The Darkest Prison is the fifth story in the Lords of the Underworld from Gena Showalter which follows a group of immortal warriors; in the full length novels, the story revolves around the warriors who have hosted demons for centuries after opening Pandora's Box years ago and the short stories in Dark Beginnings, the stories revolve around different immortal warriors that are integral to the story but not part of the main group.
Rating: 9
Recommended To: Those
that like paranormal books, though definitely for an adult audience
Favourite Characters: Nike - unlike the other women of
the series
Favourite Part: Atlas,
Titan god of Strength, stared down at the bane of his existence. Nike, Greek goddess of Strength. And
Victory, he inwardly sneered. She loved
to remind him that many called her the goddess of Strength and Victory.
As if she were better than him.
In reality, she was his godly counterpart. His equal.
His enemy And an all-around
grade-A bitch. - Page 92
Good Points: Seeing the Greek vs. the Titans; true love/hate
relationship; twisting Greek mythology
Bad Points: Over too quickly
The Darkest Prison tells the story of Atlas and Nike, both from Greek mythology; rather than focussing on just an immortal man, Showalter focuses on a Titan as well as a goddess who is considered his equal. Atlas and Nike are gods of Strength for the Titans and Greeks respectively and Nike considers herself the goddess of Victory as well which she always gloats about when she speaks with Atlas which annoys him.
Bad Points: Over too quickly
The Darkest Prison tells the story of Atlas and Nike, both from Greek mythology; rather than focussing on just an immortal man, Showalter focuses on a Titan as well as a goddess who is considered his equal. Atlas and Nike are gods of Strength for the Titans and Greeks respectively and Nike considers herself the goddess of Victory as well which she always gloats about when she speaks with Atlas which annoys him.
Throughout
this series, there are mentions of the rivalry between the Greeks and the
Titans and the power struggle that is occurring during the timeline of this
series and even causes some issues for the Lords of the Underworld. It was fantastic that this short story
focuses on this part of the story and delves into this part of the conflict because
it provided a new perspective on the inner workings of Heaven, much like how The Darkest Fire provided a new
perspective on the inner workings of Hell because we're normally on the
outside. For me, this appeased my
curiosity because I really wanted to know what was going on in Heaven because
it was always mentioned but never really explored. While you don't see much of the actual
conflict, the rivalry is illustrated well with Nike and Atlas as there is hatred
between them yet there is an underlying love as they most likely respect and
care for one another because of their history.
I adore the
extremely volatile love/hate relationship between Nike and Atlas because I found
it funny how they were fighting in one moment then reflecting on their past
relationship and the love they shared. Their
feelings towards one another seem to cause inner turmoil in each of them because
they probably hate the fact that they deeply care for one another yet know they
are meant to be enemies and through this, it could be implied that this is how
it is between the Greeks and the Titans as they are family yet enemies. The reason I found it funny because their
fighting could imply a sense of passion but there is a sense of loyalty and
caring as well as protectiveness which is illustrated between their
interactions, even from their first. Their
relationship is like the other couples' of this series with the initial
conflict to their intense, loving relationship and while it can seem repetitive,
it's what makes the series great and make me want more as I fall for each
character.
Greek
mythology has become part of our culture by influencing it in a number of ways,
including our stories. This series
revolves around Greek mythology and even expands on it as it's developed into
more than we know which makes this series interesting on its fictional history
alone. The way I would describe it is
that Showalter took what we know about Greek mythology and made it her own such
as expanding on the conflicts between the Greeks and Titans and delving into
their history.
If I were
to choose between Nike and Atlas for my favourite character (I seem to have a
habit of choosing either of the main protagonists in this series unless it's
Paris), I'd have to pick Nike because she seems to be unlike any of the other
women of this series. This is because from
my point of view, she seems like a proper goddess who doesn't need protecting,
unlike Anya who seemed to need Lucien throughout their story. I love Nike's nature because she has a right
to be angry with Atlas as he lied and cheated on her while she fell in love
with him so I think she had every right to lash out at him (though it is a
slight overreaction by carving her name into his chest) but it's how I would
expect a Greek goddess to be like - hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
The only downside for me with this story was that it went too quickly with it being a short story and is probably the same comment I made about The Darkest Fire. This was because once you had bonded with the characters and become enticed by their story, it was over, or it was in my case. However, unlike The Darkest Fire, this story takes place between two of the full length novels and there is a mention of going to the Lords of the Underworld so hopefully their reappear in later stories.
The only downside for me with this story was that it went too quickly with it being a short story and is probably the same comment I made about The Darkest Fire. This was because once you had bonded with the characters and become enticed by their story, it was over, or it was in my case. However, unlike The Darkest Fire, this story takes place between two of the full length novels and there is a mention of going to the Lords of the Underworld so hopefully their reappear in later stories.
Atlas, Titan god of Strength, stared down at the bane of his existence. Nike, Greek goddess of Strength. And Victory, he inwardly sneered. She loved to remind him that many called her the goddess of Strength and Victory. As if she were better than him. In reality, she was his godly counterpart. His equal. His enemy And an all-around grade-A bitch. - Page 92
There is a
fine line between love and hate and this part truly illustrates it as he seems
to respect Nike slightly as an equal but remembers she annoys him. I know this is only the first real paragraph to
the story following the prologue which featured Reyes and Danika but it just
showed the conflict immediately and really engaged my attention.
So another Lords of the Underworld story bites the
dust and as I said before, I seem to be alternating between Showalter and other
authors for a bit but hopefully not for too long. Next up is a book in the vampire genre.
Predictions
1. When Sabin begins to fall in love, he doubts
himself initially but she subdues it
2. Aeron's little pet attacks his love slightly but
Aeron stops her
3. Maddox and Ashlyn's child is completely healthy without any demonic habits
3. Maddox and Ashlyn's child is completely healthy without any demonic habits
Other Books By Gena Showalter
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