically accept him?! They'd all suffered so greatly and for years they all thought Razvan caused a great deal of it!!!! So why is it so wrong that they doubt him?!

But anyways, I liked this book for the plot advancement and developments, and I thought Ivory's spell was awesome, even if it completely negated Lara's importance to the story. In Dark Curse Lara was identified as the key to identifying the microbes, but just one book later she's converted to save her life and so now this burden falls on Ivory's shoulders, thus regulating Lara to just being one of the earth-healers of the Dragonseeker clan. I know this means she can't relive her childhood trauma, but did Christine need to make this shift over the course of one book?! I mean, Gabrielle was introduced as a human in Dark Descent but she wasn't converted until Dark Demon. But I'm glad Ivory saved Anya and Anastasia, even if it means I'm now going to have to see more of her in future books.

On a completely different topic, I'm kind of getting sick of seeing Natalya and Vikirnoff as frontal characters. They aren't the only warrior duo, and yet they've led all of the investigations so far in recent books and they've been main supporting characters. I want to see other couples get a little more attention. What about Lucian and Jaxon? Lucian is supposed to be one of the oldest and most powerful Carpathians, isn't he? And Jaxon is very capable of holding her own. I want to see more of the twins, although I know Gabriel isn't as visible in the stories because Francesca handles the healing and birthing ceremonies. I don't mind lifemates fighting together, but I want to see other couples do something other than Natalya and Vikirnoff.

Overall this book disappointed me, but it wasn't a complete failure. I can reread it without having to read about Razvan and Ivory. I'm awaiting the next Dark book, which is rumored to be about Dominic. I like Dominic and I know his story will be _very_ interesting. I can also guess that Raven will give birth to her son in the next book so I can't wait for that either.

I am new to this series and have a feeling that this was the worst book I could have started with. I agree with the other one and two star reviews lamenting the overuse of the Carpathian phrases that were immediately followed by their English translations. The poor narrators tried to make the book interesting with unusual accents, but an accent could not make this story good. And what is the point of an accent at all if all the characters speak English anyway? There are long, gruesome narratives of extreme violence and long passages where the 2 main characters are buried in dirt, healing. Aside from the overuse of the annoying nonexistent language, I got *very tired of hearing the phrase "her womb clenched", as if that were a good thing. It's another series that attempts to make vampires into cuddly misunderstood characters. The very thin line between "good" vampires and "evil" vampires doesn't really reconcile or mitigate the fact that they are ALL vampires.

I do love the Carpathian people; I just wish their creator was a little more consistant! There were several times I was reading the book, and I was like...what?...I think she switches plots and her own information around like a soap opera writer. No regards to what happened previously if it interferes with the current plot line. I was pretty sure that the twins, Razvan and Natalya, were only a couple of hundred years old, which fit nicely in the plot line so far. And then, in this book, Razvan is suddenly older than Gregori? Huh? I did think it was interesting the vampires knew about her, but no one else did, and she lived right around the corner from the other Carpathians and they did not know she was there. Hm. And I agree with another review that the constant spells/poems whatever you want to call them were annoying and distracting, as well as the need to speak the old language and then hyphenate and immediately translate. *scream* But otherwise, it was ok! I liked Ivory and Razvan, the wolfpack, the sanctuary, and how smart Ivory was. I thought it was overly dramatic sometimes, but hey, it's a paranormal soap opera, what can I expect, right? All I would ask Ms. Feehan in the future is to check the past the work, keep the chanting to a minimum, and maybe leave the translation for the back of the book. She integrated it much better in Dark Demon. At least to me, anyway :)

The roles are reversed as Ivory Malinov is the older, more experienced one who has given up on ever finding love, after being given to Prince Mikhail's older brother Draven.
To her shock the 'dead' body her wolves discover to be her lifemate: Razvan, twin of Natalia and grandson of Xavier. Unable to leave the man for dead, she speaks, but not before rendering him unconcious. She gives him blood and commands him to sleep.
Razvan, while younger, had not fared well under Xavier's captivity. He had aged considerably a rare if not unheard of thing amoung Carpathians.
Gregori meanwhile insists 'protecting' Ivory since she has no lifemate. Which she turns down, stating she has a lifemate. His opinion changes quickly as Ivory teaches the 'experienced' hunters (Vikirinoff, his brother and two others)a big lesson in humility. A bemused Gregori ends up 'saving' the four afterwhich he sets them straight.
It is Ivory who is excited to learn her lifemate might be the key to destroying Xavier.

This book deserves five and half stars, but gets four stars. Didn't care for the 'Carpathian for Dummies'.

I have been trying to read this series in order to get to know the characters as they are introduced. I recommend that anyone reading these do the same. You can read them out of order but it is much better if you do. That said, the main characters in Dark Slayer are strong warriors yet filled with even stronger love for each other. They have endured much pain and despair yet have never given into the evil that surrounds them. They complete each other and are stronger together. Their love, strength and determination are inspiring. I enjoy these books, love the characters and the way they blend from one book to the next giving a true sense of family.

Ivory's past is twisted and ancient. She finds her lifemate at a time when the world is set to trap her and her kind.

They are both wounded and scarred from the same enemy. With strong personalities and a fierce love these two set the world on fire and enact revenge on those who would do them wrong.

Ivory's ability as a warrior with shapechanging ability and wolves that are at her command integrated into her body gives us a clear picture that her enemies must indeed be powerful to best her.

Together, these two beings rise above and find each other in a world so dark not even an ancient warrior can rest from his wounds.

Each chapter had action and kept the pages turning.

I see I am pretty much in the minority here, but I can't give this more than two stars. There is so much touchy feely lovey dovey stuff in this book that it goes nowhere until the last few pages and still falls flat for me. Neither Razvan or Ivory are really strong characters. They are so enamored with each other that all they do is compliment praise and ogle one another. While there is nothing wrong with a loving couple and a story that shows what faith, courage and tenacity can do even when you've been tortured, there can be too much of this type of indulgence. Pages and pages are filled with this couple's lovemaking. Everyone, including the usual cast of carpathians, is so mellow I almost fell asleep. There was no challenge, nothing really scary and they took out the villian in one fell swoop, although they left enough pieces of him that I expect to see Xavier again. Wouldn't want to waste a good villian. Come on Ms Feehan let's get back to the program and forget all the language and useless text in the back. Surely I will never recite any of the verses or use the carpathian language, so why do I have to read all this? Bring back the excitement that made this series sizzle.

The vampire hunter Ivory, and her seven Carpathian wolf pack and her normal wolf pack head home after killing two vampires only to find a dying man. To her horror she knows this Carpathian is her lifemate. He tells her to leave him die as the evil Xavier uses his body to cause death. He is Xavier's grandson and sold his soul to save his daughter and sister. Ivory knocks him out and takes him to her hidden shelter while Xavier searches for Razvan. She will heal him and if he still chooses death, so be it.

Ivory sees a child tied in snares, which is a trap. With her wolves she kills a ghoul, but her brother master vampire Sergey escapes before the Carpathian healer Gregori and Prince Mikhail arrive. They offer to heal her, but she refuses as she wants nothing to do with Carpathians. Though not fully healed Razvan knows his lifemate is in trouble. She has given him hope that she can kill Xavier as she told him that is why she lives. Razvan arrives placing a knife to Mikhail's neck. Mikhail calmly tells Gregori to heal Ivory. He does and is stunned that she was once sliced into many pieces and should be dead. Ivory and Gregori heal Razvan. She explains her only friends are the wolves as her brothers chose the power of the vampire and sacrificed her. Ivory and Razvan plan to kill Xavier or die trying.

The relationship between the lead couple is fresh and gender bending as she leads the excursions against Xavier. The Carpathian support cast is strong especially the wolf pack, the prince and the healer while the malevolent villain is brilliant using modern science as well as magic to attack his foes and the heroine's brothers, though we meet only one of them, are pure evil. This is a super entry, which long time fans will enjoy including the addition of background information appendices though newcomers will feel awed by the Feehan mythos.

Harriet Klausner

Dark Slayer by Christine Feehan is a wonderful return to the Carpathian novels....and it has been a long time in coming. To be completley honest, I had given up on the series--the last book I could "stand" was Dark Celebration and only then because it revisited so many of the other characters I have cared for. With Dark Slayer I picked up with great reservations, knowing that like Dark Curse I might be forced to skip several chapters, read the last one, then throw the book against the wall just to enjoy it. Imagine my suprise to find myself enraptured with Ivory and Razvan, and their devotion to each other and the fight against Xavier.

Ivory is a alpha heroine we all can empathize with, and Razvan is the perfect foil for her. His zen-like attitude makes him a lifemate to appreciate---and for the faithful (if wary) readers of the series---a welcome departure to the overbearing, overprotective males of the race. Ivory is intellegent, capabable and very vunerable all of which create a woman who demands honesty and trust from all those who surround her. Without divulging any spoilers, both Razvan and Ivory's lives were hellish, more endured than lived and both could only find solace with the other. I wept at the conclusion of this novel.

This is a good book. More importantly, it is a good story, a true romance---one that has been missing from Feehan's novels of late. I thoroughly recommend reading Dark Slayer...you will be glad you did.

Enjoy.

The story of Ivory Malinov and Razvan of the Dragonseekers was absolutely fantistic. This story was truly well written. From the beginning to the end I was spell bounded by the heart wrenching love story of Ivory and Razvan. Although I agree with alot of the reviewers that 30 pages wasted on the Carpathian language should not be a major part of the book. I understand the authors need for her readers to completely emerge themselves into the Carpathian culture.
I will start with my high points of this novel:
-Ivory Malinovs character was very well written. She truly embodied the true word of warrior woman. Unlike the other female characters in the series who do partner with their lifemates to hunt vampires, Ivory truly is the most experienced and sucessful female slayer in the Carpathian world. Having killed master vampires alone without a lifemate to aide her Ivory was at all times during the novel confident, strong, and fought to keep Razvan to her even though she had to pay the price and lose her independence. I loved the way Ivory handled Mikhail, Gregori, Falcon, and all the other warriors when they meet her, the skirmish between her and Gregori was classic. And although Gregori did make me mad with his caveman views of women we as readers must remember that a majority of the Carpathian men do not want women to ever fight vampires. This is a theme that has been constant through out the series from Dark Prince to Dark Slayer. But there the minority....
-Razvan is by far the best written hero of the Carpthian Series with exception to Mikahil of course. Calm, passionate, understanding, patient, loving, agressive (when needed) and heroic. All these characteristics make up Razvan. His willingness to die for honor and his complete confidence in Ivory's abilities to heal and fight are touching. In this novel I felt that Feehan did an outstanding job reversing the rules of the male and female leads. In the case with Ivory and Razvan, Ivory is the warrior and Razvan is learnig to be a warrior. Razvan although still battling his carpathian protective nature always loved Ivory for who she is and most of all truly respected her abilities. Unlike other Carpathian males in the series who try to in some ways control their lifemates choices Razvan did not. Throughtout the whole book Razvan was supportive and patient when he needed to be and strong and agressive when he needed to be for Ivory thus making him a perfect lifemate for our heroine. Absolutely loved the love scenes. There are only two but all were well written beautifully and erotic... very erotic. I loved the scene with Skyler recognizing Razvan as her father as well as Lara. It was sad yet gave hope that the dragong seeker family can rise again.
My low points for the book:
-Too much carpathian language as stated earlier the spells did not annoy me as Ivory was a s student of Xaveiers and thus studied magic and spells.
-No DelaCruz reunion with Ivory. I was kind of ticked off that we did not see an official reunion with Nicholas and Ivory but I suspect that there will be real soon.
Finally, I think Feehans wanted to convey that despite the traumatic pasts shaped both Ivory and Razvan endured and thus made them strong survivors it was their love for each other that made them stronger and more complete.

I like this one a lot better than the last. In Dark Slayer by Christine Feehan we are given the story of Ivory Malinov(thought to be dead) and Razvan(thought to be evil) Ivory reminded me of Natalya, Razvan's twin sister since she was a hunter of vampires. Razvan, however, was NOT your typical carpathian/dragonseeker. In this novel Feehan gives us a different male lead. Razvan is very soft spoken and mild in demeanor when you compare him to previous heroes in the Dark novels but I REALLY liked him, more so than Ivory. Now dont get me wrong, she was a kick butt leading lady. I just could not relate to her character. Without giving too much away, I thought her "rebirth" a little unreal and surviving against vampires for so long with just a pack of wolves didnt work for me. Maybe its because she grew up as a typical carpathian woman and yet didnt rejoin her people preferring to be a loner when she was healed. That bothered me

BUT, the story was good. There was non stop fighting and I particularly loved the scenes where Ivory goes against her brother who has turned. We are given some scenes with old characters and the storyline following Gregori and Savannah with the birth of the twins is fantastic. We also got a small, very small, peek at Skyler and Dmitri in a scene together.

I'm glad I picked this up despite the hardcover price since we are also given more pieces of the puzzle with the parasites in the soil, the evil mage and other closure.The romance between the hero and heroine is believable since both of them have a traumatic past and supported one another despite Razvan's reputation

Cons: I didnt understand nor is it explained why the wolves turn into tattoos.I get that they are bonded in a way but the tattoo aspect seemed thrown in for special effect rather than purpose. Another group of ancients that we've never heard of are tossed in.
Pros: I loved seeing old characters, loved the answers to many questions from previous books, loved the wolves turning into a "fur coat" This book also has me cuaght back into following the carpathians.

I was very concerned when I saw that this book featured a Carpathian who was presumed dead and a Dragonseeker who had been portrayed as a bad guy, but Christine Feehan pulls it off.

This is not just another formulaic book in the series. Ivory is a Carpathian female who has been presumed dead for centuries. Razvan is a Dragonseeker who has been widely viewed as a traitor. After centuries of being tortured at Xavier's hands, he escapes and prepares to die by greeting the sun. Their paths cross, and Ivory recognizes her lifemate. She rescues him, but has no intention of keeping him around once he has healed. He doesn't want to be rescued, but doesn't have the strength to fight her.

Although the fight scenes were graphic, I thought they were necessary. I loved this couple's unique connection to "Mother Earth" and I did not detect a personal agenda by the author. I also loved the poetry and spellwork (in English) as it all propelled the plot forward. Simply telling the reader that Ivory can dismantle a spell is not nearly as effective or satisfying as actually reading the words she uses.

The only problem I had with this book was Natalya and Lara's reactions to learning the truth about their brother/father. I was distressed enough by them to reread Dark Demon (The Carpathians (Dark) Series, Book 13) and Dark Curse: A Carpathian Novel, then Dark Slayer again before writing this review.

Finally, I loved that one huge arc (two major problems) of the series storyline has been resolved. There are more stories to come, thankfully, but this book - which can stand on its own but doesn't need to - reminds me of what I love about a well-written PNR series. Complex without gorging itself, the Dark Series sets the bar very high. Other authors in the genre would do well to take lessons from Ms. Feehan.

Outside of the first book in this series, this has become my favorite. Ivory & Reagan are truly a force to be reckoned with. Both, their individual suffering were unspeakable but joining together made their unity unique and enjoyable to read.

While I remain a big fan of the early books of Christine Feehan's Carpathian (Dark) series, I feel like the last few books have lost some of the original allure. I understand that keeping a series going for this long requires changes and the introduction of new plot elements, but I think the mage elements are presented with too much unnecessary "flash" to the storyline. I also feel that this book builds up a lot of suspense to reach an ending where the bad guy is dealt with much too quickly. While Christine Feehan is still a talented writer whom I respect for her skill, for me, this particular book jut didn't hit the top of the scale. Hopefully everything will be brought together in a tight plot for the next book.
On a separate note, I don't understand why almost every time the Carpathian language is used in the book it is immediately followed by the English translation. In previous books, readers were left to flip to the back of the book where a translation dictionary is found. While I don't like needing to flip to the back of the book so much while reading, I also think it's redundant for a character to say the Carpathian words and then the English translation in dialog to a character who understands the Carpathian language and could translate it on his or her own.

I think that the sheer number of reviews to this book speaks volumes about Ms. Feehan's popularity. I will admit, I'm not a fan of paranormal romance but Ms. Feehan's Dark series really got me hooked. I dived into this in the middle of the series and then tried to read backwards. My favorite heroine has to be MaryAnn (hate the name tho!) and I really enjoyed that whole story of her and her De La Cruz lifemate. However, this story just fell flat. I found myself alternating between laughing and yawning (with a few snorts and eye rolls thrown in!) even though it wasn't really a comedy. The part that really lost me was the whole mother Earth (Gia anyone?) crap coupled with a YOGA routine! Really??? I know the Caparthians are tied to the Earth but did we really need to go into the whole Earth is alive and is our mother? If so, someone ought to call CPS on her as she seems to favor a few of her "offspring" and neglects the rest! Needless to say I didn't like this book or the one after with Dominic. I'll still buy her new ones in the Dark series because I'm still holding out hope that Ms. Feehan will go back to her roots and recapture the magic of the earlier books.

Best part: I liked seeing the "bad" guys in a new light. The two forgotten and misunderstood heroes find each other and that is really sweet.

What annoyed me: I don't think I will be able to read another one of Feehan's books for this particular reason. She has got to stop with the whole Carpathian language thing. It's like watching a bunch of Trekkies at a convention--it's amusing at first, but you wouldn't want to hang out with them. About 10% of the book is dedicated to the language and songs of her created people. I find it all very boring, plus it takes away from the storyline. I truly do not care about her made up language. Give me a frekken story please.

I have been reading the Dark Series from book#1 also. I have to agree with the other reviewers in saying that the series definitely has changed. Whether this is for the better or worse, is up to the individual. I will not go into the plot outline, as I feel that many other reviewers have done this more than adequately.

It is my opinion that the best way to get the most out of an experience is to understand what you are looking for and why you are looking for it; BEFORE you seek out the experience. Therefore, you may have the best chance at being pleased during and after the event.

I feel that the same is true for reading. Especially Christine Feehan books. Christine appears to be a writer that likes to focus on relationships in her romaance writing. This whole Dark Series, even the fighting with Vampires revolves around relationship of some sort. (The vampires are ex Carpathians all of whom had family, friend and history within the community ) Most of her relationships also seem to start on a spiritual level and end on a spiritual/physical level of some sort. The emphasis remains on respecting who you are as a spiritual and physical being as well as respecting your community and environment.

Many romances being written today do not require you to bring these considerations into the thought process to enjoy the work. It is my opinion that you should ask yourself the following questions before you buy the book.

Am I interested in:
*People involved in expressing themselves physically and spititually?
*People who are not "romance novel perfect" and continually evolving?
*A world that values the journey just as much as the end result, sometimes even more than the end result?
*Understanding that everything is Not as it may appear
*Suspending my preconceived belief system to be open to a new experience?

So, IF you are interested in these things, you will probably enjoy reading about how Ivory and Razvan work towards making their relationship stable and use their past hurts to build their present strengths.

Well, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. This is mine, I hope that you buy the book, enjoy it and develop your own ideas and opinions. Happy reading!

My appreciation for this series has been lagging for some time so I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy this latest installment as much as I did. Ivory Malinov has become one of my favorite female characters. She is the Dark Slayer with a tragic past of betrayal and suffering. But she has risen above all her trials and makes a life for herself that is interesting and fulfilling after centuries alone. She is the first character to have accidently turned an animal with her ancient Carpathian blood. In fact, she turns an entire pack of wolves who now travel with her as tattoos on her ravaged body, not only protecting her but helping her slay the vampires who prey upon humans and Carpathians. Not only can they become tattoos she can also wear them as a full length swirling fur coat. How is this possible? Who knows, just suspend disbelief and enjoy the cool ideas for what they are: pure entertainment! Ivory has also developed a fascinating set of tools with a unique coating that prevents the vampire from shape-shifting so she has a better chance to triumph in battle. She is truly a heroine who inspires admiration. Needless to say, when her mate comes along he is blown away by her as well he should be.

Razvan has long been thought a traitor to the Carpathian people. Of course we have been given hints along the way that perhaps he is not as evil as he seems. Ivory finds him collapsed in the snow preparing to face the dawn in order to end a tortured existence. While Ivory has no use whatsoever for a mate she is unable to allow him to die and takes him back to her home to heal him. It is no surprise that these two will knit their souls back together but the path they travel is not the predictable and well worn pathway. There is a lot of vampire battles, especially heartrending because Ivory must face one of her beloved brothers, now the enemy.

While I did enjoy this story very much I also had some strong negatives that took a couple of stars off the review. First, I thought the battle scenes went on and on until tiresome. Second, and worse, the time they took to heal from these battles just went on and on as well. What happened to the quick Carpathian healing from previous books? Even the worst injuries were healed after a few days underground. So now, suddenly it takes weeks plus an army of healers? Those passages just limped on forever and became very tedious. And I found it extremely hard to believe that Ivory spent several CENTURIES underground after being torn apart. I understand her injuries were beyond severe but no one could endure centuries underground without breaking. That just isn't credible to me, a person would go insane in all that time. And finally, Savannah acted like a total idiot during the birth. It's a good thing Gregori didn't listen to her or her babies would be dead. Her attitude was completely out of character for Savannah, much less any mother, to want to give up so quickly on her babies just because they were a little uncomfortable. If I had been there I would have slapped her silly. In fairness, the Savannah I know and love would never have acted like such an hysterical ninny. These elements really detracted from my enjoyment of the story. And last but definitely not least: Ms. Feehan is still enamored of the Carpathian language and spells so they take up a lot of space in the book. I guess some of her fans must be enjoying this stuff but frankly the whole subject bores me to tears so I just skip over it. But it does interrupt the flow of the story, especially the bonding chant the male speaks to his female. I always thought that passage was so beautiful but now it is all broken up with the Carpathian words and it destroys the rhythm and elegance of the recital.

I've always suspected that the author is using this stuff as filler to flesh these stories out and make them worthy of hardcover prices. I'm not convinced that the new elements make them any more interesting than the early paperback offerings. I still miss the simple love stories we had in the first half of this series. But I am glad I didn't miss this one with Ivory and Razvan and their family of wolves. And back on the bright side, we also see many of our old favorites as they work to defeat an ancient evil and find a solution for the death of their children. I wish I could give it 3 3/4 stars.

Dark Slayer is a book I want to like but it just falls short of expectations. I love that the male character is a bit less alpha male and more of a Zen fellow. It's a nice change. However, the female character is just Destiny/Natalya without a sense of humor. The relationship between the two main characters remains tepid overall. I feel such a distance from this story. It's as if the writer feels she has to tell us this story to get on to the next.

Unlike Dark Desire, Dark Gold, and even Dark Magic, there just isn't a spark in this one. It reminds me of the rather lukewarm Dark Guardian she put out a few years ago. Necessary for the overall plot's growth but not that interesting.

I like the wolf/tattoos.
The language lessons are endlessly boring. I don't mind a phrase now and then but please make her stop listing whole paragraphs and translating them. She's the only one doesn't skim those sections.

Oh, and she needs to beat her editor, found four major typos in last half of the book.

This is one to get in paperback.

First, let me suggest that you read "Dark Curse" first because it will provide some useful back ground info to make this book more enjoyable.
I have read many of Ms. Feehan's "Dark Series" (or "Carpathian") books and they have ranged from pretty good to a little silly. The standard "Dark" book features a female lead who is fiercely independent to the point of being rebellious in a rather childish way and a male lead who has a lot of deep tragic problems and is also a male chauvinist (although he means well). Most times the female lead has a lot of deep tragic problems too. Sometimes these problems are a little too graphic and disturbing for my taste. I see enough of that on the news, you know? This book sticks to that disturbing pattern.
What is different about this book is a female lead I can respect. She is mature, centered and unselfish. She has dignity and can be vulnerable in a non-childish way. Her identity is revealed early on and it was a pleasant shocker. I love it when a book surprises me. The male lead was also a shocker. You can read the inside cover and know who they are but it's still like "Whoa! Those two?"
The male lead is very different from the usual Carpathian. He's a kinder, gentler Carpathian and very likable. He's a misunderstood underdog. Together they form an "us against the world" kind of relationship and have a calling even higher than their love: they plan to destroy the Carpathians' worst enemy.
What was really enjoyable is that these two tweak the noses of the more typical Carpathians, especially the males, here and there. Even Gregori gets his comeuppance.
The weapons, Ivory's lair, the wolves and the overall story are interesting and entertaining. The representations of love, spiritual and emotional, are touching. The physical love scenes were actually unnecessary and written in Ms. Feehan's usual formula ("Her womb clenched" is a common and odd Feehan phrase).
I can honestly say that this is the best Carpathian novel I have read to date. Even the cover of the book was a nice departure from the usual: a fierce female warrior instead of the cheesy shirtless coverboy that makes me cringe when paying the clerk.

I've read this series starting with the very first book Dark Prince. Unfortunately I have to say that Ivory and Razvan's story just didn't cut it for me. Ivory is to stiff and just really unlikeable (and trust me - I'm always rooting for the girl who can kick butt and take names). I did like the fact that Ivory is a Warrior and can fight and fight well, that part is very appealing. However, I understand that Feehan was putting a new twist on the lead male character, but Razvan and the whole "let's meditate to find our Zen place" was annoying. Hello - kick some evil vampire butt!! That's what you do?! Right? Right. Some say opposites attract, but wow - this was just BAD - they just didn't seem like a good match! So here's my opionion: should you buy the book? Well, yes, I really think so. But (and this is a big but) I only suggest to buy it because it Feehan continues the storyline and gives us a little bit more information about what's happening to the Carpathians and what they must do to survive. That is the only reason I suggest buying the book. PS - the wolves were a nice touch!

3 1/2 stars-
I've been reading this series from the very start. While I remain a fan of the Dark series, Dark Slayer and the previous few books have left me disapointed. My biggest issue with Dark Slayer was there was way too much fighting. I do enjoy the vampire battles, but over 150 pages of mostly fighting seemed too much for me and left very little interaction between Razvan and Ivory. That being said this book was differnt. Razvan was indeed a Carpathian male, but not nearly as alpha as most. Ivory was a very strong character, which I tend to prefer. Together Razvan and Ivory made a wonderful couple and this story had some very amusing, touching, and exciting moments. I also enjoyed the interaction with favorite characters from previous books and some long awaited completion to issues from previous stories. I did enjoy this story, just wish there had been more story, less fighting.

I've been addicted to this series since "Dark Prince," and have had many favorites along the way... but "Dark Slayer" (and the one immediately following it, Dominic and Solange's story in "Dark Peril" ) somehow top all the rest. While it's true that, at times, the formula of "Carpathian male on the verge of going darkside finds his emotionally fragile lifemate and immediately attempts to put her in a bubble to protect her" a touch exasperating, thats practically non-existant here. Ivory, not Razvan, is the experienced warrior. It's she who teaches him for the most part, except of course for his extraordinary memory and battle-plan skills. While most lifemates have to work at being partners, these two (much like Dominic and Solange later) start off that way almost instantly. And I absolutely adore Razvan's Zen attitude. Almost nothing gets to him... well, except the occasionally huge guilt trip. And, naturally, Ivory herself. It takes a lot to heal centuries of torture and betrayal, and who knows that better than these two? Well done, CF! I anxiously await Zac's story in "Dark Predator!"

Wow this story was great. Very engaging. Very different. Very good equally matched lovers. And this book was very tightly written and tightly edited which made reading a pleasure. (this latter point is something sorely missing in a few of the later books). Dark Slayer reads like Ms. Feehan and her staff gave it the attention it deserved instead of rushing to print.

Yes I also do not like all the excess Carpathian language - it drags us down. And the battle involving the death of Xavier was anti-climactic.

However the birthing scene of the twins and portrayal of Gregori and the other Carpathians we have all come to love was fabulous so that overcomes (on a rating scale) whatever deficiencies previously mentions. I enjoyed this book immensely- sorry it is over!

Ok I stepped away from this series for a bit and just recently picked up on it again. First of all I have to start by saying, why does every one of her heroines have to had experienced unbelievable painful abuse? It seems like a prerequisite for being with these men is that heroine has had to nearly been driven insane from abuse and torture at one points in her life. If that is the case, oh- no - thank you mister Carpathian vampire I will gladly pass. I think the chick curled up in the corner drooling on herself is more your type.
Also, how many times do we have to be told in the book that the heroine and hero have been tortured to the point that they were nearly driven insane. One or two chapters are fine but I am on chapter 13 and we are still talking about it. Is there actually a plot here? Is anyone actually making any progress on this war against this half rotten evil mage? Can we please have an end to the over the top fight scenes where the earth is nearly torn in two? And can I have my [...] bucks back?

In this book we have the rarest of rare, a dark slayer, a woman. She travels with a wolf pack and destroys any vampire who crosses her path. She is Ivory Malinov and has long been thought dead by her people. She was abandoned by her family and sent to study with the mage Xavier who was so evil that when she dared to question him at as a young girl, he had her cast out and cut into pieces and left for the wolf's to eat. Only the wolf's didn't eat her, they gathered her together and buried her in the rich Carpathian soil to heal. After century's in the soil she came back with one desire and that was to kill her greatest enemy, Xavier. She is on her way back to her cave when she finds Razvan laying in the snow and almost dead. She doesn't know who he is, but she knows he is her life mate and she can't leave him to die in the coming dawn. He has been branded a criminal, detested and feared, he is a Dragonseeker from one of the greatest Carpathian lineages, he has spent his life being raised and imprisoned by Xavier. Xavier would take over his body and use it for terrible acts against the Carpathian people and now at last he has escaped and wants to meet the sun, so Xavier can never use his body again.

I enjoyed the focus on a female heroine and the total partnership of Ivory and Razvan. Ivory is fierce and smart. She is a shining symbol of strength in a male -dominated Carpathian genre without loosing her femininity.

This is the first of Ms. Feehan's books I've read and maybe that's part of my problem with this book. Generally I try not to start in the middle of a series. I'm debating whether or not to read any of the others of this series.

The story when boiled down to it's elements is intriguing, but the characters emotions are repetitive which makes it kind of a boring read. Even the scenes of passion or danger seemed kind of tame to me, but maybe I'm just used to more exciting fare?

Read it and decide for yourself.

I needed a book for a trip and I hadn't picked-up a CF Carpathian book in a while. I saw Christine Feehan's, "Dark Slayer", on Audible and thought "Okay, why not?"

Note to self: argue more next time I consider any further Carpathian novels - unless I feel the need to learn a new language or take up the Mage arts. There was hardly any plot - destroy evil Mage who finally appears in a late chapter - but plenty of various battles that went on forever and healing ceremonies that never stopped. PLEEZE, let these people stay above ground for more than three weeks at a time before they are put back under ground to heal (average stay a month or more).

I could get past the constant "my beloved" parts, that is a CF Carpathian trademark, but the consistent yammering on about "I'm not worthy" was so annoying. I was very bored by their re-telling of their painful past experiences...guess what, after the first four times, I GOT IT! It was so repetitive to keep hearing the stories of their previous betrayals, it made me feel I was being told the book twice.

This was by far the most ridiculous waste of my time, money and energy listening to this audio book. The only redeeming factor was the readers were professional, albeit, embarrassed to be speaking in tongue. I had my iPod on 2X the speed and it still wasn't fast enough to keep me awake. Really a shame when you consider the CF started out with such a great series and the concept could have easily been build upon, instead of being run into the healing ground.

I love Christines' books,but this one takes the cake! My favorite so far! Ivory is a kick butt warrior and really felt for her and cheered her on. I even cried a bit. My emotions ran the gambit on this one! I bought tge hardback version of this book and is one of my prized possessions! The cover is just gorgeous!

I am not the biggest fan of the dark series ; mainly because its very repetitive and not too intriguing regarding the characters and story lines. This however i liked this book out of them all. The characters had great pain and then after all all found the greatest love of all. The characters were developed and they also meshed well together. Though I would really would like to know if down the line they do have kids and how Lara and Skyler turn out with all of them. Anyways I recommend this book above the others.

I really loved the book and could not wait to get through reading it and then the ending just it made it disappointing. I wait anxiously throughout the whole book for Razvan to meet his daughters and how they react to him. He meets Lara...his obvious favorite, he meets Skyler, and thats it he does not meet Colby Jensen and she is barely even mentioned in this book. I am biased my favorite is Colby and she and her lifemate aren't even included in this book. Love the book...hate the ending.

I don't mind change, I love it in fact, but when it comes to the series I follow I'd like the writer to stay on track.

I know this book got a alot of Die Hards fans in a huff over the bad reviews from some, like myself...but this was a bad read plain and simple, I don't care how much you like Feehan; eventually you have to come to terms with the fact that this book sucked!

The chants and spells were a total bore. I skipped thru them. Some reviewers compaired this to poetry, okay fine, but if I want poetry I'll pick up Poe or Longfellow. I think it was clear that these songs and chants were filler for the hard back.

The battle scenes went on and on for chapters and then all the healing the two main charaters had to do was just too much. I feel like I need to heal after trying to get thru the book.

Oh, and this Carpathian language crap, who cares? I'm not a Trecky or a Lord of the Rings groupie so I don't need made up languages. Another filler for the hard back.

I never felt for the charaters, and there was no sexual tension what so ever. By the time Feehan got around to the sex 300 pages in I didn't even care if they hooked up or not. Which is a shame considering that this book is a Vampire Romance???

I wish Feehan would just get back to how she was writing the books before, I don't need all the charms, spells, and chants. I also don't need to read about the past charaters over and over again.

If you have not read this series, do not start here, go back to the beginning and work your way up to this one, but if you skip then no worries, you didn't miss a thing.

Oh and why was this a hard back and man I wish I didn't pay 20 bucks for it!

I could not finish this book - it was not for me! This is a warning to all hetero males - your Y chromosome will scream in pain if you read this book! My biggest problem with this book was the unbelievable nature of the main characters. Not the fact that they were vampires (ok Carpathians in the book - vampires are bad, Carpathians are good) with all sorts of fantastical powers; it was that they lead totally disfunctional lives for CENTURIES, and yet turn out to be quite wonderful folks. The author mentions much damage and guilt - but the interaction between the two shows no real indication of being mentally messed up. Way too much time and dialog is invested in develop a love fantasy. Warrior, independent, plucky vampire lady meets the perfect man - strong, kind, not interested in her looks - but her soul, submissive to her, bound to her and her alone and very suave. Remember this guy was tortured and even possessed for centuries starting when he was boy. Not believable at all. Most if this book was blah, blah, blah, blahhh (say it with a Transylvanian accent).

Okay - if your female and want a TOTAL feminine escape novel - this might be your cup o blood tea.

And guys, I warned you - read at own risk and you might need to go to your MD to get an Rx for testosterone to recover from the damage.

I guess it's a sign of the "instant gratification generation" to ignore the pure prose and poetry of these books. Being a fan of Tolkien and loving his works for the sheer magic of the written word, I found Dark Slayer to satisfying on many levels. It has a great story with a multifaceted, independent lead character as well some truly creative use of words. I truly love books with strong female characters and this book delivered. I was a little disappointed that her strength wavered a bit in her relationship with Razan but, like a humans, she has a vulnerable side and it showed. The plot was intricately woven and imaginative. Her quest seemed "real" to me. I lost myself in the story and was surprised when I looked outside and the sun had gone down. Keep weaving your spells, Christine, I'll keep reading.

As of lately Christine Feehan has become repetitive in her writing of the Carpathians.There is only so much you can say after I don't even know how many books 18-20. When they didn't turn Laura in the Dark Curse I got upset. I understood better now. That hardback at the time was expensive for a person on a budget and I felt it ended abruptly. It's very upsetting you bring all these books out in hardback and paperback 6 months later. I hope you get the same money when people download them to their computers phones, I-Pods, Sony E-Readers and anything else that is scientific. That's how I'm going to get around it. Anyway the book was very good it explains a lot about the back drop and I wont put in any spoilers. One person comes back from the dead ,and saves Razvan soul that he can have a relationship with his daughter's and sister. A bad man gets killed but will come back from the dead with a new face. Two new faces to be exact. The life of their children will be spared ,but at a great price. It's a good book with a good ending and I cant wait to see what happens next. It didn't leave me frustrated like Dark Curse.

Good Luck Christine Feehan with your other projects!!!

This book was horrible. I've been a fan of Feehan, although I'd never read a "Carpathian" novel before. Good thing for her I've read her good books, because this was dreadful, and if it had been my first taste of her writing, I'd never have bought another. The story line, what there is of it, takes forever to advance, and it doesn't feel like there's actually any resolution. There's no chemistry between the supposed love interests, it doesn't even feel forced, it feels boring...it's like, oh my, I found my lifemate, how nice. The main characters are so angst-ridden it's mind numbing. And what's with all of this translation stuff? I don't mind characters speaking a different language, but I'm reading in English, I don't actually need to see both. About three chapters in I wondered if it was a reprint of one of her very first attempts, because her other works are so much better. So seriously, if you're thinking about reading something by Feehan, DON'T START WITH THIS. Her jaguar novels are excellent. It's hard to imagine the same person wrote both.

One of the best in the series! I have read all of the Carpathian books twice, except for Dark Blood, the newest. Ivory and Razvan's stories and goals keep your hands glued to the book, until it's finished. The consideration they show each other is very refreshing, compared to the romantic plot development in some of the other books. It's definitely one of my favorites in a very good series.

I liked the book.The reason being that the characters of this book are different from her usual characters of the Dark series.Ivory is a warrior.And Razwan allows her to be so and also supports her. Not the usual dominating male.That is what makes the story an entertaining read.I will not go into the story as most of the other reviewers have already done so.The story is unhurried, that is what i liked the most.But the characters get to know each other and then jump into bed, unlike the others in the dark series. The build up is good.Not too intense.On the whole a good read.Definitely a new direction for the rest of the stories to follow.

I really do like the Carpathian novels, they are among my favorites to read and re-read. I really enjoyed the characters of Ivory and Razvan and I liked the wolves. I, like many other reviewers, liked the return of main characters from other books if only as secondary characters.

There is one detractor in this book that is reoccurring and annoying. The heavy usage of the Carpathian language, followed by a full translation of said phrase repeated throughout the book, jolted me out of the flow of the story. Puzzling out how a 5 word phrase can translate, however roughly, to "beloved" makes me want to pull out my linguistic textbooks - not my favorite thing to think of in the middle of a romance novel.

Please forgive my impertinence and the suggestion to include a glossary at the back(or front) of the novel.

loves and kisses,

I was waiting for the book to come out since I last read Christien's last book. I was working as a waitress when a good friend of mine introduce me to this author and I was hooked from the first page. I love the way that Feehan has away of grabbing ones attention and draws you into the world of the Carpathians. I find that when she uses females as her main character its a little more intense..well at least to me. Don't get me wrong I love all her books. Plus to inform the reader of the language that is used for the characters is a great thing to me as a reader. It gives the book more meatiness in my opinion and I feel like I am really a character in her books. I also like the fact that Feehan uses wolves in this novel in a very interesting way, but I will not say how she does. I have to give props to Ivory and the way she handles herself in this book. If you have never read Feehan's books and this is your first then you so need to go and read her very first book.

I like how you try to educate people as well as spellbound them into this world.I love this entire series and reread them often I love your other series as well but this is my first love of yours.my first book was dark secret with Rafael I bought it at a discount store and from there hooked so thank you! I hope you never stop n your daughter poetry rocks too!

I actually really enjoyed this book. I am going to have to agree with other reviewers in saying that the addition of the carpathian language is pointless. I can understand that the author is proud of inventing a different language but it is a very difficult language and I have no desire to memorize it. If it didn't repeat so much it wouldn't be a problem. I liked the interaction between Ivory and Razvan. The fight scenes were a bit drawn out for my liking. Maybe I am the only one who notices this but in this series..and in her sisters series the books are getting much more brutal. In the sister series the youngest sisters rape was described quite vividly (which I ended up skimming) and in this book we saw alot of hacking of bodyparts. It might help to tone it down a wee bit.

I love the Carpathian series & just can't get enough of Christine Feehan's books. What a great writer & imagination she has. The series does keep one captivated & I eagerly look forward to each new book.

I liked the book.The reason being that the characters of this book are different from her usual characters of the Dark series.Ivory is a warrior.And Razwan allows her to be so and also supports her. Not the usual dominating male.That is what makes the story an entertaining read.I will not go into the story as most of the other reviewers have already done so.The story is unhurried, that is what i liked the most.But the characters get to know each other and then jump into bed, unlike the others in the dark series. The build up is good.Not too intense.On the whole a good read.Definitely a new direction for the rest of the stories to follow.

Wow. Just read D.S. and I loved it! It was a great read and a re-visit to many of my favorite characters. The edition that I have included deleted scenes which was a real treat. I will not give anything away but a long awaited event in the Carpathian society finally happens and it was worth the wait. Yay! A definite read if you are a Christine Feehan fan.

Have you ever read a book that is so fabulously awful that you find yourself continuing to read it because it is almost entertaining how awful it is?
I've been reading the vampire-romance genre since the early nineties and let me tell you, there's a lot of awful reads out there. This one has got to be one of the worst I've ever encountered. The characters are two dimensional and under developed, the "romance" is contrived and irritating and the fight scenes are boring. I'm really glad I picked this up at the library and did not pay for it - and if you're intrigued at all, I would suggest doing the same.

I REALLY ENJOYED THIS BOOK! IT LEFT ME FEELING HAPPY THAT TWO PEOPLE THAT HAD BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH UGLINESS HAD FOUND THEIR HAPPY ENDING. RAZVAN IS NOT THE SAME AS THE OTHER "MALES" BUT I DON'T WANT A CARBON COPY OF "THE HERO" IN EACH STORY. AS FOR IVORY, WHEN YOU FIND YOUR SPECIAL PARTNER, SHOULDN'T THEY KNOW ALL SIDES OF YOU-THE WEAK AND THE STRONG? AND STRONG ISN'T ALWAYS ABOUT KICKING [...], IT CAN BE ABOUT SURVIVING DESPITE WHAT TERRIBLE THINGS MAY HAVE OCCURRED IN YOUR LIFE.

I purchased the CD Audio book.

Dark Slayer was an emotional journey into the life of the long suffering heroic hunters Rasvan and Ivory. They went through unbelieveable hardships making them a perfect match for each other. They were the most unique of all Carpethians. Ivory was so brave from the beginning as she recognized Rasvan for her lifemate and brought him to her home and saved him dispite her reservations. Their growing love and respect were endearing. The interactions with their special wolves brought an entire new elements into the story. The scene in where Ivory bravely healed Savannah's babies was one of the best moments in the entire series. I loved this book and the look into the lives of the other primary Carpethians. I would only comment that I did not care for the female leads Ivory accent; it remineded me too much of Natasha from Bullwinkle show,she gave Raven a European accent when Raven is American. Great job Feehan on one of the best installments of this series. You keep writing and I keep listening.

I love this series, this book was an interesting turn with Razvan turning out to be a good guy. I am on pins and needles to learn what will go on with the Nicholas' brothers, the Dragonslayer women, and the new hunters that have shown up.Dark Slayer: A Carpathian Novel (Thorndike Press Large Print Romance Series)

Way better then I thought it would be. When I saw who the main characters were I sorta felt the author had run out of ideas. I was wrong. I love love love the wolf tattoos. Gotta get me some of them.

OK This is my FAVORITE author of all time!! And this series is just great. I read 2 novels a week and so I run out of authors quick and try out a lot of them, she is so well at getting her vision across that you never feel lost or confused in any of her novels!! Every single person that I "loan" my books to comes back hooked!! This book is really the answers to a lot of questions from the series. I would not recommend that you read this BEFORE you read the prior books of this wonderful series though. I mean who wants to eat the candy before you trick or treat for it right? Start with the Dark Prince, not the best one but read the first 3 and I promise you will be a fan by 4. Now it has some of the hottest sex scenes written and the action and drama in the books will keep you reading through the night!! Treat yourself and buy the first one and if you are already a fan, this one is worth the read. It's not my fav from the group but it does answer a lot of questions and gives an idea where she might be going with the series from this point on. Later

To say this book is outstanding is an under statement. It has everything danger, betrayal, action, suspicion, compassion, love and retribution. In my humble opinion you could not ask more from a book. The two main characters Ivory and Razvan are meant for each other. They are wariors in spirit and in deed.I have include a blurb from the book.
DARK SLAYER

A rumor has persisted in the vampire world of a dark slayer--a woman--who travels with a wolf pack and any among the vampires who meets her is slain.

Ivory Malinov is that woman, betrayed by her own people, by her family, by everyone she held dear and she hunts during the night with only her pack to sustain her sanity. She stumbles across a body on her way back to her lair and discovers--her lifemate.

He is Razvan, branded a hated criminal, detested, feared and loathed by all Carpathians--he is also a dragonseeker of one of the greatest lineages of all Carpathians.

This is a story of two people, horribly betrayed, wounded in spirit, fighters to the death, who must struggle to unite against a common enemy.

I've been a bit numbed by so many hot-and-heavy-so-early-on in the storylines of late. This not a fluff piece. In this book, it felt like there was a deepening appreciation for each other, such that I was amazed it was page 200+ before they consummated their relationship. It didn't seem like a long wait, more of a natural evolving that really allowed us to get to know both of them and it was really neat, the role reversal of the two protagonists. And such fascinating personalities, each of them. I get the sense that Ms Feehan really developed these characters' storyline, and introduced another character with the inclusion of the pack. It was a very rich story, and so wonderful to have many couples from the past have such a contribution. And many of the main characters showed that they had evolved -- somewhat -- and yet remained true to their nature. It's been satisfying too to see how the Dragonseeker line is playing out, connecting all those branches of the Carpathian family tree. Great!

This is my first book from this author or this series. It had great potential , but I think it fell short. I like the two main characters, but way way to much of repeating the same saying and saying the same words. It's like the author couldn't think up anymore descriptive words to call things. To much of them having to reassure each other very time they breathe. I like the extra characters, but I won't read anymore in this series.

I do not know what has happened to Feehan, but the last three books in this series sucks. I am tired of wasting my time and money on a book. I should have paid more attention to the reviews which gave the book a bad rating. I do not know how anyone could give this book three stars let alone five. When someone has to wait until 300 pages or more into the book for a love scene, that is pathetic. I mean.....this is supposed to be a romance book isn't it. I wish Christine Feehan would go back to her earlier writings. This type of book does not hold up to J.R. Ward, Kresley Cole, Lara Adrian (even though her latest book was terrible) and Gena Showalter. I do not recommend this book to anyone.

The audio book is horrible. The narrator sounds like she is impersonating Natasha from the Bullwinkle cartoons. I kept expecting her to say "get moose". Also please drop the language lessons. All told it was a poor choice of audio book for a long car ride.

I think it's terrific she ended up with Razvan. The Dark Series books always keep me spellbound fro page one, I even read them in order so I would be reading about their entire existence and history. I would recommend her books to any lover of paranormal roance, vampires, etc...

I am still reading the book and about halfway there. It's OK but not my favorite. I'm losing patience with Ms. Feehan's tendancy to delve so extensively into the carpathian language. I find that more of a distraction than anything else. I enjoyed her books more when she didn't do that. She seems to delve deeper and deeper with each book she writes in the dark series. Why does she feel this is so important to the story line...it isn't to me. In this book over 30 pages are used at the end for the Carpathian language index. That was a total waste, I'm not bothering to read that. I feel at some point she just may write an entire dark series book in the carpathian language and expect her readers to learn the language to decifer the book. This book has less romance and more violence and gore with a lot of pages wasted with reading lines first in carpathian language and then in English. Are these just page fillers? I think she should have edited this out. Who cares? Just stick with the story and stop trying to introduce a new language to the readers. I'm not interested in learning carpathian language, I just want to enjoy a good story written by her without having to learn the language to do it. I was a bit disappointed in this book but I'm still a big fan and I like her a lot. I'll be glad when dimitri and skyler get together, I've been waiting on that storyline for a long time.

I didn't like it in the end.

At first I thought finally Razvan's story is here, and I fell into it, Ivory is great up into half the book, where she starts mellowing out and wilting to the point where she is just like any other feehan heroine.
Even though the formula with ultra alpha males was successfully worn out, the byplay of the sensitive, beta guy did not warm me enough, in a nutshell it's a novel, not a romance novel, I was dying to know what happened next plot wise, not romance wise.

On other matters the magic side was great, the action was exhilarating, the fact that a female was the tortured heroine was a fresh pick, but overall, I didn't buy it. It was a good change for feehan though, she probes she can do urban sci fi too, maybe she's changing the genre???

And wtf is up with all the new hunters, I can't imagine any more new plotlines with these heroes, I mean: hero meets heroine, they fight, she becomes a lifemate, she gets turned, they fight some more about him wanting to rule her life, have make up sex, female gets pregnant, female becomes a property/appendage of the alpha male, female may or may not raise the baby after he or rarely a she is born, female has supernatural powers but never enough to become the dominant one on the relationship, must all the males be so overbearing...? Let's face it we have gone through all the roads with miss feehan here, could there be any new directions? And lycans, come on, please don't go twilight on me now!

Ok I bought the book and read it in one day, but I have to say I did a lot of skimming. The spells and poems were boring, I think Ms. Feehan is trying to bulk up her books so they can go to hardcover, just like adding all the Carpathian chants, and language glossary at the end of the last several hardcover books. Her books have also lost their comic relief. Her past stories made me laugh and wish I could be more like the characters, lately I have just felt sorry for them.

Dark Slayer did raise Mikhail and Gregori back up in my opinion, Dark Curse made them look like idiots. But as a plus I have to say more time was spent creating these characters I enjoy catching up with past characters but don't need to see them throughout the entire book.

I guess I am disapointed in the way the carpathian series is going, and it looks like it is never going to end as an additional 5 ancients were added in this story. I would love to see the series continue but I hope she goes back to the way she wrote the first 10 books.

I rarely write reviews, but when I checked this title and saw so many people gave it 4 and 5 stars I had to chime in. I can't imagine what they were reading. This book was painful to get through. Really painful.

Other folks have complained about the spells and the language. That's a minor flaw as far as I'm concerned. The real problem here is the complete lack of art in writing. There is no storytelling. No progression or development of the characters. The main characters bump into each other and in the span of 200 words have come to the conclusion that they are willing to "die for this person". Ok...really? But then 200 words later the come to the conclusion that they will "die for this person"....again. I thought I accidentally reread a chapter or soemthing. But that's not all.

The action scenes are boarderline comedy in the lack of set up. A character will be wandering along doing something mundane and boom. Cataclysmic event out of nowhere. No build up. No forshadowing. I've seen madlibs with more plot development than this novel. Terrible.

This is another great book by Christine Feehan. There is a reason why they call her the paranormal queen. I would recommend this book and any other written by Feehan to any person who is interested in paranormal romance novels.

I think Christine needs to go back and reread some of her novels as she seems to have forgotten just what she wrote ! These are becoming tedious and lame . Maybe its time to write about something else now since the dark series is becoming a disappointment . I stopped reading them for a while and picked back up with Dark Demon which was great , Now this nonsense ! Ivory should have stayed dead as was told previously and Razvan was an evil mage that killed countless and fed on his children ,he was no hero . But now halfway down the steam its different -ever heard the saying you can't turn a trick into a treat ? Only a handful of these books are interesting and the rest are pages filled with a language no one cares about or speaks , women that are unlikeable with serious PMS issues and men that you say are great warriors but are the dumbest creatures walking in your novels .They kill vampires ,call on the elements ,shape shift and protect the innocent but can't make a women get in the ground and sleep like the good little carpathian she is supposed to be ,get real. This race and the series needs to be extinct , It's time.Enough already ! I would not recommend many of these books , but this one should never have been written .

I have been a Christine Feehan for a long time and have read all her books. The dark series was my first novel I read from her books and got me hooked. I have loved most of her books but the last few have been less then her best. After I read Dark Slayer, I was impressed and gratified of the story. Loved every bit of it. I loved the hero and heroine. They were perfect for each other and their story was incredible. I truly recommend this story to anyone who loves the Dark Series. It brought me joy and great emotion reading thru it. This is one of her best yet.

The plot for this story was great. The hero great. The heroine great.
So why three stars? This story would have been perfect if it wasn't weighted down. This book could have lost about 30 % or more word-wise and been much better for it. To much in descriptions. The end a little anti-climatic.
Spoiler,
one part where he convinced her to take on the vampire... I mean she's been around this long but can't do it. And I felt she would have been much stronger, but was hindered by the male dominace all the books have been. That men are better and stronger.

I read most of this series but recently have found myself ignoring the books. So when I saw the CD version of this on the library shelf I thought I'd give it another chance. Big mistake. The accents on the CD are annoying but even worse is the constant need to say everything twice - once in the made up language and once to translate it.

Not sure I'm even willing to try the next book, even borrowed from the library and on CD

I am a die-hard fan of the dark series. I spend each year waiting with bated breath for the next installment in the series. I love every one of them, even some of the weaker story lines, but the heroine in Dark Slayer is without a doubt one of the strongest hunters Feehan has created. I loved her, and I really loved Razvan, he was strong and very male without trying to diminish Ivory's character. This novel does not disappoint. I cant wait til next SEP for the next installment.

I really enjoyed this read, as I always enjoy stories about the underworld. The author, whom I haven't read before, really took me into another relam and gave me a great world to encounter. I will definetly look into buying more books on this subject matter. A good read, as well as Deep Kiss of Winter.

I skimmed over most of this book. While highly anxious to read it when it first came out and excited to get back into the world of the Carpathians, I found myself loosing interest at the constant battle scenes that dragged on and the descriptions of the long suffering injuries and healing processess of the two main characters.
As well the endless chants used to defeat the darkness, I found were unnecessary and had me flipping pages to get to the end of them rather than read them.
I also didn't connect with the two main characters as I have with other couples in previous books of this series.

I would recommend reading it to those who have been following the series and are looking for answers to some questions. However, if you are new to the series, I would skip this one.

I purchased the book yesterday and finished it today.. Usually done alot quicker but life gets in the way....

Anyway.. I am a serious fan of Ms. Feehan back when Gregori's book "Dark Magic" came out back many years ago. I have been following and collected every book since that time period to ensure to stay on top of the stories.. So this is going to be my first review of any of Ms. Feehan books....

Now about Dark Slayer.....I love the way Ms. Feehan brought out Ivory and Razvan in the story...Switching them around in vice versa of warrior ways but maintaining the true Capathian way.. I also enjoyed some of our favorites such as Gregori and a few other ancients back into the scene of the story as well..I had to laugh at few of the characters attitudes for it was just like them to act up in the story.. It brought alot of questions to light that was not answered previously in her other books and no people I will not give away details lol..

You must buy to see it all and I reccommend it to buy if you are a serious fan..

For those that dont like the poems and the language in the books from the reviews I have read. I am not disappointed and enjoyed them. For what language would they have if it was not developed and besides. Remember this.. Ms. Feehan is going further back in time of bringing more ancients that are showing up in the stories...To me old as they are magic was never simple words as today. So I expect more of those poems to come forward in the future of the new stories.

To everyone else.. Buckle up and enjoy this story.. You are going for a ride..If you are a new person picking this up.. Best get all the other Ms. Feehan books to follow the stories or you will be missing out on a great series..

Til next time...

I've always enjoyed the works of Christine Feehan, but this one didn't thrill me. I listened to it on audio and I felt like I was hearing the same thing over and over and over again. Razvan called Ivory beloved what seemed like 100 times, and the "hitched breaths" and "feminine core and feminine channel", I heard just as much.

The overall story was great, I guess I just didn't like all the wording.

I'll still always listen to her, though.

I picked up the book today and finished it in one sitting, in all previous books Razvan was evil and only in Dark Curse were we told that maybe he was being used as a pawn by Xavier. Well all is revealed and it was well worth the price of the book, Ms Feehan also introduced a few more ancients but no character development to them yet. Dimitri made a guest appearance. I will not give away the story line, suffice to say enjoy!

I am so happy with this book. Her last few novels have fallen short and gotten stuck before they even took off but this one is wonderful. Her characters are fully developed and she creates a seamless link back to the original Prince in the series. I am also happy to see some resolutions. For the last few books problems have been presenting themselves without end but finally some are concluded. I do not think this is the end of the series by any means and I greatly look forward to the next novel.

At Last - Not one "I can do no other" from the hero and you don't have to go looking for the story in between the "I can do no others".....Enjoyable light reading that is more story than platitudes...Reccomend.

No sizzle.
The bad guy was destroyed, but not really.
Half the book is made-up language translation and the other half is spells.
It put me to sleep... twice.

I understand that not every Feehan novel has to be spot on, but the last few books in the Dark series seems to be breeding silly spells and stupid, made up languages. It's distracting and unpleasant to plow through. Perhaps the exciting parts were missing from my copy. However, I fear Ms. Feehan has lost the story under the very, heavy weight of a make believe language and the weighty import of rhyming spells-- poorly.

The story is so-so. But the audio book suffers from a horrible flaw - the actress uses a bizarre accent to portray Ivory. It sounds like someone with a speech defect or a major lisp, or like someone who is trying to imitate a Russian accent verh poorly. It is so irritating that I'm really struggling to get through the book.

Makes me wish Men could all be programmed at birth!!!! GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was Wonderful! You should have been at the book club round table! I can tell you marriages have been inspired!!!!!

The book starts off with a great new slayer. Ivory. But then goes on to make her a weakling that spends most of her time with Razvan healing under ground. It also diminishes my other favorite character Natayla. They have her turning on her brother, not using her skills, and crying all the time. These women started of as strong and independent and ended up as just girls with mates.