Take Back Demons

Diamond Universe: Sierra Walker #2

by Casey Blair

"They can't keep you."Sierra successfully brought magic back to the world, but it's left her with two big problems.

First, now she needs to steal Nariel back from the exile the angels forced him into to save their worlds. But she's also in dire need of magic weapons, because the mages are doing everything in their power to take her magic and her life.

Both of those needs take her to the world of demons, where Nariel has his own ideas for how Sierra can get her hands on enough power to protect both of their worlds.

With mages coming after her with magic weapons of their own, Sierra needs every bit of magic she can wield. But she messed up before, and badly. So how can she trust herself to wield more power than any human ever has when failure would cost Nariel's life, too?

Take Back Demons is the second book in Diamond Sierra Walker, a fast-paced, action-packed urban romantasy series spanning the modern world and also other worlds full of magic, with a shadow-wielding demon boyfriend and a heroine who never quits no matter the odds and just goes harder as they fight to change the universe for everyone. Expect the heat level to escalate dramatically in each book.

Genres: Fantasy

284 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 15, 2024

About the author

Casey Blair is a bestselling author of hopeful fantasy novels about ambitious women who dare, including the Tea Princess Chronicles, Sundered Realms, and Diamond Universe: Sierra Walker series. Her own adventures have included teaching English in rural Japan, taking a train to Tibet, rappelling down waterfalls in Costa Rica, and practicing capoeira. She now lives in the Pacific Northwest and can be found dancing spontaneously, exploring forests around the world, or trapped under a cat.

For more information visit her website caseyblair.com or follow her on Instagram @CaseyLBlair.

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahhh I was lucky enough to get an early copy of Book 2 in this fast-paced, action-heavy, romantic fantasy trilogy starring a brutally focused heroine, and I loved it even more than book 1. Having gotten through the one battle she'd expected, Sierra is now facing a whole set of new challenges - and also figuring out, as a person devoted to her plans, how to combine her lifelong dreams for the future with an unexpected and INCREDIBLY swoonworthy romance that shifts to a new level in this book.

Sometimes book 2 in a tightly-linked trilogy can feel like filler; this was anything but. I adored it from the beginning, I loooooved the ending, and I cannot wait to read Book 3! I'm so glad that Casey is releasing all three of these books so quickly.

[Chanel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to leave an unspoiled review but I don't think I can because a lot of things bothered me about this one. This book picks up directly after the first time ends with a little bit of a time lapse. Nariel has been banished back to his demon world and Sierra has come up with a way to break him out. It's apparently very easy to do because she gave him a hair clip which became some type of teleportation anchor.

And that's what I want to start with. In this story, Sierra all of sudden has the power to just teleport anywhere. I thought it was just where she set up anchors but she was all over the place when she felt like it. So Nariel introduced her to his space and takes her to a demon market and she's just hanging out in this world while they try to figure out their relationship and dodge Lances that are trying to kill her cause of all the magic she's able to wield with relative ease.

I would say a good 70% of the book was Nariel ready to be committed and Sierra coming up with a lot of excuses about why the relationship needs to be complicated when it felt like it could be easy. But also we went from just meeting in book 1 to throwing around bond and demon marriage here almost instantly. I like instant love don't get me wrong but it didn't feel like that coming from book one and it eas like a switch flipped here in book 2.

For my spice level fans, honestly it wasn't as hot as I was hoping. They kept having a lot of moments and when they finally, finally decided to have sex it was in a moment of Sierra having a bit of a panic attack and Nariel just ravishing her body while she's barely coherent but also asking for more? It was weird especially since she's a virgin and had no idea what to really do? The scene read very young adult honestly.

We concluded with Sierra gaining access to weapons forged by angels and using magic to wield them as well as gaining an unlikely ally in one of her enemies because they now have a shared enemy in High Earth or Bright Earth. She also sort of reconciled with her parents? It was a moment that didn't seem quite necessary to the plot but it did help Sierra get over some past hurt feelings she had against her parents.

I'll read the 3rd book eventually but this one wasnt as compelling for me as Book 1 was.

[Dr susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great paranormal fantasy with romance

The worldbuilding is imaginative, and the characters are likeable. The story is thrilling, although Sierra suffers from self-esteem issues. Nariel is a fun character, and Dark Earth is amazing.

[Kirsty · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading The Sundered Realms between book 1 and book 2 (because I am now an avid believer that Casey Blair writes the BEST empowered female characters) I admittedly struggled a little with coming back to Sierra's lack of confidence because she had already proven in book 1 how competent she is. Then I remembered that I have a PhD and second guess myself and fall prey to sell doubt all the time. Well played Casey Blair, well played.

As ever, Blair manages to toe the line between miscommunication or competing internal concerns that slow down romantic shared goals beautifully. There's plenty of tension, a dash of wanting to pull your hair out to get these two characters to accept their feelings for one another, but by the end you inevitably realize that all the back and forth was actually for a reason (and not emotional filler). As Sierra grows emotionally and we quite literally see the green flags of how to painstakingly build trust in a relationship, all within a matter of days.

While I'm usually wary of books that span relatively short amount of times, especially when they involve romance, the relatively short timeline of THIS book's plot feels really consistent with the chaos that is Sierra's life once she brought magic back. And don't worry- you still get epic magic displays with 2 mage fights, 1 amphitheater built, and 1 high stakes negotiations before the big finale. By the end, I was thrilled with the really consistent character development and the way that Blair raised the stakes for an even more epic showdown in book 3.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still as fast paced, witty, and banter filled as ever! This book picks up right where we left off and the pace continues to flow pretty fast. In this book we get to find out more about Nariel and his world.

I love Nariel our fallen-angel-shadow-wielding-Prince-of-Hell who is really just a huge walking green flag when it comes to Sierra. There were times I was a little annoyed with Sierra for being stubborn but nothing that would put me off from liking her overall!

Do we get in-depth explanations? No. Do we need them? No. Would some people feel a bit frustrated about that? Maybe. However, for me I loved not wasting time with added explanations - you figure most out as you go along and if it’s significant to the plot then you’ll know whatever you need to. This is a short book so it delivers what it needs to move the story along and for you to connect with the characters.

The book is set up nicely for the final book which I am jumping into right now! Looking forward to seeing how our MCs navigate the next challenge and new world!

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book picks up right where the previous one left off. Sierra has to figure out a way to rescue Nariel so that they can continue bringing magic back to all the worlds. I have to say Sierra and Nariel are a formidable team. They have some issues, but they also have something very close to a true partnership. They support each other while not losing themselves. It's unusual to see a relationship where there is such an equal balance of power, where their individual strengths and weaknesses complement each other. I will add that this is not a fade to black romance. However, if you find that concerning, I think the story is worth skipping those few pages. I'm a sucker for strong heroes and heroines who want to see justice and equality in their world. You get that in spades with this series. I can't wait to see what happens in the final book of the trilogy.

[Ashley Martinez (ilovebooksandstuffblog) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take Back Demons

An exciting sequel to this fun fast-paced series. I loved how action packed the story was. There were also glimpses of Nariel’s past and more of his world in this one as well which was awesome!

I also enjoyed how Sierra and his relationship grew and evolved further. I enjoyed seeing the push and pull between them and the unwavering support.

I can’t wait for more! This next book promises to be an epic one with the way this one ended!

Some tropes of note are urban fantasy, demonic MMC, magical FMC, shadow daddy, magical battles, demons, magic, action-packed, and more!

[Joanne Byrd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story by a gifted storyteller

I love a yarn that has me on paragraph one and that keeps me engaged until the end. I have since Stephen King gotten into the bad habit of jumping to the end. Not once did I even THINK about it. Kudos

I especially appreciate the fact that the editing was perfect. No misspelled words. No too for to. No indeciverable phrases because the spellchecher just wasn't smar enough. No run on sentences, missing commas etc. So many nowadays don't bother . I really really appreciate your time Ms Blair for gifting me an enjoyable and engaging read.

I especially

[Starfire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, action-packed romp with Sierra and Nariel. Great snark, and nice to see Sierra actually having to work for her results in this instalment, which seemed less the case in Book 1.

Also great was seeing the payoff for all the slow-burn UST in Book 1. I'm looking forward to seeing where Book 3 goes from here.

[Mai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cool worldbuilding, great characters.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great new series

I really like this author’s work more and more. I recommend all her books. This was an excellent sequel to Take Back Magic

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm looking forward to the next book!