Gospel of the Forgotten

The Immortal Coil #3

by J. Armand, Greg Opalinski (Illustrator)

Having championed an ancient darkness and brought calm to the Far East, Dorian Benoit is enjoying peace at last. Life has not been easy for the young hero, and serenity is an increasingly rare commodity for those of his kind. Supernatural beings often lead a tumultuous existence, but their human counterparts could argue the same. Mortals live such fleeting lives, which are filled with violence, turmoil, and adversity. Each new generation has its own share of issues, and none of them are unique. History repeats itself—this much we know—but why is the most intelligent species on Earth so slow to learn from its past? Deep within us all, there is a raw, primal, and unyielding. It cannot be tamed, and it should not be. This fire is our passion—our driving force—which, when channeled, can unlock a wellspring of creativity or a superhuman compulsion to thrive. But this flame has more to offer than the inspiring embrace of its warmth. When left unchecked, our passions can disfigure us. Feeding these flames with aggression and vitriol can cause a backlash that no longer empowers but consumes all it touches. Dorian’s days may soon be over, as the world around him begins to ignite in an inferno of hatred. Human terror campaigns run rampant, claiming large swaths of victims across the globe and threatening even the mightiest supernaturals. With Dorian’s own flame only recently rekindled by the promise of peace, will he be able to extinguish the rising hostilities before they raze all he loves to the ground? Or will he, too, be swept up in the madness?

Genres: Fantasy

494 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 11, 2015

About the author

J. Armand is an American novelist of all things supernatural.

His personal writing style consists of movie-quality action scenes and memorable characters that each have their own unique story to tell. Through his works he aims to bring about a greater awareness for what it means to be human and encourage perseverance in the face of adversity. History will keep repeating itself until we stand up and fight back to break the cycle.

Reviews

[Kit (Metaphors and Moonlight) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

Review:
*I received an ecopy of this book from the author. This has not influenced my review.*

First things first, I gotta talk about Noah. He's not even the protagonist yet somehow I seem to end up talking about him more than anything in my reviews. He just has such a presence in these books though, and wow did he change in this one. Of all the characters in this series, I didn't expect Noah to be the one to keep touching my heart and making me teary-eyed. It's funny because if anyone jumped into the series on Book 3, they'd probably just be like, "What an ass," because he was still cocky and petulant most of the time, but if you knew what he was like in the first two books... I really liked seeing this side of him. And I loved seeing his and Dorian's friendship evolve. Because that's what they were this time, actual friends. These two made a strange pair as friends, but in a good way. Somehow Dorian managed to chip away at all the walls Noah built, and, for the first time in who knows how long, Noah actually let someone other than Vivian even remotely close to his heart. It was clear that Noah really did respect and care about Dorian, and it was really sweet. That was my favorite thing about this book.

I was also happy that Lyle was back! He was such a great character in Book 1, and his and Dorian's friendship has always been great. It's so touching how Dorian has all these crazy powers and is around supernaturals all the time, but he still looks up to Lyle as his hero.

Even Owen and Micah ended up being entertaining and kind of lovable in their own weird way (not exactly the best of people, but entertaining and oddly lovable nonetheless). Seriously, the characterization in this series is wonderful. Every character is completely unique and three-dimensional and dynamic.

The plot was also more focused this time, so that was good as well. It took a while to get to the heart of the issue, but the book was so good throughout that I enjoyed the ride regardless and never got bored or impatient.

So once again this was another great book with fantastically developed and dynamic characters as well a gripping plot with plenty of action, and I'm most definitely invested in and enjoying this series!

*I’ve read this book multiple times. This review was written after my 1st read.*

*If you’re interested in learning more about the series, you can find an interview with the author here!*

Reread Ratings:
4 Stars (1st Read – 2016)
4 Stars (2nd Read – 2019)

Recommended For:
Fans of Book 1 and 2 in J. Armand's The Immortal Coil series. Urban fantasy fans who like both character development and lots of action.

Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight

[Lisa G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best of the series so far. It's really getting immersive and keeping fresh which isn't very common for a series that is so battle heavy. It's also a bit longer than the other two before it, but didn't really feel that way. I don't know if I'm disappointed by this or not! The atmosphere in the last few chapters was fantastic and reminded me of what I liked about the first book.

[Kele Kravelin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each book in the series has me getting more and more interested and involved in the characters. Even minor characters feel important and developed rather than being cliches, tropes, and props.

The writing has also developed in quality and sophistication to match the new lore and depth to the world that keeps a realistic modern day Earth on the surface with a well hidden technological and supernatural underworld of various factions.

The blending of science fiction with supernatural fantasy elements and an underlying horror theme is well done and often mixed even within factions rather than having tech vs. magic stereotypes.

While the main character is gay his sexuality is a background element of his personality rather than the focus of the character. It does play into his outlook on the world and how he feels people should be treated, so is an element that can't be glossed over. The depiction of Dorian avoids the easy gay stereotypes and calls out to those of us who are people first and don't limit ourselves to just our sexuality in one of the more positive gay role models (as in a main character who is gay) out there currently.

[C.J. Steele · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third book in the series grows on every facet as the main storyline of the story begins to unfold. You have the relationships of the characters progress and an old friend helps guide Dorian in the right path. The action scenes are impeccable as always as they jump off the page. The big players in the series begin to really show themselves as the general plot progresses. The author spares no expense with details and mild foreshadowing that makes things come together at the perfect times. The scenes also grow macabre and grim as the story gets grittier imagery, that I personally found quite enjoyable. When you finally reach the end, you find yourself wanting more, but not in a cliff hangar way.