“I am a socially awkward mandork” Nick Gautier. 

Hello Everyone, I am back…finally. Life happened and for some reason, I lost confidence in writing. I kept thinking that the way I review could be better compared to some of the other reviews I’ve read. The thing I realized is I have my own voice. Although I may need to work on some things, my writing style perfectly embodies my voice. I write the way I speak; I write this blog to talk about the books I so love to read. I hope my intentions are positively received by all who reads this. I also hope everyone enjoys reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.

Being unsure of yourself is a part of life that people of all ages experience at some point in their lives. Like me and like Nick Gautier. Which brings me to the subject of this review. Of course this is a Sherrilyn Kenyon book. If you have been reading my blogs, you know that Ms. Kenyon is hands down my favorite author. I have been re-reading the first Dark-Hunter books to keep myself current on the details so I don’t get lost reading the newer books. There will be big reveals in the next few books/series, (more specifically in Urian’s upcoming book); and the things revealed in Dragonsworn, which I will speak of in another blog, urged me to go back. Boy am I glad I did. Because the previous books took me to the Chronicles of Nick series in the Young Adult genre.  I don’t intend to review all of the books separately, this review covers them all, from the first book Infinity, to the seventh book Invision.

In the spirit of honesty, I didn’t initially like Nick Gautier. Yes, he was funny, in a sarcastic way, but when he and Ash had a misunderstanding, [spoiler alert]that caused Ash to unintentionally curse him, which resulted in Nick taking his own life and becoming a Dark Hunter after the death of his beloved mother, his character underwent a big change. He became bitter and cruel. Although I sympathized with his current circumstances, I love Ash and Nick’s continuing taunting and efforts to kill my beloved Acheron, after everything I now know Acheron went through, wore thin with me. For me, Nick was always just an entertaining side character in which ever book he appeared in, but he wasn’t a scene stealer. Now he was just annoying. As the books continued, Kenyon gave us a glimpse into the torment Nick was feeling, but to me it couldn’t compare to what Ash went through; yeah judgmental much Ms. Diva? Who is to say who’s torment is greater than the next right?

As a result of my judgmental bullsh*t, I hesitated delving into Nick’s story.  I only decided to start reading his story after reading the Dragon stories (a miniseries of sorts which ties into the Lords of Avalon series also by Sherrilyn Kenyon) and things about the Malachai comes to light, I felt I had no choice but to read them. Boy, am I glad I did. At first I couldn’t understand how she would manage to introduce a Nick different from what she had already written. Considering the things that happened to Nick that brought about the revelation that he was the Malachai, how will she combat any inconsistencies without contradicting what had already been written? Well guess what, she does and she does it in a way that makes perfect sense.

“Had things been done differently, my life would have been a whole other enchilada…I am Nick Gautier. And this is my life and how things should have been.”

With that sentence, the Chronicles of Nick starts. The series opens with a 14 year old Nick who has no idea of the monsters that roam the earth and the immortals who protect it. He is just a poor Cajun guttersnipe (his words) who is trying to survive, not end up like his convict dad and make the mother he loves more than anything proud. When his supposed friends try to kill him after he refuses to rob and murder an elderly couple, he is rescued by Kyrian Hunter (from Night Pleasures, technically the first of the DH books). From there, his life takes a complete 360 as he realizes some of the people whom he has known for a long time, including classmates, are not what they seem. In this series, he becomes involved with the Dark Hunters, meets Ash & Simi (which in itself is a step into changing his destiny) and takes his first steps into becoming a Squire and learning of his until now bound powers, which is also something that changes his destiny, as he didn’t find out about being a Malachai until he died in the book Seize the Night.

Far from being a whiny little b*tch boy, I came to understand Nick as he navigated puberty; being constantly bullied by a creep, jock Werehunter, dealing with the condescending attitude of his pompous, sanctimonious principle who looks down on him and his mom for being a stripper and all the things normal teenage boys go through. Add in the paranormal beings trying to either kill him or enslave him and…well…let’s just say, it would be a miracle for anyone to turn out well adjusted. But Nick manages to handle everything with his good nature (credited to love received from his mom) and sarcastic wit, all while conquering his fear and accepting the changes in his life. He thus far accomplishes this because the only person’s opinion that matters is his mom. He is her protector and he can’t do that from jail or dead.

Sherrilyn Kenyon craftily weaves the Nick we know from the DH books to the young Nick who tries to keep his feet firmly on the ground despite adversity and handle his newfound powers without submitting to the darkness that calls to him. The Nick in CON is the Nick from the Dark Hunters books. Each CON book chronicles the progress he makes learning and controlling the full extent of his powers, meeting new people (Caleb and Aeron his best friends) and surviving the paranormal world that is out to force him into darkness or kill him. Meeting a young Nick, seeing how he came to become a Squire to Kyrian and best friends with Acheron, understanding why he hates Ash (though it still breaks my heart) and how he changes his fate without realizing it is a credit to the excellent writing of Kenyon. Her superior grasp of character development is bar none. Each new revelation in the series doesn’t feel anticlimactic, it embraces the reasons Nick is the way he is. Especially when present Nick (calling himself Ambrose) go back to his past to prevent Nick from self destructing, while another more evil foe is in the background intent on killing both versions of Nick. You also get to know Cherise (Nick’s mom) better, thus cementing the reality of Nick’s devotion to her. And if you read Silent Night, you learn more about Jared and Jaden. Gotta love that character development.

“Tragedy and adversity are the stones we sharpen our swords against so that we can fight new battles.” Simi based on words from Acheron.

I apologize for the long blog. I wanted to convey my love of the CON series. By the end of Invision, Nick has grown in not just age (he is now 16) but in maturity and his powers. He is coming into his own with new best friends, advanced survival instincts and he even has a girlfriend (Kody) and his drivers license. I am no longer judgmental, hypocritical asshat, I am now a firm Nick believer and CON fan, although Ash will always be my favorite. So jump into the CON world and discover the universe as only Kenyon can deliver. In the meantime, excuse me while I jump into the last book of the series: Intensity where Nick is charged with the murders of his former best friends who tried to kill him.

Happy Reading,

The Book Diva

P.S. Do not despair over the fact Chronicles of Nick is ending. Sherrilyn Kenyon is introducing a new four book series, with a new main character that is the continuation of CON and is a young adult spin-off entitled Shadows of Fire coming soon in 2018.