Dire Blood

Descent #5

by S.M. Reine

Elise Kavanagh died while killing the mother of all demons, and her fight should be over. But nothing is ever that easy where the Godslayer is concerned. Elise has been resurrected--and she came back as a demon.

Now the most powerful witch in the world, James Faulkner, has been dragged to Hell and accused of violating an ancient treaty. The punishment is eternity in Hellfire. Elise is the only one who can save him. But it means following him into Hell to face inhuman urges, the secrets in her past, and the horror in her future.

The Godslayer's fight isn't over yet. It's only just beginning...

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Paranormal, Demons, Angels, Romance, Supernatural

428 pages, ebook

First published December 28, 2012

About the author

Hi everyone! My name is Sara, and I write urban fantasy and paranormal novels as SM Reine. I collect swords, cat hair, and typewriters (which I do use for writing!). It's a good day when those three things have nothing to do with each other.

If you would like to know the instant my next book is available, you should enlist in my Army of Evil! We have a wicked cool secret handshake, but you'll have to sign up to learn it. ;) Check it out -- http://smarturl.it/armyofevil

Reviews

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 5 out of 5]

➽ And the moral of this rereread is: There's nothing quite like a wonderfully relaxing, all-inclusive holiday in hell with Elise Kavanagh and James Faulkner, if you ask me.



Those guys from the City of Dis, such party animals they are.

👋 To be continued and stuff.



[February 2017]

❣ Fear Not My Dear For I Will Be There to Hold Your Hand While We Read this One Buddy Read (FNMDFIWBTtHYHWWRtOBR™) with my Dearest of Wives (DoW™), aka Choko ❣

Previous rating: 4 stars. Me, young, naïve, didn't know any better and blah blah blah. You know how it goes.
New rating : 5 stars. Duh.

➽ And the moralsssssss of this reread are :

① Want to give Descent a try? Consult with your physician first. No risk of heart disease? No hypertension? No heartburn? No history of mental breakdown? No low tolerance to stress and anxiety? Good. You should be able to read this series and escape mostly unscathed. You might want to write your will before you get started, though. You never know.

② SM Reine, you are evil. Thank thee kindly. Please do keep kicking things up a few thousand notches with every new instalment in this series, just so, you know, we don't get bored and stuff.

③ ♫♫ Elise Kavanagh ♫♫ Yes, I'm singing. So what? To think some people are of the opinion that my girlfriend is slightly unhinged. And a bit too blunt and heartless and kinda violent and sorta bloodthirsty and stuff. Man, they obviously haven't met her parents. Because, let me tell you, considering how charming, caring and positively enchanting these two are, Elise sure came out as kind-hearted, fluffy, peace-seeking and balanced as a Care Bear.



④ A disgustingly young character who is actually so cool I might possibly want to adopt him. Maybe. If I ever get inebriated enough to sign the paperwork.

⑤ Demons + Hell + screwed up everything and everyone + one of the biggest first-rate bastards in the history of biggest first-rate bastards + blood and gore yay + meat haha markets and delightfully Hellish fashion statements + violence + first-class asshole angels + tattoos and skeletons keys + most excellent scheming and double-crossing = yummy in my tummy.

⑥ Some slightly delirious people *waves at Choko* think James is a douche and a dolt. Right. Well some slightly delirious people *waves at Choko* obviously read the book very wrong.

Now kindly back off, for I am about to dance again.



P.S. All demons are not morons.
P.P.S. Suffering from PTSD after reading this series? Do the Choko! For every Descent book you barely manage to survive, read 20 historical romances. You'll end up either dying from sugar shock, committing book-induced suicide or (if you're really weird and creepy) feeling almost nearly human again. Pretty cool, huh?

· Book 1: Death's Hand ★★★★
· Book 2: The Darkest Gate ★★★★
· Book 3: Dark Union ★★★★
· Book 4: Damnation Marked ★★★★
· Book 6: Defying Fate ★★★★★
· Book 7: Paradise Damned ★★★★★





Don't worry, Choko Love, it's not that bad. Okay, so it is, but moral support is me and I happen to have good whisky. So you should be fine. Maybe.



[Original review - August 2014]

This series really is getting better with every new instalment. Everything is getting a bit more screwed up, freakier, bloodier, darker, uglier, more twisted... I love it! I still can't get over the fact that Elise is now a demon. Some authors would have found a way around this and have her magically go back to her human self but not Reine. Freaky demon she is, freaky demon she stays! She literally eats people alive and then picks at her teeth to get rid of the left-overs, what's not to love about that?! That was completely unexpected and pretty mind-blowing plot twist, thank you very much!

Dire Blood is a turning point in the series. We finally get answers to questions we've been asking since Death's Hand and things are starting to make sense. The story as a whole is finally coming together and loose ends are getting tied up. We learn a lot about James, his early years and his time with Hannah. It helps understand him and his actions a little better but he still bugs me to no end. Well, he did until the tattoo scene. Oh wow that scene! I could feel it coming and even though nothing actually happens apart from some hot kissing, it was still pretty sexy. The actual sex scene is pretty hot too (especially the part when they take the warding rings off, no wonder Elise feels, hum, "duplicitous"!) but I still like the whole tattoo thing better. The fact that it all happens in Dis makes it even cooler;) So James doesn't annoy me that much now that he finally got some sense into himself but I can still smell something very fishy coming up any minute (and boy did it come up at the very end of the book... Arrgghh!).

As in other instalments, the book is action packed and is very hard to put down. I loved the ever-expanding world, the Hell setting, the introduction of Nathaniel and of Elise's parents (no wonder she's so messed up!), Elise's new abilities as a demon... Everything really! The added bonus is that Reine's writing has improved a lot since Death's Hand. It used to be a bit choppy but it now flows effortlessly. A great read, I can't wait to get my hands on Defying Fate!

[Choko · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** 4.44 ***

A buddy read with my lovely Sarah, because I am terrified to read this series on my lonesome!!!

This series has been one terrifying experience after another and I am not sure my psyche is built to withstand this amount of constant danger!!!! The only thing that has kept me going so far, apart from the loving caring support of my Sarah, is the fact that I know there are more books left in the series and the main character is not going to die for at least that long. And by die, I mean permanent obliteration, not moving from one form of existence to another... Elise! However, given this assurance for one incarnation of our leading characters or another to be with us at least to book 7, SMR does not guarantee that their continuous existence is not going to be riddled with torture, angst, drama, constant peril, pain, bloodshed, betrayals, divided loyalties, jealousy, traps, more pain, angst and abuse... My fragile heart just about burst out of my chest at times, and yes, I admit it, I shivered with fear and miscomprehension most of the story...

Elise is something new, being in a different shape, having different powers, and not being able to recognize herself in the mirror... I thought great, maybe with her new makeover comes a new outlook on life and she can stop pathetically panting over douchebag witch James. Obviously, it was too much to ask. With all her newness, her old love for that dolt is still there and stronger than ever.

James is grieving and feeling sorry for himself most of the first half, then spends most of the second half trying to set himself and his ex fiance and mother of his son, free from demonic/angelic captivity. His son comes to Elise and the two of them through themselves in the same endeavor as well, entering Hell in order to achieve it. The kid is 9 years old and is one cool customer. His talent as a witch rivals that of his father's and his youth makes him fearless, since he has no true idea of the evils that await all around. I loved his character and hope to get to see him more in the next two books left in the series.

The coolest part of this book was our introduction to the world of Hell and its inhabitants. The picture the author paints is very vivid and the characters fascinating. I loved the absolutely screwed up, but powerfully impressive roles of Elise's mom and dad, the human couple who work in managing Hell and keeping some type of order there. They have an even more important role, but I am not giving away any of that. They were both so screwed up, that it made Elise's character make much more sense now. I mean, we all knew it was not all roses when she was with them, but daaaaaang!!!! And the "acting judge", Oooo, he has no good will coming from me what so ever!!! Evil upon evil upon evil!!! I was worried that there is nothing but doom, then there was a glimpse of hope, and than ... boom! What the hell, SMR??? Why???

This series is darker than the usual Urban Fantasy I read, but it is still very interesting and completely addictive! I would recommend it to all fans of the genre who can deal with bad things happening in their stories. Now I wish you all Happy Reading and may you always find what you need in the pages of a good book!!!

[S.M. Reine]

I know I probably shouldn't review my own books, but I spent all day rereading Dire Blood for reference with the current WIP (Oaths of Blood), and I just had to share some thoughts. Yeah, I know, weird - right? But I haven't reread this book since I published it back in December, and I was surprised by my reaction to it.

I don't remember writing this book. At all. It's like someone else made it. On the other hand, I am still REALLY emotionally invested in it, and James's grief through the whole first third makes my heart throw up in my chest. All the feels! Grieving for Elise with the guilt of what he did to her, and the fact that they never got to be together - I kept dropping my Kindle to roll around in bed going "noooooo!" which sounds exactly as embarrassing as it was.

The fact that I don't remember writing this book tells me that I must have been pretty depressed during production, which also explains why this book is so damn emotional. The angst and drama radiates off the page. But I don't think it ever dips into melodrama - the raw emotion doesn't really go over the top, in my humble and utterly unbiased opinion.

Also, the world building? With all the iron and bones and human bits? AWESOME. And having time split into days rather than hours (to reflect the passing time on Earth) was pretty awesome, too.

The way I introduced Elise's new body, after a bit of a time jump from the end of Damnation Marked, was fairly graceful. I had to get a lot of information about her across in a short time, and I think I executed it well, and in a super cool way. (The shadow assault on the Union? Dude, wicked.)

Which isn't to say this book is perfect. Far from it. I wish I'd done a better job with the kissing and sex scenes. I've gotten a lot more comfortable writing that stuff since December, and I'm a little embarrassed by how vague they are. It doesn't feel as genuine, emotionally speaking, as the rest of the book. I also feel like the book was too short, even though it's over 90,000 words, which should be a very comfortable length for a book. There were so many character subplots that it kept any of them from getting too "deep" - if I were to write this book now, it'd probably be twice as long to do all that stuff justice. Or I'd cut out some of the subplots. (Oh, but I couldn't possibly cut Isaac, he's too awesomely terrible...)

The world building stuff that I think is so cool is also one of my regrets for the book. This title is GROSS. Off-the-map yucky. I mean, Elise is wearing human skin leather during the sex scene. D: God, Elise, EW. That level of horror really reduces the book's general appeal, and I think I could have done an equally cool universe without so much rotting flesh and I don't know what if I had been more creative.

I also think I failed to foreshadow all of the Elise and James stuff well, especially in the books before Dire Blood, which made for some transitional awkwardness in this book. I mean, I DID foreshadow it, but I wish I'd done better from James's POV earlier on.

All that said, rereading this book has left me with this wonderful bittersweet feeling, all sad and funked up. Which I have never had happen to me after rereading one of my books. So...awesomeness. I'm really proud of this book. It's dark and moody and melancholy and gross, but in a very rich and colorful way. Definitely not for everyone, though.

[Christyn (The Book Cafe) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I... what... how... WTF just happened!!

Yup, that's essentially the reaction I had after reading the final 1% left on my kindle...literally about 5 times just to attempt to process that ending.

I've really enjoyed this series so far, every book seems to just get so much better than the one before it. This book is more James focused which after the previous three being pretty much evenly split was an interesting change. Especially being that Elise isn't fully the Elise from the previous books.

It tied up a lot of loose ends (namely Anthony) and gave us A LOT more back story into how these characters became who they are. You always got little snippets of info in the previous books, but this one cleared quite a bit up. Everything from "who's this Hannah chick James keeps whining about" to "how exactly are Elise's parents crappy". It also gave you a small sliver of happiness (and abruptly snatched it the hell away, leaving you flat on your ass...sorry I'm ranting lol) and gave all of us the union we had been longing for since book 1.

Needless to say I need the next book to come out pretty much tomorrow. Is there a release date yet?

5 Big Huge You've Gotta Be F-ing Kidding Me! stars :)

[mich · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm starting an I Hate Cliffhangers Club. Who's in?
A freakin abrupt crackhead cliffhanger. AGAIN! I seriously can't stand those. But I also can't not read these books as soon as I see that it's out. ugh, I need more self control.

Anyway, this is another good addition to the series. A lot of things are finally revealed in this book, so that at least was pretty satisfying. I also loved the introduction of Nathaniel - that is one cool kid. The writing is still pretty awesome - Reine is one of the few authors I've read who really nails the whole interweaving of past flashbacks into the present storyline thing. She does it so seamlessly and it adds a lot to my enjoyment of the storytelling.

Alright, I guess I will just have to wait months or whatever to find out what the hell James meant in that last scene. Unless I can control myself and just wait until the last book is out, then I won't have to deal with these stupid cliffhangers.

[JB · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Finally," he sighed.

"Finally"....what? WTF JUST HAPPENED?!?!?!?!?

That ending....it can't be what I think. Can it?

F*ck, I hate cliffhangers!

[Nancy D Miz-Firefly aka Sparky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book put me through the wringer.
And when it was done; left my desiccated carcass out to ossify in the sun.

[Beau · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not even sure I can write a review for this one. I'm speechless. The ending kind of made me want to throw my Kindle, until I realized it might break.

Okay, okay. Seriously.

In the 5th book of The Descent series Elise is back and ends up in Hell fighting to save her aspis, his ex fiance and their child. Picking up shortly after the ending of the previous installment Elise is found by Nathaniel, the son of James and Hannah, who needs her help retrieving them from Hell where they were dragged so James could stand trial. As always, there is plenty of action, death, destruction and everything else you've come to expect from Reine. (Expect that freaking ending. Ugh. I swear, I feel personally victimized.)

James' background is explored more than ever before and subsequently so is Elise's. It's an interesting story and I'm pumped to delve into it more. We learn more about Metatron's role, how Elise's parents met.. Basically how the characters came to the point they are now. Reine has done a fantastic job with the back stories, weaving them in together and making sure it all makes sense.

I'm going to go read the next book now.

Also: Metatron is a douche.

[Samantha Kane · Rating 5 out of 5]

James what have you done!?! SM Reine what have YOU done! Make it better! Make it right! Oh god I’m off to read the next book praying to the book gods and goddesses that Elise is ok. *Sobs* Why would you break my heart so... Miss Reine why?????

[Alix]

Wow - so much happens in this one!

[iva · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't understand the ending and i don't like it
But except from that it was fine

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are so good but my god are the covers off-putting 😂

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything is going to absolute shit and I am eating it the fuckkk uppppp

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.something.

This was so much better. EXCITING. THRILLING. The best of the series so far.



What I loved:
-The plot is stroking THE GREAT. The pace has always been constantly good in the whole series but it got so much better this time! There were less flashbacks and all of them were INCREDIBLY MEANINGFUL. For the first time I didn't fear to get lost among them.
- Great insight at James teenage years and SUPERB interventions by him.
- Amazing reborn. If I say anything else I will have to spoiler tag everything and I don't want to.
- Nathaniel.
- Finally I have atoned with Anthony. He didn't followed Elise to Hell and that was believable and the right thing to do. Good for him. That gave him back some credibility.
- Isaac, Ariane, Hannah. Metaraon Man, he is spooky
- The end. 5 stars. Oh My God. Is my mouth is still open? Sorry. I just can't.

All the tension drained from James's muscles. He sagged against the counter. "Finally," he sighed.

Aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

What made me take a star:
- I was a tiny bit lost at the start. But that was all.

In case you hadn't got it by your own: Be sure you have book 6 in your hands before starting this one.
BTW, can anyone tell me why the hell I am writing this instead of reading Defying Fate? I don't know either! *hurries with her Kindle and waves goodbye*

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't think I can adequately express how terrified I was to read this book. Elise's life isn't easy in any way, shape, or form and her death and rebirth as a demon just felt HUGE. I was afraid! AFRAID! But I shouldn't have been. Because no matter whether she's a freakishly powerful human or a freakishly powerful demon, she kicks ass and takes names.

She also gets her heart ripped out a time or two. Not literally.

I honestly LIKE Elise. She's prickly. She doesn't have many social skills. She's part of something BIG that could potentially destroy the world. BUT... she's so damn interesting. I'm not going to lie, the whole James/Elise thing is killing me. I know what I want from them but I don't know if I'm going to get it.

And you know what? I'm okay with that. I will trust S.M. Reine to take her story where it needs to go. Even if it kills me in the end.

So. Hell. Family. Blood. Demons. Love. Betrayal. You get ALL THAT with this book. Plus a side order of ETERNAL DAMNATION and a peek at a younger James.

I have two books to go in this series and I'm still terrified of what will befall these two next. Yet... I can't NOT read them because OMG!WTF?BBQPIZZA!

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal

[Nereid · Rating 5 out of 5]

James felt like a piece of himself was missing and he was shell shocked that she could actually be gone. The beginning of this book recaptures the feelings that James had for Hannah and their past history together with the coven, filling in the gaps about their relationship and the evolution of his growing power as a witch. His new travel destination is unexpected to say the least and the consequences of his journey will be dire and far reaching for everyone. Old enemies will resurface with a hidden agenda that threatens everything they have worked hard to establish and finding out Elise is alive, well lets just say their first contact with each other is nothing like the reunion that I envisioned. Elise finally gets her wish but it is too little too late.

The final ending of the book literally had me gobsmacked. It has taken three days for me to figure out a way to summarize it without giving too much away. All the loose threads come together and the big picture is revealed. Elise has one hell of a time finding James and dealing with what she has become. I was given a copy of this book by the author for an honest review.

[♥¸.•*´Tanya`*•.¸♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased this as an ebook from Amazon.

Ok this is going to be a little weird. My review will actually be for Books 1-6 in The Descent Series,
Death's Hand
The Darkest Gate
Dark Union
Damnation Marked
Dire Blood
Defying Fate
The reason is I became so obsessed in reading the next book that I didn't bother to stop to write a review. Really who'd want to write a review when you could be with James and Elise traveling through inter-dimensional gates to hell, fighting angels and demons or coming back from the dead.

I loved the books even managed to read all six in two days I just couldn't stop reading. Great writing, Amazing storyline and superb well thought out characters.

I highly recommend reading the series. Only down side is now that I've finished Defying Fate, Paradise Dammed isn't released until June. How does S. M. Reine expect me to wait it going to be freak'n torture.

[Kaisa "Giga" · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elise is back. Better than ever. She died and mother of all demons made her a demon with al kind of cool powers. James does not know, he thinks Elise died, and is almost mad with grief. Only thing keeping him sane is the knowledge that he has a son. And he's on a mission to find him... And gets dragged to hell.

Elise is badass. Really badass. Like the most Badass of all badasses. James comes to his senses and realizes where his true feelings are. Oh James! He's maybe the most complex character I know.

The ending though. The betrayal. The most evil backstabbing of all the backstabbing in the history of literature. I cried.

5 billion stars

[Toni ~married to a hunk~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well S. M. reine you have surprised me yet again. I never thought that James and Elise would get together or that they would survive hell. I also feel like you have handed me so many clues as to what is going on with James but I am not seeing it. Also I wonder what he meant by finally at the end. I hate cliffhangers that make me angry. I did love this book and will have to wait for the next one very carefully and not patiently.

[Carmen Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

holy wtf moment....seriously!?!

[Ara Prado · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to follow soon...

[Fangs for the Fantasy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elise died in the last book. But she’s not going to let that stop her - she’s back and she’s a demon. Much to James’s concern

But the most powerful witch in the world doesn’t have time to adapt to this. Nor can he focus on his newly found, magically powerful son (and budding Elise sidekick) or reconnecting with his ex-fiance. Because he’s been kidnapped and taken to hell to stand trial for breaking the Treaty of Dis

Elise is not going to stand for this.


I expect a lot from the Descent Series

I expect lots of awesome action scenes. I expect lots and lots and lots of epic.

I expect an awesome, conflicted, struggling characters dealing with their own dark issues while handling

I expect major stakes, the world in the balance and all kinds of epic, dangerous figures appearing to assail Elise and her band

I expect an amazing, complex, connected world with extreme originality.

And I got all of that - and so much more because this is a vast turning point for Elise and the world.

What, surprisingly, I found rather interesting about this book is what a dramatic difference it makes to Elise. Not that she’s actually that different a person but that she’s… optimistic? Maybe optimistic is a strong word but after 2+ books of Elise moping in a corner, slowly spiralling into self-destruction. And I have to repeat what I’ve said before - said self-destruction isn’t BAD. Elise is deeply traumatised and handling some major, heavy issues in utter despair. It was a GOOD portrayal but it was a hard one to enjoy. Similarly her relationship with Anthony was just… awful. Again, not badly written awful, but awful because they’re in an awful relationship with two characters awfully out of their depth and hurting and lashing out. The whole thing was a great portrayal but not a fun read - which isn’t a bad thing. But it is nice to move away from it at times because the bleakness can build

Elise has transformed a lot this book - not just dying and coming back to life but gathering a whole new set of powers and even species. But the main change I think is looking at who and what she is - no longer feeling the need to defend Reno, not having the ties she had in Reno, the duty weighing on her, no more concerns about the Union and, even, to a degree not being a kopis any more seems to have freed Elise to set her own agenda to a degree. While she’ll never be a light hearted or sunny character she certainly feels much less worn down and spiralling as she focuses more on James. It feels like she’s going for the priorities she actually has rather than those she thinks she should have.

This change of direction doesn’t just move the character but also the world. We’ve had book after book of my chuntering away “I love this world but more world building!” well, this greatly changes the focus: after last book with the mother and father of all demons we definitely opened up a lot of the mythos. This book takes Elise into that mythos - and in more detail and more understandable detail than I could follow before. Ethereal cities and portals confused me a lot in the past but here we have Elise, in hell, much more examination of the Treaty of Dis and why it matters, and what is at stake, the various dimensions, who James is - what James is - and why that matters. Not only does this expand the book but also more of Elise’s purpose as the Godkiller and her parentage - even seeing more of Isaac and Ariane, Elise’s parents. While with James we see more of his history, his coven, his power and what that added to the world. It made all this vast world building (with some really original and fascinating elements with angels and demons and the nature of Hell (and the really fascinating different demons and the original elements of the hell dimension which is really well done like so much of the world building here)

Read More

[Alexandria Woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

*****Spoilers*****

Elise is back with a bang and with new looks. Pale skinned, black hair, black eyes and with curvier feminine attributes. She has new powers upon her resurrection or whatever it was as a demon, something along the lines of what Yatam was but since Elise isn't not fully aware of all of her abilities, we don't know for certain what she can and cannot do. The phasing to shadow is the most impressive ability in her new arsenal and the ability to transport others even through dimensions of cool too. The coughing up bullets though kind of gross makes the list and so does her ability to perform the paper magic spells. The magic was revealed in the last book but it's still worth a mention I think.

Early on in this book, James and Hannah are transported to Hell and Elise and Nathaniel, James's son go there to rescue them. Long story short, mission accomplished. Even though Nathaniel is only ten, he has an impressive grasp on paper magic and comes in handy a couple of times. Unfortunately we lose Anthony in this book, he refuses to travel to Dis with Elise on the heroics for once and he's out of the picture.

We get some page time with Elise's parents Ariande and Isaac which gives a small peek into who they are and the lives they built in Hell together. Turns out Ariande was adulterous with the angel Mataroan. Does this mean Elise's parentage is in question? Not sure since there's no timing mentioned but it's an intriguing possiblity made kind of gross when Mataroan kisses Elise after he activates her in her powers. Still not sure what it means though. Isaac wasn't as impressive as I thought he would be and Ariande was portrayed slightly better than a tool. Really nothing to see here as it relates to the parents which was a let down. I expected more from them both.

James spends a lot of time in Dis as a prisoner but is still somehow and to perform feats of strength and endurance. Unrealistic in a word but makes for a good way to keep him alive and well enough for a reunion with Elise. The Treaty of Dis is blown up and He is free to seek Elise no matter where she is now.

More flashbacks and background, most of it from James's perspective this time around. His life before Elise which is a little out of place in the book. There's so much time spent on how James loves Hannah, it's a little disjointed to get back to present day James who decides he's done being a gentleman and lets the barriers he put up between him and Elise to fall. It's something, particularly his past, but I'm still dissatisfied because we've yet to learn his secret or whatever information he's been withholding this whole time. I'm thinking it may have been him either admitting his love for Elise or consummating their desires or admissions of or understanding their love because shortly after they wake from the intimacy and hearts bared, He comes and grabs Elise. Speaking of which, I'm still not sure if she was meant to be a child bride to Him or what before she escaped the garden. Nor do I know what she faced while there but maybe it'll be spelled out in the next book.

The thing I liked best was when James said "finally" in response to Elise being snatched by Him. Hopefully answers will be forthcoming.

[Melanie Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elise is back from the dead, but she's not quite the same. Certain features -- her eyes, hair, and lack of battle wounds -- are all different. That, and she can jump between shadows like a nightmare. Turns out, letting Yatam drink blood from her thigh to make him mortal might have had some unintended consequences!

James, thinking Elise is dead, is dumped off in Colorado where his old coven still operates. While there, he and his ex-fiancee, Hannah, and nabbed and taken to Hell, where James is accused of violating the Treaty of Dis. But in what way? Judge Abraxas will determine that, and James's fate.

What I loved about this novel is that it took us back in time to when James was a boy. He is given to his Aunt Pamela to learn magic, and proves to be the most powerful witch in the group. There are three other trainees, all aged around 16: James's sister, Hannah, and Elise's future mother. The background really fleshed out James for me as I learned more about why he became a dancer (I had been wondering) and how he ended up with a son he'd never met. James's son, Nathaniel, is a character in this novel, and it's cool to see how Elise ends up working with this ten-year-old boy who is so like father in an effort to save James and Hannah in Hell.

There are surprises around every corner than actually make sense -- Reine never pushes things so hard that I'm feeling incredulous -- and each one kept me on my toes (especially that ending!!!!). The setting was excellent. I could really feel the oppressive heat of hell, the hot floor and hard to breathe air. Oh, and the latest fashions: leather made from human and demon flesh! Ewwww.

Best of all, I keep wondering how Reine is going to create a bigger, badder situation in each following book. I don't want that Power Rangers experience where everything starts small and then gets big fast, the end -- and then the next episode follows the same trajectory. No, with Reine, things get bigger and scarier and more costly to the characters. I'm just totally loving it!

Right now, I have so many questions that I know will be answered in the coming books. Until then: *chews nails*

[svnshowers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you ever feel like screaming incoherently? Yeah, me too. I love these books, I love Elise, and these books have driven me to the extent that I'd happily take out every single idiotic, lying man in her life because honestly she deserves SO MUCH BETTER than all of them? I'm... speechless, I just finished this book and I'm so mad that I can't even think straight. I don't want to get into specifics, because spoilers, but my biggest takeaway from this volume is pure, unadulterated, murderous rage.
I'm cheesy, I love romance, but honestly... there isn't a single relationship in this series that I support, because all I want for Elise is someone who will love her and support her without projecting his own wants and needs on her without paying attention to who she is, or without having a death wish, or without being secretly balls deep in weird apocalyptic bullshit. I want her to be safe and free and happy and as close to emotional stability as she can get because by god (bad choice of words?) she deserves it for everything she's been willing to sacrifice for the people in her life.
Anyway I'm just, feeling a lot of emotions right now, I would lay down my life to protect her... no I haven't been drinking, I'm just a Cancer and prone to hysterics.
TL;DR if you're reading a review for book 5 in the series you have a pretty solid idea about what's going on and let me tell you my friend, it's still all bad. Yes, all of it. Bad. For Elise, I mean. Worse, actually? And I mean, arguably also very bad for... literally everyone else. The books continue to be great. Just... cliffhanger. Of course.

Update 9/16: this book stressed me out so bad that I literally woke up in the middle of the night in a blind panic

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s been almost exactly 5 years since I read Dire Blood the first time as an ebook and I forgot how intense it was. I think listening to it this time instead of reading it upped that intensity…

Even given the length of time that’s passed since I last read Dire Blood, I was still kind of surprised about how much I forgot. I honestly shouldn’t have surprised me that much though because a LOT happens in this book. There’s also a lot of back story, which I really loved. It gave readers a glimpse of where Elise and James came from and how they got to where they were.

Dire Blood is a book of loyalty and betrayal. It’s also about love and family and how the two don’t always go hand in hand. There’s also not a lot of down time. Elise, James and everyone around them spends most the book literally fighting for their lives.

If you haven’t read Dire Blood yet, brace yourself for one heck of a cliff hanger. This book was kind of a turning point in the Descent series for me. It made me admire one character even more than I did before and it was the beginning of my extreme dislike of another. That character eventually won me over – but it took a couple more series in the Descentverse for that to happen.

Once again, if you haven’t read any books by this author, there’s pretty much something for everyone. If you’ve been here before, you probably already know that I started with the Seasons of the Moon series and have read pretty much everything in the Descentverse and beyond. Next up in the Descent series is Defying Fate, which I picked up again. If you want to see what else S.M. Reine has to offer readers, she has a complete printable list and reading order on her website. You’re welcome! 😉

[Julie Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great, full of action, story in the Descent series. This time in Hell!

It's pure fantasy and yet is written as if real - brilliantly done. Both Elise and James are suffering in various ways. It was great to see more about Nathaniel and Hannah.

The descriptions were well done, while the villains were fabulously portrayed.

Loved it.

Highly recommended.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woah that was such a good cliffhanger ending. Have I mentioned how much I'm loving this series? It's so good and each book keeps getting better.

[Julia Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wtf did I just read?! That ending!!!

[Laura Figueroa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Attention grabbing

The book is attention grabbing that keeps you hooked until you finish. Eager to read the next book to see how the story continues