There’s really only one thing I can say about Prince of Air and Darkness by Jenna Black and that is: I really freaking loved this book!
Hunter Teague is the prince of the Unseelie Court, the dark half of Faerie. Raised in an atmosphere of unspeakable cruelty, Hunter has learned the lessons of his mother, the Queen of Air and Darkness, and he’s ready to put them to use. He’s on a mission, one that will shift the balance of power in Faerie forever: he will seduce the Seelie king’s mortal daughter and sire a child upon her—a child who will be heir to both the Seelie and the Unseelie thrones. Hunter has never met a mortal woman he couldn’t seduce…until now.
Kiera Malone is a self-employed web designer and a self-professed cynic. She doesn’t believe in magic or soulmates, let alone her mother’s ridiculous claims to have slept with the mythical Faerie King. But when Hunter hires her to design a website, Kiera finds herself drawn to him in ways that seem almost magical. He’s gorgeous and sexy as sin, the kind of man any woman would swoon over—but her every instinct warns her there’s something dangerous lurking beneath his charming façade.
To succeed in his mission, Hunter must let himself get closer to Kiera than he ever planned. Soon, he finds himself burdened with the one thing a prince of the Unseelie Court can’t afford: a conscience. Now Hunter must betray either the woman who is slowly working her way into his heart, or the Queen of Air and Darkness…who would destroy him and Kiera both.
Prince of Air and Darkness sucked me in from the start and still hasn’t let me go. I loved Hunter. He wasn’t innately evil, and no matter how dire the consequences were, his conscience wouldn’t always let him follow his mother’s orders. He would try to follow them, hence the whole seduction of Kiera, but he had to battle his conscience the entire time. Kiera was a strong heroine who didn’t simply fall into Hunter’s arms at the first sign of seduction. She listened to her instincts, always doing what she thought was right.
A cast of witty, eccentric and wise secondary characters surrounded Kiera and Hunter and helped move the plot along. My favorite, though, had to be Jackson, Kiera’s gay best friend. He would tell Kiera when her instincts were wrong before telling her what she should do instead, and probably gave her the best advice by telling her to jump Hunter’s bones before he did.
While the plot didn’t have much action in the way of fights and violence, it was full of energy and emotional turmoil. It was more than enough to keep me completely hooked, sitting on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what happened next.
Even though Prince of Air and Darkness didn’t set up for a sequel, and there isn’t one in the works (I know because I asked Jenna Black herself), I want a sequel, a novella, anything to keep this story going. If nothing else, I can always reread Prince of Air and Darkness.
Also reviewed by: All Things Books
Sounds like a great book. I’ll be sure to pick it up and give it a read.