The Executioners Return

After one hundred years of silence, The Hand of Death is on the radar again – and Franklin is assigned to deal with the situation. Part of a team, they discover it’s not just Jorick who’s involved, but also the Tormentor, Kateesha. In a battle against legends, what can go wrong? Celebrate Shades of Gray’s eighth anniversary and read the attack on Oren’s den through the Executioner’s point of view. 

WARNING: This story contains spoilers for the novel Shades of Gray. Not recommended as a stand alone.

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Franklin: The Promise by Joleene Naylor is another story set in the world of Amaranthine. This particular tale contains crucial spoilers, so, if you haven't read Shades of Gray, but you intend to, go read the novel first. Usually, it's safe to read Tales of the Executioners as a mini-series, but this is an exception. You have been warned.

After reading the other stories in this mini-series, I could appreciate the Executioners' roles even more. Naylor has put an incredible about of thought into the details of her Amaranthine creation. I've read a few other series with multiple full-length novels, as well as short story features, but very few can come close to the complexity of this vampire world.

Most of the time, the Executioner tales have been a mix of drama, suspense and even romance, but this time, the story is quite horrifying and the ending nearly brought me to my knees.

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A cartoon vampire on the “haunted house” advertisement catches Greneth’s eyes. Then, a couples-only discount sweetens the deal, if he can find someone to take. Griselda seems the perfect choice, but when she starts asking silly questions – like just what is a haunted house, anyway? – and talking about so-called real ghosts, he wonders if he’s made the right choice.

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Greneth: Halloween Hijinks by Joleene Naylor began somewhat light-hearted and slowly turned into a dark and guilt-ridden situation. I don't understand why the female vampires in these stories give the males such a difficult time about most everything. I'm thinking it has something to do with the time period they lived in as humans. The interactions between the Executioners give away more about the characters' personalities than their inner thoughts. A sociologist could have a field day in the Citadel.

I enjoyed the haunted house setting, rather than the typical assignment setting. I would like to see more origin stories about the female vampires.

As always,
AstraDaemon

More From Tales of the Executioners

Dismas: Prayers of the Damned is another book in the Tales of the Executioners mini-series by Joleene Naylor. When I reviewed several of these stories, during the summer, the tales were listed as being in a particular order within the product description of the actual Kindle download. Since then, the author Joleene Naylor has clarified on her website: "It doesn't matter what order* you read the stories in - each is a stand alone short! *Due to the difference in publishers, stories may appear in a different order on Amazon." I wish she had clarified that from the beginning of the series. Just goes to show you can't always trust the product descriptions.

Dismas is currently my favorite executioner tale. I love the mix of conflicts swirling around Dismas. He struggles with issues of loyalty, spirituality and self-discovery. I've never been a fan of Kateesha, so I enjoyed seeing her displaced. Naylor uses the perfect balance of drama and action to lure readers further into the world of Amaranthine.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Tales of the Executioners, Book 9

From a mini-series, set in the world of Amaranthine...

Daniel: Black Luck - Daniel and Kateesha are tasked with apprehending a murderous vampire, but all work and no play makes Kateesha bored. When she lures Daniel into neglecting their duty, he can guess his future: failure isn’t something The Guild takes lightly.

Daniel by Joleene Naylor is the latest installment in Tales of the Executioners. This story has a good mix of personal history, history of The Guild and history of the vampires in general.  The additional scenes with Clara and Malick add another layer to the mystery that is Kateesha. The ending surprised me...I think I have more respect for Daniel than most of the Executioners.

If you've been enjoying this mini-series, be sure to check the author's page for more stories set in the world of Amaranthine.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Tales of the Executioners, Book 8

From a mini-series, set in the world of Amaranthine...

Cyprus: Future's Promise - Before Cyprus joined the ranks of the Executioners, he was a guard at the Stronghold in Munich, Germany, where he fell in love with Sadihra, who is the German equivalent of an Executioner.

Cyprus by Joleene Naylor features another origin story. This is also another example of a vampire being so reckless with emotions that it's hard to believe Cyprus is as old as he is. Honestly, kids in junior high show more self-control. However, unlike Lisiantha's story, there's a jagged edge to this one, and the ending can be interpreted in more than one way, which makes me wish this story had been just a bit longer.

On a side note...when Naylor first began this series, the Executioners were something to be feared, and the earlier stories reflected this. It's also laughable that there's a warning about content at the beginning of each story, but the content is pretty PG. While this mini-series isn't as melodramatic as a lot of vampire stories, I wish Naylor would focus more on the darker aspects of her characters.

Check back one more time for the most recent installment to Tales of the Executioners.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Tales of the Executioners, Book 7

From a mini-series, set in the world of Amaranthine...

Lisiantha: Home for Christmas - After a bad breakup, Lisiantha returns to her rural coven. Dreading a run in with her ex, Josh, she soon has more important things to worry about: her master made a mistake and a warring coven wants her blood. Can Lisiantha and Josh find a way to save her – and maybe rekindle an old love in the process? Even vampires enjoy a Hallmark-style Christmas special.

Lisiantha by Jolene Naylor features a female Executioner for a change. The story actually takes place before Lisiantha becomes an Executioner. Unfortunately, the author decided to make this a love story, which resulted in Lisiantha appearing rather weak. It's as if she can't stand on her own without a mate. I would expect more self-confidence from a vampire who has been around as long as she has. It's really a shame Naylor departed from her usual writing style for this story.

Keep checking back for my reviews of the remaining stories.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Tales of the Executioners, Book 6

From a mini-series, set in the world of Amaranthine...

Bren: In the Dark - Bren has a simple assignment - to deal with a coven who's killed too many locals. When he takes a victim's phone as a trophy, he becomes fascinated with the story of her death - almost too fascinated.

Bren by Joleene Naylor appears to be the sixth book, but, once again, there appears to be a discrepancy between the author's website and the book's description. The story is not really about Bren...rather, it's about the final moments of a victim killed by the coven he's tasked with punishing. I think the story would've had more of an impact if the format had been the actual text exchange between Trista, Robert and Bree. However, it is an interesting mix of social media and vampire activity.

Keep checking back for my reviews of the remaining stories.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Tales of the Executioners, Book 5

From a mini-series, set in the world of Amaranthine...

Byrn: At Christmas- It's 1755. With The Guild in it's infancy, there are only so many Executioners, so when a report of mass killings rolls in at Christmas time, Byrn is sent to sort it out. He'd better do something special to appease his wife.

Byrn by Joleene Naylor features an executioner who does not appear in any of the main novels, and the Guild is fairly new in this setting. A bit more is revealed about Malick's personality, but the story is so short, not much can be said about it. The least interesting in the series, so far.

Keep checking back for my reviews of the remaining stories.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Tales of the Executioners, Book 4

From a mini-series, set in the world of Amaranthine...

Beldren: What We Deserve- The year is 1687 in the fourth Tale of the Executioners. Beldren, a former indentured servant, suffers the same fate as many others of his kind - the promised land and money never materialized, despite having done their time. When Matthias suggest they take their due, Beldren is skeptical, but what else does he have to do? It's a choice he may live to regret.

Beldren by Joleene Naylor  feels more personal than any of the previous stories in the series. As opposed to the other executioners going through the motions, Beldren shows a lot of thought and insight. For some reason, I can't quite explain, I found Beldren to be more fascinating than the other executioners.

Keep checking back for my reviews of the remaining stories.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Tales of the Executioners, Book 3

From a mini-series, set in the world of Amaranthine...

Verchiel: Never Ending Question- Verchiel wakes up in an unfamiliar room with a busty woman standing over him. He can't recall who she is - or even who he is - let alone how he's become an immortal blood drinker. As he tries to discover the answers, he must also learn to control his blood lust or fight an entire village of panicked people.

Verchiel: Never Ending Question is, I think, the third book in the Executioner series by Joleene Naylor, based on the publication date, but I can't be certain because of some discrepancies between product information on Smashwords, Amazon and the author's website.

In any case, unlike the first two, Verchiel's story is set in the distant past, when he is first turned. I'm not sure if his amnesia is a blessing or a curse...the loss of memory seems to make killing easier for him, but it seems to put him at a serious disadvantage with his maker, Kateesha. There is far more bloody action in this story than the previous two. With each installment, I feel readers are given another piece of the puzzle that is to be the essence of the Executioners.

Keep checking back for my reviews of the remaining stories.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Tales of the Executioners, Book 2

From a mini-series, set in the world of Amaranthine...


Ark: Echo from the Past- Ark has been an Executioner for two hundred and fifty years, and has always done his duty, but when he's handed an assignment with a familiar perpetrator, will he be able to follow orders?

Ark: Echo from the Past by Joleene Naylor is much better than the first story in the Executioner series. The flashbacks made this piece a very emotional story, with a depth not present in the first installment. I love the irony of the vampire struggling with his humanity. Not only are readers given insight about this particular executioner, but we are given a glimpse of Malick through Ark's thoughts.

Keep checking back for my reviews of the remaining stories.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Tales of the Executioners, Book 1

Back in May 2017, I read Road to Darkness by Joleene Naylor. I decided to look for more short stories by the author, and I found a mini-series called Tales of the Executioners, set in the world of Amaranthine...

Aine: Another Complication As one of the newest, Aine gets the job nobody wants: arresting a vampire for breaking The Laws. As if everything going wrong wasn't bad enough, things are complicated when he discovers that his target has broken yet another one.

Aine: Another Complication by Joleene Naylor failed to impress me. For a vampire story, I expected some action, or, at the very least, some dark horror. Instead, this read more like a regular crime piece, aside from a mention here and there about the vampires' special talents. However, I enjoy Naylor's writing style and there is just enough to this story to get me interested in this mini-series.

Check back for my reviews of the remaining stories.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Monday Murder: Stranger Danger

Road to Darkness by Joleene Naylor is a great short-story and a fantastic way to get readers hooked into her Amaranthine series. Two young girls, Jenny and Cade, go to a concert to forget about two guys that gave them the brush off. On the way, they meet two older guys pulled over on the side of the road, only to find themselves in a supernatural nightmare.

I don't usually go for this sub-genre of horror, but Naylor delivers both suspense and terror in equal measure, by mixing a kidnapping with a deadly hunt. The ending is a little abrupt, but it only made me more curious about the character, Patrick.

If you like your monsters with sharp, pointy teeth, be sure to check this out...

As always,
AstraDaemon