Monday 31 January 2011

Book Review - Infinity

Title: Infinity (Chronicles of Nick)
Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon
Publisher: ATOM
ISBN-13: 978-1907410215

Synopsis
Teenager Nick Gautier thinks he knows everything. Streetwise, tough and savvy, his quick sarcasm is renowned. But his whole world is suddenly turned upside down on the night his best friends try to kill him. Saved by a mysterious warrior, Nick is sucked into the realm of the Dark-Hunters - immortal vampire-slayers who risk everything to save humanity - and he quickly learns that the human world is only a veil for a much larger and more dangerous one that's filled with all kinds of evil. However, before he can even learn the rules of this new world, his fellow students start turning into flesh-eating members of the undead. Nick knows he's in real danger and he soon has a lot more to deal with than starting high school: he's under pressure to hide his new friends from his mother and his chainsaw from the principal while trying to impress the girl he has a crush on, all without getting grounded, suspended...or killed.
 
My Review
This is the first book by Sherrilyn Kenyon I have ever read, it was recommended to me by a colleague and I thought it sounded quite good. 
It is an easy read, i finished it in a day and dud get sucked into it.
NIck seems like an ordinary teenager, sarcastic, defensive, moody and sometimes shows a caring side. Until one night his friends try to kill him, and Nick gets saved by a mysterious man with extreme powers, he is then thrust into a world filled with Vampires, demons, monsters, Zombies and Werewolves, and has his eyes opened to great powers and terrible fights.
The writing style flows well and the story is fairly fast paced.
I have to say, Nick spends a lot of his time either getting injured, or apologising to his mother for worrying her. I love his character, and laughed out loud at his sarcasm and wit, his one line retorts really made me giggle.
I have to confess though that i was a little confused at places, what sort of demon is Caleb, is he good or bad, who and what is Simi and at points there were so many characters fighting over Nick and the events of his future that i couldn't follow who was good or bad, and who i wanted to win. And the whole Zombie thing confused me a bit, at one point they were fighting the 'live' zombies then the next the 'dead' ones and then there were just zombies everywhere and i had to figure out whether they were evil undead or mind zapped teenagers.
A lot of the unanswered questions i would guess were deliberate and would be answered in later novels, but although i have a vague curiosity and will read the next book at some point, i wouldn't rush out to get it. I'm hoping when i do get it that it will clear things up and i will enjoy the series more, as i feel this has potential to be really good, but it's not quite there yet.
Maybe people that have read the 'Dark Hunter' series would enjoy this more as they would know more about the characters and settings etc, as this is set as a prequel. 
Overall a little disappointing, but i did enjoy it, and the moments that made me giggle puts the rating up, as i love a book that can make me laugh.

My Rating
I would give this book 7/10. A shaky start, but enjoyable and easy to read, worth a try and a must for fans of the 'Dark Hunter' series.   

3 comments:

Tevya said...

I am reading Infinity to my class right now. They absolutely love it. I'm a Sherrilyn Kenyon fan. I have read (and will continue to read) her Dark Hunter series. I can definitely see where you are coming from, as my knowledge of the characters that you mentioned comes directly from my Dark Hunters experience. I would encourage you to keep reading if you liked Nick. I found that the Dark Hunters series started off exactly as you are describing. A confusing amount of characters and events. But each book got better and better until I was completely sucked into the DH world. With the first part of the series, I would pick them up when I had nothing else to read; they weren't a MUST read. About halfway through, I had to have the next one waiting when I finished one. I have to assument that the Chronicles of Nick series will probably be similar in it's rocky start.

Tevya @ Reading Lark

barmybex said...

I'll try the next one and see how it goes. Thanks for the nice comment. :D

La Toya said...

The synopsis sounds so promising! I'm glad I got to read your review before I went to check it out!