From the first was intrigued by the idea of the series being a "spin-off" of the previous characters with the twist being that the "Darkyn" were the result of a sort of "curse" and the "Kyndred" the result of evil scientific experimentation. I am a staunch Viehl fan and was very happy to find out when sat down to read that this book captivated me as deeply as the others.. Cannot wait until May 2010 to read the next in the series "Dreamveil"....