this book was sooooo flat, nothing intense, nothing too exciting. like the end of the previous series, it was anticlimactic and too easy to be true.
Recap:
Del and Dr. Garisso trudged through the wood full of traps (snake-like vines, bloodthirsty birds, poisonous trees, and aggressive cats) to find 'the Collectore', Garisso's girlfriend(?). she wanted to ask her about the stone that Roarke took from the machine that could enhanced magic back in the Shadow's stronghold. but the collector also didn't know what it was, only that it was vital and powerful, and she said it'd take time to know what it was.
Del returned to ancient magic, met Roarke, and went to Savannah to look for the portal she unintentionally opened. they arrived at Bonaventure Cemetery (that place was GORGEOUS!) and immediately got attacked by angry ghosts that could harm them but couldn't be harmed, only to be saved by a strange girl named Aleta. they ran and arrived to a house where its owner was attacked by Boo Hag, a skinless skin stealer (i checked, it was creepy), and it attacked Del, but she killed it.
they continue their journey to find the river. there was ghosts there, waiting for a ferryman to cross. the cost to cross was a pinch of their soul, but they paid it and they cross. there was nothing on the other side except for a bar for ghosts. they asked around, starting with a friendly ghost. they asked about the place Oriamor where the portal was but he led them to a supernatural named Zoya Oriamor. turned out, she was an ice elf who guarded Oriamore somewhere in Russia but she left when the place was thick with black magic (legend said a portal from hell would open there hmm).
she said the place was too well-protected by her people and they tried to convince her to guide them there but she refused because she was ordered to be killed on sight. then, demons came, looking for Del. but they fought and Del was forced to reveal her phantom form, receiving insults from the ungrateful ghosts, but at least they convinced Zoya to help them and she said she would meet them tomorrow at Ancient Magic.
they returned back to Magic Bend, enjoying the night and went to Del's previous stronghold to practice shutting the portal. Pondflower came because Del wished her there and she tried to close the portal. however, she couldn't stop it, and suddenly, her mom came to apologize. she said that she realized how wrong she treated Del was and came to help her closing the portal. she said Del had to accept her magic so it would stop resisting and voila, Del managed to close the portal and the place turned pretty.
they returned to ancient magic, met up with zoya, cass, nix, aidan, and flew to eastern Russia using Aidan's jet. when they arrived, Roarke's demon assistant lend them snowmobiles and the adventure begun. it started from geyser that activated when someone passed (nix was the victim), moving ice caves that would opened up and threw them into hell, and giant crabs that could only be killed with fire. they finally arrived to a save house, courtesy of Zoya's friend, Vera, and stayed the night.
Vera said that thousands of demons had passed through the portal and they thought the ice elf were on their side but they were ready to fight them. but at she could turn back time for a few minutes so they could fight lesser demons but not too many because meddling with history was a very bad thing (like they haven't -.- idiots).
after getting some rest, they continued their journey on dog sleds (HUSKIES!). they were only got chased by giant bears and then they arrived to the village. Del easily closed the portal (with little injuries from the weapons that the demons threw at her when they realized what happened) and little fighting with the demons and done. they were called to the council to receive congratulations but they still had to capture the escaped demons. strangely, even though both the alpha council and the magica order sighted more demons, they didn't do anything, obviously they had a plan.
they returned back to ancient magic. the next day, roarke visited the order while del visited the collector because she said she knew more about the rock. it was the most powerful amplifier. del returned to tell her friends this and roarke also came to bear news. he said the order suspected the demons gathered to take them down so there would be no one who would fight them. worse, with the lacks of bad demons in the underworld, the balance between heavens and hells tipped of and would eventually broke so demons would spill to hell and finally, the dead and demons won't stay in the underworld, they'd return to earth.
the made plan to summon all the demons in one place recruit everyone to fight them (the order, the council, the firesouls, the ice faes, the swamp supes in florida, the monsters). but first, the sisters went to the Shadow's stronghold in Germany to kill one of them (?! why only one). the next day, they all meet near the ice fae's village and prepared for battle. then using the Ubilaz demon's power, Del called upon all demons on Earth and the battle begun. Del managed to kill the last two Shadow but Nix was hit with a poisonous electric whip and died. Del couldn't accept what happened so she turned back time for a few minutes so she could read the Shadow's movement and saved Nix.
The battle ended quickly because the demons were too fixated on killing Del so the others could easily killed them with little casualties (and none among the sisters' friends and firesouls). what i really didn't understand was, Del and her sisters were so afraid their power would be revealed so how did they explained her turning back time and calling all those demons with her power? it was just too convenient for the author to black out this details. to celebrate their victory, they threw a party in Del's old house. there, she met her parents. they were allowed to visit from time to time so they could reconnect with her and it was all well and fine.