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Always Darkest (Arbitratus) Paperback – June 21, 2017

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 35 ratings

Book 1 of the Arbitratus Trilogy. Ronoven, a demon dreaming of an escape from Hell, finds an excuse for an extended vacation on Earth, where he pretends to be a young drifter called Ben. Everything is going great – until he meets Chris. This unassuming teacher is using an assumed identity, too. Cursed with immortality and named in a prophecy Ben thought was fake, Chris becomes an unlikely friend. Together the two of them discover the main subject of the prophecy, Mal, a young woman not only fathered by an angel, but also the last in the direct line of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Mal learns her true identity but is determined not to be forced into a corner by circumstances or some ancient scrap of paper. Falling in love was never part of Ben’s plan, but together he and Mal are drawn into conflict that could destroy them. Slippery ancient gods, as well as angels and their fallen siblings bring to bear all of their power to force Mal to their side. With the help of a small band of allies, Mal tries to shake free of the cage of prophecy and end Hell’s hold on Ben. Will any of them find the future they desire?"In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...And the light shineth in the darkness and the darkness comprehended it not.”That’s when things got complicated.Celebrity Review : "Always Darkest ... ranges from Heaven to Hell, with most of the action in between on contemporary Earth ... This is a different story ... A solid fantasy novel." ~ Piers Anthony. Read the whole review at www.hipiers.com/17june.html Customer Reviews from Amazon.com You too, will hate having to wait for the sequel! Eric S Alderman. This book has the wit of Christopher Moore, the dialogue and character development of George R R Martin, and is as fun for me to read as Douglas Adams. I await book 2 with bated breath. A definite movie in the making! allanj56. This was a well-researched and well-developed character and storyline. It should be the hottest item and I see a movie in its future. Don't miss it! Loved it! It's highly engaging and brilliantly written.Annette Parrish. Loved it! It's highly engaging and brilliantly written. I can hardly wait for the sequel! Pulls you right in!Deidre Ezell. Solid story in an immersive world, with characters you fall in love or hate with. Looking forward to the second book eagerly!
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Always Darkest ... ranges from Heaven to Hell, with most of the action in between on contemporary Earth ... This is a different story ... A solid fantasy novel." ~ Piers Anthony

"Don't expect inspirational fiction, at least not in the usual sense. This is the first installment in a pop-culture-savvy, humor-tinged urban fantasy series reminiscent of the eternally running CW show Supernatural." ~ Seven Days VT

"Always Darkest is a unique combination of epic fantasy and contemporary romance, which is an intriguing recipe guaranteed to delight its unsuspecting readers." ~ Authors Talk About It

From the Author

Always Darkest is the springboard into a whole universe. We found the seeds of this novel through researching existing mythology. The demon Ronoven, described in some stories as dangerous and heartless, was the inspiration for Ben. We asked ourselves, "What if the good guy was a demon?" Everything that we have written has come from that question. Ben introduced us to a world of prophecy and intrigue on Earth and beyond. Exploring the story of Ben Brody and Mal Sinclair has led us to some fascinating characters and organizations. There is a kernel of truth, or at least things people believe to be true in every detail of the Always Darkest universe. The Templars, the Arch angels, the demons, even the names of individual characters come from research. We hope that gives the novels and the universe we are creating and expanding around them a sense of familiarity. And we're sure it makes the darkness that much more palpable, for us and our readers. If you immerse yourself in this world, we know you won't be disappointed.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crimson Cloak Publishing (June 21, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 273 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1681604469
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1681604466
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.9 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.62 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 35 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
35 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers praise the writing quality, describing it as descriptive and lyrical. They find the characters well-developed and the heroine relatable. The book is described as an engaging read with a fun storyline that explores grey areas. Readers appreciate the pacing and immersive reading experience.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

10 customers mention "Writing quality"10 positive0 negative

Customers praise the book for its engaging writing style. They find the author's descriptive prose and witty quotes to fit each chapter enjoyable. Readers appreciate the references to Star Trek and other sci-fi. The dialogue and character development are also praised.

"...The authors have crafted a solid narrative with lyrical prose to describe the angelic and the demonic, for example, a demon wields “a difficult..." Read more

"...is amazing, the characters are well defined and again, the author is so descriptive you will have a mental picture of what they look like...." Read more

"...Oh I really liked all the little references to other things, like Star Trek or other Sci-Fi stuff here and there...." Read more

"...biblical prophesy trope on it's head, shifts it sideways and asks a pertinent question: What if you don't think being born to fulfill a prophesy is..." Read more

9 customers mention "Character development"9 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the well-developed characters and relationships. They find the heroine, the Girl of Prophecy, to be a great character who struggles with life.

"...Malin Alina Sinclair, the girl of prophecy, is a great heroine, struggling with the life of a teenaged girl in the modern world while slowly falling..." Read more

"...The story line is amazing, the characters are well defined and again, the author is so descriptive you will have a mental picture of what they look..." Read more

"...Secondly, I really enjoy books with well developed characters. Characters that you get to “know” and become involved with...." Read more

"...The way it is written, the characters, the plot, and the span of the story made this an amazing saga...." Read more

9 customers mention "Readability"9 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's readability. They find it engaging and fun, with a unique story that explores grey areas. Readers also enjoy the relationship between the two main characters and their conundrum.

"...This is a paranormal romance of epic proportions, exciting and a great read. Highly recommended!" Read more

"...A wonderful book that I plan on giving to several people as Christmas presents. Highly recommended!" Read more

"...The quotes at the beginnings of the chapters were also fun to read, although I couldn’t always figure out how they were related to the current..." Read more

"I loved this book. It really makes you think about your own beliefs of good and evil, angels and demons...." Read more

8 customers mention "Storyline"8 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the storyline and find it engaging. They appreciate the overall story ideas and how the book weaves together different sources in a wonderful work of fantastic fiction. The characters, plot, and narrative are well-crafted with lyrical prose. Overall, customers describe the book as a paranormal romance of epic proportions that is exciting and highly recommended.

"...The authors have crafted a solid narrative with lyrical prose to describe the angelic and the demonic, for example, a demon wields “a difficult..." Read more

"...The story line is amazing, the characters are well defined and again, the author is so descriptive you will have a mental picture of what they look..." Read more

"...I really enjoy Sci-Fi fantasy type books and this is definitely a fantasy book. Secondly, I really enjoy books with well developed characters...." Read more

"...I won't ruin the ending, but I can say it was the perfect place in the story to break it into a second book, even though leaving it there made me..." Read more

6 customers mention "Pacing"6 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's pacing. They find it engaging and immersive, drawing them in from the first page.

"...I like the quote the book ended with. I liked the pace of the story...." Read more

"A well written and engaging first novel. I'm a fan of contemporary fantasy and the book delivers an all around fun read...." Read more

"...witty quotes to fit each chapter create a reading experience that is immersive and tailored to fit the story...." Read more

"Loved it! It's highly engaging and brilliantly written. I can hardly wait for the sequel!" Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2020
    Above and below, humor and imagination abound in this great novel that kicks off a series. Demons and Archangels, Knights Templar, the Catholic Church hierarchy, ancient wanderers cursed to live until the end of time, and a beautiful child of prophesy all combine in this wonderful work of fantastic fiction. The authors have crafted a solid narrative with lyrical prose to describe the angelic and the demonic, for example, a demon wields “a difficult power …to function over the background noise of all Creation, many chains of events large and small, conducting the symphony of the unfolding universe.” The writing is solid and the story moves at a great pace to its climatic conclusion, leaving just enough room for the sequels.

    Current pop cultural references make this a “laugh out loud” read and provide a connection to today’s audience. Well defined characters drive this love story including the Biblical Gatekeeper living under the Church’s protection into his third millennial, and a collection of demons born in the wrong era condemned before Christianity could save them, a group less interested in evil and more interested in playing hooky and dodging “work” commitments on earth, a much nicer place than hell. However, for horror fans the truly evil do lurk in the pages, including Lilith and her sister, backed by an army of stupid devils and monstrous demi-gods from pagan religions.

    Malin Alina Sinclair, the girl of prophecy, is a great heroine, struggling with the life of a teenaged girl in the modern world while slowly falling for a “college boy,” who, surprise, just happens to be a refugee from the pits of Hell. This is a paranormal romance of epic proportions, exciting and a great read. Highly recommended!
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  • Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2017
    Though not normally my subject, I bought this book after I met the author and saw how excited she was about it. Once I opened it I had a hard time putting in down. You will become immersed in the story. The author is so descriptive that you can completely picture all of the places she describes. The story line is amazing, the characters are well defined and again, the author is so descriptive you will have a mental picture of what they look like. A wonderful book that I plan on giving to several people as Christmas presents. Highly recommended!
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2018
    Always Darkest Review (Spoilers)

    Well written!

    First off I really enjoy Sci-Fi fantasy type books and this is definitely a fantasy book. Secondly, I really enjoy books with well developed characters. Characters that you get to “know” and become involved with. Characters that you grow to love or to hate. This book absolutely has that. Of course, my favorite character is one of the main characters, Ben. My second favorite character is Chris. I have to admit the other main character, the girl, Mal, is annoying to me but she’s young and so maybe she’ll develop as the books go along. Maybe it’s because she shifts so readily from one person to another? I guess that’s not unlike a teenager. Plus, I think for someone who is supposed to be the descendant of Christ, who is God, she’s kind of selfish. Also the angels and their in-fighting etc is weird since it’s heaven but again it’s all pretend so it’s just a matter of separating fact from fiction in ones mind.

    I really like how the authors took myths from many different sources and wove them together within the story line. I see a little of everything here from Harry Potter to the Seventh Seal. I’m not sure that is intentional but I enjoyed it and see it as authors that are well read and well versed in different areas of the fantasy genre. The quotes at the beginnings of the chapters were also fun to read, although I couldn’t always figure out how they were related to the current chapter. I like the quote the book ended with.

    I liked the pace of the story. It’s hard to make it feel like time is passing in a story, different seasons etc but I had a sense that time had passed in this story, that’s hard to do right.

    I liked the overall story ideas and really am curious as to what will happen next!

    Things that I thought could be better. The transitions from one scene to another, like when you have to go back a few pages to see what you just read to figure out where you are now kind of a thing. They weren’t always smooth, there’s probably a better way for me to say that.

    I don’t usually like horror stories so some of the fighting scenes were a little gory for me.

    So all in all I think it’s a good book and I’m curious to see what happens to Ben, Mal and the gang. Oh I really liked all the little references to other things, like Star Trek or other Sci-Fi stuff here and there.

    The overall story is a love story, romantic love, family love, and the love for ones friends...

    You should definitely give it a read if you enjoy the fantasy genre!
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2018
    I loved this book. It really makes you think about your own beliefs of good and evil, angels and demons. The way it is written, the characters, the plot, and the span of the story made this an amazing saga. I won't ruin the ending, but I can say it was the perfect place in the story to break it into a second book, even though leaving it there made me angry as I wanted to read more. I cannot wait until the next book is out.
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2018
    A well written and engaging first novel. I'm a fan of contemporary fantasy and the book delivers an all around fun read. Most impressively, it turns the biblical prophesy trope on it's head, shifts it sideways and asks a pertinent question: What if you don't think being born to fulfill a prophesy is more important than your free will? Looking forward to the next installment in the series.
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2018
    I enjoyed this book. It was a mix between "Good Omens" and "Supernatural". It was very well written and the characters well developed. My favorite was reading about all the angels and their personalities. I also enjoyed reading the relationship between the two main characters and their conundrum. I'll be waiting for the second book to find out what happens next.
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2019
    This unique story was a very fun read that explores the grey areas between good and evil. With unique characters, great description, and writing— definitely do not pass up this read. I need to know the rest of Mal and Ben’s story.