Post by Charlynn on Apr 5, 2011 22:09:49 GMT -5
Lover Unbound by J.R. Ward
As Lover Revealed left off, I was analyzing Vishous's character. I was partially right. He was confusing affection for love and sexual attraction, having never felt such emotions before. It took him actually falling in love to realize that his feelings for Butch were confused and not what they appeared. However, I was wrong about his sexual orientation; he was bisexual. Technically. But sex wasn't about pleasure or love for Vishous before Lover Unbound; it was about domination. He didn't pick the individuals he slept with based upon attraction or anything more than them being a willing and able body. This is why I really liked the fact that, when he first experienced sex for more than just the need to control, he equated it to losing his virginity. In a way, he did.
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
First, let us meet Dr. Jane Whitcomb, Vishous' love interest. There were three things that made me appreciate and like her character. First of all, despite the fact that she was a human, her backstory was compelling, leaving her haunted and damaged as an adult. Secondly, she didn't take anyone's crap. She stood up for herself, possessed extreme intelligence, refused to back down and take lip from anyone, and she was extremely independent. These are qualities that I can appreciate in not only a woman but any person – male or female, human or vampire. Finally, she was an interesting character because the conflict which should have proven to be insurmountable between her and Vishous was not solved easily, predictably, or in a cliched manner.
My demands for these characters are not difficult – being strong individuals whose problems are not resolved too easily, but, unfortunately, they are not met in every novel. However, Lover Unbound did meet my demands. I enjoyed it quite immensely. I didn't have to force myself to keep reading it like some of the past books in the series. Unlike some of the other novels, I would recommend this book for more than just continuing a set of books already started. Coincidentally enough, it is the oddly numbered books which I have enjoyed so far and the even ones which I have not. We'll see if this pattern continues but first...
Lover Unbound also introduced the next story... just like the previous books have. The sixth book is going to focus on Phury, and, in the fifth book, he becomes the Primale of the Chosen – the male warrior vampire responsible for mating with and breeding all the Scribe Virgin's Chosen in the hopes of repopulating the brotherhood. We're also introduced to Cormia, his first mate. Where Phury believes that he has feelings for his brother, Zsadist's, mate, Cormia is both frightened of Phury's world and her responsibilities but also intrigued by and attracted to the Primale. So far, their biggest obstacle is communication – she's extremely timid and he's extremely dense and slow where women are concerned, but it's inevitable that further complications will arise in Lover Enshrined.
Finally, Lover Unbound also focused on Vishous' past, and, in doing so, readers were informed of the fact that the Scribe Virgin is Vishous' mother. That is why he has the powers that he does. However, due to the deal she made with his cruel father, he was only with her until he was three and then raised by the terrifying Bloodletter. Understandably, he's bitter and wants nothing to do with his mother, especially when she tries to force the role of Primale upon him. He agrees, only for the benefit of his race, but things become even more complicated once he meets and falls in love with Jane. Finally, Phury steps up and replaces him but not before Vishous' relationship with his mother is permanently damaged.
Or is it?
Once she makes the ultimate sacrifice – giving up her own happiness for her son's, allowing him to, in a way, remain with the woman he loves, returning Jane, in a new and different form, to him, he starts to thaw towards her. And, in return, he offers her a gesture of affection and appreciation as well. Though, by the end of the novel, their relationship is not perfect – far from it, in fact, they at least are on their way to having one.
But will it continue?
Because, at the end of the book, it is revealed that Vishous has a twin sister and that their mother has her frozen and locked in stasis because she does not fit in with the other Chosen, because she is a warrior at heart. As the Scribe Virgin contemplates freeing her daughter to live the life that she wants, the idea has the potential to set in motion yet another Black Dagger Brotherhood adventure. First, though, Lover Enshrined and Phury's story is next.
As Lover Revealed left off, I was analyzing Vishous's character. I was partially right. He was confusing affection for love and sexual attraction, having never felt such emotions before. It took him actually falling in love to realize that his feelings for Butch were confused and not what they appeared. However, I was wrong about his sexual orientation; he was bisexual. Technically. But sex wasn't about pleasure or love for Vishous before Lover Unbound; it was about domination. He didn't pick the individuals he slept with based upon attraction or anything more than them being a willing and able body. This is why I really liked the fact that, when he first experienced sex for more than just the need to control, he equated it to losing his virginity. In a way, he did.
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
First, let us meet Dr. Jane Whitcomb, Vishous' love interest. There were three things that made me appreciate and like her character. First of all, despite the fact that she was a human, her backstory was compelling, leaving her haunted and damaged as an adult. Secondly, she didn't take anyone's crap. She stood up for herself, possessed extreme intelligence, refused to back down and take lip from anyone, and she was extremely independent. These are qualities that I can appreciate in not only a woman but any person – male or female, human or vampire. Finally, she was an interesting character because the conflict which should have proven to be insurmountable between her and Vishous was not solved easily, predictably, or in a cliched manner.
My demands for these characters are not difficult – being strong individuals whose problems are not resolved too easily, but, unfortunately, they are not met in every novel. However, Lover Unbound did meet my demands. I enjoyed it quite immensely. I didn't have to force myself to keep reading it like some of the past books in the series. Unlike some of the other novels, I would recommend this book for more than just continuing a set of books already started. Coincidentally enough, it is the oddly numbered books which I have enjoyed so far and the even ones which I have not. We'll see if this pattern continues but first...
Lover Unbound also introduced the next story... just like the previous books have. The sixth book is going to focus on Phury, and, in the fifth book, he becomes the Primale of the Chosen – the male warrior vampire responsible for mating with and breeding all the Scribe Virgin's Chosen in the hopes of repopulating the brotherhood. We're also introduced to Cormia, his first mate. Where Phury believes that he has feelings for his brother, Zsadist's, mate, Cormia is both frightened of Phury's world and her responsibilities but also intrigued by and attracted to the Primale. So far, their biggest obstacle is communication – she's extremely timid and he's extremely dense and slow where women are concerned, but it's inevitable that further complications will arise in Lover Enshrined.
Finally, Lover Unbound also focused on Vishous' past, and, in doing so, readers were informed of the fact that the Scribe Virgin is Vishous' mother. That is why he has the powers that he does. However, due to the deal she made with his cruel father, he was only with her until he was three and then raised by the terrifying Bloodletter. Understandably, he's bitter and wants nothing to do with his mother, especially when she tries to force the role of Primale upon him. He agrees, only for the benefit of his race, but things become even more complicated once he meets and falls in love with Jane. Finally, Phury steps up and replaces him but not before Vishous' relationship with his mother is permanently damaged.
Or is it?
Once she makes the ultimate sacrifice – giving up her own happiness for her son's, allowing him to, in a way, remain with the woman he loves, returning Jane, in a new and different form, to him, he starts to thaw towards her. And, in return, he offers her a gesture of affection and appreciation as well. Though, by the end of the novel, their relationship is not perfect – far from it, in fact, they at least are on their way to having one.
But will it continue?
Because, at the end of the book, it is revealed that Vishous has a twin sister and that their mother has her frozen and locked in stasis because she does not fit in with the other Chosen, because she is a warrior at heart. As the Scribe Virgin contemplates freeing her daughter to live the life that she wants, the idea has the potential to set in motion yet another Black Dagger Brotherhood adventure. First, though, Lover Enshrined and Phury's story is next.