Readers looking for a new thrilling paranormal romance read with just the right amount of magic and action should pick up J.R. Ward’s THE JACKAL [Gallery Books, August 18, 2020]. In an exciting new companion series to her ever-popular Black Dagger Brotherhood collection, Ward creates a tale of adventure, love, heartbreak, and betrayal with unforeseen twists to keep readers turning the pages.
The first in the spin-off Black Dagger Brotherhood: Prison Camp series, THE JACKAL follows the story of Nyx, a young vampire who has been trying to hold her fractured family together since her sister Janelle’s unlawful incarceration fifty years ago. After a car crash that left Nyx and her sister, Posie in debt to the young man they collided with, along with learning her grandfather’s long-kept secret shortly after, Nyx decides to take matters into her own hands; she has to go to the underground prison where her sister has been kept and bring her out alive. When Nyx meets a massive warrior named The Jackal and finds herself becoming closer and closer to him, her would turns upside down—and she needs to make it right again.
When reading THE JACKAL, there seems to be an ominous fog shrouding each character and preventing the reader from truly knowing what each characters’ intentions are. From Nyx’s first experience with The Jackal to the small community of friends Nyx finds herself surrounded by, readers may find it difficult to trust each of these characters when they are first introduced. They were in prison after all, and Nyx can’t risk her life and the lives of the people she loves in haste. The inner conflict that both Nyx and The Jackal have throughout the novel revealed itself to be particularly enjoyable, due to the immense emotional and physical development these characters go through. Burning questions and character motivations resolve by the novel’s epic conclusion.
Along with the mysterious tone of the novel, THE JACKAL also provides readers with action-packed scenes that promise to push readers to continue turning the page. From the first chapter to the last, Ward keeps her audience’s attention within her grip through the intense fight scenes and elaborate plans Nyx and The Jackal come up with in order to find Janelle and get out of the prison—even if that means Nyx would lose more than one person she loves. With the snarky and strong-willed female protagonist and a lover that leaves room for her to make her own crucial decisions, THE JACKAL breathes new air into paranormal romance novels, which is often deemed “fluff” or “boring” to some readers. The balance between action, tough decisions, and romance really brings this novel together.
While some of the romance scenes may not be for modest readers, the absence such would evidently take away from the completeness of the characters’ developmental arcs as well as the novel’s overall tone. Though some of these intimate scenes add more to THE JACKAL’S core, the sheer frequency of sexual scenes and innuendos became quite redundant. It is made clear in the beginning of the novel that sex and thoughts around sex are a big part of vampire culture in this world. However, the fact that so many aspects of this vampire culture focuses on sex makes it difficult to remain in the serious tone and mindset of the novel. Even though eroticism is part of what makes vampire literature what it is, the novel may have benefitted from some restraint.
Overall, THE JACKAL is a great read for adult readers looking to reminisce on the days where paranormal romance and vampires was the main trend in the literary world. With thrilling action scenes interspersed combined with intimate physical and mental scenes, this novel is sure to please those who are looking for the perfect mix of action and romance.
The Jackal is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of August 18th 2020.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Sinner brings another hot adventure of true love and ultimate sacrifice in the Black Dagger Brotherhood world.
The location of the glymera’s notorious prison camp was lost after the raids. When a freak accident provides Nyx clues to where her sister may still be doing time, she becomes determined to find the secret subterranean labyrinth. Embarking on a journey under the earth, she learns a terrible truth—and meets a male who changes everything forever.
The Jackal has been in the camp for so long he cannot recall anything of the freedom he once knew. Trapped by circumstances out of his control, he helps Nyx because he cannot help himself. After she discovers what happened to her sister, getting her back out becomes a deadly mission for them both.
United by a passion they can’t deny, they work together on an escape plan for Nyx—even though their destiny is to be forever apart. And as the Black Dagger Brotherhood is called upon for help, and Rhage discovers he has a half-brother who’s falsely imprisoned, a devious warden plots the deaths of them all…even the Brothers.
