Damian by D.B. Reynolds
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
It was a time when gods walked the earth, when armies fought not for bits of land, but for the very existence of humanity. On such a battlefield, five formidable warriors stood against an evil greater than any the earth had ever seen. But evil is not an honorable foe. Betrayed by someone they trusted, the warriors were cursed, one by one, tossed into the maelstrom of time, imprisoned in stone, their freedom resting on nearly impossible conditions. Until . . .
Damien
Damian Stephanos honed his skills in battles fought with magic as much as swords. Caught by a deadly spell that left him trapped for centuries in darkness and obscurity, he is finally freed, only to discover that his enemy still lives. Determined to find him—and to free his brothers in arms—he first must fulfill his blood debt to the woman who released him from his torment. Unfortunately, being so close to this enticing female is another type of torment altogether . . .
Cassandra “Casey” Lewis is a hunter. Possessing the rare ability to sense magic, she spends most of her time shadowing arcane collectors, and more often than not, stealing the dangerous artifacts she pursues. Her job is risky, especially when she’s stealing from one of the most powerful sorcerers alive. But having a gorgeous warrior by her side is a definite bonus. He’s great in a fight . . . and in other places, too.
Following a trail of dead bodies, the two of them must join forces to track down the sorcerer who cursed Damian, and who now plans to turn an ordinary magical device into a deadly weapon. Risking everything, including their hearts, they’re about to discover that trusting each other might be the hardest thing of all.
“I am a veritable god of war”
The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💚🖤💙
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📙📘📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏
Character development: ☹️🙃🥰😀
Narrator(s): 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Solo Narration
The heroine: Cassandra “Casey” Lewis – She was a hunter (working for a special FBI task force that found and destroyed magical objects), being chased by Hell Hounds, carrying a talisman that could be used for mass destruction. Her job was to keep magical artifacts like that out of the hands people that would use them for evil, like the sorcerer Sotiris.
The Hero: Damian Stephanos – He had been a warrior that was cursed and turned to stone ages ago. He was the greatest fighter of his time, then imprisoned in stone for centuries, though he knew the baying of Hell Hounds.
The Story: When Casey touched the stone statue of the Warrior Damien, her blood started soaking into the stone and her whispered plea as she jumped out the window and into a dumpster, burned into him and broke the curse. He was shocked as the stone melted away and his flesh woke up as Casey was surrounded by the Hell Hounds. He leapt off the roof after the woman who broke the curse.
This book was told in dual points of view via solo narration. I usually only buy audiobooks that use dual narration, but this one was on sale and I happen to like the narrator, Tor Thom. He has a very deep voice, which I love and he speaks in a great cadence which is sonorous and pleasing. His voice is almost unearthly, which is perfect for this story.
This story has all the markings of a great adventure. Magic, curses, talismans, a secret division of the FBI, a blonde giant warrior, blood debts, psychics, and more. I liked the mystery and intrigue and the fact that this was a pretty original story. At first when I read the blurb, I wasn’t sure if Damian was a gargoyle or what, but when I found out there were sorcerers and he was cursed, I liked the fact that this was different than most of the stories I have read before.
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