Vengeance

Darkhurst #2

by Gail Z. Martin

Fighting the monsters that killed their family and friends cost undertaker brothers Corran and Rigan Valmonde their home and livelihood and made them wanted men—but the worst is yet to come.

The city-state of Ravenwood is wealthy, powerful, and corrupt. Merchant Princes and Guild Masters wager fortunes to outmaneuver League rivals for the king’s favor and the best trading terms. Ambitious and ruthless leaders use betrayal and assassination to gain their ends. Blood magic conjures monsters to further the goals of the ruling class, and the price of stolen power is paid for by the deaths of commoners. Now, the fate of Ravenwood hangs in the balance as rival city-states maneuver to gain advantage.

When Corran and Rigan and their friends became outlaw monster hunters and fled beyond the walls of Ravenwood City, they thought they had defeated the source of the abominations that killed so many of their friends and loved ones. But the more successful they become at destroying the creatures, the more they realize a greater evil is at work – larger and more monstrous than they ever could imagine…

Genres: Fantasy, Horror

542 pages, Paperback

First published April 10, 2018

About the author

Gail Z. Martin discovered her passion for science fiction, fantasy and ghost stories in elementary school. The first story she wroteat age fivewas about a vampire. Her favorite TV show as a preschooler was Dark Shadows. At age 14, she decided to become a writer.

She enjoys attending science fiction/fantasy conventions, Renaissance fairs and living history sites. She is married and has three children, a Maltese and a golden retriever.

Gail Z. Martin is also Morgan Brice, which is her pen name for urban fantasy MM paranormal romance.

In addition to the online sites listed below, you can find me on
Facebook.com/Groups/MartinShadowAlliance
Facebook.com/Groups/WorldsOfMorganBrice
Twitter: @GailZMartin and @MorganBriceAuthor
YouTube: YouTube.com/c/GailZMartinAuthor
IG: @MorganBriceAuthorGail & Larry newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dd5XLj
Morgan Brice newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dy_8oL
BookBub for Morgan: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/morga...
Bookbub for Gail: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/gail-...
Amazon profile: https://www.amazon.com/Morgan-Brice/e...?
Amazon profile: https://www.amazon.com/Gail-Z-Martin/...
Pinterest (for Morgan and Gail) www.Pinterest.com/Gzmartin

Reviews

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stephen King once said that if you don't know what your characters' characteristics are, put them in a random, dangerous situation. Well I think Gail Z. Martin really listened to that kind of advice because my reading belly is satisfied.

What a thoroughly enjoyable experience. I found this gem under the horror section of NetGalley, but I feel that it's a genre all on its own. Vengeance is a psychological thriller that dabbles in
urban and epic fantasy, but at its heart it is a horror. Why? This book falls under an aegis of horrific events which tear people apart and bring them together. Despite the wonderfully woven fantasy elements which fall sobelievably into place, the horror of it all is what makes this novel so enticing.

Oh! And revenge. I love a well-executed revenge story. Executed? geddit. hehe

"Not half a year ago, we had our old lives, and never dreamed anything would change. And now,
Look at us. Walking wounded, torn up inside and out like the old men who came home
from the wars and were never right again...And maybe someday we can rest.

The Plot: Under-Taker Monster Hunters, Monsters and Real Monsters humans
PS: With a lot of subtly but boldly worded commentary on mental health.

The Real Monsters:Bounty hunters...they were just another kind of monster, I suppose.

The Monster Huntersthe real crux of the story

The Monsters: all sorts of weird and terrifying creatures.

The Characters: bad ass mother lovers:

Every so often, the "higher-ups" as Polly (my favourite character) calls them have a chapter dedicated to their discussions and motives for their nefarious deeds of conjuring up monsters to kill civilians or "villeins". The higher ups are motivated by greed and power, but don't seem to be fully fleshed out. And that's okay. Sometimes I can enjoy a wholly evil villain. It's a break from the morally grey character trope.

The initial structuring of the book is like a short story, much like in the where Gerard fights blights and tainted monsters, but you can feel in your bones that a huge menace is on its way. And just as I suspected, there was something more to the monsters senselessly slaughtering villagers and their livestock; rifts opened by blood witches, beady-eyed, rat-like little bastards that work for the big baddies. And boy oh boy are these monsters far from the hackneyed, overused vampires and werewolves you've come to know and grow bored of.

The Villains

Jorgensen "asshat" enter surname:
See to it." Jorgensen snapped. "The night's waiting." Jorgensen angled himself so he could watch Spider and Roach prepare their working. [If I'm lucky, this will draw out the Valmondes and be done with it.] - he's very much akin to Scar/Jeremy Irons and I love it. But I hate what he does, so I hate him. A good villain is one you love to hate.

Kadar "killer of towns because they reaped too many grapes" enter surname:
There's not much to say, except that he's the brains behind the entire operation and he's a real motherfecker.

Colduraan "the Elder God" enter surname:
Colduraan grows stronger in chaos. Colduraan taught us humans the way of blood magic, and he thrives on bloodshed. The more blood magic is practiced, the stronger he becomes.
Colduraan is the huge baddie who wishes to come through the rift created by the blood mages. And boy, is there a great final fight scene waiting for all you readers out there.

He Who Watches "big baddie" enter surname
He Who Watches didn't want him as a sacrifice, or an offering. He wanted the power that eluded him in the Rift, and the soul that battled for control...if so, there would be no champions left to fight against the darkness

The Monsters:
He caught a glimpse of something blacker than a starless sky, felt its regard for just an instant, and recoiled from the touch of something utterly terrifying and alien. it knows we're here.

Character time!

Rigan the suicidal worrier warrior:
"I don't know how the gods reckon things. I wonder sometimes whether the stain on my soul is too much to let me pass to the Golden Shores, because of what I've done."
Corran's brother and a vengeful man who seeks to protect everyone he loves, even if it
leads to his demise. He is powerful witch and has so many detailed facets to his personality.

Corrin the sane:
I'm sorry. It's just that usually, the monster is a problem and the village wants us to take care of it. That's what we do.
The softer and gentler of the two brothers, Corran has some magical ability but he has his wits about him and protects his vengeful brother with his life.

Polly, Walloper of Idjits:
Thought I might help Polly with dinner...when she isn't threatening to wallop me with that spoon of hers. She may be the resident cook, but she has a glib mouth and sharp wits.
She's hilarious without being a comic relief. That girls no more than a - "that "girl" knows what she's doing," Polly said, her voice dropping to a deadly growl.."Don't make her mad if you value your balls."

"You know, I sometimes think Polly's the most dangerous of all of us."

Apologies for the copious quotes from or about Polly, but to me, she's what holds the character development together in this book. She's absolutely a delight to read about. I'd love a novella just about her.

Elinor the Saint:
She returned the kiss with a playful nip, but her eyes suggested exhaustion might preempt the promise of anything more.
Elinor and Rigan's relationship is realistic and fun. Elinor isn't just an extension of Rigan, but a saccharine angel all on her own.

Ross we were on a break:
gave up on any kind of reputation long ago. At least, any good kind... and a vestir killed my cousin....I couldn't bring him back, but I could kill the things that killed him, and
keep it from happening to someone else."
Ross focuses more on helping others than being vengeful, and I really like him!

Aiden the Worried Father Figure:
I sent Elinor to get some sleep, he said, stretching and rubbing his eyes..."You didn't have to stay up all night, Aiden." he yawned. "New information makes my mind churn. I wouldn't have slept even if I'd tried.

Calfon the Clever
It's illegal to hunt monsters - in Ravenwood and in Sarolinia. "Yet here you are," Calfon challenged. "Seems to me you came to the same party ready to dance."

And lastly, some wise ghosts:That's not good. Not good at all...I thought people had learned their lesson back in my day about monsters and Rifts and blood magic, but I guess not." Corran: as a general rule, people don't learn well from experience." Tophen gave a nervous chuckle. They don't, do they? I guess some things never change.

The Monsters: an essay to assay you to read this, especially if you love The Last Wish

The creatures and monsters that the gang face are a fresh take on monster hunting - not yourtypical vampires. There are vestirs and all sorts of "vampire" types, lagoon monsters that beckon you to jump to your death and so many others, shrouded in darkness. Not only that, but the fight scenes feel clever, realistic and nail-biting.

Cthulhu like creatures: Each time he sensed it more clearly, though whether that meant it was closer, he could not tell. I fixed him with the glare of its many eyes, and he felt its appraisal. The presence regard him curiously as if deciding whether he might be friend or foe, food or ally. Its utter alienness made Rigan's flesh crawl. Instinct overrode conscious though, and he ran.
I love existential monsters - are they, or not? Friend or foe? Menace or bunny?

The atmosphere: Dark but uplifting

This is so akin to Treasure Planet the best and most underrated Disney movie, thank you and I love it! It is dark but the camaraderie is heartwarming and I love the dark asylum they must seek - under and over abandoned monasteries. However, their friendship holds them together and from tipping point, despite the death and melancholy they face. There's love, laughter, heartiness and good food courtesy of Polly.

Tidbits that make the book great

...Corran tries the grave magic to open the Rift." Aiden looked chagrined. "She's right. There isn't time for "careful" although I'd rather not run right past into "reckless". I'm in.

The Banter: Corran will skin me if I come back home without you." "With luck, it won't come to that," Rigan said with a thin smile which didn't reach his eyes. "And if it does, I'll haunt his ass if he gives you grief.

Overall this is a great read - the only problem I have with it is that it could be condensed by quite a bit. However, the extra hundred or so pages dealing with mental health like PTSD, anxiety and depression made it well worth it.

If I were a door-to-door salesman I would be cleverly smearing copies of this book off to you, but alas all I can do is review and hope you take my word for it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Gail Z. Martin for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Vengeance” is exciting and intense, incorporating magical historical fantasy and monster horror with themes of family, loyalty and friendship. Meticulous worldbuilding is fundamental to this story of brothers fighting monsters lurking in the dark. This book is for readers who enjoy distinctive magic systems and well-described, often gory fight scenes. A highlight is the strong familial love between the brothers reminiscent of the Winchester brothers from the television show “Supernatural,” with Corran as the older, protective brother, and Rigan as the gifted, sensitive younger brother. At 544 fast-moving pages, “Vengeance” is definitely worth the investment.

The Valmonde brothers lost their livelihood as undertakers, their family and their freedom in a battle against an evil ruler and his bloodwitch, who used monsters to consolidate their power in the first book, “Scourge: A Darkhurst Novel.” Now outlaw monster hunters, they realize the enormity of the practice of calling creatures from another dimension for weapons against the economies of rivaling rulers. A practice that hurts the people more than the rulers. A formidable presence from beyond awaits being called through to their world if the sacrifices continue. The brothers Valmonde and comrades face the fight of their lives against supernatural and natural foes.

Reviewed for Affaire de Coeur Magazine. http://affairedecoeur.com

ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.

[Patti Holland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very powerful!!

I couldn’t put this book down. It has magic of all kinds, monsters you’ve never heard of before, ancient gods battling each other, and an epic battle to save the world with our heroes coming out on top. What more could you want!!

[The Book Junkie Reads . . . · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dig in for a very action filled ride. The Valmonde brothers have much on their plate and much riding behind them. This was truly a journey with magic, action, fantasy.

In this city-state of Ravenwood what you don't see can kill, but its those you see that could and would create the deeper danger. These blood magic, monsters, princes, power-hunger-individuals, brothers, friends, and more all find that there are things that are much more darker than what you see or what you thought you saw.

The adventure in to vengeance was full of action around each corner. This was on that would not be rushed. The way it pulled you in to this well crafted world was just amazing. The was entertaining to the mind, the senses fully engaged with the audio.

Narration was full, rich, and kept up with the ebb and flow of the action, drama, intensity, and the bit of mystery behind much of the goings on. This was a listen meant to be savored.

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Audiobookworm Promotions on behalf of various authors, narrators, and publishers. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliant book from Gail Martin who writes characters I love. The boy's are back but this time they've teamed up with friends and are on the run, hunting monsters just to get by and hiding from the law. This is supernatural meets medieval, this is a must read for anyone who enjoys fantasy fiction, can't wait for the next instalment.

[Cath · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book of the Darkhurst series and is another long read, just short of six hundred pages. But, don’t let this put you off. It is a fantastic read with numerous well described monsters for Corran and Rigan, both former undertakers, to fight off along with their fellow hunters. All were once working in Guild jobs or in service, until the events of book one, Scourge: A Darkhurst Novel, took place and they had to leave the city.

Corran had been fighting the monsters that killed their parents and Rigan has strong undertaker magic as well as some extra magical talents thrown in, that he had to keep secret. They were hunted by the Mayor and Lord Chancellor, who unknown to them, know of the monsters, yet did nothing about it. The different Merchant Princes use witches to help keep their region above the others in a league table, so the King won’t accuse them of not reaching their trading and tax collection targets. To reach that aim, they have their witches use ‘Blood Magic’ which has a dark force and evil intent.

The brothers and their remaining friends have to leave the safety, now a barrier to freedom, of Ravenwood’s city walls and try to survive on the outside of the walls. An area where outlaws are banished and supposedly a wasteland. They are all wanted by the authorities and are now outlaw monster hunters. They work within their small group to help those on the outside to defeat the monsters plaguing them, in return for money or food and supplies.

The events at the end of the first book made them think the people behind attracting the monsters to Ravenwood were now dead, but the case is much more complicated than that and there are many hands in the pot throughout the kingdom. Each area wants a better trade agreement for themselves and not to be near the bottom of the league and have a larger Cull to fulfil.

The team hide in abandoned monasteries as they seek out new hotspots of monster activity and try to put an end to the monsters. It soon becomes clear that there are more and more monsters appearing and clues that lead them to discover where they are from. This also puts part of the team in danger and the real evil behind the monsters creation is soon revealed to them. Whether they can defeat this new adversary is beyond their current knowledge. They are also being chased by assassins, with prices on their heads as outlaws, and have to evade the soldiers also sent to capture them.

Some of the country people aid them in their quest and the team train them in monster hunting, so they can hopefully survive any future attacks themselves. As well as that, the Crown Prince sets the former Mayor’s head of security after them and loans him a pair of weaker witches. We soon learn that the Blood Witches also have a plan of their own to carry out and this could lead to the devastation of the whole kingdom.

A fantastic read and it ends with another marvellous confrontation, which is much more epic in detail than the first. A real battle between good and evil and seeing who can survive and what the outcome may be.

I will certainly be reading more of this author’s books and will keep an eye out for anymore bargain prices on the series. I want to see what happens to the brothers and their team, as I am sure there will be more adventures for them to undertake, before their stories are fulfilled. I received an ARC copy of this book from Hidden Gems and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gail topped her first installment in the lives of the Valmonde brothers in Vengeance. The brothers return, after surviving hoardes of monsters in the first book to face even greater challenges. They've lost everything, and are currently evading the authorities of Ravenwood, while simultaneously protecting the town's citizens from these monsters. Three brothers and their comrades hide out from authorities hellbent on capturing the brothersand killing their friends. The politics in the novel mirror current events in our society and i love how Gail isn't afraid to show the underbelly of the corruption and greed behind much of politics. I also loved how the characters are not just tropes meaning that even though the brothers and their group are outcasts, on the run from the law, they're also needed to keep society safe. Sometimes it's the heroes we need, not necessarily the heroes we want, that save us.

This book is longer than most of Gail's books and I had to break it up a bit because life got busy about half way through. But I kept coming back to the story because I had to know how it ended. Yet, Gail made sure to leave enough bread crumbs to know the story isn't over yet! This installment in the Darkhurst series was an excellent follow up to the award winning Scourge. I can't wait to see what Gail has in store for the Valmondes next!

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

WARNING: Extremely gruesome book

* Received an ARC from Hidden Gems in exchange for an honest review *

It only took me 4 days to read this but it feels much longer. I was really enjoying this book at first but it became a real chore to finish. I have nothing against long books, in fact the longer the better, so I think the reason this became a slog was because it was basically the same thing happening again and again, fight after fight, just with different monsters.

Another reason I may not have enjoyed this so much was because I haven’t read the first book and so I was confused about the politics and the types of magic. However, I would be interested in reading the first book. If I do and it makes things clearer, I will change my review and star rating to reflect this.

[Icy_Space_Cobwebs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this epic fantasy! Ms. Martin is a fine writer, who leavens her stories with humour and all the important human emotions. I was engrossed from the first page and suspension of disbelief came immediately. The magic is glorious, the monsters are imaginative designed, and there's plenty of swordwork as well. Plus there is camaraderie, brotherhood, and the struggle for justice against unjust foes.

[Adena Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC from the author and as always, Gail Z Martin delivers. Like her Ascendant Kingdom series, the characters and complexly heroic yet normal people, the world they inhabit is carefully crafted to be believable and consistant throughout, the conflict is clearly good-versus-evil in an intriguingly human and paranormal way. These monster hunters take their occupation to a new level that combine epic fantasy and dark fantasy in a fascinating way.

[Steven Wendell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good second chapter

I enjoy the dark setting and kingdom. It was a good continuation of the brothers and friends fleeing their city to go rogue in the out county being vigilante monster hunters and savior to the common people. I don't want to give any spoilers but the epic magical fight to seal a breach between planes was awesome.

[Laura Childs · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Vengeance" In A Magical Horrorscape

"Vengeance" takes readers through a universe where blood magic and its horrific price governs political, economic, and social aspects. The second book in a trilogy, the story is told through several perspectives. Readers will be breathless by the ever-escalating rate of action and vivid imagery!

[Jim Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

. I have enjoyed the undertaker battles and can't wait to see what happens to alive.

Enjoyable read and nicely done, I have enjoyed this series and others by the author and look forward to see what's next. Keep writing Gail, I for one can't put your books down.

[irv Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

It well worth reading .

You are kept on edge and wondering what will happens next which is what you want in a book. She knows how to make you want more in her books.

[OjoAusana · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Received for free from netgalley for honest review* Loved reading this, looked into finding the other book and can't wait to read that one and reread this one!

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Valmonde brother are back with the second installment of the new fantasy series by Gail Z. Martin. On the run from the authorities of Ravenwood, the brothers (having been "blessed" by an Old God) and their band of monster hunters are roaming the country side killing monsters as they go. Rigan is still learning about the use and extent of his magic without killing himself in the process. Searching for the rogue monster hunters is the former head of security for mayor Machison is Hant Jorgeson. Jorgeson is charged with bringing in the Valmonde brothers and killing the rest of the band in order to save his own skin.

This is another tense installment in the Darkhurst series and an excellent follow up to the award winning Scourge. I can't wait to see what further awaits the Valmondes.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: While this is Book 2 in the series, it works mostly well as a stand alone. I stepped into it not knowing it was Book 2 and picked up the important backstory bits with ease.

The Valmonde brothers remind me quite a bit of Dean and Sam Winchester from that TV show Supernatural, though they are quite a bit more serious and the story takes itself more seriously. Corran is the warrior and very protective of his brother, Rigan (who is a witch & much more sensitive in general). They are quite dedicated to each other and to the others in their group.

Polly is 14 or 15 and has quite the bright, feisty spirit. I did laugh a bit though when she ends up time and again being the one in the group to nearly die while fighting this monster or that. Sure, she can take care of herself…. maybe. She’s also the groups main cook and sometimes she’s used as a sexy bait to lure a monster out of hiding.

Aiden is the group’s main healer, though his magical efforts are supplemented by Elenor’s herbals and book learning. Aiden is struggling with some guilt ferrets over using his healing magic as a weapon from time to time (even though that has saved his friends & others from a variety of monsters). Elenor plays a love interest.

Trent is another warrior… I think his name is Trent. Maybe it was Scott. I think there’s supposed to be 9-10 people in this hero group but I didn’t bond with all the characters so I have trouble recalling all their names. There’s also Myr, but he appears to be mostly comic relief and he drinks the most. Jora is another fighter but she doesn’t get much page time so I have no opinion on her.

The world building is the richest part of this story. I expect there’s a lovely scribbled on map hidden in the author’s Den of Imagination. It’s got Ravenwood on it and all the hideouts our heroes have used in the past year. I bet is also shows all the known rifts and locations of reported beasties. The magic systems are well laid out too. The blood magic shows the most detail in this book, getting the most page time. Evil witches can use anyone’s blood (not just their own) to work big, evil magics. Then there’s also the politics. Merchant Guilds and town politicians all want their slice of power. Well, some want all the power & don’t play well with others.

The ladies didn’t get as big a role as I expected. One spends most of her time as a love interest. Another wants to be a useful spitfire but mostly needs rescuing. Yet another dies early in the story when she was obviously talented & useful. Plus, there’s far fewer of them than the male characters, who outnumber the ladies 4 or 5 to 1.

The action keeps the tale hopping, which was great. The main characters have small moments for reflection, emotions, etc., but the tale is always moving forward. I never felt it bogged down. 4/5 stars.

The Narration: Will Damron provides a unique voice for each of the characters and, for the most part, his female voices sound feminine (though sometimes Polly and Myr sound like close siblings). His pacing is good. However, he doesn’t sound particularly excited during the more energetic or emotional scenes. I’d be wrapped up in the story, tension building, arrows flying, swords clashing, people possibly dying! So exciting! For me, for the characters, but not so much for our narrator. Anyhoo, there were no technical issues with this recording. 4/5 stars.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the author via Audiobookworm Promotions. My opinions are solely my own.

[Holley · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 25%

I don't like reviewing books that I didn't finish, so rather than commenting on the whole work (which wouldn't be fair of me), I'll make a few notes of why I stopped reading.

- The characters were not interesting. They seemed cliche and flat.

- The conflict was weak. When the characters were out hunting monsters, there would be a few lines of action, and then the action is cut off with several scenes of the aftermath. This caused pacing problems. It read like this: quickly resolved action scene, filler, filler, filler, filler, background, quickly resolved fight scene, filler, filler, filler, etc.

- Lack of interesting characters and conflict made me bored. I wasn't invested, and I dreaded picking up the book and reading.

- Certain plot points were repeated several times. Within the first 25% of the book, the reader is reminded not once, not twice, but at least three times about the pact the brothers made with an elder god to have vengeance.

This book could be good, but it needs some serious editing. The premise is interesting, but it failed to live up to full potential.

***I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read the book.***

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having loved book 1 Scourge, I was lucky enough to get my hands on an ARC of Vengeance at no cost to the author and it really delivered!
Following the events of Scourge,the Valmonde brothers and their friends are living as outlaws hunting monsters and just trying to survive. On top of this they discover a new plot is afoot to bring even more monsters and darkness into Ravenwood and they must figure out how to stop it.
What makes this series stand out is the politics the author has created.You can't help but get drawn into the landscape Martin has written and it makes this series more than just a fantasy adventure. The world building is phenomenal in my opinion.
There is plenty of action,darkness and magic to explore and I got goosebumps reading that epic battle scene!
In my review for Scourge (book 1) I said this was becoming a favourite series of mine,and book 2 has confirmed it. Looking forward to more from this series!

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an interesting book! I do not usually follow politics but this book has it’s own brand of politics/ greed. Why is it money and politics go hand in hand? We have the Valmonde brothers and friends trying to rid their world of monsters that keep appearing. The mystery is why are they appearing and to what purpose do they serve? We have mystery with lots of subplots and twists, a bit of romance and not much humor. Lots of action and bits of sorrow where friends pass away.
The story flows along but the twists at the end tells you there will be another book. The story will continue unless this is ending with a cliffhanger. I look forward to reading Scourge. I do recommend this book as it will keep your interest right up until the end!

[Raven and Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gail Martin is a master of creating characters and stories you just can’t stop reading. This second book in the Darkhurst series does not disappoint. As the brothers and their family of fellow “criminals” survive outside the city by hunting down monsters, they uncover a plot to continue the corrupt policies and blood magic practices of the ruling merchant princes. I normally have trouble reading books with a lot of politics in them but this series is an exception to that. I couldn’t put it down. Not a dull moment. Great characters and very well written. Highly recommend these!!!

[Charlotte · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really quite disappointed by this second book. It was very repetitive - the same sort of scenes happened over and over again and they were very disconnected. I didn't fully understand some of the magic - I found it difficult to read and this isn't something which is a problem for me. It's a shame because I loved the first one and I love the characters.

[Eleanor]

DNF @ pg. 121.

I just don't think I'm interested in this style of YA anymore. It's not at all a bad book for the genre it is, thought parts could certainly be improved. There are just many more things I'm far more interested in reading; this style of YA no longer is something I care for.

There's a chance I may come back to it in the future, though.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story can't wait to read the next

[Danielle Romans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phenomenal. Everything Gail does leaves me in awe. The end of the story was a tiny bit anticlimactic but I still loved it. Wonderful.

[Markus Jonsson]

Them learning to fight back. Learning the world that was hidden from them. Starting to fight back.