The Devil You Know

Brimstone Angels #6

by Erin M. Evans

The long-awaited finale of SCRIBE award winning-author Erin M. Evans’s riveting Brimstone Angels series, featuring her signature character, Farideh, as she’s caught up in an epic battle of good versus evil, rife with deception and intrigue, where the question is as much who is evil, as how they can be defeated.

In the long-awaited finale of her riveting Brimstone Angels series, Erin M. Evans thrusts her signature character Farideh into an epic battle of good versus evil, rife with deception and intrigue, where the question is as much who is evil, as how they can be defeated. The stakes have never been higher, and the fallout will shake the Hells, and through them, the Forgotten Realms.

Before Farideh took a devil’s pact, before she was Chosen by the god-king of the Hells, before any of this started, there was Bryseis Kakistos, the original Brimstone Angel, first of Farideh’s line. Now, at the end, there is also Bryseis Kakistos—but this time, instead of helping the king of the Hells achieve godhood, she’s going to kill him. All she needs is a little help from Farideh—which she should, by all accounts, be happy to give. After all, who could object to killing the king of the Hells? Except, it turns out, Farideh. Because as always, things are far more complicated than they seem.

Genres: Forgotten Realms, Fantasy, Fiction, Dungeons and Dragons, Audiobook, Adventure, Epic

448 pages, Hardcover

First published October 4, 2016

Reviews

[Shadowdenizen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still reading this, but gotta say that Erin Evans deserves to be AT LEAST as popular as RA Salvatore and is a much better writer. (IMO; YMMV Of course.)

Farideh is an intriguing character, who I enjoyed reading about through all these novels. (In contrast, the Drizzt saga lost me fairly early on.)

Here's hoping we get more Farideh stuff down the line, though I'd happily give anything from this author a chance as well.

[Kostas · Rating 5 out of 5]

9/10

In the last book of the Brimstone Angels saga Evans manages to pull a really special finale, taking us into a very different story than she has done before, and also closing very nicely both the characters and the events of the Sundering.

Long ago the people of Unther were lost from this world by the Blue Fire, but now the King of Dust has once again returned and along with him he brought his demon-army, bringing war and destruction to the land of the Vayemniri and all that defies him.
After a long time of peace in this new world the cities of the dragonborn are in great peril and Mehen and Farideh will have to find a way to stop this mad god-king before everything is lost. In the meantime though, they will have to face also their own problems as Farideh will have to find a way to save her sister from the hand of the Brimstone Angel; while Havilar, trapped as she is, will discover Bryseis’s past and, that, will put her in an even bigger danger which might cost her something more than her own life.
On the other side, the Sundering is coming to its end and the battle of the gods will become only bigger, as Asmodeus and Azuth fight for their survival; but in the end it might come to something that neither of them expected and will put the world in a very special place.

Ever since I started reading Evans’s Brimstone Angels, and later her solo work The God Catcher, I remember falling in love with her style and her great adventures, as she brought for me a “fresh air” in the Forgotten Realms that, I think, was needed. And I have to say that with every single one of her books, with the exception of The Adversary which wasn’t entirely her fault so I’m leaving it aside, were really an enjoyment to read as she’s managed to make some of the most entertaining adventures in all the Forgotten Realms; as also making you love the characters, even through their faults.
So, now after six books (plus her solo work) the end of this series, and possibly the end of the Forgotten Realms in general, is something really special for me and in this book, I must say, Evans has put all her great talent at making her biggest and toughest, if not her best, work to date bringing us into a highly entertaining adventure, and in an epic finale that leaves you wanting for more.
Of course, the book has a lot of stuff in it, as it also happened with Fire in the Blood too, but Evans manages to pull everything really nicely and closing the series in a high note.

Overall, this has been a great adventure from start to end of this series and I would consider it my most favorite if I didn’t like so much the first two books that, in the end, are those that made all the rest of her books happen. Definitely an author that I would certainly miss if this is, indeed, the end of the Forgotten Realms.

[Joel Norden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has just been an amazing series. A fun ride, and one that I wasn't expecting to enjoy, as I wasn't really sure about Tieflings before jumping into Brimstone Angels. But Erin did an excellent job keeping this series interesting, and exciting, it always kept me guessing even when I was sure I knew what was coming.

My main question after wrapping up this series was, how the hell is Erin not more popular amongst the Forgotten Realms community? Perhaps I just missed it, but I think she is EXTREMELY underrated. I would love to see Erin do more in the Forgotten Realms, HOWEVER, I plan on reading whatever novel/short she puts out next, regardless of the world or series.

I'm really excited to see what the future holds for Erin M. Evans, and I hope it's bright! If you haven't read anything by her, you should.

[Imjussayin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Devil You Know: Brimstone Angels Book 6
Reading in chronological order is necessary.

The Protagonist: Farideh is a twin. She and her twin sister Havilar (Havi) are Teeflings. You have to read it to get it. Farideh is the thinking sister and the 'warlock'. Havi is not such a deep thinker but is a robust and skilled warrior. The sisters are both similar and different and bound by their love for each other.

The Plot: To save Havi's life, Farideh has to decide if killing the King of Hell is a price she is willing to pay. His death would lead to complications reeking havoc in this world, and other planes of existence. There might be another way which would mean Farideh is gambling her life instead.

The Brimstone Angel series saved the Forgotten Realms world. The books are fresh, exciting and entertaining. They are well written, enthralling page turners. I did not want to put this book down, it's a sequel that keeps you engrossed. Sadly, this is the last in the series. :-(

Evans weaved together an ending with many surprises that managed to join up all the dots. I see another story in the ashes. So please let there be another book. The action scenes are rewarding, and Evan's also has a talent for writing introspective moments. The series has been a study in diversity and the psychology of good and evil. Don't worry; you fall in love with the characters, warts and all. It is later that you realise how informed the book leaves you on social matters.

Arguably the finale was too quick. However, the book is a satisfying long read. This series drew me back to the Forgotten Realms fantasy world. It's a good place to begin your journey into that world and is highly recommended.

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Book Rating

Sexual Content: U
Language: U
Violent: U
Would I read the next one or reread ?: Yes

My rating system (* = star)
0* Could not finish this book (waste of time)
1* Finished the book but didn't like it.
2* Finished the book it was okay.
3* A good read worth your time.
4* An excellent read often with a novel concept or unusual plot.
5* A magnificent read. A prominent example of the genre.

[Randy · Rating 4 out of 5]

After six books the story is finally over. I feel like I’m more of a sucker for long epilogues than this book gives. The finale was pretty good and wrapped up a lot of ends, but I would have liked to know more about what happened after.
It feels open ended enough to warrant a seventh book, that I know is not planned so far.
Similar to Ashes of the Tyrant and Fire in the Blood, the set up was a bit in the long side, while the second half of the book was booming with action, resolutions and more stuff than I could keep track off.
Overal a good book and I enjoyed the serie as a whole very much. I wouldn’t mind reading more books set in the Forgotten Realms, if Evans ever decides to write more. It gave me a lot of perspective on dragonborn, tieflings, warlocks and devils.

[David Given Schwarm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Fantastic D&D Novel!

Man, I really miss the days when these were coming out regularly & would love for WotC to start printing more of them.

This is one of the best series out there & the conclusion of this one is about as big as it gets...and BOOK, of course, BOOK is a main part of the complex plane spanning conclusion.

You will love it!

[Curtis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Things for Farideh seem to just get more and more tangled with every attempt to unravel the situations in which she's found herself. The spirits of Brimstone Angels are back and they have an agenda all their own. Asmodeus is still working toward achieving the greatness he feels he so rightly deserves. And is Lorcan up to something that is in service to someone else...or does he have a path of his own to follow. What's clear for everyone is that something needs to happen to put all of this business to an end. But in order to do that, Farideh may have to put herself, her friends, and her family in danger. And if this doesn't work...well, let's just say everyone really, really hopes it does.

Things have been building toward this finale for a while now. Every time Farideh felt she was getting a step closer to getting back to a normal life--or what passes for normal for her--it's as though she's instead taken a step back. And although she refuses to be a pawn for someone else, too often it seems like she has to give in if she wants to win. This time around, it appears there will be no exception.

I was a little disappointed with the ending. After such a long buildup, it felt a bit anticlimactic to me--which is why this is pulling a three-star rating. It's still an enjoyable read, and fans of the series and character will enjoy getting some closure, even if it's a more subdued closure than one might expect.

[Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The end of a series I never really wanted to end.

I know if it had continued, like certain other series with more than 6 books it would have gotten stale. Would have gotten dragged out, predictable. Although certain elements were inevitable with the story, like the struggle between two certain characters for the love of another, the series was one of the best realms series I have ever read.

It was, as a whole, enough to bring multiple friends into, or back into, the Forgotten Realms at the tail end of it as they decided to stop the novels, possibly for good.

It brought together more threads than I honestly expected, answered more questions than I honestly expected and while I can't say I'm 100% thrilled with where certain characters are left, I'm glad that Erins got one last book to wrap everything up.

Seriously, just read it. You definitely won't regret it, unless you are a REALLY big fan of ONE character.

[Toblerone E · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked just about every book in this series or was okay with them. But something about this book just made getting through it like pulling teeth. I feel like if I were playing through the events of it as a campaign, I'd like it but, this way not so much. Also as a more OCD side note, the copy I had had the most typos and errors I've seen in a book before.

[Ulzeta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quite boring.

[Matias Cimmino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Si venis leyendo estas reseñas desde que empece la saga de "Brimstone Angels", sabes que es una serie que se pone mejor con cada entrega y que este libro es la conclusion de todos los conflictos que vienen quedando pendientes desde el comienzo.
Este libro en particular continua con el mism estilo de narrativa que los anteriores, pero agrega algunos "mini capitulos" que sirven para conocer la historia de algunos personajes que aparecen a lo largo del libro. Lo mejor de esto es que te va guiando un poco en el porque dichos personajes son como son y que es lo que los motiva a tomar las desiciones que toman. Considerando que al final termina de cerrar todo, me parecio un muy buen uso de un recurso literario que a veces se pasa por alto.
Otra cosa que me gusto del libro, y de la saga tambien, es el hecho de que hacen uso de todos los recursos que aparecen en los manuales de rol, desde deidades, civilizaciones, todo tipo de criaturas, y planos de existencia. Y la autora logra incorporar todo esto de una manera super ordenadado, lo que hace sentir al lector como que ya conoce el mundo, pero lo deja a la espera de que es lo proximo que puede ocurrir.
Siento que este libro, a pesar de no ser para nada largo, fue en el que mas tiempo transcurrio en la historia. No se si fueron todos los eventos importantes o como se fueron atando cabos sueltos, pero siento que hasta algun punto fueron dos libros distintos. Se que es una percepcion un poco rara, pero no creo que sea algo malo teniendo en cuanto lo mucho que lo disfrute.
El viaje en el que me llevaron esta saga libros fue excelente. Siento que fue un viaje literario que tenia que hacer, y ahora que llego al final miro hacia atras y veo lo mucho que los disfrute y me lleno de felicidad. Definitivamente son libros cuyos personajes van a quedar grabados por siempre en mi memoria.
Para cualquiera que quiera leer una saga de fantasia con elementos nuevos y una trama dinamica, este es el libro.

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[Tristan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s taken me eons but I finally finished the Brimstone Angels books! A greatly underrated series that I feel has a great assortment of adventure, romance, and action. Erin Evans is incredibly underrated as a writer and I’m excited to read her other works!

As a conclusion to the whole Brimstone Angels saga The Devil you Know does a lot of good things but also does a lot of odd things. I think that the last two books, this and Ashes of the Tyrant ran a little odd in terms of pacing and importance. The vayemniri were interesting and I liked them quite a bit, but I feel like those parts lose a lot of the focus of the story of Havilar and Farideh, who are the highlights. Devil you Know starts a bit slow and gets caught in a lot of ways that kind of drag it down. But I feel like once it was mid way through and stuff started moving it was going great!

I thought the endings to a lot of the different story threads were really good. The conclusion to the love triangle was satisfying and the end of Lorcans story I thought was actually really nice. Caisys was a great new character and I liked how the book tied a lot of the mystery of the twins life and early books back together.

I’m a sucker for when all the important characters come back for the finale and that’s kind of what happens here. It made my smile.

I’d recommend Brimstone Angels to any DnD fan, and probably anyone who has a passing knowledge of tieflings or who like devils and that sort of thing. There are bits and pieces I had to look up just for greater context within the forgotten realms, but over all it’s a great introductory read. Part of me does with the series wasn’t sort of capped by the machinations of the DnD universe writ large, but alas.

[Alberto Amatong · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fantastic conclusion to the Brimstone Angels series! To see so many threads tied together neatly and, most importantly, in such an exciting manner made the emotional pay off well worth it! The relationships between the characters were richly developed, and seeing real-world relationship issues mirrored in such fantastical, high stakes ways was engaging from start to finish. In several sections I found myself frustrated (in a good way) when the focus changed from one set of characters to another. I was so eager to see how everything would end, and I think that every main character had a satisfying conclusion to their story.

As far as Forgotten Realms series goes, the Brimstone Angels has been as enjoyable to me as the War of the Spider Queen was. It was great to experience the locations and cultures that I've read about in the campaign settings first hand, especially when Dragonborn are one of my favorite player races. I know that I've taken away so much from this series that I am excited to implement in my own games as a DM. I am a huge lore nerd, and seeing life breathed into an exotic land rife with extraplanar big players was especially exciting. I've 'known' what happened with the gods and their forces for years (this takes place at the beginning of 5th edition, after all), but seeing HOW it all played out was so rewarding so many years later. I wish I had read the books earlier, but I'm very glad that I finally have!

[Elias Sakellaris · Rating 1 out of 5]

I will attempt to write without spoilers so people who are thinking of reading this book or the whole series will be able to get warned. The setting of these series is really promising: dealing with devils, dragonborn (chosen for some unknown reason), tieflings and hell dukes is extremely intriguing, but on our occasion, it is a great example of how you should NOT do it. Also, pacing is problematic after the first book (which is there to set the story).

So half of this book describes the protagonists' emotions in a story that is far from interesting.
The other half tries to describe the conflict between them, which is totally bland and partially unjustified.
In this book, you will find no action, no intelligent plots (as devils should have done), no quality writing, only this author describing feelings. I am no one to judge of course, but my opinion is that it was a shame for Forgotten Realms.

I am aware that the author needed to write more and not merge the story in one book (like the pace was excellent and more was needed), but it does not justify failing it. I am outraged that these series were considered by some, a lighthouse for the future of Forgotten Realms.

0.5/5

[Ingvild · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5

As with Ashes of the Tyrant, I will have to give a more thorough review on my second read. Suffice to say that I love the entire Brimstone Angels saga, and I am desperately sad to be parting ways with my favourite sisters, Farideh and Havilar. Actually I was not 100% satisfied with the ending, but perhaps the truth is that no ending could have fulfilled me completely, because it would still be an ending. Erin M. Evans honestly deserves more recognition, and it's just really refreshing to read D&D fiction not led by Generic Human Male #3, or Drizzt. No offence to Greenwood or Salvatore, but I personally am a massive fan of women writing fantasy. The only sexism I've had to deal with in this series (not counting the creepiness of a certain wizard) was against Raedra, and that was entirely believable, and proven very very wrong. I don't know what else to say. I just love this series.

Brimstone Angels stand together! Go, go, go!

[Joep Cuijpers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A vast improvement over the previous 2 books.
Mainly thanks to Lorcan's diminished role, and both of the twins acting slightly more competent and clearheaded (slightly...).
By the end of the 6 books it was hard to make out the main storyline through the tangle of all the organizations, gods, demon/devil lords a, plots and conspiracies involved.
(We are talking over a dozen deities from at least 4 different pantheons and just as many separate political/military/criminal organizations). It was a delight for a Forgotten Realms enthusiast althought occasionally it strayed a bit too close to fan-service.
All in all I'm glad I finally finished the series.
I read the last 3 books on audiobook; Dina Pearlman did an excellent job!
Very distinct and interesting voices for the rather large cast of characters; my hat off to her.

[Silas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the final Brimstone Angels novel, which is bittersweet, since I have really enjoyed this series of books, and it carries us well and truly into the new edition of Dungeons & Dragons, and is actually rather significant to the Forgotten Realms as a whole, which I hadn't fully expected. The story wraps up a lot of loose ends, while also showing some rather interesting developments in parts of the Realms that have not often been explored in other books I have read. I very much liked seeing the characters get some closure at the end, though I would have rather have had more books to look forward to, as well, since I enjoy their stories a great deal. If you enjoyed previous Brimstone Angels books, you will also enjoy this one, and the series, itself, is well worth a read.

[Richard Uherka · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Brimstone Angels series was a very good one. I enjoyed reading every book to see where Erin would take our characters this time. The stories are engaging as are the characters, main and secondary. The MC finds herself in a lot of trouble when she tries to rescue her overly-brave sister from an act of shear stupidity and this plot carries through the entire series. I've read a lot of fantasy over the years, including a variety of RPG novels. These I consider amongst the best.

[E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good conclusion to one of the best tie-in series I've read in ages. Plotlines neatly tied up, characters left in good places, and a fun action plot to get us there. Perhaps a bit longer than it needed to be - did drag in places - but that is just a quibble. And most importantly, Best Gay Dad Mehen ends up with the best boyfriend. Sorry, Dahl and Brin. Kallan is a peach.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read and a good end to the series. On the whole, a fun series to read and definitely left an impression on me. The characters are what really pulled me in during the first book and I loved following them throughout their adventures until the very end.

[Chris Austin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed the series overall. Slightly lower rating for this book than the others since I was a little disappointed in how some story arcs were resolved - it could have used a few more chapters.

[Ryan Kennedy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was such a drag it took me 6 years to force myself to finish it. It's extremely bloated lots of pointless dialog the ending is forced and incomprehensible I have no idea what happened. Hopefully now that this series is done I'll never have to read about clucking tongues again.

[Laura Krenz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mostly satisfying finish to the series. I say "mostly" because I want more stories about the twins and their lives after the final events of the book.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the series and it's through back to first edition. I just wish that they told me what happened to Grandma Peredur after the Kuo-Toa.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started slow, and then picked up as it went. Wish the ending was fleshed out a page or two more with the other characters. Lorcan's ending was funny.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hugely satisfying conclusion to the series. Highly recommended if you like your fantasy full of tieflings, divine hijinks, and smooching!

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Finale of an interesting series!

[Tom Rowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

good

[Greg Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Few D&D series transcend the trappings of D&D but Erin M. Evans isn't most D&D novelist, either. Looking forward to her non-D&D work immensely now.

[Drizztl · Rating 4 out of 5]

7.5/10