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Daemonbreaker
A Celestial Sacresant Aveline Novel
The Imperium burns in the face of Abaddon’s Thirteenth Black Crusade, bringing with it the damnation of entire sectors and countless worlds. As the Despoiler’s malevolent gaze turns to Cadia, the sacred warhost of the Adepta Sororitas prepares itself for the greatest battle in generations.
READ IT BECAUSE
Follow a Celestian Sacresant as a straightforward mission turns very complicated! Can she track down a traitorous psyker AND defeat an ancient evil on a seemingly innocuous shrine world, or will she fall in glory?
THE STORY
Celestian Sacresant Aveline, of the Order of the Sacred Rose, has a final, sacred duty to perform before joining the battle for Cadia – securing Orison VIII, a minor shrine world in the Cadian Gate.
But when a simple mission to hunt down a Chaos sorcerer becomes a deadly game of cat and mouse, an ancient evil is uncovered – an evil that knows her name. Should Aveline be unsuccessful in defeating this new threat, Holy Terra itself will pay for her failure in blood.
Written by Jude Reid.
The Imperium burns in the face of Abaddon’s Thirteenth Black Crusade, bringing with it the damnation of entire sectors and countless worlds. As the Despoiler’s malevolent gaze turns to Cadia, the sacred warhost of the Adepta Sororitas prepares itself for the greatest battle in generations.
READ IT BECAUSE
Follow a Celestian Sacresant as a straightforward mission turns very complicated! Can she track down a traitorous psyker AND defeat an ancient evil on a seemingly innocuous shrine world, or will she fall in glory?
THE STORY
Celestian Sacresant Aveline, of the Order of the Sacred Rose, has a final, sacred duty to perform before joining the battle for Cadia – securing Orison VIII, a minor shrine world in the Cadian Gate.
But when a simple mission to hunt down a Chaos sorcerer becomes a deadly game of cat and mouse, an ancient evil is uncovered – an evil that knows her name. Should Aveline be unsuccessful in defeating this new threat, Holy Terra itself will pay for her failure in blood.
Written by Jude Reid.
230 pages, Hardcover
First published August 24, 2024
17 people are currently reading
112 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 21, 2024
Es posible que Jude Reid sea mi prosista favorita del universo warhammer después de Dan Abnett. Novelas muy disfrutonas, oscuras y con personajes que no parecen calcos unos de otros. Muy recomendable.
October 5, 2024
Action-packed, boring at times, but ultimately kinda fun.
October 9, 2024
This was a short fun read. The action gets super intense toward the end.
August 29, 2024
Daemonbreaker is a hard book to review. The writing itself isn't bad and the book offers 230 pages of pure action - but there is very little story here to hold a reader's attention. There's no mystery, no thrilling secrets and this doesn't reinvent the genre or do anything new. If you're looking to read a story about the Sisters of Battle, this will be for you.
The characters are all one-sided and one-note. It's easy to recognise when a character is going to be killed off - a sister will suddenly be given a name, only for her to be horrendously mauled 20 pages later. Don't become attached to anyone - they never seem to live very long at all!
The 'plot' itself follows a group of Sisters hunting traitor Astartes. Obviously everything goes wrong, etc. It's all very basic. I've given this 2/5 stars, which might seem a bit harsh, but there are many better stories in the 40K universe which I think are worth your time. I've not really enjoyed a 'Sisters' book yet, they've all been very one-note.
The characters are all one-sided and one-note. It's easy to recognise when a character is going to be killed off - a sister will suddenly be given a name, only for her to be horrendously mauled 20 pages later. Don't become attached to anyone - they never seem to live very long at all!
The 'plot' itself follows a group of Sisters hunting traitor Astartes. Obviously everything goes wrong, etc. It's all very basic. I've given this 2/5 stars, which might seem a bit harsh, but there are many better stories in the 40K universe which I think are worth your time. I've not really enjoyed a 'Sisters' book yet, they've all been very one-note.
October 7, 2024
Rating of 4.25.
Gird yourself in faith, fury and fire, as fantastic author Jude Reid presents her latest Warhammer 40,000 novel, Daemonbreaker, which follows a complex figure as she blazes forth into the darkness of the Warhammer 40,000 universe.
On the battlefields of faith and fury, few warriors in the Imperium of Man can match the battle prowess of Celestian Sacresant Aveline of the Order of Sacred Rose. A deadly sister of the Adepta Sororitas, devoted to killing the mutants, witches, heretics and daemons that oppose the Emperor, Aveline is always eager for greater combat, and soon finds the ultimate opportunity she has been waiting for, defending the fortress world of Cadia from the ravening forces of Chaos as they embark on their 13th Black Crusade.
However, before Aveline can join her sisters in the massive battle for Cadia, she has been assigned final sacred duty. Sent to Orrison VIII, a minor shrine world in the Cadia Gate system, Aveline is tasked with securing the desert world for the Emperor and scouring the forces of Chaos from its surface.
Desperate to find glory on Cadia, Aveline chafes at the slow speed of the mission on Orrison VIII, especially as their primary target, a deranged Chaos sorcerer, is content with playing a slow game of cat-and-mouse with her. However, when Aveline finally gets her chance to face the enemy, she finds herself confronting a dark foe who knows her name and has a sinister scheme to destroy her and her sisters through her own arrogance. If Aveline is unable to stop the dark Chaos forces before her, a deadly foe will be unleashed upon Holy Terra that could destroy the heart of humanity as it faces its darkest moment.
Daemonbreaker was a fantastic and compelling Warhammer 40,000 novel that expertly features an iconic faction and looks at the faith and emotions lying beneath their militant surface. Jude Reid continues to impress with this cool novel and I had an excellent time getting through the intense and exciting story, which seeks to bring to life the figure of Celestian Sacresant Aveline who recently got her own model in the game.
To see the full review, click on the link below:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2024/10/07/...
For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/
Gird yourself in faith, fury and fire, as fantastic author Jude Reid presents her latest Warhammer 40,000 novel, Daemonbreaker, which follows a complex figure as she blazes forth into the darkness of the Warhammer 40,000 universe.
On the battlefields of faith and fury, few warriors in the Imperium of Man can match the battle prowess of Celestian Sacresant Aveline of the Order of Sacred Rose. A deadly sister of the Adepta Sororitas, devoted to killing the mutants, witches, heretics and daemons that oppose the Emperor, Aveline is always eager for greater combat, and soon finds the ultimate opportunity she has been waiting for, defending the fortress world of Cadia from the ravening forces of Chaos as they embark on their 13th Black Crusade.
However, before Aveline can join her sisters in the massive battle for Cadia, she has been assigned final sacred duty. Sent to Orrison VIII, a minor shrine world in the Cadia Gate system, Aveline is tasked with securing the desert world for the Emperor and scouring the forces of Chaos from its surface.
Desperate to find glory on Cadia, Aveline chafes at the slow speed of the mission on Orrison VIII, especially as their primary target, a deranged Chaos sorcerer, is content with playing a slow game of cat-and-mouse with her. However, when Aveline finally gets her chance to face the enemy, she finds herself confronting a dark foe who knows her name and has a sinister scheme to destroy her and her sisters through her own arrogance. If Aveline is unable to stop the dark Chaos forces before her, a deadly foe will be unleashed upon Holy Terra that could destroy the heart of humanity as it faces its darkest moment.
Daemonbreaker was a fantastic and compelling Warhammer 40,000 novel that expertly features an iconic faction and looks at the faith and emotions lying beneath their militant surface. Jude Reid continues to impress with this cool novel and I had an excellent time getting through the intense and exciting story, which seeks to bring to life the figure of Celestian Sacresant Aveline who recently got her own model in the game.
To see the full review, click on the link below:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2024/10/07/...
For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/
August 25, 2024
I'm sure many like me wanted to read this book after seeing Aveline's amazing miniature (which they really should make rules for). I will say that overall this book does a great job of providing the backstory for the Daemonbreaker and I hope going forward they make a sequel as we only really see her take on that mantle in the end.
To no surprise, this book is about Aveline Aboye first and foremost. She is a glory-hungry zealous Celestian Sacrascent seeking to ensure her name is remembered for ages to come. Aveline is an arrogant and ambitious woman who honestly is a bit unlikeable at times. For all her obsession with being remembered there are several times throughout the books she can't even remember the names of Sisters under her command who die which rather highlights her hypocrisy. It's in watching her be humbled and come to accept she will not fight on Cadia (whose destruction is portrayed quite I must say) that we see her emerge as the hero she wants to be viewed as.
Outside of Aveline, there is a small core group of Sisters we get to know, though the most fleshed out of them is Novitate Gwineth. Eager to serve and fight, Gwineth ironically has hemophilia so her days are quite literally numbered and every bruise and cut is all the more important. Her bold frankness in the face of death is refreshing especially contrasted with Aveline's ire.
Ultimately the book has some good fight scenes and some gnarly warp shenanigans, especially as Aveline's forces are whittled down to a handful of Sisters. The final confrontation with a Bloodthirster and her becoming the Daemonbreaker is quite well done as both a culmination of her character and an action scene.
Overall if you're a fan of the Sororitas this is a solid tale of sacrifice, redemption and perseverance. It's not the best Sisters of Battle book out there, but it's a solid start to what I hope is more than a one-off character.
To no surprise, this book is about Aveline Aboye first and foremost. She is a glory-hungry zealous Celestian Sacrascent seeking to ensure her name is remembered for ages to come. Aveline is an arrogant and ambitious woman who honestly is a bit unlikeable at times. For all her obsession with being remembered there are several times throughout the books she can't even remember the names of Sisters under her command who die which rather highlights her hypocrisy. It's in watching her be humbled and come to accept she will not fight on Cadia (whose destruction is portrayed quite I must say) that we see her emerge as the hero she wants to be viewed as.
Outside of Aveline, there is a small core group of Sisters we get to know, though the most fleshed out of them is Novitate Gwineth. Eager to serve and fight, Gwineth ironically has hemophilia so her days are quite literally numbered and every bruise and cut is all the more important. Her bold frankness in the face of death is refreshing especially contrasted with Aveline's ire.
Ultimately the book has some good fight scenes and some gnarly warp shenanigans, especially as Aveline's forces are whittled down to a handful of Sisters. The final confrontation with a Bloodthirster and her becoming the Daemonbreaker is quite well done as both a culmination of her character and an action scene.
Overall if you're a fan of the Sororitas this is a solid tale of sacrifice, redemption and perseverance. It's not the best Sisters of Battle book out there, but it's a solid start to what I hope is more than a one-off character.
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March 27, 2025How do you review a Black Library book? For one, you probably don't rate it. The accomplishment of this text as a novel isn't so much the point: it's to add to the flavor & worldbuilding of the lore of Warhammer 40,000, for those interested in that for its own sake as well as those playing with the miniatures and open to inspiration.
This text, even in that regard, still isn't all that great. There are some emotionally powerful moments when characters are entering battle for the first time or realizing their potential. But the prose suffers from too much repetition of its grimdark phrases. And the perspective shifts feel more about an author needing to fill pages than to the service of the narrative. Plus, the final battle is as over-extended as anime filler.
To that last point, this novel is in the action genre. For those keen on descriptions of battles, there is plenty to offer here. But for someone like me who gets the gist after one such longform description and is more interested in voice/style/consciousness and small-scale yet profound situations in my fiction, this is merely audio to paint miniatures to.
This text, even in that regard, still isn't all that great. There are some emotionally powerful moments when characters are entering battle for the first time or realizing their potential. But the prose suffers from too much repetition of its grimdark phrases. And the perspective shifts feel more about an author needing to fill pages than to the service of the narrative. Plus, the final battle is as over-extended as anime filler.
To that last point, this novel is in the action genre. For those keen on descriptions of battles, there is plenty to offer here. But for someone like me who gets the gist after one such longform description and is more interested in voice/style/consciousness and small-scale yet profound situations in my fiction, this is merely audio to paint miniatures to.
September 20, 2024
I managed to pick up one of the new Aveline miniatures the other week, so was happy to be able to read the story of how she became who she is.
I really like Jude Reid’s writing style. It’s snappy and clean, perfect for action stories like this.
It’s refreshing to have a female protagonist who is unapologetically a warrior. She is older than some protagonists we see. She isn’t afraid to make enemies for the right reasons. She’s tough, unwielding and flawed in her own arrogance. As a female reader I really connected with her for all those reasons. I love stories about female characters coming of age and discovering their power. Who doesn’t? But there’s something so satisfying about a strong female character who is powerful already and isn’t concerned with toeing the line.
As I’ve found with some of the shorter novels from the Black Library, I only wish this was longer. I hope it isn’t too long before we get another novel about Aveline now she’s become the Daemonbreaker.
I really like Jude Reid’s writing style. It’s snappy and clean, perfect for action stories like this.
It’s refreshing to have a female protagonist who is unapologetically a warrior. She is older than some protagonists we see. She isn’t afraid to make enemies for the right reasons. She’s tough, unwielding and flawed in her own arrogance. As a female reader I really connected with her for all those reasons. I love stories about female characters coming of age and discovering their power. Who doesn’t? But there’s something so satisfying about a strong female character who is powerful already and isn’t concerned with toeing the line.
As I’ve found with some of the shorter novels from the Black Library, I only wish this was longer. I hope it isn’t too long before we get another novel about Aveline now she’s become the Daemonbreaker.
June 21, 2025
This was a deal and gloomy sci-fi book. I’m really excited to play my novitiates for kill team now that I have inspiration from this book.
The Sisters Adepta are a righteous group that aspire to be sent to the God Emperor. Similar to Catholics who desire to be raised into heaven. Everything the Sisters do are in the hope to cleanse the world from chaos and to be raised onto the throne of “heaven.” Very admirable. But these Sisters are like nuns with guns. They’re very badass.
The world building was pretty good. I like the hospitaller the best. She’s similar to a doctor/medic. I also like one of the novitiates, Gwymnet. But I wasn’t really attached to the main character.
The ending is not quite clear. I’m hoping it was a happy ending. Maybe it was and wasn’t? But it’s clear there is a sequel or series but on different characters.
I like the book. It’s very different from the other books I’ve read, sci-fi and not. This story gives me some inspiration for my own miniatures.
The Sisters Adepta are a righteous group that aspire to be sent to the God Emperor. Similar to Catholics who desire to be raised into heaven. Everything the Sisters do are in the hope to cleanse the world from chaos and to be raised onto the throne of “heaven.” Very admirable. But these Sisters are like nuns with guns. They’re very badass.
The world building was pretty good. I like the hospitaller the best. She’s similar to a doctor/medic. I also like one of the novitiates, Gwymnet. But I wasn’t really attached to the main character.
The ending is not quite clear. I’m hoping it was a happy ending. Maybe it was and wasn’t? But it’s clear there is a sequel or series but on different characters.
I like the book. It’s very different from the other books I’ve read, sci-fi and not. This story gives me some inspiration for my own miniatures.
October 14, 2024
Daemonbreaker does four-star work evoking elements of the 41st millennium (and that is a big plus, as anyone reading a Warhammer 40,000 novel wants convincing immersion into the world), but does so advancing a thin, two-star plot without surprises featuring characters almost uniformly devoid of dimension or likability. Even more disappointing than the flat, uninvolving characters are the action sequences featuring them: they unfold without dynamism or tension, and in many regards don’t convincingly evoke combat at all. One-star characters and one-star action. There’s the germ of a character which could be interesting in the 40K era of the great rift in this ‘origin story,’ but this is just going through the motions to get her here - and one of the hallmarks of Warhammer 40,000 fiction is that so much of it is better than that.
September 22, 2024
Absolutely loved this story. As my first Adeptas Sororitas book and my first experience reading Jude Reid I might be biased, as I'm not sure how many of the tropes in this book are repeated from previous stories, however I really did enjoy this. The writing was excellent and had me gripped the whole way through. Seeing the sisters deal with their various forms and interpretations of 'sin' was interesting.
After reading Daemonbreaker, I am excited to read more Sororitas books and more stories from this author, and also to see if Aveline reappears at any point in the future!
Definitely a worthwhile read.
After reading Daemonbreaker, I am excited to read more Sororitas books and more stories from this author, and also to see if Aveline reappears at any point in the future!
Definitely a worthwhile read.
November 19, 2024
A testament to the strength and resilience of the Adepta Sororitas
Jude Reid is adept at taking you through a journey of faith, loss, acceptance and ultimately a costly victory through insurmountable odds. The Sisters of Battle carve through the horrors of the Warp to face an evil so vile, one must wonder how the Imperium of Man can survive the wars to come. A must read for the Warhammer 40K faithful.
Jude Reid is adept at taking you through a journey of faith, loss, acceptance and ultimately a costly victory through insurmountable odds. The Sisters of Battle carve through the horrors of the Warp to face an evil so vile, one must wonder how the Imperium of Man can survive the wars to come. A must read for the Warhammer 40K faithful.
September 23, 2024
I hadn’t read anything by this author before. I’m going to pick up his other novels.
A short, simple novel that was executed extremely well. It’s great to see a main character who isn’t Order of Our Martyred Lady. This novel doesn’t give us too deep an insight into Aveline as she is now, it’s more about how she became who she is now, but it left me wanting more!
A short, simple novel that was executed extremely well. It’s great to see a main character who isn’t Order of Our Martyred Lady. This novel doesn’t give us too deep an insight into Aveline as she is now, it’s more about how she became who she is now, but it left me wanting more!
September 16, 2024
Jude Reed does it again! Aveline is a surprisingly unlikeable character in a refreshing way. She’s nuanced, exactly as a questing Celestian Sacrosanct should be. The writing style is clean and punchy. The Khornite daemon is possibly the best depiction I’ve seen in BL stuff. More please, Miss Reed!
February 11, 2025
Second WH audiobook listened to and I do enjoy the fight scenes. The middle part can be really dragging but it started to get exciting when the sisters go against khorne demons. I think it could have been shorter?
September 1, 2024
The best thing I can say about this book is that it was relatively short
September 3, 2024
Really good read with some cracking characters. Finished it in 3 days!
September 15, 2024
Short but sweet. It’s an origin story about Aveline Aboye, really. The action is visceral, the bloodthirster is COOL. Hope we get more about Aveline as she is now.
October 1, 2024
I don't want to be too critical, but 40k is supposed to be fun. This was a bit dull and inconsequential from lore point of view. In addition, the main character is almost insufferable.
December 31, 2024
NUNS! NUNS! NUNS!
September 14, 2025
usual sister of battle of battle story... I feel bad for the writer who get that assignment l.
January 4, 2025
I enjoyed this book. The action was good, the lull between action not so great and there wasn't amazing plot but I enjoyed it.
Characters were kinda forgettable but we did get a new model for the tabletop which has legends rules which is neat.
Characters were kinda forgettable but we did get a new model for the tabletop which has legends rules which is neat.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews