Review: Infamous by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Infamous (Chronicles of Nick #3)
By Sherrilyn Kenyon
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

To Sum It Up:

So far, Nick Gautier has gone up against zombies and a football coach who had once made an unholy bargain that necessitated committing some nefarious deeds. Nick is still standing, but he can’t afford to lower his guard for a single second. He is destined to become the Malachai, a demon with the potential to destroy the world, and there is more than one plot underway to eliminate him, including one hatched by Nick’s own father, who wants his son’s powers for himself. Nick is in greater danger than ever, and the choices that he makes now could mean the difference between ensuring that there is a future for mankind and erasing it.

Review:

I’ve really come to love the characters in Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Chronicles of Nick series, and the title character himself, especially. Even when he’s staring down death, Nick Gautier always finds time for a witty quip. But there’s so much more to Nick than his trademark snark. As his powers continue to strengthen, Infamous finds Nick dealing with the increasingly heavy burden that is his fate: turning into the Malachai, the demon that will bring about the end of the world. Nick, however, keeps defying the profile of your average apocalypse-triggering, epitome of evil; he possesses the capacity to love, something that the Malachai is most definitely not supposed to be capable of doing. A lot of the credit for Nick not embracing the hatred that is supposed to consume the Malachai goes to his mom, Cherise, who has to be one of the most devoted mothers in YA. Infamous reveals more of the hardships that she had to endure as a teenage mother, including being disowned by her uppity parents. Cherise is one tough, determined woman, and her love for her son may be what prevents him from becoming a monster like his father.

Speaking of Nick’s father, his dear demon dad, Adarian, who currently resides in prison, is working overtime to take out his son and gain his powers. Nick has been no stranger to peril since the first book in the series, Infinity, but Infamous really ratchets up the amount of conspiring against him that’s taking place. Almost everyone is a potential foe, and the prospective enemies list isn’t restricted to paranormal beings. As was the case with both Infinity and the second book, Invincible, there’s a subplot involving trouble at Nick’s school. Someone is posting sick, doctored photos of the students and writing defamatory things about them on a website. Of course Nick ends up embroiled in the midst of the situation; it’s a wonder the kids at this school learn anything with the constant commotion that goes on there. I’ve never been a big fan of the school story lines because I’d rather focus on whether or not Nick will alter his future, but this time, I thought the school drama tied in better with the main plot.

I’ve loved the Dark-Hunters Kyrian and Acheron and the way they just exude cool since Infinity, and the two put on a very brief, but awesome, show of badassery in Infamous. Those few sentences describing the scene made my day. We also get to meet Bubba’s mama, Dr. Bobbi Jean Burdette, who promptly reminds Nick upon greeting him how he once (accidentally) put a bullet through the photo of her that Bubba proudly displays in his gun/computer shop, the Triple B. Kenyon gives all of her characters such memorable personalities; even the minor ones leave a lasting impression and aren’t there merely to fill space.

Infamous is the largest installment in the series to date, and it’s crammed with action, suspense, and enough backdoor dealings to make your head spin. Being the next Malachai is like painting a giant target on yourself in neon colors, and even after all that Nick has gone through so far, the ending of Infamous makes it look as though his troubles are only beginning. The title of the next book, Inferno, sounds very apt because all of the schemes to manipulate Nick and/or cause him harm can only smolder for so long before they combust. Knowing Nick, he’ll likely fire off a few sarcastic comments before the pyrotechnics commence.

All in All:

I was on my library’s waiting list for this for quite some time, and it was absolutely worth the wait. The series just keeps getting better and better as Nick edges ever closer to unlocking all of his powers. Inferno, your release date needs to get here. Now.