Shadow's Claim: Immortals After Dark: The Dacians, Book 1: Immortals After Dark, Book 13

By: Kresley Cole

Narrated by: Robert Petkoff

Length: 15 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

Number-one New York Times best seller Kresley Cole introduces The Dacians: Realm of Blood and Mist, a brand-new paranormal romance collection following the royal bloodline of Dacia, a mysterious vampire kingdom within The Lore (Cole's world of mythological creatures in her award-winning Immortals After Dark series).

Shadow's Claim features Prince Trehan Daciano, a ruthless master assassin who will use every lethal skill he possesses to defend his imperiled kingdom - as well as his newfound princess. When an ancient secret threatens to destroy them all, can Dacia's notorious prince of shadows keep his Bride alive against all odds?

©2012 Kresley Cole (P)2012 Simon & Schuster, Inc

NOW THIS IS WHY KC IS AN AUTO DOWNLOAD FOR ME

It's not because they are brilliant unpredictable passion filled stories, written by a very talented author, nor because each chapter is packed full of great characters - including hunky vampire types, and not even because KC paints such a visual fantasy world for us to picture and get lost in and finally it's not even because these books are definitely 'adult only' listens....

But put them all together AND THEN finish it off with RP's talented, flawless and gifted narration then you have a paranormal/romance lovers dream listen. This is a 'just one more chapter' type of book - "I'll listen to just one more chapter then get dinner ready..... or start the ironing.... or go to sleep (you get the picture)" all the while knowing that you just can't stop at just one - finally you become a hungry insomniac with nothing to wear

Worth a credit? Well fellow P/R listeners - that would be a big fat YES.... and then some.

Dayum!!!

Okay, so usually I don't listen to books of this type. I usually listen to horror and science fiction, with a little fantasy and non-fiction. I usually scoff at books of this nature. In fact, it was an accident that I even downloaded this book. What has happened to me? I was taken in from the beginning...and couldn't stop. And I couldn't believe the...um...feelings the book..um...made me feel. I want my husband to listen to it.

And oh yeah, I could probably listen to Robert Petkoff read a dictionary...if he read the way he read this book. :-)

Paranormal Romance at it's finest! KC is the best

This is why Kresley Cole is the queen of PNR! She delivered yet another amazing story that complements the IAD world she so brilliantly created! I absolutely LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book! After reading Lothaire, I couldn't wait to read about the Dacians. The tournament Trehan enters to win Bettina reminded me of the Talisman's Hie from No Rest for the Wicked. It was so full of action and excitement. I also enjoyed the cameos from other IAD characters which just made this book feel like an old friend.

This is a MUST read for fans of PNR and Kresly Cole.

5 stars all around and definitely credit worthy!!

Great performance

Fantastic Narrator and great performance. However, the heroine was so weak she became annoying. She whined throughout the entire book. She could not think for herself and every other character manipulated her. She wrung her hands and continuously cried, "OMG what should I do." I ended up wanting to give her a good shake to say "grow up." It could be that I haven't listened to a romance in a while, but I will say the voices where distinct and the book kept you very involved. I just wished the heroine would have been a little more adult. I have at least 2 more hours to go, hopefully it will get better.

Great Narrator

What made the experience of listening to Shadow's Claim the most enjoyable?

The narrator and how fast pace the story is.

What did you like best about this story?

K. C. have written a amazing fantasy world and the story keep you wanting to hear more.

Which scene was your favorite?

Fight scenes.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes. I can't really stop listening to it.

Any additional comments?

The heroine was a bit of a let down. She is too self centered and the hero deserves someone more considerate to his needs. There were times when I felt like throwing my cellphone because of her inconsiderate actions towards the hero.

Not a fault to be found

Okay, I'm totally addicted to the Immortals After Dark audio books, and this was no different. Petkoff's performances were so good, his accents wonderful, and the story truly came to life. If he doesn't continue to do the IAD series, I'll cry. He has more to do (and his past performances of the Woede brothers is just... rawr. So of course I'm looking forward to those).

As to KC's story--it was so exciting, fast-paced, and of course, hawt. :) The characters are extremely lovable and the action scenes are so well-described that I kept getting lost in the imagery. Fab-tastic! I was looking forward to this book all year, and I wasn't disappointed!

Decent addition to the story. Really liked Trehan

3-3.5 stars

This was a decent book. TBH, the story itself was pretty good and I really liked Trehan but Bettina really brought the story down for me. I was really disappointed with that because usually I really like Cole's heroines.

Bettina is a half-Demon/half-Sorceress and is the daughter of the dead King of her realm and the future Queen. She didn't take on hardly any Demon traits but is a strong Sorceress with the ability to burst a person's heart in their chest. She went into the mortal realm to study design and was found by Vrekener (winged creatures who hunt Sorceress, suck their power away and kill them). She lost her power and barely survived the encounter (only because of luck).

Trehan is a Vampire from the Vampire Kingdom of Dacian. He's known as the Prince of Shadows because he's so good at hiding and seeking his prey. The kingdom is hidden and any outsider that's allowed to enter isn't allowed to leave or they die. Trehan is the enforcer of this law and does his job well. He has little else to live for though and when not on the hunt, he likes indulge in scholarly pursuits.

Bettina's best friend is a demon named Caspion. She has had a crush on him for years and is determined to eventually get him to give up his whoring ways and fall in love with her. Caspion went traveling, found the Kingdom of Dacian and entered it knowing their laws. He thought he could get around them and decided to go back home hoping he could escape the death sentence he had brought on himself. Trehan is sent out after Caspion and when he's tracking him, he finds Bettina. Bettina is drunk in her bed (after trying to use drink to seduce an unwilling Caspion) and when Trehan shows up, she thinks he's Caspion and welcomes him. Trehan is thrilled, thinking she knew of him through her sorcery and was welcoming him, until he realizes she thought he was another man. Trehan leaves but can't help but want to go back for her. He found out that Bettina had agreed to be the "prize" in a tournament where any Lore male that entered could fight for her hand and the winner would be he husband and the King of the realm (which IMO is a sucky way to chose a husband and King). Unable to stay away, Trehan goes back to enter the tourney in attempt to win her hand.

This migth have been good if it wasn't for the issue of Caspion. Caspion, in an attempt to escape his death sentence, decides to enter the contest as well (even though he's made it clear to Bettina that he doesn't desire her at all as more than a friend). Bettina is so gone on him that she tells Trehan that if he kills Caspion (even in the tournament) that she'll never forgive him. This puts Trehan in a very bad position but he does his best to win Bettina's affections for himself. He does everything right and does end up getting Bettina to realize that Caspion is just a friend and she is falling for Trehan. Unfortunately, she still is determined to hate Trehan if he kills Caspion, even though it seems one will likely have to kill the other because of the tournament. TBH, Betttina's constant whining about crap that Caspion brought down on himself and Caspion acting like a twit really pissed me off (to the point I was yelling at her as I read) and I didn't like it. Bettina didn't seem to have a lick of sense in her head and just made things hard on them all...for Caspion who had little in the way of redeeming qualities. Uhg! Obviously, even though Trehan wins Bettina's love, there's still issues and they end up with a horrible split between them (which you know is coming if you read Lothaire before this). Things get worked out in the end and I was thankful that Trehan got his well deserved HEA (even if I really couldn't have cared less if Bettina got hers).

This was a good story overall. The storyline itself was good but Bettina and Caspion...welll lets just say that I thought they deserved each other. The only thing I can say good about Bettina is that she seemed to have gained a bit of sense by the end (very little) and this enabled Trehan to be happy. I really liked Trehan and would have wished for better for him. I can't really recommend this story unless you like weak and annoying heroines. I still love the series though and am going to read the next in the series.

IN LOVE with the Dacians!!!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely, I couldn't put stop listenening, the suspense!

What other book might you compare Shadow's Claim to and why?

Other Kresley cole books, nothing else really compare's to how she writes.

Which scene was your favorite?

The last fight scene between caspian and the Dacian.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

ALL

Any additional comments?

NOPE, worth more credits.

Let the games begin.

I recommend reading this book after Lothaire but before Macrieve. Yes it is an spin off of IAD series but really it is a continuation of the series, just with different characters and location. Which to be truthful that is how all the books are in this series. For me Shadow's Claim was another wonderful addition to the series and Kresley Cole cannot write fast enough to satisfy me. This wasn't my favorite book from KC, but I still gobbled it up. My only complaint was that Bettina drove me crazy with her obsession of her childhood friend. Who in my opinion wasn't that great of a friend. Of course she is still only 22, so that could be partly to blame for her terrible taste at first. Luckily like me she couldn't resist a sexy vamp who would do anything for her. Robert Petkoff was drool worthy as usual.

Deliciously intense!

Would you listen to Shadow's Claim again? Why?

Yes, I love Robert Petkoff accents, he is so fun to listen to.

What did you like best about this story?

I love the whole Lore world, I love the mix-match love pairs, I love Nix she is hilarious

Which character – as performed by Robert Petkoff – was your favorite?

He does such perfect accents, I don't have a complete favorite...I think he does the most hot and perfect Lykae voices. Really wish Audiobooks would get the complete IAD series!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Obsession is only the beginning

Any additional comments?

Need the complete series! get on it Audiobooks!...please ;-)

shadows claim

Yet again a brilliant Kresley Cole bk /audio this bk ticks all the vampire boxs cant wait for the next installment ....

Shadows Claim

I would like to begin by saying Kresley Cole is one of my favourite writers. I only discovered her last year and since doing so I have read everything I could find that she has written. She is a master at creating a scene, which you can easily lose yourself in. She also creates the ultimate alpha male and feisty but feminine heroin. The full cast of characters in the IAD series is nothing short of amazing, they are colourful, witty, charming, sexy and deadly, all at the same time.



It pains me therefore to say that I was disappointed in Shadow’s Claim, the first of her novels about the Dacians. After reading Lothair, which was brilliant, I thought this would be every bit as exciting, unfortunately I felt a little let down. Whilst reading the opening paragraph, where Bettina is being beaten by the Vrekeners, I thought, here we go, another Cole masterpiece but the storey never really lifted off from there, I felt the plot itself was weak. I didn’t feel the usual punchy excitement as the storey was revealed and I didn’t feel the underlying attraction between the lead characters, Trehan and Bettina, which is always present in her books. To be honest, I felt as if this book had been written in a hurry. Sorry Kresley, if it helps, everything else has been brilliant, thrilling, amazing!



I would like to add that Robert Petkoff is the perfect narrator for these books, his range of voices and ability to punctuate a storey using his voice is excellent, well chosen!

Love or lust

From the start you are drawn into a world of anger and lust, this turns into a possessive scheme form Storm. They battle to first deny the feelings that's starting to grow from her for him, they have an over whelmimg passion for each other. The story is hot and steaming, not for the faint hearted

Worth listening

I know some people can’t stand the heroine, but I think her actions fit her backstory. The hero is very lovable and made up for her. While there are some parts that drag a bit, for the most part, there’s all the action, suspense, and steamy romance you expect from this series. And I loved every minute of the Lothaire/Ellie cameo.

fantastic story and awesome performance

my favourite author read by my favourite narrator. what's not to love? the action, suspense and romance unparalleled.

A sad 3.5 stars

It pains me really to rate an IAD book less than 4 stars. but for most of this book I couldn't STAND Bettina. Also I feel like the actual conflict was was solved way too quickly. Trehan had the patience of a Saint when it came to Bet and she treated him so poorly for a large portion of this and it made me uncomfy. So 3.5 stars is my rating and frankly that half star is for the fact this is one of my favourite series and the fact I had the audio. I don't think I would have finished this if I hadn't.

Good…but

Was good book but heroine started to get on my nerves towards the end. Narrator was amazing to be honest.

Another great IAD instalment

I really loved the hero of this book, and the plot, but just couldn't warm to the heroine. The hero was swoon worthy and he made the story. Battina, the heroine bored me to tears as I like strong female lead and she couldn't of been further from it. The hero and plot were so good though that I could overlook it. Lothaire and Nix are both in this book and since they're two of my favourite characters, I was a happy girl.

The narrator, Robert Petkoff, is amazing. He lives each and every one of these stories and has me rapt from the minute he starts speaking. He's without a doubt my favourite Audible narrator.

Good not great<br />

I am normal a bit fan of this author however this installment was not amongst my favourite. Good but could have been better