Day 62 - The Black Dagger Brotherhood: An Insider's Guide

The Black Dagger Brotherhood: An Insider's Guide

J.R. Ward

Series or Stand Alone: A guide/companion to the BDB series

Synopsis: [from back cover]

Prepare to enter the dark, passionate world of the Black Dagger Brotherhood and get up close and personal with each of the Brothers...

You'll find insider information on the Brotherhood, including their dossiers, stats, and special gifts. You'll read interviews with your favorite characters, including a heartbreaking conversation with Tohrment and Wellsie, conducted three weeks before she was killed by lessers. You'll discover deleted scenes - accompanied by the whys behind the cuts - in addition to exciting material from the J.R Ward message boards and the answers to the questions about the series posted by readers. You'll learn what it's like for J.R. Ward to write each installment of the series, and in a fascinating twist, you'll read an interview with the author - conducted by the Brothers. For the first time ever, you'll see an original novella about Zsadist and Bella, and witness the miracle of their daughter Nalla's birth and experience the depth of their love for each other. Also, you'll receive a sneak peek at the much-anticipated next book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, Lover Avenged, Rehvenge's story.

This is a compendium no Black Dagger Brotherhood fan should miss...an an insider's guide that will seduce you as powerfully as the sexy band of Brothers and the "ferociously popular" world in which they live.

Review:

First thing: this book is a must read for all BDB fans!! It will seriously make you fall in love with the Brothers all over again. If you have yet to delve into the BDB world, I don't recommend this because it goes into depth about each Brother and their accompanying books.

I was totally blown away by J.R. Ward and this guide to the BDB world. I had such a great time following the Brothers along through their bickering and daily lives, that I became completely engrossed in the book. These guys are more than characters. And as J.R. retells her experiences with each book, I got a chance to see how close she is to them and how writing their stories is more than just a job. It's like she was given a gift to see into a world that truly does exist and she must retell it. I must admit, a lot of the times I forgot this was fiction. The Brothers are family to her, and she is more the messenger rather than the creator.

The novella, Father Mine, about Zsadist, Bella, and Nalla's birth is first up. Zsadist is a real favorite among fans and even J.R. herself. It was difficult to watch Zsadist's past coming back to haunt him still. And the fact that it gets in between his relationship with his daughter is awful. This novella provides a nice glimpse into their lives after Lover Awakened and how their love for each other is still going strong.

The dossiers were a real treat. Each brother was required to answer a questionnaire (that reminded me too much of Myspace surveys) that really showed off their personalities. The stats were given for each book and an interview was conducted. The interviews were fun to read. J.R. also went into detail on the writing process of the books. Each dossier was a totally different experience and it was easily my favorite part of the guide.

Another favorite part were the Slices of Life and the collection of exerpts from the BDB message board. They had me seriously laughing out loud. There was also a nice section for writers. J.R. gives advice and answers FAQs about getting published and how to get started. I'm not a writer, and yet reading it was truly interesting. She includes her original proposal for Dark Lover and her 8 rules on writing.

A lot more goodies are thrown into the book that made it very enjoyable. This is really a great companion to anyone that enjoys the BDB series. And of course the excerpt for Lover Avenged had me wanting more. But fortunately it didn't go into that much detail or leave me totally hanging. That's why I don't like to read excerpts for books that haven't been released. It just makes me want to read it more and I get mad because it's not out yet. This excerpt was nice and short and thankfully not too painful.