If you’ve read any of my blog posts, you know that Sherrilyn Kenyon is one of my favorite authors period. I have read several Dark Hunter Books and like to dabble in some of her other series including The League and BAD. But I avoided the Chronicles of Nick series for one reason: I was unsure of how her writing would fit into the YA Fiction world. I was concerned because many of her other works have adult concepts that are central to the characters and plot lines. If you don’t believe me: Read Acheron. After reading this book, I admit that I was being a tad too cautious.
Infinity begins the Nick Gautier saga. Nick lives in New Orleans with his mother Cherise and is raised by her small group of friends. They are nearly poverty stricken. Cherise makes Nick meals from powdered eggs while working long hours as a stripper. She and her co-workers strive to raise Nick to be a good person despite the absence of his father Adarian. He faces the normal juvenile issue of bullying since he attends a prestigious school that caters to the wealthy. He finds that the class lines that were used to persecute him blur when zombies are unleashed in the city.
The Good
Kenyon incorporates Nick well into the pre-existing Dark Hunter world. She uses Kyrian as a way to introduce Nick into the supernatural world and for a first-time reader of her novels, it works. Readers get that there is something supernatural at work and that Nick has no experience with it. They also get a chance to experience the events in the novel with the same wide-eyed shock as Nick. The character seems real. He loves his mother and feels anger that she is alone taking care of him under the shadow of his criminal father. Nick is the typical teenager. He hates school, crushes on several girls in the book, and has a small group of friends.
I loved when the action started because the pacing was consistent and picked up perfectly during the climax of the plot. I was so into the story I read the last few chapters without moving! Like any Kenyon novel, the action was fast, furious and fun to read.
The Not So Good
The dialogue between characters sometimes was a bit outdated. This may be more of a personal gripe but authors who try to remain “hip” with their language often fail. Authors can’t really account for the changes in what is trendy or popular when writing. Books can be read anytime after they are released. Also, because there were so many characters introduced, if I was a new reader I would have been confused. Fortunately, I wasn’t but even I had to take a minute to remind myself who a particular character is and what is his or her relationship was.
The Verdict
Bonus points for the plot twist! I enjoyed this book so much and can’t wait to read the next one in the series. It’s another classic for sure!
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