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Demon's Ruin
The Swathe faces its final stand, and it seems that history is doomed to repeat.
In the wake of defeat, monsoon now reigns over the Swathe, and both human and demon wait to join in battle for the final time. It now falls to the Scions of the Sixth-Born to unify the bloodwoods in solidarity, or else the world will face utter destruction at the hands of chaos and the new demon king.
While insidious dreams try to lead them astray and the outcome of their bond remains undecided, Tarko and Serisi must face cowardice and entrenched doubt as they fight for the Swathe’s future. But when an unlikely weapon and an even unlikelier ally rears their heads, the world must fight to come together in time to stand united.
Together, Tarko and Serisi must achieve the impossible and steal the fires of a demon king bent on revenge. And should they fail, all will succumb to chaos.
Finish the epic trilogy from the authors who brought you The Fatemarked Epic and The Written!
In the wake of defeat, monsoon now reigns over the Swathe, and both human and demon wait to join in battle for the final time. It now falls to the Scions of the Sixth-Born to unify the bloodwoods in solidarity, or else the world will face utter destruction at the hands of chaos and the new demon king.
While insidious dreams try to lead them astray and the outcome of their bond remains undecided, Tarko and Serisi must face cowardice and entrenched doubt as they fight for the Swathe’s future. But when an unlikely weapon and an even unlikelier ally rears their heads, the world must fight to come together in time to stand united.
Together, Tarko and Serisi must achieve the impossible and steal the fires of a demon king bent on revenge. And should they fail, all will succumb to chaos.
Finish the epic trilogy from the authors who brought you The Fatemarked Epic and The Written!
650 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 19, 2026
About the author
David Estes
77 books2,706 followersGet a FREE short story from David Estes' #1 Amazon bestselling epic fantasy series, Fatemarked, when you sign up for his mailing list: https://www.subscribepage.com/b2v6v3
David Estes has written more than 50 science fiction and fantasy books. He loves chatting with his readers, all of whom he considers to be his friends. David lives in Hawaii with his Aussie wife, Adele, his moody cats, Bailey, Luna, and Ruby, and his rambunctious sons, Beau and Brody.
Join 3,000+ David Estes Fans and YA Book Lovers Unite in David Estes' official fan group at:
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/7...
Books by David Estes:
-The Fatemarked Epic- For fans of A Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, and The Way of Kings! Four kingdoms. A century-old war. One ancient prophecy that could change everything.
-The Kingfall Histories- a follow up series to the #1 Amazon bestselling series, The Fatemarked Epic
-The Forsworn Oath- the third series in the Fatemarked/Kingfall world
-Strings- “A wonderful retelling of the Pinocchio story…I simply couldn’t put this book down.”—Rysa Walker, bestselling author of TIMEBOUND
-The Dwellers Saga and the Country Saga. Voted books to read if you enjoyed the Hunger Games on Buzzfeed and Listopia.
-Salem's Revenge trilogy- the witch apocalypse begins!
-Slip Trilogy- "Someone must die before another can be born..."
-The Adventures of Nikki Powergloves- Kid superheroes? 'Nuff said.
David Estes has written more than 50 science fiction and fantasy books. He loves chatting with his readers, all of whom he considers to be his friends. David lives in Hawaii with his Aussie wife, Adele, his moody cats, Bailey, Luna, and Ruby, and his rambunctious sons, Beau and Brody.
Join 3,000+ David Estes Fans and YA Book Lovers Unite in David Estes' official fan group at:
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/7...
Books by David Estes:
-The Fatemarked Epic- For fans of A Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, and The Way of Kings! Four kingdoms. A century-old war. One ancient prophecy that could change everything.
-The Kingfall Histories- a follow up series to the #1 Amazon bestselling series, The Fatemarked Epic
-The Forsworn Oath- the third series in the Fatemarked/Kingfall world
-Strings- “A wonderful retelling of the Pinocchio story…I simply couldn’t put this book down.”—Rysa Walker, bestselling author of TIMEBOUND
-The Dwellers Saga and the Country Saga. Voted books to read if you enjoyed the Hunger Games on Buzzfeed and Listopia.
-Salem's Revenge trilogy- the witch apocalypse begins!
-Slip Trilogy- "Someone must die before another can be born..."
-The Adventures of Nikki Powergloves- Kid superheroes? 'Nuff said.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 6, 2026
From the moment I first met Tarkosi Tarelta as a worker, struggling to find a place where he didn't suck horribly, and hating every little thing about the Blood Laws that governed the Swathe, I have been smitten with this series. Through his unexpected bonding with an enemy, to joining the Scions, to discovering the true power of the Bloodwoods, I have felt like I have been by his side, in the beautiful but deadly world created by the authors. In this final book of the series, all of the pieces come together into the Final Battle, when fate (and a little sheer dumb luck) will decide the outcome of the Swathe, the Scorch, and the Starless Plains.
If you had told me that I would be reading a book where one single battle would last for nearly 1/4 of the whole thing (almost 6 hours of listening time just for the "last battle!"), I would have been doubtful that it would have been something that would have kept anyone's interest at all, yet here I was begging for more time to listen uninterrupted as my Scions scraped and dug for any scrap of useful information to help them in their fight and then put it all together in the end for one epic clash to try to end the demon threat once and for all. Those hours went by in no time, and all of a sudden, the book was over and I was left crushed and broken because I had to leave it all behind. But not for long...I guarantee I will be visiting Tarkosi and company time and time again. This series cemented itself as one of my favorites from the very start, and has definitely cleaved its way into my heart forever.
I will say that they almost lost me with "Flesh spiders" 🤮🤮🤮, and I can't count the number of times I yelled " JUST FECKING KILL HER ALREADY!!!!!" about a certain character, but if you like elemental magic (think Last Airbender vibes), demons, found family (and real family) bonds, cool creatures, and lots and lots of epic battling, this is absolutely a can't miss series!!! It is available in print, or audio which is narrated by the always amazing Tim Gerard Reynolds -- the king of epic fantasy narration.
*Note -- this is a multiple POV AND multiple perspective narrative, but it flows seemlessly.
If you had told me that I would be reading a book where one single battle would last for nearly 1/4 of the whole thing (almost 6 hours of listening time just for the "last battle!"), I would have been doubtful that it would have been something that would have kept anyone's interest at all, yet here I was begging for more time to listen uninterrupted as my Scions scraped and dug for any scrap of useful information to help them in their fight and then put it all together in the end for one epic clash to try to end the demon threat once and for all. Those hours went by in no time, and all of a sudden, the book was over and I was left crushed and broken because I had to leave it all behind. But not for long...I guarantee I will be visiting Tarkosi and company time and time again. This series cemented itself as one of my favorites from the very start, and has definitely cleaved its way into my heart forever.
I will say that they almost lost me with "Flesh spiders" 🤮🤮🤮, and I can't count the number of times I yelled " JUST FECKING KILL HER ALREADY!!!!!" about a certain character, but if you like elemental magic (think Last Airbender vibes), demons, found family (and real family) bonds, cool creatures, and lots and lots of epic battling, this is absolutely a can't miss series!!! It is available in print, or audio which is narrated by the always amazing Tim Gerard Reynolds -- the king of epic fantasy narration.
*Note -- this is a multiple POV AND multiple perspective narrative, but it flows seemlessly.
May 23, 2026
"Demon's Ruin" is the culmination of the series, the final clash against the demons. Tarko and Seresi aim to unite different groups of allies, find a strategy and technique to gain the advantage, and then finally take down the invading horde. The book was a joy to read, very exciting to see what was coming next, and very difficult to put down.
In the review from the previous book, I mentioned that I hoped the finale wouldn't be excessively long, like 900-1000 pages. I'm pleased that the length was the same as the others, and even managed to improve on some of the slight pacing problems that the other books had. There were exciting scenes and powerful revelations from beginning to end.
I like the supporting cast of characters fairly well, especially Tarko's closest companions. With the series coming to a close, I'll miss that group, Tarko's "ride or die" found family. Each of them had their own meaningful conversations with Tarko, really helping him find himself. Throughout the series I was always slightly worried that they would be too much of an extension of Tarko, and therefore not stand out on their own, but this book continued to develop them. They all had their unique backstories and motivations, and they each had their unique method of connecting with others (Tarko, but others too).
A few more thoughts on these characters, in the spoilers:
1.
2. Eztaral is someone I would run through a brick wall for.
3. I really like the relationship between Tarko and Ralish. The way that Tarko thinks of Ralish is wholesome, the sweet shows of affection Ralish (very stoic and usually closed off) gives to Tarko are also nice.
4. Tesq giving Tarko advice on his love life is funny. I recall her doing that in the last two books also.
4/5 book, series as a whole is 4/5. This series is a hidden gem, something that more people need to know about.
In the review from the previous book, I mentioned that I hoped the finale wouldn't be excessively long, like 900-1000 pages. I'm pleased that the length was the same as the others, and even managed to improve on some of the slight pacing problems that the other books had. There were exciting scenes and powerful revelations from beginning to end.
I like the supporting cast of characters fairly well, especially Tarko's closest companions. With the series coming to a close, I'll miss that group, Tarko's "ride or die" found family. Each of them had their own meaningful conversations with Tarko, really helping him find himself. Throughout the series I was always slightly worried that they would be too much of an extension of Tarko, and therefore not stand out on their own, but this book continued to develop them. They all had their unique backstories and motivations, and they each had their unique method of connecting with others (Tarko, but others too).
A few more thoughts on these characters, in the spoilers:
1.
2. Eztaral is someone I would run through a brick wall for.
3. I really like the relationship between Tarko and Ralish. The way that Tarko thinks of Ralish is wholesome, the sweet shows of affection Ralish (very stoic and usually closed off) gives to Tarko are also nice.
4. Tesq giving Tarko advice on his love life is funny. I recall her doing that in the last two books also.
4/5 book, series as a whole is 4/5. This series is a hidden gem, something that more people need to know about.
Review of advance copy received from Author
A resounding triumph of a fantasy finale blending action and heart, Demon’s Ruin brings all the characters together to finally face off against the demon horde.
Thank you so much to the author for the early review copy!
I will miss the Swathe now that I’m finished. This entire trilogy was so much fun, each one dealing with different aspects of the world, giving us a full fleshed out setting that has history and purpose. I love a matriarchy, and one felt realistic. The leader of each city has to consider her own people as well as the Swathe as a whole, so their political issues were interesting and made sense. Likewise, how each city (especially an area mentioned in the first two books but was never really delved into until this book) had its own culture and even social system made the cities feel like separate entities coming together for a sole purpose. And we get a lot of info on Kai Raxa, who was mentioned a ton in books 1 and 2, but before now had remained a sort of shadowy figure.
Also, who doesn’t love giant hummingbirds you can ride into battle, which impale people on
their beaks!?
The action scenes were such a blast. They’re very long but never got tiring - it just allowed us to really see the event to the fullest. There are air battles, ground battles, magic battles, and hand-to-hand - my favorite was one my girl Eztaral features in.
Speaking of her, what’s great about this series is how it spends a lot of time with Tarko and Seresi, but the other major characters aren’t shunted to the wayside. Some get more time than others, but everyone gets a moment to shine in this final story - no one feels forgotten. Most importantly, Rawlish doesn’t just turn into only Tarko's love interest (as that sometimes happens, especially with women characters). She is given a real purpose in this book, and she never stops being her own person with her own opinions and goals. Their love story felt earned and very sweet.
The real love story is between a man and his demon, of course, though in a platonic sense. Seresi is just a delight. She’s less caustic in this one, as she and Tarko, of course, are best buds now, but she’s still incredibly funny and badass. I’m a sucker for a demon possession story, and this one pulls off the relationship arc between them in a way that is fun and even heartwarming.
But my real favorite character is Red Eye. I really enjoyed the character arc he was given throughout the trilogy .
The plot is quite simple as a whole, but the small subplots worked well together to give the story some surprises and fun developments. I honestly have no criticism.
Despite its heft, I flew through it. It's such fun, and I'm sad it's over!
Thank you so much to the author for the early review copy!
I will miss the Swathe now that I’m finished. This entire trilogy was so much fun, each one dealing with different aspects of the world, giving us a full fleshed out setting that has history and purpose. I love a matriarchy, and one felt realistic. The leader of each city has to consider her own people as well as the Swathe as a whole, so their political issues were interesting and made sense. Likewise, how each city (especially an area mentioned in the first two books but was never really delved into until this book) had its own culture and even social system made the cities feel like separate entities coming together for a sole purpose. And we get a lot of info on Kai Raxa, who was mentioned a ton in books 1 and 2, but before now had remained a sort of shadowy figure.
Also, who doesn’t love giant hummingbirds you can ride into battle, which impale people on
their beaks!?
The action scenes were such a blast. They’re very long but never got tiring - it just allowed us to really see the event to the fullest. There are air battles, ground battles, magic battles, and hand-to-hand - my favorite was one my girl Eztaral features in.
Speaking of her, what’s great about this series is how it spends a lot of time with Tarko and Seresi, but the other major characters aren’t shunted to the wayside. Some get more time than others, but everyone gets a moment to shine in this final story - no one feels forgotten. Most importantly, Rawlish doesn’t just turn into only Tarko's love interest (as that sometimes happens, especially with women characters). She is given a real purpose in this book, and she never stops being her own person with her own opinions and goals. Their love story felt earned and very sweet.
The real love story is between a man and his demon, of course, though in a platonic sense. Seresi is just a delight. She’s less caustic in this one, as she and Tarko, of course, are best buds now, but she’s still incredibly funny and badass. I’m a sucker for a demon possession story, and this one pulls off the relationship arc between them in a way that is fun and even heartwarming.
But my real favorite character is Red Eye. I really enjoyed the character arc he was given throughout the trilogy .
The plot is quite simple as a whole, but the small subplots worked well together to give the story some surprises and fun developments. I honestly have no criticism.
Despite its heft, I flew through it. It's such fun, and I'm sad it's over!
June 5, 2026
Why so dramatic?
Overall a decent book with plenty of tension, but there were wayyy too many plot twists and stupid decisions witout enough setup to make them feel planned.
Overall a decent book with plenty of tension, but there were wayyy too many plot twists and stupid decisions witout enough setup to make them feel planned.
June 10, 2026
Riveting!
I will miss this series. At the beginning, I had trouble getting into Tarko as much as I did getting into Terrin.
I will miss this series. At the beginning, I had trouble getting into Tarko as much as I did getting into Terrin.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews