Dark Time by Dakota Banks

From Dakota Banks website:

Susannah Layhem, a healer unjustly accused of witchcraft in the 17th century, is ripped from her husband's arms and thrown in jail. Abandoned by her husband and friends, she's tied to a stake and set afire. Her raging bitterness draws one of seven ancient Sumerian demons. The demon Rabishu pulls her from the flames, and she signs a contract to live forever—if she does his evil work. Susannah becomes the Black Ghost, an Ageless assassin gifted with otherworldly skills and superbly trained in martial arts.

She obeys Rabishu's orders and remains a beautiful young woman. Then she's given an assignment she can't bear to carry out. She chooses the mortal path instead, and emerges from three centuries of reluctant service as the demon's slave. Now Maliha Crayne, she discovers the fine print of her contract. If she balances lives taken with lives saved, she'll ascend to a paradise straight out of Sumerian legend. If she fails, she faces eternal torment at Rabishu's hands. The ticking clock? Every time she saves lives, she ages. The deck is stacked against her. She's got her own agenda, though. Payback time—killing Rabishu and his kin before he gets his punishing claws on her.

Intimately tangled with Maliha's yearning for personal redemption is her thrilling quest to stop a villain from selling America's security to the highest bidder. For both goals, she will need to relearn what it means to be mortal, to reach out in friendship, and to dare to believe she can love again.

DARK TIME is laced with ancient legends, a heady dash of the supernatural, and the warmth of awakening relationships.

This story starts out in a very emotional way. In fact, I was upset for Susannah so much I almost put this book in the freezer (Friends reference... sorry). However, it does set things nicely up for the demon, Rabishu to take advantage of her torn up emotional state. It makes perfect sense. Time does go by and even though she had tried to shut off her emotions, after a few hundred years, her sense of right and wrong resurfaces. She stumbles on a way to redeem herself that has severe consequences on her skill and youth but takes that chance, even if it seems like a lost cause. While on her redemption quest, Susanna who renames herself Maliha, finds for the first time to have a family of sorts. Some of which know her little secret and are willing to help. 


This books is fast paced which starts at the beginning and doesn't stop until the end. It is based on Sumerian legends of gods and demons and this is the world and puzzle Maliha must solve. I found this world to be very interesting and I also enjoyed the secondary characters as well. Her big nemesis besides the demon is Subedei. He first has a very secretive nature but we also get to know him. I kinda wished he was still in the dark, not knowing his full agenda because I think he would have been a good challenge for her later on in the series. However, he was a good challenge in this story.


This book is a dark, urban fantasy. I give it 4 stars and recommend this to anyone who loves a lot of action. I enjoyed this book and can't wait to get to the next one.