The Demons We See

The Dark Abyss of Our Sins #1

by Krista D. Ball

Alternate cover edition of ASIN B01CXDKV14


Society was rocked when the Cathedral appointed Allegra, Contessa of Marsina, to negotiate the delicate peace talks between the rebelling mage slaves and the various states. Not only was she a highborn mage, she was a nonbeliever and a vocal objector against the supposed demonic origins of witchcraft. Demons weren't real, she'd argued, and therefore the subjection of mages was unlawful.

That was all before the first assassination attempt. That was before Allegra heard the demonic shrieks. All before everything changed. Now Allegra and her personal guards race to stabilize the peace before the entire known world explodes into war with not just itself, but with the abyss from beyond.

So much for demons not being real.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, LGBT, High Fantasy, Magic, Fiction, Speculative Fiction

329 pages, ebook

First published June 12, 2016

Reviews

[Marta Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

If honest I was expecting an urban fantasy type story but this has a much more high fantasy feel to it so if you enjoy Anne Bishops Black Jewels trilogy than this should be right up your street. It’s initially a very politically driven story that took me a few chapters to get really hooked by but once the characters became more fleshed out I definitely didn’t want to put it down.
Essentially we have Allegra a powerful woman who is a mage in a society that enslaves those with magic due to fear that they could be consorting with Demons. Her childhood friend is now the Holy Father and enlists her to help broker peace as riots and uprisings are increasingly pulling their world towards civil war. Allegra doesn’t believe in Demons or even God but she does strongly believe that slavery should be abolished. She’s given unimaginable powers to effect changes and obviously not everyone wants reform so an elite guard are assigned to protect her headed by Captain Rainier . What follows is a story of secrets, politics, greed and maybe even some magic. Most of all though it’s about the characters who are startling in their diversity.
Once immersed I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I loved that the author embraced all manner of people and with the headlines focusing more on LGBTQIA it felt right to read something that showed a society that could embrace all. My only niggle is that occasionally we get thoughts that took a while to be explained which led me to initially think there were editing issues.
I liked the characters, I empathised with their issues and loved that they were not always perfect. Humourous at times, with believable romance and remember those Demons in the title ? Well keep reading because perhaps Allegra is wrong !
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

[Bea · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new Krista book! That's always a cause for celebration. Krista writes both fiction, an assortment of speculative fiction genres, and non-fiction. At this point, there are only a few of her books that I haven't read or that I don't own, including her non-fiction. Yes, she's just that good. She's a must-read and an auto-buy. In fact, not only do I have the ARC the author sent, which this review is based on, but I also bought a finished copy. :) The ARC was a mess: wrong words, missing words, verb tenses that change mid-sentence, sentences and entire paragraphs that repeat. Some pages were a challenge to read. I'm hoping my finished copy is cleaner and easier to read.

"The Demons We See" didn't disappoint. The story was well done, and kept me reading. I didn't want it to end and I'm impatient for the next book in the series (Okay, so I'm generally impatient but darn it, I need t know who survives!). The characters are interesting, even the secondary ones. Ball brings them to live and makes them real, even when they are oh so different from the reader. Allegra is snarky, rude, compassionate, stubborn, feisty, a little bit innocent, and sometimes desperate. She means well and she learns from her mistakes; she'd definitely not perfect.

There's humor, action and romance. Ball tackles some weighty subjects - bigotry, sexism, sin and redemption, among others- wrapped up in an engrossing story. A few times, the story took second place to the messages Ball has woven into the story but for the most part, it flowed right along. And whether yu agree or disagree with what she says, she makes you think. You can enjoy the story as a straight-up action fantasy story or dig deeper; the story works either way. The story is set in an Earth-type, Middle Ages inspired world. There's sword play, politics, intrigue, religion, betrayal, love, torture and death. It's not a happy book but there are happy moments and there's hope. I'm not sure where Ball is going with her story arc or how events will play out but I'm along for the journey.

[Janny]

This story is Krista Ball at her best - a feisty heroine with a secret that could set her on the wrong side of society's laws and throw her to a terrible fate, Allegra is strong, principled, aware of her protected privilege, and vulnerable on the edge of the abyss if her gift of mage power crosses the line between acceptable and what is considered by law to be a threat to society.

Given a prominent position and the chance to mend the rift that oppresses people with the gift, she is faced with the responsibilities of mending the peace when the tensions are already pitched high enough for rebellion.

This is a tight, well woven tale with exemplary characters, Allegra's vulnerability paired with Rainier, a high ranking noble who is assigned as her captain of the guard to protect her. His privilege and confidence, and Allegra's incisive opinions and impulse to do what is 'right' and the complexities of what that entails in a complex social fabric being torn apart by its flaws - this is a well blended mix of comfort read, high tension, and has all of Krista's incisive ability to finger the echo of problems we face in our world today. Her denunciation of the 'quiet progressive' is a challenge we face, when the wrongs before us are blatant and terrible and the civilized discourse surrounding them breeds a complacency in the face of compiling disaster.

Read Krista Ball for the romantic touch, the active confrontation of her female characters facing society's wrongs, and for the beautiful perspicacity that sharpens her stories with an exceptional relevance. Her thorough characterization is the thread of gold that will capture your heart as she builds the stakes to the boil and finishes with explosive confrontation. I have to read on!

Loved it. Recommend it. Don't pass this author by!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Updated Review:

I’ve never done a full length review for this book and since I’m re-reading it I thought I’d go ahead and do that. Going to be a lot of summary and then some thoughts because I don’t think I can get all my feelings out without talking a bit about some of the things in the book, but it will be pretty spoiler free, or the things I talk about don’t really spoil any major things in the book.

My experience re-reading this was so different from the first time, mostly because I feel like my outlook the world has changed a bit since the first time around back in mid-2016. What a four years this has been, eh? Anywho. There are a lot of politics in this book. The set up is that there is a rebellion brewing in this world as the enslaved mages (and in some cases not even mages, just poor folk that have been accused as an excuse to enslave them because shitty people in power will always take advantage of those less fortunate) begin to fight back against those that have enslaved them. There are two levels of magic users here–regular mages and elementals. Regular mages are quite useful and can imbue items with all sorts of practical spells, such as making buttons or patches of clothing have protection or healing abilities. Elementals can do that as well, but they also have an additonal power to control a specific element and also open and or close portals to the Abyss, the place where their religion tells of demons living. Because of this power, the elementals are feared above all others and of course fear has turned to hatred and thus anyone accused of being an elemental can be arrested and have all their property confiscated without even getting a fair trial, then they are usually sent to the slave mines where they’ll have a short life underground and won’t be able to make problems for their accusers. So, you can see why the oppressed have had enough of this shit, especially when anyone can be accused of being an elemental without any proof.

Enter our main character, Allegra, Contessa of Marsina. She’s one of the richest noblewomen around but she lives as a recluse at an abbey while funneling funds to causes to help the poor and especially mages. She’s not active in court politics and mainly lives in hiding not because she’s a mage, but because of the secret that she’s been hiding as to what type of mage she is. Her childhood friend holds one of the highest positions in the land, essentially the head of the church and state religion. Because she’s so opinionated he appoints her to a position of Arbiter of Justice, essentially with a hope of staving off the rebellion by upholding the Churches law throughout the lands and making sure everyone is following the legal enslavement rules and not taking advantage. On one side you have folks that are abolisionists that want to get rid of slavery altogether that think Allegra isn’t doing enough in her position, and on the other you have many of the folks in power that are profiting from slavery (and especially the illegal arrests) who want no interference at all and see it as an affront as landowners, because shitty people are shitty!

In this book Allegra is constantly being assaulted and at certain points even by folks that you think would be on her side. She’s either doing too much or not enough. She’s trying her best to make the world a better place while also hiding a dangerous secret about herself. She’s being both physically assaulted and emotionally. I feel like this is what happens these days when you are very opinionated on the internet or in public. There’s a certain correlation there. It’s rage inducing and frustrating and also really sad. And that’s how I felt reading this book this time around. There’s so much injustice and it’s so obvious but there’s also plenty of people who are comfortable in their lives doing what they can and taking a back seat to fighting on the front lines and that’s where we find Allegra at the beginning, and she can do that because of her privilege as a noblewoman and also because she’s wealthy. Once she steps into her new role all of that changes in that she’s now a front line soldier in this battle and it becomes immediately apparent how far people will go when you’re trying to upset the life they’ve become accustomed to. This was all too real for me and I felt pretty enraged reading these parts of the book simply because I can’t help but compare it to the real world.

Okay, now that I’ve got the politics out of the way, lets talk about the romance and the characters because I love these aspects of the story. First off, Krista writes great characters, it’s probably her greatest strength as an author, although I do have to say the plot and world building in this one is quite impressive too (all the little details about food and clothing, I really latched on to them this time around and I loved those things). Allegra is a great character–sure she’s a bit self-righteous but she’s also very cognizant of her privilege and her own precarious position if her secret were to be revealed. She’s not without self-doubt and anxiety. Then you have Stanton, the captain who is assigned to be head of her personal guard in her new position. He’s very much a by the book person even though he may sympathize with the plight of others, his duty is to uphold the law of the Cathedral. Of course he believes elementals shouldn’t be free, they’re dangerous after all. So where does that leave him and Allegra once they start to grow close and she starts worrying about her secret even more? Honestly, I loved these two characters together, they have such a slow burn romance. It’s obvious they like each other but it takes forever for them to finally admit that to themselves, let alone each other. They both have reasons, but especially Allegra, as to why things won’t work between them so they keep putting of the inevitable. Part of their chemistry includes a ton of witty banter, so that’s always fun. I also adore some of the side characters such as Lex and Dodd, two of the other soldiers in her guard. They’ve all got their own things going on.

Bottom line, I think this book was even better on the reread. I think the first time around I honestly overlooked some of the political stuff in an effort to be enchanted by the romance brewing between Allegra and Stanton because who wants to be angry when love is in the air? But I think the politics in this are important and they totally should be rage inducing because the world can be rage inducing and we shouldn’t all hide away in an abbey all the time enjoying our privilege, sometimes maybe we should do our part to make the world a better place and stand up for what’s right. 5/5 stars.

Original Review:

Sometimes when a book has everything I love in it (fantasy, romance, humor, tragedy, feelings, etc) I still wind up not being able to get into it because the I just don't connect with the characters. That's never a problem for me with Krista's books--no matter how different her characters are from myself, they're always written in such a way as to be very relatable. I had been anticipating this book for so long and I was not let down. I really do think this is her best work yet. I can't wait til it officially is released so I can read it all over again. <3

[Melissa Hayden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Krista has done well creating a cast of characters I enjoy reading. They all interact well together and have sense of humor.

Krista has a masterful touch to her writing. She easily as she blends fun with serious topics. This story is much more than meets the eye when you start it. It centers around slavery and treatment of slaves. The slaves are those who are accused of being elementals and mages, this does not always mean they are as people get mad at someone and this is their way to have them eliminated. The world fears them and sees them as different so they are cruel and worse to all people who are, or are thought to fall, in the mage category. Allegra helps to free those like her, mages and elementals. She wants to educate the poor born mages so they can control their powers and do more than what they are forced to do.

****FULL REVIEW****
Allegra's letter to the Holy father asking to find an Arbiter that can help stop wars instead of more tension results in her being brought further into a world she strives to stay away from. To stop the rebellion of the mages against the people who have enslaved them, hoping to prevent an all out war between the states that the country couldn't survive, Allegra takes the position she knows will destroy her in the end. But she can't stand seeing the injustice any longer and accepts the position as Arbiter. Allegra will fight many hatreds and prejudices against mages and elementals, to be threatened again and again, to bring freedom and peace to all. Allegra also learns that the stories of the demons locked out of this word is true. Allegra will have to trust those she never thought she would, hoping they won't turn on her, to help keep her greatest secret and fight against threats of man and demon.

Krista starts us off quick with the brutal reality of the elementals - witches and mages. They stay in hiding and never show their ability for they will be sent to the mines or worse, killed. We see Walter fleeing from an underground network of tunnels in what was thought a safe house, until the General and his troops arrive to take in the Lady of the home as a needed elemental. This sets the stage of how mages and elementals are treated and the feel of why a rebellion is stewing.

Krista has done well creating a cast of characters I enjoy reading. They all interact well together and have sense of humor. I do enjoy this in Krista's writing and I read though the book faster. We start off with a small moment that made me smile about looking for the Captains' button in the stable. This sets the personalities of the crew I come to enjoy. And Pope Francois's husband, Pero, feels to have a light felt humor I enjoyed but he's also very emotional feeling about how things should be.

Krista has a masterful touch to her writing. She easily blends fun with serious topics. This story is much more than meets the eye when you start it. It centers around slavery and treatment of slaves. The slaves are those who are accused of being elementals and mages, this does not always mean they are as people get mad at someone and this is their way to have them eliminated. The world fears them and sees them as different so they are cruel and worse to all people who are, or are thought to fall, in the mage category. Allegra helps to free those like her, mages and elementals. She wants to educate the poor born mages so they can control their powers and do more than what they are forced to do.

Allegra is in a position and ranking that she might be able to help those she's been trying to with her money for years. She's a contessa and a mage, with a bigger secret. But she fears for her own control of her ability and what will be done to her if they find out her secret. She tries to help from the sidelines, but quickly learns that's not the same as doing what can be done in the open. I do enjoy her spark and drive though. She's a brilliant woman and it shows in her discussions...minor disputes...with others.

I am absolutely and totally invested in these characters! This book held my attention, and kept me coming back. I enjoyed the interactions of the characters. We have Allegra and Captain Stanton who both have pasts and secrets they don't want anyone to know about. Then there's Lex and Dodd, two lieutenants in charge under Stanton. They are a hoot when they appear on the page. I have enjoyed them both throughout the book. Lex is a different character for me to read, special in his own way. Lex seems to be many people in one and references himself as they. I really like that Lex is different, and accepted. All these relationships grow and strengthen with Allegra as the story goes, and my love for them all grows as well.

There is a growing love that we witness through the book. And it feels natural and innocent. I loved this creation through all they live through. This is a couple that should be together!

The ending had me neeeeeding the next book. I get the feel the world has destroyed the one thing that can help them in the dire times that are to come, and those that treated these people terribly are going to regret it. I sooooo am looking forward to The Nightmares We Know.

[wishforagiraffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a lot to enjoy in this book. The musings from the main character about the impact of good roads on the country's economy (not long enough to be annoying, but enough to be solid worldbuilding). The cast of characters who are all distinct individuals who all interact with each other in ways that make sense, based on what we're told about them and what is revealed to us later in the story. Humor that is actually funny. Romance that isn't cloying and is between two mature adults who act like adults, including considering the ramifications of a romance.

The magic system is interesting and I'm looking forward to reading more about demons (and finding out what's going on with them!) in the next book, as well as delving more into the character relationships, both romantic and platonic.

The author sent me a copy of the book to review at my leisure.

[Jennifer (bunnyreads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, this ended up being a great book. A quick moving story involving mages, slaves, and a society on the brink of war because of their antiquated religious beliefs.

The world building is on the light side and trusts that we are smart enough to keep up. Which is something I appreciate. I don’t need my hand held through every little detail, although there were a couple of instances where maybe a quick clasp would have been helpful.

I found the most interesting part of the world building was to do the side of how things like support programs are run, rather then how the world itself works, though we get a touch of that too. To me though, the daily running of refugee support and it’s bucket of problems, was fascinating and I liked that it touched on that aspect of care, and did it without drowning us in it…because let’s face it, spending money is only interesting for so long, unless it’s your own to spend.

The books strongest quality is the characters. The budding friendships, and growing trust of the main protags, and supporting characters were the driving point of this story. Allegra was a wonderfully strong and caring woman but with a soft vulnerable, and even scared at times center. Stanton…I’d marry at the very least. Strong, kind, supportive type- actually I did marry him. Lol.

Lex and Dodd the personal guard team, were great together and with everyone else. Everyone was a person unique to themselves. I even loved the ‘bad guy’ ex of Allegra’s, who wasn’t such a bad guy after all. I can’t say enough about the characters; they were all so full of life.

Also I don’t usually mention this in reviews but since it’s been mentioned in other reviews, I will add my two-cents about how NICE it is to read non-hetero characters, that are people first. Where every thought is not dictated by their sexuality, and it doesn’t feel like I am reading the equivalent of a FB pat on the back post (you know, where some idiot bought coffee for a homeless person and had to tell the world how great they were for being so generous. Ugh). These were characters that are part of their world. Not part of the world and I am gay/bi/trans. See the difference? I wish more people did.

My only real complaint (other than my dislike of being dropped into a scene in the opening of a book where there is a confrontation, which is not a complaint anyone can really take seriously), was maybe that I would have liked a few more of the minor threads tied-up, but I appreciate that while there is definitely more to the story, it didn’t leave us hanging wondering who would be back for the next book.

Calling it 4.5, but rounding up for not leaving me hanging meanly, in the end. Very much looking forward to the next in this series.

[Ashe Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book. This fuckin' book. I knew it was gonna be good and I'm in love with the cover. Look at the cover. Love it. Anyways, my thoughts on the story itself. The narrative itself is lighter. That's not a bad thing. It sets things up with its basic premise of "a rebellion is building among slaves." From there, it delves into the lives and interactions of the main characters. The interactions between the characters is fun. Everyone has their own little quirks but all share a love of snark and sass (just a matter of how much). Friendships and romance build up in a way that feels wonderfully natural while this big war brews in the background. Lex and Dodd come into their own once they get their hats. Allegra has a nice arc that ends in the place you hoped for. And Stanton is there being wonderful and charming and heroic.

I'd say the two biggest aspects to note about the story is the use of various mental health conditions and the topic of identity. The effects of fear and anxiety are on full display, there's talk of PTSD in a realistic way, there's a huge point about gender identity with Lex and that was done very, very well and felt real. Choices and consequences and grief and all of it feels very genuine and well done.

And as I write this, the next two books aren't out and it's THE WORST. But if you like snappy dialogue and magic and want a world that feels familiar but different and a different sort of adventure in politicking, read this book. You will love it.

[Morgan Beldyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book, fast-paced and with characters I immediately love and identify with. Ball creates a world that is simultaneously more and less progressive than our own. Homosexuality is happily accepted; indeed, the most powerful man in the world happens to have a husband. Skin-tone seems to matter very little if at all. Gender roles present complications, but seem overall ahead of our world. This is the first fantasy novel I've personally read to have an openly genderfluid POV character, and I thought they were fantastically well-written. However, the world of The Demons We See is hardly an egalitarian utopia. For those with magic, we see laid bare all the horrors of slavery, segregation, and every other nasty social issue all in one. In this story, Ball manages to simultaneously sidestep and brutally demonstrate the painful social issues of our time. I don't want you to think that the work is preachy, however, because it isn't. I found myself entertained and deeply worried about the main characters. My only real complaint is about the ending. Ball leaves things well open to a sequel, and has stated that this will be a series, but so much is left unresolved that I want to know what happens *now*. I think it would have been better if more plot threads were resolved, even as others leave us hanging.

[Van Brewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

For people in a hurry: buy book, read book, enjoy book, thank me later. Demons, magic, swords & hot stuff.

Ball is already a favorite author; her work is creative and enjoyable to the extent that I’ve followed her into new genres. Never a regret. I recommend the Tranquility series, the Spirit Caller serial (favorite), her non-fiction work and other novels as well. As for this particular work - I think The Demons We See really shows evidence of a writer honing her craft. She presents a new world without excessive exposition, introduces interesting characters that aren’t just archetypes, and really manages tempo well. Not that she didn’t do this in her earlier books, but the pace contributed to the readability of the work. There's a bit of court intrigue, and a bit of adventuring - all nicely woven together. Now begins the interminable wait for the next in the series …

[Jasmine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Allegra's entire country is a powder keg. This is particularly problematic because she can summon fire.

This book is really interested in the social necessity and the social cost of revolution, and it does it well. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.

[Calvin Park · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Demons We See is the first of Krista D. Ball’s novels that I’ve read. It has the feel of a Regency period piece, though its set in a secondary world with fun magic. The characters are definitely the aspect that shone the brightest for me. If you’re looking for a lighter read between big epics, this will probably scratch that itch well.

As I mentioned, the characters are the thing that really stood out to me in this novel. Ball obviously has a knack for crafting interesting and believable characters. What I loved here is that it wasn’t only the main character(s), or even only the viewpoint characters, who were interesting. The entire cast was engaging. While the dashing, veteran captain of the guard may be a bit of a stereotype, the terrified high-born mage isn’t, and the non-binary guardsperson definitely isn’t. The whole cast managed to feel real, with their own fears, motivations, and joys. The fact that Ball manages this in a fairly short book is impressive. I really enjoy fantasy that doesn’t just give us great worlds and plots but believable characters, and Ball does that with aplomb. She also gives us a magic system with a good bit of potential, though we only receive bits and pieces of the system as it doesn’t come into major focus until the later half of the book. Even so, it’s fun to see some good old fashion fireballs being flung about.

My dislikes are very much about my preferences. I generally dislike the use of church in secondary world fantasy—often because it feels anachronistic to me. This may be because I’ve studied the historical development of the Christian church in its European form and there are a number of cultural factors that give rise to it that are fairly specific and likely not replicable in a secondary world. Like I said, that’s very much a preference thing on my part. Other than that, the setting itself felt fairly vanilla, vaguely European early 18th century. Since the focus of the story wasn’t necessarily the setting, this didn’t have a huge impact on my enjoyment. I also felt like the ending was a little abrupt. It’s obviously a cliff hanger, but I expected a little more of an anticlimax.

The Demons We See is a fun secondary world, period-ish novel that has a wonderful cast of characters. If you enjoy character-drive fantasy this is definitely one to check out. I plan to read the sequel whenever I find a slot in my mountainous TBR.

4/5 stars.

5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 – It was ok, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it
1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a solid 3.5 stars that I'm rounding up to 4 in appreciation of the author's great characters and genuinely funny dialogue moments.

There's a lot to love about this book - the setting is basically an alternative-Italy (or at least that's how it read to me) with a very re-imagined Catholic Church and Pope. In this world, the Pope (Francois) is married to his husband, Pero. The main plot revolves around Francois naming his childhood friend, Allegra (the Contessa of Marsina), who happens to be an extremely wealthy, unmarried, and magically gifted noblewoman as the new Arbiter of Justice for the Church. This allows Allegra to look into the problem of mages being made into slaves, an issue which has the nation on the bring of a civil war.

Honestly, the cast of characters in this book - Allegra herself, a mature woman of means, the guard sent to accompany her, Stanton, and some of the other members of the guard, especially Lex are the standouts of this book to me. Lex is a transgender character and I think handled particularly well.

For me, the plot with mages being somewhat accepted, but if they were elemental mages then they were outlawed/dangerous because they (maybe) summon demons - but sometimes the accusation of being an elemental was leveled against mages as an economic or political power play - was interesting, but also the weaker part of the book compared to the strength of the characters. There were also a few minor editing things that may have been corrected in subsequent editions (I'm terrible about remembering to update ebook editions before reading).

Overall a good read and a refreshing change from the usual fantasy protagonists.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love when a fantasy novel can manage to be both political (i.e. not just "kings doing things and war happening" but the actual inner-working of legislatures and executive offices) and fantastical without losing what makes either of those special. Not only is it thematically strong, but it also manages to be thematically salient to our current times. And the author is from Canada, even!

That said, it can be a little too X-Men where the fantastical people serve as a stand-in for all marginalized groups. And that's worse in this case, too, because "elemental mages = immigrants" or "elemental mages = ethnic minorities" as an analogy kind of implies that, in the real world, when these groups are marginalized, there's a concrete, tangible fear of said groups that justifies their marginalization. It's still thematically consistent and thematically strong as a novel, but the metaphors can be too on-the-nose sometimes.

Also, I think a woman got fridged? But I'm also not sure if that's as bad of a thing as usual because it's to motivate a woman instead of a man? I'm kind of confused.

I noticed a few grammatical errors, too, but nothing that pulled me out of the story.

[KJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't really read many self-published books, but I decided to give Krista D. Ball a chance, as I am a frequenter of /r/fantasy. The Demons We See has a good story line with an interesting context. Its pacing is a little odd and it could have used a little more editing, but overall it is enjoyable and I look forward to reading more of Ball's work in the future.

[Robert Runte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent read: nicely developed world/society; nicely developed characters; and thematically mature action/adventure/romance novel. Kept me turning pages when I should have been abed. I thought I had figured out the obvious plot twist half way through, but ending convinced me I got that wrong--so at very least, not obvious. But if it's not him, then who IS putting out the---? I will definitely sign up for the rest of the series: I care about all these characters and the central mystery is worth pursuing. But the novel's greatest strength is its use of allegory to get at a very contemporary issue (no spoilers from me, but come on, if you don't get what this book is REALLY about you are not paying attention). Ball has shown herself to be an accomplished and significant voice in Canadian SF&F, and deserves a much wider audience. With this series, she may finally get the recognition she deserves.

[Eric Dicarlo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Krista D. Ball writes with a voice that is belongs solely to herself. This is great and makes the book super refreshing to read, but I can imagine that those reading her for the first time might be scared away (I know I almost was).

Don't! like I said, Ball's voice is fantastic and allows for extremely effective character representation. Furthermore, the plot itself focuses on a part fantasy worlds that is often discussed, but abandoned nearly as often. I don't want to spoil anything, but it works to create a more intimate (in both meanings of the word) experience that I've been looking for.

my ONLY beef is that some events (and their implications) would come up sort of quickly for me and I would have to play mental catch up.

[Dianthaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been in and out of a reading slump all winter, and picked up TDWS when I had a really busy time at work. So I ended up reading the first 30% slowly over two weeks, then when I finally had reading time one weekend I was physically unable to put the book down. And then I got the second one and I couldn’t put that down either, it was witchcraft I tell you.

Worldbuilding
I really liked the setting, worldbuilding, what have you. The series takes place in a secondary world, inspired by a 17th (I think) century vatican, with a few significant differences. Magic is real, mages are considered dangerous, and enslaved for society’s protection. Most mages aren’t very powerful, they can only do small enchantments. The powerful elemental ones are executed or sent to the mines as soon as someone accuses them. I really liked how there was both a practical explanation for how the mages could be enslaved, and a strong religious reason for it. The cool thing this leads to is that the church’s entire bigotry is targeted towards mages, and not gender and sexual orientation. So there are women cardinals and the pope is a happily married gay man (this made me very happy), and no one bats an eye over this. There’s still the odd misogynist here and there, but people call them out for it.
I love backstories, so I’m really curious to see if book 3 brings us any reveals about the backstory of this world. There are events that could be either history or legend, and I wonder if they’ll end up being important.

Characters and relationships
I don’t know why I started with the setting, because the characters are the best part. And their relationships. Right from the start Allegra and Rainer have these bantery arguments that are to die for. They are both witty and smart, they clearly enjoy talking to each other, while having different world views, it’s fun, it’s cute, there’s conflict, it’s well written, I highlighted 3 pages in a row. Even just going over my highlights has me grinning like an idiot. Another thing I really liked about Allegra was how she didn’t stop hesitating after she made her choice, all her previous didn’t just magically disappear, but stayed there to nag at her.
Dodd and Lex, two members of the Consorts under Rainer’s command, are a joy as well. They’re the typical pair of mates, always poking fun at each, but united by a deep bond of friendship. I loved how, rather that just giving them the usual comic relief role, they’re both fully fleshed out and competent, we even get Lex’s POV here and there, and their role, and the respect they are given, grows throughout the series.
Apart from the guy in the prologue, I loved all the characters we met in the quarter or so of the book. This made me greatly concerned as I waited for the assholes. I knew there couldn’t be a Krista book without assholes. Oh boy did she deliver on that front.

The dark abyss of our sins
This book is not light. Oh, the tone often is, I burst out laughing loads of times. Maybe that’s why it can go to the heart of things. It doesn’t just critique the evils of mage slavery and slave owners, but it heartwrenchingly sheds light on the lie of being a moderate in such a situation, and all the insidious ways small actions support a corrupt system. There are also plenty of depictions of poverty and fear, Allegra’s fear of being accused as an elemental is palpable. So is the vileness of people keeping others in poverty to cling to their power. Allegra calls it like it is, often pissing everyone off in the process. She also struggles a lot, makes dangerous choices, and really needs to get some sleep.

The story
The mages are rebelling more and more, and the stale church administration has been ineffective at doing anything to stop them. There’s a ton of political maneuvering, some travelling fraught with danger, a lot of people trying their best to help people. And then the ending is very action intense, dangerous and emotional. After the halfway point I started to see a tapestry of hints coming together to spell disaster, everything held in balance by a thin thread. It was clear shit was gonna hit the fan, and I just spent half the book feeling Krista had her hand in my chest, holding my heart, about to twist. Especially when some dangers were handled agonizingly slow, one of my eloquent notes reads : “jfk just pull the damn bandaid off!”
The ending is sort of a cliffhanger, but I think the hangingness was overstated a bit in HEA announcement thread. It’s not one of those first in series books that really works well as a standalone, but it’s not a first-in-trilogy book without an ending either. The ending of book one is a catalyst for the rest, but before cutting off we’re given a glimpse of everyone’s status. I felt like the situation in book one was over and what comes next would be a new stage. I still read the next book right away though.

QUOTES:
“ Stanton stood tall and proud against the wall and brooded. He knew he was brooding, and yet he could not turn it off. So he continued to stand there, guarding and brooding. “

“What’s she like?
In a word, opinionated, Pero said, In two words very opinionated. In three words, stunningly very opinionated”

“Contessa, are you planning to argue with me this entire trip?
Maybe. I hope you have the stamina for such an encounter. I can be a very eager debater. I do hope you can rise to the challenge.”

“This was the price of her freedom: the enslavement of others.”

[Patti Mar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book sucked me in right away, and kept me hooked throughout. I ended up attached to the characters, read half through the night when I ought to have been asleep, and nearly missed my bus stop more than once. 100% recommending this book to everyone I know with a "just stop talking and read it!!" I can't wait for the rest of the series.

[Ale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as part of the r/fantasy Book Bingo Challenge 2020 for the "Canadian author" category. Hard Mode for this square is a self-published book or one from a small press.

Krista D. Ball is a staple commenter on the r/fantasy subreddit and I always enjoy her takes on publishing, feminism in writing and the importance of calling a spade a spade (or in this case a romance book a romance book). I always wanted to read her works but I could never find the excuse to, until she put together a collection of five of her novels, as a primer to her writing. The Demons We See is the first in her trilogy set in a secondary world where magic is real (and so are demons), and mages are persecuted and enslaved.

The story follows Allegra, the Countess of Marsina, who is asked by the Church to become the Arbiter, the voice of the Holy Father and try to end the conflict between the aristocratic classes and their enslaved mages. Allegra wants nothing to do with this role, not least because she is an elemental (something she hides for fear of being enslaved herself), but also because she doesn't believe in the teachings of the Church or the existence of demons. That was all before the first assassination attempt. And before Allegra realised that demons are real. Now, she has to fight for her life, for the liberation of all mages and somehow prevent herself from falling in love with the handsome Captain Rainier. Maybe she should have stayed in that abbey after all...

I loved the story! I loved Allegra herself, who really straddles the line between a competent woman and one who sometimes is well in over her head and needs to have a good cry. I like this in a heroine, because she doesn't have to sit between the "I'm a tough girl I show no emotions" and "I'm a delicate flower and need my man to protect me". She's scared of being found out, so her self-control needs to be in check at all times. She's clever, yes, and she is diplomatic (some of my favourite sections in the book are of her using her "soft skills" to get what she wants), but she's also vulnerable and I could sympathise with her anxieties against having her secret exposed. She's a woman from a background of privilege and I really enjoyed watching her settle on the best course of action. The early scenes where she muses on the importance of roads for the development of Serna set the scene so nicely, without having long infodumps about the state of the world.

Ball is very adept at showing us her world through small interactions and characters. Everyone in this story feels fully realised and the inclusion of non-binary people was brilliant: the character just exists, they don't need to explain themselves and seeing everyone accept them without question was great. This is a secondary world fantasy novel and dammit if Ball won't just let LGBTQ+ exist without having to justify them, something I am fully on board with. The gay couple in the novel are also great, without falling into any stereotypes and again without having prejudice thrown against them. Serna reserves its prejudice for the mages instead. And here, again, I enjoyed seeing the gamut of reactions, from the rebels who fight for mage liberation through to the nobles who want to keep the status quo, as it ensures their riches are never threatened and they can continue to enslave mages. It feels realistic and seeing Allegra be torn between what she knows is right and her own fears (and then have other characters chastise her for it) also felt very real and true. I felt for her throughout the novel, especially as the stakes keep going higher and higher.

The romance is also approached maturely and sensibly. This isn't a novel where both characters just become slaves to their passions and fall into each other's arms (the way most historical romances go), without a care for the consequences, oh no. Here we have two adults who carefully measure up whether this is a risk worth taking, and they communicate with each other! There are no misunderstandings and the conflict isn't triggered by them not talking to each other! Even when Allegra misreads his intentions and assumes a specific course of action, she still talks to him about it. It's such a relief to have mature characters who communicate their feelings, who talk through what would happen and who can actually be frank about the sort of relationship they expect to have. More of this please!

So why not a full 5 stars? Niggling typos and sentences that sometimes seemed out of place. Whenever they happened, I would constantly be aware of them and it would pull me out of the story. The ending also felt slightly abrupt, though because I was reading this as part of a boxset, I didn't expect to turn the page and have a whole new book appear, so maybe for some this won't be as much of a surprise as it was for me! But this world, and the plight of Allegra and her friends, are enough to keep me wanting more. The sequel The Nightmare We Know is already out, so I'll make sure to read it pretty soon, so I can join the others waiting for the release of the final novel in the trilogy. If you're looking for interesting worldbuilding and a romance that feels real, then you can't go wrong with this one at all.

[ApexPrickle · Rating 4 out of 5]

In The Demons We See, mages are enslaved, using their powers to produce magical goods or to support other industry. The most powerful mages, elementals, are typically sent to work in mines which operate as de facto prisons, and their lives are hellish and brief. Our main character is Allegra, the Contessa of Marsina, who has lived a somewhat retiring life in a mountainside abbey. She is a vocal opponent of mage slavery, but when the novel opens she has generally confined her opposition to financial support of abolitionist causes rather than other political activity in the world at large. She has good reason--she is herself not merely a mage (this is widely known) but also an elemental (this is a secret known to only a few). As the novel opens Allegra has been invited by the highest religious leader of the land, an old friend, to take on the role of "Arbiter" and mediate the growing conflict between the pro- and anti-slave factions. Resistant at first, eventually she embraces the role and the bulk of the novel involves her delicate, and occasionally violent, negotiations between the factions, as well as a blossoming romance with the dashing Captain Stanton Rainier who has been assigned to protect and support her.

I enjoyed the novel, primarily on the basis of the engaging and interesting characters, especially Allegra. I also had a few reservations--one based on some confusion about the genre, and the other based on the "tell, don't show" writing style which I felt dominated the narrative. I'll talk about my reservations first.

I'm not quite certain what specific genre you would classify The Demons We See as, beyond the generic "fantasy" appellation. This isn't a real problem with the book itself, but the blurb for the novel gives a somewhat misleading idea of what to expect, and because I went into the book expecting one thing it took me a while to adjust to the actual style. This is the description of the book given on Amazon (as well as in the Kindle version I read):

>>Society was rocked when the Cathedral appointed Allegra, Contessa of Marsina, to negotiate the delicate peace talks between the rebelling mage slaves and the various states. Not only was she a highborn mage, she was a nonbeliever and a vocal objector against the supposed demonic origins of witchcraft. Demons weren’t real, she’d argued, and therefore the subjection of mages was unlawful.

>>That was all before the first assassination attempt. That was before Allegra heard the demonic shrieks. All before everything changed. Now Allegra and her personal guards race to stabilize the peace before the entire known world explodes into war with not just itself, but with the abyss from beyond.

>>So much for demons not being real.

This is not technically inaccurate, but it suggests--to me at least--an "epic" or "high" fantasy nature to the story that really isn't there. The story really is very light on direct action scenes and consists more of characters discussing moral politics and enacting various political directives (largely off-screen). There is also the burgeoning romance between Allegra and Stanton, which is the primary subplot. The clothes characters wear and the food they eat are described in some detail, but the magic system is barely described at all, and action scenes are definitely subordinate to the dialogue. (It's like if someone asked you to describe the chapter "The Council of Elrond" from The Fellowship of the Ring, and you said, "it's about the reawakening of ancient evil and powerful wizards fighting each other and noble warriors and a great magic weapon." That's technically true, I suppose, but really it's about a bunch of dudes sitting around a table talking to each other. )

The blurb also suggests that the idea of "demons being real" and a demonic invasion would be a major plot point. However, the most minor hints at this plot don't show up until the 60% point, and doesn't directly manifest until the the book is 95% over (based on my Kindle stats). It doesn't have the prominence that the novel's description suggests.

I'm not sure what genre I would put this novel in--"fantasy of manners" doesn't seem quite right, nor does "costume drama." It's almost "political fantasy." And that isn't bad in itself, but based on the blurb I expecting something more frenetic and quick paced. Things like the consistent description of clothing and all of the talking fit the actual style and mood of what the novel was going for--a style and mood which I generally enjoyed--but for a good while in the beginning I was judging the book through an inaccurate lens.

Somewhat related to the novel's preference for dialogue over action is a pronounced tendency to a "tell, don't show" style. The majority of the book consists of people talking to each other, usually Allegra and at least one interlocutor, about the various social and moral issues at play. This is perhaps a natural result of Allegra being the primary POV character (a few other characters have POV scenes but Allegra's POV dominates)--her role is to mediate between high-ranking individuals and to, in essence, draft legislation. Her role is not to be in the trenches and see that her decisions are carried out. While the dialogue is well-written, sometimes witty, sometimes stirring, sometimes unflinching, I sometimes felt emotionally removed from the novel.

This is definitely a book with an explicit morality. There are no moral shades of gray here--there is a clear distinction between justice and injustice, between good and evil, and which side we're supposed to be on. (This clear moral code is the most traditionally "epic fantasy" aspect of the novel.) This moral position is very liberal (in the modern political sense of the term). The in-world "mage slavery" has aspects which reflect both real-world racism and gay rights, and other liberal political topics get their time on the stage, including ethical consumption, the status of refugees, and even mansplaining. The book's title The Demons We See suggests the question, "what are the demons we can't see?," and the answer I think is the variety of cruelties we inflict upon other human beings in daily life. Certain worldbuilding elements, such as the normalization of LGBT people, are non-political, in that they are simply presented as existing rather than being the focus of political conflict.

Besides the fact that this explicit morality generally coincides with my own personal views, I enjoyed seeing modern ethical debate played out in a fantasy setting. However, with few exceptions this ethical debate is strictly confined to people talking about it, either in dialogue or in internal monologue. We very rarely see any of the actual individuals whose lives are being effected by these debates and legislating. (There's almost a meta political point happening about class-based privilege.) I don't think we need torture porn to understand the idea that "slavery is bad," but given all the talking, all the discussion, and the lack of involvement with the actual people effected I started to feel emotionally removed from what was going on, to the point that occasionally two characters talking to each other started to feel like the author talking at me. Let me give an example:

At one point in the story a young boy, who may or may not have magical abilities, steals a loaf of bread and attacks someone. The boy is arrested and sentenced. We don't learn about this because we see it happen, we learn about it because two characters talk about it, chastising each other, presenting their opinions in a shouting match. We never see the boy experiencing deprivation that might push him to act desperately--we never see the boy at all. We're just told there's a boy and he did something and this is how we should feel about. In a later scene where the boy is about to be hanged, even though the boy is himself ostensibly present, he's barely actually there (the extent of description of him is that he "sobbed and sniffled.") and only serves as a catalyst for the action of another, more powerful, character.

This is a consistent pattern in the novel. High political and moral drama is played out exclusively in dialogue of characters removed from the action. (The end of the novel does involve a lot of physical action, action which is more stereotypical "fantasy" perhaps, but this a marked departure from what comes before.) These dialogues are often stirring and, in themselves, exciting rhetoric, but the line between speeches and speechifying is often a very thin one.

So I suppose with all this criticism it would be fair to ask why I kept reading. I actually enjoyed the book quite a bit, and the reason for that comes directly down to the characters, especially Allegra. I enjoyed reading about her, and I think she is a good example of a fantasy hero, bearing wit, intelligence, and perseverance as her weapons. Allegra is a strong character with agency in the world. She makes decisions which affect the world around her and which have realistic repercussions. Her character development from something of a limousine liberal to a real hero for her cause not only made sense but was quite captivating. I thought she was witty, thoughtful, compassionate, proud. She isn't perfect--in particular, she is on a few occasions accused of hypocrisy (including by herself), and this accusation has some justification. Her fears were realistic, as well as her passions. Actually, this goes back to my point about "tell, don't show": besides having extensive access to her spoken words and her inner thoughts, there are several circumstances where we directly see Allegra experiencing the consequences of her actions. At one point she is almost taken into custody, at another she is brutally attacked by a political foe. Her exhaustion is described physically on the page, instead of just being reported to us by someone else. None of these scenes feel gratuitous, though they are often quite violent, but rather they support her development and depiction as a character.

Other minor characters shine as well. In particular I enjoyed Lex, one of the members of Captain Rainier's force of guards who becomes something of a confidante and friend to Allegra. They were, especially paired with their BFF Dodd, fun but never mere comic relief. I appreciated their bravery and how they acted under pressure. I'm not certain if it's more appropriate to say Lex is trans or nonbinary, but I thought the depiction of their gender identity was done well. There's also the gallant Captain Rainier himself. While I admit that the romance subplot with Allegra and Rainier isn't the sort of thing I naturally gravitate towards--the very first time they were in a carriage together I was like, "just fuck already!"--but I think that if you are into slow-burn (but definitely burning) romances, you will enjoy this one.

I kept thinking that The Demons We See would make for a good Broadway musical. I'm serious. There would be limited stage sets required. You could blow a huge budget on costume design. "People talking to each other" is almost tailor-made for a stage play. Songs from the score might include: "Don't Lose Hope, Mrs. Ansley"; "It's Elemental, My Dear Walter"; "I Burn Inside (With Love)"; and "Coming Out of The Frying Pan and Into the Fire."

I liked the book quite a lot, primarily on the strength of the characters. There were a few typos and typesetting issues but nothing distracting. I would definitely read the sequel, and other books Ball has written.

Score: 3.5, rounded up to 4.

You should read this book if you like:

* a book with a forward, clear, and stirring moral message
* strong female characters
* being able to visualize everything characters wear and eat
* a realistic, book-length romance
* taunting your enemies while drinking bone marrow broth

You should avoid this book if:

* you enjoy frequent, high-octane action scenes
* you don't like cliffhanger endings
* description of clothes and food doesn't interest you
* you like well-thought-out "hard" magic systems
* you think SJWs killed Star Wars

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid 4 from me. Enjoyable characters with solid writing behind it. I'm a bit confused about some of the plot points, like how you repress magic, but hopefully they might get cleared up down the line. Overall this was a very enjoyable fantasy/romance novel. Although I may have skipped over the squelchy time. Ick.

[Jane Glatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book ... Excellent world building with a complex political and social structure. Characters were believable and motivations - and the wit and sarcasm between characters was lots of fun ...

[RuinEleint · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable book. The author's focus on the characters is nicely balanced by the more or less even pace of events and the well-imagined world. I look forward to the sequel.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Krista D. Ball’s The Demons We See (The Dark Abyss of Our Sins Book 1) is also found in: Beginnings: first novels in multiple series by Krista D. Ball (great way to figure out which of her series you might like). I don’t review a lot of fantasy, but sometimes it’s just too fun to ignore. This is one of those times. I already love Ms Ball’s “Collaborator” series, so I had to read more by her–the collection of firsts was perfect for that.

Allegra is the Contessa of Marsina. She’s also an elemental mage. The fact that she’s a mage is well-known; only her family’s wealth and position saved her from being tattooed or branded and enslaved. Almost no one knows she’s an elemental, however. Elementals are believed to be too powerful to allow in society, and many of them die within months while working in the mines. The general populace also believes that mages are created when a person has sexual congress with a demon. The fruit of mages’ sweatshop labors to create enchanted items is available to anyone with the money to purchase it. Allegra wants to stop this system, wants the inevitable war between mages and others to not occur. But she’s too afraid and comfortable to do more than send a snide letter to the Holy Father Francois, her childhood friend and now leader of the faith. Unfortunately for her, he decides to fire back with an offer to appoint her Arbiter of Justice, responsible for the peace talks. Both of them are surprised when a series of events causes her to accept the position. She doesn’t have much support among the Cardinals, but she has the help of Captain Stanton Rainier, a bona fide war hero who enjoys her for her wit, and his Consorts–the Holy Father’s personal soldiers. Will it be enough to stop a war?

Ms. Ball’s characters are her massive, shining talent. Allegra has a sharp wit and is quick with a verbal riposte, but she also has her fears and anxieties. When she’s forced to stand up for her beliefs in front of enemies, she’s terrified. Stanton is also fantastic. At first he’s unhappy about having to take on this responsibility, but he quickly starts to enjoy Allegra’s company. Truly, any character who shows up more than once is absolutely wonderful, from some of the more entertaining Consorts to an outlaw mage named Walter (or as he likes to tell people: “Walter Cram, Demon Lover!”) who has a history with Allegra. Even characters like Father Michael (the priest at the abbey where she lives) and her personal servant have personality that shows up even in small interactions.

One of the scarier things about how elementals are treated is that there’s no way to definitively prove that someone is or isn’t an elemental unless they happen to use their powers in front of you. So people weaponize accusations of being an elemental against political rivals, people whose property they wish to confiscate, and so on. It’s only a matter of time before someone decides to try that against Allegra.

Politics are not my favorite kind of plots, but Ms. Ball makes them interesting. Largely by giving those involved enough personality that their interactions are enough to carry the page count. Some of Allegra’s decrees have unexpected consequences–probably not surprising for someone who’s never delved into politics before.

I love the chemistry between Allegra and Stanton. And ah, I might have cried once or twice while reading this. Also, I stayed up two hours late just to finish this book because I couldn’t put it down. So, yeah, I’ll be picking up any other books in this series that I can get a hold of!

Content note for mild, brief sexual content.


Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2020/10/r...

[Sara G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh man, I really liked this book. After hanging around on Reddit's /r/Fantasy community for years, I had yet to read anything by resident author Krista D. Ball. After seeing glowing reviews for this book I decided to give it a shot. And I'm so glad I did!

The characters are hands down the best part. All of them had unique voices, realistic internal dialogues and motivations, and great interactions with one another. It was seriously refreshing to read about characters who act like adults, who have conflicts but deal with them in a mature way, and actually communicate with each other. When certain things were kept back, there was a good reason, rather than simply for the sake of causing drama. I can't tell you how much of a welcome change of pace this was!

I absolutely loved Lex. I think they are the first nonbinary character I've encountered in a book, and I'll admit it threw me off a little at first--I'm so used to subconsciously categorizing people by gender. But Lex's gender identity wasn't their only character trait, and they were an extremely well written character. I also really liked the inclusion of Allegra's dilemma over how to address/treat Lex. Like, she was accepting, but she also felt uncomfortable because she didn't want to make Lex uncomfortable. And they were able to discuss it like reasonable adults, so, again--hooray!

Before I move on from addressing the characters, can I just say the romance. Was. So. Good. Adults who are attracted to one another and handle that attraction in a mature, reasonable way? In my fantasy novels? What is this? No Angsty McAngstface, no unnecessarily avoiding the topic with each other, no heaving bosoms (ok, well, maybe a little of that). Two enthusiastic thumbs up for that.

As for the other aspects of the story, I thought the setting, worldbuilding, and prose were all good, but not great. The mage persecution isn't anything new, but I appreciated how this book focused more on the practical side of handling such a conflict. "Freedom for all mages! End slavery!" sounds great and all, but unfortunately the reality is much less cut and dry. Allegra's difficulties with balancing justice with "the greater good" and her personal morals were very well handled.

I noticed a few small grammatical errors, but nothing egregious. There were also some repetitive words/phrases (e.g. sipping tea, lips quirking into a smile, lots of snickering and grinning and chuckling especially between Stanton and Allegra) that started to break my immersion a tiny bit. But, again, nothing egregious.

Oh, and Allegra's name--there's nothing wrong with it, but it's the name of an allergy medication and that's all I could think of anytime her name popped up. Lol.

If you want to read a story with lots of political maneuvering, magic, characters who act like adults, and great romance, check this one out. But come on...that cliffhanger at the end! Why???!!

Setting/Worldbuilding: 7
Characters: 9
Plot/Pacing: 7.5
Prose: 7.5

[S. Kaeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

TLDR: I finished it in less than 24 hours (couldn’t sleep because it was in my head—had to get back up to finish it) and it’s one of the few books that have made me cry.

This is the first book from the author I’ve ever read, and I definitely want to read more from her! She has a deft hand with storytelling and I loved the way she interwove the points of view. Rather than focus on high politics, much of the story focuses on day-to-day issues of those high society has forgotten or found unworthy—mage-slaves, their families, and the poor.

Allegra is a noble who happens to be childhood friends with the highest ranking religious-political figure in a society that’s Inquisition-era in vibes. She also is an outspoken advocate for mage-slaves in a society where magic is considered to be evil—and those who are able to do magic are forced into hard, dangerous labor. She’s tasked with handling peace talks with other nations and the rebel mages within the country—a task that puts her in the crosshairs of every prejudiced person in the country. (And the church here has done a lot of whipping up of prejudice.) Allegra is an incredibly strong character and it was easy to identify strongly with her passion for equality. She’s a great example of a badass female character who’s strong without being a fighter.

To protect her, Stanton and his team are assigned as an escort/bodyguard. Stanton leads the military-like group, and he is a pretty epic character as well. He believes what the church has told him—magic is evil, sent by demons. This of course leads to big fights with Allegra, but he doesn’t resent the fights—he likes how she brings up points he hadn’t thought of before. And the task to protect her is difficult, with assassination attempts, etc. He throws himself whole-heartedly into the job even before he begins falling for her.

The last point of view is Lex, a nonbinary person who’s part of Stanton’s team. Lex is fantastic, and I love the point-of-view they bring to the story, not being privy to the machinations of high society. I think they were done really well too, as they felt like a well-rounded person who happen to also be nonbinary. Lex’s moments of heroism also rock, I must say.

In short, this is a fantastic book if you like high fantasy and/or romantic fantasy with steamy scenes. If you’re iffy on the steam, I believe there are only a couple, but the emotional aspect really moves the characters along their arc, so they feel natural and not bolted on. The characters really bring the book to life, but be prepared for them to pop off the page and camp in your head!

[auricle · Rating 5 out of 5]

[There are no explicit plot spoilers in this review.]

The Demons We See is the first book in the Dark Abyss of Our Sins trilogy by Krista D. Ball. The entire trilogy is currently published and available. The book starts from a comfortably familiar medieval setting to frame a story of persecution and inequality. In this world, religion and nobility are the major political powers and mages are repressed because theology blames them for ancient catastrophes involving demons.

The main character is Allegra, a high-born woman who straddles both sides of the conflict through the "misfortune" of also being a mage. Because of her connections and rabble-rousing letter-writing campaigns, she is asked to become the Arbiter of Justice, a peace-making role that has historically been an empty figurehead maintaining the status quo.

This book is a prime example of the power of fantasy to safely explore real-world problems. The conflict between mages and the normal folks who fear them could just as easily be about racism, Islamophobia, or 1950s McCarthyism. It's a little heavy-handed in allegory and the significant number of non-traditional characters and relationships, but all of the pieces come together nicely to explore themes of tolerance, acceptance, and morality.

The workmanlike writing style presses forward bluntly and is at its best in the dialogue-heavy interactions between fleshed-out friends and flirts, or the inner monologues of characters trying to normalize their beliefs with what they see in front of them. It was less effective for me in conveying visceral action sequences, and sometimes provides a little too much detail on what each character is eating or wearing.

The Demons We See is an excellently-paced book that succeeds on the strength of its character development and bantering dialogue. I read this quickly and enjoyed it enough to immediately purchase the next book. (Be warned that it ends at a "resting point" with no strong resolution, so it will be unsatisfying as a one-and-done).

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

*takes deep breath*

Okay, I have a lot of feelings about this book.

First of all, Allegra. A wonderful person and character, full of fire and fear, with a secret that could mean the end of her life. She is brave, she grows, she has difficult decisions to make. It all feels so real, it all hits all the harder when the stakes increase too, and I'm really proud of her for how she grew.

Second of all, Stanton. What a person, what kindness and devotion to doing a job, what honesty to be himself and do what he sees as good. Also, the banter!!! The banter is great. I love him and I love him with Allegra.

And to be honest, I could go on! All the characters are wonderful (except for the twats, *eyes Bonacieux*), deal with issues that hit you close to home, and a inherently good people (again, except for the twats). There is something wonderful about reading about people who try to do what is right, despite of living in a world that tells them otherwise

As for the rest of the book; the story is great, gripping, and the ending of book 1 finds a way to brilliantly tie together lots of different plots threads, introduce some unexpected twists, and opens up the story in book 2 in a way that had me buying the next one immediately after finishing this one. There are heartbreaking moments, and moments that make you grin on a train on your way to work (at least, that's what happened to me). The writing is engaging and fun despite dealing with heavy issues of slavery and what makes someone good.

This book is great for anyone who wants to read a book with magic, rebellion, intrigue, politics, romance, and humanity.

[Tani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have some issues with the synopsis of this. I think it really gave me some mismatched expectations, and in general lessened my enjoyment of the story. The synopsis actually covers a pretty significant proportion of the book, so I found myself getting very impatient when some of the events it advertises don't happen until past the halfway point of the book. (The disclaimer being that the late stages of pregnancy have had a negative impact on my patience and concentration, so my experience reading this at a different time of my life may have been very different indeed.)

That being said, I enjoyed this but didn't love it. All of the characters were very well-crafted and enjoyable to spend time with, and I especially appreciated Lex as a POV character. They are awesome, and I hope the sequel includes more of them. The politics in this were also right up my alley, if maybe a touch heavy-handed, to the point where it's hard to understand why anyone would be on any other side. The action occasionally felt a bit disjointed to me (perhaps because of aforementioned issues with concentration?), so that was a bit of a negative, but I did appreciate the way that events continued rolling onward with such consistency. I also thought that the moral development of some of the characters could have been a bit better - I wasn't quite convinced by the change of heart that at least one of the characters had.

Still, I thought that this was a very solid effort, and I'm excited to read more by the author in the future.