The Darkest Prison by Gena Showalter is an exciting complement to her Lords of the Underworld series. It is available in e-book form or as part of a larger printed text by Showalter titled Into the Dark, which features a tale from Showalter’s Atlantis series, as well as the prequel and a special guide for the Lords of the Underworld.
A true romance, with gods instead of mere mortals, The Darkest Prison’s lovers are able to give more, and take more, and still they feel with the same emotions as a human does. As always, these Lords of the Underworld characters are fantastic and relatable.
Atlas and Nike
Atlas, the Titan god of Strength, is now free after millennia held prisoner by the Greeks. Nike, the Greek goddess of Strength (and Victory) is now being held captive in the same fashion her male counterpart once was. One may think they would understand one another, even get along, but this is not so. In order for one to be happy, the other is humiliated, or else bedded. Atlas and Nike have a rocky love/hate relationship because of their history and the resulting heartache.
As the story opens, readers witness Nike being held down by four men as Atlas prepares to exact a very specific revenge. Since Cronus is now in control of Olympus, now called Titania, Atlas is the new warden of the prison once fortified by Greek god Tartarus. Atlas and Nike have quite literally reversed their roles. But Atlas does not get the same satisfaction from punishing Nike as he thought he would. He is beginning to feel for her again. Atlas wants to be free of the cycle of abuse and heartache and Nike just wants to be free. The only way to get what they want is to commit to one another, forsaking all else, even Cronus, the god king.
The Darkest Prison
Most of the action in The Darkest Prison is of course set in the prison. Not the darkest of prisons, that would be hell, but perhaps a fortification where gods and goddesses are held against their will and bound without their powers in a facility that is just miles from heaven, a short trip to home, is darker still.
Showalter utilizes dramatic irony quite a bit in The Darkest Prison, but it relies on the readers having kept current on the series. Usually, an installment can be read alone and still not lose its significance. The Darkest Prison can still be understood by readers new to the Lords of the Underworld, but those readers can not benefit from knowing things that even the gods do not.
Again, Showalter writes an enjoyable tale of love conquers all, but in the case of The Darkest Prison, the resolution is not set in stone. Readers can look forward to seeing these two lovers again because the boss man is surely not going to dismiss their actions.
Sources
- Gena Showalter. The Darkest Prison. Published within Into the Dark. Harlequin Books S.A. 2010
Lingtoya Alexander - With a bachelor's degree in English Literature, I now write for the challenge. I hope you find my contributions helpful if not ...
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