The Shadows

The reason I dont read the reviews anymore on Goodreads/Amazon is because some are MEAN. I will continue to read the BDB series because I like the characters and Id like to see how their plot line and lives play out. Guess what? Its a book! It doesnt always go like you want it and thats what makes it interesting!
The King is obviously another book about Wrath. As in every other BDB book, there are many backstories and we meet new characters. (If there wasnt all of that, Wards books wouldnt be so long and yall would have something else to complain about!) There is a lot happening in this book…be prepared to jump from story to story but by now you should be use to that if you are a true BDB fan.

We learn so much about the Shadows that we never knew and Im so glad we get a book just about them! They have been a part of this world since the beginning and we finally get to learn their whole story. We also meet Assail and he becomes a huge part of the future with the Brotherhood. I dont understand why people are having such a hard time with Ward introducing new characters. Each brother has had his own book…would you rather her just end the series? Personally, I would prefer her keep writing for as long as she cares to. Ill continue to read.

Why are we revisiting Beth and Wrath? That is all that I could thing about before even picking this book up much less while reading it. There is a reason for it and I honestly believe it could have been one of those Ward side stories in a future/different book. The King did not have a main focal couple. It did however have a story line that tried to stay focused on the king.

Readers basically get four novellas created to flow as one book with the King. We get Wrath Sr and Anha, Wrath Jr and Beth, Trez and Selena, and my favorite of the book Sola and Assail. Sola’s grandmother was the bump that brought this books rating to three stars. And I was left wanting more Assail and Sola, again.

I’m going to go back to my frustration on why the revisit of a past couple. It didn’t really work for me but there were some things that happened within these pages that I think will make this world as a whole move in a new direction. I’m curious about the changes there and how it will affect Wrath’s rule.

Sadly the side story of Wrath Sr and Anha felt like filler. It was there. It added pages. Their tale didn’t add substance to the book.

Trez and Selena’s pages really could have waited for their book. Due to all the reviews already out there I know what will happen with that couple’s happily ever after. I still plan on reading their book. I just plan on doing a little genre jumping before then. I’m not looking forward to that book in the lease but I’m sure the secondary, tertiary, and however many other side stories Ward thows in will be interesting enough to keep the pages moving.

We have come a long way since the beginning of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. The King is the 12th novel in this magnificent series of books that JR Ward has written, and it brings us back to where we started, with the characters having taken on the roles that were required of them. We get to take a closer look at Wrath, the King of the Vampire race, who assumed his responsibilities in the debut book of the series, Dark Lover. Wrath is the last pure blooded vampire on the planet, and even though he chafes at the duties of being the King to the race, it is a prison from which there is no respite for him.

Wraths frustration and dissatisfaction at being hogtied to the throne is one that runs deep. Just how deep, realizes Beth, his shellan i.e. mate for life, only after Wrath lets loose when his formidable temper gets the best of him. Known and revered as the Blind King, and for good reason, Wrath has been constantly battling to keep a throne he had never meant to ascend in the first place. But the same genetics that had demanded he be King, had also rendered him unfit to fight in the field alongside with his Brothers. Furthermore, there is no way that the Brothers would let their King back in the field, no matter how much he might want to.

Wraths personal life isnt going exactly in the blissfully wedded direction either. With his mind solidly made up on not fathering any children, the clash with his shellan is not the kind that one can just brush under the carpet, especially with Beths needing seemingly on the way. To add to the pressure, The Band of Bastards from the Old Country is out to get Wrath one way or the other, even if they had lost in their initital attempts to assassinate him.

Everything comes to a head at junctures where one just has to plow through the worst to get to the other side. There is always so much going on in a JR Ward book that it is near impossible to just focus on one aspect of the book thinking it would give a holistic view of the book. The storylines concerning other characters that were prominent in Lover at Last continue even in The King, most of them coming to a turning point where things were looking rather gloomy for everyone concerned.

By the time the story was done, except for one aspect of a continuing storyline that has been running for a long time in the books, the one concerning Johns true identity, everything else seems to have worked out. Wrath managed to thwart yet another attempt at dethroning him, and used the opportunity to make that one move which shocked the vampire aristocrats to boot.

I loved how Wrath transformed in this novel, finally, and at last, embracing his role as the King of the race wholeheartedly. There is no running from fate and destiny, especially leaving a role such as that of a King, particularly at a time when the race was in near tatters, clearly at a point where leadership was needed the most.

I also loved how insightful the story of Wraths parents proved to be. Unlike what Wrath thought of his fathers reign to be like, the traitors were around him just the same, just as insidious in their bid to dethrone him and take over the reins in their hunger for power. Another character trait Wrath seems to have inherited from his father? That take-charge attitude of his, in bed and out of it.

There was one rather unusual character that piqued my interest in this story; sEx, the executioner of the sHisbe sect of the vampires. He is a character I want a story for. Pretty please, JR Ward?

Recommended for fans of the series and fans of Wrath!

Final Verdict: With The King, JR Ward brings readers full circle with the characters we fell in love with at the very beginning. Wraths story the second time around was just as indomitable as the vampire himself.

Rating = 4/5

Reviewed by: MBR

First off I would just like to say that this is one of my favourite series of books. Saying that I wait with much anticipation for the next book like most BDB fans do. I was how ever left feeling very disappointed with this book. In my honest opinion it just did not deliver.

The reason I love these books are the great story lines that so far seem to have all fit and connected. I love each vampire who has had his story line. The Lessers are a major part of these books as they are the main enemy and that brings me to another great reason and that is, the action in the books. You have a great set of books with hot vampires, great leading ladies, all out fight scene and some really great erotic scenes to tie it all together to make a great book.

The king just did not fit the bill. Where was the fights, where was the interaction with the other brothers and even the sex scenes in this book were lame compared to the others. Where is the lessoning society. Only mentioned a few times in the book as a dead one was found and Butch needed calling. I appreciate where this book was heading but to me it is going to far off the beaten track that its loosing the feel of the brotherhood. You now have so many loose ends that she has left open for other books that I feel have no relevance to the BDB. The whole point of the series I thought was the good and bad – You have Omega (bad) not even in the book and the Scribe virgin (good) not even in the book. We all waited for the last book for Blay and Qhuinn story and it so delivered because of the build up for so many books. Now this book had no build up and totally left me feeling flat and not even in the slightest wanting to read the next book which I believe is about Iam.

The King, the much anticipated book by J.R. Ward did not disappoint! Bringing a long-running plot to what looks like a final close, we get to witness Wrath’s battle for the throne and all the emotions that go with it, as loyalties and allegiances are made, broken or reinforced. There will be times when it’s impossible to put the book down as you experience the emotional turmoil faced by characters you’ve grown to know and love, throughout what is truly the master of all paranormal romance series.

And with three sub-plots running effortlessly alongside the main story, not to mention a trip back in time to meet Wrath’s parents, fans of the Black Dagger Brotherhood can remain calm in the knowledge that Ms Ward obviously has plans to keep going. Because there are loose ends left fluttering in the wake of this book for Trez and Selena, Assail and Marisol, and of course Xcor and Layla … not to mention the fact that of course we want to witness the birth of a new era for Wrath and the BDB. As well as be there for the bith of Layla and Quinn’s young, especially when it comes to Layla’s impending birth of the child she conceived with Quinn.

600+ pages will undoubtedly fly by for fans of this series. However, if you are new to BDB … well, you need to read them all in order first so you can truly enjoy this book. And you’ll be awfully glad you did.

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