From Publishers Weekly
In Banks's third overheated hip-hop vampire thriller (after Minion and The Awakening), Damali Richards, a vampire huntress (or "Neteru"), reconnects with her vampire lover Carlos Rivera, whom she thought was killed in the previous novel but who's now serving a penance for his vampiric misdeeds within a modern-day Knights Templar stronghold. In Brazil, where were-creatures have been terrorizing a portion of the rain forest, Damali and Carlos encounter a female vampire possessed, via were-cat infection and flesh-eating, by the bitter memories of a 500-year-old Neteru who lost her life to raping and pillaging conquistadors. Carlos is tempted by the female vampire's offer of joint rule, and Damali must battle to stop an alliance between renegade vampires and demons that promises catastrophe for were-demons, vampires and humans alike. The hip-hop turn to the book's prose alleviates the tedium of a stock genre plot, while the well-conceived and intricate rules of Banks's vampire-inhabited world provide endless opportunities for riffs on the meaning of power and sex that will please lovers of similar purplish philosophical musings found in the vampire tales of Anne Rice and Laurell K. Hamilton. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From Booklist
The third book in an exciting series picks up where the previous one, The Awakening [BKL Ja 1 & 15 04], left off, with spoken word artist-vampire huntress Damali Richards believing Carlos Rivera, the vampire she loves, is dead. Her depression has weakened her extrasensory skills, and her friends are worried about her. Little do any of them know that Carlos is clinging to life where they left him and is saved by three priests, members of the Covenant who believe Carlos owes them seven years of service protecting Damali. Carlos reluctantly submits, but he doesn't want Damali to know he is alive for her own safety. However, he isn't able to keep away from her, and the two find themselves in each other's arms, consummating their passion for the first time, even as danger from the Vampire Council and a powerful were-group grows. In this third adventure, Banks fleshes out the rich world Damali and her friends and enemies inhabit, making it an even more exciting place to visit. Another thrilling tale. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review
"The Hunted is a spellbinding thrill ride that readers will wish would never end. L.A. Banks has a way with words that holds readers captive and riveted from the first page to the last. She is a master of this genre."
- Zane, The New York Times bestselling author of Skyscraper, Nervous and Addicted

"Fresh, hip and fantastic, LA Banks writes a killer vamp series. Watch out world, Damali is on the prowl."
- Sherrilyn Kenyon, USA Today bestselling author of Dance with the Devil (Dark Hunter series)

"L. A. Banks provides a terrifying roller-coaster ride of a book through a world invisible to most of us; a world in which vampires and vampire hunters fight on levels in hell and in the streets, in the bedroom and on the throne, for the salvation of mankind, the dominion of the demon world, and the love of one man for one woman."
--Charlaine Harris, National Bestselling author of Club Dead (The Southern Vampire series)



Book Description
A Neteru---a hunter or a huntress---is born every thousand years in favor of the Warriors of Light as they fight against the Dark Realms. But Damali Richards is the Millennium Neteru. The one who will play a pivotal role in the Final War. The Warriors of Light had been waiting for her and the Dark Realms will do anything to either possess or destroy her. What they did not account for was the man who would love her.

Damali Richard has been to hell and back---literally---and she is not eager to repeat the trip. A Vampire civil war has been averted, but there were casualties and she believes that Carlos Rivera, former lover turned master vampire, is one of them. His death has not only shaken her emotions, but weakened her powers as well. But then Damali gets word that horrific killings are taking place in Brazil. The vampire civil war has left a small door to hell open and new and dangerous foes have risen from the Dark Realms. The leader, a deadly female, is set on a path of destruction. However, her blood lust hides a nefarious plan and the newly resurrected Carlos Rivera is at the heart of it. But Damali is not about to lose her man a second time, so she plans to send this old girl right back to hell she came from---no matter who stands in her way.



About the Author
L. A. Banks, a native Philadelphian, is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. Wharton undergraduate program. With many awards to her credit, Banks also holds a masters of fine arts degree in film and media arts from Temple University. She is currently at work on the next book in the series. She lives in Philadelphia with her family.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Each millennium brings a new Neteru, a vampire huntress whose mission is to vanquish evil from the world. This millennium's savior has come in the form of Damali Richards, a hip-hop diva with the heart of a warrior and an attitude to match. But a war in Hell has cost Damali both her powers and her past love, Carlos Rivera. Still, Damali can't let her grief stand in her way. Several gruesome deaths, starting with an American research team, have come to Damali's attention in Brazil. The nature of the deaths leads Damali to believe that the killer is anything but human...

Unknown to Damali, the life of Master Vampire Carlos Rivera was saved by a most unlikely group: a band of monks also dedicated to fighting the Dark Realm. In exchange, they want Carlos to help stop the inhuman murders plaguing Brazil-and they will use Damali as bait if they have to. Reunited, Damali and Carlos give in to the erotic passion they have fought for so long. Together, they are a powerful force. But Damali has made a terrifying enemy who won't rest until the beautiful Neteru is dead...

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

In Banks's third overheated hip-hop vampire thriller (after Minion and The Awakening), Damali Richards, a vampire huntress (or "Neteru"), reconnects with her vampire lover Carlos Rivera, whom she thought was killed in the previous novel but who's now serving a penance for his vampiric misdeeds within a modern-day Knights Templar stronghold. In Brazil, where were-creatures have been terrorizing a portion of the rain forest, Damali and Carlos encounter a female vampire possessed, via were-cat infection and flesh-eating, by the bitter memories of a 500-year-old Neteru who lost her life to raping and pillaging conquistadors. Carlos is tempted by the female vampire's offer of joint rule, and Damali must battle to stop an alliance between renegade vampires and demons that promises catastrophe for were-demons, vampires and humans alike. The hip-hop turn to the book's prose alleviates the tedium of a stock genre plot, while the well-conceived and intricate rules of Banks's vampire-inhabited world provide endless opportunities for riffs on the meaning of power and sex that will please lovers of similar purplish philosophical musings found in the vampire tales of Anne Rice and Laurell K. Hamilton. Agent, Manie Barron. 4-city author tour. (June 1) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

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