Demon from the Dark (Immortals After Dark #10) by Kresley Cole

Note: This review and the book reviewed contain adult themes. Please, do not read either unless you are above the age of 18.

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): A DANGEROUS DEMON SHE CAN'T RESIST...
Malkom Slaine: tormented by his sordid past and racked by vampiric hungers, he's pushed to the brink by the green-eyed beauty under his guard.

A MADDENING WITCH HE ACHES TO CLAIM…
Carrow Graie: hiding her own sorrows, she lives only for the next party or prank. Until she meets a tortured warrior worth saving.

TRAPPED TOGETHER IN A SAVAGE PRISON…
In order for Malkom and Carrow to survive, he must unleash both the demon and vampire inside him. When Malkom becomes the nightmare his own people feared, will he lose the woman he craves body and soul?

MY OPINION:

Of all the books in IAD series, I had the least expectations of Demon from the Dark. Carrow had only shortly appeared beforehand – or had even just been mentioned as Mariketa’s friend – so I didn’t feel the need to learn her story, and Malkom hadn’t even been mentioned before, so I didn’t expect anything from him, either.

Therefore, I expected Demon from the Dark to be sort of a filler book. I should have known better. I was sucked into the Malkom’s and Carrow’s story right in the beginning and I couldn’t put the book down; I finished it in two days. I haven’t read a book so fast in more than a year and a half, so that says something.

As usually, Kresley Cole spins a captivating story with intricate background and history for both  characters, while including mentions of details from the previous instalment's, which makes this series so amazing: all the mythology and events are consistent throughout it and the new data always makes perfect sense in relation to the old information.

Malkom’s a and Carrow’s lives are, on one hand, diametrically opposite, yet similar and relatable on the other, which makes them a perfect fit once you look beyond the surface. I loved how they manage to understand each other despite their differences. While they have their share of misunderstandings, there isn’t any huge drama; they resolve them quickly and in a plausible way.

Speaking of opposites, the settings themselves represent a huge contrast: Malkom’s home dimension, Oblivion, a desolate desert plane; and Earth, in particularly an island in the middle of ocean with plenty of water, food and greenery.

We don’t often get to see child characters in paranormal romances, so I loved that Ruby, Carrow’s young protégée, plays an important role in this story not just as a background motivator, but as an actually present character, who helps the adults find their focus. I loved her interactions with the adults, especially with Malkom, and their reactions to each other, since they hugely contrast each other: a vulnerable (still) mortal child vs. a fearful vampire demon. Ruby, with her views and quirks of a child is absolutely delightful.

On top of everything, a bunch of other, already familiar characters appear (which always makes me happy): some only glimpsed at (no, I’m not saying who), and others, such as Lanthe, with a prominent role throughout the book.

Perhaps the only quibble I have about Demon from the Dark was that it ended too fast. I would love to see how Malkom adapts to living in the modern world, but I guess we will get a glimpse or two of Malkom and Carrow in the following books. 
 

RECOMMENDATION: Demon from the Dark is not only an amazing story on its own, but a crucial part of the series both for tying up some loose ends from the previous stories and setting a starting point for the following ones, and is as such certainly not to be missed.