Chronicles of Nick

Lore & Background

The series is set in New Orleans and follows Nicholas Gautier, who discovers he is the son of the Malachai demon and will inherit his father's power. His prophesied destiny is to either bring about the end of the world or save it. He teams up with allies including a mysterious love interest Nekoda, a demonic guardian Caleb Malphas, and a sentient grimoire to change his fate. The series blends urban fantasy with Greek, Norse, Celtic, and Roman mythologies, and includes supernatural creatures such as shape shifters, demons, witches, and vampires.

Reader's Guide

The Chronicles of Nick serves as a prequel to the larger Dark-Hunter universe, focusing on the teenage years of a key character. Its significance lies in bridging young adult and adult fantasy audiences, as it can be read as a standalone or as a companion to the Dark-Hunter series. The first seven books were published by St. Martins Griffin, but Kenyon self-published Intensity after a dispute over its release date. The series' blend of multiple mythologies and its focus on choice versus destiny have contributed to its popularity, with the first three books reaching The New York Times Best Seller list. It is recommended that readers tackle the Dark-Hunter series at least through Styxx before reading Chronicles of Nick to avoid spoilers and better understand the chronology.

Did You Know?

• Only Infinity and Invincible—not Infamous—appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list.
• Kenyon purchased the rights to Instinct and self-published it; Intensity was published by St. Martin’s Griffin as the sixth book.
• The series is set in New Orleans and blends Greek, Norse, Celtic, and Roman mythologies.
• It is recommended to read the Dark-Hunter series in publication order (including earlier books like Acheron) for context, rather than reading up to Styxx first, which would not prevent spoilers.

The Boy at the Center of a Prophecy

Chronicles of Nick follows Nicholas Gautier, a teenager navigating high school in New Orleans while grappling with a bloodline he never chose. As the son of Adarian Malachai, a demon who stands in human-world prison for murder, Nick carries the weight of an inherited name and a destiny that splits the world in two: he will either unleash mass destruction or save everything. The narrative tracks his journey from a confused young man discovering his demonic potential to someone who actively fights to reshape his fate. Along the way, he assembles an unlikely coalition of allies—a mysterious love interest named Nekoda Kennedy, a cranky and cynical demonic guardian called Caleb Malphas, and a grimoire that thinks for itself. Together they confront a web of shifting loyalties, forcing Nick to constantly weigh who is friend and who is foe. The series grounds its epic supernatural stakes in the very real anxieties of adolescence, making Nick's struggle feel personal even as the fate of the world hangs in the balance.

From Best-Seller Lists to Self-Publishing

The Chronicles of Nick launched with remarkable commercial momentum. Its first three volumes—Infinity, Invincible, and Infamous—all secured spots on The New York Times Best Seller list, signaling strong reader demand for Kenyon's young adult entry into her broader supernatural universe. The series comprises eight novels in total, with the first seven released under St. Martins Griffin, an imprint of the St. Martins Publishing Group operating through Macmillan Press. However, the eighth book, Intensity, marked a significant turning point in the series' publishing trajectory. After a dispute with the publisher over the planned release date, Kenyon made the bold decision to purchase back the rights to Intensity and bring it to readers through self-publication. This move not only gave the author greater creative and scheduling control but also positioned the series at an interesting crossroads between traditional publishing infrastructure and the growing self-publishing landscape. For fans, the full arc of eight books remains available, though the path each one took to print tells its own story about the evolving book industry.

A Mythology Patchwork in New Orleans

Kenyon constructs the supernatural world of Chronicles of Nick by weaving together mythological traditions from multiple ancient cultures. Greek, Norse, Celtic, and Roman lineages all surface in the series' lore, creating a layered cosmology that feels both familiar and freshly reimagined. This mythological scaffolding supports a cast of paranormal beings that spans shape shifters, demons, witches, and vampires, all coexisting within the streets and shadows of New Orleans. The character roster itself demonstrates this blending: Kyrian Hunter carries the legacy of Thracian royalty and military command, Acheron Parthenopaeus holds the title of Atlantean Prince alongside his role as the oldest Dark-Hunter, and the Greek Goddess Artemis appears directly in the narrative. Even smaller roles carry mythological weight—Simi is a Charonte demon child, Caleb Malphas is a daeva demon, and Stone Blakemore walks as a werewolf. The result is an urban fantasy setting where ancient gods and modern teenagers share the same city, and where the supernatural is as mundane as a school hallway.

A Cast of Demons, Guardians, and Unlikely Friends

The supporting cast of Chronicles of Nick is as varied as it is memorable, each character adding a distinct texture to Nick's world. Caleb Malphas, initially presented as a friend, is revealed to be a daeva demon and a slave to Adarian, sent specifically to protect Nick and guide him through the strange landscape of his own demonic abilities. Nekoda Kennedy serves as the emotional anchor of the series, a mysterious love interest whose presence complicates and deepens Nick's journey. Kyrian Hunter, a Dark-Hunter who takes Nick in after finding him injured on the streets, carries his own tragic history: once the Prince of Thrace, he was outcast for loving a woman of non-royal birth before rising to become a general of the Thracian army. The ensemble also includes Nick's mother Cherise Gautier, his father Adarian Malachai, a future version of Nick named Ambrose, a bloodsucking attorney called Virgil, a werewolf named Stone Blakemore, and even Death herself. Together they form a family of sorts—imperfect, dangerous, and fiercely loyal.