Ultramarine

This is the 5th book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood telling us the story of Vishous. V was never one of my favorites. The is something slightly annoying in fact that he is better than all the other brothers. It makes him feel "too ..", too what I don't really know, but somehow when it's him it's too dark, too sorrowful, too powerful, too naughty, too smart etc. There are SO many things V is in charge of it seems if he was king, we probably wouldn't need the series with all the brothers, he would just do everything.. I think I read somewhere that he is Ward's favorite character. Well, it shows.. and having a favorite son is an OK concept if it's kept somewhat secret ;) like Tyrion being Martin's favorite (in A Song of Ice and Fire). 

That being said I did love the book. This one feels a bit longer than the previous ones and we had in my eyes a more substantial part with other POVs though luckily we didn't have any lesser POVs. Actually as I've said before I don't "get" the Lessening Society part in the series. There is nothing to them and when something DOES happen it's so, well, annoying. So I was REALLY happy that there were no lessers around in this book though I thought that one of the probably 2 encounters with the lessers was a little TOO predictable. I thought it would have been better if it was played in a different way. 

Well, after saying all this staff that seems a little negative to me, but really, I'm not trying to make less of this book, I DID love it! Jane is a strong woman who knows what she wants and her struggle with her attraction and interest in V was well played by her. It's no wonder V fell for a smart and sharp woman, it's exactly what he was missing. I think that those kind of strong men who are used to having the world on their wide shoulders need someone to lean on, and for V having someone like that isn't obvious at all. She has to be tough, sure, but she mostly has to be his equal mentally. Because he might be a fighter, a good one, but I think he is most skilled with computers, tech and things like that. That's his main interest. They are all very aggressive in the Brotherhood so fighting and killing is a given but I think he is the one who could have given it up to do all the things that needs to be done around. If this was a little more "high tech" played he would have been the guy behind the computer who tells everyone what the blue prints are, were are the guards placed etc in a raid :)

OK, back to the plot! V is hurt very badly and is brought to a human hospital, there he is treated by Jane. When the brothers come to rescue him he insists she comes with him. He is starting to bond with her, but above that he has a vision of her which means she is somehow linked to him. So against her will (and the brothers'), Jane is brought to the compound to stay with V. At the beginning, naturally, she isn't "pleased" with the situation but as time goes they find themselves attracted to each other, sexually and mentally. Since Jane is a human it means it's highly problematic for her to stay with him, to mate him, and V knows she can't really stay since he had a very disturbing visit from the Scribe Virgin (there's a "too..." there as well by the way..) he is destined to be the "Primale" which means - (1) Jane bye bye (2) He has to literally breed all the Chosen Females so they can bring to the world more warriors to the brotherhood. 

I have to say all these old staff are really disgusting but at least now that Wrath is the king and the brotherhood are more, well, active on this ground (I mean, before it was only fighting, nothing about the race, rules and all that) things are changing, So if you want to slaughter everyone in charge of these ancient rules then wait a little and see how it all works out beautifully in the end. That being said, the Scribe Virgin and the Directrix are SO annoying. The Scribe Virgin is really the most thoughtless deity I could think of. Yeah in a way she comes though it a few things but how she behaved throughout this book made her one of my most hated characters! and not forgetting the Directrix she is a TOTAL bitch but as I said, just be patient, the brothers take their time (mostly to find out) but they take care of all this staff later on. 

I feel a  bit "off" today so it's kinda hard for me to write this review but since I want to continue to the next one without messing it all in my head I'm doing this now. 

So were was I? Yeah, OK. So V sets Jane go, erasing her memory but erasing his joy in living as well, as a bonded male being without her hurts more than he can bare. Phury seeing his brother's ache and also considering his own (being near Bella all the time while not being able to BE with her since she is mated to his twin brother and is with child..) suggests to V that he will replace him. What a great idea! Take the celibate and make him the guy who needs to fuck about 40 females and get them impregnated! Believe it or not it actually works.. I mean, The bitch Scribe Virgin accepts. While this is a small spoiler I don't know how to refer to all the other sub-plots and things happening in this book without mentioning it. and you probably could have guessed that since this is the book of V and Jane he is NOT going to be fucking 40 females "from the side"... 

Well, that brings us to the sub plot of Phury. DEAR GOD! That guy is SO DAMN ANNOYING. I know the next book is about him and I must say though he deserves pity I can't stand his POV and everything that's going on with him. He is basically a drug addict, not accusing his brother of that and all, he is just a miserable sap! His obsession with Bella is just annoying and there is nothing in it. As she tells him it's not about her. It's about him wanting to be happy but since he isn't willing to do anything about it, he just craves what he can't have.

Cormia is another POV. She is the chosen Chosen by the bitch of Directrix to be presented to the Primale - aka Phury. She is terrified, this is the first time she meets a male and he is HUGE and also the Directrix has told her that what's going to happen between them - sex - is going to hurt. When Phury (and actually V before him) see just HOW terrified she is they try to give her time to adjust. Phury even brings her back to the compound for a little "relax" time so we have the scene from the Little Mermaid were Ariel is playing with the objects she found that belongs to the "walking world". It was sweet in a way, but I don't really like her so I wasn't into her story. She is supposed to be a kind of a rebel and there is NOTHING rebellious about her. She is just a scared little mouse. The next book will be of her and Phury. the best match EVER. Two extremely boring characters brought together. Like this book have been of two smart and strong persons only in a bad way :D

Something I forgot to mention, yeah, I'm all over the place today.. I though this book have been REALLY dark, more than before, V's story is hard, in a way worse than Z's was and that's kind of impossible (but that's how it goes with favorite sons, right?) we have everything that happened to him in the camp, his father The Bloodletter, his mother which is a total and absolute BITCH! Cormia's story with how the Directrix treats her, Layla with what she endures (which isn't much but it just adds up), also JM and what happens between him and Layla and in general him dealing with missing his parents, and how Jane and V's story ends is a little "bittersweet" as well. I don't know I felt that the book in itself was really sad. 

That being said we finally have John's transition! Which was great!!! I love JM and I love his connection with Z (yeah, no surprise here!). Z really helps him out in his own way. He isn't the one to "talk it through" and yet he is exactly what JM needs. There's this heart breaking scene (in chapter 31) were Z tells JM it's not his fault what he went through and I just felt my entire heart crush. 

We also see a love interest or rather sexual interest for him - Xhex! YAY!

He keeps quarreling with Lash (who wouldn't?) and him, Quinn and Blay are best friends in the most loyal way. They are the future brotherhood, that's for sure! 

Since I'm listening to this one for the second time (first time being an ebook) I want to refer also to the narration. As I've said before I don't like it. Don't like the fact that all characters sound the same - male and female - alike. I think that in a way he IS getting better in the narration as the series progresses but I won't recommend it anyhow. I feel there is something too dull about his reading. 

I think I've said it all somehow :) I did love this book, a lot going on! but I didn't absolutely love it. It's a little about me not liking V that much and a lot about me not getting Phury and his shit. No one loved a cry baby and that's what he is.. I really hope that his book will bring me closer to him. I don't really remember so many details of the books I probably read them like two years ago if not more so a lot of books went through my hands and though I remember a lot from the series a lot is knowledge without a placement into a certain book. Next books in the series after Phury is Rehv and JM so I'm REALLY looking forward to them! 

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As I've done with the Lords of the Underworld, I'll do here as well. If you are reading this for the first time, then you must be confused with who's who. I think it took me about 3 books to get everyone straight hehe Now, after reading several of these kinda series I'm better at it. and to tell you the truth, here you only have 6 warriors which isn't bad and you don't get TMI on them where you get confused, basically Ward tries to describe them and give a little about each one. 

So here is a little about each Warrior (Copied from J.R.Ward's Website) including in which book they are the main Hero - Enjoy!

Wrath (Dark Lover #1, The King #12)

The last purebred vampire on the planet and the vampire race's king. Essentially blind, he is the leader who is not willing to lead until he is forced to care for a half-breed he falls in love with.

Rhage (Lover Eternal #2)

The strongest of the brothers and the best fighter. Cursed by the Scribe Virgin, he is possessed by a dark side which is a danger to everyone. Ultimately, though, he is gentled by a very special human woman.

Zsadist (Lover Awakened #3, Father Mine #6.5)

The most lethal of the brothers. A former blood slave who was mercilessly tortured during the first hundred years of his life, Z is the one who has fallen farthest from grace. But he is utterly worthy of redemption.

Twin brother - Phury.

Phury (Lover Enshrined #6)

the loyal one, the one who sacrifices himself for others. Phury is Zsadist's twin brother and a celibate who cannot truly live because of everything his biological brother has lost. Used to giving rather than receiving, he needs love coming back at him to bring him alive.

Vishous (Lover Unbound #5)

the most intelligent and the one who is specially gifted. His curse is his ability to prognosticate: he sees the future, though not the 'when' of events so he is tortured by his inability to save those he loves from danger. His love puts him at odds with a secret about himself he did not know and could never have guessed.

Tohrment (Lover Reborn #10)

The steady one, the calm one. He is the one whose betrayal by fate will cut the deepest.

Butch O'Neal (Lover Revealed #4)

Butch O’Neal is a fighter by nature. A hard-living ex–homicide cop, he’s the only human ever to be allowed in the inner circle of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. And he wants to go even deeper into the vampire world. He’s got nothing to lose. His heart belongs to a female vampire, an aristocratic beauty who’s way out of his league. If he can’t have Marissa, then at least he can fight side by side with the Brothers.

John Matthew (Lover Mine #8)

John is actually Darius incarnate only he can't remember he WAS Darius, that's part of the deal the Scribe Virgin had offered him, he also can't speak, that's another thing he had to give away in order to be able to get to know his daughter, Beth, even if he won't remember her as being his daughter. He is one of the new recruits to the Brotherhood. 

Rehvenge (Lover Avenged #7)

Rehvenge, as a half-breed symphath, is used to living in the shadows and hiding his true identity. As a club owner and a dealer on the black market, he's also used to handling the roughest nightwalkers around—including the members of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. He's kept his distance from the Brotherhood as his dark secret could make things complicated on both sides—but now,he's an ally with them, through Bella and Z but not only that..

As you can guess from the number of Warriors to the number of books - there are a few more warriors who weren't mentioned in the first book as ones. The mentioned above are the "core" brotherhood plus any knew ones that have been mentioned in this book and the previous ones. I'm adding the rest of them. Notice I'm adding the spoiler tag since some of the characters aren't mentioned yet and some are but we don't know what would become of them.