Written by Bobbi Sinha-Morey | 13 December 2011

2011 Dell: ISBN 978-0-440-24572-8

Keri Arthur, author of well over twenty-five novels, now begins a new dark fantasy series with Darkness Unbound. It begins with Risa Jones, a young woman who can see reapers, the kind that escort souls either to heaven or hell. The more we learn about Risa and the world she lives in, the more immersed we are in the story. We’re given a perfect picture of what Risa is like. She’s a compassionate, responsible person, sensitive to other people’s feelings. We might even call her an empath. Yet there’s a lot more to her than meets the eye. She’s a very complex character, and not the shy, timid kind either. She is a fighter, a self-reliant girl who knows how to handle herself well. She’s an exciting person to watch. She’s not afraid of danger, and the tight situations she finds herself in keep the reader on the edge of the seat. She is like an action figure, and at the same time a woman with fine tastes. Risa can be very much a lady when she wants to be, and she’s an intelligent one as well. One of her best assets is that she’s a fast thinker. Best of all, Risa is family-oriented.

Darkness Unbound is an adventure with shapeshifters thrown in, and it’s fun. There’s a bit of romance, but it’s simply a by-product while Risa leaps forward like one of Charlie’s Angels. And watching her in action is really the best part of the story. She’s a daredevil at heart. On the other hand, the story is often very brutal, to the point that it makes the reader wince. There are times when Risa really takes a beating and must endure more than her share of physical abuse. That’s not pretty to see either, and the reader often wonders how much abuse and injury Risa will withstand. There even comes a time when the reader thinks Risa might be foolishly brave. She’s very human and has her personal flaws, just like everyone else. She loves to fight the enemy, and that love might be her Achilles’ heel.

It’s a mysterious mission Risa goes on, and she and the other characters are fully three-dimensional ones. The story is weirdly suspenseful, which makes us want to read more. We come to like the author’s breadth of insight, the mastery over the characters and her words. There’s nothing shallow about it either. The author gives the story its moments of gravity, and it works on many levels.

There is rather too much telling about the reapers and not enough buildup when it comes to their activities. By the time we come to the middle of the book we’ve only seen one reaper and he isn’t scary in the least. It’s a bit of a letdown. The author is initially rather heavy-handed with the reapers, then she tends to walk away from the subject as if it were secondary to everything else. Periods of time often go by when we don’t hear about them at all. Furthermore, there’s a lot of swearing; the F-word is often used.

Overall, however, this is a good read, a book that engages the mind. Those who like a dark fantasy will receive a vicarious thrill through Risa, and won’t want the story to end. It’s a tale written with both energy and depth, and it conjures thoughts about the afterlife and what lies beyond ordinary existence. Keri Arthur’s Darkness Unbound lingers on in the mind long after it ends.

To read more about the author and her work, go to www.keriarthur.com.