Welp. The only thing that compelled me to go back and give this series another go was the recent release of Torr and Grace's story (Book 8). I've been searching high and low for a new PR series to devour that has the same high-adrenaline suspense, raw, edgy, sexy paranormal backdrop similar to J.R. Ward's books. Unfortunately that wasn't the case for me here. I wish I could say the world and characters Butcher creates in her Sentinal series is thrilling and exciting but I just failed to feel any connection or interest in the characters (except for a few) or the paranormal elements for that matter. There was just that something that was missing for me. What surprised me the most was that everything fell so flat with no sense of danger or sense of urgency you usually get when reading PR books. 
 The terminology Butcher uses in here felt very out of place and amateur. The enemies (demons) are constantly referred to as 'monsters'. Makes sense from a human's POV, but the Theronai warriors calling them that? Really?? <_< Very weird and a little juvenile. And the descriptions of some of these furry clawed demons sound like something out of a children's book. Not very terrifying IMO. The word 'magic' also gets tossed around a lot and is used by everyone and for the life of me I couldn't understand WHY. What magic??! 
 The Sanguinars (vampires) kept mentioning how they couldn't use their 'magic' on others, besides sucking blood and reading people's thoughts what magic is Butcher referring to? Same goes for the Theronai race. Unless I missed something the Theronai warriors and Sanguinars are capable of going into people's minds and creating physical connections. That is not magic. I felt the author was trying to force something into this series that it had no place for and didn't even exist. It sounded inaccurate and inconsistent to keep using that word, it has no relevance or place in this world. And the Theronai's 'powers' seemed to have no limitations which I found contrived. Creating a protective bubble and magically being able to fly you and your mate out (on your first try) of a collapsing cave and squeezing through an air pocket with not one scratch on either one of you...really? That escape scene was so convoluted and not close to being realistic. I also found the Sentinal headquarters/mansion to be a little convoluted. It's a huge sprawling compound that holds 500 people and is described as a upscale hotel-like fortress with hallways the size of a football field, door-to-door rooms that fit entire cushy apartments, a cafeteria and an auditorium that can easily hold 200 warriors. Really? Where is this colossal place? And how in the hell can they hide it? 
 All the bits and pieces are there but I didn't really feel like the author tried to give her characters and world more dimension. 
 But most of all, my biggest problem that made this installment a blunder was the complete lack of connection or chemistry between the leads Paul and Andra. For a paranormal romance, this book lacked passion and intensity. There was absolutely no romance in this aside from a few brief sex scenes. Everything about this pairing seemed contrived and forced. Andra is Paul's match and apparently since his luceria necklace reacts to her...BOOM! They are matched and meant to be. Doesn't really work for me. I need way more than that. Butcher doesn't really spend any time pacing the romantic arc in here and because of that the overall story suffered. I had the same issue with the first book with Drake and Helen, there is very little romance the couple are just forced together. Here even more so because we have a heroine who's more concerned and focused on saving her sister than paying any attention to the hero Paul. I found Andra's extreme short-sightedness and blunt abrasive attitude annoying and tiring. And I honestly wanted to physically smack Andra every time she would use that coddling patronizing 'oh baby' dialogue with Nika. STFU please. The woman talks to her sister like she's a brainless child and I couldn't stand it. It's over the top and too much and it's used everywhere. She didn't seem to care for anyone's feelings except saving her sister and willing to do anything to get the job done. Didn't like that. The whole 'anything to save Nika' arc took over the entire story and little time was spent on the couple actually falling in love. We are just told they are in love at the end. Tada! They love each other. The End. Not even taking into consideration the fact that Andra was still willing to walk away from Paul at the very end until she realizes he's going to die if he doesn't find a permanent mate. Forced scenarios to reach the happy endings don't work for me. I need real angst, emotions and inner struggle to reflect that. Through 80% of this story I felt Paul gave more than Andra did and that was the most frustrating thing about it. I hate it when the hero is scrambling for crumbs from an unmovable obstinate heroine. No thank you. 
 I guess the most frustrating thing is I still want to read Madoc and Nika's story and Torr and Grace's. Seriously I was starving for more scenes between those four in here! Gah. I just don't know if I have the patience to sit through the other stories. Butcher's style of writing and dry flat world building isn't motivating me to continue to be honest. I need more depth, excitement and realism. She has some interesting set ups with the side stories but still some of the 'ensemble' cast is very thin in characterization or back stories. We are just given a few very brief snippets inserted here and there and nothing else comes of it. The lack of consistency in just one book makes me worry. You gotta show your readers why your couples belong together not just slap'em together and expect readers to go along with it. 
 *sigh*