Living Nightmare by Shannon K. Butcher
The Sentinel War, Book 4
SIGNET
Paranormal
ISBN: 978-0-451-23237-3
Reviewed by Miranda




Every Sentinel warrior has a lifemark, an ancient tree tattooed on his chest and once all the leaves fall, his soul becomes absorbed by darkness making him act on his worst fantasies.  His only savior will be finding his partner, a woman with Theronai blood.  Once mated the leaves of his tree will bloom once again and his soul will be free of the darkness that haunts it.  If the warriors lifemark becomes barren before he finds his partner he will be executed for fear of what evil he may bring among his people.

Madoc is a Sentinel, a great warrior that has vowed to protect his race as well as the human race from evil demons called Synestryn.  The last leaf of his lifemark is hanging on by a magical ring he was given from a secret society.  It is getting harder to control his darker impulses every day and the last thing he needs is to be around the one woman who turns him inside out.

Nika is on a mission to save her sister Tori from the Synestryn.  Only no one believes that Tori is alive.  Nika and Tori were attacked nine years ago by the Synestryn.  Nika’s mind was fractured and until recently she was in a comatose state for the majority of the time.  When the Sentinel Madoc came into her life things started to get clearer, easier for her to fight the evil inside her mind.  Yet everyone still treats her as if she is crazy.  Nika is determined to prove to everyone that Tori is alive and she is not crazy.  She is also going to make Madoc understand that she is the woman for him and she will not take no for an answer.

It has been seven long months since Madoc visited Dabyr, where most of the Sentinels and Nika live.  In his desperate resolve to not hurt Nika or let anyone know his tree is almost barren he has stayed away, but when he gets a call telling him Nika has left Dabyr in the middle of the night, alone, he becomes terrified and furious.  Of course, when he catches up with her she is surrounded by the Synestryn.

Madoc is determined to take Nika back to Dabyr and leave her there, never to return, but she refuses.  This is her only chance to find her sister before it’s too late and she will do everything possible to save Tori even defy the mighty Madoc.  Will Nika convince Madoc to help her find Tori?  Can she save Madoc before the darkness consumes him?  Will they survive the evil Synestryn whose goal is to have Nika for himself?

Living Nightmare is the latest chapter in an epic adventure.  Madoc and Nika are the stars of Living Nightmare but there is much more going on is book than their story alone.  Shannon K. Butcher has a brilliant way of writing.  Ms. Butcher weaves these magically intricate details into her novels making you want more and more.  There is so much going on you might think it would be difficult to keep up but everything is sewn together like the finest silk.

I have been waiting for Madoc and Nika to find their way to each other since the second book in the series Finding the Lost and I was not disappointed with Living Nightmare.  I experienced a gambit of emotion during Living Nightmare.  Watching Madoc was painful, I wanted to yell at him and hug him at the same time.  He believes he is doing what is right and it is heart wrenching.  Nika’s character has grown into this beautiful woman.  My biggest fear was that she would always be this waif of a woman who needed to be taken care of and I was so happy that she has turned into a force to be reckoned with.

Living Nightmare is filled with plenty of characters old and new.  I got to say hello to some people I can’t wait to learn more about and goodbye to others I will miss dearly.  Living Nightmare is a powerful piece of fiction I devoured in hours and can’t stop thinking about a day later.  It will answer your questions and ask a whole bunch more.  Living Nightmare is an extraordinary action-packed thrill ride guaranteed to keep you satisfied and coming back for more.