Dark Descendant

by Jenna Black

Paperback, 2011

Status

Available

Call number

813.6

Publication

Pocket Books (2011), epub

Description

Nikki Glass can track down any man. But when her latest client turns out to be a true descendant of Hades, Nikki now discovers she can't die. Crazy as it sounds, Nikki's manhunting skills are literally god-given. She's a living, breathing descendant of Artemis who has stepped right into a trap set by the children of the gods.Nikki's new "friends" include a descendant of Eros, who uses sex as a weapon; a descendant of Loki, whose tricks are no laughing matter; and a half-mad descendant of Kali who thinks she's a spy. But most powerful of all are the Olympians, a rival clan of immortals seeking to destroy all Descendants who refuse to bow down to them. In the eternal battle of good god/bad god, Nikki would make a divine weapon. But if they think she'll surrender without a fight, the gods must be crazy.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member pollywannabook
Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy

The ancient gods of Greek, Norse, and Hindu mythology are portrayed as capricious, fickle beings of immense power who often inflict extreme acts of cruelty on humanity. So you can imagine what kind of parents they would make. There are hundreds of myths
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about the Greek gods of Olympus, in particular, absconding with women or seducing virgins. The children resulting from these unions are called demigods (Hercules is arguably the most famous). Millennia later, in DARK DESCENDANT, these descendants of the gods have formed two rival factions with diametrically opposing goals. Neither one can really be described as ‘the good guys’ but ‘the bad guys’ are truly monsters. This is the world P.I. Nikki Glass is thrust into.

Talk about a smart, resourceful, and resilient character. Nikki Glass was made for the urban fantasy genre. She doesn’t ever shrink or shy away from reality once it’s shown to her. She has a few momentary mental freak-outs, but she never lets that keep her from doing what needs to be done. Her thought processes are very pragmatic and once she’s made up her mind, she doesn’t dither around indecisively; she acts. She’s the kind of character you want to be friends with, no matter how dangerous her life becomes.

One thing I had to keep reminding myself while reading was that most of these characters are immortals. They can’t kill each other, at least not easily. So they are crazy violent. Nikki herself get savagely beaten on more than one occasion and on only one of those times is it by ‘the bad guys’. Basically, few things—or characters—are black and white. There is a whole lot of gray in DARK DESCENDANT, which is just one of the reasons that I found it so interesting. Somebody can get their eye stabbed out one night and then share a cup of coffee with the perpetrator the next morning. It’s a crazy world and it was immensely fun watching Nikki get thrown into it.

Don’t pick up DARK DESCENDANT expecting a romantic plotline, there isn’t one, at least not for the protagonist. This is one that develops between two of the supporting characters, much like Mallory and Catcher in the Chicagoland Vampire series. There are actually two very strong potential love interests for future books, but given the breakneck speed of the plot in this debut, it wouldn’t have made sense for Nikki to have a romance. She does have a couple very interesting encounters with a descendant of Eros(aka Cupid) that brought to mind a certain death-by-sex Fae…

DARK DESCENDANT reminded me of a mythological a mash up of the Chicagoland Vampires series by Chloe Neill and The Dissillustionists series by Carolyn Crane. A character who refuses to let the new circumstances of her life beat her down, has to embrace a brutal and terrifying future among the descendants of the gods, half of whom want to kill her and the other half want to use her to kill others. The pace is furious, the characters volatile, and mythological meets modern world is one not to be missed. There are no hard details about the next book in the Descendants series except for the happy news that there will be one.

Sexual Content:
References to rape.
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LibraryThing member Slion
“Dark Descendant” is the first book in a new series for Jenna Black and is an urban fantasy about Nikki Glass, a private investigator, whose entire world changes in one night. After agreeing to meet her current client, Emmitt, at the mansion where his girlfriend Maggie is being held by a cult,
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Nikki sees that the circumstances are not what she believes. After originally finding no sign of Emmitt, Nikki discovers that the mansion holds members of a world of immortal beings. Nikki is part of this world. Descendants of gods, each member has to choose sides between two warring factions based on a belied system. Of course, nothing is as easy as good versus evil with immortal godlike beings, now is it? Nikki and the people she cares about are caught in the middle of the supernatural game and she wonders if she ever really knows if she will recognize the game players not to mention the board itself. How will she ever win or be able to protect those she loves being an outsider to this new world?

Overall, I liked this 1st edition and found it fast paced and entertaining. The world of the Liberi Deorum, or more simply put, descendants of the gods, had enough fascinated accepts and characters to make it vast and start this first this edition out strong. There were gods from the greek line but also the other deities to choose from and there was also a good versus evil gang concept. The Olympians were the “evil” gang and purists who basically were the descendants who practiced racial purity and irradiated any non-greek immortals. The other group, which Nikki joins out of necessity for protection, is lead by Anderson Kane. They are a colorful cast of characters, but do not to be completely evil, so they are the lesser of two evils for Nikki. All the immortals and immortals to be sport a glyph marking them as being part of the deities’ bloodline. Nikki has an adoptive sister, Steph, who is blond, gorgeous, and lives off her charity work and trust fund. Nikki is always fighting the feeling of not fitting in and feeling abandoned, sports a very strong will and some self-defense mores, but her life has been fair. Her real mother left her in a church at a young age possibly to save her because of her heritage. Once she realizes she is an immortal descendant of Artemis, she is sought after by factions for her skills but also questioned for her loyalty.

I did observe that this story and the Signs of The Zodiac Series have several common elements in them to not be ignored. The heroine is plain and adopted with a rich, blonde, beautiful sister she envious but lives the world to protect. The glyphs, the transferring of powers upon killing a member, immortal strengths and bloodlines, all are very similar to the other series. We also have the 2 opposing forces that have very faded lives between good vs evil. So far there is no love interest in the story, but the author did sew seeds of interest into several characters to keep any reader guessing at to what a future could hold. I would like to see what book 2 would develop into since some changes occurred at the end of this novel. Book 2 always matures the characters initial impressions of her world, and Nikki needs to now adjust to all she has learned. Overall, a good 4 star effort.
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LibraryThing member samantha.1020
From Goodreads:

"Nikki Glass can track down any man. But when her latest client turns out to be a true descendant of Hades, Nikki now discovers she can’t die. . . .

Crazy as it sounds, Nikki’s manhunting skills are literally god-given. She’s a living, breathing descendant of Artemis who has
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stepped right into a trap set by the children of the gods. Nikki’s new “friends” include a descendant of Eros, who uses sex as a weapon; a descendant of Loki, whose tricks are no laughing matter; and a half-mad descendant of Kali who thinks she’s a spy.

But most powerful of all are the Olympians, a rival clan of immortals seeking to destroy all Descendants who refuse to bow down to them. In the eternal battle of good god/bad god, Nikki would make a divine weapon. But if they think she’ll surrender without a fight, the gods must be crazy. . ."

My Thoughts:

I thought this was a solid beginning to a new urban fantasy series. In my opinion, Jenna Black has created an original debut filled with gods, olympians, descendants, and a little bit of mythology tossed in. I was hooked from the very beginning especially with all of the suspense that was interspersed throughout the story. I don't usually skim or skip ahead but there were times when I just couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. I had to know right then and I cheated just to see...LOL! That is a sign of a good story in my opinion. Nikki was an interesting main character as she starts to learn about both her immortality and powers that come along with being a descendant. I would have liked to see her have a little more confidence in herself but it was easy to understand why she didn't have it. Her past made her more than a little vulnerable and it was interesting to see how it affected her choices. The Olympians were more than a little scary and I'm looking forward to seeing the role that they play in the next book. Overall, I found this to be a solid debut, and I'm looking forward to reading more about Nikki and the new world that she finds herself in. Recommended!

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book for review as part of a blog tour for Gallery & Pocket Books SciFi/Fantasy Group. Unfortunately this review is a bit late due to extenuating circumstances..my apologies!
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LibraryThing member vampiregirl76
Originally I didn't have this book on my to buy list. But when I received it for review, the summary really piqued my interest - especially with the mythology that is involved.

Dark Descendant is a fantastic read and really took me by surprise. I absolutely loved the flow of the story. It was both
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fast and engaging. I have read some of Ms. Black's books before but none of her UF titles. She has taken mythology from different pantheons and created a most intriguing world. Great cast of characters. I loved the lead Nikki, she was a strong character, but also has a vulnerability to her. The mysterious Anderson and "I'm crazy but I don't mean to be" Jamaal are two characters I hope to read more about. I definitely recommend this one.
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LibraryThing member pacey1927
I have read and adored Jenna Black's YA series that begins with "Glimmerglass" so I was very eager to read her new Urban Fantasy novel "Dark Descendant". I was fairly impressed and I will be adding this to my growing list of series I must follow. The premise here is fairly unique....Nikki Glass is
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good at tracking and finding people. She has made a career of it. But then she learns that there may be a paranormal reason why she is such a great hunter. She learns that she is a descendant of a Greek Godess Artemis. Her aim is suddenly always 100% on the mark. Soon two different groups of Liberi Deorum. One group of 'good guys'...who are actually more like shades of gray guys and then the Olympian's or really bad guys. Both groups want Nikki but the Olympians reasons are truly evil. They threaten her sister to try to make Nikki comply.

The story is really entertaining. Nikki is a good girl who is thrust into a strange world made up of people with all sorts of different powers. Nikki meeting these people and getting accustomed to their powers and this new world is fun and almost perfect enjoyment. I liked all the characters I am supposed to like and I really disliked the bad guys. However I found the story to be almost too complex in how the mythologys and the role of the descendants work. I had to re-read the explainations a couple of times and even then later down the road something happened I didn't understand and it was wrapped up in that explaination. It didn't more or less didn't detract from the reading but I wish I had a better grasp of the 'rules' of the world.

The actions scenes were great, the story is definitely gritty. This is no paranormal romance, in fact there are more than one option Black could choose to take should she decide to give Nikki a romance. The story has tons of potentially great characters we really haven't had a chance to explore in this first book and I really do look forward to reading more.
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LibraryThing member theepicrat
Nikki refuses to believe that she is descended from a god, but how else can she explain her survival after wrapping her car around a tree – or how quickly her critical wounds healed? It is a lot to digest, and when her newfound powers draw the wrong sort of attention, Nikki has to determine who
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she can trust to give her the truth – and who would rather see her deader than dead.

The plot begins rather slow, but quickly descends into a whirlwind of suspense and action as the characters start to showcase the full extent of their powers and unmask some of their mystery. Jenna Black builds dark and delicious mythology that I found exciting to discover, although I wished there was a little bit more humor included and a little less serious. I wished we had more character interaction because it was hard to garner much attachment to those we hardly saw. DARK DESCENDANT gives a good start to this new series, although I need to see how Book 2 turns out before making a final decision!
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LibraryThing member LCOP
I was searching for a new series, and I had read the Morgan Kinsley season and gotten tired of it, so I was hesitant to try this one, so glad I did!

I love Nikki Glass. What a fun original series. I finished this in a few hours and then immediatley purchased the next book Deadly Descendant, and then
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read that cover to cover. I have already pre-purchased Rogue Descendendant and can not wait for that book to come out.

Very new take on Mythological Gods and their descendants. I really loved the premise. There are 2 factions of the descendants the Olympians - the bad guys and the Good Guys that all live in a mansion with there leader Anderson.

I don't want to ruin any surprises, It is very fast paced with good character interaction. I really love Anderson and am crossing fingers that several books in the future he and Nikki will hook up. Other series I love (so you know if I like compatible books) - Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews (really anything by Ilona Andrews) Grace Murphy by Nicole Hamlett, Transplanted Tales by Kate SeRine, Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning, In Death - J.D. Robb, Arcadia Bell by Jenn Bennett and the Mercy Series by Patricia Briggs. That should give you an idea :)

Happy Reading
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LibraryThing member snitchbitch
FINALLY an Urban Fantasy that doesn't involve vampires and werewolves! (Not that I'm sick of either, mind you)

This book appealed to the History fan in me as the characters are descendants of mythological figures from various ancient cultures. The main character herself turns out to be a descendant
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of Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt - rather fortuitous, since she happens to also be a Private Detective. Something a little better than luck to help track your cases, that's for sure.

The heroine seemed to appear quite realistic and believable throughout the book, but I sometimes felt like some of the reactions were forced. This is probably because they were often explained outright, rather than letting the read jump to their own conclusions, almost like they were there to "prove" that the character had faults and wasn't perfect.

A prime example would be the jealousy towards her adopted sister as they're trying on clothes. It just felt so stilted and forced, and - to be honest - didn't actually feel like it had any real purpose being mentioned. I don't think this jealous reaction was ever really used again throughout the story, and it didn't really offer any insight into her character.

There were many things to like about this book, however: interesting characters, ongoing conflicts, complex histories and evil villains. The other characters especially were a favourite for me, because I feel like I could quite easily enjoy a story about them at some point in their lives.

Although I will admit that about five minutes after I finished reading this story I wasn't particularly interested in wanting to read more. I have quite a bit of a blasé attitude about the next one, and reading the teaser/summary for the next book didn't improve it.
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LibraryThing member mlsimmons
I would say 3.5 stars. This story seems to be a great build-up for an interesting new series. The first book of a series can be hard. You have to learn about the world (this one especially, since I had no expectations for the rules of this world). The characters have a lot of development, which
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does not have to be so in-dept in books following in the series.

I was not sure if I would like this world when I first read the synopsis, but it turned out great. It is nice to read something different. As much as I love vampires, wereanimals and demons, it is great to read something different. This books shows a lot of promise to make a excellent series. I cannot wait to read the next book.

There is not any sex in the book anywhere which really surprised me, if you have read the Morgan Kingsly series, you understand. There is not even any sex that is mentioned but not shown "on stage" in the book. There is room for sex in future books, as some sexual tension from this book progress through the series.
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LibraryThing member TWhite99
Interesting and fast paced. Would like to keep going with rest of this series. Like much urban fantasy, fast read and enjoyable, like popcorn - crunchy and but not deep. Several interesting angles on deity magic.
LibraryThing member Ayanami_Faerudo
I... It's urban fantasy but... *shrugs* I still don't know what to make of it.
LibraryThing member payday1999
I loved this book. What I love about it, is that it has mythology in a darker setting. These days most books that I see that have the genre of mythology is more in the young adult section and pretty light mannered.

I loved the main character, who isn't weak or stupid. She's level headed and makes
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smart decisions This book is about descendants, children of Gods, and I loved the world the author created. These descendants are dark, powerful, and are what I expect in a non young adult genre. Most of the descendants are not good or fit into a grey area, which I like. I love the characters that were introduced so far, they all have a distinct personality and I can't wait to read more about them in the next book.

Now I"m going to go read the 2nd book, hoping to find out what happens next. There was a big reveal at the end of the book.
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Language

Original publication date

2011-04-26

Physical description

325 p.; 6.77 inches

ISBN

1451606796 / 9781451606799

Local notes

Nikki Glass can track down any man. But when her latest client turns out to be a true descendant of Hades, Nikki now discovers she can’t die. She’s a living, breathing descendant of Artemis who has stepped right into a trap set by the children of the gods. Nikki’s new “friends” include a descendant of Eros, who uses sex as a weapon; a descendant of Loki, whose tricks are no laughing matter; and a half-mad descendant of Kali who thinks she’s a spy.
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