I'm not sure exactly what prompted me to pick up Eve of Darkness, by S.J. Day (Book 1 of "The Marked" series). Maybe it was the setting, modern day Los Angeles with the ongoing war between Heaven & Hell being waged by organizations of Angels here on Earth? With both original brothers as main characters in the book? I love this kind of fantasy, so I was definitely there. Thankfully, the book lives up to its plot and setting, though it wasn't as good of a read as I had hoped.
A one-night stand ten years ago with the man who turns out to be the original Cain has now marked Evangeline Hollis for life. When Cain's brother, Abel, finishes the deal in the present, Eve's life will never be the same. She is now one of the "Marked," sinners who are working off their sins by ridding the world of the demons and monsters who roam the Earth in disguise. Both brothers are powerfully attracted to her, but both also have their own ulterior motives for trying to safeguard Eve through her initiation period, especially when she manages to anger one demon without even realizing what she had done. Without Cain's guiding hand as her mentor, she might not even survive the first day. So why does their boss want her out on the frontlines so soon? Will she live to find out?
There are lots of delicious bits in Eve of Darkness, both for those who love reading sex scenes and those who don't (though those who don't may get turned off by the extremely graphic sex scenes). I love the idea of Heaven being this one vast bureaucracy, with Archangels running them as fronts for the soldiers who are out doing the dirty work. I'm not sure exactly how the hierarchy works, and how Cain became such an independent agent while Abel is still an agent Handler under the North American branch head, but it's still extremely interesting. As part of becoming one of these soldiers, Eve is given superhuman abilities, senses, and powers, such as being able to summon an appropriate mystical sword for any occasion.
I found Eve to be a fascinating character. She's half-Japanese, with her father being from Alabama (thus giving her a delicious southern accent as well). As with most series like this, the main character's family life is a bit chaotic, but that's nothing to what it's going to be with Cain hovering around now. Cain feels responsible for what happened to her, as Eve was actually God's temptation for him, and he caved into it with hardly any resistance. Thus, the whole situation is his fault, and he feels very protective of her because of that. Abel is drawn to her for mostly physical reasons, but also because Cain wants her and this sibling rivalry has been going on for a LONG time. In fact, the only character in the book who doesn't have some kind of ulterior motive, besides Eve's parents, is Eve herself.
I loved how Day formed the relationships around Eve, from her warm neighbor to Cain and Abel themselves. The sex is hot, and even when they're not having sex, most of the characters are thinking of it (other than the neighbor, of course). Eve and Cain have a powerful chemistry that leaps off the page, and I found their relationship effectively written. We didn't see much of Abel's interaction with her except the lust that they both seem to share, but we do see Abel in other parts of the book (both sexually but also in how he cares for the Marked that he handles, such as when one of them dies). Day does a very good job with her characterization, and none of them give off a false note.
I wish I could say the same for the prose. It's not bad, and for a urban fantasy, it's actually pretty good for the most part. However, while I cannot find any evidence in Day's bibliography of her writing romance novels, she would certainly be good at it. I don't know how many times Cain was described as being almost irresistible, his jawline attractive, women turning to stare when he walked into the room. Abel gets that a little bit too, but it's mostly Cain. The sex is hot, but it's not described in the same type of language used in romance novels. Instead, it's very direct, graphic, and in your face. Day doesn't pull any punches. So maybe she doesn't have the "romance" gene in her, but she's certainly close.
Eve of Darkness has a plot and characters that outpace Day's prose style, but it's definitely a good read if you're interested in that sort of thing. The overly religious may be offended by the set up, but I don't see any reason to be. It's just another take on the age-old "heaven/hell" war, with an interesting twist. I have a feeling the style won't change in subsequent books, as they both came out very quickly after this one, indicating they were all written together. Even so, it's well worth a read for those who want an exciting, sexy book with good characters and a plot to match. Oh, and did I mention that it had explicit sex in it? I wouldn't want you to think I hadn't warned you. If you don't mind that, pick this one up today.
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